FBI SERVES WARRANT ON DEMENTED OBAMA SUPPORTER WHO HACKED PALIN'S EMAIL

The net closes. I think this kid has been leaving anonymous comments here lately.

The FBI is stepping up its investigation into the possibility that a University of Tennessee student hacked into the personal e-mail of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

A person who identified himself as a witness tells 10 News that agents with the FBI served a federal search warrant at the Fort Sanders residence of David Kernell early Sunday morning. Kernell lives in the Commons apartment complex at 1115 Highland Ave.

David Kernell is the son of Mike Kernell, a Democratic state representative from Memphis.

A Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed there has been "investigatory activity" in Knoxville regarding the Palin case, but she said there are no publicly available search warrants, and no charges have been filed.

A separate law enforcement source confirmed to 10 News that a search warrant was served on Kernell's apartment.

According to the witness, several agents arrived at The Commons of Knoxville around midnight.

They presented their badges upon entering Kernell's apartment, where several students were having a party, and took down their names.

He says Kernell's three roommates were also subpoenaed, and must testify this week in Chattanooga.

UPDATED REPORT: SON OF TENNESSEE DEM. STATE REP. TARGET OF PALIN EMAIL HACKER PROBE

Well, you had to know it wasn't going to be Dan Quayle's kids:

State Rep. Mike Kernell said today that he was aware of Internet rumors about his son being the subject of speculation that he accessed the personal e-mail of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Asked whether he or his son, a student at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, had been contacted by authorities investigating the break-in of Palin's account, he responded:

"Me, no."

As far as his 20-year-old son, David, he said: "I can't say. That doesn't mean he has or hasn't (been contacted by investigators)."

Kernell, D-Memphis, cited the father-son relationship.

He said he had talked to his son today, but that he talks to his son regularly.

He declined further comment.

Attempts to reach the younger Kernell for comment were not successful.

The FBI and the Secret Service started a formal investigation Wednesday into the hacking, according to the Associated Press.

A first-hand account reported by the Associated Press suggested her account was vulnerable because a hacker was able to impersonate her online and obtain her passord.

The alleged hacker, using the e-mail address rubico10@yahoo.com, posted Wednesday to a forum on the website 4chan about how he used Yahoo! Mail's password-recovery tool to obtain the Alaska's governor password.

"i am the lurker who did it, and i would like to tell the story," rubico10@yahoo.com wrote.

The hacker guessed that Alaska's governor had met her husband in high school, and knew the Republican vice presidential candidate's date of birth and home Zip code, the Associated Press reported.

Using those details, the hacker tricked Yahoo Inc.'s service into assigning a new password, "popcorn," for Palin's e-mail account, according to a chronology of the crime published on the Web site where the hacking was first revealed.

Yahoo declined to comment today on details of the investigation, citing Palin's privacy and the sensitivity of such investigations, according to the Associated Press.

The person who claimed responsibility for the break-in did not respond Thursday to an e-mail inquiry from the Associated Press.

The break-in of Palin's private account is especially significant because Palin sometimes uses non-government e-mail to conduct state business. the Associated Press reported.

The Associated Press and Commercial Appeal of Memphis contributed to this story.

More details as they develop online and in Friday's News Sentinel.

FBI CONFIRMS STATESIDE TERROR CELLS

Start cracking heads already...

FBI Director Robert Mueller said last week that the FBI has uncovered small groups of Al Qaida terrorists in the United States, although he declined to provide details.

“As to your first question as to whether we have found affiliates or, as you would call them, cells of Al Qaida in the United States, yes, we have. Again, I cannot get into it in public session, but I would say yes, we have.”

Mueller defended the FBI’s Muslim outreach program that critics say have put the bureau in a role of providing legitimacy to Muslim groups that support overseas extremists.

The FBI has been stepping up intelligence-gathering activities in the United States aimed at providing intelligence that would stop a terrorist attack in advance, but U.S. officials said the intelligence program is still in its early stages.

"Early stages"? WTF? I would hope this isn't true. And I would hope this guy is not dumb enough to say it if it were.
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