Article Published: Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 8:25:59 PM PST The Daily Bulletin By WILL MATTHEWS STAFF WRITER

RIVERSIDE — A Riverside man who was arrested last year at Ontario International Airport for allegedly making remarks about a bomb was arrested Wednesday by the FBI after driving his car through a military barricade at March Air Reserve Base.

Eid Elwirelwir, 26, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Venezuela, drove through a coiled-wire barricade designed to restrict traffic from a road leading to a closed, gated entrance to the base, authorities say.

Elwirelwir then proceeded to crash into a locked chain link fence blocking entrance to the base.

Elwirelwir was not injured and was initially taken into custody by Marine Corps sentries guarding the gate.

According to an FBI criminal complaint, Elwirelwir expressed numerous anti-American sentiments and said he believed he had been oppressed by America because he was Muslim.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Bosley said Thursday that Elwirelwir was picked up at his home Wednesday by members of the FBI's joint terrorism task force and charged with destruction of government property.

In February 2002, Elwirelwir was arrested at ONT after security screeners there said he mentioned a bomb in his shoe.

He was arrested by airport police for making a false bomb threat at a screening checkpoint.

Elwirelwir became irate after being arrested and told police he had simply asked screeners whether they thought he had a bomb in his shoe.

Michael Martinez, a deputy district attorney in San Bernardino County, said Thursday that after reviewing the case he declined to press charges against Elwirelwir, believing it to fall more within federal jurisdiction than local jurisdiction.

Martinez said he passed the case on to the U.S. Attorney's Office in both Los Angeles and Riverside after discussing it with officials there and with the FBI.

U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Thom Mrozek said Thursday that no charges were filed by his office against Elwirelwir in relation to the ONT incident.

He declined to say why no charges were filed.

Bosley said Thursday she was not aware of any previous incident involving Elwirelwir, and said no federal charges had ever been pressed against him.

She said the FBI was not investigating this week's incident in Riverside as terrorist-related.

"He certainly made some anti-American statements, but he has the right to do that," Bosley said. "There is a pending investigation and anything is possible, but at this point there is just the one charge."

Will Matthews can be reached by e-mail w_matthews@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9333.

TCPalm.com By staff report April 4, 2003

Dodgers outfielder Franklin Gutierrez circles the bases three times in a season-opening victory ... but hits only one ball over the fence.

DAYTONA BEACH — Franklin Gutierrez couldn't have had a more memorable season opener for the Vero Beach Dodgers.

Gutierrez, a 20-year-old outfielder from Venezuela, hit two home runs — one inside-the-park — and also circled the bases on his own single as the Dodgers defeated the Daytona Cubs 5-1.

Four Vero Beach pitchers combined on a four-hitter and shut the Cubs out until a ninth-inning home run.

The fun began for Gutierrez when he singled Ronte Langs to third in the third inning, which began with Vero Beach already ahead 1-0.

Langs scored on the play when Daytona left fielder Aron Weston's throw home skipped off the catcher and up the first-base line.

First baseman Micah Hoffpauir fielded the ball and tried to throw Gutierrez out attempting to take third. His throw was wild, too, allowing Gutierrez to score.

Gutierrez circled the bases again in the fifth after both Weston and Cubs center fielder Mike Mallory dove and missed his line drive into left-center. He hit his other home run in the eighth, over the fence in left-center, likewise a solo shot.

Dodgers starting pitcher Pilkington, a 20-year-old right-hander from California, allowed three hits in five innings. Pilkington was 8-4 in the Class A South Atlantic League last year and 2-1 with Vero Beach. Eric Hull and Brian Steffek extended the shutout until the ninth, when Dimas Reina gave up a solo home run.

Edwin Bellorin and Thomari Story-Hardin had two hits each for the Dodgers.

Vero Beach plays at Daytona Beach again tonight before opening its home schedule Saturday.

Posted on Fri, Apr. 04, 2003 ALEXANDRA OLSON Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - The slide showing people jumping to their deaths from a World Trade Center tower on Sept. 11, 2001, drew gasps from the audience at the Museum of Science in Caracas.

"Hundreds of people in the top floors had a tough decision to make," retired New York firefighter Dan Daly said Thursday as he narrated the slide show. "And many people chose to jump instead of burn to death."

The world is unlikely to forget such images. But Daly, who was captain of Engine 54 on Sept. 11 and retired in November, wants to make sure people don't forget something else: the way America came together in the aftermath of the 2001 terror attacks.

In tours sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the 54-year-old firefighter has spent the last year speaking to school children, rescue workers and government officials in Chile, Brazil, Paraguay and Nicaragua.

Thursday's presentation was his last during a seven-day visit to Venezuela. He also addressed students in Caracas and two other cities.

"After Sept. 11, I was so angry I felt like picking up a gun," he said. "Instead, I picked up a microphone. It's part of my healing process."

Daly told of looking up one day "on top of that horrible pile" and feeling uplifted by the dozens of volunteers from across the world working by his side.

He remembers the night 200 New Yorkers held a candlelight vigil and sang "God Bless America" outside his firehouse. He recalls one firefighter who rushed to the scene despite being on sick leave. He left a note at a firehouse: "I'm going into the towers to see if I can help. If I do not return, please tell my wife and children I love them very much." He didn't make it back.

