Seattle P-ICase of Whidbey Island 'terrorists' is a dud, FBI says
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
By MIKE BARBER SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
A national cable TV news flash yesterday about the arrest of possible terrorists on Whidbey Island sounded explosive:
The FBI and other federal agents were investigating two Middle Eastern men who were arrested in Oak Harbor last Tuesday after police found traces of TNT and plastic explosive in a rental truck they were driving, the Fox News Channel reported.
The fact that Oak Harbor is near Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, home of the electronic warfare Prowler jets, heightened concerns.
But the FBI said last night it had taken a pass on the case, handing it over to immigration officials after further tests for explosives.
The two men came to the attention of authorities when an Oak Harbor police officer stopped them shortly after midnight May 7. "It was a minor speeding violation," said Oak Harbor police Sgt. Bill Russell.
The officer grew suspicious, however, when one of the men produced only an international driver's license and an expired visa and the other could show no ID at all, Russell said. And while the men said they were in Oak Harbor only to deliver furniture and were on their way back home to Canada, the officer noted that it was after midnight -- an odd hour for such work.
A bomb-sniffing dog was called in.
According to some reports, the dog indicated that it smelled something interesting in the driver's side of the truck cab, though a search turned up nothing suspicious.
Fox reported that a follow-up test had revealed traces of explosives on the steering wheel and gearshift. However, a law enforcement source told the Post-Intelligencer that the dog and the first round of tests may have picked up nothing more than residue left by a cigarette lighter.
Border Patrol agents took custody of the two men, who claimed to be Israeli citizens, for investigation of immigration violations. Garrison Courtney, a spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, last night said he was uncertain about their status.
Whidbey Island residents have been vigilant about possible terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks, largely because of the island's large military base and proximity to the border.
In the weeks after Sept. 11, Island County locals flooded emergency centers with reports of Canadian truckers who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, said Island County Sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Smith. Smith said delivery trucks from British Columbia routinely pass through the island on their way to the ferry slip at Keystone, a short-cut to the Olympic Peninsula. She said the trucks are inspected at the Canadian border and are presumed safe. "All were negative," said FBI spokeswoman Melissa Mallon.I still see reason for alarm. Something is going on..... middle easterners with expired visas, suspicious mannerisms, and midnight delivery runs out of Canada should not be accepted as normal.
The officer grew suspicious, however, when one of the men produced only an international driver's license and an expired visa and the other could show no ID at all, Russell said. You can still rent a truck with nothing but that? No credit card? No passport? As I said before, Ryder may have some 'splainin to do. Start by disclosing who really rented that truck, since I don't believe it could possibly be either of the guys inside it.
Not sure I buy the bit about the cigarette lighter, either, but thanks for posting the follow-up.
I still see reason for alarm. Something is going on..... middle easterners with expired visas, suspicious mannerisms, and midnight delivery runs out of Canada should not be accepted as normal.
Thanks for the post.
I agree! This case screams for a much closer look by the FBI. Is the FBI so overworked in the NW, that after only a few days, they take a pass on something as fishy as this?
Another interesting tidbit toward the bottom of the P.I. article, that one would think the reporter would have at least picked up on:
Quoting the INS agent "the trucks are inspected at the Canadian border and are presumed safe."
Right! The inspection was so thorough, that they didn't even detect that one of the two got through without a valid visa! And a smalltown Cop immediatly picked up on it.
Sure fills you with confidence in our much vaunted "Office of Homeland Security", doesn't it?
IMO, that Oak Harbor Cop should get a commendation for his, or her vigilance.