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Statement for the Record of
Dale L. Watson
Executive Assistant Director
Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence
Federal Bureau of Investigation
on
The Terrorist Threat Confronting the United States
Before the
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Washington, D.C.
Good morning Chairman Graham, Vice-Chairman Shelby and members of the
committee. I am Dale Watson, the Executive Assistant Director of the FBI
over counterterrorism and counterintelligence. I am pleased to have this
opportunity to appear before your committee and I convey Director
Mueller's regrets for not being able to be with you today. This morning I
would like to discuss the domestic and international terrorist threat
facing the United States and the measures the FBI is taking to address
this threat.
The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, marked a dramatic escalation
in a trend toward more destructive terrorist attacks which began in the
1980s. Before the September 11 attack, the October 23, 1983 truck bombings
of U.S. and French military barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, which claimed a
total of 295 lives, stood as the most deadly act of terrorism. The attacks
of September 11 produced casualty figures more than ten times higher than
those of the 1983 barracks attacks.
The September 11 attack also reflected a trend toward more indiscriminate
targeting among international terrorists. The vast majority of the more
than 3,000 victims of the attack were civilians. In addition, the attack
represented the first known case of suicide attacks carried out by
international terrorists in the United States. The September 11 attack
also marked the first successful act of international terrorism in the
United States since the vehicle bombing of the World Trade Center in
February 1993.
Despite its unprecedented scope and destruction, the September 11 attack
underscored many of the trends in international terrorism identified in
recent years by the U.S. intelligence community (Central Intelligence
Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, the Bureau
of Intelligence and Research of the State Department, intelligence
elements of the departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, and the Drug
Enforcement Administration, and intelligence/counterterrorism elements of
the FBI). Among these has been an apparent shift in operational intensity
from traditional sources of terrorism--state sponsors and formalized
terrorist organizations--to loosely affiliated extremists. This trend has
been paralleled by a general shift in tactics and methodologies among
international terrorists that focus on producing mass casualties. These
trends underscore the serious threat that international
terrorists continue to pose to nations around the world, particularly the
United States.
At the same time, the United States also faces significant challenges from
domestic terrorists. In fact, between 1980 and 2000, the FBI recorded 335
incidents or suspected incidents of terrorism in this country. Of these,
247 were attributed to domestic terrorists, while 88 were determined to be
international in nature.
Threats emanating from domestic and international terrorists will continue
to represent a significant challenge to the United States for the
foreseeable future. Further, as terrorists continue to refine and expand
their methodologies, the threats they pose will become even greater.
Background
The FBI divides the terrorist threat facing the United States into two
broad categories--domestic and international.
Domestic terrorism is the unlawful use, or threatened use, of violence by
a group or individual based and operating entirely within the United
States (or its territories) without foreign direction committed against
persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian
population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social
objectives.
International terrorism involves violent acts or acts dangerous to human
life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any
state, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the
jurisdiction of the United States or any state. Acts are intended to
intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a
government, or affect the conduct of a government. These acts transcend
national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished,
the persons they appear intended to intimidate, or the locale in which
perpetrators operate.
As events during the past several years demonstrate, both domestic and
international terrorist organizations represent threats to Americans
within the borders of the United States.
During the past decade we have witnessed dramatic changes in the nature of
the terrorist threat. In the 1990s, right-wing extremism overtook
left-wing terrorism as the most dangerous domestic terrorist threat to the
country. During the past several years, special interest extremism--as
characterized by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth
Liberation Front (ELF)--has emerged as a serious terrorist threat. The FBI
estimates that ALF/ELF have committed approximately 600 criminal acts in
the United States since 1996, resulting in damages in excess of 42 million
dollars.
However, as the events of September 11 demonstrated with horrible clarity,
the United States also confronts serious challenges from international
terrorists. The transnational Al-Qaeda terrorist network headed by Usama
Bin Laden has clearly emerged as the most urgent threat to U.S. interests.
The evidence linking Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden to the attacks of September 11
is clear and irrefutable. The law enforcement and military response
mounted by the United States has done much to weaken the organizational
structure and capabilities of Al-Qaeda. Despite the military setbacks
suffered by Al-Qaeda, however, it must continue to be viewed as a potent
and highly capable terrorist network with cells around the world. As we
hold this hearing, Al-Qaeda is clearly wounded, but not dead; down but not
out.
