Federal authorities have been searching for a merchant ship carrying a group of al Qaeda terrorists and a large cache of weapons that is believed to be headed for Los Angeles.
The FBI has been investigating an intelligence report about the ship and a group of up to 40 al Qaeda terrorists on board for the past several weeks, but it has been unable to find the vessel or any similar plot, according to law enforcement and intelligence officials.
An FBI official said investigators can not completely dismiss the threat, although they have “worked through this thing pretty well. There’s a much greatly reduced concern based on the investigation and the interviews,” the official said.
According to the officials, FBI agents in Los Angeles have been investigating the classified intelligence report since it was circulated within the U.S. government in late May. The intelligence report stated that a group of between 35 and 40 al Qaeda terrorists were heading for the United States to carry out a terrorist operation in Los Angeles. The men were aboard a Middle Eastern-flagged freighter that left a port in the Middle East in May.
The plan called for the ship to unload the terrorists and their weapons near Santa Catalina Island, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. U.S. intelligence officials said the merchant ship was on its way from an unidentified port in the Middle East and was due to arrive sometime during the last week in May.
The FBI questioned several suspects in the Los Angeles area last week in an effort to find out about the shipment. FBI spokesman Mike Kortan said, “At this point, the investigation has not been able to substantiate or otherwise support this information.”
Intelligence officials have said there are heightened concerns in government about attacks against numerous targets, including commercial aircraft, shopping malls, oil production facilities, subways and ports.
Source: Washington Post & Police1