Michelle Malkin is
helping law enforcement agencies get the word out about two men who have been riding the ferries in the Seattle-Tacoma area quite a bit lately, and acting suspiciously while doing so. There is no official investigation yet, and no charges have been filed. But, just in case these guys are up to no good, here's their picture:
Groups of men, including one tied to a federal terrorism investigation, have videotaped Washington ferry operations, prompting federal authorities to conclude the system has been under surveillance as a possible target for an attack.
U.S. Attorney John McKay, officials in the U.S. Coast Guard and other members of Seattle’s Joint Terrorism Task Force all share in that conclusion.
“We may well be the target of preoperational terrorist planning,” McKay said.
A confidential FBI assessment of the threat to the state ferries is partly behind an increase in security for large-capacity ferries nationwide, McKay and others say.
The state ferry system is the nation’s largest, carrying 26 million passengers last year. It began implementing new security requirements — including tripling the number of cars screened for explosives — this weekend.
For its assessment, the FBI gathered 157 incidents on or near ferries that law-enforcement officers, ferry workers and passengers have reported as suspicious since Sept. 11, 2001. The Seattle Times obtained a document detailing those incidents.
Again, there may be nothing amiss, they may just like the water. But, if they are up to something, you know what they say about an ounce of prevention.
The FBI is asking for the public’s help two identify two men who have been seen acting strangely aboard Washington State ferries recently.
According to federal agents, passengers have seen the men on several occasions exhibiting unusual behavior. The FBI did not say precisely what that unusual behavior entailed.
Anyone who knows the men or there whereabouts are asked to call the FBI at (206) 622-0460.
UPDATE: RightWingDuck has posted
a concise explanation of how we have gathered intel on suspected terrorist activities, pre- and post-9/11
