Ring of terror less terrible now
March 11, 2005 5:15 PM Subscribe
When authorities arrested Omran Saleh and 18 others in 2003, they touted the bust as one of Cincinnati's biggest theft cases in years.
The arrests resulted from a two-year investigation involving 160 officers from five law enforcement agencies.
And then came the kicker: Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher said the group may have netted as much as $37 million and funneled money to terrorists.
The case has been unraveling ever since.
(Neverminding those day-one convictions in print and on the internets...)
Nice news post. Thanks for the update; you're "kicker" link is a hoot in retrospect. It still seems that a major theft ring was broken up, but what a useful reminder that "what the hell let's tar them with terrorism" is an attitude that's real among some law enforcement officials.
Shame about that undercover cop stealing cash used in the sting operation, too; that and the terrorism nonsense are probably gonna really fuck up the prosecution's case.
posted by mediareport at 8:31 PM on March 11, 2005
Shame about that undercover cop stealing cash used in the sting operation, too; that and the terrorism nonsense are probably gonna really fuck up the prosecution's case.
posted by mediareport at 8:31 PM on March 11, 2005
Sounds like every other terror cell case.
also see "Does al Qaeda Exist?" as the U.S. describes it. Most European intelligence agencies reject the notion of an organization that is able to command sleeper cells that "do not need any type of coordination or link".
posted by destro at 9:41 PM on March 11, 2005
also see "Does al Qaeda Exist?" as the U.S. describes it. Most European intelligence agencies reject the notion of an organization that is able to command sleeper cells that "do not need any type of coordination or link".
posted by destro at 9:41 PM on March 11, 2005
"It's a huge octopus, with a lot of tentacles," said Common Pleas Judge Ralph "Ted" Winkler, who took over the case in January. "It was like tracking vapor."
What if it IS vapor ?
Authorities contend the failure to prove a link to terrorism doesn't mean that those charged did nothing wrong.
It doesn't prove they did anything wrong either.
Sunderland said she and others in the neighborhood were excited when police raided the store, but within days it was back in business.
"I thought the police shut it down," she said. "It's disappointing to the people in the community, and to the officers who worked so hard."
And the xenophobic attitude remains intact.
But at least something good happened
1. an corrupt cop was discovered
2. some people selling some stolen good was arrested
Still "no cure" for Enron scandal I guess ?
posted by elpapacito at 8:52 AM on March 12, 2005
What if it IS vapor ?
Authorities contend the failure to prove a link to terrorism doesn't mean that those charged did nothing wrong.
It doesn't prove they did anything wrong either.
Sunderland said she and others in the neighborhood were excited when police raided the store, but within days it was back in business.
"I thought the police shut it down," she said. "It's disappointing to the people in the community, and to the officers who worked so hard."
And the xenophobic attitude remains intact.
But at least something good happened
1. an corrupt cop was discovered
2. some people selling some stolen good was arrested
Still "no cure" for Enron scandal I guess ?
posted by elpapacito at 8:52 AM on March 12, 2005
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How unfortunate.
posted by sklero at 8:04 PM on March 11, 2005