A Monday press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which confirmed the detainment of two suspects on the FBI’s Terrorism Watch List at the southern border, is no longer publicly accessible.
As of Tuesday morning, the link to the release directs to a page displaying the message “Access denied.”
“You are not authorized to access this page,” it reads.
The original press release, which is archived online, details how CBP arrested two Yemeni nationals who were illegally trying to cross the southern border during the last two months. Both were on the FBI’s Terrorism Watch List and No-Fly list, and are now in custody.
The first, a 33-year-old man who was arrested on January 29, attempted to “approximately three miles west” of the port of entry at Calexico, Calif. “Agents found a cellular phone sim card hidden underneath the insole of his shoe,” the press release added.
The second, a 26-year-old man who was detained on March 30, tried crossing the border close to the first attempt — “approximately two miles west of the Calexico Port of Entry,” according to the release. CBP did not say if the crossings were related, but did release pictures of both men with their eyes blacked out.
“Part of the Border Patrol’s mission states we will protect the country from terrorists,” Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino said in the since-blocked release. “Today, like every other day, our agents did that. These apprehensions at our border illustrates the importance of our mission and how we can never stop being vigilant in our everyday mission to protect this great country.”
CBP did not return a request for comment on why the release is no longer public. Robert Daniels, the press officer listed on the archived post, also did not return a request for comment.
Send a tip to the news team at NR.