As the AP explains,
Authorities have arrested four people accused of having ties to suspected terrorists and blocked 12 more from entering the United States in the first two weeks of this year, according to government documents.Check it out before the lawyers make it disappear.
Daily reports from the Homeland Security Operations Center do not contain classified information. But they are not distributed publicly and generally intended to remain secret. They offer a glimpse into what national security officials are doing to prevent an attack, detailing arrests, criminal incidents and law enforcement tips.
A counterterrorism official confirmed Wednesday that the documents made available online this week were legitimate. The publication - at http://cryptome.org - initially led to an investigation of a possible security breach, but apparently their Internet posted resulted from an unsecured link on Energy Department's Web site that has since been corrected, the official said.
Some sample entries from the hundreds on the site:
(FOUO) MICHIGAN: Divers Find Second IED in the Rouge River. According to USCG reporting, on 10 November, in Detroit, while performing a training dive, Detroit Police Department (DPD) divers found a second improvised explosive device (IED) in the Rouge River. On 3 November, DPD divers found the first IED near a water in-take valve, approximately one-half mile from a waste water treatment plant. The DPD divers found the second IED in the same location as the first; however, the second IED was much smaller. The DPD bomb squad disposed of the device and sent the remains to ATF for analysis. An investigation is on-going. Comment: The first IED incident was reported on 4 November in the Homeland Security Operations Morning Brief. (COGARD FIST Detroit, 3 & 16 Nov 04; HSOC 4246-04)
(FOUO) TEXAS: Suspicious Jacket Found. According to CBP reporting, on 23 December, Hebbronville Border Patrol Agents discovered a jacket with an Arabic patch in a lay up area on Hwy. 285. The jacket had two patches sewn on the back and one on the inside. The two patches on the back were an Arabic Military Badge and a patch with the letters “Daiwa” and the patch on the inside read “Midnight Mission”. DHS translators concluded that the patch read, “Defense Center”, “Ministry of Defense”, or “Defense Headquarters”. The bottom of the patch read “Martyr”, “Way to Eternal Life” or “Way to Immortality”. The “Daiwa” patch stands for a corporate company which sells Sport Fishing products with corporate offices in eight countries including Japan, the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Taiwan, Thailand, and the UK. The patch that was located inside the jacket read “Midnight Mission”. The logo depicts an airplane flying over a building and headed towards a tower.
(FOUO) WASHINGTON: Suspicious Activity of Two Middle Eastern Males on Ferry. According to USCG reporting, on 27 September, in Seattle, two Middle Eastern males were observed studying the schematic of the Wenatchee Ferry for an extended period of time. As soon as the two males noticed an employee approaching, they immediately walked away from the schematic and picked up a magazine to ward off attention. At the end of the voyage, the two males returned to their vehicle. A license plate check revealed the vehicle belonged to a rental company. Information from the rental company on the vehicle indicated that it was a rented to a business located in Tukwila. The business was unable to be located. An investigation is on-going. (COGARD FIST Seattle, 28 Sep 04; HSOC 3657-04)
(FOUO) MASSACHUSETTS: Possible Video Surveillance of Interstate Highway. According to military reporting, on 22 September, in Lexington, a military member reported observing four Middle Eastern individuals standing on an I-95 overpass videotaping the northbound traffic and recording information into a notebook. Reportedly, the same military member recalled observing two of the individuals on the same overpass in late February or early March 2004. (AFOSI Talon 102-23-09-04-2297; 23 Sep 04; HSOC 3579-04)
(FOUO) MARYLAND: Possible Surveillance of Federal Building in Baltimore. According ICE reporting 28 December, a Special Agent from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG) observed three individuals conducting possible surveillance of two federal facilities in Baltimore, MD. The two male and one female subjects, described as being of Middle Eastern descent, were seen videotaping the US Customs House and the Appraiser Building. Each of the subjects had their own camera. The agent notified contract guards inside the Appraiser Building. When the agent and guards went outside to contact the subjects, the three individuals hid their cameras and departed the area, with each subject traveling in a separate direction. The Baltimore City Police Department Intelligence Unit was notified, and the matter has been referred to an FPS Special Agent for further investigation. (ICE Daily Summary, 29 Dec 04; HSOC 4962-04)
Hey could these be the same people as above?
(FOUO) MARYLAND: Suspicious Activity at Andrews AFB Main Gate. According to military reporting, on 12 October, Andrews AFB security officers observed a possible Middle Eastern male photographing the main gate area using what appeared to be a small, disposable camera. When a security officer approached the individual to question him, the unidentified male left the gate area, walked across the street, met up with another individual believed to also be of Middle Eastern origin, entered a white, late-model Pontiac Grand Am and quickly departed the area. Reportedly, a possible Middle Eastern female was sitting in the back of the vehicle. (AFOSI Talon 331-12-10-04-2484, 12 Oct 04; HSOC 3876-04)
