These missing Egyptian students were no terror threat, we were told, but nevertheless there was a nationwide alert for them. From AP, with thanks to Mike:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The last two of the 11 Egyptian exchange students who failed to show up at their college program were apprehended Sunday in Richmond, Va., customs officials said.Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Mohamed Saleh Ahmed Maray, 20, and Mohamed Ibrahim Fouaad El Shenawy, 17, at an apartment building in Richmond on Sunday night. Virginia State Police and the Richmond Police helped locate the students.
Last Wednesday, one of the Egyptian students was arrested in Minneapolis and two were detained in Manville, N.J. On Thursday, two were arrested in Dundalk, Md., and one was arrested at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Three more were arrested Friday in Des Moines, Iowa.
you can just imagine the lies these upright student terrorists will give for being across the US instead of in class at the university.....
war inside America is coming. Our government needs to hunt down all foreigners with expired or suspect visas and send them home.
Texican - if it comes and order breaks down... I will be ready to defend my loved ones. I'm stocked and can rack & attack if I'm forced to. I'll keep practicing and won't loose a minute's sleep if I'm pushed to the wall.
Why were these "students" allowed to come to the land of "kaffirs" in the first place? Have our officials learned nothing since 1979? (even before)
I was listening to G.Gordon Liddy this morning, some expert was on the show talking about the situation with Iran obtaining nukes. Both were wondering what gets into young native born British muslims....duh....it's the qur'an. I wanted to scream at the radio, my Lord, don't these smart guys read anything but the NYT?
Hi everybody. It's been a while for me but I'm back for the moment. Anyway, do any of you think that these 11 Egyptians are connected to the Pakistani that was found by authorities with the Nokia telephones? As we all know, you don't need any kind of identification to activate thes phones on a "pay as yo go " plan! And these phones are the ones that most terrorist use to remote detenate bombs! Just thought that I'd put that out there. I mean, he had well over 2000 cell phones. How did he finance these phones at $20.00 a piece?
Hi everybody. It's been a while for me but I'm back for the moment. Anyway, do any of you think that these 11 Egyptians are connected to the Pakistani that was found by authorities with the Nokia telephones? As we all know, you don't need any kind of identification to activate thes phones on a "pay as yo go " plan! And these phones are the ones that most terrorist use to remote detenate bombs! Just thought that I'd put that out there. I mean, he had well over 2000 cell phones. How did he finance these phones at $20.00 a piece?
Here's more (vague, pandering) info on the three in Des Moines. All legal residents! Nothing to see here! *ugh*
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060813/NEWS01/608130352/1002
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060814/NEWS01/608140347/1002
I would like more information on a) the Des Moines residents sheltering these guys and b) the six students who actually reported to Montana State, but I'm not holding my breath.
Texican,
Trouble is coming, but forget about nukes for the moment. That is a distraction. What they are seeking is a way to slime us with Biological or Chemical weapons. Take a glance at their favorite course selections. They can set the Plague or something like it on us with very little difficulty courtesy of our political leaders and college professors. After we are sufficiently involved with a nationwide epidemic they can use their nukes on the smaller countries. That would give them the time they need to take over the rest of the world. Then they return their attention to us.
DEPORT THEM NOW!!!!
Trolls, mates.
News Releases
Sunday, August 13, 2006
An URGENT APPEAL From CAIR
AN URGENT APPEAL FROM CAIR - TOP
http://www.cair.com/email/08-10-2006.html
As violence in the Middle East spirals out of control, our resources are once again stretched to their limit. Meanwhile our day-to-day work of defending your civil liberties and promoting an accurate image of Islam and Muslims continues to pile up at a pace that far outstrips our current resources. Our phone lines and e-mail boxes are overflowing with appeals from people who are counting on us to speak and act on their behalf.
Dear Friend of CAIR,
As-salaam alaikum.
If you tuned into the news lately, you cannot have missed the media's bias in portraying the conflict in the Middle East. You surely see our own government's unconditional support for Israel. Even Sen. John Warner, from President Bush's own party, questioned the wisdom of this one-sided support for Israel.
At CAIR we have organized a multi-layered campaign to address this recent conflict. A peaceful and just resolution to this five-decade-long conflict is important for the continued growth and empowerment of the Muslim community in America.
A new poll sponsored by CAIR and released last week shows that the majority of Americans want an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.
