Police Seize Rental Truck With Traces of TNT

FoxNews ^ | 05-13-02 | GRRRRR

[Lion's Cub]

Don't expect any retraction when these lowlifes are proven to be Islamists.

I don't. They just shot their claim to any journalistic integrity all to hell as far as I'm concerned.

[wimpycat]

This was about 10 years ago, and things may have changed since then, but I had a couple of friends in college that were Christian Arabs from Gaza, and I think they may have had Israeli passports. Don't quote me on it or anything, but it may be that Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank travel on Israeli passports. I don't know how that stuff works, or if things have changed since Palestinians now have some sort of autonomy. I don't know if that extends to the issuance of passports or not.

Or these two "truck drivers" could be Jewish Israelis...it might not be the first thought to occur to anybody, but it's certainly not beyond the realm of possibility.

[Aria]

I know someone who knows someone who works at the Bremerton Shipyards in Puget Sound where the nuclear subs are kept. He told me that a bomb was found under a dock recently. It was the type of bomb that had to be detonated by remote control. Never heard a peep on the news about this.

[John H K]

I know someone who knows someone who works at the Bremerton Shipyards in Puget Sound where the nuclear subs are kept.

Gosh, that's a reliable chain of info.

[Big Bunyip]

I know someone who knows someone who works at the Bremerton Shipyards whose aunty by marriage once had a cleaning lady whose dog was run over by a guy who used to eat at a restaurant next door to the store where Ted Nugent has his hunting bows restrung.

[hellinahandcart]

This is a strange, strange article. I guess I'd have trouble putting together an article myself, with so little information, but really! it's too strange.

Fox News has learned that a Ryder truck was pulled over in Oak Harbor, Washington last Tuesday near the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and found to have traces of TNT on the gear shift and traces of RDX plastic explosive on the steering wheel.

The FBI, INS, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and local police are all investigating.

I would have said "STILL investigating" since it's been going on for seven days, but..

Shortly after midnight on May 7, federal officials say local police pulled the vehicle over for speeding. Documents read to Fox News indicate that the driver and passenger told local police they were delivering furniture from California but that authorities doubted that story because of the early morning hour.

Midnight just doesn't seem to be totally out of the realm of possibility for driving furniture interstate. Especially since it just seems to be two guys with a rental truck, not a regular moving company.

What WOULD make me suspicious is if there were no furniture in the truck, and if they got to the bomb-sniffing dog part, they definitely searched the truck. Was there furniture in there or not?

Documents read to Fox News indicate that both driver and passenger were Israeli nationals. Investigators say a roadside check of the national database of immigration records indicated that one of the men had not entered the country legally, and the other was in violation of his visa. Both men were taken into custody for immigration violations.

Good. I don't care where they're from. Deport them, no exceptions. The deportation process takes sufficiently long in itself that there should be ample time in which to charge them for other things, if applicable.

At 7:30 that morning local police were notified that the BATF and FBI had tested the truck and found traces of explosives on the steering wheel and gear shift. Officials say no other charges of been filed against the driver and passenger and an investigation is ongoing.

Well, frankly, there doesn't seem to be much else to charge them with right now. The truck is not theirs, and there's nothing in here to indicate that they found traces of xplosives anywhere except on the steering wheel and gearshift. Not even on, say, the driver's hands or clothing, and he'd been touching the steering wheeel and the gear shift...

Authorities say records for the Ryder truck do not indicate any recent rental for the purposes of transporting explosives, which would require special permits.

Truly ridiculous. Ramzi Yousef and Tim McVeigh sure didn't fill out their Ryder explosives-transporting permits, did they? Unless there is some method by which the investigators can determine how "fresh" the explosive traces were, they're going to have to look at everybody who's rented that truck in the last year, not just the two who were caught speeding in it.

Ryder has some explaining to do too, I think. I didn't think they rented trucks to just anyone anymore, and without all sorts of ID.

[cgk]

To be fair, this is Carl Cameron, and I've never seen anything in his work that leads me to believe he has an axe to grind. He's a sharp guy and a consumate pro.

When it comes out that they're Muslims, Carl will report it.

The others won't.

[woofie]

Dont let 'em get to you ....I know people who know people too....No on I know knows anything though

[jaso]

What a load of hooey

Shortly after midnight on May 7

happened over a week ago

near Whidley Naval Station

doesn't fit the pattern, almost impossible to blow up a military base at this time and why with so many juicy civilian targets?

Israeli nationals

ambiguous ID, first 10 post on this list try to clarify that statement

found traces of explosives on the steering wheel and gear shift

but not anywhere else? So the Israeli national handled the explosives,or maybe one of the ten previous renters, seems like testing his clothing would clarify the situation, which is pretty easy SINCE HE IS IN CUSTODY

can you say? Fostering hysteria?

