Threat from Stolen Iraqi Fire Engines?

Alert here:

Iraqi insurgents have stolen eight new fire engines and authorities here fear they will be used to carry out a mass bombing in the southern city of Basra.

The Age was told the vehicles were taken from a road convoy several days ago. Officials believe insurgents could create an incident designed to attract a crowd at which the fire engines would be used as vehicle bombs.

"They want to cause mass civilian casualties to turn the people against us," a Coalition military official said.

The fear is that insurgents using the emergency vehicles could drive through military and police checkpoints with relative ease.

Well, they should be easy to spot.

Wonder what the After Action Report on the convoy that lost the fire engines read like?


Update: Fixed link?
Update2: Link requires subscription. Sorry.
Update3: Account of an attack on US Marines that included the use of a fire truck here.