Bridge over the Mississippi
I-35 Bridge collapse in Minneapolis
By Douglas Hagmann
Thursday, August 2, 2007
LIVE COVERAGE: Tired of the talking heads on cable? Tune into the Patriot Brigade Radio Network (ON LIVE) for updates and interviews with eyewitnesses to the event. Note * We'll be updating this frequently as more information is scanned for keys and clues to this event. Stay tuned... Stay Safe... Stay Informed...
1 August 2007; 9:25 P.M. ET: Investigators at the Northeast Intelligence Network have been in touch with a senior police official at the scene of the I-35 bridge collapse. We are continuing to monitor the information from first responders and rescuers at the scene, whose first priority is rescue and recovery of the victims of the collapse. According to information from a senior investigator at the scene, there is no obvious evidence that would immediately pinpoint a cause for this horrific and large-scale tragedy. Accordingly, officials are "taking all of the necessary precautions" at the site, as well as in other areas, to handle any concurrent threats that could arise from this situation - or potentially be exploited by it.
As one senior official at the scene stated during phone contact:
"It is hard for anyone who is not here to imagine the enormity of this event. We don't know what caused this to happen, but are taking steps to rescue the trapped victims as well as insure the safety of our people. Right now, we simply don't know what caused this, but I've never seen anything of this magnitude before. Nothing can be ruled out." --Police official at the I-35 bridge collapse, speaking to agency director Douglas J. Hagmann by phone.
U.S. bridges are terrorist target
2 August 2007: Whatever is determined as the cause of the I-35 bridge collapse, it is important for every American citizen to understand that the enemy is among us and continues to plot, plan and strategize attacks against various targets, including our own infrastructure. Bridges, tunnels and major transportation conveyances and hubs remain high on the list of potential targets. Consider just a few examples of terrorist plots disrupted specifically involving bridges inside the United States:
1993: Authorities foiled a plot by the followers of blind Muslim cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman to bomb New York City landmarks, including the George Washington Bridge.
2002: Officials issued a public warning and doubled security on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge after it appeared on an al-Qaeda videotape seized in Spain.
2003: al-Qaeda considered, but cancelled an attack on the Brooklyn Bridge with the coded message "the weather is too hot." Iyman Faris (aka Mohammed RAUF), a Pakistan-born American citizen, is serving 20 years in prison for his role in terror operations.
2004: A man described in a federal indictment as a "high-ranking" HAMAS operative was arrested in Maryland on 20 August 2004 for videotaping the Chesapeake Bay Bridge for alleged surveillance purposes. The man, Ismael Selim ELBARASSE of Annandale, Va., reportedly has financial ties to the HAMAS. He was picked up as a "material witness" in a Chicago terrorism case, and was described as a "co-conspirator" in a 15-year racketeering conspiracy in the United States and abroad to illegally finance terrorist activities against Israel.
2006: Maruan Awad MUHAREB and Louai Abdelhamied OTHMAN, both of Mesquite Texas, and Louai's brother Adham Abdelhamid OTHMAN of Dallas were detained after buying 80 cell phones at a Wal-Mart store in Caro, Michigan, north of Detroit. They were also identified as having performed surveillance of a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes, a target identified as the Mackinac Bridge.
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