Wal-Mart employees expose illegal immigrant's, not terror cell's, bulk phone purchase

ABC News is reporting on several incidents around the country wherein retail employees have been notifying local and federal authorities about bulk prepaid cellphone purchases (which, as in the 2004 Madrid train bombings, can be used as detonators). After the December 18th purchase of some 60 prepaid handsets by six individuals, Midland, TX Wal-Mart employees decided to call the local po-po, who turned the case over to the Feds when the men began acting suspiciously in custody. ABC had reported that the six were later linked to a Metroplex-based sleeper cell, although local news sources dispute that claim, saying that one of the men was merely detained for in immigration violation. A similar case at a California Target store (man buys 150 cheapo prepaids) also turned out to be on the level- the buyer was just purchasing the handsets for legitimate resale.

Update: In the original version of this post, the men in question were described by the author as "Middle Eastern." We sincerely apologize for using that qualifier; as several readers have pointed out (and internal discussion/reflection corroborates), it has no bearing whatsoever on the story, and smacks of racial profiling- it was a mistake on our part to include it. Furthermore, there are conflicting versions of the facts in this story, with more recent information indicating that these six men committed no crime save for the reported irregularity in one's immigration documents.

[Via textually]

[popeye @ Jan 13th 2006 7:01PM]

This will be the one and only time I thank Wal-Mart.



Thanks guys!



There, now go away Walton family....

[Mandarin @ Jan 13th 2006 7:04PM]

Odd, if you read the article it says:



An FBI spokesperson says the Target employees did the right thing. He said, "We encourage any citizen to come forward with information perceived as suspicious. The FBI will conduct a threat assessment. We encourage that."

[Mystic Alpaca @ Jan 13th 2006 7:07PM]

Wow I don�t even know where to begin; I am so conflicted with my contempt for half wit discount workers. I mean I blame Walmart for poor pay, training and hiring practices (when I was younger I used to work for Target), but this news just totally blows my upcoming rant I was going to do about it next week.



Bravo! I am glad there is still life in middle Amerika in the places like Walmart (why do I feel the need to shower after saying that).



I hope they got a bonus or kudos for being on the ball and to encourage this sort of independent thinking of the retail worker masses.



Bravo!

[anon @ Jan 13th 2006 7:07PM]

Great so Not only does the mailman, ups, fedex, and gardeners spy on americans now wal-mart employees are butting in to help out. No we aren't living in a communist capitalist redux merger.



Next i'll get turned in to Pat Robertson because i bought condoms in bulk, with six middle eastern men.



Wiretaps are the least of our problems...

[WhyMe @ Jan 13th 2006 7:13PM]

Kind of odd but ABC story says Target Store. While News Max picked up the ABC story and says Wal-Mart employees made the call. And textually says it got it from News Max.



Oh what a tangled web.

[TIMMAH! @ Jan 13th 2006 7:18PM]

Uh yeah...



"According to ABC News , in another related article, a target story in Hemet was offering a good deal on "pay as you go" cell phones. They were selling them for $19.99. One male customer came in and purchased 150 phones. Employees notified the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which at the time, was on special alert for the Rose Bowl."



If you're an eBayer, you better watch out...

[TIMMAH! @ Jan 13th 2006 7:19PM]

"Was he a terrorist?"



"No, Powerseller."

[yup i'm arab @ Jan 13th 2006 7:21PM]

Hmmm, did you really need to describe their race as being middle eastern. They couldn't have just been men? Why not mention the race of the walmart employees while your at it, I'm sure its just as important...

[TomtheWombat @ Jan 13th 2006 7:31PM]

I just have to say that I have never seen so much dissing of "middle Amerika" on a professional site. Even the article makes minimum-wage puns. Believe it or not they've made better friends to me than back-stabbing, gotta have the good life "professionals" I have trusted.

[Jaxim @ Jan 13th 2006 7:34PM]

>did you really need to describe their race as being middle eastern.



Yes, if it's pertinent to the story then yes. The story said the men were linked to a sleeper cell. Until a bunch of little old white ladies start blowing people up, then YES I think we need to know the race of these low lifes and we should profile based on looks, (as long as it doesn't go as far as harassment and discrimination), and suspicious behavior.

[i_am_petro @ Jan 13th 2006 7:41PM]

this article is complete bullsh*t.

[Mandy Visi @ Jan 13th 2006 7:43PM]

Well, I wonder if these men would have been described as middle eastern if they had blond hair and blue eyes!!!!!! Or if anyone would have made a desicion to call the authorities if they were all caucasions? I do appreciate it when people are on the look out for strange character or behavior to prevent unfortunate events, but I sometimes wonder about the way the stories are conveyed to the public!! I agree with the "yup iam an arab " guy. They should have just said "six guys" instead of............

