Boston Under Terrorist Attack?

[mikem317]

You decide. Overreaction by Boston officials or not?

2 held in Boston scare released
Officials seek restitution for publicity campaign that sparked terrorism fears
The Associated Press
Updated: 1:23 p.m. ET Feb 1, 2007

BOSTON - Two men who authorities say placed electronic advertising devices around the city were released from jail Thursday, apparently amused with the publicity stunt that stirred fears of terrorism and shut down parts of the city.

Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, were released on $2,500 cash bond after each pleaded not guilty to placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct for a device found Wednesday at a subway station. They waved and smiled as they greeted people in court.

Outside, they met reporters and television cameras and launched into a nonsensical discussion of hair styles of the 1970s. “What we really want to talk about today — it’s kind of important to some people — it’s haircuts of the 1970s,” Berdovsky said.

Officials found 38 blinking electronic signs promoting the Cartoon Network TV show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” on bridges and other high-profile spots across the city Wednesday, prompting the closing of a highway and the deployment of bomb squads. The surreal series is about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball. The network is a division of Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc.

“It’s clear the intent was to get attention by causing fear and unrest that there was a bomb in that location,” Assistant Attorney General John Grossman said at their arraignment.

The 1-foot tall signs, which were lit up at night, resembled a circuit board, with protruding wires and batteries. Most depicted a boxy, cartoon character giving passersby the finger — a more obvious sight when darkness fell.

The men did not speak or enter their own pleas, but they appeared amused and smiled as the prosecutor talked about the device found at Sullivan Station underneath Interstate 93, looking like it had C-4 explosive.

“The appearance of this device and its location are crucial,” Grossman said. “This device looks like a bomb.”

Some in the gallery snickered.

Boston mayor threatens legal action
Outside the courthouse, Michael Rich, a lawyer for both of the men, said the description of a bomb-like device could be used for any electronic device.

“If somebody had left a VCR on the ground it would have been a device with wires, electronic components and a power source,” he said.

Boston officials were livid when the devices were discovered.

“It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme,” Mayor Thomas Menino said Wednesday. “I am prepared to take any and all legal action against Turner Broadcasting and its affiliates for any and all expenses incurred during the response to today’s incidents.”

Berdovsky, an artist, told The Boston Globe he was hired by a marketing company and said he was “kind of freaked out” by the furor.

“I find it kind of ridiculous that they’re making these statements on TV that we must not be safe from terrorism, because they were up there for three weeks and no one noticed. It’s pretty commonsensical to look at them and say this is a piece of art and installation,” he said.

Fans of the show mocked authorities for what they called an overreaction.

About a dozen fans gathered outside Charlestown District Court on Thursday morning with signs saying “1-31-07 Never Forget” and “Free Peter.”

“We’re the laughing stock,” said Tracy O’Connor, 34.

“It’s almost too easy to be a terrorist these days,” said Jennifer Mason, 26. “You stick a box on a corner and you can shut down a city.”

Incident cost city $750,000
Authorities vowed to hold Turner accountable for what Menino said was “corporate greed,” that led to at least $750,000 in police costs.

As soon as Turner realized the Boston problem around 5 p.m., it said, law enforcement officials were told of their locations in 10 cities where it said the devices had been placed for two to three weeks: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

“We apologize to the citizens of Boston that part of a marketing campaign was mistaken for a public danger,” said Phil Kent, chairman of Turner, a division of Time Warner Inc.

Kent said the marketing company that placed the signs, Interference Inc., was ordered to remove them immediately.

Interference had no comment. A woman who answered the phone at the New York-based firm’s offices Wednesday afternoon said the firm’s CEO was out of town and would not be able to comment until Thursday.

Messages seeking additional comment from the Atlanta-based Cartoon Network were left with several publicists.

Low-key reaction from other cities
Authorities are investigating whether Turner or other companies should be criminally charged, Attorney General Martha Coakley said. “We’re not going to let this go without looking at the further roots of how this happened to cause the panic in this city,” Coakley said.

In Seattle and several suburbs, the removal of the signs was low-key. “We haven’t had any calls to 911 regarding this,” Seattle police spokesman Sean Whitcomb said Wednesday.

Police in Philadelphia said they believed their city had 56 devices.

The New York Police Department removed 41 of the devices — 38 in Manhattan and three in Brooklyn, according to spokesman Paul Browne. The NYPD had not received any complaints. But when it became aware of the situation, it contacted Cartoon Network, which provided the locations so the devices could be removed.

“Aqua Teen Hunger Force” is a cartoon with a cultish following that airs as part of a block of programs for adults on the Cartoon Network. A feature length film based on the show is slated for release March 23.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16921137

[EEfz6]

video of the devices being put up.

http://www.uselessjunk.com/article_full.php?id=15533

[hybrid]

total over reaction...............

more senseless drama

When was the last IED detonated in the US????