The FBI has moved aggressively during the past decade to enhance its
abilities to prevent and investigate acts of terrorism against U.S.
interests wherever they are planned. The FBI operates 44 Legal Attache
offices (Legats) in countries around the world to help ensure that
investigative resources are in place to support the FBI's expanding focus
on counterterrorism and international organized crime. In the 20 years
since President Reagan designated the FBI as the lead agency for
countering terrorism in the United States, Congress and the Executive
Branch have taken important steps to enhance the federal government's
counterterrorism capabilities. The FBI's counterterrorism responsibilities
were expanded in 1984 and 1986, when Congress passed laws permitting the
Bureau to exercise federal jurisdiction overseas when a U.S. national is
murdered, assaulted, or taken hostage by terrorists, or when certain U.S.
interests are attacked. Since the mid-1980s, the FBI has investigated more
than 500 extraterritorial cases. In addition to the investigation into the
September 11 attack, several other ongoing extraterritorial investigations
rank among the FBI's most high profile cases, including our investigation
into the 1996 bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19
U.S. servicemen; the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania,
which killed 12 Americans; and the bombing of the USS Cole, which claimed
the lives of 17 U.S. sailors.
As evidenced by our enhanced ability to conduct counterterrorism
investigations overseas, the evolution of the FBI's response to terrorism
during the past decade reflects the changing dynamics of terrorism. In the
direct aftermath of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing the FBI began to
focus investigative attention on the then-emerging phenomenon of Sunni
extremism and its operational manifestation in the radical international
jihad movement. This effort paid almost immediate dividends when
investigators uncovered and thwarted a plot by a loosely affiliated group
of international terrorists led by Shaykh Omar Abdel Rahman to bomb
landmarks throughout New York City during the summer of 1993.
This morning, I would like to briefly discuss the current terrorist threat
in the United States, as well as the FBI's efforts to address the threat
posed by domestic and international terrorists.
Terrorist Threat in the United States
The threat of terrorism to the United States remains despite proactive law
enforcement efforts and significant legislative counterterrorism
initiatives. The overall level of terrorist-related acts in the United
States declined in the early 1990s, when compared to figures for the 1970s
and 1980s, but has increased steadily during the past five years. There
were two terrorist acts recorded in the United States in 1995, three in
1996, four in 1997, five in 1995, 12 in 1999 and 8 in 2000 (FIGURES
COMBINE TERRORIST INCIDENTS AND SUSPECTED TERRORIST INCIDENTS). While
terrorist designations for the year 2001 are currently being finalized,
one incident, the attack of September 11, produced higher casualty figures
than all previous terrorist incidents in the United States combined.
Relatively high numbers of terrorist plots prevented by law enforcement in
recent years further underscore the continuing terrorist threat.
Domestic Terrorism
Domestic right-wing terrorist groups often adhere to the principles of
racial supremacy and embrace antigovernment, antiregulatory beliefs.
Generally, extremist right-wing groups engage in activity that is
protected by constitutional guarantees of free speech and assembly. Law
enforcement becomes involved when the volatile talk of these groups
transgresses into unlawful action.
On the national level, formal right-wing hate groups, such as the National
Alliance, the World Church of the Creator (WCOTC) and the Aryan Nations,
represent a continuing terrorist threat. Although efforts have been made
by some extremist groups to reduce openly racist rhetoric in order to
appeal to a broader segment of the population and to focus increased
attention on antigovernment sentiment, racism-based hatred remains an
integral component of these groups' core orientations.
Right-wing groups continue to represent a serious
terrorist threat. Two of the seven planned acts of terrorism prevented in
1999 were potentially large-scale, high-casualty attacks being planned by
organized right-wing extremist groups.
The second category of domestic terrorists, left-wing groups, generally
profess a revolutionary socialist doctrine and view themselves as
protectors of the people against the "dehumanizing effects" of
capitalism and imperialism. They aim to bring about change in the United
States and believe that this change can be realized through revolution
rather than through the established political process. From the 1960s to
the 1980s, leftist-oriented extremist groups posed the most serious
domestic terrorist threat to the United States. In the 1980s, however, the
fortunes of the leftist movement changed dramatically as law enforcement
dismantled the infrastructure of many of these groups, and the fall of
communism in Eastern Europe deprived the movement of its ideological
foundation and patronage.
