FBI probes Boston terror threat tip

FBI agents in Boston are searching for 14 Chinese and two Iraqis following a tip that they might be planning an attack on the city.

Airport and transport authorities have responded by boosting security – adding patrols, activating radiation detectors and posting pictures of some of the suspects.

The agency announced that it was investigating suspects – including Chinese two Iraqis – but that did not signal that credible evidence had emerged indicating such a plot exists, FBI spokesman Joe Parris said.

“Information is still uncorroborated and from a source of unknown reliability and motive,” said Parris.

An official in Washington said the person who called in the tip claimed that four Chinese – two men and two women – entered the US from Mexico and were awaiting a shipment of “nuclear oxide” that would follow them to Boston.

At Logan Airport, where two of the planes were hijacked on the September 11 terrorist attacks, the tip was eing taken seriously, according to Dennis Treece, director of corporate security.

Pictures of four Chinese suspects released by the FBI were taped inside booths where underground transport tokens are sold, and operators of underground parking garages started searching vehicles across the city.