The terror plot foiled in the U.K. is the big news of the day. Closer to home, there are reports that two Michigan men were arrested in southeast on Ohio on charges they engaged in money laundering to support terrorist activities.
Deputies stopped the two on a traffic violation Tuesday and found the flight documents along with $11,000 cash and 12 phones in their car, Sheriff Larry Mincks said.
It wasn't clear what significance the airline information might have. Assistant County Prosecutor Susan Vessels declined to comment on whether the manifests were for upcoming flights or those that already had flown. She also would not give the origin or destination of the flight or flights. . . .
[The two men, Osama Sabhi] Abulhassan and [Ali] Houssaiky admitted buying about 600 phones in recent months at stores in southeast Ohio, said sheriff's Maj. John Winstanley. They sold the phones to someone in Dearborn, Winstanley said.
Vessels declined to say how the phones, cash or flight information involved terrorism.
UPDATE: More on the story:
Twenty-year old's Ali Howssaiky and Osama Abulhassan are facing charges of money laundering to aid terrorism. This comes after a traffic stop Tuesday led police to thousands of dollars in cash, several disposable cell phones and instructions of how to obtain private flight information. Police also found a list of flight passengers in the car.
"It also had information about airport checkpoints, and what would be accomplished there, so this is a little bit unusual," Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks says.
Sheriff Mincks also says the disposable cell phones are especially important, because it appears their final destination was supposed to be overseas.
"They are digital and can be used to detonate car bombs," he says.
This story links the suspects to Hezbollah, while another account says the two are college students and claim they were on a business trip.
Related Posts (on one page):
- No Charges for Pair Arrested in Ohio:
- Update on Ohio Arrests:
- Another Terror Plot Foiled?
- The Foiled Plots:
More seriously, though, this is a really weird scheme they're running. Buying 600 cell phones throughout southeastern Ohio (which means that they probably did get to Zanesville, I should tell my folks) and reselling them in Dearborn? Is it so they can make plans off-the-grid?
Disposable Phone for off NSA radar calls or as a bomb trigger
(Starting with my father-in-law.)
If we don't jail all the retired Irish-Catholics of East Liverpool, the terrorist have already won!
Evan, you'd be much more "excited" if those guys hadn't been arrested, and had carried out their plan.
As Newman and Kramer established, the Michigan deposit scheme doesn't work.
Doesen,t every one go around the country buying disposable cell phones? Always in smaller numbers so as to not attract attention until a large number is accumulated. Once you have a large number, of course the only sensible thing to do is go to Dearborn an sell them.
As for "not living in fear" or "letting them dictate how you live your life", sure, the threat doesn't affect my daily existence all that much, but I still acknowledge that there is a threat that needs to be taken seriously. I do not dismiss it as "nothing to get excited about".
Terrorism doesn't "only work if it inspires fear". It also works if it kills a lot of people and does a lot of economic damage. It also works if we're so stupid and "fearless" that we don't close the security holes that bad guys can exploit.
OH, and here's hoping that all these 24 to 30 so guys in the UK and USA rounded up in the last couple of days are enjoying at this very moment the serene pleasures of being tied to board while drowning or feeling like they are drowning under a wet rag.
Just so we don't do something really awful to them like making them wear a hood and stand on box in their undies.
Says the "Dog"