[alex @ Jan 13th 2006 7:46PM]

The way the media deals with it, all people of non-caucasian descent must be described by their racial background.

[Kris Payne @ Jan 13th 2006 7:57PM]

Mandarin: The story in the link jumps around, where it says "target story" it probabably should read "Target store" That's where the Target employee reference comes from.



As for the middle eastern men comment, I totally agree. It should have been noted that they were "6 men." What color where the FBI agents working on the case, because that probably has a lot to do with it too. Racial profiling is rediculous

[arash @ Jan 13th 2006 7:58PM]

I used to work at a Chicago-land Target and the same thing happened there over last summer. 6 guys came in and bought 20 prepaid phones, and Target security was notified by the FBI somehow and the men were picked up. Turns out they did the same thing at several Targets. My supervisor talked to the feds and told me that they were supposedly buy phones in bulk then reselling them at flea markets.

[Nate MC @ Jan 13th 2006 8:02PM]

News Max sucks, I wouldn't believe anything they say, they are the internet's "fox news"

[tb @ Jan 13th 2006 8:04PM]

i wonder if it's a coincidence that in my last class i took, 5 out of 5 males and 3 females middle easterners, so 5 people out of 8 were using prepaid cell phones...

[Brian Stuckey @ Jan 13th 2006 8:11PM]

Maybe I am missing something...



But wouldn't one want to be SUBTLE when planning some sort of attack? Seriously - 60 phones at once? That just screams for attention. Ah well - people are stupid.

[Katherine @ Jan 13th 2006 8:25PM]

NewsMax is really, really not a credible news source. Sorry. I believe the technical term is "they make s*** up."

[Brent @ Jan 13th 2006 8:32PM]

thank you walmart and your salute to racism!

[Bamboo @ Jan 13th 2006 9:08PM]

Before you all go patting Wal-fart on the back, everyone here needs to read this article. I caught it because it happed on the Outer Banks of North Carolina near where I grew up. A kids high school project was taken by the secret service after a Wal-fart photo lab employee called the cops because it had a pic of Bush. THE PROJECT WAS ON THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE 1st AMENDMENT!!!! Everyone should read this.

http://www.alternet.org/walmart/26503/#thumbtack

[Justin @ Jan 13th 2006 9:59PM]

NewsMax is a highly partisan and unreliable news source. (For instance, they have ads on the site you link to which ask readers to "Bet on Iraq" while another offers tips on picking up women that the "liberal media doesn't want you to know about".)



If you'd like to link to the original ABC News story, you can do so here: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=1499905.NewsMax is a highly partisan and unreliable news source. (For instance, they have ads on the site you link to which ask readers to "Bet on Iraq" while another offers tips on picking up women that the "liberal media doesn't want you to know about".)



If you'd like to link to the original ABC News story, you can do so here: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=1499905.

[Firegryphon @ Jan 13th 2006 10:25PM]

Well I just got on the phone and talked to my folks who live in Midland, TX and they are confirming that this happened. However, there is one slight hickup. According to the latest news they heard, the 6 people have not yet been linked to terrorist cells. Some of them had immigration issues. The cell-phone buyers were saying they were buying them to sell at a significant profit in Saudi Arabia.

[claud @ Jan 13th 2006 11:11PM]

I lost my best friend on 911, I have no problem at all with racial profiling, "You do what you have to do" in order to get these socially ignorant murdering misguided animals, If you ever lost someone in this way, I don't think the first thing on your mind would be, If you have done the "Political Correct Thing", I don't care if it hurts your feelings, "You either get it or you don't" if people just threw words at each other it would be no problem, but its when you are slamming planes at the innocent.

"Thats a serious problem"

This is just news , and we are blessed to have the freedom to write and or read it.

[Swede @ Jan 14th 2006 6:34AM]

It is a fact that the next terror act that happens in the globe will be made by ARABS, not Japanese, Danes or Costa Ricans. Let's not kid ourselves. Instead of complaining about those who point out that they were Middle Eastern looking, go complain to those Arabs who are doing a disservice to those who don't believe in terrorist methods to express their point of view.

[rob @ Jan 14th 2006 4:02PM]

Oh, I am shocked that this story turned out to be bull:



However Vanderland said Thursday after the ABC report aired that assertions of a connection between a terror cell and the men who attempted to purchase cell phones from a Midland Wal-Mart were invalid.





"There is no known link or demonstrated link or any other kind of link at this point between the people here and any terror cell," he said.

[Josh @ Jan 14th 2006 4:16PM]

"There is no known link or demonstrated link or any other kind of link at this point between the people here and any terror cell,"

http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15922345

[Ivan Pope @ Jan 14th 2006 5:47PM]

Well, thanks Engadet for this crock of . It's so obviouly a rubbish. Did you think about it? Did you ask about it? Now its discredited and you look stupid. Middle eastern appearance, I ask you. Get back to the gadgets.