[Aria]

I know it sounds funny. Its my telephone man from Seattle who has a friend who works there. At least this is what he told me.

[snippy_about_it]

True they could be Israeli Jews and someone before them rented the truck, or they could be Israeli Jews and looking to blow up a mosque OR

By contrast, an Arab or any other person not qualifying as a Jew under the Law of Return may acquire Israeli nationality in one of five ways detailed in the Nationality Law and summarized below.

1. Nationality by residence in Israel Subject to certain qualifications, this section of the law grants Israeli citizenship to former Palestinian citizens who are currently residents of Israel and have lived in Israel since its creation on May 14, 1948, or have entered Israel legally between that time and July 14, 1952, the date the Nationality Law went into effect.

2. Nationality by birth Nationality by reason of birth is given to any person whose father or mother was an Israeli national at the time of his birth. This provision holds true regardless of where the person in question may happen to have been born.

3. Naturalization by birth on Israeli territory in addition to 5 years immediate prior residence in Israel. This provision grants Israeli nationality to persons who are born on Israeli territory who meet these qualifications: apply for Israeli citizenship between their 18th and 21st birthdays, have 5 consecutive years of residence in Israel immediately prior to filing a request for citizenship, have no criminal convictions for violation of security regulations, and have not been sentenced to jail for 5 years or more for violation of any other type of law.

4. Naturalization A person 18 years of age or older may acquire Israeli nationality by naturalization if he meets these criteria: (1) is currently in Israel, (2) has been in Israel for 3 of the 5 preceding years, (3) intends to settle in the country (4) has some knowledge of Hebrew (former Palestinian citizens are exempt from this provision), (5) renounces any and all foreign nationalities, and (6) takes an oath of loyalty to the State of Israel. Completion of all of the above requirements is not essential in all instances, however, as the Minister of the Interior at his discretion has the power (for a special reason) to waive requirements (1), (2),(4), and (5) above.

5. By grant from the Minister of the Interior to certain categories of minors. The law provides, in addition, for a discretionary grant of citizenship to minors who are not Israeli nationals but who are residents of Israel. It is important to note that the law discriminates in favor of Jews against all others only as to the method of acquiring nationality. In theory at least, once nationality has been acquired all Israeli nationals are treated equally.

The Israeli passport provides visa-free travel to most countries in the world.

source

[Joe Hadenuf]

Investigators say a roadside check of the national database of immigration records indicated that one of the men had not entered the country legally, and the other was in violation of his visa.

I am in shock. People in our country illegally?? Someone told me we already have millions upon millions in our country illegal and hundreds of thousands more on expired visas while thousands more coming weekly.

But I am sure the government has everything under control.

[Thane_Banquo]

Does a citizen of the country of Israel HAVE to be a Jew? So if you are an Arab and were born in Israel, then you are an Israeli...?

There are several Arabs with Israeli citizenship, and there are even Arab members of the Knesset. In fact, when Israel conquered the West Bank, it offered Israeli citizenship to the Arabs living there, but most of them chose to retain their Jordanian citizenship.

[Southside_bubba]

I grew up in Oak Harbor. 18 years then moved down here to "God's Country". Used to be pretty easy to get on to the base.

[Shermy]

Part 2 - Art was found in the truck!

Seriously, moving furniture around late is no big deal - missing in this story is if their story was bogus - an obvious point easily refutable in a week's time. This article does nothing of the sort. How long was their drive? And the "near" an air base story. So what? How near? How good were the tests?

I'm no expert, but why would a terrorist have traces of both TNT and RDX? Isn't the latter plastic? Maybe someone could help me here. AND WHY weren't traces of both found on both the steering wheel and shift? Screwy.

[Aria]

Thanks, as far as I know he had no reason to lie to me. I'm not totally buying the info either but I'm keeping an open mind.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

This fits with my belief that the new rules (as of Sunday) that nobody may bring gas cans or propane tanks on the ferries here in Washington is because of terrorism worries.

[mewzilla]

These guys were supposedly pulled over for speeding, too. Would a terrorist want to attract attention to himself by doing something as stupid as speeding? I hope they're also looking at who rented the truck before these two had it, if these two guys don't pan out.

[Lion's Cub]

Gosh, that's a reliable chain of info.

Yeah, almost as reliable as government sources...Oops, I think I said that backwards :)

[Dog Gone]

Don't expect any retraction when these lowlifes are proven to be Islamists.

Did it occur to anyone here that the police may not have felt qualified to make an instant determination as to the genetic makeup of these individuals or their religious persuasion, if any?

Their initial search of identities indicates that they are Israelis. That hardly cries out for a retraction by Fox or the police if your suspicions turn out to be correct.