More on the Seattle Ferry Story

More on the Seattle Ferry Story

Captain's Quarters Blog ^ | 8-29-07 | Ed Morrissey

As more news outlets look into the story of the pair wanted for questioning by the FBI after a series of incidents on Seattle ferries, the more details start sneaking out about their odd behavior. CNN reports on the story today, and unlike the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the pictures of the two men accompany the story:

Members of the public and ferry workers reported the men to authorities after the two were seen pacing in areas of the boat, including a cargo hold, as if trying to measure distances, FBI Special Agent Larry Carr said Tuesday. The men were also seen about two months ago taking photographs of the ferries -- including restricted areas -- and studying an emergency evacuation poster.

The men were spotted on multiple ferries and ferry routes, Carr said.

Initially, in the Seattle P-I's report, the men were asking unusual questions on the one ferry. ABC's follow-up informed us that the FBI had confirmed the same two men had asked a lot of unusual questions on other ferry routes, which had prompted ferry workers to tip the FBI about the situation. Now we find out that the pair had measured distances in the cargo hold and taken pictures of restricted areas.

The two could still just be tourists with a bad sense of propriety. However, it's worth noting, as CNN does, that many photographs and plenty of video have been captured in terrorist hideouts, whose subject matter focused on major American targets. Terrorist scouts have put a lot of effort into reconnaissance over the last few years, and the pair certainly give the appearance of carrying out a similar mission in Seattle.

The Seattle P-I insisted that they felt a duty to protect the privacy of these two men. The FBI wanted to make the pictures public because "the result of not doing anything at that point in time is a ferry blowing up and thousands of people losing their lives." Which organization has their priorities more in order?

Here's the picture again:

If you have any information regarding these men, please call the FBI office near you.

WTF is it with the media?! Good grief!