To allow ordinary Americans to receive an accurate characterization of this conflict and to voice their disagreement about current US policy, we have launched a new resource website: www.notinamericasname.org/
Among other things, the website contains a petition that demands that our elected officials pay heed to public opinion. Please take a moment to visit the website and sign CAIR's "Not in America's Name" petition. We need your help to reach our fellow Americans with these facts.
The website also contains educational materials about the conflict and suggests actions you can take to voice your opinions and concerns - from contacting your elected officials, sending humanitarian relief to the people in Lebanon and Gaza, organizing town hall meetings to writing letters to editors.
In addition, we have coordinated news conferences with American citizens who have relatives in Lebanon or those who just arrived from there. These news conferences were carried out in more than a dozen cities across the nation. Most of the news conferences were carried by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX and helped to draw media attention to the bizarre situation in which American tax-payer-funded weapons are being used by Israel to bomb American citizens attempting to flee the war zone.
It is our Islamic obligation to help the cause of peace and justice and to help those who are advocating such enduring Islamic values.
Together, we can do it! We need:
* 400 of our friends to donate $200 per month,
* 800 of our friends to donate $100 per month,
* 1,500 of our friends to give $50 per month, and
* 2,500 of our friends to give $25 per month.
All we are asking for are modest monthly donations - between $25 and $200 or more. For less than the cost of your cable TV or coffee bill you can help CAIR advocate for you. Visit us at www.cair.com to find out how we help you everyday.
We close with a reminder from the Holy Quran, "Verily God will never change the condition of a people (community) until they change that which is within themselves (13:11)."
DONATE NOW
Sincerely,
Parvez Ahmed
Chairman
Nihad Awad
Executive Director
How is the Middle East conflict affiliated with the civil rights of Muslims living in America? This counsel on islamic relations is a real band of flakes.
"All we are asking for are modest monthly donations - between $25 and $200 or more. For less than the cost of your cable TV or coffee bill you can help CAIR advocate for you. Visit us at www.cair.com to find out how we help you everyday."
I think I'll keep my money and buy a big ham and a couple of cases of Foster's lager with it.
As university students, one would suppose that the recently-apprehended Egyptians were capable of figuring out an airline schedule and getting to Montana State University on time. As Egyptian students, one might expect that it was made abundantly clear to these people the need to go directly to Bozeman. Moreover, given the current level of rising suspicions with resepct to the Moslem community, its goals and allegiances, one might suppose that the households sheltering these wayward lost lambs might have been a little more forthright in guiding them back to the right path.
So what's up? Anything a little fishy about this or can I get back to pruning my rose bushes?
Just out of curiousity, how many of these aspirants to that world renowned center of English education - Montana - were nabbed in - Montana?
"..... Visit us at www.cair.com to find out how we help you everyday."
Posted by: Unbridled at August 14, 2006 12:49 PM
.. oh, I know how CAIR can help me.. and I need it only once: Get Lost!
"Even Sen. John Warner, from President Bush's own party, questioned the wisdom of this one-sided support for Israel."
I am beginning to question the wisdom in supporting Sen. John Warner. The longer they stay in the office, the more addle-brained they become
DEPORTATION!!!!
I know every time I've missed a connection at JFK when trying to fly to LAX I've ended up in Des Moines, Iowa. Perfectly understandable.
I wonder if the missing students were checking the US security efforts regarding student visa violation.
I hope the missing students are at least fined for all costs incurred in finding them.
Also, I hope their fingerprints, photos, address, violation type, date, details of discovery, US sponser and etc should be kept in a database of visa violators. We do have such a database, right??
jb
tgusa
I've been saying that these 'students' have been up to no good since they caught the 2nd and 3rd one. I noted that they had dispersed upon arival in the USA. So they were found:
1. Minnesota
2. New Jersey
3. Chicago (How in the hell did he get to Chicago?) If he caught a plane, couldn't he have been a terrorist risk on that flight?
4. Outside Baltimore, Maryland (not far from Washington DC).
5. Iowa - AFTER flights from New York to San Francisco and then on to Iowa. How in the hell did they get on the flights? Where is our SECURITY???
6. Now they have these students in Virginia (also not far from Washington DC).
Folks, it is quite possible that they have either brought in biological agents and have dispersed the stuff OR handed it over to terror cells. OR they could have simply met up with terror cells to pass on instructions...thereby eliminating the risk of communication interception.
