Al-Qaida in Texas border town?

[LiveWire]

Heard this on the radio just minutes ago. A Boston man of Arabic descent was captured shortly after breaking into a gun store Wednesday, where he had stolen several semiautomatic weapons, a large amount of ammuntion and a bullet-proof vest. Employees of Danny's Pawn and Sporting Goods of McAllen, Texas, said that police were alerted of a burglary in progress late last night by the store's passive alarm system. Witnesses say that the subject had been posing as a homeless person since he arrived in town on a bus a few days ago, and that he slept in the alley behind the store. He is now in custody of Homeland Security, officials said. His ethnic origin and the fact that 9/11 is only 2 days away raised a few red flags.

More on this later. I personally know Danny, the owner of the store. I am a regular customer of his. I'll get the news straight from the horses mouth as soon as I can. It doesn't get more accurate than this, folks.

[LiveWire]

This just in: A laptop computer and several thousand dollars in cash that apparently were not from the store were also found in his possession.

I smell a rat.

[P95Carry]

Hmmmm ....... strong enough odor to be skunk even. Look forward to update info.

[RED-DOG 40]

Get yer shoot'n irons out boys, time to do some hunt'n....

......

[Hard Ball]

In TEXAS? LOCK AND LOAD!

[stevelyn]

What an idiot! According to the Bissninnies he could have gotten all he wanted through the gun show loophole/AWB sunset if he'd had excercised a little more discipline.







edited for spellin'

[LiveWire]

I hear ya, guys. But what really has me on edge is this: The guy had several thousand dollars in cash. He'd never been in this town before, but he gets off a bus after traveling two thousand miles and then goes straight to the store in question, where he cases the place a couple of days before breaking in. Money and a pre-assigned target.

Sounds like he had some outside coaching.

[GoldDesertEagle]

lock and load boys, don't forget the hot loads

[Sneevil]

Y'all need to keep tighter controls on your southern border, like we do here in California.

[Beren@THR]

Sounds like a lone, untrained nutcase.

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2273510
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/...9613973.htm?1c
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory...olitan/2785938

[mete]

They're everywhere thanks to our Gov't.They caught a Somali in Ohio[big Somali territory] planning to bomb a shopping mall.The biggest center of muslims is in the Detroit area.Terrorists have been found in Buffalo NY.Albany NY. Large populations of muslims in NJ etc etc.A big shocker came to a friend in NJ. He had muslim neighbors who dissappeared the day before 9/11 !!

[Long Path]

Hm. What concerns me is that we're if catching the dufuses (dufai?) like this with some means but little ability, what about the guys who know what they're doing?!?


Hoping Saturday (09/11/04) is uneventful.

[ATTICUS]

Hmmm.... another Massachusetts gun grabber LOL.

[Fred Hansen]

dufuses (dufai?)

Dufii LMFAO

[LiveWire]

I just got back from Danny's...

Boy, do those guys work fast! New front door and showcase already in place; recovered weapons back on display; customers flocking in and out like nothing ever happened...

I talked with one of Danny's associates. He told me -- and you're gonna love this part -- that the subject in question was found to be Iranian of birth, and that, when cross-examined, showed an extensive knowledge of weapons.

He also told me that there was no indication that the $3000 cash the guy was carrying were stolen, and that the general sentiment among law enforcers at the scene was that he was being financed by someone. So much for a nutcase acting alone.

I was also told that the perp made off with nine, not seven handguns as originally stated in the news, along with "a bunch" of ammunition. Fortunately, all of it was recovered.

That's all for now. I'll keep y'all posted.

[Erik]

Despite what many would have you believe more than just Mexican migrantworkers cross our southern borders.

Increased vigilance, firm political resolution, and a decidedly clear reality check is necessary.

[LiveWire]

Absolutely, Erik. I'm only speculating, of course, but what if this guy made his two thousand mile trek to the border town of McAllen with the intention of outfitting someone waiting across the border in Reynosa. Or worse: outfitting someone who had already crossed over and was already in place. You can't tell an Iranian from a mainstream Mexican, and Al-Qaida probably knows that.

[Matt Payne]

I'm just speculating here...

If this is a terror op, why would a well-financed operative risk capture and failure by stealing weapons.

If the guy is really a citizen, he could buy nine Ruger P95 pistols (or a couple dozen Maks! and 300 rounds of Wal-Mart ball ammo for each gun for less than the $3000, all nice and legal.

Hitting a pawn shop, getting a pile of (I'm guessing again) mismatched guns, and not having a getaway vehicle all sounds like the marks of an inexperienced would-be terrorist, not a well-funded, well-trained terror operative.

