Al-Qaeda Threat in Philadelphia?

ABC Channel 6 Action News - Philadelphia ^ | June 27, 2002 | David Henry

[all4one]

Al-Qaeda Threat in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia, PA June 27, 2002 — David Henry reports from the Action Newsroom.

An Action News investigation reveals that a chain of jewelry stores operating in the Delaware Valley is being investigated by the FBI for possible connections to the Al Qaeda terror network.

A series of raids were carried out yesterday in Philadelphia and across the state of Pennsylvania.

The stores are mostly kiosks in shopping malls operating under the name "Intrigue Jewelers." They are all owned by Pakistanis under franchise agreements with a company called Gold Concepts, based in Pennsacola, Florida.

Intrigue operates stores at malls in Philadelphia, Plymouth Meeting, Harrisburg, and Monroeville. Until recently, they also had a kiosk at the Lehigh Valley Mall near Allentown. Owners and employees of the Intrigue shops at the Gallery in Center City and at the Plymouth Meeting Mall were questioned yesterday by agents from the FBI and INS. An employee at the shops in the Monroeville Mall tells us he was detained for hours yesterday.

Tariq Hussain says his home was searched and his computer was taken. He says the FBI accused him of funneling money to Ossama bin Laden's terror network. He says they questioned him about a photo he took two years ago of the NASDAQ building in New York, but he doesn't know how they knew about the photo.

The man in the photos taken at the World Trade Center just days before the attacks also worked at the Intrigue Jewelry store at the Lehigh Valley Mall. Two days before the attacks Ashar Iqbal Butt came to a photo shop in the mall looking for the pictures. The clerk says Butt seemed anxious to get them.

He was picked up on September 12th and was later charged with entering the country on a false passport just a month before the attacks.

Action News has confirmed that yesterday's sweep is part of a nationwide investigation involving at least 60 jewelry outlets. The justice department confirms that a number of people have been detained for questioning, but no charges have been filed yet.

[swarthyguy]

"if the good muslims don't get a handle on the bad muslims then they leave it up to common citizens who like me can't tell a good muslim from a bad muslim "

Not to mention other swarthy types. This makes the defense of the jihadis by the EuroAm muslims truly mind-boggling.

Do they think the restraint showed last year would be replicated in the case of a big attack?

Don't they have some survival instinct? Where's their sense of self preservation? You would think they would softpedal the jihadi philosophy and apologies even if they really believe it, which an exceedingly large number seem to do, conventional wisdom asserting otherwise notwithstanding.

It would serve their aims to have widespread incidents occur and use those as a propaganda tool to further their jihadism. Of course, logic and rationality seem to be alien concepts to whole mindset of the arabs and pakistanis and their fellow jihadis.

[Grampa Dave]

Mo1 posted: OK .. Just watched the local .. NOTHING ..

Even Channel 6 Action News that first reported this story mentioned nothing about it today

Checked the local papers .. Nothing about this story of the malls either.

This is another prime example why every Freeper should cancel their subscriptions to left wing fishwraps. Then send half of their monthly savings to Free Republic. We have gathered and found more news on these bastards in just a few hours this morning than the fishwraps will ever find.

Miss Marple and I have been pointing out that the fishwraps are incapable of doing any investigating reporting. All they can do is run PC/Diversity bs posing as news or push the Rat mantras/agendas.

Save the environment, cancel your subscriptions to the Rat run fishwraps and send half of your monthly savings to Free Republic.

[antidisestablishment]

I think the feds are watching the roaches run. The lack of interest by the media may be laziness, but more likely it is cooperation with authorities. A big bang to start the scramble and then a quiet search and destroy. At least I hope so!

[Squantos]

One of the major deterrents to any agressor/attacker "was" that attacks on well defended sites would result in their deaths aka suicidal to say the least.

Now we see an agressor who has no value for life, ......ours or their own. In my experience that is indefenseable unless someone is present, capable and ready to stop em as they are detected in their attempted act of murder.

Stay Safe !

[Jefferson Adams]

Very interesting and potentially very disturbing.

Indeed.

Especially with the veiled comments they've made about the next attack bringing America to its knees. Don't remember the specific wording.

[Joe Driscoll]

Here's a list that I could find.
Coming to a mall near you:

