LOCAL UPDATE MI Terror Plot

from The Houston Chronicle

The three Dallas-area men arrested in Michigan on state terrorism charges are well-known to cell phone wholesale and retail shops in the Dallas area, where managers said Monday they are part of a brisk trade in buying phones from Wal-Mart and other discount stores and reselling them to smaller shops.

In Michigan, meanwhile, the FBI said it has no information to indicate that the three Palestinian-Americans arrested with about 1,000 cell phones in their van on Friday had any connections to terrorism.

TFBI said in a news release that there is no imminent threat to the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, which has been the subject of increased patrols after local Michigan authorities said they believed the men were targeting the bridge. Images of the bridge were found on a digital camera belonging to the men.

Local authorities in Caro have not said what they believe the men intended to do with the phones and have declined to spell out what probable cause they have indicating the three were involved in terrorism.

The men are each being held on $750,000 bail and are charged with providing material support for terrorist acts and terrorism surveillance of a vulnerable target. A district court magistrate has set a pretrial hearing for Friday and examining hearing for Aug. 24.