Two men with TNT nabbed at huge U.S.-Canada bridge [Detroit]

NY Daily News ^ | 4/21/3

[NativeNewYorker]

DETROIT — Two men were arrested after police saw them videotaping the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing, and found dynamite, a collapsible baton and shotgun shells in their car.

Officers saw the men during a routine patrol late Sunday, police spokeswoman Bernadette Najor said. The men, who were not identified, were being questioned by the FBI, she said.

“Even though the homeland security level has been lowered, we’re still patrolling our borders, and we’re not taking any chances with our city,” she said.

Police were holding the men, ages 26 and 30, on a felony charge of possessing a dangerous weapon because the officers found a collapsible baton — similar to one carried by police — in their car, Najor said.

Police were evaluating whether further charges should be filed for carrying two quarter-sticks of dynamite, which are comparable to M-80 firecrackers, Najor said.

Najor said the dynamite was not powerful enough to damage the bridge.

The men also had a tape recorder and photocopies of immigration papers, Najor said.

FBI Special Agent Dawn Clenney said Monday that agents were still following up on the arrests and could not release any additional information.

The Ambassador Bridge has about 10 million vehicle crossings every year and handles about 25 percent of all trade traffic between the United States and Canada.

[texson66]

Bet both names had Mohammed in them!

[NativeNewYorker]

I had the same reaction.

[white trash redneck]

How PC - no mention of the ethnic appearance of the suspects.

If they are terrorists or terrorist wanna-be's (and their pattern of surveillance makes it unlikely that they are a couple of farmers with dynamite to clear stumps from their property), I'd like to see them use the dynamite as a suppository.

[NativeNewYorker]

"The men, who are Arab-American, are being questioned by the FBI."

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1241535&nav=0RceFLXS

[Portnoy]

They were also from Dearborn. I posted an article on this from the Detroit Free Press earlier this morning...

[Preachers Kid]

B I N G O !
.
I'm shocked and awed that they have that ethnic background. Wanna place bets on their religion?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

If these were white guys with Anglo names, you would see their biographies faster than you could say Jack Robinson. But middle eastern decent is kept secret for 24-36 hours (you'll find it in a postage stamp-sized article on page A16 of your local newspaper, no TV coverage).

[NativeNewYorker]

I searched for the item before posting. Sorry for the dupe.

[battlegearboat]

Shakers?

[grumple]

LOL....that's the first thing that struck me...these guys are obviously not white, conservative right-wing, homosexual hating, racist, bigots or else we would have been told so...

seems alot have noticed it too..

[MIhomeschooler]

Also in the local rag:

http://www.freep.com/news/locway/terror21_20030421.htm

[antidisestablishment]

Two quarter sticks is hardly a huge terrorist threat and as for the "collapsible baton," who cares. A tire iron is just as deadly.

[Paleo Conservative]

Bet both names had Mohammed in them!

That's why their names were not released.

[Doctor Stochastic]

TNT isn't dynamite. The headline is very misleading.

[dljordan]

Well, they must be pretty good with explosives to bring down that bridge with half a stick of dynamite.

[freeper12]

THis is nothing...an M-80 is something you setup for the 4th of july or to blow up a mailbox at most...not a bridge....very misleading headline.

[katana]

There was another post about this which mentioned both are of Arab extraction. Can't quarter sticks of dynamite be used as detonators for a fuel-oil / nitrate bomb?

[NativeNewYorker]

Two quarter sticks is hardly a huge terrorist threat...

I disagree.

While obviously that puny charge couldn't bring down the bridge, its detonation on a well-traveled span would have massive effects on psychology, traffic patterns, security preparations, etc.

[1Old Pro]

Good thing they saved the bridge. Otherwise Canada would have a national healthcare catastrophe if their people were prevented from entering the U.S. for life saving medicines, treatments and surgeries.