Two European business consultants have identified themselves to U.S. officials as the men who were being sought by the FBI after crew members and riders reported their unusual behavior aboard a Washington state ferry last summer.
The men, both citizens of a European Union nation, appeared at a U.S. Embassy two weeks ago and identified themselves as the men pictured in photos released to the media last summer, according to a news release issued today by the FBI's Seattle field office. The release did not identify the men or the city where the embassy is located.
The men came forward because they worried they'd be arrested if they traveled to the U.S., the release says. They provided proof of their identities, employment and the reason for their July visit to Seattle, and FBI agents were able to verify that information, according to the release.
"Where these gentlemen live, they don't have vehicle ferries. They were fascinated that a ferry could hold that many cars and wanted to show folks back home," FBI Special Agent Robbie Burroughs said Monday.
source
I am sure that the PI will now claim vindication in their decision not to publish the photos, but I am not ready to let them off the hook. Sure it was a false alarm this time but what if it hadn't been? Hundreds of people could have been on that boat when a bomb went off. What if one had and it turned out the FBI had asked the PI to publish the picture and they had refused. Would the PI have or accept any responsibility or would they continue to hide behind a fake concern for privacy? And why should privacy even be a concern in this case? It's not like these guys were behind closed curtains in their bedrooms. They were in public engaged in worrying behavior, and frankly if they hadn't appeared to be middle eastern the PI would have published in a heartbeat.
Frankly I am not real sure I am absolutely convinced these guys are harmless either. It worries me that they only came forward when they want to make another trip to the US.
No comments:
Post a Comment