Detained Suspect Claims to Be Ben Franklin

December 30, 2003 – Washington — The FBI is warning police nationwide
to be alert for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that the popular
annual reference books covering everything from abbreviations to weather
trends could be used for terrorist planning.

In a bulletin sent to about 18,000 police organizations,
the FBI said terrorists may use almanacs "to assist with target selection
and pre-operational planning." It urged officers to watch during searches,
traffic stops and other investigations for anyone carrying almanacs, especially
if the books are annotated in suspicious ways.

from the Associated press