FBI investigates oil plant assault
Alert issued for dark-colored GMC Yukon with tinted windows
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ANETH, Utah (CNN) -- The FBI is investigating a possible terror-related incident in southeastern Utah in which a man at an oil processing plant reported being assaulted by two Middle Eastern men who questioned him about the plant's operations, authorities said Thursday.
Kevin Eaton, a supervisory FBI special agent in Salt Lake City, said they received a report "that is terrorism-related and we're responding to it." He said an individual said he "was confronted by Middle Eastern men and questions were asked."
The alleged incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday (1:30 a.m. EST Thursday) at an oil processing plant owned by Exxon-Mobil on a Navajo land near the small town of Aneth in the remote southeastern corner of the state, said Rick Bailey, the director of San Juan County Emergency Management.
Bailey said a plant employee reported he was at a building on the plant complex when he was assaulted by two men with guns. He said the two appeared to be Middle Eastern. There were no other witnesses to the incident.
"The subjects appeared to be interested in the workings of the plant," Bailey said. "Some questions were asked of the employee about the operation of the plant."
He added that the employee also said "he had no previous interaction, to his knowledge, with these people."
The employee sustained light injuries, but was not hospitalized and returned to his home early Thursday. He was "thoroughly shaken up, but medically in pretty good shape," Bailey said.
The man reported that the two left in a dark-colored GMC Yukon, with four doors and dark-tinted windows. The vehicle did not have a front license plate and it was unclear if a tag was on the back, said Bailey.
The employee described them as Middle Eastern based on their appearance and because they spoke "very broken English," according to Bailey.
Authorities have alerted law enforcement agencies in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah to be on the lookout for the vehicle. San Juan County authorities also have notified other oil-related plants and facilities in the region to be alert, and county schools have been placed on lockdown. Children can leave campuses only if escorted by parents, Bailey said.
"We take it as a credible threat. We're concerned that they were armed," he said. "We are taking increased patrols and asking residents to be on higher alert."
