Can You Hear Me Now?
According to ABC News, there has been a surge in the amount of disposable phones sold in Texas and California, and this could be the signs of terror networks.
The phones ” which do not require purchasers to sign a contract or have a credit card ” have many legitimate uses, and are popular with people who have bad credit or for use as emergency phones tucked away in glove compartments or tackle boxes. But since they can be difficult or impossible to track, law enforcement officials say the phones are widely used by criminal gangs and terrorists.
Law enforcement officials say the phones were used to detonate the bombs terrorists used in the Madrid train attacks in March 2004.
150 Phones in One Sale, 60 Phones in Another
The FBI is closely monitoring the potentially dangerous development, which came to light following recent large-quantity purchases in California and Texas, officials confirmed.
In one New Year’s Eve transaction at a Target store in Hemet, Calif., 150 disposable tracfones were purchased. Suspicious store employees notified police, who called in the FBI, law enforcement sources said.
In an earlier incident, at a Wal-mart store in Midland, Texas, on December 18, six individuals attempted to buy about 60 of the phones until store clerks became suspicious and notified the police. A Wal-mart spokesperson confirmed the incident.
The Midland, Texas, police report dated December 18 and obtained by ABC News states: “Information obtained by MPD [Midland Police Department] dispatch personnel indicated that approximately six individuals of Middle-Eastern origin were attempting to purchase an unusually large quantity of tracfones (disposable cell phones with prepaid minutes attached).” At least one of the suspects was identified as being from Iraq and another from Pakistan, officials said.
“Upon the arrival of officers, suspects were observed moving away from the registers ” appearing to evade detection while ridding themselves of the merchandise.”

January 13, 2006 - 01:07 AM on January 13th, 2006
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January 13, 2006 - 09:08 AM on January 13th, 2006
Link between disposable phone sale surge and NSA leak?
ABCNews is reporting that federal agents are investigating a surge in the purchasing of disposable cell phones by individuals from the Middle East and Pakistan:
The phones ” which do not require purchasers to sign a contract or have a credit card …
January 13, 2006 - 09:31 AM on January 13th, 2006
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January 14, 2006 - 01:32 AM on January 14th, 2006
NSA Leak Connected To Surge Is Disposable Cell Phone Purchases?
The Astute Blogger suggests that the recently reported surge in sales of disposable cell phones may be linked to The New York Times leak of the classified NSA program which monitored calls of suspected Al Qaeda terrorists into the United…
February 4, 2006 - 04:16 PM on February 4th, 2006
Terrorists Amongst Us
But you know what the typical lefty response to this would be? How dare these folks be profiled by the police! Maybe they just wanted to call their friends to have them wish a happy truck rental experience across the Brooklyn Bridge. Nothing wrong w…