Posted on 08/11/2006 10:28:49 PM PDT by DannyTN
(TV5) -- While FBI agents pour into Caro another incident breaks out in Gratiot County. At approximately 11:35am August 11th police were called to the Dollar General Store in Ithaca after a" clerk in Ithaca became suspicious after two men came into the store, and became upset when they were turned down while trying to buy several disposal cell phones.
TV5's Mike Terry spoke with the clerk who called police. She said they were two "Middle Eastern" men and said they've been coming into the store weekly and buying disposable cell phones. She said the same thing was happening at the dollar general store in Alma.
You might think the clerk became suspicious because of what was going on in Caro but when we asked the clerk she said she wasn't even aware of what was going on.
The policy at their store is that they can only sell two cell phones, per person, per day. She saw the men put the phones in the trunk of the car and when she thought they were coming back in, she called 9-1-1.
We did talk to Ithaca police while there has been no crime committed-they do want to find these men, and run their names against government watch lists.
When the government is given new powers in the name of fighting "crime" or "terrorism", how often does it use them for the stated purpose?
I have a Boost Mobile phone, it's a PrePaid cell phone with the built in NEXTEL walkie talkie feature, and while I don't remember all the info I gave them while I activated the phone, they do have my name, date of birth, and probably my home address as well.
The problem isn't in the giving of a name, address, or other info, even if it's all required how is it proven all of that is valid?
Mohamed can give the name Joe Smith, Sam Brown, John Q Public, or any other name, and address of 123 Main St Anytown USA, and any other info that may be required, but how do they know it's all valid?
And the whole idea behind the Pre Paid cell phone is that those that don't have a credit card, those that may not even have a bank account, can still get a cell phone without having credit, without having to agree to a long term contract that they have to make monthy payments. Most months I only spend $20 or $30 for my cell phone, not the $50+ I was paying when I had a contract with my last cell phone...
Michigan has oil wells, folks, lots of them. Either the wellheads or the feeder pipelines could be an attractive multiple target scenario for jihadis.
That's interesting.
But still, in Walmart they could buy 4 packages of lithium batteries vs 3 phones. Wouldn't they buy the batteries outright?
You could be right. Maybe they are setting up meth labs.
How dumb am I? You can buy cell phones at the dollar store?
They wouldn't even use any of the airtime, all they would have to do is have the phone ring. With my prepaid if someone doesn't answer I don't get charged..
I am just trying to consider all the possibilities.
Next question, though is whether or not they have a GPS built into the disposable phones. If they do, pulling the batteries would effectively disable the GPS, making them harder to track.
No police report has indicated anything having to do with a Meth lab. The Marietta Ohio one involved having an airline passengers list, $11k in cash, and something like 600 cell phones. I don't think it is drugs. They are using them to make something go boom. If you look at the map I posted on the Map thread, http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1682087/posts?q=1&&page=151 , They seem to be hovering mostly around PA and the upper midwest.
The few phones I have purchased the batteries while not fully charged, they did have power right out of the box...
Interesting possibilities here...
http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/cat_cell_phones_used_by_terrorists.htm
you are so correct! :)
Stupid blonde question here: what are these guys even doing with all of the cell phones, and why do they dismantle them? Is this a money making thing for them or do they use these for nefarious purposes?
The "manual" doesn't get this detailed.
You ever see the shoe bomber? He couldn't even figure out how to light a match.
Some of these guys are as dumb as a box of stones or from the looks of many are stoned.
Is that you Jack Bauer going under an assumed FReeper name?
That is obvious. These cell phone stories tell just how big it will be. We have let thousands of the enemy into our country.
Stock up on supplies.
http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/cat_cell_phones_used_by_terrorists.htm
Unfortunately, it's easy to use cell phones as detonators. Handsets are so similar, terrorists encounter the same circuitry in most any phone. Phones can easily be disassembled.
"It takes about a minute and a half using a screwdriver" to connect a cell phone to a bomb, said Howard Melamed, president of Coral Springs, Fla.-based CellAntenna. It sells gear to jam cell phone signals.
Melamed says there are two main ways to use a cell phone as a detonator. One method is to connect a bomb to the wires of the phone's ringer. The bomb can be exploded with a call to the phone.
The other way is to connect a bomb to the phone's internal alarm clock, to detonate at a preset time.
Walls concedes that design makes it easy to convert cell phones into detonators. But cell phones can't shoulder all the blame, he says. Many other electronic devices use radio airwaves and also can be made into detonators. Authorities believe garage door openers, cordless phones and toy remote controls have been used as detonators of roadside bombs in Iraq.
Electronic jammers could prevent detonations. If a bomb is known to be in an area, the jammer interferes with signals reaching the phone, hence preventing ignition.
Good advice.
see post 131
You make an excellent point.
All I know is that if I see ANYTHING suspicious the shit will hit the fan rather quickly around me. My eyes are wide open.
oops I mean post #136
Time for me to go to sleep! :-)
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