Terrorist groups seeking to secure full Puerto Rican
independence from the United States through violent means represent one of
the remaining active vestiges of left-wing terrorism. While these groups
believe that bombings alone will not result in change, they view these
acts of terrorism as a means by which to draw attention to their desire
for independence. During the 1970s and 1980s numerous leftist groups,
including extremist Puerto Rican separatist groups such as the armed
forces for Puerto Rican National Liberation (FALN--Fuerzas Armadas de
Liberacion Nacional Puertorriquena), carried out bombings on the U.S.
mainland, primarily in and around New York City. However, just as the
leftist threat in general declined dramatically throughout the 1990s, the
threat posed by Puerto Rican extremist groups to mainland U.S. communities
decreased during the past decade.
Acts of terrorism continue to be perpetrated, however, by violent
separatists in Puerto Rico. As noted, three acts of terrorism and one
suspected act of terrorism have taken place in various Puerto Rican
locales during the past four years. These acts (including the March 31,
1998 bombing of a superaquaduct project in Arecibo, the bombings of bank
offices in Rio Piedras and Santa Isabel in June 1998, and the bombing of a
highway in Hato Rey in 1999) remain under investigation. The extremist
Puerto Rican separatist group, Los Macheteros, is suspected in each of
these attacks. The FBI has not recorded any acts of terrorism in Puerto
Rico since 1999.
Anarchists and extremist socialist groups--many of which, such as the
workers' world party, reclaim the streets, and carnival against
capitalism, have an international presence--at times also represent a
potential threat in the United States. For example, anarchists, operating
individually and in groups, caused much of the damage during the 1999 WTO
ministerial meeting in Seattle. The third category of domestic terrorism,
special interest terrorism differs from traditional right-wing and
left-wing terrorism in that extremist special interest groups seek to
resolve specific issues, rather than effect widespread political change.
Special interest extremists continue to conduct acts of politically
motivated violence to force segments of society, including the general
public, to change attitudes about issues considered important to their
causes. These groups occupy the extreme fringes of animal rights,
pro-life, environmental, anti-nuclear, and other movements. Some special
interest extremists--most notably within the animal rights and
environmental movements--have turned increasingly toward vandalism and
terrorist activity in attempts to further their causes.
In recent years, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF)--an extremist animal
rights movement--has become one of the most active extremist elements in
the United States. Despite the destructive aspects of ALF's operations,
its operational philosophy discourages acts that harm "any animal,
human and nonhuman." Animal rights groups in the United States,
including ALF, have generally adhered to this mandate. A distinct but
related group, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), claimed responsibility
for the arson fires set at a Vail (Colorado) ski resort in October 1998,
which caused 12 million dollars in damages. This incident remains under
investigation. Seven terrorist incidents occurring in the United States
during 2000 have been attributed to either ALF or ELF. Several additional
acts committed during 2001 are currently being reviewed for possible
designation as terrorist incidents.
International Terrorism
The United States faces a formidable challenge from international
terrorists. The September 11 attack and the bombing of the USS Cole in the
Yemenese port of Aden in October 2000, as well as the prevention of an
apparent attempt by Richard Reid to destroy a Paris-to-Miami flight in
December 2001, underscore the range of threats to U.S. interests posed by
international terrorism.
In general terms, the international terrorist threat to U.S. interests can
be divided into three categories: the radical international jihad
movement, formalized terrorist organizations, and state sponsors of
international terrorism. Each of these categories represents a threat to
U.S. interests abroad and in the United States.
