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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iranian Agent Picked Up In Seattle |
| 2010-05-27 |
| There are more questions than answers in the case of a suspected international arms dealer caught in Washington state with a stockpile of sniper rifles. Oliver King is an Iranian citizen who, in the past, has been a licensed gun dealer. King appeared in court in Seattle on Wednesday, accused of keeping a stash of guns and ammunition hidden in a storage unit near the U.S.-Canada border. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, King lied to enter the U.S. near Blaine last week. Agents with U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement became suspicious of King when he showed up at the border with a brand new passport, and a story about picking up his wife at Bellis Fair Shopping Mall in Bellingham. Upon searching his car, agents found King's original passport, which has three visas for Iran and lists King's name as Hamid Malekpour. Agents let King go, but followed him as he drove past the shopping mall and crossed the border into Oregon. King was seen entering an office building in McMinnville, which turned out to be a gun shop. Agents then watched as he loaded boxes into his car, and head back north on Interstate 5 to Ferndale. At King's storage locker in Ferndale, agents found $30,000 worth of police-grade sniper rifles, handguns and ammunition. King told investigators he is a hunter, but the U.S. Attorney's Office said the kind and number of weapons stockpiled don't support that claim. King has been charged with making false statements to a government agent, and being an alien in possession of firearms. He remains in federal custody until his next court date in a week. Sounds like a serious assassin. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #10 I'll go with gun runner. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-05-27 22:05 |
| #9 Amir Zarandi, who owns the Oregon gun shop, McMinnville Hunting and Police Supplies, said King is a consultant and has bought weapons there for years. hmmm.... |
| Posted by: 3dc 2010-05-27 21:57 |
| #8 More details from a week ago. |
| Posted by: tipper 2010-05-27 21:17 |
| #7 do you all remember the panic and commotion over the John (Islam is not a factor) Muhammad's stint as the DC "sniper"? I thought at the time that the enemy was fools for not duplicating that panic and fear in 20-30 cities. want terror? that is how to do it. and a state actor that could 'make it go away' would have serious leverage on a weak-kneed administration. that is what i think was happening here |
| Posted by: abu do you love 2010-05-27 20:03 |
| #6 To the waterboard. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-05-27 20:00 |
| #5 My thoughts, too, Crosspatch, |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2010-05-27 19:52 |
| #4 I don't think he is the assassin. I think his was a logistical position to stash arms for a cell of assassins. I would expect there are more people involved ... sleepers, if you will, who would have been supplied their arms/ammunition from that cache. And I would be willing to bet there are more. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2010-05-27 19:39 |
| #3 milk him dry. DON'T trade him for the stoopid hippie tourists |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-05-27 19:02 |
| #2 Lucky catch. HT to the border agents. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2010-05-27 18:35 |
| #1 I am thinking that he is al-Quds, specifically sent to the US for one or more targets. This dude needs to be carefully evaluated by intelligence interrogators, not treated as a punk criminal. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-05-27 17:54 |