Texas Terror Threat

[southerngale]

Fox News has reported this story several times today. The threat wasn't specific to Houston but they have a reporter there showing why Houston may be a target. 4th largest city in the country...large population...many plants...2nd largest port in the country, etc. Hopefully if there is an attack planned, just knowing that the FBI is onto them will prevent an attack. I just hope they don't travel 84 miles east to get away from all of the attention and target another area swarming with petro-chemical refineries...Beaumont/Port Arthur. I believe the Port of Beaumont is also the #1 U.S. port in distribution of supplies to the military. Anyway, I know some of you are sick of hearing about terror threats, but I want all of the Texas folks to just be on extra alert....better safe than sorry.

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FBI works to head off possible July 4 threat in Texas

Immigrants, other Houston residents questioned

07/02/2003
Associated Press


HOUSTON -- At least a dozen immigrants and others with ties to the Middle East have answered questions from FBI agents following intelligence reportedly gathered from suspected al-Qaida operatives discussing potential terrorism in Texas over the July Fourth holiday period.

The interviews, an FBI spokesman says, are part of an effort to blunt any potential terrorist attack.

Although not linking the increased FBI activity to July 4, agency spokesman Bob Doguim told the Houston Chronicle in Wednesday’s editions, “Certainly that’s on the radar screen because of the significance of the holiday.”

Agents last week interviewed about a dozen Houston residents with Middle Eastern links, including a U.S. citizen born in the Midwest who converted to Islam, he said. The American Civil Liberties Union will accompany a Palestinian-American to an interview later this week, said Annette Lamoreaux, the group’s East Texas regional director.

Doguim said terrorists are interested in economic targets, and hitting one on a national holiday would make a bigger impact. He said the FBI has a long list of potential terrorist targets in the Houston area, especially refineries and ports around the fourth largest U.S. city. The Port of Houston is the nation’s second largest such facility.

The FBI appears interested in phone calls to Sudan, Chad, Syria and Egypt, said Lamoreaux.

She said that although the U.S. citizen who converted to Islam is apolitical with no terrorist ties, the FBI questioned him about his phone call to a Muslim cleric in Sudan. Her client, she said, made the call to solicit spiritual advice.

Doguim said the FBI interviews were designed to gain information not part of a current criminal investigation.

“Generally, we are looking for anyone who may have contact back home in real time,” said Doguim.

He said interviews here of Iraqis here during the war with Iraq produced information about the locations of weapons caches in that country.

Law officers said the FBI was trying to conduct a thorough investigation that would help prevent another attack, while avoiding violations of constitutional rights.

Homeland security officials were reviewing the information eavesdropped last month from two suspected al-Qaida operatives. Doguim said earlier the information received was nonspecific and the FBI informed law enforcement agencies of knowledge it had gained.

[wx247]

This kind of situation puts the FBI/CIA, etc. in a tough situation. So many things have been said by captured Al Qaeda members that it is hard to know what is true and what is a lie, so they have to ere on the side of caution, which I feel is the best thing to do. Better safe than sorry...

[bfez1]

Better safe than sorry. Sure hope it turns out to be a false alarm.

[blizzard]

Knowing how the terrorists work, I hope that it is not a decoy, and the real threat is somewhere else....YIKES

[Stephanie]

I have heard in recent weeks about the Houston area being a target, especially because of the oil rigs nearby. I hope it's not true! :o

[GalvestonDuck]

Yeah, they've been reporting it for a while now -- the "Fourth of July terrer alert to Texas."

We're watching, we're alert....we're ready to kick back.

~Duck

[Colin]

I hope that this is not true... but like blizzard said, this could be a decoy and the terrorists are planning to attack somewhere else... :o I know how they can be... We can't just enjoy our holidays anymore, we have to worry about terrorists.

[Colin]

I hope that this is not true... but like blizzard said, this could be a decoy and the terrorists are planning to attack somewhere else... :o I know how they can be... We can't just enjoy our holidays anymore, we have to worry about terrorists.