>> Four Israelis deported after Tinker incident
Randy Ellis
03/08/2002
NOTE: Copyright 2002, The Oklahoman
Four people carrying Israeli identification cards were detained and turned over to immigration officials for deportation in May after being caught
peddling artwork door-to-door in a neighborhood near Tinker Air Force Base, The Oklahoman has confirmed.
Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes said officers were on alert because they had received a national security advisory that indicated
"Israeli nationals were posing as students selling artwork" in a possible effort "to gain information about the U.S. military and its security."
"We certainly don't want to scare people, but at the same time we want them to know that we do take these alerts seriously," Clabes said. "Not
only do we enforce state and city statutes and ordinances daily, but we're also keen to homeland defense - especially with our association with
Tinker Air Force Base."
The Oklahoman inquired about the Midwest City incident after The Associated Press reported Tuesday that U.S. authorities had arrested and
deported dozens of young Israelis since early last year.
Those arrests took place in several states and concerned individuals who represented themselves as Israeli art students in apparent efforts to
gain access to sensitive federal office buildings and the homes of government employees.
Tinker was identified as one of the targets of the deported Israelis in the AP report, which cited a federal Drug Enforcement Administration
report that was first obtained by Intelligenceonline.com, a French Web site that specializes in intelligence news.
While federal officials have confirmed the arrests and deportations, they have made a point of noting that none of the deported individuals was
charged with espionage. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Yaffa Ben-Ari has been quoted as saying it was "nonsense" that the students
were spying on the United States.
Maj. Mike Richmond, spokesman for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, confirmed that the
Tinker Office of Special Investigations received a call from Midwest City police about detained Israeli "art students" in May, but he
downplayed the significance.
"The bottom line here from the Air Force OSI is that it's our opinion that any claim that the Israeli students in question here were targeting
Tinker Air Force Base or that they were involved in espionage is an entirely unfounded assertion," Richmond said.
"At no time did OSI ever deem the matter worthy of opening an investigation," he said. "We're talking about kind of a non-story or non-issue
from OSI's standpoint."
Clabes said Midwest City police officers' encounter with the four Israelis occurred shortly after 7:15 p.m. May 16 when they received a call
about unusual door-to-door solicitations in the 11100 block of Sheffield in eastern Midwest City.
Officers Richard Dequasie and Karl Landers drove to the entrance of the Oakwood East housing addition, where they found two people
carrying artwork portfolios. The two soon were joined by a driver.
Clabes identified the three as Naor Topaz, Zeev Cahen and Yaron Ohana.
"They all claimed to be Israeli students and had several picture identification cards," Clabes said. "They all three had Israeli military air force
identification."
The officers reported the information to police Sgt. Matt Dukes, who recalled the national alert.
Officers then called the Office of Special Investigations at Tinker, which sent an agent to the scene. The federal Immigration and Naturalization
Service was called to handle the case.
Shortly after INS agent Rick Garza arrived, officers located a fourth man - who also carried several forms of Israeli picture identification.
Garza arrested the four men on visa violations. They were taken by Midwest City police to the Oklahoma County jail, Clabes said. The name of
the fourth Israeli was not included in the police report because he was detained after Garza arrived.
Residents of the neighborhood told officers the Israelis were going door-to-door "telling them about their life in Israel" and "trying to sell some
pictures."
The Israelis denied they were selling anything, Clabes said.
Cahen told officers he "had just been talking to people about his country and its art," Clabes said.
Clabes said U.S. authorities were concerned the Israelis would engage residents in casual conversation about art, and then start slipping in
questions "about who lived there, is their family in the military - those types of things."
Clabes said he was unaware of any effort by the Israelis to gain access to the base.
Clabes said the case was turned over to the INS immediately after the arrests, so questions about the validity of the Israeli identification
documents and information obtained through interrogations would have to be directed to that agency.
Lynn Ligon, spokesman for the INS's Dallas district office, declined to comment.
"It's still a part of an ongoing investigation," Ligon said. <<
archives.oklahoman.com
Israelis selling artwork door-to-door in Midwest City, Oklahoma? Bizarre, no?
Tinker Air Force Base is contiguous to Midwest City.
midwestcityok.com |
