An alert is in effect at the Port of Miami, after two Iraqis and a Lebanese man were found trying to slip past security in a cargo truck: 3 detained trying to enter Port of Miami.

MIAMI - Three men were caught trying to slip past a checkpoint in a cargo truck Sunday at the Port of Miami, said authorities, who increased security at the busy trade hub.

A port security officer became suspicious when the truck driver could not produce proper paperwork to enter the port about 8 a.m., Miami-Dade Police Detective Richard Williams said. The driver also indicated he was alone in the truck.

Officers searched the truck and found two men in the cab trying to hide, Williams said.

The three men — two Iraqis and one Lebanese national who are legal permanent U.S. residents — were taken into custody for questioning. They had not been arrested or charged by Sunday afternoon.

The men do not appear on any terrorist watch list, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez.

A preliminary check of the truck showed its contents did not match the manifest, Gonzalez said. She declined to say what was in the truck, citing the investigation.

There is supposed to be a press conference about the situation at 1:45 pm Pacific time.

UPDATE at 1/7/07 1:50:14 pm:

If it turns out to be a false alarm, expect the Council on American Islamic Relations to jump all over it as another case of the dreaded “Islamophobia.”

UPDATE at 1/7/07 2:20:11 pm:

Yep, false alarm. Nothing unusual in the truck. The countdown to CAIR’s claims of victimhood begins now.