City firefighters are on higher alert in Atlanta
By Maureen Boyle, Standard-Times staff writer
When Dennis Macedo heard speculation that a terrorist bomb caused TWA flight 800 to explode and crash off Long Island, his heart quickened.
As one of two New Bedford area firefighters heading to Atlanta last week to join a federal team in case terrorists or a disaster strikes the Olympics, he knew he would be on full alert for the next week.
"If this is a terrorist bomb, there's going to be even more security," said Mr. Macedo, a New Bedford firefighter who, along with Firefighter Michael Gomes, is part of a 62-member New England team in Atlanta. "We knew security was going to be pretty tight. It will be a little tighter now."
However, despite the heightened awareness, a man carrying a loaded gun and knife slipped past security at the Olympic Stadium less than two hours before the opening ceremony.
The man, wearing a security uniform, was arrested Friday night after he failed to show a ticket or an identification badge when asked by security officers, police said.
While the two New Bedford firefighters remain on alert in Atlanta, federal investigators yesterday continued efforts to learn what caused the jumbo jet to explode but, so far, sophisticated tests on a wing fragment from a TWA jumbo jet found no trace of explosives, contradicting an earlier test finding.
Original tests done by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms had shown a borderline positive reaction indicating an explosive residue, but a federal official in Washington who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said that was not confirmed in later testing. A source at the scene of the investigation had told the AP that traces of explosive material were found on a piece of wing recovered from the downed jumbo jet.
The source in Washington said it was not unusual to have a quick, borderline response that is not borne out by later, more extensive testing. Although the wing doesn't have any traces of explosive residue, investigators are eager to examine a large load of additional metal, expected to be salvaged today.
Besides the possibility of a bomb, the FBI also is studying other possibilities in the explosion, including a catastrophic mechanical failure or a surface-to-air rocket attack.
FBI agents investigating the rocket theory seized the records of a Long Island marina where two men rented a boatslip the night before the crash and did not ask for their deposit back after returning, the Daily News reported today.
The two New Bedford firefighters are members of the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has received extensive rescue training. There are two other local members of the team who have been trained, Tom Carriero and Michael Dandurand.
Mr. Macedo said he does not believe they will be diverted to the Long Island crash scene yet but may be kept abreast of what is going on in case the team is needed.
While the New Bedford firefighters stand by in Atlanta until July 26, Coast Guard officials and boats from Massachusetts have been joining the search effort at Long Island.
Authorities scrambled two helicopters and a jet from Otis Air Force base to the scene, shortly after the crash was reported, and the Coast Guard cutters Sanibel and Monomoy are also there.
"We responded fairly quickly," said Chief Petty Officer Glenn Rosenholm. "Search and rescue is our No. 1 priority. We are hoping that we can find survivors out there."
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