Is this a prelude to an attack in the US?

"FBI seeks two men behaving oddly on Washington ferry

Is this really something to be worried about or is it just more fear mongering by Homeland Security? Could this be a precursor to a False flag exercise even? Lots of questions. Lots of possible answers?

What do you all think?

SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- The FBI wants to question two men who were described as behaving oddly on a Washington state ferry earlier this summer.

Members of the public and ferry workers reported the men to authorities after the two were seen pacing in areas of the boat, including a cargo hold, as if trying to measure distances, FBI Special Agent Larry Carr said Tuesday.

The men were also seen about two months ago taking photographs of the ferries -- including restricted areas -- and studying an emergency evacuation poster.




[url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/28/fbi.ferry/index.html?iref=mpstoryview]

It should be looked into. This isent the first time I have heard something about ferries being possible targets. They have been saying that ferries are at risk for several years now.

Is this a prelude to an attack in the US?

It doesn't appear to be a prelude to an attack in the conventional sense, like a land invasion or having paratroopers drop down from the sky.

Instead, it is most likely the stirrings of a terrorist attack and/or acts of espionage as a precursor to same.

It really depends on the nature of the information they were seeking

Paul,

I was actually thinking along the same lines in refernce to a terrorist attack as opposed to a conventional one.

I remember when this story first came out. I am moving back to Alaska and it is part of the reason I am flying and not taking a ferry.

Was just thinking...

Could this be preparation for a mass hostage taking à la Aquili Lauro?

I'd say it was just surveillance and intelligence gathering on the Ferry system, best places to detonate explosives, and/or to take and place hostages, or attempt to take control of the Ferry.

Kinda compare it to a CIA SPY or 2 in .. oh I dont know.. lets say IRAN, trying to gather intel among the poorer population if an invasion would be feasible. Stupid example but .. its probably Iranians or guys from a Terrorist group.

They look a bit pale to be Saudi Arabs. My first thought was that they looked kind of Iranian or Uzbeki, or people from countries near there. But who knows, looks are deceiving.

Thats pretty creepy. Maybe they're just there to get caught, to protect whoevers really up to the no-good stuff...

They look like many nationalities would look. Puerto Rican, Cuban, Caribbean, Portugese, Spanish, with a dark tint.

They could be anybody and just inquisitive. They could also be middle eastern.

They could be American born.

Originally posted by palg1
Was just thinking...

Could this be preparation for a mass hostage taking à la Aquili Lauro?

We have come a long way since 1985.

Ex. we now have SEAL Team 6 which is specifically trained to retake cruise ships, freighters, ferries, US Navy vessels, etc that have been taken over by terrorists or opposing forces. I think the US Coast Guard may have some sort of special forces unit that can do this type of stuff as well.

par·a·noi·a /ˌpærəˈnɔɪə/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[par-uh-noi-uh] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. Psychiatry. a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others, sometimes progressing to disturbances of consciousness and aggressive acts believed to be performed in self-defense or as a mission.
2. baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.


I think the american goverment has infected its people with paranioa,
high levels of this disorder is eventually going to creeple the us economically, socially politically. This two people could well be americans.
The way none americans are being treated by the us, will eventually drive people away and stop them from visiting the us, this can only have very negative effect on the us economy. This attitude is counter productive.

reply to post by thesun


No paranioa here. Just putting out certain possibilities and wondering how many and what people are thinking. I find it interesting when my questions can bring people do the discussion table. Isn't this what ATS is all about.

Originally posted by palg1
Isn't this what ATS is all about.

I've been waiting for someone to say that for months now. People seem to have forgot what ATS used to be.

But back on topic, the mens actions do seem incredibly suspicious, but is that just all part of the propaganda? We have been told by the government and the media that Middle Eastern=terrorist. No-one can deny this. Even if you don't believe it, the connection is present in the majority of minds.

Myself, I don't make the connection, anyone could be a terrorist, no matter what their ethnicity. If two Caucasian men acted exactly the same way, I'm willing to bet that no-one would even take a second glance.

I hope that these men are innocent, for all of our sakes.

Originally posted by dgtempe
They look like many nationalities would look. Puerto Rican, Cuban, Caribbean, Portugese, Spanish, with a dark tint.

Not to these eyes. Spanish maybe, but they look more eastern Mediterranean to me. Israeli perhaps?

Has it occurred to anyone that these guys may be deep undercovers trying to eatblish a ' rep ' for future contacts? Or maybe to see how aware the public and the safety system is and how they are responding to just such incursions that raise suspicions?

Just a guess, but it could go either way, one of the bad guys doing some recon or the ' good ' guys for one reason or another looking the part.Time will tell.

If these guys wanted to take pictures without being noticed, couldn't they have used tiny cameras embedded in their clothes so no one would notice they were taking pictures? Smells like a setup to me.

reply to post by palg1


hey!! thats carlos and pepe from down the block, how'd you get those pictures???

Kinda funny how these "probing events" get coverage. Some seem to get major coverage, and other more sinister occurances get none.
Was it an actual worrisome item, or were the people in the northwest getting a bit uppity and needed a reminder of who is in charge?
Not a clue as of yet.

I was thinking the same. I don't where I read most of this info but this was a third clue that I think I might been missing. First I heard I believe it was in CNN that some girl's dad that is in the army was sent to Washington State for one year, and that she feels safe that he is there and not back in Iraq.

Then I think it was in market watch that I saw that some ppl have been buying a certain type of stock, I can't remember the name right now, that if the market crashes or something similar to 9/11 happens they will get a big amount of money.

Here's the clip, I still think it's from MarketWatch:

A mystery trader risks losing around $1 billion dollars after placing 245,000 put options on the Dow Jones Eurostoxx 50 index, leading many analysts to speculate that a stock market crash preceded by a new 9/11 style catastrophe could take place within the next month. The anonymous trader only stands to make money if the market crashes by a third to a half before September 21st, which is when the put options expire. A put option is a financial contract between two parties, the buyer and the writer (seller) of the option, in which the buyer stands to benefit only if the price of the asset falls.

Now, I read this article this morning. Seattle, Washington ferry terrorist attack, planning. It kinda adds up, but hey I must be wrong. Seems kinda creepy that I may have stumbled upon clues like those. I also think that i may be delirious and maybe a little paranoid.

[edit on 4-9-2007 by jamiros]

Now something that I found ironic and weird...

The similarities:

In Algiers, New Orleans, after the explosion of a ferry transporting the sailors from the USS Nimitz and their families with 543 casualties, the lonely AFT agent Doug Carlin is assigned to investigate the terrorist attack. Without any lead, he is informed by Sheriff Reed about a corpse of a woman that was found one hour before the explosion, but burnt with the same explosive. He is invited by FBI Agent Pryzwarra to join the surveillance team leaded by Jack McCready in the investigations, using a time window and Einstein-Rosen bridge through seven satellites to look back four and half days in time. He discloses the identity of the mysterious dead woman called Claire Kuchever and decides to follow her last moments trying to find the criminal. Along the surveillance, Doug falls in love for Claire and tries to change destiny, saving her life. IMDB.com

Trailer:
www.youtube.com...