Two Pakistani Men Arrested After Names Found on Federal List
Two Pakistani men were being held on possible immigration violations Wednesday after an airline employee at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport found one of their names on a terrorism-related "no-fly" list, authorities said.
Pakistani names on a terror list, whoâd thunk.
Port of Seattle police detained both men Saturday night and turned them over to the FBI. "Weâre looking at how they entered the country. Sometime in the near future theyâll be scheduled for an immigration hearing," said Michael Milne, a spokesman for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"How near, I just canât say."
No criminal charges have been filed against the men, whose names were not been released. Milne said they were being held for investigation of immigration violations.
Since they are not US citizens, you can hold them forever while you take your time investigating.
One of the men, age 36, had a Canadian driverâs license and paid cash for a one-way ticket to New Yorkâs John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Seattle Times reported in Wednesday editions. After the airline employee called 911, the man left the counter and left behind his ticket.
Non-citizen, cash, one-way ticket, we have a trifecta winner!
The other man, age 29, was carrying a New York driverâs license and also paid cash for a one-way ticket to Kennedy Airport on a different airline, according to police reports. Both used Pakistani passports, The Times said, citing unidentified sources. The newspaper said the men told investigators they paid to be smuggled across the border from Canada last month.
Well, gee, that kind of answers the question about their immigration status, doesnât it?
The men were taken into custody Saturday night after an American Airlines employee and a ticket agent from another major airline ran their names through the Transportation Security Administrationâs no-fly database of suspected terrorists and became suspicious. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackings, airlines have routinely run security checks on passengers who purchase one-way tickets or buy tickets with cash.
"Good morning, Kaffir dog. Give me one-way flight to zionist city of New York, I must sit near cockpit. Oh, do you take gold dinars?"
Posted by: Steve 2003-08-13 |