I ran across this article and thought of our EMS friends here. Keep your eyeballs peeled, boys. To everybody: still not carrying an urban PSK? Think about it.

http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=\SpecialReports\archive\200408\SPE20040819a.html

Suspicious Interest in Ambulances Prompts Terror Alert in NYC Suburb
By Scott Wheeler
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
August 19, 2004

(CNSNews.com) - Officials in Westchester County, N.Y., on the outskirts of New York City, issued an internal terrorism alert to law enforcement and emergency response personnel Aug. 12 after receiving several reports about Middle Eastern men and "suspicious activity concerning ambulances," according to government documents obtained by CNSNews.com.

The documents include the Aug. 12 alert itself, which was posted by the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services and was "based on information from New Jersey authorities." Wednesday afternoon, the county's Department of Emergency Services confirmed that it had issued the alert, but did not provide any further details.

According to one witness-described incident, included in the alert, "an individual who attended an open-house at an ambulance squad in Middlesex County, [N.J.,] claimed he was from Pakistan and a physician." br>
The eyewitnesses said the man "asked a series of questions to the squad members that related exclusively to the operation of the emergency vehicles, including the speed at which the vehicles responded to calls and the use of the lights and sirens."

The Middle Eastern man was described as acting "very nervous" and "did not ask about patient care," according to the government documents, which also quoted the witnesses as saying the suspicious man "left the premises when asked to complete a membership application."

The alert indicated that the second incident occurred at a hospital in Essex County, N.J. "A male of Middle-Eastern appearance" was seen "standing near an ambulance at the emergency room doors while writing notes in a small notepad," the CNSNews.com-obtained documents stated.

"When confronted by the vehicle's operator, a firefighter/EMT, the man asserted that he was employed as an ambulance mechanic. He then asked where a nearby fire department serviced its vehicles," the government alert stated. When the man was asked for identification, he "provided an illegible New York driver's license" and then left.

The terrorism alert outlined a third suspicious event. While it provided no location for the incident, the documents did cite a description from the New Jersey Office of Counter Terrorism.

There was "an unusual attempt by three men of Middle-Eastern appearance to join a volunteer ambulance squad. The men expressed to squad members an 'abnormal interest' in operating the emergency vehicles, and further insisted that the process by which they obtain the appropriate credentials and certifications to join the squad be expedited at their personal expense," the alert stated.

All three incidents happened inside of a one-week time frame earlier this month. The warning also provided the following context: "Due to the recent threat elevation to ORANGE (HIGH) for the financial sector and intelligence relating to the threat of Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs), any suspicious activity relating to emergency vehicles is of particular concern and should be reported to law enforcement
immediately."

The report also referenced locations where other vehicle bombs were used, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and "notably in the 1993 World Trade Center" bombing.

As CNSNews.com previously reported, counter terrorism experts believe "hundreds if not thousands" of so-called "probing attacks" have been reported since the al Qaeda sponsored terrorist strikes on New York City and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

These probing attacks, according to experts interviewed by CNSNews.com, are conducted by groups and individuals possibly associated with Islamic extremist organizations. The goal of probing attacks, the experts said, is to conduct surveillance of vulnerable American institutions that may end as the real target for violence in the future.