Mass. Reservoir Trespassers Cleared of Terrorist Suspicions

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Seven alleged chemical engineers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore were arrested Wednesday morning trespassing at the Quabbin Reservoir in Massachusetts, TheBlaze reported.

Given that the Quabbin Reservoir, located about 65 miles east of Boston, is one of the largest man-made public water supplies in the county, and the fact that the seven individuals cited their backgrounds as “chemical engineers” and “recent college graduates” as reason for trespassing, some were a little nervous about the news.

Was this really just a simple case of trespassing or was this something more sinister?

As it turns out, it was just a case of trespassing, according to the FBI and Massachusetts police.

“David Procopio, spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police, said that following an extensive investigation, officials believe the seven people, recent college graduates who were originally from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, were not engaged in any criminal activity, other than trespassing after dark at the reservoir,” masslive.com reports.

FBI added that there was never any threat to the water supply.

“Following a thorough investigation into the seven people who were observed Tuesday in a restricted area of the Quabbin Reservoir in Ware, the Massachusetts State Police and the FBI have determined that the subjects have no connection to any other criminal activity or groups,” said Procopio.

The only crime the seven individuals, five men and two women, committed was trespassing.

“The original incident triggered a terrorism alert across the state of Massachusetts. State police notified the FBI office in Springfield and the Commonwealth Fusion Center, the state’s central hub for collecting and analyzing data related to terror threats,” the masslive.com report notes.

“State police also increased patrols at the Quabbin and other water supply regions across the state,” the report adds. “An FBI official said earlier the agency conducted background checks on the seven people and found nothing suspicious.”

Law enforcement officials have not yet released the trespassers' names to the public.

Procopio said the state police probably won’t release the names unless the court “determines the evidence against them warrants proceeding with a trial.”

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• Mass. Police Catch 7 ‘Chemical Engineers’ from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, & Singapore Trespassing Major Reservoir

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