Authorities are investigating claims by an anonymous caller that he smuggled Chinese chemists across the international border here who intend to detonate a "dirty bomb" in Boston.
In attempts to determine the caller's credibility, the Joint Terrorism Task Force in San Diego was trying to locate a tunnel in Imperial County identified by the smuggler as a route for either the Chinese nationals or for the nuclear material, San Diego Police Chief Bill Lansdowne said yesterday.
Other agencies declined to comment on the possibility of a tunnel.
Federal officials marveled at the media-fueled frenzy created by one uncorroborated tip, and they downplayed the situation, saying they receive scores of similar calls every day around the country.
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney decided to cut short his visit to Washington, D.C., for President Bush's inauguration.
FBI officials in San Diego, where the investigation began, said they are investigating the claims but are skeptical because the caller refused to give his name or meet with agents. They said parts of his story are far-fetched, noting that it would be highly unlikely that terrorists would reveal their plans to a smuggler. And they speculated that a smuggler might have other motives for the call, such as getting rid of competition by exposing a rival's tunnel.
"We are working very aggressively to resolve this situation as soon as possible," said FBI spokeswoman Jan Caldwell. "Yes, this is alarming and, yes, it requires ? and is getting ? immediate attention. At the same time, let's not run out of San Diego and Boston with our hair on fire. We literally have an army of people around this nation working on leads."
Lansdowne said he was informed by the multiagency Joint Terrorism Task Force that the smuggler may have used a tunnel about 120 miles east of San Diego. But, he said, those reports were unconfirmed.
Lansdowne said he was told that four to six people had crossed the border and were on their way to Boston, and that there were unconfirmed reports that they "may attempt to make some sort of dirty bomb."
Unlike nuclear warheads designed to kill and destroy using a huge blast and heat, a dirty bomb uses conventional explosives to spread radioactive material to sicken and kill people and make an area uninhabitable.
Sources said the FBI and the task force began investigating the smuggler's call, which was received by the California Highway Patrol early in the week. The caller claimed he had helped four Chinese nationals who told him they were expecting to receive some nuclear material in Boston. The sources asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the case.
The caller failed to show up for a meeting with federal agents but left photographs of four Chinese men and some names at a prearranged drop site at the border. The items were thrown over the border fence.
Those photographs and names were released yesterday by federal officials in Boston. FBI agents notified law enforcement officials to be on the lookout for the four Chinese nationals described as possible terror suspects who may be headed to the Boston area.
Authorities said none of the names had been on previous watch lists of terror suspects. The suspects were identified as Zengrong Lin, Wen Quin Zheng, Xiujin Chen and Guozhi Lin.
Lansdowne said he called the Boston FBI for further information.
"They don't see it as anything other than an uncorroborated report and they're trying to run it down," he said.
He said the information has not prompted a change in security levels here.
"There's nothing to do to increase security, no real information to look for anyone," Lansdowne said. "We're on our standard operating procedures as we speak right now."
FBI and Homeland Security officials declined to answer questions about when, where and how the group supposedly entered the United States.
"We are aware this information has been received and we are working closely with the FBI to resolve the matter as quickly as possible," said Lauren Mack, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division in San Diego.
In Boston, Romney cautioned that the threats were unsubstantiated and uncorroborated. "We have had threats in the past. We take them seriously, even when they're not corroborated," he said.
Romney said the state's threat level would not be raised, but more people would be on duty in the state's emergency management bunker outside Boston.
"To assure the people of Boston and Massachusetts that it is safe to be at home, I am going to be sleeping in my bed in Massachusetts tonight and I feel perfectly safe doing so," Romney said. "In the very remote circumstance that my attention is needed, I will be able to respond on an immediate basis."
Brian Roehrkasse, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the agency was working with the FBI and intelligence officials to investigate "this uncorroborated report from an unknown source with unknown reliability."
Roehrkasse said he was not aware of any stepped-up federal security measures in Boston such as extra patrols or measures taken at Logan International Airport.
Some Border Patrol agents said supervisors have told them nothing of the situation and they were not asked to be on the lookout for the Chinese nationals.
"This highlights the shortfalls of our immigration system," said T.J. Bonner, president of the San Diego-based National Border Patrol Council, the agents' union. "For years I've been saying, 'Look, if it's so easy for laborers from Mexico and other countries to sneak across our borders, think about how much easier it is for highly trained well-funded terrorists to do the same thing.' "
A Border Patrol spokesman referred calls to the FBI.
Bonner said details were hard to come by and people were clamoring for information yesterday.
"If, in fact, this is credible information, the public should be aware of it, not in a panic mode but they should be aware this is a real threat, that people have penetrated our borders," Bonner said.
Bonner said the fact the caller won't give his name is understandable and should not detract from his credibility.
"If you say, 'Yeah, I did this,' and these people carry out an attack, it's very likely you are going to be implicated as an accomplice. I can see where he'd be very reluctant to come forward. Which leads me to believe this smuggler believes the information is credible or he would not have stepped forward."
) which of course burns well. (We use boronated water) And even worse they have no containment building around the reactor core like we do. 
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread
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