Two “foreign speaking” men set off alarms after they entered the local Walmart store in Lebanon, Missouri and purchased 60 cellphones. The purchase was made around 4 AM last Saturday morning. Police were called but released the men saying they didn’t have a legal reason to detain them.
KY3 reported:
A large number of cellphones bought in the early morning hours set off concern in Lebanon.
Police say just before 4am Saturday morning, two men purchased about 60 phones from the Walmart store.
Police were called, but after talking with them police say they didn’t have a legal reason to detain them.
But they did call the FBI.
“I’m not going to say just because they’re a different religion or because they’re Muslim. But these people were, they were foreign-speaking. You need to take notice, you need to let us know about it because it doesn’t hurt to check on it. You’re not being racist or anything like that. You’re just protecting yourself,” said Laclede County Sheriff Wayne Merritt.
After the San Bernardino shooting, several media outlets reported some neighbors noticed suspicious activity at the home of shooters Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik.
No reports were made, however, out of fear of being accused of racial profiling.
Police say cellphones can be potential tools in the hands of terrorists.
Besides their use in communication, they can also be used as detonators for bombs.