The most serious international terrorist threat to U.S. interests today
stems from Sunni Islamic extremists, such as Usama Bin Laden and
individuals affiliated with his Al-Qaeda organization. Al-Qaeda leaders,
including Usama Bin Laden, had been harbored in Afghanistan since 1996 by
the extremist Islamic regime of the Taliban. Despite recent military
setbacks suffered by the Taliban and the apparent death of Al-Qaeda
operational commander Mohamed Atef resulting from a U.S. bombing raid,
Al-Qaeda must continue to be viewed as a potent and highly capable
terrorist network. The network's willingness and capability to inflict
large-scale violence and destruction against U.S. persons and
interests--as it demonstrated with the September 11 attack, the bombing of
the USS Cole in October 2000, and the bombings of two U.S. embassies in
east Africa in August 1998, among other plots--makes it a clear and
imminent threat to the United States.
However, the threat from Al-Qaeda is only a part of the overall threat
from the radical international jihad movement, which is composed of
individuals of varying nationalities, ethnicities, tribes, races, and
terrorist group memberships who work together in support of extremist
Sunni goals. One of the primary goals of Sunni extremists is the removal
of U.S. military forces from the Persian gulf area, most notably Saudi
Arabia. The single common element among these diverse individuals is their
commitment to the radical international jihad movement, which includes a
radicalized ideology and agenda promoting the use of violence against the
"enemies of Islam" in order to overthrow all governments which
are not ruled by Sharia (conservative Islamic) law. A primary tactical
objective of this movement has been the planning and implementation of
large-scale, high-profile, high-casualty terrorist attacks against U.S.
interests and citizens, and those of its allies, worldwide.
Richard Reid
On December 22, 2001, Richard C. Reid was arrested after a flight
attendant on American Airlines Flight 63 observed him attempting to
apparently ignite an improvised explosive in his sneakers while onboard
the Paris-to-Miami flight. Aided by passengers, attendants overpowered and
subdued Reid and the flight was diverted to Logan International Airport in
Boston, Massachusetts.
Evidence strongly suggests that Reid, who was traveling on a valid British
passport, is affiliated with the Al-Qaeda network. Reid has been indicted
on nine counts, including placing an explosive device on an aircraft and
attempted murder. FBI investigation has determined that the explosives in
Reid's shoes, if detonated in certain areas of the passenger cabin, could
have blown a hole in the fuselage of the aircraft.
Zacarias Moussaoui
Investigation also has revealed that Reid and another indicted subject,
Zacarias Moussaoui, were known associates. Moussaoui came to the attention
of the FBI while taking flight training classes in Minnesota in August
2001. Moussaoui had paid over $8,000 in cash for flight simulator lessons
on a 747-400, which far exceeded his training level as a pilot. Moussaoui
showed unusual interest in the instructor's comment that airplane cabin
doors could not be opened during flight. In addition, his flight
instructor was concerned that Moussaoui expressed interest only in
learning how to take off and land the 747-400. In preparation for high
fidelity simulator training, he expressed strong interest in
"piloting" a simulated flight from London's Heathrow Airport to
John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. When the instructor took his concerns
to the FBI, Moussaoui was interviewed by Special Agents from the FBI and
the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). He was determined
to be an INS overstay and was detained by the INS on August 16, 2001.
Following his detention, Moussaoui refused to allow a search to be
conducted of his possessions, to include a laptop computer and a computer
disc. Attempts were made to obtain authority to conduct a search of this
computer. However, due to the lack of probable cause and lack of
predication, neither a criminal nor intelligence search could be
conducted. Following the September 11 attack a criminal search of the
computer was conducted. Nothing was located which connected Moussaoui with
the events of September 11; however, information about crop-dusting was
located on the computer. As a result, crop dusting operations in the
United States were grounded briefly on two occasions in September 2001. On
December 11, 2001, the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia indicted Moussaoui on six counts of conspiracy for
his role in the events of September 11, 2001.
The second category of international terrorist threat is made up of formal
terrorist organizations. These autonomous, generally transnational, groups
have their own personnel, infrastructures, financial arrangements, and
training facilities. They are able to plan and mount terrorist campaigns
on an international basis, and several actively support terrorist-related
activities in the United States. Extremist groups such as Palestinian
Hamas, the Irish Republican Army, the Egyptian El-Gama Al-Islamiyya (IG),
and Lebanese Hizballah have supporters in the United States, though the
activities of these U.S.-based cells revolve primarily around
fund-raising, recruiting, and low-level intelligence gathering.
