Click to watch videoPosted on 10/02/2001 1:39:11 AM PDT by CommiesOut
Federal Buildings Could Be In Jeopardy - In Houston and Nationally
Government guards have found so-called students trying to get into secure buildings
10/01/2001
HOUSTON (KHOU) - Could federal buildings in Houston and other cities be under surveillance by foreign groups? That's what some experts are asking after federal law enforcement and security officials - nationally and in Houston - described for the 11 News Defenders a curious pattern of behavior by a group of people claiming to be Israeli art students.
They've shown up at the Houston headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Administration, at the Leland federal building downtown, and even the federal prosecutor's office.
Who are they? They're described as Middle Eastern men and women who claim to be Israeli art students, carrying portfolios filled with artwork they say they want to sell. But government guards have found those so-called students trying to get into these secure buildings in ways they're not supposed to – through backdoors and parking garages. And that they appear to be monitoring the buildings. Even stranger, sources say, the "students" have even shown up at the homes of federal employees.
And the federal government appears concerned. The 11 News Defenders obtained an e-mail sent by an official with the Federal Protective Services, the agency that guards federal buildings. The e-mail says federal sites have "experienced an inundation of art solicitations at office buildings by students claiming to be selling Israeli art," that it turned out to be nationwide, and that it had happened again a couple of weeks ago in Atlanta, Georgia.
No one in the federal government would talk with us on camera, so we asked our own expert, 11 News military and terrorism analyst Ron Hatchett, for his take on the scenario described above. "What comes to my mind right away is that this is an obvious surveillance," says Hatchett. "This is not a bunch of kids selling artwork."
Hatchett says they could be doing what he would be doing if he were a terrorist – sizing up the situation: "We need to know what are the entrances to this particular building. We need to know what are the surveillance cameras that are operating. We need to know how many guards are at this operation, when do they take breaks?"
A former Defense Department analyst, Hatchett believes groups may be gathering intelligence for possible future attacks. "Some organization, thinking in terms of a potential retaliation against the U.S. government [could be] scouting out potential targets and … looking for targets that would be vulnerable."
And a source tells the Defenders of another federal memo, stating that besides Houston and Dallas, the same thing has happened at sites in New York, Florida, and six other states, and even more worrisome, at 36 sensitive Department of Defense sites.
"One defense site you can explain," says Hatchett, "well that was just a serendipitous, they went to that building. Thirty-six? That's a pattern."
That memo also reportedly tells of 25 to 30 arrests, usually made on immigration fraud charges. Why? Because many of these so-called Israelis have phony passports and visas. The memo concludes these students "may have ties" to an "Islamic fundamentalist group."
How long has this been going on? The Defenders discovered this report from the International Association for Counter-terrorism and Security Professionals, written in May 2000j. It, too, says U.S. law enforcement reports "numerous encounters" with Middle Eastern "art students" with "fraudulent documents" who attempted to "gain unauthorized access" to federal buildings.
A spokesman at the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Washington, D.C., told 11 News that these cases have been the subject of INS investigations and resulted in "activity," but could not confirm what the results of those investigations were.
So far, no one has said if these "students" or groups are connected to any terrorist groups.
If you have any information on this story, call our 11 News Defenders Investigative hotline.
It's toll-free: 1-877-367-KHOU. Or e-mail awerner@khou.com
10/01/2001
Houston – A Houston television station has reported that middle eastern men and women claiming to be Israeli art students may have been conducting organized surveillance of government facilities.
KHOU reports government guards have found that these students wanting to sell artwork have gotten into the secure buildings they visited in ways they weren't supposed to. Some came through back doors and garages.
Federal officials say the purported students appear to be monitoring the buildings they've visited and that some have been seen at the homes of federal employees.
KHOU said it has learned that federal sites in other cities have experienced an inundation of art solicitations at office buildings by students claiming to be selling Israeli art. The station says the same sort of activity has been reported in Dallas, New York, Florida and six other states, including 36 Department of Defense sites.
KHOU said federal officials have confirmed they were aware of the activity but would not comment on the result of their investigations.
No one has said if the purported art students are connected to any terrorist groups.
(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
http://www.txcn.com/houstonnews/STORY.e91581de81.93.88.fa.80.344ec5b7.html
The report was written 16 months ago...Was there a grownup anywhere in the Clinton administration?
Was there a grownup anywhere in the national news media?
Will you settle for a Dan Blather arm band, like all the other good little comrades?
I have a serious problem with CBS, and this is getting very close to home. My sense of humor dissipated, weeks ago...
I have seen your posts in the past, and I hold no malice toward you personally. Just so you will not hate me further than you already do... DOWN WITH COMMIES! (we're on the same team)
The old "Blaming the Jews" scam. How novel.
Like I said, I hope I'm not being lured into wrapping everything up into one neat package, but the fact is we do not, and did not, have a home-grown terror network of neo-Nazis. There just are not enough nuts like that with half a brain, and the ones there are each have one or two FBI undercover agents watching them.
more like trying to appear like a good guy by deflecting unease. beats claiming to be an islamic fundamentalist radical; wouldn't you say?
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.