Congressman: No poison plot at SC’s Fort Jackson; 4 detained soldiers involved in petty crimes

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US Rep: No plot to poison food at SC Army base

COLUMBIA, S.C. — An Army probe into allegations of verbal threats involving a base’s food supply has revealed that none of the five soldiers detained was involved in any plot to poison food at the base, a congressman said Sunday.

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., said Sunday information he received as a member of the House Armed Services Committee showed there was no plot. The five Muslim soldiers who were connected to a translator training program had been detained in December while the Army investigated.

“The investigation revealed that there was not an effort to poison food,” Wilson said. The probe also showed the men had not been disloyal.

Four of the soldiers were discharged from the Army for petty crimes, Wilson said, and the fifth was returned to his National Guard unit in Virginia. None of the soldiers has been identified.

U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command spokesman Chris Grey said Sunday that the base’s food was never in danger, and the investigation didn’t turn up any credible information to support the allegations.

An investigation continues into other possible crimes relating to information found on their laptops, Wilson said. The laptops were turned over to the FBI for analysis.

Neither Grey nor Wilson would elaborate on the ongoing investigation.

Fort Jackson, near Columbia, puts more than 50,000 soldiers annually through basic and advanced instruction, serving about 40,000 hot meals daily at 13 dining halls.