There are some diseases that have an incubation period (smallpox approx. 14 days). We could be seeing something really nasty happening in the next couple of weeks. Might coincide with 22 August chaos. I DO NOT TRUST ANY MUSLIM ANYMORE.
It isn't enough to do police checks on these 'students'. They need to stop them coming to the USA full stop!
Okay then if eleven Egyptian students had landed in the UK and had dispersed thoughout our towns and cities we would have a pretty good idea of their intentions by the individual's intended location. I know the USA is on a grander scale but can any of you sleuths out there join up the dots?
Something funny from patriot post online. Cutting and pasting is tacky but it says it all so perfectly.
From: PatriotPost.US
Terrorist Profiling?
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:10:29 -0400
To ensure we Americans never offend anyone -- particularly
fanatics intent on killing us -- law enforcement and security
screeners are not allowed to "profile" people in public places or
security checkpoints. However, they will continue to perform
random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots
with proper identification, Secret Service agents who are members
of the President's security detail, 85-year-old congressmen with
metal hips and even Medal of Honor recipients. But targeting
Middle Eastern male Islamists between the ages 17 and 40
constitutes "ethnic profiling."
Let's pause a moment and review....
In 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by: (a) A salesman from
Utah (b) An construction worker (c) A college student on Spring
Break (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17
and 40.
In 1972, 11 Israeli athletes were killed at the Munich Olympics
by: (a) Your grandmother (b) A Midwest auto-parts dealer (c) A
mom and her 6-year-old son visiting from Indiana (d) Middle
Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by: (a) A
bluegrass band (b) Dallas Cowboy fans (c) A tour group of
80-year-old women (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the
ages of 17 and 40.
During the 1980's numerous Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon
by: (a) A family on their way to Disney World (b) Jesse Ventura
(c) A Boy Scout Troop (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between
the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by: (a)
A pizza delivery boy (b) The UPS guy (c) Geraldo Rivera making up
for a slow news day (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the
ages of 17 and 40.
In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked, and a
70-year-old disabled American passenger was murdered and thrown
overboard by: (a) A girls' choir (b) A hardware store owner (c) A
secretary (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of
17 and 40.
In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a U.S. Navy
diver was murdered by: (a) A Marine officer with two weeks leave
(b) A plumber going to visit his mom (c) A Catholic nun (d)
Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by: (a) A college-bound
freshman (b) A cardiac surgeon on his way to Houston (c) A
waitress (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17
and 40.
In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed by: (a) A starving
actress (b) A mom with a newborn (c) Twin six-year-old boys (d)
Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 1995, a plot to blow up U.S.-bound international flights over
the Pacific was attempted by (a) Hawaiian school kids (b) An
decorated Vietnam Veteran (c) Twin sisters on their way to
Paducah (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17
and 40.
In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
(a) A local TV weatherman (b) A dad and his two sons on a ski
trip (c) A widower going to visit his grandchildren (d) Middle
Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2000, 17 sailors died in an attack on the USS Cole (DDG 67) in
Yemen by: (a) A child in a stroller (b) A high school class on
their way to visit Washington, DC (c) Newlyweds on their way to
Miami (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17
and 40.
On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked -- two flown into the
World Trade Centers, one into the Pentagon and one into the
ground in rural Pennsylvania. They were hijacked by: (a) A
retired police officer on a mission trip to Haiti (b) A
firefighter going to Maryland for training (c) An paramedic on
his way to vacation in Hawaii (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males
between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2002 the United States liberated Afghanistan from: (a) USAID
relief workers (b) Jewish Pilgrims (c) Christian missionaries (d)
Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl and other Westerners were kidnapped
and beheaded by: (a) The Peace Corp (b) Scottish clansmen (c)
Cuban refugees (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages
of 17 and 40.
In 2002, more than 330 hostages in Beslan and 130 hostages in
Moscow were murdered in sieges by: (a) Russian exchange students
(b) The Red Guard (c) Church planters (d) Middle Eastern Islamist
males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2003 the United States liberated Iraq from "The Butcher of
Baghdad," but most American military personnel were killed by:
(a) Iraqi school-girls (b) Street vegetable venders (c) Women
without burkas (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages
of 17 and 40.
