Comment by Rivrdog

August 22, 2007 @ 8:05 am

I hope the feebees haven’t forgotten how to gumshoe. By listing the pattern of boardings of ferries, they should be able to tell quickly if the two are tourists, with one or two rides, regular commuters, riding the same routes repeatedly, or otherwise, riding a lot of different boats.

The riders of the same route could be worth further investigation if the ferry goes near some naval installations, such as the Mukilteo ferry.

If they are riding a lot of different routes, they might be surveying what kind of targets are available system-wide.

In any case, the Seattle PI should be severely criticized for failing to help the FBI here. The FBI knows full well how to do a completely confidential and Constitutional investigation, and does, 99.9% of the time.

Comment by Rivrdog

August 22, 2007 @ 8:26 am

BTW, in case some readers with non-military backgrounds and little imagination can’t figure out the fuss here, consider these facts:
1. The ferries ply waters of a target-rich environment: two major naval bases, possibility of bagging a Nimitz-class carrier or a nuke submarine at it’s pier.
2. Ferries routinely carry large trucks. The trucks could be carrying something to go boom and/or incindiary stuff (double tanker of gasoline).
3. Ferries have LOTS of civilian hostages aboard.
4. Ferries have small crews, NOT trained in armed resistance.
5. Ferries are HIGHLY maneuverable, and have a fair turn of speed (20 mph).
6. Most ferries are LARGE ships, hundreds of feet long, and even a simple ramming attack on a ship would have distastrous results. If one ferry was used to ram another at the height of rush hour, thousands could die in the cold Puget Sound waters.

All these ferry boats should be equipped with an engine-disabling device that can be initiated from on or off the ship. That is probably the only way to insure that they are not used as weapons. A powerless, drifting ferry is a simple navigation hazard, and inconvenience, but a comandeered, running ferry could be the most devastating terrorist weapon ever used, if it successfully strikes a prime target.

Comment by BadIdeaGuy

August 22, 2007 @ 11:48 am

Good points, Rivrdog.

Comment by Tbird

August 22, 2007 @ 1:58 pm

These guys are probably Mossad. Makes sense. After all 9/11 was a neo-con/Zionist plot. Stands to reason that the Israelis would be doing the reconn legwork…
uuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..DAMN…………………
Excuse me….watched Keith Olbermann on MSNBC last night and I’ve been having flashbacks ever since.

Comment by Windy Wilson

August 22, 2007 @ 6:21 pm

Note to Al Qaida:

After 9-11 you want a REALLLLLY big target in the US, one that will make a REALLLLLY BIG splash and get everyone’s attention so the US military will quit Iraq and also Afghanistan and will stay home where they belong.
You should seriously consider a simultaneous attack on major network TV stations around the country. A lot of them are located in NYFC where you struck once before, so there will be that element of surprise as they will not expect a blow in the same place. Also, the TV people think you are their friend, so that will be a surprise also when you show that they, too, are infidels. Don’t strike at the heartland, that is where the military come from, and you will only harden their resolve against you. TV stations. And maybe the NY Times.