But, then, I'm just speculating.

---
*Hey, they might not be the purdiest things, but they go "bang" when you pull the trigger.

[LiveWire]

Why would a well-financed operative risk capture and failure by stealing weapons?... he could buy [them]... all nice and legal.

Because with a name like Atbin Hoshang Forghan he doesn't sound like your typical all-american boy, I guess. And with 9/11 just a heartbeat away...

I dunno. Just a thought.

[Double Naught Spy]

I am more inclined to believe that the problems of interpretation were more on the local officials and Livewire than on the guy in question. Just because he is from the middle east somewhere does not make him Al Quaeda. I am basing this on the knee-jerk over reaction conclusion drawing made based on a minimal amount of information.

If the guy was well-financed, then he didn't need to be breaking into a store such as Danny's. In America, guns can be readily had on the street. More over, if he came over from Mexico, which is sort of implied by noting that the guy was caught in a Texas Border town, weapons can be obtained for much cheaper. Besides, the KLTV news said he took a bus from Boston to McAllen, so he didn't even cross-over illegally from Mexico!

Yes, 9/11 is around the corner. Is every arrest of an easterner going to somehow get tied to Al Quaeda and 9/11? So the guy knew something about weapons? I don't know about Iran, but in some countries like Jordan, military service is mandatory, but all the people who get out of the military are not terrorists even if they do have weapons knowledge.

From the description of the suspect, we have more to fear from street small gang bangers who have a little prison time under their belts than from folks like this guy.

[nemesis]

He probably stole the weapons because $3000 wouldn't buy much at Danny's prices. Whenever I ask a price and listen to the answer, I respond "now how much would it be if I was from the other side of the river?"

The latest news................


The Iranian Connection

[LiveWire]

LOL, nemesis.

Of course they're marked up. But I've never had any trouble getting a better deal. Danny sold me a pre-owned SIG P225 w/German proofmarks, virtually NIB, 100% cond., for only $400 + tax.

But then I'm a regular there.

Double Naught Spy: you are correct in saying that the subject is not automatically a terrorist for his middle eastern heritage. I would discourage such a pre-emptive conjecture.

Nor would I insist that he isn't one. If something looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is only natural to believe that it might be a duck. I wouldn't assert that it isn't one for demand of political correctness. Obviously, no one thing about this guy is damning by itself; but put them all together and they beg for another take.

All I did was present the facts as I heard them on the local radio and from the folks I talked to at the scene. My disclaimer is at the end of the thread's opening title: you know, that little thingy that looks like a hook with a dot underneath.

In time we'll know the truth. If the imbecile turns out to be only that, then we can all breathe a little sigh of relief. In the meantime, everyone's entitled to a bit of intrigue. Yes?

[4V50 Gary]

Let us know if anything is announced on the computer.

[Jamie Young]

We've already had them in Phildadelphia.

[animal]

A word from my paranoid mind…

I’ve said many times to my friends around here that the terrorists could make quite an effective attack by thinking small.
Imagine 200 divided into 2 to 3 man teams hitting various small and mostly unguarded targets all over the country on the same day. Each group is armed with small arms, improvised explosives or whatever they are able to procure. Due to the porosity of our borders it is not inconceivable that a few RPGs could come in with them. Most, of course would have come in legally and armed themselves after arriving . Coordination between groups could be near nonexistent … A directive (before entering the country)to hit a soft target in a particular area on a certain day … leaving the details of the attack to each team. Preferred missions could be in small towns of 20 to 60 thousand where fairly large gatherings with little security (9-11 memorials in the town square ) , D.C. sniper style stuff, attacks on gasoline storage tanks, bringing down water towers, hit and run murder missions on day care facilities or schools, etc. In short, varied targets of opportunity all hit on the same day.

About 2 miles from my house is a big field with several LARGE tanks full of gasoline within virtual spitting distance of the road. It just struck me one day how easy it would be for some SOB with an RPG to pull over, light one off and haul butt (or climb a chain link fence at night and set a charge)… with little chance of getting caught. I’ve never seen so much as a rent-a-cop there and the road has very little traffic.

Countering a threat like the one above by conventional means /police would be extremely difficult simply because the cops can’t be everywhere. An armed populace could be effective or at least helpful. I am generally armed in some way when out and about and would urge those competent in the use of a weapon to also be armed and vigilant. God help the olive skinned man displaying a weapon inappropriately on 9-11-04 if I am near.

It is far better to be judged by twelve than for a child to be carried by six.

After reading my own words, I'm wondering how long it will be before getting fixated on my "precious bodily fluids"