Posted on 03/05/2002 2:27:35 PM PST by jmp702
U.S. Deports Israelis Amid Warnings of Espionage Activities
By Ted Bridis Associated Press Writer
Published: Mar 5, 2002
WASHINGTON (AP) - Authorities have arrested and deported dozens of young Israelis since early last year who represented themselves as art students in efforts to gain access to sensitive federal office buildings and the homes of government employees, U.S. officials said.
A draft report from the Drug Enforcement Administration - which first characterized the activities as suspicious - said the youths' actions "may well be an organized intelligence-gathering activity."
Immigration officials deported them for visa violations; no criminal espionage charges were filed.
The arrests, made in an unspecified number of major U.S. cities from California to Florida, came amid public warnings from U.S. intelligence agencies about suspicious behavior by people posing as Israeli art students and "attempting to bypass facility security and enter federal buildings."
The Israelis were arrested and deported on charges of working in the United States without authorization or overstaying visits on tourist visas, said Russ Bergeron, a spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Washington. He described dozens of arrests since early 2001 but gave no exact figures.
The DEA report said a majority of the students questioned by U.S. investigators acknowledged having served in military intelligence, electronic signals interception or explosive ordnance units in the Israeli military. The DEA said one person questioned was the son of a two-star Israeli general, one had served as the bodyguard to the head of the Israeli Army and another served in a Patriot missile unit.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yaffa Ben-Ari said it was "nonsense" that the students were spying on the United States.
Another Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Irit Stopper, confirmed that a few Israelis posing as art students were expelled from the United States for working without permits. However they were not accused of espionage, she said. She did not say how many Israelis were expelled and did not give any additional details.
The DEA report was first obtained by a French Web site that specializes in intelligence news, Intelligenceonline.com, and confirmed Tuesday as authentic by DEA spokeswoman Rogene Waite in Washington. The Web site said 120 Israelis had been arrested.
"That these people are now traveling in the U.S. selling art seems not to fit their background," the report said.
An FBI official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted there were no espionage charges filed against any of the individuals and that they had been deported. Asked whether any spying activity occurred, the official repeated that no charges had been filed.
A Justice Department official, also asking not to be publicly identified, said investigators have been aware of some "alleged linkage" between the students and alleged espionage activities in the United States since early 2001, and said authorities have made arrests in Dallas, Chicago, San Diego and in south Florida. INS spokesman Rodney Germain in Miami said five or six people were arrested in that area at least six months ago on immigration counts.
Although security experts at the DEA first characterized the youths' behavior as suspicious, and INS authorities later arrested them, the FBI typically investigates espionage cases in the United States.
The DEA report said that among U.S. sites apparently targeted was Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, home to the military's AWACS surveillance planes and the place where many of the nation's B-1 bombers are repaired. Investigators also said that one female art student went to the home of a worker for the Environmental Protection Agency in Denver to sell paintings and returned later to photograph the house, according to the report.
No one within the Justice Department has expressed concerns about the Israeli students possibly committing espionage, Justice spokesman Bryan Sierra said. The deputy U.S. attorney general, Larry Thompson, declined to discuss the arrests when asked about them during a news conference Tuesday.
The U.S. Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, a federal agency, circulated a public warning in March 2001 urging employees to report contact with people describing themselves as Israeli art students.
"These individuals have been described as aggressive," the warning said. "They attempt to engage employees in conversation rather than giving a sales pitch."
Cooperation with Israel, a longtime key ally, is increasingly important in the U.S. war on terrorism.
AP-ES-03-05-02 1658EST
To-wit: why does it upset you that legions of raving Palies are the ones who will likely pay with their lives -- if anyone is -- due to Pollard's actions?
When are you people -- shameless defenders of all things islamist -- going to stop pretending to be real Americans?
Do lies come as naturally to you and your Isreal First ilk as barking to a dog? To wit: If you can point to a single pro-Islamist post authored by me, I will depart FR tonight.
In the meantime, I must thank you for your personal attacks. People need to see how you Israel Firsters refuse to engage in debate and prefer instead to smear anyone that questions American support for Israel as a pro-Islamist or a -- what else? -- "anti-semite."
Boy, you sure got that right !!..
Oh, a death threat now?
Isn't that special. Especially when coming from Mr. AntiWar.
Why don't you and the "lady" flag a slow boat to Iraq and let your hair down?
FYI, the line I wrote referred not to the link but to my conversation with Veronica. Which you didn't bother to read, but instead used it to try and paint me as an extremist , Jew-hater. Nice try, but not today.
