OK, let me get this straight: federal, state and local officials are searching for rocket launchers, and it has nothing to do with terrorism? Maybe the postman or garbage man picked up a few crates of stray rocket launchers by mistake while on his daily rounds?
From AP, :
SAN LEANDRO, California (AP) -- Dozens of federal, state and local law enforcement agents searched a warehouse near Oakland International Airport Saturday for weapons including rocket launchers, officials said.Federal officials would not reveal the exact nature of the investigation, but they said the search was not related to terrorism.
"We seized a few documents. Other than that, it's an ongoing investigation," said Marti McKee, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. "We will continue to look until all investigative leads are exhausted."
Five men who were detained for questioning Friday have all been released, McKee said.
About 200 agents from a dozen different agencies took part in the raid, which began around 6 a.m. Friday and continued Saturday. On Friday, authorities barred aircraft from flying over the site for three and a half hours while they took over the 12-acre, five-building warehouse complex in San Leandro.
The search warrant for the investigation was under seal, but U.S. Magistrate Edward Chen told The San Francisco Chronicle: "The warrant was for a bunch of devices for rockets that could be launched from military vehicles and [for] some M-16s," semiautomatic assault rifles used by the U.S. military.
Federal officials confirmed Saturday that rocket launchers and other military weaponry were among the items sought by authorities.
"One reason we had so many personnel was because of the types of items we were looking for," McKee said Saturday. "Because it's military weaponry, there is significant concern."
Misplaced rocket launchers in the U.S. This is troubling as we now are aware that certain people would use these to bring down a civilian aircarrier or passenger train here in the United States without hesitation. At least these are vehicle mounted, easier to spot than over-the-shoulder devices. Just another thing to worry about.
"Federal officials would not reveal the exact nature of the investigation, but they said the search was not related to terrorism."
OF COURSE IT WASN'T, didn't you know the 4th of July is just around the corner????
(This person has obviously lived in California for too long)
Keep up the good work and stay vigilant. We do not need to know some of the things going on in the war on terror.We are a country at war,we are about to experience some very real terror in our homeland, I applaud the officials for being vigilant and quiet, the suspects could be your neighbors who wave at you every morning, they could be the school bus driver with your children,they might even be the teacher.
Are you ready!
Since it is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms conducting the investigation, I suspect radical tobacconists.
This could be a case of mob, or rouge military members busted in the arms trade...which does relate to terrorism in that they employ the underground arms market (not US gun stores as some seem to say), but does not mean an actual break up of a terrorist cell or plot.
It had nothing to do with terrorism. The guy picked them up at a yard sale.
"It had nothing to do with terrorism. The guy picked them up at a yard sale."
For humanitarian aid workers.
jay
Does anyone know where I left my keys?