In 2004, more than 200 Spanish civilians were murdered on trains
by bombs in Madrid, detonated by: (a) Morning commuters (b) A
three-year-old Chinese girl (c) Flamenco dancers (d) Middle
Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2005 more than 50 UK citizens were killed by bombs on trains
in London, detonated by: (a) Rail workers (b) Those unable to
hail taxis (c) Wheelchair-bound grandmothers (d) Middle Eastern
Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2005, there were hundreds of casualties, men, women and
children, killed by bombs in Jerusalem, Riyadh and Amman. These
innocent civilians were murdered by: (a) Construction workers (b)
Farmers (c) Christian missionaries (d) Middle Eastern Islamist
males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2005, the city of Paris, and other European cities experienced
an extended period of riots and destruction. The unrest was led
by: (a) "Youth" (b) Soccer fans (c) Catholic nuns (d) Middle
Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, more than 2,500
Americans have been murdered by terrorists. 35,000 Iraqi men,
women and children have also been murdered by terrorists. Most of
the combat and civilians casualties were the result of bombs
detonated in civilian population centers by: (a) Fruit vendors in
Baghdad (b) Disgruntled transit union workers (c) Iraqi
schoolteachers (d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages
of 17 and 40.
In 2006, hundreds of Israeli civilians have been killed by
rockets launched by: (a) the Salvation Army (b) remnants of the
'Jackson Five' (c) the cast of 'Friends' (d) Middle Eastern
Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
In 2006, a plot to blow up 10 U.S.-bound planes from the U.K. was
attempted by (a) members of the royal family (b) Japanese
tourists (c) groupies of the band 'Cream' (d) Middle Eastern
Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
Since 2001, the FBI reports that there are major terrorist cells
still in U.S. urban centers. Several of these cells have been
uncovered and cell members arrested. In every case, the
terrorists cell members were: (a) Southern Baptists
Conventioneers (b) Lutheran Youth Groups (c) Presbyterian Elders
(d) Middle Eastern Islamist males between the ages of 17 and 40.
President George Bush said this week, "America is at war with
Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us
who love freedom, to hurt our nation." The Council on
American-Islamic Relations issued an immediate objection to the
President's reference to "Islamic fascists". Nihad Awad,
executive director of CAIR protested, "We have to isolate these
individuals because there is nothing in the Koran or the Islamic
faith that encourages people to be cruel or to be vicious or to
be criminal. Muslims world wide know that for sure." In light of
this objection, we are left to ponder why every Islamic leader in
the U.S., and the world, does not publicly condemn every terror
action being undertaken in the name of the god of Islam. Their
silence is deafening...
Between 1970 and present, there were more than 60 other notable
examples of terrorism perpetrated by Middle Eastern male
Islamists between the ages 17 and 40, but we think you get the
point. Singling out "Middle Eastern male Islamists between the
ages 17 and 40" is not "ethnic profiling," it's "terrorist
profiling" -- acting on prolific evidence.
Anyone for Terrorist Profiling?
Semper Vigilo, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander
Publisher, The Patriot
(Circulation of this e-mail is sponsored by The Patriot Post --
the most widely read conservative e-journal on the Internet. If
you have not already joined the ranks of American Patriots
receiving this highly acclaimed conservative digest of news,
policy and opinion, link to:
http://PatriotPost.US/subscribe/atp
and The Patriot will be delivered FREE by e-mail to your inbox
each week. If you don't have Web access, send a blank e-mail to:
subscribe@PatriotPost.US
and you will be subscribed automatically.)
"Anyone for Terrorist Profiling?" is posted on the Internet at
http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=341
Dundalk, Maryland: 1. Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, 2 miles 2.) Fort McHenry Tunnel, (I95) 2 miles, 3. Francis Scott Key Bridge, 3 miles 4.) NSA ( National Security Agency ) 10 miles 4.) Washington, D.c. 40 miles 5.) Port of Baltimore, 1 mile 6.) Amtrak (rail) tunnel 3 miles.... We have no real information on these guys except that they are here illegally, and apparently very quickly found places to stay. Of course they pose no danger whatsoever. WTF!
They said that they were going to sell them to make a profit.
The cop that was interviewed last night said that the ones that where arrested took the phones out of the package and removed the battery then threw the package and charger away.
So them saying they where going to resale them for a profit is cra*p!!!
I'd venture to guess that Montana is one of the places in the CONUS that it takes the longest to get to. That way, they wouldn't be discovered missing for the longest possible time. I'm speculating, but Montana is far enough west of Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas and other midwest or southern hubs, and far enough east of west coast hubs.
