Posted on 02/13/2003 4:15:31 PM PST by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
BEVERLY -- They weren't terrorists -- they were just two guys looking to buy a plane.
The two men who visited Beverly Airport Tuesday evening wanted to make a purchase -- not plan a terrorist attack, according to the FBI.
"They were two Brazilian individuals, one was an airline mechanic, inquiring about an aircraft there they thought a relative in Brazil might be interested in," Gail Marcinkiewicz, an FBI spokeswoman, said last night.
Marcinkiewicz offered few other details, and it was still unclear why the men fled when questioned by airport workers.
The men, Brazilian nationals, were taken into custody at 7 last night and held overnight on Immigration and Naturalization Service detainers, State Police Sgt. David Paine said.
The men, who were not identified by police, will be held until their immigration status is determined. Police did not say where the men were apprehended, or whether they were living on the North Shore.
Until last night, law enforcement sources were mum on the investigation surrounding the two "suspicious" men who visited the airport around 5:30 Tuesday night.
Airport sources said two men who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent went to Aviators of New England, a flight school and asked the owner if they could buy a crop-duster.
When questioned, the men jumped in a pickup truck with Massachusetts plates and left the airport. The owner then called police.
Contrary to information gathered from airport sources, Marcinkiewicz said the men weren't specifically interested in purchasing a crop-dusting airplane.
Crop-dusters have been linked to terrorist activity because they can be used to spread germ and chemical warfare.
"They inquired specifically about an airplane," she said, noting the matter was "resolved" and authorities determined "no terrorist-type activity" was involved.
Marcinkiewicz described the FBI's role in the investigation at the airport as limited, noting the bulk of the probe fell on a state police anti-terrorism unit. The matter was referred to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, however, Marcinkiewicz said.
The JTTF includes FBI agents, state troopers and representatives from local police departments, including Salem Detective Sgt. Michael Andreas, the department's terrorism intelligence officer.
While the men aren't considered terrorists, Andreas said the airport businessmen who alerted police to their presence Tuesday night "absolutely did the right thing."...< snip>
[my take-someone asked them about "visas" or "credentials" and they fled.]
In which case, I'm encouraged that somebody thought to ask. And, more importantly, to call the authorities.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.