US terror suspect in Yemen worked at 5 nuke sites

[Robb]

Source: AP

BUENA, N.J. — Federal regulators say a U.S. citizen in custody in Yemen as a suspected al-Qaida member worked at five nuclear plant complexes in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it's investigating what access Sharif Mobley might have had to senstive areas. But the commission says laborers like him would not usually be given security-related or sensitive information. Authorities say he passed federal background checks.

The 26-year-old Mobley worked at the Salem and Hope Creek plants in New Jersey; the Peach Bottom, Limerick and Three Mile Island facilities in Pennsylvania; and Calvert Cliffs in Maryland between 2002 and 2008.

Officials say he was rounded up in an al-Qaida sweep and shot two guards in a Yemeni hospital during an escape attempt. His parents say he is innocent.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iQ2HxePTzHc1UC28Twn_MTWP8YmQD9ED788O3

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Edited to add: Another AP story on Mobley here.

[The Magistrate]

1. Laborers, Sir, See A Lot More Than People Think....

[bettyellen]

3. yes, and management often assumes people ranking below them are inconsequential

[truthisfreedom]

2. Something disturbing about this story.

Can't quite put my finger on it.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ShockediSay]

5. That's not good ! nt

[kristopher]

6. US terror suspect in Yemen worked at 5 nuke sites

Source: AP

US terror suspect in Yemen worked at 5 nuke sites

By GEOFF MULVIHILL (AP) – 1 hour ago

HADDONFIELD, N.J. — Before he was rounded up in a sweep of suspected al-Qaida terrorists in Yemen, Sharif Mobley was a laborer at five nuclear plant complexes in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Authorities are investigating whether he might have had any access to sensitive information that would have been useful to terrorists.

Edwin Lyman, a senior staff scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, a watchdog of the nuclear power industry, said the case raises questions about security at the nation's nuclear power plants — even though Mobley has not been linked to any wrongdoing at any of them.

...The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Friday that Mobley worked between 2002 and 2008 for contractors who did work at the Salem and Hope Creek plants in New Jersey; the Peach Bottom, Limerick and Three Mile Island facilities in Pennsylvania; and Calvert Cliffs in Maryland.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iQ2HxePTzHc1UC28Twn_MTWP8YmQD9ED8VT80

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All the focus on terrorism related to nuclear power plants has been on a WTC airplane attack on a containment dome or a waste storage pool. No one I know of has looked at the possibility of deliberate sabotage of things like welds in critical systems and subsystems. Given the attempt by the nuclear industry to solve our climate change energy problems with nuclear power (which globally would require probably 10,000 1GW nuclear reactors) this isn't a small concern either in the realm of safety or economic consequences.

[Ian David]

7. Between 2002 and 2008? Explain to me again how Bush kept us safe? n/t

[mbperrin]

8. By all means continue to build those "green" nuke plants.....

After all, terrorists might tear the blades off wind turbines and throw them at us, or they might refocus all the solar panels to fry us in our sleep! Dangerous shit!

Nukes? Yea, they're our friends....















If I need a sarcasm tag, please check your IQ and return.

[activa8tr]

9. His parents say he's innocent. Parents know their kids. And

pigs can fly!

[Art_from_Ark]

18. And suspects are always guilty

Otherwise, they wouldn't be suspects.

:eyes:

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mopar151]

11. Look at reply # 4

And check that Wikipedia on Carl Drega. I know guys that worked with him on nukes.

[kristopher]

12. Rachael did a segment on this tonight.

http://videos.apnicommunity.com/Video,Item,1000714154.html

[MadMaddie]

13. Remember these facilities are not forced to spend $$$ to

protect their facilities like you would think. The bottom line is profit and profit always comes before safety and security.

You have the white guy down South who is leading some right wing militia and has worked at a nuclear facility for 22 years. How is this guy still employed? He is not being called a terrorist.....yet!

[boppers]

14. Looks like a FEAR! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! story.

Really, a guy works at power plants, and we should be scared?

[kristopher]

15. He shot and killed one guard and wounded another after they initially arrested him as AlQ suspect

And his ties to the AlQ seem to be clearly established.

The question becomes, how vulnerable are our nuclear plants to infiltration and sabotage? Nuclear power is already the most expensive and environmentally hazardous way to produce non-carbon power. This has a very large negative impact on both those considerations.

[Lurks Often]

16. Things like this will occur

If Sharif Mobley was a US citizen and had no criminal history, why and how do you prevent him from being hired to a job that may expose him to sensitive information?

THe only way to stop him would be not to hire him based on his religious beliefs or his race, both of which would be considered blatant discrimination.

[kristopher]

17. You have obviously never been through a background investigation for national security.

It is a different set of rules that guide the process and decision-making. It looks like there was ample reason to disqualify him for a security clearance based on his past. Not having the required security clearance is a disqualification for employment. If a security clearance isn't required, then we should damned sure be asking why not.