Major terrorist attacks coming to the U.S.? (RT).
The FBI has launched an investigation after 150 prepaid mobile
phones were bought from local Walmarts in Missouri. This comes after the
theft of dozens of propane tanks in the area.
ABC 17 News reached out to law enforcement in Ava, Missouri and has confirmed through a news release that last Saturday a man purchased a large amount of cell phones from a Walmart there.
Police said they reached out to Walmart employees at the Lebanon and confirmed the same man had also purchased about 60 cell phone at that Walmart earlier that day.
They released the man after they found they had no legal reason to detain him.
The latest report is in addition to four other reports of similar incidents in Columbia, Jefferson City, Macon and Lebanon. Authorities in all five cities said they had contacted FBI agents. However, The FBI only confirmed it is investigating three of those reports.
ABC 17 News reached out to law enforcement in Ava, Missouri and has confirmed through a news release that last Saturday a man purchased a large amount of cell phones from a Walmart there.
Police said they reached out to Walmart employees at the Lebanon and confirmed the same man had also purchased about 60 cell phone at that Walmart earlier that day.
They released the man after they found they had no legal reason to detain him.
The latest report is in addition to four other reports of similar incidents in Columbia, Jefferson City, Macon and Lebanon. Authorities in all five cities said they had contacted FBI agents. However, The FBI only confirmed it is investigating three of those reports.
The large number of purchases took place at six Missouri Walmarts at least, authorities say, according to KRCG13.
On Thursday, a television station in Cape Girardeau reported that the FBI was investigating more suspicious phone purchases in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. ABC 17 News reached out to the police departments in both cities to confirm these reports and has not heard back.
ABC 17 News confirmed Thursday someone tried to buy a suspicious number of phones at Wal-Mart East in Jefferson City over the weekend as well.
ABc 17 News reported Wednesday that 100 prepaid cell phones were also purchased at two Missouri Walmarts over the weekend, and employees reported the incidents to authorities.
The Columbia Police Department was notified on Monday of a suspicious purchase at the Walmart on Conley Road. According to the police report, several men bought multiple phones around 9:30 Friday night.
ABC 17 New talked to a witness who didn't want to be identified said the men paid with cash.
"Right then and there I knew there was not something adding up about this. It's not right, it doesn't make any sense," he said. "Who's going to order 50 phones for Christmas? Who does that?"
"I think on the surface that is suspicious," said Paul Fennewald, the former Missouri Homeland Security Coordinator. "If I had seen the same thing, I probably would have called somebody also."
A large portion of the phones were bought by “three men with accents” at one Walmart near the town of Lebanon, Jefferson City police said. The purchases were made very late, at 3:50am local time on Saturday, authorities said for 59 of the phones. Although the three men were questioned by authorities, nothing further could be done, as there were no grounds for detention.
It was then that the FBI was notified by the Laclede County Sheriff.
The second instance of large purchases was registered on Monday by police in Columbia, two hours north of Lebanon. Five or more men were behind that purchase, which occurred last Friday at 9:30pm.
The same issue is being investigated by Macon Police, where a purchase happened on Saturday, as well as Jackson Police, who are investigating the purchase of 48 prepaid phones on Friday, and Cape Girardieu, where 10 cell phones were purchased, according to KFVS.
The FBI is not ruling anything out, and has asked Missouri residents to notify authorities if they witness anything out of place.
Further to the mobile phone scare, agents are now drawing a connection to the disappearance of dozens of tanks of highly flammable propane gas around locations in Missouri. This elevates the possible connection to a potential terrorist plot, as the local mood seems to indicate.
Here’s another lovely tidbit from a local newspaper report; Minnesota is believed to have produced more would-be foreign fighters than any other state. Read the full story here.
On Thursday, a television station in Cape Girardeau reported that the FBI was investigating more suspicious phone purchases in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. ABC 17 News reached out to the police departments in both cities to confirm these reports and has not heard back.
ABC 17 News confirmed Thursday someone tried to buy a suspicious number of phones at Wal-Mart East in Jefferson City over the weekend as well.
ABc 17 News reported Wednesday that 100 prepaid cell phones were also purchased at two Missouri Walmarts over the weekend, and employees reported the incidents to authorities.
The Columbia Police Department was notified on Monday of a suspicious purchase at the Walmart on Conley Road. According to the police report, several men bought multiple phones around 9:30 Friday night.
ABC 17 New talked to a witness who didn't want to be identified said the men paid with cash.
"Right then and there I knew there was not something adding up about this. It's not right, it doesn't make any sense," he said. "Who's going to order 50 phones for Christmas? Who does that?"
"I think on the surface that is suspicious," said Paul Fennewald, the former Missouri Homeland Security Coordinator. "If I had seen the same thing, I probably would have called somebody also."
A large portion of the phones were bought by “three men with accents” at one Walmart near the town of Lebanon, Jefferson City police said. The purchases were made very late, at 3:50am local time on Saturday, authorities said for 59 of the phones. Although the three men were questioned by authorities, nothing further could be done, as there were no grounds for detention.
It was then that the FBI was notified by the Laclede County Sheriff.
The second instance of large purchases was registered on Monday by police in Columbia, two hours north of Lebanon. Five or more men were behind that purchase, which occurred last Friday at 9:30pm.
The same issue is being investigated by Macon Police, where a purchase happened on Saturday, as well as Jackson Police, who are investigating the purchase of 48 prepaid phones on Friday, and Cape Girardieu, where 10 cell phones were purchased, according to KFVS.
The FBI is not ruling anything out, and has asked Missouri residents to notify authorities if they witness anything out of place.
Further to the mobile phone scare, agents are now drawing a connection to the disappearance of dozens of tanks of highly flammable propane gas around locations in Missouri. This elevates the possible connection to a potential terrorist plot, as the local mood seems to indicate.
Here’s another lovely tidbit from a local newspaper report; Minnesota is believed to have produced more would-be foreign fighters than any other state. Read the full story here.
