After arresting a British man who was thought to be looking at bombmaking Web sites at the Punta Gorda (Fla.) Public Library July 29, police evacuated the building when they discovered suspicious liquids in his backpack.
Nigel B. Gates, 45, of London, was being held at Charlotte County Jail on immigration violations; his visa expired 11 years ago and he gave a false name during questioning, according to a July 30 Associated Press report. He told police the bottles contained paint thinner and jewelry cleaner he used to clean cars.
A library patron had called police after observing Gates’s online search, according to the July 30 Fort Myers News-Press.
Police spokesman Lt. Jason Ciaschini said investigators took the hard drive Gates had used as evidence. He added that it’s not illegal to look at bombmaking sites and it is unlikely Gates will face any other charges. “Looking up stuff on the Internet—everybody has freedom to do that,” said Ciaschini.
Police reports released July 31 said none of the Web sites Gates accessed had anything to do with bombs, but they were devoted to alternative medicine and ancient scientific achievements in Baghdad, the News-Press reported August 1.
Police in nearby Collier County impounded two computers July 3 from the learning resources center of Edison Community College’s Naples campus after three men of Middle Eastern origin had used them to access Islamic Web sites. However, investigators could find no suspicious files and returned both to the college the following week.
Posted August 5, 2002.