Dean's World

Various reports indicate that various federal and state officials are investigating reports of a nuclear terrorist threat against Boston.

Our first tip came from Backcountry Conservative which boasts an excellent infopost quoting several reports. One from Boston Channel.com says:

"The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has been placed on standby, and public safety officials are meeting at the bunker, officials said Wednesday.

There have been reports that the FBI office in Boston received a call from an FBI office in California warning officials about a suspicious person that may be in the area. There have been no specific threats made, but FBI agents in Boston have been put on alert, and officials started to gather at MEMA at about 1:30 p.m.

An UPDATED report says this:

BOSTON — The FBI notified law enforcement agencies in Boston to be on the lookout for several people described as possible terror suspects who may be headed to the city Wednesday.

NewsCenter 5's David Boeri reported that an uncorroborated report said that several illegal immigrants from the California/Mexico border were on their way to Boston carrying some sort of explosive material. So far, no threat has been corroborated.

The other other report cited is from the Boston Herald (see link at top of post) which says in part:

Federal and state authorities are investigating a nuclear terrorist threat against Boston after a man calling from Mexico told California police that he smuggled two Iraqis and four Chinese over the border, the Boston Herald has learned.

``They got a call from across the border in Mexico to the California Highway Patrol and he said he brought two Iraqis and four Chineses (individuals)across the border and according to him, they stated soon to follow behind them would be some sort of material,'' said a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.

``He refers to some sort of nuclear material that will follow them through New York up into Boston.''

According to the source, the caller has not identified himself and did not show up for a meeting with federal investigators in California but he did leave pictures of four Chinese men and some names at a ``drop'' site at the Mexico-California border.

``They were dropped by the source at a location. He literally threw them over a fence from Mexico to the U.S. side,'' said the source. ``There are pictures of the four Chinese and some names but just how accurate they are remains a question''

Massachusetts law enforcement officials were notified of the threat at 5:30 a.m. today through the FBI and Boston Police Joint Terrorist Task Force.

The threat was serious enough that Mayor Menino ordered the Fire Commissioner and the state's Homeland Security Chief into his office at City Hall, where they met with officials from the CIA, FBI, and Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, a high-ranking city official told the Herald.

``They are desperately trying to piece it together,'' said the offial, who added that if the threat is real it is ``very scary.''

A company that trains explosive-sniffing dogs said it was alerted that the canines would be searching for a ``dirty bomb,'' a New York City law enforcement official said yesterday.

The Massachusetts investigator said much of the man's information sounds far-fetched and investigators have some doubts about the caller's validity because he has not identified himself.

Check with Backcountry Conservative (which updates all the time) for more details. We will update as warrents.

NOTE: Remember that this is an unconfirmed threat so it's a story worth following but nothing can yet be assumed about its accuracy. (Basically the same approach as the government: they must check it out but more info would be needed before preventive measures).

UPDATE: A few preliminary thoughts.

UPDATE II: --The Boston Herald now reports that a massive manhunt is underway — which suggests this is being take more seriously than it being some crank jerk with a telephone.

The FBI has triggered a massive manhunt for six people — four Chinese and two Iraqis — who may pose a terrorist threat to the city of Boston, law enforcement officials briefed on the threat said today

--Note that the terrorism level has not been raised for Boston.