Thread: Port of Miami on Heightened Alert

Port of Miami on Heightened Alert
Sunday, January 07, 2007

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242265,00.html

MIAMI — The Port of Miami on Sunday was in a heightened state of security after police discovered two men hiding in a cargo truck and a bomb squad was summoned to the scene, FOX News has learned.

The container truck was stopped near the cargo-area entrance to the port around 8 a.m. and the driver of the vehicle, who had valid port identification, was questioned by authorities.

"The driver of the 18-wheeler was apparently asked several questions — we're told routine questions — and at one point, he said he was alone," FOX News' Nancy Harmeyer said.

Police became suspicious and discovered two men hiding in the sleeper cab of the 18-wheeler. All three men are of Middle Eastern descent. The men are believed to be in the country legally and were being questioned by the FBI.

"At this time we don't know why they were here, what they were planning to do, or quite honestly even if the driver knew that the two men were back there," Harmeyer said.

The driver reportedly is of Iraqi descent and one of the other two is a Lebanese national; the third is also believed to be Middle Eastern and early reports stated authorities have a warrant out for one of the three but none of the detained is on a terror watch list, sources said.
The driver told officials he needed a day pass to deliver something, but it was unclear what that was.

At 1:45 p.m. EST, a Customs and Border Protection agent entered the truck, which was escorted by police deeper into the Port, possibly for X-ray screening.

"They're investigating what's inside the container," Miami Police Department Deputy Chief Frank Fernandez said.

"The information is preliminary," he said.

Weekends at the Port are busy, with heavy cruise ship traffic; on Sunday, six cruise ships were at the Port.

"At this time we don't know why they were here, what they were planning to do, or quite honestly even if the driver knew that the two men were back there," Harmeyer said.

I agree.....insulting our intelligence again!

I smell a bunch of rats! They were planning something!

I think it is laughable to say the driver possibly did not know that the men were in the back of the truck!

Common sense would tell me this driver was knowledgable of his passengers, as well he knew what he was doing.

As well, I feel that these men were testing the ability of anyone trying to enter/leave the port with shipments, and how easy it might be to bring something in without being checked.

I think this could be a front for terrorists either to test our security, or to take us off of another trail.

Spin has already discounted what happened in miami...


Jan 7, 2007 4:31 pm US/Eastern

CBS4 Source: Miami Port Scare 'Comedy Of Errors'
Language Problems, Paperwork Issues Led To Security Scare
No Danger Determined From Truck, Cargo Stopped At Port
Three Men Detained Will Not Be Charged
(CBS4) MIAMI CBS4 News has learned that Sunday’s security scare at the Port of Miami was in fact a ‘comedy of errors’, to quote one official, blamed on language difficulties and flawed paperwork which led to a security scare which disrupted cargo operations at one of the nation’s busiest ports.

CBS4’s Brian Andrews was told by a top federal official in Miami that the driver of semi-truck attempting to make a delivery at the Port of Miami Sunday morning raised alarm bells when he was unable to satisfied security officials who questioned discrepancies between his manifest and his cargo.

The driver, who is of Iraqi nationality, apparently had difficulty communicating with the security at the port. As they looked more closely at the truck, the security guards found two other men in the truck, another Iraqi and a Lebanese national.

FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said. "At some point he said he was alone," but officials now believe he may just have not been properly understood.

The men should not have been in the truck, so all three men were detained for questioning. They were never arrested, and after a day long scare at the port, which involved a bomb squad and hazardous materials examination of the truck, officials decided it was all a misunderstanding based on language and cultural differences, along with flawed paperwork.

All three men are legal residents of the United States.

The Miami Herald reported that ‘suspicious’ 55 gallon drums were found in the back of the truck, and that while the driver's paperwork claimed he was carrying auto parts, no such cargo was found on the truck, according to authorities. The drums and the discrepancy raised suspicions, and prompted the search.

Members of the Miami-Dade County bomb squad and the county's hazardous Materials Team were on site to examine the truck, which had been moved to an area away from other trucks or cargo containers.

The Port of Miami is the busiest cruise ship port in the nation, and Sunday is one of the busiest days of the week for cruise ship traffic, with as many as 15 thousand passengers boarding cruise ships. Sources at the port say cruise ship passengers were not affected, beyond a slowdown of traffic into the port caused by the increased security.


(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_007140606.html

If he couldn't communicate at the checkpoint, how could he hold a driver's license and read road signs?

Originally Posted by mapwife

If he couldn't communicate at the checkpoint, how could he hold a driver's license and read road signs?

You would think that wouldn't you? Listen up, only real citizens are required to follow the rules.

SO true and so infuriating and we can never be sure it we are hearing the correct story or if there is a cover up!