I'd be curious as to exactly what courses these chaps were registered for and if they are a specialty of that college, in trying to figure out why they would pick Bozeman of all places. I highly doubt they chose Bozeman after reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
MP, that was excellent information on the Maryland 'students'.
Can you get back to us with the same sort of info for the Minnesota, San Francisco, Des Moines, Iowa, Richmond Virginia, Chicago, IL and New Jersey?
I am thinking just as you are. These 'students' were here for something big. Either to hand out biological agents OR to meet up with terrorist cells to pass on messages of upcoming terrorist actions.
It will be a cold day in hell before I believe they were simply students spreading out and checkout out the States.
I still haven't had a satisfactory response on how the managed to get on flights in the country!
perpster,trying to figure out why they would pick Bozeman of all places,
You never can be sure but there are some interesting weather patterns around that location.
http://www.mmm.ucar.edu/uswrp/PDT/four/mountain.html
Thanks for the info The Goobs.
The Goobs - I'm a native Baltimoron, so the Dundalk info. was a no-brainer. Desmoines, Richmond, and Minneapolis are all river towns with attractive bridges. Minneapolis is also pretty close to the Mall of America. Richmond is close to Kings Dominion (19 miles) and Busch Gardens, Williamsburg (50 miles). Perhaps some of our fellow readers will chime in. Given our lack of border enforcement, these guys MIGHT be young men looking for a better life, but the parallels to M. Atta @ Co. raise my hackles. MP
The FBI and Homeland (in)Security have rushed to
judgement and found the cell phone entreprenuers
and the Egyptian 11 "innocent". This just
strengthens my resolve that neither agency
could find their collective asses with all their
collective hands.
I harken back to the Islamic gentleman who
wandered into the Jersey City office of the FBI
and confessed to being trained to fly planes into
buildings by "the base."
He was immediately deported and flown to his
native England. A few months later the buildings
fell.
I am now hearing that the last two of the Egyptian 11 were picked up while in the employ
of a gentleman who had previous employees arrested
and charged with terrorism. I'm starting to believe anything but would love to hear if anyone
can verify this as fact.
Also, why do you have to drive all the way to
Dearborn Michigan from Texas to go to Wal Mart to
buy cheap throw-a-ways. Does Texas have a 95%
sales tax or somthing?????
Also, why do you have to drive all the way to
Dearborn Michigan from Texas to go to Wal Mart to
buy cheap throw-a-ways. Does Texas have a 95%
sales tax or somthing?????
Posted by: tommy-o
I heard that one of their wives said that they had gone up there because buying and selling cell phones in Texas was popular and so they needed to go farther away to get them. Sounds like a load of bull to me.
They were 'supposedly' buying and selling these phones to make money to put one of them through college! ha ha ha ha
I think the IRS should check into this!
MP, here's some more information.
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond Main Street Station is a railroad station in Richmond, Virginia. It was built in 1901 by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. After being decommissioned in 1971, it sat idle until 2004, when it was renovated and returned to rail service. It is presently a stop on Amtrak's Acela Regional service between Boston and Newport News, Virginia.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Hiawatha Line is a 12-mile (19-kilometer) light-rail corridor in Hennepin County, Minnesota that extends from downtown Minneapolis to the southern suburb of Bloomington, connecting to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America, among other destinations.
San Francisco, California
Muni Metro is a mass transit system operated in the City and County of San Francisco by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, managed by the Municipal Transportation Agency. Due to its history, in some parts of the city it resembles a metro, such as all segments of the lines running under Market St., while the most other segments of lines resemble either a traditional streetcar network or a modern light rail system.
Des Moines, Iowa
The nearest Amtrak train station is in Osceola, about 40 miles (64 km) south of Des Moines. Trains on the route that passes through Osceola, the California Zephyr, go east to Chicago, Illinois and as far west as Oakland, California.
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is considered to be the premier transportation hub in America. It is an important component in global distribution, as it is the third largest inter-modal port in the world after Hong Kong and Singapore.[45] Additionally, it is the only city in North America in which all six Class I railroads meet. The 'L' (rapid transit system) is the third busiest rail mass transit system in the United States, behind New York and Washington. According to 2003 statistics prepared by the Chicago Transit Authority, 494,743 people rode the Chicago Elevated each weekday. 262,791 people rode each Saturday while 180,951 people rode each Sunday.
