Coast Guard Investigates Possible Security Threat

The Coast Guard, along with other federal and local law enforcement agencies responded to a suspected terrorist threat aboard a cargo ship at Port Hueneme, Calif., on Monday, June 26. The Coast Guard received a report from the Director of Operations at the Oxnard Harbor District that a threatening message was discovered written on a steel beam in the cargo hold of the M/V Wild Lotus. The Port Hueneme Police Department, in coordination with the Oxnard Harbor District, closed the main gate of the port to control vehicle traffic flow and facilitate an uninterrupted investigation without completely closing the port. The Ventura County Sheriff’s bomb sniffing K-9 unit searched the Wild Lotus and as a safety precaution, searched two other vessels and warehouses in the port. The Port Hueneme Police Department also conducted a dive survey of the vessel. No explosive materials were discovered in the searches. This incident is still under investigation.