Two Men Try To Buy Multiple Cell Phones In Ithaca

wnem tv5 ^ | Aug 11, 2006 04:18 PM CDT | WNEM TV5

[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.

[DannyTN]

"What about portable computers that have wifi connections? Should those be registered too?"

They are more expensive, therefore unlikely to be used in an explosive. They'd go back to Alarm clocks and home grown electronics before using laptops.

[DannyTN]

"Call your buddy's phone and BLAMMO!"

Hey that's an excellent idea!!!

Homeland Security should call all the numbers of cell phones that have been sold under suspicious circumstances, and see which Mosques blow up.

[VeniVidiVici]

Somehow I think it would be easier for the terrorists to just go to radioshack and buy the parts to build a timer or remote detonator.

But then they have to be close by or set the timer and cross their fingers. With a cell, they can be anywhere.

[MediaMole]

These are cell phones that use prepaid phone cards. You can buy more minutes any time you want. They are only disposable in the sense that there is no contract or monthy bill.

Crooks and terrorists like them because they are untraceable, they can use them once and get rid of them.

[A message]

they are used as detonators for remote-controlled bombs... set the timer (alarm or stop watch feature) on the cellphone or simply dial the cell phone connected to the bomb and boom the bomb goes off.

There is way too many of these reports happening. I'm wondering if the terrorists are planning a day when they set hundreds of bombs off at once in a dramatic effort to terrorize us.

Is this how Ahmadinejad wants to start the war with us?

There will have to be a time when Islam is so thoroughly destroyed it will never consider jihad again.

[stlnative]

2 cell phones are needed if they are setting it up so that the bomb goes off when the cell phone connected to the bomb is called from another throw away cell phone. If you called the bomb connected cell phone from a land line (pay phone - home phone, a registered cell phone) it would be traceable.

Pay as you go cell phones are very untraceable.

[JSteff]

"give name, address "

Heck they don't even need that to vote.

[LasVegasMac]

Color me ignorant. What do cell phones have in them as components, which when combined together, assist in creating an explosive?

I got my red sharpie out and I'm coloring like mad.

Not paying attention to Iraq - IED....???

They use cell phones to explode the IED's - ???

Can you say, "Oh yea, I forgot about that?"

[VeniVidiVici]

Homeland Security should call all the numbers of cell phones that have been sold under suspicious circumstances, and see which Mosques blow up.

LOL!!!

"No, no Mohammed! I said to call ACHMED not AHMED, you imbicile!!"

[DannyTN]

Way too much work. The cell phone is already assembled and functional.

[Torie]

So we need two cell phones per bomb. It is odd that the perps want to by a dozen at one store.

[ndt]

"Given the secrets that the NYT chose to expose..."

If a disposable phone has a life of say 20 hours (I'm making this number up as I don't know) wouldn't you expect a guy to buy a phone a week if he was a heavy talker? I'm not seeing anything here that says they were trying to buy 100 of the things. I'm just wondering what makes it suspicious circumstances.

[Ainast]

Best damn Idea I've heard in, well, thats the best damn idea I've ever heard.

[ndt]

"These are cell phones that use prepaid phone cards. You can buy more minutes any time you want. They are only disposable in the sense that there is no contract or monthy bill."

Thanks, thats what I was wondering. I'm a bit out of the loop on these things, I can't even stand the phone in my house.

[Marius3188]

I dunno.

If they were planning something really amazing I would think the planning would be more thoughtful than, at the last second you send Ali out to but 1000 cell phones at one time like the situation at the Wal-Mart.

To plan it and then that happens. Seems really silly to get busted by buying large amounts of cell phones when you could simply buy a few at a time over a few weeks and then do it. But, I'm sure the Gov't will step in and say we can't have anonymous cell phones in the future. That would be dangerous. Thank God we have the 2nd Amendment.

[PA Engineer]

I agree.

This thread was the beginning of a compilation of other incidents of prepaid purchases by "middle eastern" men:

Looking for Map of Cell Phone Purchases

Two cellphones are used for triggering bombs. I would imagine that the unique digital code in each phone provides a terrorist greater triggering security and distance. I know something major is coming down.

[A message]

Thank God we have the 2nd Amendment.

YES !!!

[Azzurri]

According to the liberals I've been reading on the internet (yes, sometimes I'm a glutton for punishment), these are just legitimate small businessmen trying to make a buck by bringing these back to the Middle East to sell at a higher price. We shouldn't be concerned about it.

Liberalism is a mental disease!

[Dan Nunn]

If a disposable phone has a life of say 20 hours

I think the term "disposable phone" means a "prepay phone," ie. no contract on the line. This means that the phone should last as long as any other phone on the market. Someone buying even two phones in more than a month is worth looking into.

[nopardons]

Yet another group doing this?