The Mackinac caper

[ishmael]

I just talked to brother, who can see the Mackinac bridge from his front yard. Apparently a car full of Muslim whackos was corralled in Flint. They were on their way to blow up the Big Mack.

It seems things are heating up. Britain, Ohio, Michigan, all in a week of each other.

Eventually, one of these idiot groups is going to get around our guard.

[S/V Laura Ellen]

Copied from http://www.nationalterroralert.com/ (http://www.nationalterroralert.com/)



Mackinac Bridge Terror Target (http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2006/08/12/mackinac-bridge-terror-target/)

August 12th, 2006 http://www.nationalterroralert.com/images/mackinac.jpg
Tuscola County prosecutors filed terrorism-related charges Saturday against three men who they say bought dozens of cell phones Friday in Caro in a globally coordinated plot involving the Mackinac Bridge.
They charged brothers Adham Abdelhamid Othman, 21, and Louai Abdelhamied Othman, 23, along with their cousin, Maruan Awad Muhareb, 18, with identical counts of collecting material to support terrorist acts and surveillance of a vulnerable target with intent to committ terrorism.
Read More (http://www.mlive.com/sanews/latest/index.ssf?/mtlogs/mlive_sanewslive/archives/2006_08.html)
Update:
A magistrate set bond at $750,000 for each of the men, who are charged with collecting or providing materials for terrorist acts and surveillance of a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes. No pleas were made at the arraignment at a District Court in Caro, about 80 miles north of Detroit.
Officials have not said what they believe the men intended to do with the phones, most of which were prepaid TracFones. But Caro’s police chief said cell phones can be used as detonators, and prosecutors in a similar case in Ohio have said that TracFones are often used by terrorists because they are not traceable.
“All we did is buy the phones to sell and make money,” Louai Abdelhamied Othman told the magistrate. He said it wasn’t the first time the group had been questioned.
“We’ve been checked by the FBI before,” he said. “They even gave us their card and everything.”
Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark E. Reene told The Saginaw News that investigators believe the men were targeting the Mackinac Bridge. He declined to say what led investigators to that belief

[Katherine]

You'd think they'd try at the bridge and tunnel to Canada as well. They're very heavily travelled everyday.

[Tom Montgomery]

The men were arrested Friday in Caro, which is in the Thumb area of Michigan, after a Wal-Mart employee contacted the authorities. The clerk was suspicious of the men because they had purchased 80 TracFones, which are sold with pre-paid minutes and are difficult to monitor.

[ishmael]

I imagine the Mackinac bridge was considered an easy target. Impressive, if not all that important, and not as well guarded as more important targets.

I don't understand why something, more bombings, hasn't happened. What does it take to load a van up with a fertilizer bomb and drive to the middle of the Holland tunnel and blow it off? Not much. You and I could engineer it over a weekend, Kat, if we were willing to die in the process, as so many of these radicals seem willing to.

[Norman Bernstein]

I read about this story in several papers today, and am quite cautiously taking this whole thing with a grain of salt. Some of the stuff written makes absolutely no sense... especially the part about all those pre-paid cell phones supposedly purchased as remote detonators... 80 of them? 200 of them? How many bombs were they supposedly going to set off?

The same police authority who was quoted about the cell phones also was quoted as saying that the batteries in the cell phones 'could be used to make amphetimines'.... so, let's see.... these Arabs were going to home-brew some speed, and then explode anywhere from 80 to 200 bombs?

This whole thing stinks like three day old fish.

[Tom Montgomery]

I don't understand why something, more bombings, hasn't happened.
Maybe we are seeing the results of good work on the part of police and others responsible for monitoring threats?

[S/V Laura Ellen]

It seems lately what is being uncovered is groups of mentally ill people planning, to some limited degree of detail, bizarre terrorist activities. Unless we are not getting the full story, some of these plans seem to be ill conceived at best.

[Tom Montgomery]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060623/D8IE0NRO1.html

Jun 23, 2006 11:41 AM (ET)

By MARK SHERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) - Seven young men arrested in an alleged plot against the Sears Tower were part of a group of "homegrown terrorists" who sought to work with al-Qaida but ended up conspiring with an informant, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Friday.