Business Name Street/City & State
AMBER JEWELERS, INC. 4152 N HARLEM AVE CHICAGO , IL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 1820 9TH ST N NAPLES , FL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 4301 W WISCONSIN AVE APPLETON , WI
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 2700 MMSBURG CNTRVILLE RD DAYTON , OH
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 7171 N DAVIS HWY PENSACOLA , FL
INTRIGUE FINE JEWELERS 1455 NW 107TH AVE MIAMI , FL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 2021 N HIGHLAND AVE JACKSON , TN
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 100 MAIN ST WHITE PLAINS , NY
INTRIGUE FINE JEWELERS 2370 N EXPRESSWAY BROWNSVILLE , TX
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 150 QUAKER BRIDGE RD PRINCETON , NJ
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 358 BROADWAY MALL HICKSVILLE , NY
INTRIGUE JEWELERS CHESTERFIELD MALL MIDLOTHIAN , VA
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 6401 BLUEBONNET BLVD BATON ROUGE , LA
INTRIGUE JEWELERS CORP 5065 MAIN ST TRUMBULL , CT
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 19501 BISCAYNE BLVD MIAMI , FL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 3101 N MAIN ST ANDERSON , SC
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 2 W ERN HILLS MALL FAIRFIELD , AL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 9401 W COLONIAL DR OCOEE , FL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 409 BRANDON TOWN CENTER M BRANDON , FL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 27001 US HIGHWAY 19 N # 9206 CLEARWATER , FL
SAS JEWELERS INC INTRIGUE 303 JACKSONVILLE MALL JACKSONVILLE , NC
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 5801 DUKE ST STE K203 ALEXANDRIA , VA
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 250 LEHIGH VALLEY MALL WHITEHALL , PA
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 100 SANTA ROSA PLZ SANTA ROSA , CA NEW INTRIGUE JEWELERS 3507 BROADWAY MALL HICKSVILLE , NY
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 27001 N HGWY 19 CLEARWATER , FL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 4125 CLEVELAND AVE STE K FORT MYERS , FL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS ROCKAWAY MALL DOVER , NJ
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 2625 SCOTTSVILLE RD BOWLING GREEN , KY
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 1201 BOSTON POST RD MILFORD , CT
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 17301 VALLEY MALL RD #NK6 HAGERSTOWN , MD
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 2501 W MEMORIAL RD 4524 OKLAHOMA CITY , OK
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 7400 N STARR MALL SAN ANTONIO , TX
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 5471 CENTRAL AVE CHARLOTTE , NC
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 10TH MARKET ST PHILADELPHIA , PA
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 9301 TAMPA AVE NORTHRIDGE , CA
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 4615 OAK RIVER CIR VALRICO , FL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 4600 JONESTOWN RD HARRISBURG , PA
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 1150 W CARL SANDBURG DR GALESBURG , IL
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 145 MALL CIRCLE DR MONROEVILLE , PA
INTRIGUE JEWELERS 1000 TWO MILE PKWY GOODLETTSVILLE , TN

[blackbag]

Thanks for the details... my memory has faded abit.. My(GFR) gut feel reaction to the intial report and this new one is stong.

"I remember a strange smell about all these "spying incidences." These stories were repeated and embellished in the pro-palie news, but we never saw anything in the US press after the initial, strange blurbs. Makes one wonder how close Mossad was."

[cake_crumb]

WHOA....

I've been checking the Philadelphia Inquirer occasionally for updates on the perp(s) who stuck a nail bomb in that corner mailbox....

NOW I wonder how long ago the "Intrigue" jewelers (intriguing name, no?) in the Leheigh Valley Mall was closed...and where it's former emplyees are.

[Dog]

See post 67..

They have stores in OKC!!!!

[Dog]

GrampaDave......look at post 67.....they have stores in OKC...very interesting..

[Miss Marple]

I know. I wonder how long they have been in OKC.

[cake_crumb]

"And if it is true that they are connected with Al Qaeda, and their shops are in malls that makes it very easy to see how they could pull off another large attack. Bring the explosives in as fake shipments, position them around the mall maybe in bathrooms or some other inconscipuous place with the bombs on timers and 'no more mall'."

...And thus the numerous warnings of possible attacks on Malls that the pundit-loving Bush bashers have been having so much fun with?

[swarthyguy]

"Fasten your safety belts"

http://www.freerepublic.com/fo cus/news/707203/posts

Complete text.

[Joe Driscoll]

Here's a couple of more.

Business Name Street/City & State
SPENCER GIFTS, INC	2701 DAVID H MCLEOD BLVD FLORENCE , SC
INTRIGUE JEWELRY	5600 E BANNISTER RD KANSAS CITY , MO
INTRIGUE FINE JEWELRY	8001 S ORANGE BLOSSOM TRL ORLANDO , FL
INTRIGUE JEWELRY	901 MARKET ST PHILADELPHIA , PA
INTRIGUE JEWELRY	4535 DOLORES LN BETHLEHEM , PA

[cake_crumb]

"The apartment was rented to Mohammed Mir, who moved out without notice in September"

...And Isbal Butt (gratuitous snicker) was arrested on September 12th, the day after the attacks. We can safely assume Mir had disappeared by then. I wonder where HE is now?

Kudos to the 1 hour developer who fingered Butt.

[Dog]

I can't seem to locate a home office for Intrigue Jewelers.......odd.

Kcvl see what you can find... if you will ....post it here and ping all of us........thanks!

[KentuckyWoman]

Especially with the veiled comments they've made about the next attack bringing America to its knees

I've been saying the next "attacks" will come at either malls or schools since right after 9/11. Would these fanatics not be more likely to "self-destruct" someplace where they would stand less likelyhood of being shot down BEFORE they could blow themselves up? Think places that have been effectively disarmed --- malls, schools, places that serve alcohol (including many large restaurants) and government buildings. Israel could tell us about schools and how arming their teachers stopped the murders. Of course, our elected officials won't listen until it's too late for many, I'm afraid.

One of these malls (Rivergate Mall in Goodlettsville, TN) is the mall that I generally shop at!! I have seen this kiosk on several occassions and even commented to my daughter when we were there about two weeks ago that I didn't see how they stayed in business. I've NEVER seen anyone actually buying anything there! There is also another kiosk run by middle-eastern appearing men at this same mall (on the other end....) that sells purses and wallets. What would be the chances?...???...???...???

[KentuckyWoman]

ping for your possible input (and safety)

[cake_crumb]

Apologies everybody...I did NOT mean to type that the way it sounded.

[Joe Driscoll]

Kudos to the 1 hour developer who fingered Butt.

What to say, what to say.

KudosMy sincere gratitude to the 1 hour developer alert lab techincian who fingered Butt identified the terrorist.

It was funny though!