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore is a major stop for Amtrak. Named passenger trains which serve Baltimore include Acela Express, Palmetto, Carolinian, Silver Star, Silver Meteor, Vermonter, Crescent, and Amtrak's Regional trains.
Airports
• Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport - in neighboring Anne Arundel County
• Martin State Airport - (general aviation) - in Baltimore County
Manville, New Jersey
Central Jersey Regional Airport.
Manville. Rentals, rides, instruction.
www.centraljerseyairport.com
NJ Transit Rail Service
The Raritan Valley Line offers service east to Hoboken, Newark/NYC Penn Stations, from stops in the central part of the county, west to High Bridge, NJ.
Mohammed Atta was an Egyptian national. That's one singular reason why these eleven Egyptians should be rounded up, finger printed, their iris' scanned, and their underbellies microchipped.
Those students found in Des Moines allegedly visited the Iowa State fair twice. The Iowa state fair is enormously popular. About one million tickets were sold last year for the 10-day event and it can get very crowded. If you’re a politician, and you want to connect with as many Iowans as possible, this is the place to do it. The following politicians are scheduled to make appearances: George Pataki, Newt Gingrich, Tom Vilsack, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Evan Bayh, John McCain, and Bill Frist. There are some major road and rail targets in central Iowa as well.
Tommy-o sez: ". . . why do you have to drive all the way to Dearborn Michigan from Texas to go to Wal Mart to buy cheap throw-a-ways. Does Texas have a 95% sales tax or somthing?????"
And, Goobs sez:
"I heard that one of their wives said that they had gone up there because buying and selling cell phones in Texas was popular and so they needed to go farther away to get them. Sounds like a load of bull to me."
Here's the deal in Texas:
I can assure you that the excuse of "reselling" cellphones is just plain hogwash. First, it was widely reported that the phones were being removed from their packaging, with the batteries and accessories either discarded or collected separately. No potential buyer is going to take that merchandise (either wholesale or retail) in a stripped down condition, when they could go to Walmart themselves and get new goods in brand new condition. There's enough in their "excuse" to prove the lie. Secondly, there's not enough mark-up left for there to be a profit motive at all.
Tommy-o, the state sales tax in Texas is never more than 8.25 percent. A very small portion of that goes to the local transit authority, if there is one, and a small portion goes to the city, if the city has passed a local sales tax (which most cities do have).
I've heard much of the possibility that the cellphones can be used to detonate bombs, and, it is true that they can. However, I think it is much more likely that these guys were buying these prepaid cellphones to remove the memory cards which store the billing information, cellphone number of the unit, the numbers called, etc. These memory cards are similar to, and slightly smaller than, the memory cards used in digital cameras.
The cards can be removed from the Walmart phones, and sent by mail, or by carrier pidgeon (very popular in Saudi Arabia and other gulf states), or stuffed in a body cavity (ouch!), and smuggled anywhere.
Mr. Terrorist or Mr. Kidnapper can use his usual phone with one of the new cards. The call will be "billed" against the prepaid plan and number assigned at the point of sale (Walmart) or earlier (at Walmart's wholesaler or at the factory). The police agencies (FBI, National Security Agency, etc.) will not be able to tell where this caller is except by triangulation of the cellphone towers which carry the signal used by the caller. But to do this they have to know the cellphone number on the little memory card.
Now, in this electronic warfare Mr. Terrorist can throw away his little memory card after a few calls or a few minutes, or he can use one card to call Omar and another card to call Mahmoud, and a third card to call Abdul. If the cards are marked so that he doesn't get them mixed up, the listening authorities are never able to trace the fact that he calls all three associates, and cannot link them. See?
Now, the NSA, being pretty smart, make a deal with the manufacturers of these phones to identify the cellphone numbers assigned to phones going to, say, WalMarts in Chicago, or maybe even more specifically to those going to particular Walmart warehouses. The RFID tags (radio frequency identification tags to assist in inventory control and prevent shoplifting) can track each item through the system to point of sale. Rest assured that if they are sharp and focused (this assumes a lot), the authorities can tell with some degree of certainty where a cellphone CARD originated in the retain chain, and what other numbers may have been also assigned in that same chain.
