VIGILANCE II – AT 9:50 A.M. ET:  From the Santiago (Chile) Times:

Mohamed Saif Ur Rehman (28), a student of Spanish and Hotel Management in Santiago, was visiting the U.S. embassy on Monday to request a work visa to the United States when the alarm of an explosives detector went off. The student denied any connection to unauthorized materials.

U.S Ambassador to Chile Paul E. Simons told the Santiago Times that after embassy security officials detected the explosive residue on the Pakistani man "the case was turned over to Chilean police." “The U.S. Embassy keeps close contact to Chilean law enforcement," said Simon.

Rehman had been living in Chile four months and arrived at the embassy at 15.00 p.m. on Monday. Security officials contacted a special Chilean police unit (Gope de Carabineros), which then sent agents with a detection dog that reacted immediately at smelling the student.

A second test with a detection machine by the police had the same result. The possible presence of explosive residue was established on the student’s hands, pockets, cell phone and his documents.

COMMENT:  We must be careful, but the story is fascinating.  A hotel management student, ay?  Remember the attacks on hotels in Mumbai? 

By the way, why would a Pakistani study hotel management in Chile?  Is there a big tourist trade between Pakistan and Santiago?  That must be it.

Curioser and curioser.  Eternal vigilance, as they say.

May 12, 2010