Three Texas Men Charged With Terror

In Caro Michigan three men from Texas were arraigned on terrorism related charges. The men were found to have about one thousand cell phones in there mini van. Investigators believe the Mackinac Bridge was being targeted. Bond has been set at 750,000. Both of the men are charged with collecting or providing materials for terrorist acts and surveillance for terrorist purposes. No Pleas had yet been made. Most of the phones were prepaid TracFones. The phones can be used as detonators and are used by terrorists because they are not traceable.



Well, we have seen things similar to this many times before. My first question is this, is there really that much money in buying and selling cell phones from retailers? If there is why are more people not doing it? I am all for making an honest buck, even if its not reported to the government, but what is it about pre paid cell phones? I would think that if you can sell that many phones to people who are will to pay so much above retail price that one should probably wonder just why are they doing that. The men did cooperate with the police for several hours, that being said, maybe we all should get into the cell phone buying and selling business.

Related News Links:
www.foxnews.com
www.chron.com
www.usatoday.com

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Another TracFone Purchase - This one with a twist
2 Michigan Men Arrested For Laundering Money For Hezbollah

Am I the only person scratching his head on this one? What the hell happened here? Cellphones=terrorist support? Next thing you know they will be stopping a truck carrying stuffed animals saying they were supporting terrorists by giving them tools to hide their explosives in.

As I reread that I am saddened by the fact I could actually see that happening by chance.

Maybe these links will help you make the connection between large purchases of untraceable, "disposable" cellphones and terror.

WTAP

WTAP

toledoblade.com

www.freep.com

www.cfra.com

wxyz.com

[edit on 2006/8/12 by GradyPhilpott]

Thanks a lot for the extra info grady. Does not really say why there is so much proffit in buying and selling cell phones but sure does show there is a lot of people doing just that.

Investigators believe the Mackinac Bridge was being targeted.

Well the timing is right if that was a Target. They normally open the bridge to walking only one day a year right around labor day and thousands are on the bridge all day long.

Bridge Walk Sept 4, 2006

Average number of people per year on Labor Day
In an average year, 50,000 to 65,000 people participate in the five-mile walk. This is more than the combined population of the two counties connected by the bridge.

[edit on 8/13/2006 by shots]

Were they going to use 1000 bombs for the bridge?

In the articles I read, there was no mention of any evidence pointing to any use of the phones. Just precedence for large pre-paid phone purchases.

The phones may be more expensive in texas, don't know, but IMO there is probably
a small black market for phones like these. Un-traceable phones are desired by many criminal elements not just terrorists. Judging by there names they may be muslim and that may be influencing the charges.

Is there a law against stockpiling cell phones?..sincerely.
And if not can these men be charged with anything?

According to the article, there is no law against buying cellphones, but like a lot of things, intent can be inferred by quantity. If you go to Home Depot and buy a truckload of fluorescent lighting or grow lights, someone might be interested in whether or not you are growing marijuana. If you buy a shopping cart full of pseudoephedrine, acetone, matches, and iodine, you're likely to get a visit from local law enforcement--likewise, large cellphone purchases because of their demonstrated appeal to criminals and terrorists.

Oh for heavens sakes, we've been thru this one before...They probably to to a flea market and resell them at $5 markup.....Big deal...

Are we on our way to becoming rationed? Yup, Teddy bears will be next. Then those who buy water by the bulk, then too much toothpaste at once, too much hair gel......

This is getting old and tired.

I imagine soon we will have to sign our name and provide our "National ID card" to buy Listerine.

BUT ITS ALL FOR OUR PROTECTION FROM THOSE PESKY TERRORISTS.

There MUST be a way to put us all under the Police State without all this insanity...
Just make us prisoners now...what's the hold up?
its not as if anyone is going to do anything about it...

[edit on 13-8-2006 by dgtempe]

We are rapidly approaching a time when the police make the laws, and prosecute the laws. Is this a setup ordained from Washington, D.C. pure and simply understood? Federal funding is everywhere, compromising such stories from the get go.

Looking more deeply at this story, and you may find all of this coordinated within the usual patsy, setup, news story character of such well esteemed projects as Mockingbird, COINTELPRO, et al. Time after time the same pattern emerges.

