USCG Establishes Security Zone at Kailua Bay for Presidential Visit
Coast Guard law enforcement officers will enforce a temporary security zone in the waters of Kailua Bay, Oahu. To ensure the safety of the President Obama, the temporary security zone will be in effect from 6 a.m. Friday to 10 p.m. Jan. 5, 2014, unless canceled earlier by the Captain of the Port Honolulu, Capt. Shannon Gilreath. The Coast Guard is coordinating with the Honolulu Police Department, Marine Corps Base Hawaii and other federal, state, and county law enforcement agencies on patrols of the area under the direction of the U.S. Secret Service.
Port of Honolulu Temporarily Closes
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port responded this morning to a report that explosive-detecting dogs had alerted security officials at pier 2 of a suspicious pallet of boxes. Two different dogs had singled out a particular pallet for potentially containing explosive devices or residue. The pallet contained loosely packaged Fed-EX boxes from a shipment originating in Las Vegas, NV. The pallet was due to be on loaded on the cruise ship Crystal Harmony this morning. In response to the reports, the Captain of the Port closed the Port of Honolulu at 8:00 this morning to incoming and outgoing marine traffic. This measure was enacted as a precaution until the pallet can be further inspected by officials from the Honolulu Police Department Bomb Squad, Customs, Harbor Police, and the FBI.
Threats on Cruise Ship Prompt Federal Investigation
A 20-year-old woman is facing two counts of terrorism-related charges after allegedly penning threatening notes aboard Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas. As a result of the notes, the Legend of the Seas sailing was interrupted for federal investigation of the vessel and to question its 2,400 passengers and crew members. The Legend of the Seas was diverted from its planned destination of Hilo, Hawaii on April 23, to an anchorage located off of Oahu, Hawaii. During the investigation, Kelley Marie Ferguson of Laguna Hills, Calif., confessed to writing the two notes threatening to kill all U.S. citizens aboard the Legend of the Seas in hopes of ending a family vacation early to return to her boyfriend. She appeared in federal court Monday and a hearing is set for Thursday.
