5 Muslim Anglers Arrested for Asking Directions
by Khalid Hasan
The Pakistan Daily Times
Washington -- Five Muslim men, one of them a Pakistani, the others from Bangladesh, all anglers, were arrested by the police for no other offence than that they asked directions to a river close to a nuclear power plant at a rest stop on Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania.
A local newspaper report said state police pulled them over about four miles south of the Susquehanna Steam and Electric Power Plant. The men, who were released on Wednesday night, claimed they were asking directions to the river near the plant because they wanted to go fishing. Federal and state authorities said the FBI was notified. Two of the men were detained by immigration authorities because of visa issues, according to The Citizen’s Voice, a newspaper published from the Pennsylvania town of Wilkes-Barre.
“We did stop and detain five individuals, who were believed to be of Middle Eastern descent, because of suspicious activity,” FBI special agent Jerri Williams told the newspaper.
He said the authorities found no links to terrorism and concluded there was no cause for alarm. Security officials at the power plant and the governing authority, the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency, both were notified about the incident.
Power plant spokesperson Joseph Scopelliti told the newspaper he knew of no procedural changes resulting from the incident. “I know of nothing different,” Scopelliti said. “I’ve seen state police vehicles up and down the highway, but that’s every day. We were made aware by state police that there was a concern.” But he said security at the plant normally is high, noting employees must have ID, and unknown visitors and vehicles must be searched and X-rayed. “We’re ready 24-7,” Scopelliti said, “We’re not sitting back waiting for something. Everyone that comes up here must have a business reason to come up.”
by Khalid Hasan
The Pakistan Daily Times
Washington -- Five Muslim men, one of them a Pakistani, the others from Bangladesh, all anglers, were arrested by the police for no other offence than that they asked directions to a river close to a nuclear power plant at a rest stop on Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania.
A local newspaper report said state police pulled them over about four miles south of the Susquehanna Steam and Electric Power Plant. The men, who were released on Wednesday night, claimed they were asking directions to the river near the plant because they wanted to go fishing. Federal and state authorities said the FBI was notified. Two of the men were detained by immigration authorities because of visa issues, according to The Citizen’s Voice, a newspaper published from the Pennsylvania town of Wilkes-Barre.
“We did stop and detain five individuals, who were believed to be of Middle Eastern descent, because of suspicious activity,” FBI special agent Jerri Williams told the newspaper.
He said the authorities found no links to terrorism and concluded there was no cause for alarm. Security officials at the power plant and the governing authority, the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency, both were notified about the incident.
Power plant spokesperson Joseph Scopelliti told the newspaper he knew of no procedural changes resulting from the incident. “I know of nothing different,” Scopelliti said. “I’ve seen state police vehicles up and down the highway, but that’s every day. We were made aware by state police that there was a concern.” But he said security at the plant normally is high, noting employees must have ID, and unknown visitors and vehicles must be searched and X-rayed. “We’re ready 24-7,” Scopelliti said, “We’re not sitting back waiting for something. Everyone that comes up here must have a business reason to come up.”
