A REAL threat of Cyanide to America

[webnarc]

Forget about 7 pounds of it over there, these American's COULD have killed you.

How do you fight the war on domestic terror if you already occupy the country? Carpet bombing these people? No. Ahh, that's right, will Clinton like law enforcement techniques.

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/Southwest/01/30/cyanide.probe.ap/

Cyanide, arsenal stirs domestic terror fear

Friday, January 30, 2004 Posted: 2059 GMT ( 4:59 AM HKT)

Investigators want to know what William Krar and Judith Bruey planned to do with the arsenal they had assembled.

NOONDAY, Texas (AP) -- William Krar and Judith Bruey assembled a frightening arsenal in three rented storage units in this East Texas town, and federal authorities are trying to figure out why.

A raid in April found nearly two pounds of a cyanide compound and other chemicals that could create enough poisonous gas to kill everyone inside a space as large as a big-chain bookstore or a small-town civic center.

Authorities also discovered nearly half a million rounds of ammunition, more than 60 pipe bombs, machine guns, silencers and remote-controlled bombs disguised as briefcases, plus pamphlets on how to make chemical weapons, and anti-Semitic, anti-black and anti-government books.

The findings have led to one of the most extensive domestic-terrorism investigations since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

Federal investigators believe conspirators may remain free, and one question lingers: What did the couple intend to do with the weapons?

"There's no other reason for anyone to possess that type of device other than to kill people," said Brit Featherston, a federal prosecutor and the government's anti-terrorism coordinator in Texas' eastern district. "The arsenal found in those searches had the capability of terrorizing a lot of people."

Suspicious storage

In November, Krar, 62, pleaded guilty to possessing a dangerous chemical weapon. He could go to prison, but the law does not specify a minimum or maximum. Bruey, 54, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess illegal weapons and could get up to five years in prison. The couple remain in jail. Sentencing is expected sometime in February.

Krar and Bruey moved to a house in Tyler from New Hampshire about two years ago, though federal authorities do not know why.

They soon rented space at Noonday Storage and for more than a year visited their units each morning, spending hours unloading U-hauls of military surplus items or picking through piles of bathing suits and beer coolers they said they resold at shops and markets.

"We never had any problems out of them and never suspected anything out of them," said Teresa Staples, who owns the storage business in this community of 500 people about 100 miles southeast of Dallas.

A mistake led the FBI to Krar two years ago.

Krar mailed a package to a self-described militia member in New Jersey. The package included several phony documents -- U.N. and Pentagon ID cards, a Social Security card, birth certificates from three states -- and a note: "We would hate to have this fall into the wrong hands."

But that was exactly what happened.

Peculiar past

The package was mistakenly delivered to a man in New York City, who notified authorities. It was traced back to Krar, and the intended recipient, Edward Feltus, 56, of Old Bridge, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the transportation of false identification documents. He could get up to 15 years in prison.

Krar's attorney, Tonda Curry, acknowledges that Krar owned illegal weapons, but said there is no evidence he planned to use them.

"It was not a situation where they were at arm's reach, ready to respond to some invasion. They were miles away stored," she said. "Nothing I've seen from the government or from him indicates that the United States as a country had any reason to be afraid of Bill Krar."

But federal investigators believe Krar's past behavior indicates his potential for domestic terrorism.

In 1985, Krar was arrested in New Hampshire for impersonating a law enforcement officer, according to the FBI. He stopped paying federal income taxes in 1989. His ties to New Hampshire's white supremacist and anti-government militia groups in the mid-1990s were investigated by federal agents.

Firefighters battling a blaze at a New Hampshire storage building in June 2001 discovered thousands of rounds of ammunition and four guns. Some belonged to Krar.

An employee at another New Hampshire storage company told investigators she feared Krar because he was "wicked anti-American," often ranting about government corruption and how he hated police officers and Americans in general because they were "money-hungry grubs," according to an FBI affidavit.

Last January, a Tennessee state trooper stopped Krar for a traffic violation and found in his rental car two handguns, a grenade, handcuffs, a gas mask, 16 knives and 40 wine-like bottles filled with an unknown substance.

