Posted on 06/27/2002 2:27:05 PM PDT by chance33_98
FBI closes down three stores at two Florida Panhandle malls Email story to a friend
(PENSACOLA, Fla.) June 27 - People at two Pensacola malls say the FBI has arrested three merchants there who appear to be of Middle Eastern of southern Asian descent.
The FBI says only that it is part of an investigation.
Witnesses say agents closed Intrigue Jewelry shops at Cordova and University malls, and the Wild Things shop at University Mall. The people who saw it all say that agents escorted two men from University Mall in handcuffs Wednesday and that at least one man was taken from Cordova Mall.
Marketing officials at the malls say that the FBI requested information, mall officials complied and that agents told them not to disclose what they had asked for.
Several store and kiosk operators said they also were told not to talk to the media.
That will teach these SOB's, we want our liquor stores back, they can have the 7-11's and the Rite-Aids's, but, enough is enough, the situation was becoming plum un-American.
FEDERAL AGENTS RAIDED A STRING OF PAKISTANI RUN JEWELRY BUSINESSES, YESTERDAY IN PENSACOLA AND RICHMOND VIRGINIA.
A-T-F, F-B-I, AND IMMIGRATION AGENTS RAIDED TWO PENSACOLA MALLS AROUND MIDDAY.
AT LEAST THREE BUSINESSES IN CORDOVA MALL WERE CLOSED. AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF STANDS AT UNIVERSITY MALL WERE ALSO RAIDED AND A WITNESS THERE SAYS AGENTS TOOK ONE MAN INTO CUSTODY.
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CONFIRMED ITS INVESTIGATION KICKED OFF WEDNESDAY...BUT SAYS NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE.
FEDERAL AGENTS SAY THEY ARE FOCUSING ON JEWELRY BOOTHS RUN BY PAKISTANIS. THEY SAY THESE BUSINESSES ARE KNOWN TO EMPLOY A LARGE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ALIENS.
HOWEVER, THEY'RE NOT COMMENTING ON THE SCOPE OF THE INVESTIGATION AND WON'T CONFIRM IF TERRORISM IS A PART OF IT.
Suspicious Shoppers (Ch.8 Richmond)
Several people on different occasions, have tried to buy trucks with large amounts of cash out at Hanover Industrial Airport. The Hanover County Sheriff's Department says the people aren't wanted for any crime, it's just unusual for people to pay large sums of cash for cars and they want to find out what their intentions are.The most recent case was last Wednesday. Workers at the Mark Electric Company in the aripark say two men came in asking if they had any trucks for sale. That alone is not unusual, what is unusual is how they wanted to pay for them. "He was in a hurry, a big hurry, he didn't want to negotiate, he made an offer of 10-thousand dollars in cash. He kept bringing up the word cash" says warehouse manager, Nick Lappa. The would-be truck buyer told Lappa the reason he wanted the vehicles was to open a used car lot but this wasn't the first time they've tried to buy vehicles from Mark Electric. "And they're persistent, they've come back a few times asking the same questions. I think their persistence is bothersome" says Angela Marks of Mark Electric.
The day after the incident, the Hanover County Sheriff's Department asked the airpark association to fax fliers to all businesses in the area asking for information about the mystery buyers. Workers at Mark Electric say the first thing on their mind when the encountered the unusual offer was 9-11. They also say these instances have changed the way they do business. They say they're a lot more careful about who comes into their building, onto their premises and what they're intentions are.
The Hanover County Sheriff's Department says they want to question the would-be vehicle buyers and also say the information has been passed in to the FBI.
Oh, I forgot: ONLY those laws with which YOU agree may be enforced. Otherwise, it's "j-bt".
GOOD! It's about time they quit giving those Islamic/muslum terrorist a free ride!
Is the short term memory the first to go?
it is very important that all citizens possess crystalline sobriety at all times in order to fully appreciate the horror of further attacks.
Al-Qaeda Threat in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia, PA June 27, 2002 —An Action News investigation reveals that a chain of jewelry stores operating in the Delaware Valley is being investigated by the FBI for possible connections to the Al Qaeda terror network.
A series of raids were carried out yesterday in Philadelphia and across the state of Pennsylvania.
The stores are mostly kiosks in shopping malls operating under the name "Intrigue Jewelers." They are all owned by Pakistanis under franchise agreements with a company called Gold Concepts, based in Pennsacola, Florida.
Intrigue operates stores at malls in Philadelphia, Plymouth Meeting, Harrisburg, and Monroeville. Until recently, they also had a kiosk at the Lehigh Valley Mall near Allentown. Owners and employees of the Intrigue shops at the Gallery in Center City and at the Plymouth Meeting Mall were questioned yesterday by agents from the FBI and INS. An employee at the shops in the Monroeville Mall tells us he was detained for hours yesterday.
Tariq Hussain says his home was searched and his computer was taken. He says the FBI accused him of funneling money to Ossama bin Laden's terror network. He says they questioned him about a photo he took two years ago of the NASDAQ building in New York, but he doesn't know how they knew about the photo.
The man in the photos taken at the World Trade Center just days before the attacks also worked at the Intrigue Jewelry store at the Lehigh Valley Mall. Two days before the attacks Ashar Iqbal Butt came to a photo shop in the mall looking for the pictures. The clerk says Butt seemed anxious to get them.
He was picked up on September 12th and was later charged with entering the country on a false passport just a month before the attacks.
Action News has confirmed that yesterday's sweep is part of a nationwide investigation involving at least 60 jewelry outlets. The justice department confirms that a number of people have been detained for questioning, but no charges have been filed yet.
Tune to Action News beginning at 11PM for more on this developing story.
Action News 2002. All Rights Reserved.
I wonder if they wanted the company logo,etc. to remain on the truck? (see where I'm headed with this...) (also, in a hurry? The 4th is coming up....)
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