CHICAGO – While one of the Florida men arrested in an alleged plot to attack the Sears Tower previously lived in Chicago, Police Supt. Philip Cline said Friday no evidence has been recovered here.
“No arrests were made here, no search warrants were executed here . . . and no explosives were found here,” Cline said.
Cline said authorities in Florida notified his department on Wednesday that the arrests would be made Thursday, and Chicago police officers assigned to the federal Joint Terrorism Task Force were working on the case since its inception.
Cline and other officials stressed there was no evidence the plotters took any action in Chicago. They said they had no information that the men arrested had visited the Sears Tower to study it or make plans.
The plot “was never an actionable plan and, therefore, no one was in danger,” said Andrew Velasquez, head of the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communication.
Sears Tower officials thanked authorities, lauded their own private security force and stressed that the plot should have no impact on business at the 110-story building on South Wacker Drive.
“It’s business as usual at the Sears Tower. Our tenants are in their offices as they usually are; our sky deck is open for business,” said John Huston, executive vice president with Skokie-based American Landmark Properties Ltd., which co-owns the 110-story building.
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Officials said that the arrests had not changed the city’s strategies to stop terrorist attacks. Special units dedicated to terrorism are always working on keeping the city safe, Cline said, just like the investigators who caught on to the plot in Miami.
Cline said the city remains vigilant about protecting other potential targets in Chicago, such as the upcoming Taste of Chicago.
On Friday afternoon, Gov. Rod Blagojevich encouraged Illinois residents to keep any potential threats in perspective.
“Go about your business, have a great weekend, enjoy the time you have with your family, go to work and be as determined as possible to do a good job at your job,” Blagojevich said. “But while you’re doing those things, if you see anything suspicious, you should report that to local authorities.”
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(c) 2006, Chicago Tribune.
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Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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PHOTOS (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): TERROR ARRESTS
GRAPHIC (from KRT Graphics, 202-383-6064): SEARS TOWER
AP-NY-06-23-06 1950EDT
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