Hizballah is a formal organization that has carried out numerous anti-U.S.
attacks overseas, including the October 1983 vehicle bombing of the U.S.
Marine Barracks in Lebanon. With the exception of the Al-Qaeda network,
Hizballah is responsible for the deaths of more Americans than any other
terrorist group in the world. On June 21, 2001, the United States indicted
14 subjects--13 Saudis and 1 Lebanese national--for their suspected
involvement in the June 1996 bombing of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia.
Nineteen U.S. airmen died in the blast; Saudi Hizballah is suspected of
carrying out the attack. To date, Hizballah has never carried out a
terrorist attack in the United States.
State sponsors of terrorism make up the third category of international
terrorist threat. The primary state sponsors are Iran, Iraq, Sudan, and
Libya. These countries view terrorism as a tool of foreign policy. Syria,
which is also on the U.S. Department of State's list of state sponsors of
terrorism, has not been directly involved in conducting terrorist activity
for a number of years but still provides a safe haven to international
terrorist groups and loosely affiliated extremists. North Korea and
Cuba--also on the Department of State's list of state sponsors--have
significantly reduced their direct involvement with terrorism due, in
part, to the rapidly diminishing capacity of their economies to support
such activity.
In perhaps the most infamous case of state sponsored
terrorism, Libya is believed to be behind the December 1988 bombing of Pan
Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 270 people (259
people on the plane and 11 on the ground). On April 5, 1999, the Libyan
government turned over two former intelligence operatives, Abd al Basit
al-Megrahi and Lamin Kalifah Fhima, to be tried in the Netherlands by a
special Scottish court for the bombing. Several years earlier, the FBI had
placed al-Megrahi and Fhima on its Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list,
marking the only time that officers of a foreign government were placed on
the list. On January 31, 2001, the three-judge court convicted al-Megrahi
of murder for his role in the bombing. Fhima was acquitted by the court
and released.
Of the seven nations listed by the United States as state sponsors of
terrorism, Iran represents the greatest threat to the United States.
Despite a moderation in its public anti-U.S. rhetoric since the 1997
election of Mohammed Khatemi as president, the government of Iran, which
is controlled by conservative clerics opposed to Khatemi, continues to
target dissidents and support anti-western terrorism, both financially and
logistically.
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
The trend toward high-profile, high-impact attacks comes at a time when
interest is growing among domestic and international extremists in weapons
of mass destruction (WMD). A series of anthrax-related cases and threats
occurring since September 2001 provide a glimpse into emerging terrorist
scenarios of the 21st century.
A series of bioterrorism incidents using b. anthracis spores sent through
the mail have resulted in 22 anthrax cases and five deaths since October
3, 2001. The initial anthrax cases occurred among persons with known or
suspected contact with opened letters contaminated with b. anthracis
spores. Later, investigations identified four confirmed cases and one
suspected case among postal workers who had no known contact with
contaminated opened letters. This suggests that sealed envelopes
contaminated with anthrax passing through the postal system may be the
source of these exposures. The number of contaminated envelopes passing
through the postal system is under investigation.
Leads continue to be investigated; however, no suspect has been
identified. On November 9, 2001, the FBI issued a behavioral/linguistic
assessment of the offender based on the known anthrax parcels. As stated
in this assessment, the offender is believed to be an adult male who has
access to a source of anthrax and possesses the knowledge and expertise to
refine it. The FBI heads a multi-agency effort to identify the perpetrator
of these deadly attacks.
Since October 2001 the FBI has responded to over 8,000 reports of use or
threatened use of anthrax or other hazardous materials. The current rash
of anthrax threats represents a large spike in a trend of increased WMD
cases that began in the mid-1990s. During the past four years, there has
been a very limited number of cases in the United States that actually
involved use or threatened use of ricin. There had been no criminal cases
involving actual use of anthrax in the United States prior to October
2001. To date, no evidence definitely links Al-Qaeda or any other
terrorist organization to these cases.