Outlining an alleged plot to bomb the Sears Tower in Chicago and a federal building in Miami, Gonzales told a Justice Department news conference: "They were persons who for whatever reason came to view their home country as the enemy."

Said Gonzales: "The convergence of globalization and technology has created a new brand of terrorism. Today terrorist threats come from smaller more loosely defined cells not affiliated with al-Qaida but who are inspired by a violent jihadist message, and left unchecked these homegrown terrorists may prove to be as dangerous as groups like al-Qaida."

[Phillip Allen]

How much do 80 of these phones cost?

[Tom Montgomery]

How much do 80 of these phones cost?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4809760

The cheapest model is currently on sale for $19.97, discounted from $29.98.

So 80 would cost somewhere between $1600 and $2400.

[Paul Girouard]

Maybe we are seeing the results of good work on the part of police and others responsible for monitoring threats?

Good thing Jack ain't workin that threat monitoring post. I posteda bout the dudes on his other thread earlier today. Maybe I'm invisible like Tar and Chad.

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Humm these dude's where buying cell phones , lot's of cell phone's .

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060813/D8JFGT480.html



DALLAS (AP) - The wife of one of three Texas men arraigned on terrorism-related charges in Michigan says her husband and his relatives are not terrorists, but are simply trying to make money by reselling cell phones.


Hoy vey like it's new , news:rolleyes:

[glenallen]

I read about this story in several papers today, and am quite cautiously taking this whole thing with a grain of salt. Some of the stuff written makes absolutely no sense... especially the part about all those pre-paid cell phones supposedly purchased as remote detonators... 80 of them? 200 of them? How many bombs were they supposedly going to set off?

The same police authority who was quoted about the cell phones also was quoted as saying that the batteries in the cell phones 'could be used to make amphetimines'.... so, let's see.... these Arabs were going to home-brew some speed, and then explode anywhere from 80 to 200 bombs?

This whole thing stinks like three day old fish.



It does stink, Norm! Why do these law enforcement people spill their guts to the press only hours after an incident. They've not even had time to question and investigate the suspects. And if they did, what has happened to PRIVACY of the suspects. I'm not soft on criminals, but let's be sure they are criminals before we ruin their lives. Last I heard it requires a TRIAL to prove criminality.
It may just be a case of Terror Promotion, similar to what we see with Drug Bust Promotion by law enforcement.

[Beowolf]

my sister replied, "Looks like the Mackinac, only smaller."

Katherine hit it right on the head.

Sure would spoil the view from my aunt and uncles place if it were gone though.

Jeff

[Dave Fleming]

Men who wish to know about the world must learn about it in its pariticular details.


Herakleitos

[Norman Bernstein]

It does stink, Norm! Why do these law enforcement people spill their guts to the press only hours after an incident. They've not even had time to question and investigate the suspects. And if they did, what has happened to PRIVACY of the suspects. I'm not soft on criminals, but let's be sure they are criminals before we ruin their lives. Last I heard it requires a TRIAL to prove criminality.
It may just be a case of Terror Promotion, similar to what we see with Drug Bust Promotion by law enforcement.

As I suspected, the whole thing is a non-issue... these guys really were buying the phones to re-sell them... the FBI admits now that there'a absolutely no terrorist connection (see latest MSNBC.COM story)

Of course, the biggest idiot in this non-story was the cop who said that the cell phone batteries could be used to make methamphetamines.... he obviously drank WAY too much Kool-Aid :D

[George Roberts]

There seems to be something non-business like for these people to drive from TEXAS to Michigan to buy cell phones to resell.

[Ron Carter]

Michigan State Police now say these guy's aren't terrorists. No connection to the bridge other than as tourists. I'm still curious about the quantity of cell phones involved. Also for Ish if you don't think that bridge is important you don't understand transportation in the upper midwest.

[glenallen]

There seems to be something non-business like for these people to drive from TEXAS to Michigan to buy cell phones to resell.

There seems to be something non-business like for police and terrorist hunters to blab everything they know to the media before they have a case.

It tells me that we are supposed to be as afraid as they (police, terroist hunters, and media) can make us at any given moment so we will support our fascist government.

Terror has become a marketable product for the entertainment industry.

Todays horror is tomorrows blockbuster!