Funny thing: I never thought of oil refineries as a popular tourist destination. I wonder if this is the same guy who was taking pictures of a Texas chemical site last winter.
HOUSTON (Reuters) – Law enforcement officials said on Monday they are looking for a man seen taking pictures of two refineries in Texas City, Texas.
Texas City, located on the Texas Gulf coast about 30 miles south of Houston, has three refineries including the largest U.S. plant operated by BP Plc., which is the third-largest U.S. refinery, processing 470,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
The man, described as white with dark hair, was seen taking pictures outside the refineries, all located on the same highway, at about 5 p.m. CDT on Saturday, said Bruce Clawson, emergency management and homeland security director for Texas City.
While it is not illegal to take pictures of a refinery from a highway or street, officials would like to talk to the man to find out his reason for taking the photographs.
“This is based on the idea that al Qaeda does its homework,” Clawson said. “That’s not to say we don’t have enough home-grown idiots already who might want to do something.”