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Man Charged With Providing Transit Data To Al Qaeda

Posted by
on July 22nd, 2009 at 5:35 pm

Earlier today, court papers were unsealed to reveal that a 26 year old man named Bryant Neal Vinas was charged with providing al Qaeda with data on NYC Transit & the Long Island Rail Road. He was also charged with taking part in a rocket attack on US troops in Afghanistan. Lets take a look at two separate reports on Mr. Vinas starting with a report by Jason Ryan & Pierre Thomas of ABC News:

A man from a New York City suburb has been charged with joining Al Qaeda and taking part in a rocket attack against a U.S. base in Afghanistan.

Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s office in New York alleged in court papers unsealed today that Bryant Neal Vinas, 26, of Long Island received al Qaeda training in Pakistan between March and August 2008. He is also accused of taking part in a September 2008 rocket attack against U.S. forces.

Vinas has worked as a truck driver and for the Long Island Rail Road, a major commuter rail line in and out of New York City. Public records indicate lived in Patchogue, was the son of Rosa and Juan Vinas, and was a registered Democrat who voted in local elections in 2005.

Click here for the complete report.

Now takes a look at a second report on this story courtesy of Michelle Nichols (reporting) & Eric Walsh (editing) from Reuters:

A U.S. man has been charged with giving al Qaeda details about the New York City transit system and the Long Island Railroad, as well as firing rockets on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, according to court papers unsealed on Wednesday.

Bryant Neal Vinas, 26, is also accused of receiving military-type training between March and August last year from the Islamist extremist group headed by Osama bin Laden.

Click here for the complete report.

With such shocking news coming out, the first thought on the mind of many riders would be concern & possible paranoia about the information obtained on the system by al Qaeda. The MTA was quick to issue a statement on the Bryant Neal Vinas story. Here is their statement which was sent to me & other transit media:

“As part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the MTA has been in constant communication with local and federal authorities as the investigation involving Bryant Neal Vinas developed. There was never an imminent threat to the system. The security of our entire transportation network and the safety of our customers continue to be the MTA’s top priorities.”

Background: Vinas has never been employed by the MTA or its vendors.

I will continue to follow up on this story including getting some verification as to why one story claims he worked for the MTA.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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New Entries

Posted by
on July 20th, 2009 at 3:52 pm

Let me apologize for the recent downtime. I should have some new entries up sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning. Thanks for the support!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Gov. Paterson Expected To Nominate New MTA Leader

Posted by
on July 14th, 2009 at 1:05 am

Late Sunday evening, I blogged about the New York Daily News’ exclusive report which indicated finance expert Jay Walder seemed to be Gov. Paterson’s top choice to run the beleaguered transit agency. In a followup story, Pete Donohue talks about how Gov. Paterson is expected to officially nominate Mr. Walder later today:

A transit executive who has held high-level posts in London and New York is expected to be nominated MTA chairman Tuesday by Gov. Paterson, sources told the Daily News.

Paterson is slated to announce Jay Walder as his choice to run the nation’s largest bus, subway and commuter train system, sources said.

The appointment must be approved by the state Senate, which reconvenes tomorrow but may soon break for the rest of the summer.

The News exclusively reported Saturday Walder had emerged as the top candidate for the newly merged positions of chairman and chief executive officer.

“He’s a good guy, a straight shooter,” said Gene Russianoff, staff attorney with the Straphangers Campaign.

Walder, 48, worked at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from 1983 to 1995, rising to chief financial officer and executive director. During his stint, he was on a fare policy task force that did the groundwork for the MTA’s termination of two-fare zones, Russianoff said.

Click here for the complete report.

My thoughts on this can be found in the previous entry I linked to in the opening paragraph.

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1

M6 Southbound Route Revised

Posted by
on July 13th, 2009 at 6:48 pm

Earlier today, MTA NYC Transit announced a southbound route revision for the M6. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release sent to me by the agency:

In order to provide more consistent service on the M6 route, effective Sunday, July 12, the southbound M6 buses have been rerouted across 23rd Street, rather than 14th Street.

South Ferry-bound M6 buses will operate along the existing route to 23rd Street. Buses will then turn left on 23rd Street, right on Park Avenue South and onto Broadway to 14th Street. At that point, it will resume its regular route.

New M6 southbound bus stops will be on West 23rd Street at 7th Avenue and 6th Avenue and on East 23rd Street at Broadway – all existing M23 stops. There will also be M6 stops on Park Avenue South at East 22nd Street, East 20th Street and East 18th Street and on Broadway at East 14th Street – the last three are existing M1 stops. Frequency and running times will remain the same. The northbound M6 route will remain unchanged.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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1

MTA & Cops Cut Subway Graffiti By 46%

Posted by
on July 13th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

For those who have ridden the NYC Subway for a long time, graffiti is something that in one way or another was apart of the system. For years, the MTA & NYPD have teamed up to combat the problem which once plagued the system completely. However in the present, the problem is considered much more isolated as compared to the past but that does not stop both agencies from combating it. Their latest efforts have proven effective as for the current year, graffiti raids have dropped by 46%. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more in this report:

Polic patrols and Transit surveillance teams have slashed the number of subway graffiti attacks nearly in half, officials told the Daily News.

Between January and May 2007, vandals trespassing in dark subway tunnels and railyards ringed with razor wire carried out 98 major spray-paint “hits.”

They have managed just 53 graffiti raids this year – a 46% drop – according to NYC Transit statistics.

“The word is getting out,” NYC Transit Vice President Vincent DeMarino said. “It’s not so easy in New York anymore. You have a good chance of getting caught.”

After a dramatic spike in vandalism, NYC Transit launched the “Eagle Team,” a surveillance outfit comprising mostly retired police detectives and supervisors, two years ago.

Click here for the complete report.

This is refreshing news to me as the physical destruction of public property is not art. I don’t care if the work rivaled the best drawings or paintings in history, subway stations, cars, tunnels, etc… are not the place for such work. I am also glad to see a reduction in scratchiti which might have been just as bad as eyesore if not worse. While the efforts to maintain a clean system are expensive, they are vital if we are to ever have the best possible product for riders. I also support complete prosecution of the creeps responsible for any destruction.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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