FBI Looks Overseas After Threats Phoned to Stores, Banks in U.S.

By Joe Milicia Associated Press Saturday, September 1, 2007; D02

CLEVELAND, Aug. 31 -- The FBI is looking overseas for suspects who have phoned bomb threats to more than 26 grocery stores, banks and discount stores in 17 states, including Virginia.

The callers have threatened to set off a bomb unless store employees wire money to an account abroad. At a Dillons grocery store in Hutchinson, Kan., the caller ordered customers and workers to take off their clothes and threatened to force them to cut off a manager's fingers.

Store workers have been so frightened in at least five cases that they've wired thousands of dollars to the caller.

Police in Newport, R.I., said workers at a Wal-Mart wired $10,000 to the caller. Authorities in Buchanan, Mich., said flustered workers at a Harding's Market sent $3,000 to an account in Paraguay, instead of Portugal as the caller demanded.

The FBI is examining those wire transactions and is working with authorities in Europe to locate possible suspects.

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When the federal government creates a nation based on fear, this is the result.

Desperate to not be harmed in any way, we cashed in our John Wayne image for Bozo the Clown.

* For more in-depth articles by Jim on Homeland Security, check out Opinion-Columns.com