Posted on 12/14/2002 3:06:08 AM PST by Dec31,1999
COPS ZERO IN ON SUBWAY HOAX BLOKES
By MURRAY WEISS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 14, 2002 -- Police are looking for at least two young men suspected of planting dozens of boxes marked "fear" in the Union Square subway station - possibly as a publicity stunt, law enforcement sources said.
Witnesses to the incident that triggered concern about a terrorist attack have come forward to say they saw one of the men remove the boxes from a black garbage bag and plant the boxes with the help of a second man.
A third man may also be involved, investigators said.
But the reason for the hoax - which forced authorities to close the station for five hours - remains unclear.
Investigators are trying to contact the producers and engineers of a new record, titled "Fear," being promoted on a Web site for Tower Records.
Officials said the boxes may have been a publicity stunt to promote the record or a hoax related to it by someone not involved with the record.
A second line of inquiry stems from information obtained by police that a group of young independent film makers, possibly from the Lower East Side, planted the boxes to promote an upcoming film.
Also, a law enforcement source said a lawyer claiming to represent a young man responsible for the boxes told the New York Civil Liberties Union he wanted to surrender to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office through the NYCLU.
The DA's office refused comment and the NYCLU could not be reached.
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