Disposable Phone Buys Reveal Texas Terror Cell?
http://www.cbn.com/blogs/erick_stackelbeck/060113.asp
Disposable cell phones--which don't require purchasers to sign a contract or have a credit card--have grown in popularity lately. They're particularly popular with people who have bad credit, and are convenient to have on hand in case of an emergency. Even the CIA has used them, because they are nearly impossible to track. Unfortunately, there's a downside: just as they have with the Internet, camera phones, and countless other technological advances, terrorists have utilized these disposable phones as well.
The most glaring example is the 2004 Madrid train bombings, which killed more than 200 people. The terrorists in those attacks used prepaid phones to detonate bombs aboard the trains.
ABC's investigative correspondent, Brian Ross, has written a chilling report on the link between disposable cell phones and terrorist plots right here in the United States.
Ross describes a recent surge in purchases of the phones by individuals of Middle Eastern and Pakistani descent.
Here is an excerpt:
The FBI is closely monitoring the potentially dangerous development, which came to light following recent large-quantity purchases in California and Texas, officials confirmed.
In one New Year's Eve transaction at a Target store in Hemet, Calif., 150 disposable tracfones were purchased. Suspicious store employees notified police, who called in the FBI, law enforcement sources said.
In an earlier incident, at a Wal-mart store in Midland, Texas, on December 18, six individuals attempted to buy about 60 of the phones until store clerks became suspicious and notified the police. A Wal-mart spokesperson confirmed the incident.
The Midland, Texas, police report dated December 18 and obtained by ABC News states: "Information obtained by MPD [Midland Police Department] dispatch personnel indicated that approximately six individuals of Middle-Eastern origin were attempting to purchase an unusually large quantity of tracfones (disposable cell phones with prepaid minutes attached)." At least one of the suspects was identified as being from Iraq and another from Pakistan, officials said.
"Upon the arrival of officers, suspects were observed moving away from the registers — appearing to evade detection while ridding themselves of the merchandise."
Other reports have come in from other cities, including Dallas, and from authorities in other states. Authorities in Pennsylvania, New York and other parts of Texas confirmed that they were alerted to the cases, and sources say other jurisdictions were also notified.
Arrests in Midland, Texas may just have uncovered a terrorist cell. More from Ross:
The Midland, Texas, arrest report police also identified the individuals as linked to a terror cell:
"Evasive responses provided by the subjects, coupled with actions observed by officers at the onset of the contact prompted the notification of local FBI officials to assist in the investigation," the report said. "Upon the arrival of special agents, and as a result of subsequent interviews, it was discovered that members of the group were linked to suspected terrorist cells stationed within the Metroplex.
Law enforcement officials have not elaborated on the information in the report or specified which terrorist group the individuals were allegedly linked to.