Jesus.............cry babies. All it took was a couple of phone calls to find out who the fuck did it.

At best I say they get fined for not having permits to install that shit.

[mikem317]

IED = LED?

I'm acutally surpised that you would post about an overreaction, seeing that you usually hold individuals rights more deer to you than those granted to a corporate entity.

[hybrid]

IED= IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE aka road side bomb like in IRAQ

Never heard of one going off in the US.............

I dont see what individuals rights were trampled on with this.

Some clowns went out and put up LED signs that put a picture up ........... it had some wires sticking out of it..........big fucking deal.

I see shit that look creepy every day..........no one said I would be safe from harm. My car is 100 times more likely to kill me than a road side bomb is in this country.

Should we stop driving past abandoned cars on the side of the road? They look suspicious.........

Sure I think its bad taste in how much clutter people make to advertise to us........but its life. Im sure theyll have holograms in space someday.

[mikem317]

I understand that the odds are favorable, but that doesn't discount the fact that there's dozens of things with wires and duct tape hanging from them. Placed underneath bridges? Fenway Park? Other areas of interest?

I wondered what would happen if the story was different. Perhaps there was nuclear material that was supposed to detonate with the explosive? Sure, it was this fuzzy, electronic looking Pac-Man like thing, flipping the bird, but what if? Right?

What happens those responsible for our safety decided that there was too little risk to take action? Or perhaps, too late? Sounds like a familar dyanmic between response time and action (if at all)?

It's damned if you do and damned if you don't, IMHO.

[Sibling]

Originally Posted by mikem317

I understand that the odds are favorable, but that doesn't discount the fact that there's dozens of things with wires and duct tape hanging from them. Placed underneath bridges? Fenway Park? Other areas of interest?

I wondered what would happen if the story was different. Perhaps there was nuclear material that was supposed to detonate with the explosive? Sure, it was this fuzzy, electronic looking Pac-Man like thing, flipping the bird, but what if? Right?

What happens those responsible for our safety decided that there was too little risk to take action? Or perhaps, too late? Sounds like a familar dyanmic between response time and action (if at all)?

It's damned if you do and damned if you don't, IMHO.

They've been there for 3 weeks that should be the first indication that theres no reason to shut down the city for it.

[hybrid]

I dont know what they looked like and again.............if it was a problem they could have made some problems, found out what the deal was or used a 50 cal rifle to "detonate" them.

There is no way anyone thought it was a "dirty" bomb..............fuck we cant even use our cell phones and you think the gub doesnt know if there is nuclear bombs set up here? I doubt it.

Like I said, at best its a fine for not having permits.

If you let this shit go like it was false terrorism.........youre going to give the gov all the more right to be up your ass.

Then there will be check points on every entrance to the freeway to make sure you dont abandon a car with propane tanks ready to explode.

Lets not turn our country into a fucking military state..........its already happening on its own.

[bush]

Fucking ridiculous.

People obviously didn't think it was a threat, as it was there for three weeks.

The city overreacted to the TERRORIST THREAT and went off the deep end. Looking at the first electronic device would have shown that there was no explosive material.

Idiots are running Boston. That's all there is to it.

Outside, they met reporters and television cameras and launched into a nonsensical discussion of hair styles of the 1970s. “What we really want to talk about today — it’s kind of important to some people — it’s haircuts of the 1970s,” Berdovsky said.

[Sibling]

Originally Posted by hybrid

I dont know what they looked like and again.............if it was a problem they could have made some problems, found out what the deal was or used a 50 cal rifle to "detonate" them.

Thats what it looked like at night.

[hybrid]

I dont care what the image looked like..............what did the box look like.

I mean short of looking like 8 pipe bombs tied together with wires running to a timer...........it had to have been fairly obvious it was a stupid visual apparatus.

How many fucking people are savvy to what a bomb looks like unless it has sticks of dynomite with an old clock?

this is nothing more than someone pushing a military controlled police state.....its melodramatic and nausiating to say the least..........kinda of like the media hype of pitbulls.

[Sibling]

Originally Posted by hybrid

I dont care what the image looked like..............what did the box look like.

I mean short of looking like 8 pipe bombs tied together with wires running to a timer...........it had to have been fairly obvious it was a stupid visual apparatus.

How many fucking people are savvy to what a bomb looks like unless it has sticks of dynomite with an old clock?

this is nothing more than someone pushing a military controlled police state.....its melodramatic and nausiating to say the least..........kinda of like the media hype of pitbulls.

Watch the video that someone else posted is shows them putting one together. It has basically a bunch of LEDS Lights on a Green mother board. There is no huge places were bombs or anything of the sort could be placed.