Most curious were handwritten notes that listed "meeting places," including hospitals or Wal-Marts in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. The notes also outlined a code for referring to the level of danger, from "Lots of light storms are predicted" to "Tornadoes are expected in our area -- Things very hot. Lay low or change your travel plans."

Krar told investigators the code was part a plan to help his girlfriend escape her ex-husband.

Domestic dangers

Despite the warning signs, Krar was not fully investigated until the fake documents went to the wrong address. And even that red flag may have been ignored if not for the heightened attention after September 11, Featherston said.

Some contend the government is so focused on foreign terror threats that it overlooks domestic dangers.

"I have no doubt whatsoever that had these men been affiliated with al Qaeda, we would have heard more," said Daniel Levitas, author of the book "The Terrorist Next Door: The Militia Movement and the Radical Right." "There is something of a blind spot within the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., when it comes to the violent potential of America's own homegrown version of al Qaeda."

Featherston said hundreds of subpoenas were issued and the Texas case was investigated just as thoroughly as foreign cases.

"There's international terrorism and domestic terrorism, but they're all terrorism," he said. "I don't care which one it is or what color their skin is. If their intention is to do harm to the citizens of this country, then all the resources necessary from the local level to the federal level will be put into the case."

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Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[SkinInsite]

Lets arrest their family too! I mean how could they allow this to happen. Then we should send in the army and raid every house in that area.

[Larry]

Obviously it's time for a regime change in Texas.

But seriously, does it really surprise folks that Americans might be a bigger threat than Saddam was?

[webnarc]

Originally posted by Larry

Obviously it's time for a regime change in Texas.

:rotflmao:

[Kilmer17]

Shouldnt we have asked the UN for permission before we stopped them?

[SkinInsite]

Why? it's not like we gonna follow their advice.

[webnarc]

Originally posted by Kilmer17

Shouldnt we have asked the UN for permission before we stopped them?

This is your only opinion about this? IMO it seems disproportionately weak compared to the opinion generated by the cyanide Fox reported.

[Kilmer17]

You're entitled to your opinion.

[webnarc]

Originally posted by Kilmer17

You're entitled to your opinion.

Cool, thanks for clearing that up .

[Prosperity]

A Religion of Peace!?

[Sarge]

All of you are entitled to my opionion:)

[Ancalagon the Black]

Kilmer, I'm disappointed that you didn't post this immediately, saying, "WMD found in Texas."

[SkinInsite]

I say it's time to demand Texans to get rid of all weapons of mass destruction or we'll start sending the bombers in.

[Kilmer17]

France says we should send in inspectors for a couple of decades first.

[smitity]

This has a couple of implications, pardon me while I ran incoherently. This is kinda long and somewhat tangent-prone, so I apologize for writing this brain-fart.

For one, this hopefully proves that terrorism is indeed faceless. While few will admit it, America has given a face to terrorism over the past year or 2, and that face is Arabic. It was this way even back when Oklahoma City was bombed. They would stop Indians and Middle Eastern people coming through. The potential for terrorism and animosity towards the US is not isolated to foreigners, hopefully we'll remember that now.

Additionally, this shows just how dangerous the often ignored domestic terrorist can be. We're caught up in the idea of the "evil-doers" in living in their "axis of evil" across the sea, spending their days plotting ways destroy us. So caught up that we forget that there are alot of angry people here too, who are just as willing to kill for what they beleive. Also, these terrorists have the added benefit of legal counsel if they do get caught. Could Saddam or Osama ever be able to get a lawyer to argue that they never intended to use their weapons or that they were not a threat because the weapons were not readily available? Somehow I doubt it.

Of course if this took place in occupied Iraq or Afghanistan, there would be a swarm of troops sent to "remove the threat" of Mr. Krar.

We need to realize that the risk of terrorism comes with being part of the international community, especially when you have some role in everyone else's buisness like the US does. Going out and destroying every potetnial threat will eventually mean destroying our own cities, as this report shows. So maybe we should find another way to deal with terrorism?

[Ancalagon the Black]

Excellent first post! Now, how come it wasn't on FedEx?

[BG]

To quote Chris Rock, " I ain't afraid of no Al Qaeda no more. Man we bombed the SH*T out of those sukkas. That's how my president wants me to feel too!!!!Nope not afraid of no Al Qaeda no more.

But I am scared of

AL CRACKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!