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Rappahannock authorities puzzled over rural county's inclusion among possible terrorist targets Date published: 12/24/2003
Is the rural county famous for its nude men a potential target of naked aggression? A report yesterday identified Rappahannock County as a possible al-Qaida terrorist target. Authorities in the county about 60 miles west of Fredericksburg said they have no idea why that would be the case. "As far as we can tell, there is nothing to the report," Maj. Chris Williams of the Rappahannock County Sheriff's Office said yesterday afternoon. "From what we've been told, no specific targets have been mentioned." The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that "such obscure locales as Rappahannock, a county in Virginia" were among possible terrorist targets listed by intelligence officials. This past weekend, the FBI sent a warning to County Administrator John W. McCarthy. "They are aware of some sort of threat," McCarthy told The Associated Press yesterday. "They had intercepted some sort of phone conversation where the word 'Rappahannock' popped up." That could mean anything, he said. "There's also the Rappahannock River and the town of Tappahannock. We're not altogether sure it has anything to do with us." Rappahannock County has no cities or even towns with a population over 1,000. It is mainly a farming area and has no manufacturing plants or known federal government facilities of any kind. The Los Angeles Times report said the county had several such facilities. But just in case, McCarthy said, "We've made sure all of our staffing in volunteer rescue companies are ready to go in the next few days." Rescue workers in Rappahannock have been asked not to leave the county over the holiday. Williams said his office has been in contact with both the FBI and the Virginia State Police and that neither law enforcement agency knew anything about a specific threat to Rappahannock. "I think it is something that just got blown out of proportion," Williams said. Rappahannock was most recently in the news after high school parents printed a fund-raising calendar featuring county men in the nude. To reach DONNIE JOHNSTON: DJohn40330@aol.com
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