UPDATE: Two Arrested with "Pipe Bombs" Near Naval Weapons Facility

Here's the original story from yesterday:

They've arrested two Egyptian students on the road to Goose Creek down here in the Charleston, SC area, which is where some "enemy combatants" are being held in the nearby Navy Brig, and is also near the Naval Weapons Station which is rumored to be a storage depot for nukes--which is, of course, "neither confirmed nor denied"...)

More of the orginal and an UPDATE below.

The young men supposedly had "pipe bombs" in their trunk (which they allowed the police officer to search when he stopped them for going 60 in a 45). Their lawyer says they were on their way to a family celebration of Mohammed's Birthday (Sunday) in North Carolina, and that the "pipe bombs" were fireworks. No telling, since they're not showing the alleged explosives on the TeeVee. The big question is why they were not on the interstate, but on a by-road in that sensitive area.

In any case, the FBI says they don't believe the boys to be part of a terrorist network or plot "at the present time." However, Fox news is running this, as darkly as possible, in rotation with the Minnesota Bridge and mining accident stories. Expect there to be more girlish shrieking and swooning from the big strong men at stage right. Sigh.

Interesting to note, if these guys really were up to something, that they got caught on a routine traffic stop and not via "electronic intelligence gathering program activities."

UPDATE: From the AP's further coverage:

MONCKS CORNER — The FBI tested liquids Tuesday that were found inside a car trunk where authorities say they also discovered multiple pipe bombs.

Agents on Monday also searched the Tampa family home of one of the two University of South Florida students who were arrested Saturday in Goose Creek and later charged with carrying explosive devices.

Authorities say they don't suspect terrorism was a motive in the case, but they remain tight-lipped about the contents of the trunk and what they could have been used for.

This is the first we've heard about the "liquids." It will be interesting to find out what they are.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has put a detainer on the men, which allows federal agents to have the final say on whether the men can be released, even if they post bond. Officials said detainers are routine in cases of foreign nationals charged with a felony. ...

Mohamed said during a Monday bond hearing that the contents in the trunk were fireworks he made from materials he bought at Wal-Mart.

It would be difficult to confuse pipe bombs with fireworks, said Craig Gundry, vice president of operations for Critical Intervention Services, a security consulting firm in Clearwater, Fla.

"Fireworks look like fireworks and a pipe bomb looks like a pipe bomb," Gundry said. "I don't see how one could mistake one for the other."

Although I think that seems pretty cut and dried, I have a question for Kossacks who might have more experience with this: could it have been an attempt at a homemade Roman candle, using galvanized pipe to hold the propellant?

He said someone could conceivably make a small pipe bomb equivalent to an M80 firecracker, but didn't consider it likely because those can be bought legally in stores. "Is it possible? Yes," he said. "Is it practical? No."

(We should remember that Gundry is just speculating, he has no more knowledge of what was found than we do.)

But here's the political part I thought you guys would appreciate:

While agents continued their investigation, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff praised local authorities Tuesday for their diligence in the case.

He's essentially referring to the traffic stop cop's immediate suspicions when one of the men "quickly closed his laptop as the officer approached the car." He could have been working on a terror plot -- or looking at porn.

And it seems to mean that Chertoff is pretty offhand about the consequences of this kind of "vigilance" to the "suspicious" people.

"Whatever turns out to be the case with these two individuals, it underscores the importance of people being alert," Chertoff said. "Even if this turns out to be benign, if it turns out not to be a big deal, this is the kind of alertness and response that creates real homeland security for the people of this state as well as the country as a whole."

I think it's interesting that he is even speaking in terms of "if" at this point. I don't think he would be if they REALLY have these kids nailed down. Just a thought.

Chertoff joined U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at the University of South Carolina to discuss national security issues stemming from inadequate identification systems.  ...

Graham said he also wanted to compliment the law enforcements officers who made the stop in Goose Creek.

"We wouldn't have done that before 9/11" Graham said.