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Update: It turns out that the contents of the truck were harmless. It is being reported that the confusion was caused due to language barriers. This is total crap.

My take on the matter is not as nonchalant as others that I have read. The nation’s ports are a critical infrastructure component that we can not afford to take lightly. The cost from this incident alone is bound to be staggering. The trucking company that sent this guy in should be held directly responsible for footing the bill. We can not discount the possibility that this was simply another test of the nation’s security as in other documented airline cases.

Congress had better get serious about passing laws dealing with illegal activities that are tied to anything related to the nations infrastructure. There should be serious ramifications for sending a bunch of illiterate morons into a port.

Miami Port Scare ‘Comedy Of Errors’ – Security Scare Due To Miscommunication

(CBS) MIAMI Sunday’s security scare at the Port of Miami was a ‘comedy of errors,’ to quote one official. Language difficulties and flawed paperwork apparently led to the security scare that disrupted cargo operations at one of the nation’s busiest ports.

A top federal official in Miami told WFOR-TV’s Brian Andrews that the driver of a semi-truck attempting to make a delivery at the Port of Miami Sunday morning raised red flags when he was unable to satisfy security officials who questioned discrepancies between his manifest and his cargo.

The driver, who is of Iraqi nationality, apparently had difficulty communicating with the security at the port. As they looked more closely at the truck, the security guards found two other men in the truck, another Iraqi and a Lebanese national.

FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said, “At some point he said he was alone,” but officials now believe he may just have not been properly understood.

The men should not have been in the truck, so all three men were detained for questioning. They were never arrested, and after a day long scare at the port, which involved a bomb squad and hazardous materials examination of the truck, officials decided it was all a misunderstanding based on language and cultural differences, along with flawed paperwork.

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The reports are just coming out. The FBI has taken control of a case where 3 Middle Eastern men were detained trying to illegally enter a port in Miami with a semi.

Fox news is reporting that the driver reportedly is of Iraqi descent and one of the other two is a Lebanese national; the third is also believed to be Middle Eastern and early reports stated authorities have a warrant out for one of the three but none of the detained is on a terror watch list, sources said.

CNN and the AP are also covering the event.

Although all men are in the country legally the driver of the truck tried to sneak two men into the port without telling authorities. The driver also claims not to know the contents of the truck – contents which have not been divulged as of yet.


CNN is describing the event as follows

• FBI says three in custody after attempt to enter Port of Miami illegally
• Cargo area of port closed temporarily; passenger side remains open
• Sources say the those detained are of Iraqi, Lebanese descent
• FBI: One was driving truck without proper papers; others were hidden in trailer

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) — Security at the Port of Miami was tightened Sunday after three people, two of them hidden inside a truck, allegedly tried to enter the port illegally, federal law enforcement sources said.

The FBI said the three were being held on state charges.

“The cargo area is closed for now while the FBI, Miami-Dade police, and Customs and Border Patrol search the truck container,” said Port of Miami spokeswoman Andrea Muniz. “The port side handling passengers remains open.”

Sunday is typically a busy day for cruise ships at the port.

Though the port as a whole remains open, cargo is not leaving the port while additional container searches are under way, a spokesman for the Coast Guard said.

Federal law enforcement sources described the three as being of Middle-Eastern descent. The driver was described as being of Iraqi descent and one of the other men appeared to be of Lebanese descent, the sources said.

One of them was driving an 18-wheeler and was stopped at the entrance for not having the proper license to drive onto the property, FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela told CNN.

Miami-Dade police conducted a secondary search after the driver gave inconsistent answers, the FBI said. The driver also allegedly said he was alone in the truck. During the search, two other people were found in the cargo container, the FBI said.

No federal charges are pending, according to the FBI. Authorities did not know whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement is considering charges or whether the three are in the United States legally.

We will update this story as information is released.

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