Terror Tip Probed As Possible Revenge (the Boston tip)

[Rose Siding]

BOSTON - The tipster who told federal officials about a potential terrorist plot involving Chinese and Iraqi immigrants may have fabricated the story out of revenge, a federal law enforcement official said Friday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the tipster may have been angry because a group of illegal immigrants had failed to pay for smuggling them into the country.

That scenario is one of many being examined in the case, said the official in Washington, who declined to describe other theories being explored.

FBI (news - web sites) agents have been looking into an uncorroborated tip that 16 people might be planning an attack on Boston. They include 13 Chinese nationals, two Iraqis and a man identified on the FBI's Web site as Jose Ernesto Beltran Quinones, whose nationality was not given.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=718&e=3&u=/ap/20050121/ap_on_re_us/terror_suspects

[smurfygirl]

1. even if it is revenge for non payment

isn't it a bit scary that chinese and iraqi nationals are sneaking in to the states?

[beam me up scottie]

4. You're right, it is.

Kinda shows us how well the department of homeland security is utilizing our money.(like in DC, where it was used to pay for security for *' coronation ceremonies. Like Washington has any money to spare)
:mad:

[matt819]

5. That's not particularly scary

Illegal smuggling goes on all the time. It's a fact of life, and sometimes they're caught and sometimes they're not. So much for Homeland Security.

What's scary is that the keystone cops out there are sending out threat reports without any analysis or evaluation. The consensus here, of course, is that threat reports such as these are politically motivated. Probably. But this one appears to have been a knee-jerk reaction. After all, as Condi would have us believe, better that than responding after we see the mushroom cloud.

Do you feel any safer?

[NewYorkerfromMass]

9. Indeed, what's a little plane hijacking gonna do?

Which was exactly the nonchalant attitude the Bush security braintrust viewed the August 2001 intel reports with.

[havocmom]

6. Scary to see how easily a lot of security resources get led on a wild

goose chase too. The whole thing reminded me of an experience years ago when someone called the police with a report that someone was holding kids at gunpoint. Seems just about every cop in the county showed up, guns drawn, on the lawn of a guy who was watching college football on TV. He was confused and upset, but not as much as the owner of the jewelry store that got robbed while the cops were chasing after a bogus call.

Wonder what sort of study a real terrorist could do about how easy it was to divert so much security.

[Rose Siding]

8. I kept waiting to see a headline

Single, Unsubstantiated Tip Mobilizes Massive Manhunt

Not a single article offered anything more detailed than that. The only thing missing was Breaking News graphics beneath a breathless Ashcroft in Moscow.

[beam me up scottie]

2. Oh, way to go, smugglers.

This means they are probably going to disconnect the "1-800-rat out your neighbor and/or in-law" hotline.
:grr:

[AuntiBush]

3. I had a Gut-Feeling

it was a hoax; give the repuks a reason to point to Dem's to say "See, you *$5a()." Could have been a sicko joke by repuks for chimp.

[Zenlitened]

7. One thing I can't figure out...

... how did Homeland Security get hold of photos of these "possible terrorists" so quickly?

I mean, do people give their real names when arranging to be smuggled across the border? Maybe they wanted a receipt for tax purposes, I dunno.

But it seems we went from "possible terrorists" to "and here is what they look like, their names, ones a Pisces, two are Leos, and the other is a Gemini" awfully fast!

[UL_Approved]

11. Damn straight

How did they get photos to plaster all over the news in that amount of time. Did these people have an FBI or CIA record? And if they did have a history or something, why weren't these people being monitored for some time now to catch them as soon as possible? And last, but not least, if these people were identified previously for something, shouldn't the authorities have an idea of what the "foreign nationals" plan to do?

This is painfully reminiscent of December 2003, with the guys around the New England states coming in from Canada.

[NYC]

12. Those were 19 terrorists coming through the Mohawk reservation

from Canada. Terra lert! Turns out there were no 19 people, no people of any kind, and no one came through the Mohawk reservation, and the Candadians had no idea what we were talking about.

It was just a little holiday fear compliments of Homeland Security.

[MADem]

14. Here's my guess

The smuggler kept the passports until he got paid. Of course, if the passports are fakes to begin with, the smuggled persons can skip out with their real passports safely sequestered in their BVDs.

But I agree with those who say the whole scenario,as described, STINKS on ICE. Whatever is going on, we aren't being told the whole truth.

The one bright spot was that it ruined Mitt's trip to DC. He didn't get to go and kiss the royal ass. Awwwwwwwww!

[ldf]

10. or could it be the cia's attempt to bring

china into the mix, so we could really start smearing them?

china is becoming the new economic powerhouse, and will soon dwarf the good old u s of a. that doesn't sit well for the idiot-in-chief and his cronies' chances at holding the economic reins for the moneyed classes.

and did they get approval to start the great villification of china from the walton family first?

of course, china can let the waltons build all those wonderful stores, then nationalize them. after all, most of the stuff SOLD in those pathetic excuses for commercial enterprises is MADE in china. should really cut down on transportation fees.

sounds like a good plan.

:-)

[NYC]

13. The Chinese people were disappointed

when they found out the merchandise was the Chinese stuff.

[MADem]

15. China is doing some interesting shit in the MidEast

...and southwest Asia. They buy most of Iran's oil, they've made deals with Israel, they are cozying up to the Afghan government, they are all over north Africa....and how about those Chinese "construction workers" that were kidnapped in Iraq?? Who here thinks those guys might not be construction workers full-time?

China is the threat. And they have the money, most of it OURS--they own our goddamn debt.

How do you say "Don't shoot!!! I am unarmed and mean no offense!!!" in Chinese????