In Brookline, raid at service station rattles neighbors

Around 10:40 a.m., Elias Audy, the owner of this Harvard Street station and active in Brookline civic affairs, left the premises, along with a woman. They waved off more than a dozen reporters following them down Harvard Street, declining comment.

The pair ultimately entered a car more than several blocks away, and Audy, as he entered the car, told a Globe reporter, "When the time comes, I'll talk," said Audy, who also owns another gas station at Route 9 and Cypress St., which was visited by authorities today but which remained open.

Around 11:15 a.m., a tall man with gray hair, who had been talking with law enforcement authorities at the Harvard Street station, left to retrieve his orange SUV with dealer plates, which was parked on nearby Marion Street. When asked why he was being questioned, he replied, "I have nothing to do with this."

He ultimately drove his SUV from Marion Street onto the gas station plaza, and talked a bit more with authorities. He later drove away in the vehicle, along with a male passenger.

Agents from the FBI and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, joined by Brookline police, finished their work by 11:45 a.m. The silver Honda, which was heavily inspected by the FBI, remained at the gas station, which remained closed this afternoon.

Authorities did not appear to take anyone at the site into custody.

At the station, two large American flags fluttered on a silver pole in front of the building. The gas station, located between a senior citizen complex and the church, is popular among residents for its large plaza with multiple gas pumps as well as its annual car inspections. Inside the office, community service awards lined a wall.

Along the front window was a taped citation saying the station had helped secure $500 grants for two local schools through the Mobile Corp. Audy is also active with the local Rotary Club.

According to a website for his used-car dealership, Cypress Automart, Audy describes himself as a native of Lebanon who came to the United States at age 19 to study at the University of Houston in Texas, and then Northeastern University. It says Audy's "right hand" in his business in Omar Audy, one of his two sons.

The website indicates he has a staff of about 30 employees among his two Mobil stations and his car dealership.

Shirley MacPherson, president of the Brookline Rotary Club, said she has known Elias Audy for "a very long time" and was proud to call him a friend. She said Audy, a former president of the Rotary Club, has run the highly reputable business for years.

"Elias Audy is one of the kindest people I've ever known," she said when reached by telephone.

Howard Kranz lives on the sixth floor of the John W. Kickham Apartments, next door to the gas station.

Kranz said he left his building at 9:15 this morning and saw an FBI agent in the lot. He assumed the situation might have something to do with terrorism.

"I used to go into that place a lot for lottery tickets," Kranz said. "The people were very openly cordial and friendly. But the issue is what their real sentiments were. ..We don't have the luxury of being foolish or reckless in this country anymore."

Willa Macallen, who lives at the elderly housing complex next to the station, said many senior citizens in her building like to visit the Mobil station to buy snacks. She said they cannot walk far, so the station is convenient. She wonders if this FBI visit of the station will hurt the gas station's image in the community.

"I worry they'll lose business," she said.

After the yellow tape was removed and the FBI left, Brookline Police Chief Daniel O'Leary, who was on the scene, would not comment on the investigation. But he stressed that Brookline remains a safe place.

"This is not targeting Brookline," he said of the operation.

Patricia Wen can be reached at wen@globe.com.