Posted on 09/12/2007 9:53:33 AM PDT by hipaatwo
STROUDSBURG, Pa. - The Monroe County district attorney says a man on a terrorism watch list was discovered taking photos of the Interstate 80 bridge crossing the Delaware River.
District Attorney E. David Christine tells The Morning Call of Allentown that police talked with the man Monday, but didn't detain him. Christine says the man told police he was taking pictures for fun while on vacation. Christine says authorities didn't learn that the man was on the FBI watch list until later.
The man's name wasn't immediately released.
The man was taking pictures from the New Jersey side of the bridge.
Maybe some Pennsylvanians are working up plans just in case NYC gets nuked and a bunch of NJ and NY refugees try to escape into Pennsylvania. Eastern PA doesn’t need a million more of that sort.
Not bad hon, just stopped by while eating to see what was going on :)
Not knowing the man, I can't tell you. I'm sure there are multiple reasons that would cause a person to be placed on a watch list. Pick one.
Profiler!
He probably p!$$ed off a flight attendant....
Bump
The Belvidere Bridge does have a restriction which I just found out on the drjtbc site.
“The bridge is currently posted for a fifteen-mile per hour speed limit and an 8-ton weight limit.”
We’re probably from the same town. :-) You ain’t kidding about it being so close to home.
I’ll look for you on your motorcycle during the same daily commute. The nice shiny road now with that new asphalt job + sunny mornings brings a whole new meaning to the term ‘sun glare’
That sort? Ouch!
Maybe it’s a conspiracy by the people bringing in “Wall Street West”?
Jersey police: No reason to hold motorist
Boy, I feel better now.
NOT.
The guy may not have had a camera in the car. I wonder if he had a scanner?
My husband is a Sergeant in a local Sheriff’s Dept. He said when they run a name they don’t know if that person is on a watch list, but IF the person IS on a watch list, it will flag in the main database and then the FBI would call the dept. that ran the name.
Does that make sense...it sounds pretty darn STUPID, but that’s how my husband says it’s working.
We are handing them our country on a silver platter.
God help us.
So if the updated story you posted is accurate:
(1) passing truckers called police to report someone with middle eastern features photographing the bridge;
(2) police questioned the “suspect” and he said he pulled over for his wife to feed their baby and was admiring the scenery while he waited;
(3) upon finding his name was on the terror watch list, the police searched his car to see if he had been taking pictures of the bridge, and they found no camera;
(4) after further consultation with Department of Homeland Security they recognized that there was no basis for detaining him any further so they allowed him to continue on his way.
Therefore, the earlier reports appear to be inaccurate on at least two counts: (1) he wasn’t found taking pictures of the bridge but rather was just pulled off on the side of the road near the bridge; and (2) they police didn’t learn after they let him go that his name was on the watch list but rather performed an additional search when they realized his name was on the list but let him go when there was no reason to detain him.
Keep this in perspective:
1. On any given summer day several thousand boaters/rafters/tubers float under this bridge. And they can all be carrying cameras. Even video cameras, how dare they.
2. There are several scenic viewpoints and parking lots and a trail system in the area.
3. There is a public hiking (and possibly horse?)trail that goes directly under the bridge.
4. The structural drawings of the Del Gap bridge has been public record for decades, it’s used in engineering texts as an example.
5. A google image search for the bridge brings all the pictures anyone would need.
6. Local and State police are NOT immigration law enforcement unless the person is being held on other charges.
7. The Del Water Gap National Recreation area gets millions of visitors a year, many from immigrant gateway cities in the area, the visitor population is very diverse. I’ve been fishing there and surrounded by Polish, Central American, and Korean fishermen, all at the same time.
Anyone especially alarmed by this should be either being paid to be alarmed (terrorism law enforcement) , or is over reacting.
It’s a double blind system so corrupt cops or outside hackers can’t collaborate with terrorists to data mine the watch list.
Which is why I wondered about the scanner. Either the guy twigged to the fact that the cops were onto him, or all those truckers were smoking something. I wonder how many people reported seeing the guy with a camera. I also wonder if the guy had a cell phone with a camera, and if so, did the cop check to see what was on it?
I know the area well. Think they were thinking of planning it for ski season?
If they fit "the profile", Hell yeah! What, are you suicidal or something??
FWIW, Sunshine, I'M keenly interested in me and mine staying alive in the face of this Islamo-freak threat, and if that means a few ME-lookin' "tourists" get grilled by authorities for "taking vacation pictures," that's a price I'll pay in a heartbeat.
And, in the interest of preservation of self and Country, if I run across some muzzie type snapping shots of the Golden Gate, the Transamerica Building, or any other substantive structure around my stomping grounds, I'll be asking them a few thorny questions of my own, and if I don't get satisfactory answers, I'll be on the horn to the appropriate local and Federal authorities.
This is war, FRiend, and "Yes," part of it IS being fought on the home front, and I fully intend to remain vigilant, and do whatever circumstances may require of me to ensure that we achieve complete, overwhelming victory.
Well, it is possible that if the guy were looking at the scenery and put his hand above his eyes in front of his forehead to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun that a passing truck driver would perceive him to be taking pictures.
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