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January 19, 2005

Report: FBI Dirty Bomb Search In Boston

Drudge is urgently reporting that the FBI is searching for a "Dirty Bomb" in Boston:

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has partially activated its emergency response team this afternoon after the FBI triggered a massive manhunt yesterday for six people who may pose a terrorist threat to the city of Boston. Public safety officials are now holed up in the emergency bunker in Framingham until the threat has passed....

No more details at present. More as it develops...

UPDATE at 1:44 PM Pacific: Drudge's report links to the following Boston Herald story:

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, the Boston Herald has learned.

``They got a call from across the border in Mexico to the California Highway Patrol and he said he brought two Iraqis and four Chineses (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''

Massachusetts law enforcement officials were notified of the threat at 5:30 a.m. today through the FBI and Boston Police Joint Terrorist Task Force.

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 agency, a high-ranking city official told the Herald.

``They are desperately trying to piece it together,'' said the offial, who added that if the threat is real it is ``very scary.''

A company that trains explosive-sniffing dogs said it was alerted that the canines would be searching for a ``dirty bomb,'' a New York City law enforcement official said yesterday.

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 several days ago 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 eYork 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 screwd 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.''

This very well could be a prank to raise hackles before the inauguration, but of course they have to take it seriously.

A dirty bomb, for those who don't know, is a conventional explosive loaded with nuclear material. It does not contain the explosive power of a standard nuclear weapon, but when it explodes it disburses its nuclear material to the obvious detriment of anyone in the vicinity.

UPDATE II at 2:00 PM Pacific:

A federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the matter remains under investigation, told The Associated Press that the FBI's joint terrorism task force has not yet corroborated a tip that the suspects entered the United States through Mexico in recent days, possibly bound for Boston.

The official stressed the tip is one of many from around the country that routinely are forwarded to local task forces for further investigation. No credible, specific terror threat has been identified in connection with the tip about suspects possibly entering the country from Mexico.

The investigation prompted Gov. Mitt Romney, who was in Washington to attend Thursday's presidential inauguration, to decided to return to Boston later Wednesday evening, his spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom said. The governor planned to hold a news conference in Washington Wednesday night to discuss the matter before returning home.

FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz said the terror alert had not been raised for Boston.

UPDATE III at 3:06 PM Pacific:

The FBI has triggered a massive manhunt for six people -- four Chinese and two Iraqis -- who may pose a terrorist threat to the city of Boston, law enforcement officials briefed on the threat said today.

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.

The tip about the threat was given to the FBI by only one person, the officials said, and it had not been corroborated as of this afternoon.

"It's being worked aggressively and shared with our law enforcement partners,'' FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkewicz said.

The state Emergency Management Agency has partially activated its emergency response team, with representatives from the Department of Public Health, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the State Police monitoring the situation in the emergency bunker in Framingham until the threat has passed.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press is reporting that a federal law enforcement official has stressed the tip is one of many from around the country that routinely are forwarded to local task forces for further investigation. No credible, specific terror threat has been identified in connection with the tip about suspects possibly entering the country from Mexico.

The AP said the investigation prompted Gov. Mitt Romney, who was in Washington to attend Thursday's presidential inauguration, to return to Boston later Wednesday evening, his spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom said. The governor planned to hold a news conference in Washington Wednesday night to discuss the matter before returning home.

FBI spokeswoman Marcinkiewicz said the terror alert had not been raised for Boston.

The AP also reported among the law enforcement agencies alerted was the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, where Deputy Chief Paul MacMillan told the AP that an "alert bulletin" was issued to its officers, as well as subway, train, bus and station workers to be on the lookout for the individuals.

"There is no specific threat or target indicated," he said, declining to discuss the details further.

UPDATE IV at 5:00PM Pacific...

Suspected identities released:

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.

Authorities said none of the names had been on previous watch lists of terror suspects, and their whereabouts aren't immediately known.

Winds of Change has a post on dirty bombs. (Via Hugh Hewitt)

Michelle Malkin on al Qaeda suspects with Boston ties.

Posted at 01:35 PM Pacific