While I agree with your distrust of the statement, I disagree that its irresponsible. There's a stadium full of people just a couple of blocks away. Don't need any more deaths from a panic.
Just a couple of notes:
- The Minneapolis airport was where the Muslim cabbie incident occurred a couple of months ago (the airport commission refused to allow cabbies to refuse fares because they might be carrying alcohol)
- The bridge next to the collapsed bridge has no traffic on it. Precautionary?
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Just exactly what SHOULD HS or other LE say at this point? Media is screaming at them "Is it terrorism, is it terrorism?"
I don't care if they are all Superman, at this point, H + 90 minutes, roughly, any central spokesman knows about what the rest of us know (unless, of course, someone was seen planes flying into the bridge, RPGs, etc).
Isn't the right answer, at this moment, "I don't know, we have no evidence of anything right now, we're working it as hard as we can, consistent with rescue." ?
And would not the media report that as "No evidence of terorism"?
Or would you prefer: "We don't know squat, but we're real suspicious of Muslims" as the stock reponse to any and all disasters (Texas liquefied gas, bridge grates anywhere, highway cave-ins, guys in NYC who blow up themselves and their house so wifey won't get it, etc., etc.)
There are real terrorists, and they do really bad things -- but there are also ordinary human disasters, in far greater numbers (at least right now).
Construction, lot of workers, equipment, perfect environment for act of terror. Terrorist could be disguised as construction workers, any movement or presence of individual (s) under or around the bridge would not cause any suspicion, unless there is a strict security on this type of construction (I seriously doubt it).