2 Iraqis, 1 Lebanese Arrested Sneaking Truck into Port of Miami

[Dan T.]

3 detained trying to enter Port of Miami

By KELLI KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer

MIAMI - Three men were caught trying to slip past a checkpoint in a cargo truck Sunday at the Port of Miami, said authorities, who increased security at the busy trade hub.

A port security officer became suspicious when the truck driver could not produce proper paperwork to enter the port about 8 a.m., Miami-Dade Police Detective Richard Williams said. The driver also indicated he was alone in the truck.

Officers searched the truck and found two men in the cab trying to hide, Williams said.

The three men — two Iraqis and one Lebanese national who are legal permanent U.S. residents — were taken into custody for questioning. They had not been arrested or charged by Sunday afternoon.

The men do not appear on any terrorist watch list, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez.

A preliminary check of the truck showed its contents did not match the manifest, Gonzalez said. She declined to say what was in the truck, citing the investigation.

The Miami-Dade bomb squad moved the truck away from public areas of the port and X-rayed it.

Full article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070107/ap_on_re_us/port_arrests

Edit: May be a paperwork problem, rather than anything terrorist related.

[Mass_SkinsFan]

When this country truly gets interested in SECURITY, this sort of stuff will stop. I just wonder if it's going to take a mushroom cloud over a major US city for the citizens of this country to realize that we're at WAR. A war not with a single country, or a small group of people; but with an entire ideology whose interest is destroying our cities, towns, and people.

[Johnny Punani]

We have nothing to be worried about. This is nothing more then a tool used by the Bush administration and the neo-cons to keep the population afraid and hold on to power.

[Thiebear]

So 3 people that are permanent legal residents were sneaking INTO the United States?

1. Why?

2. Security did a damn fine job, they got them Mass.. duh..

3. How is this a story, reporters are lazy.

[Mass_SkinsFan]

So 3 people that are permanent legal residents were sneaking INTO the United States?

1. Why?

2. Security did a damn fine job, they got them Mass.. duh..

Thiebear...

Three foreigners (naturalized or not, they're foreigners) trying to sneak into the Port of Miami, not OUT of the Port of Miami, in a tractor trailer whose contents do not match the manifest IS a serious concern. At least to me. Thankfully, this security guard did his job; though he'll probably be fired for racial profilling. We're talking about three middle-eastern men trying to sneak into a port area where there are both cargo and cruise vessels with a truck whose contents don't match the manifest. Do you not see the potential issue here? Especially since nobody has been anxious to release information on what actually IS in the back of that trailer.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

You better believe that if they actually found something in the trailer of the truck, bomb, guns, etc, the government would be holding press confrences all over the place. The only reason that this is a story is because the men are Arab IMO.

[ashburnskinsfan]

Now the port officials are saying that the contents of the truck did match the paperwork. This is a non-story, other than why federal officials are spending their making statements to journalists that are incorrect.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/07/miami.port/index.html

[cjcdaman]

You better believe that if they actually found something in the trailer of the truck, bomb, guns, etc, the government would be holding press confrences all over the place. The only reason that this is a story is because the men are Arab IMO.

Really??? If there was a bomb in the trailer, I would hope that there would be press conferences telling us what was going on. As to your second statement . . . :doh:. Even if you were correct, :doh:. So ****ing what that they are Arab. They were acting suspicious. I know, I know . . . you firmly believe that the government committed the acts on 9/11. Again, :doh:. But, normal people see Arab foreigners acting suspiciously while entering our country as something to investigate further.

[Thiebear]

Thiebear...

Three foreigners (naturalized or not, they're foreigners) trying to sneak into the Port of Miami, not OUT of the Port of Miami, in a tractor trailer whose contents do not match the manifest IS a serious concern. At least to me.

who the hell has ever snuck OUT of the US? And if your a permanent resident you don't HAVE to sneak in... sit up proud...(something is missing).

Thankfully, this security guard did his job; though he'll probably be fired for racial profilling.

didnt you just say until we really do security? Well, he did

We're talking about three middle-eastern men trying to sneak into a port area where there are both cargo and cruise vessels with a truck whose contents don't match the manifest. Do you not see the potential issue here? Especially since nobody has been anxious to release information on what actually IS in the back of that trailer.

