Terrorism incident in Knoxville, TN [Archive] - Big Big Forums

Mini

03-04-2003, 01:11 PM

The FBI is looking for a Middle Eastern man seen taking photographis at a Tennessee Valley Authority dam near Knoxville early Sunday.

Ahmed Helmy Mostafa was stopped and questioned by a TVA policeman who did not arrest him, but contacted the FBI.

The FBI has determined both Mostafa and his brother are wanted in Virginia on charges of using fake ID's to get Virginia driver's licenses.

Mostafa's brother has been arrested, but Mostafa remains at large.

Police are looking for his green Ford Mustang with Tennessee tag DLM-982

Getogirl

03-04-2003, 02:53 PM

Below I pasted what my local news reported this morning. Here's the link if you want to see.

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=1162765

There has also been reports of pictures being taken at one of our hospitals & the Covenant Healthcare offices. It's kinda scary because we are being told that there's no reason to think this is going to lead to a terrorism act but I don't think they are telling us everything.

By ADRIAN MACLEAN
6 News Reporter

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- The FBI says Tuesday that two arrests in a Norris Dam incident shows that its handling of homeland security is working.

The arrest of Ahmed Mostafa and his brother, Hatem Elsakaan, on Monday would traditionally be viewed as a fugitive case. The two were wanted for using false information to get Virginia drivers licenses.

But now, the FBI is investigating why Ahmed Mostafa may have taken pictures at Norris Dam Sunday.

"In our minds, if you're going out to Norris Dam at 4:30 in the morning taking pictures, that's suspicious," says Agent Joe Clark, with the Knoxville branch of the FBI. "If you have a warrant out for your arrest and you take pictures, that just adds to it."

Norris Dam is considered a hard terrorist target, or a highly-patrolled place. While the FBI says there was never a physical threat to the dam, agents are investigating possible links the brothers could have to terrorist organizations.

"At this point we don't have a smoking gun to, like, to a terrorist group. They may be on the fringes," Clark says. "Traditional tools for terrorists are obtaining false ID or fraudulently obtaining their own ID. Essentially, these guys lied about where they lived to get their Virginia drivers licenses."

6 News has learned that Ahmed Mostafa worked at the Knoxville Center Mall. Authorities consider malls as soft targets, or moderately secure areas, for terrorists.

The FBI says Mostafa and Elsakaan lived in a Knoxville apartment, possibly rented under another name.

Each piece of information could increase in value, once FBI agents discover the Norris Dam pictures were taken. "The East Tennessee area is a target rich environment," Clark explains. "There are any number of TVA infrastructure components scattered across our state. Plus, a lot of other entities would be targets of impact."

The FBI has no further comment regarding the recovery of the camera and film taken at Norris Dam.

The Knoxville branch of the FBI is handing all evidence over to the Richmond branch. However, investigators say they'll continue the case locally.

The brothers are being held without bond Tuesday, after making their first court appearances in Roanoke, Virginia.