WALPOLE - Although alleged shoebomber Richard Reid has been transferred to MCI-Cedar Junction from a lower level security facility in Plymouth, local police believe the town is no more a terrorist target than it was before.
Reid, 28, is accused of trying to blow up American Airlines Flight 63, which was bound from Paris to Miami in December, by igniting explosives planted in his shoes. The British national has been indicted on several charges and is being held pending a trial tentatively scheduled for the late fall in U.S. District Court in Boston.
The alleged al Qaeda terrorist had been held at the Plymouth House of Correction until last week. He was moved to MCI-Cedar Junction Thursday for undisclosed reasons, according to chief deputy marshal Timothy Bane, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service.
"It's certainly a far more secure facility than where he was," Lt. Richard Stillman said yesterday. "It's far more secure, so that makes sense."
The institution where Reid was being held is a county-run jail, whereas MCI-Cedar Junction is a state prison, and one of two in the state that is maximum security, classified as Level 6 security.
Stillman said he does not believe having such a high-profile subject at MCI-Cedar Junction is reason to believe the town is any more of a terrorist target than at any time before.
"I wouldn't say so," he said.
Since Sept. 11, local police, like in other surrounding communities, have been on a heightened state of alert for any signs of terrorist activity. Ties with agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been strengthened and communication is more of a two-way street with local agencies, police have said.
Earlier this month, Canton Police Chief Peter Bright warned that town's selectmen that Canton is a natural terrorist target because it is home to the son of Pakistan's president and a company working on a smallpox vaccine.
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's son is living in Canton while attending college, Selectman Avril Elkort confirmed earlier this year. Musharraf was in Canton several weeks ago to visit his son before heading to Washington, D.C. to meet with President George Bush.
The town is also the home of Acambis Inc., a biopharmaceutical company with a facility in town that has a 20-year contract with the Centers for Disease Control to develop a new smallpox vaccine.
WALPOLE - Although alleged shoebomber Richard Reid has been transferred to MCI-Cedar Junction from a lower level security facility in Plymouth, local police believe the town is no more a terrorist target than it was before.
Reid, 28, is accused of trying to blow up American Airlines Flight 63, which was bound from Paris to Miami in December, by igniting explosives planted in his shoes. The British national has been indicted on several charges and is being held pending a trial tentatively scheduled for the late fall in U.S. District Court in Boston.
The alleged al Qaeda terrorist had been held at the Plymouth House of Correction until last week. He was moved to MCI-Cedar Junction Thursday for undisclosed reasons, according to chief deputy marshal Timothy Bane, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service.
"It's certainly a far more secure facility than where he was," Lt. Richard Stillman said yesterday. "It's far more secure, so that makes sense."
The institution where Reid was being held is a county-run jail, whereas MCI-Cedar Junction is a state prison, and one of two in the state that is maximum security, classified as Level 6 security.
Stillman said he does not believe having such a high-profile subject at MCI-Cedar Junction is reason to believe the town is any more of a terrorist target than at any time before.
"I wouldn't say so," he said.
Since Sept. 11, local police, like in other surrounding communities, have been on a heightened state of alert for any signs of terrorist activity. Ties with agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been strengthened and communication is more of a two-way street with local agencies, police have said.
Earlier this month, Canton Police Chief Peter Bright warned that town's selectmen that Canton is a natural terrorist target because it is home to the son of Pakistan's president and a company working on a smallpox vaccine.
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's son is living in Canton while attending college, Selectman Avril Elkort confirmed earlier this year. Musharraf was in Canton several weeks ago to visit his son before heading to Washington, D.C. to meet with President George Bush.
The town is also the home of Acambis Inc., a biopharmaceutical company with a facility in town that has a 20-year contract with the Centers for Disease Control to develop a new smallpox vaccine.
"He's a citizen or here on a visa," Stillman said of Musharraf's son. "He's free to do what he wants. I see that as very different."
Police Lt. Scott Bushway said police have not changed their course of business because of Reid's prison transfer.
"Are we doing anything different because he's there? No," Bushway said.
Reid is facing trial on charges he tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight Dec. 22 by igniting explosives hidden in his sneakers. The American Airlines flight from Paris-to-Miami had 197 passengers and 14 crew members on board. It landed at Logan International Airport after passengers and flight attendants restrained Reid.
He has pleaded innocent to the charges against him, including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder. If convicted, he could receive five life sentences.
Information from the Associated Press was used in preparing this report.