As the enemy gets smarter i don't care if they are blue haired grandma's. They did a good job so far. Be happy for God's sake

[Mass_SkinsFan]

who the hell has ever snuck OUT of the US? And if your a permanent resident you don't HAVE to sneak in... sit up proud...(something is missing).

I don't think that they were trying to sneak out of the country. To be totally honest, I don't think they were even trying to carry out a terrorist attack. I would guess that they were trying to test security at the facility and see what areas they could get into without being challenged.

Did anyone else think about the arab man in Rhode Island who was picked up a while back when he only wanted to learn how to drive a tractor trailer in the forward gears upon seeing this thing today?

didnt you just say until we really do security? Well, he did

As a society we don't do security well. In fact, pretty much every time we've tried in the last several years people complain or the legislature kills the attempt before it can be put into use. See... airport security, the Mexican border fence, racial profiling, armed pilots, etc.... The biggest problem is the American citizenry... people who will not put up with the minor inconveniences necessary to secure this country.

As the enemy gets smarter i don't care if they are blue haired grandma's. They did a good job so far. Be happy for God's sake

I think there are two groups of people we need to be looking at much closer, that we don't. Middle Eastern men are one. The other group just took control of the United States Senate.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Really??? If there was a bomb in the trailer, I would hope that there would be press conferences telling us what was going on. As to your second statement . . . :doh:. Even if you were correct, :doh:. So ****ing what that they are Arab. They were acting suspicious. I know, I know . . . you firmly believe that the government committed the acts on 9/11. Again, :doh:. But, normal people see Arab foreigners acting suspiciously while entering our country as something to investigate further.

Huh? I said the thing about the press conferences because MSF said that we don't even know what is in the trailers. I said the thing about this being a story because their arab because Thiebear asked how this was even a story. No I don't think the government committed the acts of 9/11. That **** is just ridiculous IMO. And honestly I'm not sure I've met anyone who does believe that. Guess I'm not real into the weirdo crowd. And I think if authorities see anyone acting suspiciously, arab, foreigner, white, black, yellow, red, what the **** ever, they should investigate.

[cjcdaman]

Huh? I said the thing about the press conferences because MSF said that we don't even know what is in the trailers. I said the thing about this being a story because their arab because Thiebear asked how this was even a story. No I don't think the government committed the acts of 9/11. That **** is just ridiculous IMO. And honestly I'm not sure I've met anyone who does believe that. Guess I'm not real into the weirdo crowd. And I think if authorities see anyone acting suspiciously, arab, foreigner, white, black, yellow, red, what the **** ever, they should investigate.

:laugh: Sorry, man. I must have the wrong guy. My mistake.

[DjTj]

Now the port officials are saying that the contents of the truck did match the paperwork. This is a non-story, other than why federal officials are spending their making statements to journalists that are incorrect.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/07/miami.port/index.html

Two had Michigan driver's licenses, but the third had no identification, which "raised our level of concern," she said. Two of the men are brothers and the third is a friend. All three work for a company in Dearborn, Michigan, she said. She did not disclose the name of the company.

Once the other two passengers were discovered port authorities exercised "an abundance of caution" and called in federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Coast Guard and the FBI, Goldberg said.

While the men were questioned by the FBI, port officials used a gamma-ray scanner to examine the truck's cargo. They determined the contents of the container -- 22 pallets of electrical automotive parts -- matched the truck's paperwork, Goldberg said.

This reminds me of a story from back when I was in college. I had a friend who was an electrical engineering major from Iran, and he went down to Mexico for the weekend and got stopped at the border coming back with a bunch of electronics in the trunk. The Border Patrol put him and his friend in seperate rooms and asked them a lot of questions ... they eventually had to call a dean who could vouch for them before they let them go.

Can't be too careful I guess, but someone definitely went to the press a little too quickly with this.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

:laugh: Sorry, man. I must have the wrong guy. My mistake.

Not a problem. Just know that all of us liberals aren't whacked out people. Just like I know not all conservatives are whacked out. It's the PETA and the MSF (I'm on his ignore list so I can say that) side of things that are ****ed.

Anyway, I was thinking about this. Maybe they were trying to sneak into the port to pick something up off a ship? I'm not too familiar with how ports work so I may be way off but it's a thought.

