John Edwards
Monday, Oct. 15, 2001

One area of concern, already cited by the government and experts, is the food and water supply.

But some anecdotal evidence suggests the FBI may not be following up on potential threats as vigorously as it should.

Case in point: Earlier this month Ohio's Canton Repository reported that "patrons asked a librarian at the Stark County District Library for books on parasitology and plans showing the city's drinking-water pipes."

According to the library, one of the men was about 50 years of age, balding and slightly overweight. He told the librarian he worked at Case Farms, a nearby poultry processor.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the librarian reported the incident to the local FBI.

"This is a pending investigation," FBI spokesman Robert Hawk told the Canton Repository. "I just can't discuss the direction of the investigation. ... We've covered literally thousands of leads in the northern half of the state."

That report alone should have raised alarms bells, but another story makes it more grave.

Last week, press reports indicate that the FBI arrested two Arab men in Detroit.

The Canton Repository reported, "A federal judge denied bond for two former Canton men arrested Sept. 17 during the FBI's terrorism investigation. Attorneys for Karim Koubriti, 23, and Ahmed Hannan, 33, appealed a magistrate’s earlier ruling that they be held without bond until trial."

Koubriti and Hannan were charged by the FBI with having false immigration papers.

According to the paper, both men had lived in Canton "for several months" and "worked at Case Farms."

The men have not been charged with any terrorist crimes, but they have links to several suspects, including Nabil Al-Marabh and Youssef Hmimssa, also known as Jalali.

Hmimssa was arrested in Iowa and has been connected to a death threat to former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen.

The Canton Repository reports that the two young men, Koubriti and Hannan, lived in an apartment with three other men, one of whom was in his 40s or 50s.

Last Friday, NewsMax.com contacted Case Farms, the chicken processing firm with links to the suspected terrorists.

John Turner, head of Human Resources at Case Farms, said the firm had not been questioned or contacted by the FBI.

He said it would be difficult to pinpoint the mysterious Egyptian man who was in his 50s. He said Case Farms is "labor intensive" with more than 600 employees.

He also said there is a heavy turnover of staff, with many immigrants working in the food processing areas.

Turner said he was not concerned about food contamination because the poisoning of chicken would be hard to accomplish.

But Dr. Byron Weeks, a former Air Force expert on biohazards, told NewsMax.com, that several toxins, possibly available to terrorists, could be used to contaminate chicken.

He noted that some bacteria are deadly and could still be dangerous after cooking.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Bioterrorism
War on Terrorism

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