"Funny thing. Member since 1999 and thirty-something posts ;)"
Now, you have truly revealed YOURSELF. If you had been around since 1999, you would know that posts going all the way back to that era were wiped out when JimRob upgraded the site a year or two ago. I've posted plenty here, and I won't take any suggestion that I am a racist or bigot lying down.
I have been the VICTIM of racism many times growing up. I came to despise liars and those who would ignore the reality of racism or any injustice. I will not be silenced. I follow truth wherever it leads, and I won't be intimidated by some lightweight novice cyberhack like yourself.
Be a little more discerning in your attacks, or you will truly Cachelot more flak around here.
"This also helps to explain why there was a group of Israelis celebrating on a rooftop in New Jersey, watching the Towers burn."
DrLiberty:
"Where ther h-ll have you gotten this from?
There were a bunch of stupid Israeli kids photographing each other in front of the burning towers, before anthing was actually known and it looked like a bad accident. They were speaking to each other in loud Hebrew. This behavior looked strange, and someone reported them. They were apprehended and held for weeks: turned out to be be movers trying to make a buck without a work permit.
That's all. No celebrations on rooftops -- that was Arab Americans in Jewsey [sic!]. Stop spreading rumors and falsehoods, please."
DrLiberty actually you are wrong. With the early reports of cheering Middle Easterners many FR posters assumed they were Arabs, perhaps that's what you remember. I have investigated this topic: old FR thread
Actually there were reports of Israeli tourist/movers cheering from three locations that day!:
Urban Moving Systems warehouse roof:
"They had been arrested some four hours after the attack on the Twin Towers while filming the smoking skyline from the roof of their company's building, she said. It appears that they were spotted by one of the neighbors who called the police and the FBI."
Union City:
"She [FBI spokesperson Sherri Evanina] said witnesses had reported seeing the men celebrating the attack on the World Trade Center earlier in the day in Union City. 'They were seen leaving the location after they were celebrating,' Agent Evanina said. 'They were watching the entire event from their location.'
Angry witnesses reported the men's license plate to the authorities. The plate was registered to Urban Moving Systems, a truck-rental company based in Weehawken, N.J., Ms. Evanina said."
Liberty State Park, Jersey City
FBI BOLO: "Vehicle possibly related to New York terrorist attack. White, 2000 Chevrolet van with New Jersey registration with 'Urban Moving Systems' sign on back seen at Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ, at the time of first impact of jetliner into World Trade Center.
"Three individuals with van were seen celebrating after initial impact and subsequent explosion. FBI Newark Field Office requests that, if the van is located, hold for prints and detain individuals."
As far as your speculation to their motivation, DrLiberty:
"An employee of Urban Moving Systems, who would not give his name, said the majority of his co-workers are Israelis and were joking on the day of the attacks.
'I was in tears,' the man said. 'These guys were joking and that bothered me. These guys were like, "Now America knows what we go through."'"
The average person may not think the DEA has experience in dealing with espionage, but don't make that mistake. The Columbian cartels are less civilized than the KGB, and have a much bigger budget.
DEA agents work every day at penetrating groups who will kill them if their cover is blown, and who have the cash to hire the best counter-penetration experts available. As a result, their intelligence and (more importantly) counter-intelligence expertise has to be good -- if it's not, their people wind up dead
Dozens of people from friendly countries don't get picked up, held, declared "persona non grata", and shipped out without even a deportation trial for no reason. Yes, I hear what the FBI spokesman says -- but would the Administration say anything different regardless of the facts, given the diplomatic (and domestic political) complications that would ensue if a few dozen Israelis were put on trial for espionage?
You have it backwards. If there was evidence of drug dealing, the Israelis would have been held for trial, not deported. There would have been no political or diplomatic complications from a bunch of foreign nationals being held for drug charges (unless it was something like drugs being smuggled in diplomatic pouches)
But the prospect of dealing with the political fallout of an Israeli spy ring in the US would be something the Bush Administration would want desperately to avoid
I have read most of your posts, I think :). And I don't need to paint you.
I have been the VICTIM of racism many times growing up. I came to despise liars and those who would ignore the reality of racism or any injustice. I will not be silenced. I follow truth wherever it leads, and I won't be intimidated by some lightweight novice cyberhack like yourself.
WOW! Talk about a ball of hysterics. So, what kind of racism have you been a victim of? Please describe. Are you one of the critters that sit around certain boards and moan about how the white race is downtrodden?
Excuse me, but when did the DEA get into the spy-catching business? Does this mean that our borders are now impervious to foreign drug sources?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.