[overhead]

Not a problem. Just know that all of us liberals aren't whacked out people. Just like I know not all conservatives are whacked out. It's the PETA and the MSF (I'm on his ignore list so I can say that) side of things that are ****ed.

Anyway, I was thinking about this. Maybe they were trying to sneak into the port to pick something up off a ship? I'm not too familiar with how ports work so I may be way off but it's a thought.

Shipments going in and out of ports these days are containerized, meaning they just drop it on a railcar trailer or truck trailer and off it goes. One would not need help to load. Heck, most of shipments have security tape and trucking companies get a call with a request for a pick up, the "terrorist" would not need to pick it up themselves, in fact it would be safer for them to send one of the larger trucking companies to get it for them. They handle so much frieght the chances of them noticing something wrong are not very high. The manifest not matching the load is a concern. The manifest will give a container number and what the container contains, but unless the security guard did a little profiling I am not sure why he would open the container unless the numbers did not match. And if these "terrorist" were stupid enough to send a truck and trailer with a manifest that did not match the serial numbers on the trailer then I am not too concerned with this being much of a threat. Something is up, but I am not sure what it is. Illegal shipments (ie stolen cars and parts) leave our ports all the time in this fashion and rarely are they caught.

[TradeTheBeal!]

We have nothing to be worried about. This is nothing more then a tool used by the Bush administration and the neo-cons to keep the population afraid and hold on to power.

Bottles of soda.

Butane lighters.

Boxcutters.

Shoe-Bombs.

AND THEY MIGHT GET A NUKE!!!

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

HA! Here's an update on the situation.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070108/D8MGS3H80.html

Miscommunication Cited in Port Alert

Jan 7, 10:59 PM (ET)

By KELLI KENNEDY

MIAMI (AP) - Three legal immigrants in a cargo truck were detained at the Port of Miami on Sunday after a routine inspection raised concerns, but police say the incident may have stemmed in part from a language barrier.

The port's cargo area was shut down Sunday as the Miami-Dade bomb squad X-rayed the truck and scanned it for radioactive materials. Nothing unusual was found, officials said.

The men in the truck - two Iraqis and one Lebanese national - were still detained by local police Sunday evening, but authorities said no federal charges were expected. Officials initially said the men, all permanent U.S. residents, had been caught trying to slip past a checkpoint at the port's entrance.

A port security officer became suspicious when the truck driver could not produce proper paperwork in a routine inspection to enter the port about 8 a.m., Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Nancy Goldberg said.

The driver also indicated he was alone in the truck, though security officers found two other men in the cab, she said. The two passengers, ages 28 and 29, were a friend and a relative of the 20-year-old Iraqi driver, she said.

"Due to a miscommunication between the gate security personnel and the truck driver, we believe there was a discrepancy in the number of people in the vehicle attempting to enter the Port of Miami," Goldberg said. "This, and the fact that one of the individuals did not have any form of ID, raised our level of concern."

"Maybe it could have been a language barrier; we don't know at this point," she said.

The truck's contents - electrical automotive parts in a 40-foot container - matched the driver's cargo manifest, Goldberg said.

Cont'd...

[Bang]

When this country truly gets interested in SECURITY, this sort of stuff will stop. I just wonder if it's going to take a mushroom cloud over a major US city for the citizens of this country to realize that we're at WAR.

Newsflash, dummy.

They caught the guys.

While I agree people in this country need to realize this war is serious, and while I would not at all have a hard time believing that this was an attempt to probe security, a dry run, the fact is they stopped the guys!

Yay for us! Nice job!

~Bang

[Air Force Cane]

I still don't get why the driver would lie about having two others with him.

can anyone explain that?

[Mass_SkinsFan]

I still don't get why the driver would lie about having two others with him.

can anyone explain that?

AFC, from what I hear and read, this NATURALIZED CITIZEN didn't speak enough ENGLISH to understand what the security guard was asking him, or to comprehend the difference between the words ONE and THREE. Or at least that's the way it's being couched by the media.

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

I still don't get why the driver would lie about having two others with him.

can anyone explain that?

I'm thinking maybe that since one guy was his relative and the other was a friend they were just riding along with him and he knew that they couldn't go into the port with him. Other then dropping them off he just told them to hide. He's 20. That's what 20 year olds do.