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SECURITY NET SNARES TIMES SQUARE VAN (2 Pakistanis on FBI Watch List)
NY Post ^ | 8/27/04 | LARRY CELONA and ANDY GELLER

Posted on 08/27/2004 5:31:08 AM PDT by jimbo123

The heightened security for the Republican convention resulted in four Pakistani students from St. John's University being detained in Times Square last night.

The four, who were in a burgundy van, were taken into custody shortly after 5 p.m. outside the Marriott Marquis hotel on Broadway and West 45th Street after cops thought they were acting suspiciously.

They were questioned for at least seven hours at the Midtown North precinct on West 54th Street while anxious relatives waited outside. Police sources said two of the students were on an FBI watch list.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 200408; 20040826; 2004election; gopconvention; homelandsecurity; hotel; marriott; marriottmarquishotel; nyc; rnc; rncconvention; sju; stjohnsu; terror; van
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Off to Gitmo for the lot.
1 posted on 08/27/2004 5:31:08 AM PDT by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123

Well I wonder what was in the van?


2 posted on 08/27/2004 5:36:38 AM PDT by stockpirate (Real issue is Kerry attended meeting where VVAW discussed killing 7 US Senators! 11/71)
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To: stockpirate

Probably not a copier.


3 posted on 08/27/2004 5:38:13 AM PDT by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123

I was sitting in the lobby on the 8th floor of Marriott Marquis last Saturday. The Marquis is 1 of the largest hotels in Manhattan, huge mult-level underground parking lot and an Atrium in the center of the building that is 40+ stories high. It just seems like a building that could be brought down easier then most Manhattan skyscapers.


4 posted on 08/27/2004 5:38:16 AM PDT by hflynn
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To: jimbo123

There was a bomb and 12 AK-47's in the van but there is no evidence of terrorism. < /sarcasm >


5 posted on 08/27/2004 5:40:23 AM PDT by AppyPappy (If You're Not A Part Of The Solution, There's Good Money To Be Made In Prolonging The Problem.)
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To: hflynn

The Marquis should put up concrete barriers immediately and ban all cars from the lower level. Those Pakis were doing initial surveillance for an attack. Bet on it.


6 posted on 08/27/2004 5:43:59 AM PDT by jimbo123
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To: hflynn

Plus, they were arrested at 5pm. This area is jam-packed with tourists at this time.


7 posted on 08/27/2004 5:48:13 AM PDT by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123

Right. The hotel is in the heart of the theater district, 1900 rooms and is 1 block wide 45th to 46th street.


8 posted on 08/27/2004 5:55:27 AM PDT by hflynn
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To: jimbo123

Nevermind the possible homeland security implications. WTF are college students at St. John's doing in midtown Manhattan with a van? I went to grad school in manhattan and I can't think of a single student that had a car nevermind a van.


9 posted on 08/27/2004 6:08:06 AM PDT by blanknoone (Republicans need to acknowledge that campaign finance reform failed and start setting up 527s.)
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To: blanknoone

One of the Pakis borrowed the van from his father telling him they needed it to move a copier.


10 posted on 08/27/2004 6:32:15 AM PDT by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123

So we allow jihadis on a watch list to just attend college.

Then what's the point of these lists?


11 posted on 08/27/2004 8:42:42 AM PDT by swarthyguy
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To: jimbo123

Aw come-mon

They just forgot where they parked their cabs.

Nothin to see here, move on!


12 posted on 08/27/2004 8:45:13 AM PDT by aShepard
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To: swarthyguy

I would hope that the Pakis on the watch list are being surveilled and their phone calls and internet correspondence are being monitored.


13 posted on 08/27/2004 8:58:58 AM PDT by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123

That leads one to believe that there is more to this bust than they are saying. Sleepers.


14 posted on 08/27/2004 9:00:52 AM PDT by swarthyguy
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To: swarthyguy

No other media outlets in NYC are reporting the story. I think the police were waiting for the Pakis to make their move.


15 posted on 08/27/2004 9:03:53 AM PDT by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123

But, but, I thought the Pakis were our allies!


16 posted on 08/27/2004 9:05:28 AM PDT by wagoneer (Costs a grand every time you fix it.)
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To: jimbo123
This could have been a "dry run" or "probe" of defenses. They were reconnoitering our security measures.

Also, apparently it has become fun for Muslim teenagers to tease our security. We need a new statute making it a defense to prosecution for assaulting a fake terrorist.

17 posted on 08/27/2004 9:11:35 AM PDT by bayourod ("All boats came to the aid of PCF-3, except one: John Kerry’s boat. Kerry fled. " Van Odell)
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To: jimbo123

Jihadi boards earlier this year also asked sympathetic Muslims to overload our system with false alarms, aka, videotaping, etc. Get our guys chasing too many false leads.


18 posted on 08/27/2004 9:12:50 AM PDT by swarthyguy
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To: swarthyguy

Two of these Pakis were on the FBI watch list and the other two were unknown to the authorities until now. This hotel is probably the most vulnerable in NYC to possible car and truck bombs.


19 posted on 08/27/2004 9:29:59 AM PDT by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123
He said his son was a devout Muslim...

All the more reason...

20 posted on 08/27/2004 9:34:00 AM PDT by csvset
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