Well that's a relief!
CARO, Mich. -- The FBI said today it had no information to indicate that the three Texas men arrested with about 1,000 cell phones in their van had any direct connection to known terrorist groups.
From what I can tell, some men bought a lot of cell phones and someone got spooked, apparently because they're Arab-American. They reported this "suspicious" behavior to the local authorities, who arrested the men on supsicion of terrorism because -- I kid you not -- "cell phones can be used as detonators."
At this point it looks like the men's story -- that they were buying the phones for resale -- is true.
(contd.)
There's no explanation why the Mackinac (pronounced "mackinaw") Bridge, which links Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, was considered a target.
I have an explanation, of course -- it's a big bridge and the psychological impact of imagining it being blown up 9/11 style is extremely powerful. Whether that's the result of hyperactive imaginations of some Barney Pfeiffs or something more coordinated and insidious, I will leave as an exercise for the reader.
The one thing I have not quite figured out is, why didn't the FBI just let this die quietly? Of course the increased Coast Guard patrols around the Mackinac Bridge should strengthen that feeling that we should be simultaneously afraid and grateful that security has been "beefed up" due to [contrived] terrorist threats. So maybe it doesn't matter what the FBI says -- the arrests have served their purpose, as they did in that Florida warehouse, and with Jose Padilla, and ... well, the WMDs of course. All "imminent threats" that were either not imminent or in some cases not any threat at all -- but that's not what matters. It's the lingering climate of fear in the wake of news regarding potential terrorist attacks that matters.