So, even though Mr. Terrorist switched cards several times, they can see that No. 231-xxxx and No. 784-yyyy and No. 445-zzzz all made calls through tower number Z-43 in Southeast Baghdad, and that all three of those cellphone CARDS were sold in cellphones in Chicago on such-and-such a date.
If Mr. Terrorist was moving while making his calls (i.e., in a car), he would have been handed off from one tower to another along his route. This will also be known, and can be used to help identify his location and route of travel. Enough of this and he becomes a target.
The boys buying these cellphones need to be sweated-out by some professional examiners. They can lead to the chain of middlemen who are smuggling the cards.
By the way, if our little cellphone buyers were really running a legitimate business, they would register with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. By doing so, they would obtain a Sales Tax Permit which would eliminate the sales tax on all goods they purchase for resale. In fact, they could go to the wholesaler and buy the cellphones for LESS that they would pay at WalMart, get them all at once, maybe even delivered. They don't want to do this because at least one of them would have to give a name and address and social security number (which, with an extra digit, becomes the business's tax ID number), and the wholesaler would record the business tax ID at the time of sale. But we already know they are lying through their teeth. The chic should be busted now, too, for her part in the conspiracy.
If these bastards were a little closer to my home I would go take a look at them myself. There's a big story here, you can bet your bottom dollar.
Update on the two Egyptians apprehended in Richmond, Virginia. Note the two subjects had rented an apartment in South Richmond:
Two Egyptians arrested here
Out-of-status students had rented apartment, were last of 11 caught
BY MARK BOWES
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Aug 15, 2006
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189981180&path=%21news&s=1045855934842
A nationwide search for the last of 11 Egyptian exchange students who failed to show up for their college program in Montana ended Sunday in Richmond.
Thanks to Chesterfield County police, Mohamed Saleh Ahmed Maray, 20, and Mohamed Ibrahim Fouaad El Shenawy, 17, were arrested without incident about 6 p.m. in the Forest Ridge Apartment complex off Forest Hill Avenue in South Richmond, said Chesterfield police Capt. Karl Leonard.
The apartment complex is across Forest Hill Avenue from the Stratford Hills Shopping Center.
"They were just sitting outside," Leonard said. "I don't know how long they had been in the area or what they were doing in the area. But that's where we found them."
The Reuters news agency, quoting U.S. immigration authorities, reported that the two had rented an apartment in the complex.
The men were the last of 11 Egyptian exchange students to be apprehended. The students were to attend a months-long program at Montana State University in Bozeman. A group of 17 students had arrived in New York on July 29. Six reported to Bozeman on time.
After Montana State repeatedly tried to contact the missing students, it notified federal Homeland Security officials and registered the Egyptians as no-shows in a system developed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to track foreign students.
None of the students is considered a terrorism risk.
Leonard said Chesterfield police received information on Saturday that the last two missing students were believed to have been seen walking on Midlothian Turnpike (U.S. 60).
Police distributed pictures and information about the students to street officers, who contacted merchants along Route 60, trying to see if anyone had seen them, Leonard said.
Then, Sunday about 2:30 p.m., police received a call that gave investigators "a pretty good indication that the people [the caller] saw were in fact these students."
Working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, county police began to canvass areas where investigators thought they might be, Leonard said.
Officers then went to the South Richmond apartment com- plex and spotted the students outside. Chesterfield and ICE agents placed them under surveillance until city police arrived, and they were taken into custody without incident.
They were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The students will appear before an immigration judge, but the hearing date was not known, said ICE spokeswoman Ernestine Fobbs.
On Wednesday, one of the 11 Egyptian students was arrested in Minneapolis and two were detained in Manville, N.J. On Thursday, two were arrested in Dundalk, Md., and one was arrested at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Three were arrested Friday in Des Moines, Iowa.
All 11 face administrative immigration violations as out-of-status students.
"Rather than seeking to attend the academic program in Montana, they actually were here to stay, get jobs and earn money," ICE spokesman Dean Boyd told Reuters.
Another thing that struck me is that Richmond, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Chicago are all home to Federal Reserve banks. St. Louis, Philadelphia, New York and Washington DC (home of the Board) are all short drives from the other locales where the Egyptians were arrested, as well.
Given AQ's fondness for bombing commuter lines, The Goobs' scenario of a potential attack on a rail station or line is more likely than a recon mission against our Federal Reserve system, but who knows??