Was there a government agent involved doing a sting operation? Who were these guys and what is their connection? Is terrorism a charge levied by central governments, not local jurisdictions? Are larger psyops (psychological operations) rendering anything and everything suspect? This war on terror is a war against the people of the United States, and people should investigate things as completely as possible and expose what is happening for what it is. The government modus operendi, and the charges are a stereotype, in an of itself making such initial suspicions justified and substantive. The pattern has repeated itself too often, but so many people are too busy watching TV and gratifying themselves to lift a finger to find out the truth here, and the larger truth of such events.

Originally posted by dgtempe

BUT ITS ALL FOR OUR PROTECTION FROM THOSE PESKY TERRORISTS. lol lol

Pesky terrorists? Can you really be so out of touch with the circumstances of the day that you would consider a van full of cellphones owned by "middle eastern types" to not be suspicious? All the police need is probable cause that a crime has been committed to initiate an investigation. And in these times, no suspicion can be safely ignored. If they're just the cellphone equivalents of Johnny Appleseed, then nothing will come of it. If not, an atrocity might have been averted.

When the government is proactive, everyone here gets in an uproar. When the government is reactive, everyone here gets in an uproar. Those who live in a place other than the US can be forgiven. Americans should know that we are a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Don't they teach Civics in school, anymore?


[edit on 2006/8/13 by GradyPhilpott]

Probably the most troubling aspect of this story, and something that nobody's touched on yet, is that this is yet another story of pre-paid cellphone purchases implying sinister motives. Our government has demonstrated it's strong desire to conduct surveillence on it's citizens by compiling phone and internet records en-masse, and the pre-paid cellphone is now the only way to be reasonably sure your communication is private.

So.. how long will it be before these phones become outlawed to "protect us from the terrorists"? Or even better, how long until we're forced to register ownership? THAT would be an NSA wet dream - You MUST have something to hide, right?

Have any of these cellphone terrorists ever been charged with anything? If not, why should any of us believe that many cellphones = terror plot? Because the government tells us so?

.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
All the police need is probable cause that a crime has been committed to initiate an investigation.

key phrase there in bold. What crime has been commited to propt probable cause? If they had those cell phones out selling them to guys with RPGs, thats probable cause. Two or Three guys with a bunch of cell phones in a van? Suspicious, yes...crime, none in sight. I dont care how suspicious something is, no act should legally be able to be made on suspicion alone.

I could suspect your a witch and drive a stake into your heart, doesnt mean its right. Action based on suspicion....actually a better word, ASSUMPTIONS, is the worst acts of all.

It'll be people like you who, the next time a terrorist plot succeeds, will be screaming bloody murder that the authorities ignored all the warning signals.

If their purchases were to make a legitimate profit, why not buy them from Walmart online? Or better yet, directly from TracFone online?

Why spend $3 gal. in gas, in a rented van that gets 12mpg running around the country purchasing them 3 at a time with cash?

Its not hard or expensive get a retailers license, and purchase items wholesale legitimately.

1000 phones x $20 = $20,000 in untraceable phones by people who are trying to purchase these 3 at a time, because they are not running a legitimate business. Middle eastern or not it should be carefully looked into.

It is not clear to me if these phones work overseas or not, can anyone clarify?

Of course they should be looked into.
That's what the FBI is for.

What I question is charging the men and the rediculous notion they were
attempting to blow up a bridge.

This is insane, theyve done nothing illegal yet they are being charged with something?

Welcome to "the land of the free" where we will put you in prison if we think you're going to do something illegal.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
According to the article, there is no law against buying cellphones, but like a lot of things, intent can be inferred by quantity. If you go to Home Depot and buy a truckload of fluorescent lighting or grow lights, someone might be interested in whether or not you are growing marijuana. If you buy a shopping cart full of pseudoephedrine, acetone, matches, and iodine, you're likely to get a visit from local law enforcement--likewise, large cellphone purchases because of their demonstrated appeal to criminals and terrorists.

Grady,
I think you got the information right with this post. You made a lot of good comparasons which I think do make the point come through.

Hear is a report from the wife of one of the men arrested.

The wife of man arrested in Michigan on terrorism-related charges said Sunday her husband is innocent and only wanted to make some money by reselling cell phones.

www.cbc.ca...

Well, by all means let the poor soul go. His wife wouldn't lie and God knows, no one wants to interfere with the good man's entrepreneurial spirit.

[edit on 2006/8/13 by GradyPhilpott]