Their odd behavior was noted by several people during a period spanning several weeks:

FBI agents in Seattle have asked the public to help identify two men spotted behaving in an “unusual” manner during several trips on the nation’s largest ferry system.

Federal officials released a pair of photos of the men to the public Monday after they were shown to employees of the ferry system. The two men appear to be of Middle Eastern descent and are seen standing against the rail of a Washington State Ferries system vessel.

FBI field agents told ABC News’ Seattle affiliate KOMO-TV that the two men were observed on ferries and seemed unusually interested in how the boats worked and docking procedures. They were seen on multiple ferry runs over a period of four to six weeks and ultimately photographed by a ferry employee.

It was the Washington Joint Analytical Center, established in 2003 as a clearing house for terror-related tips in Washington, that pieced together reports about the men from several daily ferry commuters over several weeks.

At least one media outlet doesn’t seem t too interested in helping the FBI get to the bottom of this:

While the TV stations aired the photos and posted them online, both the Seattle Times and the PI did not. “Running a photograph of two men who may as easily be tourists from Texas as terrorists from the Mideast with a story that makes them out to be persons of interest in a terrorism investigation seems problematic, to say the least,” explains PI Managing Editor David McCumber.

The release was debated heavily within the FBI but they eventually decided that public safety was primary:

Gomez readily acknowledged that there was internal controversy among the FBI’s law enforcement partners over whether to release the picture of the two men. “Issues of privacy and perhaps civil liberties,” Gomez said. “However, the consensus opinion was that we had an overriding law enforcement interest in publishing these photos.”

Now imagine the outcry from the Seattle PI if, in the wake of a significant terrorist attack on the ferry system, it was discovered that the FBI sat on the photographs of these men instead of using every means at their disposal to get to the bottom of this.

If you think you know these men, or have any additional information, contact the Seattle office of the FBI.

Also Blogging:

NewsBusters
Also, the people who depend on the P-I for information - the paper has shown that it cares more about protecting the sensitivities of the two mystery men that it does about the safety of the tens of thousands of area residents who ride the ferries each day.

Michelle Malkin
al Qaeda-linked operatives have targeted ferries before for mass murder and violence. In Feburary 2004, the Times noted, “a man boarded a 1,747-passenger ferry bound from Manila to Bacolod in the Philippines. He carried eight pounds of TNT in a cardboard box onto the ship, left it on a bunk, then slipped off the ferry, according to news reports. An hour after departure, an explosion ripped through the ship, starting a fire that killed more than 100 people and left the ship foundering. Authorities have arrested a man who admitted to the bombing and is a member of an Islamic separatist faction with ties to al-Qaida.” It was the world’s deadliest terror attack at sea. Muslim convert Redondo Dellosa admitted he planted the bomb.

Wizbang
CAIR will try to bully the American people into keeping silent — don’t. The sixth anniversary of 9-11 approaches. Remain alert and aware.

Captain’s Quarters
The blogosphere — doing the job American media won’t do since 2001.

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