# Terror Alert: Highway I-75 (Florida) closed. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 13, 2002, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260 "2002-09-13T11:46:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/21 "2002-09-13T13:54:00Z")
cnn now reporting that it was a waitress in the restaurant that heared the conversation, wends night. the cars were stopped at 1 am this morning eastern time. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/22 "2002-09-13T14:03:19Z")
More and more as our lives continue forward from 9/11/01, I am convinced that the primary goal of the terrorists is fear. FEAR AND SURPRISE. But seriously. One of the earliest tapes of Osama supposedly said “Americans will never feel safe in their own beds again.” And I think that’s their goal. Perhaps this is the next phase…keeping us on alert every damn day by “dropping hints” or “having hushed conversations” saying “America will cry on 9/13” certainly will freak a few people out. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a hundred terrorists running around with “plans” and “bombs” and “orders” that lead to nothing but will freak everyone out. Seems like a good way to get everyone in this country all riled up and suspect of one another. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/23 "2002-09-13T14:36:52Z")
If you’ve got a car full of explosives, intent on doing bad, surely the last thing you’d do is run a toll plaza. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/24 "2002-09-13T14:40:01Z")
Excellent point, **jar**. Terrorism is not about a body count, but about fear. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/25 "2002-09-13T14:49:50Z")
cnn is now correcting an earlier report. the witness in the restaurant is now being reported as a woman and her son. the woman gave very detailed description of the car even advertising stickers. the men in custody are being reported as 2 naturalized citzens and 1 man born in the us. all of middle eastern backrounds and medical students. there is a man in full green flacks checking out the cars with the robot. one policeman stated that many times in a team one car will run a toll to divert attention from the 2nd car. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/26 "2002-09-13T15:30:43Z")
Y’know, the thought’s occurred to me… Diversion, aye. But is it a diversion by the first vehicle, for the second one (which sounds real unlikely, as the second car stopped voluntarily at the point that the cops had pulled over the first) or are both of these vehicles a diversion for something else? From all accounts, both cars were ‘hot’ to the bomb sniffing dogs, but in 10 hours, they’ve not found anything. Did these clowns already plant whatever they had somewhere along the way, or is something entirely different going on elshewhere, and nobody’s looking for a possible third vehicle, or what? Or, as has been said, is this just a ‘fear and terror’ mission, with no physical damage at hand? Y’know, I was depressed all day on the 11th. Now I’m pissed. Do these idiots (and I realize the folks in this specific instance may not actually be involved in anything untoward, I’m talking in general) think that killing _more_ civilians is somehow going to make us, well… do whatever the hell they want for the US to do? I just don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/27 "2002-09-13T15:36:02Z")
My take is they were actually headed west to east, since they are initially stopped by Collier County law enforcement, 8 miles from the tollbooth. > [@](#): > > A Collier County sheriff’s deputy pulled over a car around midnight Friday after it drove through a toll plaza – about eight miles east of the western toll booth, near Naples – without paying. At least I hope so, and they hadn’t already planted whatever device they may have intended to plant and were skee-daddling back west to Naples. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/28 "2002-09-13T15:44:25Z")
NASA is in Eastern Florida. :eek: Disney World in Orlando. :eek: :eek: My pregnant sister, my B.I.L. & my brother are also in Orlando :eek: :eek::eek: :eek::eek: :eek::eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/29 "2002-09-13T15:48:34Z")
> [@](#): > > “We’re taking it very serious until we can eliminate the possibility of a threat or verify that there was a legitimate threat,” Picolo said. “Picolo”? They’ve called in the Dragonball Z Team? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/30 "2002-09-13T16:32:15Z")
CNN is now reporting that no bomb was found. I’ve got to wonder if this is all just a whole lot of fear about nothing. I’ve heard that bomb- and drug-sniffing dogs can be trained to “hit” on non-suspicious objects to give the cops probable cause to search. It could be that there never were any explosives in the car, and that the Georgia cops have an ethnic intimidation case on their hands. BTW, do the police have to reimburse these guys for the medical device that they blew up? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/31 "2002-09-13T16:34:48Z")
Make that “Florida cops…” ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/32 "2002-09-13T16:39:50Z")
My theory continues as we begin to fear for targets like NASA and DisneyWorld and we begin to turn on our own police and security guards for following through on empty threats. So sayeth jar, the prophet. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/33 "2002-09-13T16:58:22Z")
I’ve heard **Diceman** is full of…ooops, this is MPSIMS. The local coverage does indeed state clearly they were headed eastbound, toward Ft Lauderdale and Miami, when they were stopped. And they Bomb Squad is still searching car number two at 12:50 pm eastern time. It is premature to say: > [@](#): > > CNN is now reporting that no bomb was found. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/34 "2002-09-13T17:29:30Z")
the second car is still being searched… ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/35 "2002-09-13T18:10:35Z")
that’s one big f-ing car. They’ve been doing this since before I got to work! ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/36 "2002-09-13T18:32:29Z")
You never know what one of those french fries that has been under seat for six months is going to do. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/37 "2002-09-13T18:33:07Z")
I’m guessing that when you are searching for an explosive device, you proceed very cautiously. That may make the process a bit more time consuming than searching for a CD case. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/38 "2002-09-13T18:46:19Z")
They (suspects) said they were headed to a medical convention and the PR director for some Florida firm has indicated that they know these guys, they are from (Ross???) University and that there is a seminar next week that they’re to attend. Still, it doesn’t account for their conversation in the Shoney’s, the toll blowby, the 8 miles it took for them to pull over or for their initial unwillingness to cooperate. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/39 "2002-09-13T19:18:42Z")
Investigators seem to be leaning toward the idea that it was a joke. [http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/4068519.htm](http://www.miami.com/mld/miami/4068519.htm) ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2002, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260/40 "2002-09-13T19:25:35Z")
**Jeep** , if that’s true, talk about a joke that got out of hand. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terror-alert-highway-i-75-florida-closed/128260.md?page=3)