Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Bomb scare spurs port security push
Busy Seattle terminal closed for hours
By PAUL SHUKOVSKY AND JOHN IWASAKI
P-I REPORTERS
There were plenty of anxious moments on Seattle's waterfront when a bomb-sniffing dog suddenly "alerted" on a pair of cargo containers shipped from Pakistan, prompting a rare cargo terminal shutdown.
No explosives or radioactive materials were found when the Port of Seattle bomb squad searched the containers. One was loaded with new textiles, such as shirts and pants. The other was filled with old textiles that would likely be made into rags.
A port officer and a dog walk the area around Terminal 18 as authorities check containers after "anomalies" were found during an inspection of two containers that originated in Pakistan. Dozens of workers were evacuated as the terminal was locked down.
But for several hours Wednesday afternoon, busy Terminal 18 on Harbor Island was a possible terrorism target -- locked down behind a 300-yard security perimeter staffed by police. Dozens of employees were evacuated.
Ripples from the scare quickly reached the nation's capital, where Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and other members of Congress called it a "wake-up call" for tighter port security on both coasts.
Full Story
Blog Tags: Antiterrorism, Counterterrorism, Force Protection, Homeland Security, Maritime Security, Port Security
By PAUL SHUKOVSKY AND JOHN IWASAKI
P-I REPORTERS
There were plenty of anxious moments on Seattle's waterfront when a bomb-sniffing dog suddenly "alerted" on a pair of cargo containers shipped from Pakistan, prompting a rare cargo terminal shutdown.
No explosives or radioactive materials were found when the Port of Seattle bomb squad searched the containers. One was loaded with new textiles, such as shirts and pants. The other was filled with old textiles that would likely be made into rags.
A port officer and a dog walk the area around Terminal 18 as authorities check containers after "anomalies" were found during an inspection of two containers that originated in Pakistan. Dozens of workers were evacuated as the terminal was locked down.
But for several hours Wednesday afternoon, busy Terminal 18 on Harbor Island was a possible terrorism target -- locked down behind a 300-yard security perimeter staffed by police. Dozens of employees were evacuated.
Ripples from the scare quickly reached the nation's capital, where Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and other members of Congress called it a "wake-up call" for tighter port security on both coasts.
Full Story
Blog Tags: Antiterrorism, Counterterrorism, Force Protection, Homeland Security, Maritime Security, Port Security
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