[okie01]

Almasri bundled up his family and blew town on 9/9/01.

The neighbors called the FBI hotline with their suspicions, which seem obvious and very well-founded, within a few days of 9/11/01.

For sixteen months, nothing happens.

Finally, the FBI swoops down and busts the house on 1/21/03.

This chronology raises two questions:

1. Is the FBI finally responding to the hotline tip? If so, what in heaven's name took them so long?

2. Or are they responding to some new evidence, otherwise obtained? In which case, why did they ignore the hotline call?

After all, a residence occupied by an Arab family, with a son involved in flight training at Lantana, hastily vacated on 9/9/01 and left unoccupied for sixteen months is an inviting investigative target.

In other words, this raid is just as suspicions as the long-delayed combing over of the nearby AMI building -- almost a year after it was sealed.

[Ranger]

Well if we hear next week from the FBI and the White House that there is new evidence of a connection between the hijackers/Iraq and/or anthrax which is linked to this raid, then we'll know something fishy is going on. I've pulled out my tin foil hat, but haven't put it on just yet.

[Fred Mertz]

Good questions and comments.

[txhurl]

1. Is the FBI finally responding to the hotline tip? If so, what in heaven's name took them so long?

Perhaps waiting to see who might come to recover whatever was buried?