Attempt to Buy Ambulance Spurs Fear

(AP) ^

[Dallas]

NEWARK, N.J. --

An attempt by two Middle Eastern men to buy a fake ambulance spurred authorities to issue warnings that terrorists may seek to use bogus emergency vehicles as weapons, authorities said.

About two weeks ago, two men walked into Movie Time Cars Inc., a Lyndhurst company that rents replicas of ambulances and police cars to TV and film producers. The men offered to pay cash to buy a replica ambulance, said Joe Sargo, the company's owner.

Sargo, suspicious, told the men he does not sell vehicles to anyone. The men quickly left, but an employee jotted down the license plate number of the car and called police, Sargo said.

That triggered a series of alerts to police and rescue agencies in northern New Jersey and New York that terrorists might seek to use emergency vehicles or look-alikes to carry out attacks, said Sandra Carroll, a spokeswoman for the Newark FBI office.

She said the FBI knows who the two men are and are seeking them for questioning, but has not connected them to any terrorist organizations. She would not identify the men but said they were confirmed to be Middle Eastern.

Carroll said the information from Lyndhurst police about the incident "was combined with some intelligence that ambulances or police cars may be a target." Alerts were sent to Bergen County and New York City police and rescue agencies to be on the lookout for anyone trying to obtain an emergency vehicle or look-alike.

Movie Time does not have actual ambulances or police cars, but the replicas are authentic enough that they can pass for the real thing, Sargo said.

"For all intents and purposes, what they wanted looked like an ambulance," he said.

Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press

[johniegrad]

[Paleo Conservative]

Notice that this attempt was made in a state with strict gun control. If they had tried to do this in Texas, they might have been held at gunpoint till the police arrived.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Thankfully Americans are waking up and taking notes.

Amen. The authorities need as much help as we can give them. It would be great if the Homeland Security Agency would do something useful like publishing a list of things that the public could do to help them.

[ghostkatz]

Americans are not waking up...as long as they still have the remote and a beer in their hand, a shiny car in the drive and are not directly (ie. themselves or a family member) blown up so what??? The enemy is living amongst us at universities, conv. stores, everywhere, 8 million plus (all loyal Americans I'm sure). I doubt that America will wake up in time. We are all so, soo,so PC, ya know.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

RE:24

Agreed, sadly.

Only time will tell the end of this story.

[Thinkin' Gal]

The men offered to pay cash to buy a replica ambulance, said Joe Sargo, the company's owner.

Sargo, suspicious, told the men he does not sell vehicles to anyone. The men quickly left, but an employee jotted down the license plate number of the car and called police, Sargo said.

That triggered a series of alerts to police and rescue agencies in northern New Jersey and New York that terrorists might seek to use emergency vehicles or look-alikes to carry out attacks, said Sandra Carroll, a spokeswoman for the Newark FBI office.

JJr, what was that you were saying about the Palis using Red Crescent ambulances to tranports weapons, bombs, bombers, etc.? An ambulance is just a fancy version of a white van.

[Dallas]

I knew that title looked familure.....