Police Seize Rental Truck With TNT Traces

By Carl Cameron

A BUDGET truck was pulled over in Oak Harbor, Wash., last Tuesday near the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and found to have traces of TNT on the gearshift and traces of RDX plastic explosive on the steering wheel, Fox News has learned.

Traces of explosives were also found on one of the truck's two occupants.

The FBI, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and local police are all investigating.

Government officials said the roadside stop was so close to the naval air station that military personnel took part in the initial arrest and naval intelligence has also been involved in the subsequent investigation.

Shortly after midnight on May 7, federal officials say local police pulled the vehicle over for speeding. Documents read to Fox News indicate that the driver and passenger told local police they were delivering furniture from California but that authorities doubted the story because of the early morning hour.

A bomb-sniffing dog first detected explosives on one of the men and inside the truck. High-tech equipment was used later to confirm the presence of TNT and RDX plastic explosive.

Documents read to Fox News indicate that both driver and passenger were Israeli nationals. Investigators say a roadside check of the national database of immigration records indicated that one of the men had not entered the country legally, and the other was in violation of his visa. Both men were taken into custody for immigration violations.

At 7:30 that morning local police were notified that the BATF and FBI had tested the truck and found traces of explosives on the steering wheel and gear shift.

Officials say no other charges have been filed against the driver and passenger and an investigation is ongoing.

Authorities say records for the Budget truck do not indicate any recent rental for the purposes of transporting explosives, which would require special permits.

  Israeli Drug Smugglers' Global Monopoly On Ecstasy

  The Israeli "art student" mystery

 The New York Post: A Spy Myth is Born | Le Monde article, Mar 5, 2002: An Enigma: Vast Israeli Spy Network Dismantled in the US

  FBI Probes Mossad Espionage at Clinton White House

  Vast Israeli Spy Network Dismantled in the US

  Outlink: Were Israelis warned not to go to the WTC on 9-11? | Mike Lilly has checked over the WTC death lists so far available, and Israelis are statistically under-represented | A hostile response | Tim Baran suggests that the Israelis got in to work too late?

  Lawyer: Detained Israelis Returned Home | Aldo de Pascale retails scuttlebut on Israeli agents and the Golden Gate

  Israel dismisses report it didn't share WTC attack data | Israeli agents and the Golden Gate | Flashback: The Five Israeli "tourists" detained on September 11 in New Jersey as suspected conspirators | Carl Cameron (Fox TV) Investigates role of Israeli spies before Sept. 11: stunning four-part serial | Israel's fury at Fox TV's hints about Sept.11, 2001: first bubbles surface in outraged JTA dispatch

  War on Terror: As Israelis languish in U.S. jails, Jewish activists wondering why | Israeli "students" identified trying to get into secure US buildings |

  Another under-reported WTC mystery: Two Israelis found with video footage of Sears Tower, tallest building, in Chicago

  Two Mossad agents arrested in the Mexico Congress Chamber with guns, explosives: no word since then | El Diario reported: Two arrested, one a foreigner: Bomb in San Lázaro: Were carrying attaché case with explosives and grenades

  Robert Mugabe hired Mossad agents to eliminate rival in Rhodesia election campaign

  Diario de México reported, Oct 11, 2001: Two Israeli agents arrested: Bomb in Mexico Congress Chamber: Were carrying attaché case with explosives and grenades | Comment by Voz de Aztlan

  US asked Israeli Detainees if They Were Spies | What did the Mossad know in advance about September 11 (and not pass on to USA allies?) | Israeli "students" identified trying to get into secure US buildings

  Discussion: How many Israelis survived the World Trade Center atrocity?

  Miami Herald reports Wednesday, Oct 31, 2001, "Nuclear plants tighten security: FBI seeking 6 men seen in Midwest [all six were carrying plans of three Florida nuclear plants, and Israeli passports] | Instant Messages to Israel Warned of WTC Attack | Five Israelis detained for "puzzling behavior" after WTC tragedy | Israelis mistaken for terrorists may be home soon