Suspicious Men Detained At Port Of Miami
January 7, 2007 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Homeland Security News
Update: Three legal immigrants in a cargo truck were detained at the Port of Miami on Sunday after a routine inspection raised concerns, but police say the incident may have stemmed in part from a language barrier.
The port’s cargo area was shut down Sunday as the Miami-Dade bomb squad X-rayed the truck and scanned it for radioactive materials. Nothing unusual was found, officials said.
The men in the truck two Iraqis and one Lebanese national were still detained by local police Sunday evening, but authorities said no federal charges were expected. Officials initially said the men, all permanent U.S. residents, had been caught trying to slip past a checkpoint at the port’s entrance.
Three men were detained Sunday after trying to gain access to the Port of Miami, according to a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The driver drew suspicion at the port’s delivery entrance around 8 a.m. after making inconsistent statements, said Judy Orihuela. The driver could not produce the requested paperwork to identify himself and his cargo.
The vehicle was subsequently searched and two additional men were found in the truck’s cab, Orihuela said. According to Miami-Dade Police detective Robert Williams, the men were trying to conceal themselves.
The three detainees, all of Middle Eastern descent, were in the country legally and none appear to be on any terrorist watch lists, Oriheula said.
There was no immediate threat to the port, but its cargo area was closed while authorities used an X-ray machine to search the truck, Orihuela said. The Miami-Dade Bomb Squad is checking the vehicle the men were in.
“We want to make sure that trailer was not carrying anything hazardous,” Williams said.
The men are currently being questioned by the FBI.
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