Man seen sketching Transamerica building (S.F.) wanted for questioning

[Newsjock]

Look, more week-old information surfacing at an opportune time. Attention all units: Be on the lookout for architecture students who look, um, er, funny, y'know, not like, um, er, us, y'know, white 'n such. That is all.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/gate/archive/2004/08/19/transamerica19.DTL

Bay City News

A man seen taking photographs and making sketches of the Transamerica building in downtown San Francisco is wanted for questioning by police and federal agents, according to a recent law enforcement bulletin.

The man is being sought after he was seen conducting "surveillance activity'' around the 48-story tower at 600 Montgomery St. in the Financial District, according to a San Francisco Police Department bulletin dated Aug. 12.

A grainy image of the man apparently caught on a surveillance camera seems to show him looking upward while writing or drawing in a notebook.

San Francisco police Inspector George Nazzal said the man represented no specific threat. "It could be anything,'' he said. "But at this point in time, it's better to check and make sure. He could be an architecture student.''

more

[Lisa]

1. was he carrying an almanac or tourist guidebook at the time?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/12/29/national1426EST0580.DTL&type=printable

[rooboy]

10. Yes, AND he was dressed as a frogman! n/t

[Kimber Scott]

2. I'm an artist. I wonder when they'll start arresting us for sketching the

landscape?

[Occulus]

4. You never know

all those hills and gullies could be important strategic locations....




.... in a civil war.

[lapfog_1]

7. They already have.

The Transamerica building is, along with the Golden Gate bridge,
an icon for San Francisco. It's also a unique skyscraper, and I'm
sure that there are THOUSANDS of images of it online. The notion
that a terrorist would need to take pictures or make a sketch to
"case the joint" is simply incredulous.

Somebody that wants to "case" it (for their security precautions),
needs only to have a micro-recorder device and walk around the
building, making his remarks into the microphone.

There isn't any need for a terrorist to take more photos of this
building (unless he is taking photos of specific security hardware
or installations).

[REVOLT823]

15. Exactly

Only flags and potraits of our glorious leader are allowed.

[ck4829]

3. Calling All Architects, you are wanted for Terrorism charges

So says the Holy General er, Attorney General, John Ashcroft

[Gman]

5. he could be an architecture student

or an artist, or someone that appreciates that beautiful building. But in Bush's America, fear must rule.

How do we even know anyone was doing what they say this guy was doing. We're to believe them at this point?

[democracyindanger]

6. HOLY CRAP!

There was a guy outside my apartment a few days ago sketching Coit Tower! Who should I call!?!?!

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

8. $%&^

This is just crazy...
"He may speak with an accent"

[SoCalDem]

9. My son's sketch of the Coliseum was ONLINE...yikes

I better tell him to never ever sketch a building in the USA..

[TahitiNut]

12. Mothers! Hide all that stuff on your refrigerator doors!

The FBI is soon to be surveying those refrigerators!

[rfkrocks]

11. "so long Frank LLoyd Wright...

all of the nights we harmonized so long..."

[arwalden]

13. Tourist Buying Postcards Of Transamerica Building Held As Terror Suspect..

... film at eleven.

[pinniped]

14. I don't suppose a so-called suspect would think of buying a book of SF...

with pictures of the Transamerica Pyramid represented in it?

Crap, now I may get paid a visit by the MIB.

[Rose Siding]

16. The Onion: Local Sherif Suspects Al-Qaeda or Teens

BARABOO, WI—Sauk County Sheriff Virgil "Butch" Steinhorst announced Tuesday that he believes a recent rash of Baraboo-area crimes was perpetrated by the al-Qaeda terrorist network or teenagers.

"In this day and age, it's important for law-enforcement officials to consider global threats as well as local ones," Steinhorst said. "We could be dealing with an al-Qaeda sleeper cell attempting to collect information that they could use to plan a terrorist strike or some of those goth kids who knocked over that mailbox. Neither group has any respect for the law."

http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4033&n=2

No fair fact and fiction co-mingle

[Jackpine Radical]

17. I assume he was from Elbonia. They don't know about cameras yet.

[peacetalksforall]

18. Their ignorance is showing again. If there are no other suspicious

factors, it is laughable. Shall we attempt to count the number of students and artists who have drawn and sketched or etched an architectural object.