A college girl came by with drinks one day. Priests and chiropractors set up tables. At first firefighters wrinkled their noses at the chiropractors "but after the second or third week the tables were always full," Daly said to chuckles from the audience.

"The good deeds were too many to count," Daly said, wearing his black dress uniform. "To me, the legacy of Sept. 11 is people coming together. I hope people realize the power we have when it comes to compassion and teamwork."

There were also tragic stories. Daly paused at photograph of firefighters whisking away the body of New York Fire Department chaplain Michael Judge.

"He would always be there on the front line while we were putting out fires. So it was that he lost his life on Sept. 11," he said.

He stops at another photograph of a line of firefighters carefully picking through rubble. He remembers being in one of those lines one day and asking the firefighter next to him if he knew anyone who was missing. "Yes, my brother. I'm digging for my brother," was the reply.

Daly doesn't mention the Iraq war during his presentations, but audiences frequently bring it up, he said.

"There have been some tough questions from the young children," he said before the slide show. "They want to know how the United States can talk about peace and attack Iraq."

Daly supports the war and tells listeners why.

"I'm a New York firefighter who spent a lot of time digging up body parts at Ground Zero," he said. "I've seen what terrorism can do to people. These are extraordinary times that call for extraordinary means."

But Iraq didn't come up during Thursday's talk. The presentation had the effect Daly wanted.

"It inspired me to continue doing what I'm doing," said Dixon Linch, a 25-year-old firefighter in the audience. "To know that more than 300 of our colleagues died - It's an indescribable feeling."

Press Journal By Marc Dadigan staff writer April 4, 2003

About six years ago, gas-station owner Gene Duffy was chasing a 25-year-old driver who hadn't paid for a tank of gas, when he was struck by a van and knocked to the ground.

Now Duffy doesn't quibble over a few dollars.

"After (the accident), I said to heck with the money. I don't expect any cashier to run after anybody," said the owner of Duffy's Mobil near Interstate 95 and State Road 60.

It's probably a good thing Duffy has given up his pursuits, as some gas-station owners say gas drive-offs have been on the rise in the county, especially since gas prices spiked a few weeks ago because of the onset of war and an oil worker strike in Venezuela.

However, law-enforcement officials said reports of gas thefts might have increased slightly but seem to have remained steady over the past month.

"There has been a lot concern from retailers about there being additional drive-offs," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Deputy Joe Flescher. "But we haven't seen a tremendous rise in reported incidents."

There have been six Sheriff's Office reports in the past two weeks of gas drive-offs, but some gas-station employees say they don't report drive-offs because they think there's little chance of catching these petroleum bandits unless video cameras or employees record the license plates.

"I'm a small-timer . . . I'm making two, three pennies a gallon, and this stuff is happening? It's just bad people who do this," said Dennis Rodricks, owner of Old Dixie Chevron at 755 Fourth St. "The police can't help me."

In the past three days, there have been four drive-offs at his station, Rodricks said, but he rarely reports the incidents to the police even though the thefts are hurting in his business.

Law enforcement has nabbed its share of gas thieves from the Hess Station at 8418 20th St., said associate Mike Shaw, as the 20-pump station uses video cameras and binoculars to monitor would-be purloiners.

However, in the past few weeks, Shaw estimated that gas drive-offs had doubled at the station, which usually has a couple drive-offs a day.

"We have a few get away, but they don't seem to realize that gas drive-offs help prices go up," Shaw said. "They also don't realize that cashiers could lose their job if there's enough drive-offs on their shift."

Flescher recommended that gas stations, in addition to being well-lit, should try a pre-pay system for gasoline transactions. Otherwise, customers always receive the product before they pay at gas stations, he said.

While Flescher said he was surprised to hear some gas stations didn't report thefts, he said thefts of diesel fuel are almost always reported as the station can face a loss of $200 or more.

Although stealing gas is usually a misdemeanor charge of retail theft, judges can take away a pilferer's driver's license if convicted, Flescher said.

"I don't think saving $30 a gas is worth the risk these thieves are taking," he said.

Both Flescher and Duffy added sometimes drive-offs aren't criminal in nature but simply a misunderstanding or mechanical error. Some elderly customers have innocently forgotten to pay, said Duffy, who was one gas station owner not experiencing more thefts in recent weeks.

"I've been in the business 10 years, and, whether it's 99 cents or $1.50 a gallon, there are going to be drive-offs," Duffy said.

-marc.dadigan@scripps.com

IRNA Caracas, April 4, Itar-Tass/ACSNA/IRNA -- Venezuelan Vice-President Jose Vicente Rangel confirmed resolute support of the Venezuelan leadership for Russia's firm stand on denouncing the American-British military action against Iraq.
The vice-president said at a meeting with Russian Ambassador in Caracas Alexei Yermakov on Thursday that the Venezuelan leadership resolutely opposed continuation of this military action and stood out for "a return of a settlement of the Iraqi problem under the auspices of the UN".
The operation of the anti-Iraqi coalition becomes more
procrastinated. It will entail numerous victims, above all among
civilians, and "will tell negatively on stabilization of the system of international relations as well as in the humanitarian, economic and ecological sphere," Rangel emphasized.
/FM/LS/AR
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