Security Officials - Officials Reuters - Not Terrorism - In Was Prank

By Jim Forsyth

SAN ANTONIO Wed Oct 19, 2011 9:51pm EDT

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Officials in San Antonio say several Moroccan men busted during a courthouse break-in in the beginning Wednesday were pranksters who seem to were likely intoxicated.

"There is not any purpose to consider that is a terrorist incident," Bexar County Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz advised reporters Wednesday afternoon.

Three from the guys were arrested because they travelled outside the 120-year-old Bexar County Courthouse first Wednesday, plus not one but two other folks had been arrested in a very family motor vehicle parked exterior that courthouse.

At your time, administrators claimed photographs of "infrastructure" discovered in the RV lifted concerns.

The men, almost all into their twenties, face prison burglary charges, explained Cliff Herberg, associate region law firm for Bexar County.

All five were given birth to around Morocco, reside in France, as well as appeared inside United States continue four week period on the airfare from London to New York, officers said. Ortiz said these are for a still-valid 90-day tourist mastercard and also unsurprisingly rented the particular RV throughout New York.

"I don't know just what exactly his or her arguments were, however that they came the following and they ended up partying at a number of watering holes before returning to the Courthouse," Ortiz said, incorporating that a number of light beer baby bottles were within the RV.

"There is definitely absolutely no indication that they meant to do virtually any problems towards the courtroom, they've got also been supportive with us, and also you don't have explanation to be able to suppose this seemed to be terroristic activity of every description."

Ortiz claimed simply no weaponry ended up within their possession. He said how the personal training are "pranksters, not terrorists," and also joked that in the event "their mothers observed them, they would not necessarily always be pleased."

Surveillance video indicates one of the guys going for walks along a new courthouse hallway being dressed in your huge, Mexican-style sombrero, when another male sometimes appears playing having a judge's gavel.

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, in addition to Department regarding Homeland Security officials will be still needed for the investigation, Herberg said.

Ortiz identified that this situation bought a lot of scrutiny because of the adult men tend to be are actually together with Arabic names.

"If ?t had been a number of young children here locally of which pennyless into the particular courthouse for a prank, and then the idea would have happen to be taken care of differently," they said.

(Editing by means of Corrie MacLaggan and also Jerry Norton )