Georgia Motor Trucking Association

Alexandria, VA—A report made by a trained Highway Watch® participant to the program’s Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) has prompted an arrest and subsequent joint investigation by New York and Rhode Island authorities.

Last month a Highway Watch® participant made a report to the program’s Call Center regarding suspected suspicious behavior by a commercial driver student seeking a HAZMAT endorsement. That person was later identified as Mohammed Yusef Mullawala, an Indian resident of Pakistani descent. The Call Center subsequently relayed the information to the Highway Watch® Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) for validation and analysis. The Highway Watch® ISAC supports federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as other entities responsible for national security, with unique intelligence analysis and assessment gathered from Highway Watch® participants and other sources. After the information was validated a classified “Advisory” was issued to law enforcement agencies nationwide.

A joint investigation was initiated by investigators from the Rhode Island State Fusion Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force in Rhode Island , New York & New Jersey, and the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Investigators learned that Yusef possessed driver's licenses in three different states, including New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island . Investigators also learned that when Mohammed Yusef Mullawala obtained his driver's license from the Rhode Island Registry of Motor Vehicles, he had provided a false statement indicating that he was a Rhode Island resident. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted an inquiry concerning Mohammed Yusef Mullawala's immigration status, determined that Mohammed Yusef Mullawala was a citizen of India, was in the United State s on a temporary student visa, and that the visa had expired. Based on this information, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement obtained an administrative warrant for Mohammed Yusef Mullawala's arrest.

On December 5, 2006, Mullawala was taken into custody by Rhode Island authorities and was turned over to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He will be in custody until a hearing is held at Immigration Court in Boston, which is expected to occur within the next few weeks.

“This investigation shows how effective we can be when Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies work together to protect our nation’s homeland security,” said Bill Jacobs, VP of Highway Watch®. “We’re pleased to have been a part of this investigation.”

The Highway Watch® ISAC was created through a cooperative agreement between the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Highway Watch® trains highway professionals to identify and report safety and security concerns on our nation's roads. The program prepares hundreds of thousands of transportation professionals to respond in the event they or their cargo are the target of a terrorist attack and to share valuable intelligence with Homeland Security if they witness potential threats.

When a security call is made to the Highway Watch® hotline, a report of the incident is forwarded to the Highway Watch® Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Highway Watch® ISAC) where a team of professional intelligence analysts assesses and evaluates the reports. Incidents that pose a potential threat to national security are then shared with government intelligence officials and other law enforcement agencies. Highway Watch® ISAC products are disseminated to approximately 150 major government agencies/offices with over 600 individual recipients at the federal, state, and local levels.

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