US operations in Paktia to find 20 missing troops
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/25/national/25INQU.html
F.B.I. Agent Says Superior Altered Report, Foiling Inquiry By JAMES RISEN ##################
(and of course US troops will not have replaced them, else how can the bad boy run?)
Pakistani troops start withdrawing from Afghan border Updated on 2002-05-25 11:34:46
CHAMAN, May 25 (PNS): Pakistani troops deployed along the Pak-Afghan border have started shifting to the eastern side along the Pak-India border in view of mounting tensions between the two nuclear rivals.
With the withdrawal of troops from the western borders, chances of Al-Qaida and other terrorists' suspects entering Pakistan have become higher.
Pakistan was engaged in closely monitoring the sensitive border of Afghanistan after the September 11 incident and its support to the international coalition for its war against terrorism.
These steps were taken to prevent the chances and possibility of stopping the fleeing Al-Qaida and other suspects entering into Pakistan. The border was closely monitored by Pakistan Army, frontier corps and other law enforcement agencies. Moreover, the border adjoining Pakistan was also sealed.
The troops withdrawal has come into effect due to increasing possibility of India-Pak war.
Ends
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May 24, 2002, 12:31PM
Border agents on lookout for stolen cyanide Associated Press
EL PASO -- U.S. and Mexican customs officials are on the lookout for 8 tons of potentially lethal sodium cyanide that was stolen from a truck in Mexico earlier this month.
"The idea for the alert is that it's also possible that the chemical could cross the border and be used in potential terrorist acts in the United States," said Agustin Hernandez, deputy director of the federal Mexican customs agency in Juarez, just across the border from El Paso. "We are scrutinizing export shipments at the international bridges very closely."
U.S. Customs Service spokesman Roger Maier said several alerts have been issued on the U.S. side since the truck transporting the toxic chemical -- which can be lethal if inhaled or swallowed -- was stolen in Mexico's interior earlier this month.
The stolen truck was found May 16 about 120 miles northwest of Mexico City with half of its cargo missing. Each drum was packed with 220 pounds of the chemical, which is in powder form.
"We passed out pictures of the type of blue plastic containers that were used to pack the sodium cyanide," Maier said.
The chemical is used in gold and silver mining. It acts as a nerve agent and can cause a person to suffocate within minutes if it's inhaled or swallowed. If disposed of improperly, it can poison food or water supplies.
Truck robberies are common in Mexico, particularly in the region just north of Mexico City. Most of the thieves end up dismantling the trucks and selling their parts, officials said.
############### Fort Stewart soldier jailed in Florida on $5 million bond
Police believe soldier tried to plant explosive device at power plant.
By Noelle Phillips Savannah Morning News
Jacksonville, Fla., police arrested a Fort Stewart soldier Saturday after finding him armed, wearing black clothes and leaving a power plant where he allegedly left an explosive.
Spc. Derek Lawrence Peterson, 27, is being held on a $5 million bond by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Department of Corrections. He has been charged with attempting to detonate an explosive device.
Peterson belongs to B Company, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor and has been stationed at Fort Stewart since March, said Dina McCain, a Fort Stewart spokeswoman.
McCain said she did not know whether Army investigators were involved with the case and referred all questions about it to Jacksonville police.
An officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office stopped Peterson at 11:15 p.m. Saturday for speeding. The officer found Peterson wearing all black clothing and black, plastic pads on his knees and elbows, according to a sheriff's department report. He also had a pistol in a shoulder holster.
The officer recognized Peterson's black 2002 Chevrolet Silverado pickup because he had noticed it backed up to the Florida Power and Light station's main gate 30 minutes earlier as he drove to assist another officer.
The officer searched Peterson's truck and found a 12-inch knife, a six-inch knife, a 12-gauge shotgun, shotgun shells, .45-caliber bullets, four ammo magazines, a six-volt battery, duct tape, speaker wire and plastic from an explosive device, the report said.
After being informed of his rights, wrote arresting officer D.F. Valiante, "the suspect advised me that he was on the power plant property to practice recon tactics."
Police followed footprints on a dirt road at the power plant and found an explosive device underneath the power lines, the report said.
Peterson allegedly told police he had placed a Hoffman explosive device, equal in power to a half-stick of dynamite. He had planned to detonate the explosive but was worried that he would be injured in the blast, the report said. Instead, Peterson removed a six-volt battery and threw it into the woods.
A bomb squad disposed of the explosive.
Peterson's next court date is June 4. He is not allowed visitors at the jail, according to the corrections department.
Military reporter Noelle Phillips can be reached at phillips @ savannahnow.com or 652-0366.