The FBI said that the possible terrorist plot reported against
Boston by a tipster in January 05, was a false alarm. A law enforcement official in Mexico
said that a suspected smuggler made the story up to get back at people who failed to pay
him.
"There were in fact no terrorist plans or activity under way," an FBI statement
said. "Because the criminal investigation is ongoing, no further details can be
provided at this time."
Jose Ernesto Beltran Quinones, one of 16 people sought for questioning about the alleged
terror plot, was detained over the weekend in Mexicali, a Mexican border town near San
Diego. His son, also named Jose, was detained Monday.
According to a law enforcement official there, the two men were involved in smuggling
Chinese migrants across the border and told investigators that smugglers had squabbled
over a deal, and that one had anonymously called in the false tip to U.S. authorities as
revenge. The source, who asked not to be named, did not say which smuggler had made the
call.
The official from the Baja California Attorney General's Office said the men told
investigators the claim was nothing more than a tall tale.
The two were later released; relatives at their houses told reporters that they were not
at home.
The FBI statement did not say whether Quinones and his son had provided the information
that allowed the threat to be ruled out, but the bureau did thank Mexican law enforcement
agencies for their help.
Almost immediately, officials stressed that they doubted the credibility of the terror
tip.
The tipster claimed members of the group, including Chinese and Iraqi immigrants, had
talked about material supposedly called "nuclear oxide" that would follow them
from Mexico to Boston. The implication was that the group was plotting to detonate a
radioactive "dirty bomb" that spews hazardous material and can sicken or kill
people.
Despite some skepticism about the legitimacy of the tip, authorities stepped up security,
and Gov. Mitt Romney skipped President Bush's inauguration in Washington to return to
Boston. Federal authorities released the names and photos of four Chinese nationals being
sought for questioning, and a few days later determined that one of them had been in
federal custody for more than two months and had no terrorist connections.
"While we questioned the credibility of the source information from the very
beginning, we were determined to run this out, as we always do, to ensure there was no
threat," Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and Boston FBI special agent in
charge Kenneth Kaiser said in a statement.
Romney's office referred calls to the state's Public Safety Office. Katie Ford, an agency
spokeswoman, said authorities were concerned that unfounded terror alerts would make it
look like investigators were "crying wolf."
"We are keenly aware that in situations like this, government and the media are in a
no-win situation," she said. "We don't want to desensitize the public to
potential terror attacks."
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INITIAL STORY
The FBI has triggered a massive manhunt for 2 Iraqi and 4 Chinese who may pose a terrorist
threat to the city of Boston. The six are suspected of having come into the United States
from Mexico, and may have headed to New York and then to Boston, the target of a planned
attack that could involve a lethal substance, possibly chemical or biological or
explosive, three law enforcement officials briefed on the threat said.
Federal law enforcement officials in Boston said they had received a tip about an
unspecified threat against Boston, and released photographs.
In a joint statement issued by Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and Kenneth
Kaiser, special agent in charge of the Boston FBI office, they were identified as:
Zengrong Lin, Wen Quin Zheng, Xiujin Chen, Guozhi Lin
Federal and state authorities are
investigating a nuclear terrorist threat against Boston after a man calling from Mexico told California police that he smuggled two Iraqis and four Chinese over the border.
"They got a call from across the border in Mexico to the California Highway Patrol
and he said he brought two Iraqis and four Chinese individuals across the border and
according to him, they stated soon to follow behind them would be some sort of material,''
said a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.
"He refers to some sort of nuclear
material that will follow them through New York up into Boston.''
According to the source, the caller has not identified himself and did not show up for a
meeting with federal investigators in California but he did leave pictures of four Chinese
men and some names at a ``drop'' site at the Mexico-California border.
`They were dropped by the source at a location. He literally threw them over a fence from
Mexico to the U.S. side,'' said the source. ``There are pictures of the four Chinese and
some names but just how accurate they are remains a question''
The threat was serious enough that Mayor Menino ordered the Fire Commissioner and the
state's Homeland Security Chief into his office at City Hall, where they met with
officials from the CIA, FBI, and Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
They are trying to piece it together, to assess if the threat is real.
A company that trains explosive-sniffing dogs said it was alerted that the canines would
be searching for a ``dirty bomb.
The Massachusetts investigator said much of the man's information sounds far-fetched and
investigators have some doubts about the caller's validity because he has not identified
himself.
"A lot of it doesn't make sense and some of it does,'' said the source. `"It's
totally uncorroborated. This all began as a series of phone calls and they don't know who
the caller is. There are some parts of it that just don't make sense and other little
pieces of it that fall into place. The information is these people that came into the
country are going to New York into Boston and the (nuclear) material will follow them.''
The source said there is speculation the caller may have been ripped off by illegal
immigrants he helped over the border and is now trying to exact revenge.
"It's very weird. Even if (the Iraqis and Chinese) were going to do something why
would they be blabbing to the yahoo smuggling them across the border? You have to wonder
if they screwed him on a deal but you have to treat it seriously and the issue is how do
you put it out to the public and not get everybody (in a panic)?''
The source said the information will soon `"come out over police channels and BOLOs
(be on the lookout).''
The source added the FBI office in San Diego is leading the investigation. `"The FBI
in San Diego is the originating office so they are driving the investigation. The FBI in
Boston is in a tough position because they are waiting for information'. The caller has
not given investigators any means to contact him. "They tried to set up a meet
with him but he didn't show up.'' |