Cyber / National Infrastructure
During the past several years the FBI had identified a wide array of cyber
threats, ranging from defacement of web sites by juveniles to
sophisticated intrusions sponsored by foreign powers. Some of these
incidents pose more significant threats than others. The theft of national
security information from a government agency or the interruption of
electrical power to a major metropolitan area obviously would have greater
consequences for national security, public safety, and the economy than
the defacement of a web-site. But even the less serious categories have
real consequences and, ultimately, can undermine public confidence in
web-based commerce (E-commerce) and violate privacy or property rights. An
attack (or "hack") on a web site that closes down an e-commerce
site can have disastrous consequences for a web-based business. An
intrusion that results in the theft of millions of credit card numbers
from an online vendor can result in significant financial loss and, more
broadly, reduce consumers' willingness to engage in e-commerce.
Beyond criminal threats, cyber space also faces a variety of significant
national security threats, including increasing threats from terrorists.
Terrorist groups are increasingly using new information technology and the
Internet to formulate plans, raise funds, spread propaganda, and engage in
secure communications. Cyberterrorism-–meaning the use of cyber tools to
shut down critical national infrastructures (such as energy,
transportation, or government operations) for the purpose of coercing or
intimidating a government or civilian population–-is clearly an emerging
threat.On January 16, 2002, the FBI disseminated an advisory via the
National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System regarding possible
attempts by terrorists to use U.S. municipal and state web sites to obtain
information on local energy infrastructures, water reservoirs, dams,
highly enriched uranium storage sites, and nuclear and gas facilities.
Although the FBI possesses no specific threat information regarding these
apparent intrusions, these types of activities on the part of terrorists
pose serious challenges to our national security.
The FBI Response to Terrorism
The FBI has developed a strong response to the threats posed by domestic
and international terrorism. Between fiscal years 1993 and 2003, the
number of Special Agents dedicated to the FBI's counterterrorism programs
grew by approximately 224 percent (to 1,669--nearly 16 percent of all FBI
special agents). In recent years, the FBI has strengthened its
counterterrorism program to enhance its abilities to carry out these
objectives.
The FBI Counterterrorism Center
As you are aware, congressional appropriations have helped strengthen and
expand the FBI's counterterrorism capabilities. To enhance its mission,
the FBI centralized many specialized operational and analytical functions
in the FBI Counterterrorism Center.
Established in 1996, the FBI Counterterrorism Center combats terrorism on
three fronts: international terrorism operations both within the United
States and in support of extraterritorial investigations, domestic
terrorism operations, and countermeasures relating to both international
and domestic terrorism.
Eighteen federal agencies maintain a regular presence in the center and
participate in its daily operations. These agencies include the Central
Intelligence Agency, the Secret Service, and the Department of State,
among others. This multi-agency arrangement provides an unprecedented
opportunity for information sharing, warning, and real-time intelligence
analysis.
Interagency Cooperation
This sense of cooperation also has led to other important changes. During
the past several years, the FBI and CIA have developed a closer working
relationship that has strengthened the ability of each agency to respond
to terrorist threats and has improved the ability of the U.S. government
to respond to terrorist attacks that do occur.
An element of this cooperation is an ongoing exchange of personnel between
the two agencies. Included among the CIA employees detailed to the FBI's
Counterterrorism division is a veteran CIA case officer who serves as the
Deputy Section Chief for International Terrorism. Likewise, FBI agents are
detailed to the CIA, and a veteran special agent serves in a comparable
position in the CIA's Counterterrorist center.
The National Infrastructure Protection Center
Created in 1998, the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) is
an interagency center housed at FBI headquarters that serves as the focal
point for the government's effort to warn of and respond to cyber
intrusions, both domestic and international. NIPC programs have been
established in each of the FBI's 56 field offices.
The FBI Laboratory
The FBI Laboratory division has developed a robust response capability to
support counterterrorism investigations worldwide. The FBI's mobile crime
laboratory provides the capability to collect and analyze a range of
physical evidence on-scene, and has been deployed at major crime scenes,
including the World Trade Center bombing, Khobar Towers, and the East
African Embassy bombings. The mobile crime laboratory contains analytical
instrumentation for rapid screening and triage of explosives and other
trace evidence recovered at crime scenes.
The Laboratory also provides the capacity to rapidly respond to criminal
acts involving the use of chemical or biological agents with the mobile,
self-contained Fly Away Laboratory (FAL). The FAL consists of twelve
suites of analytical instrumentation supported by an array of equipment
which allows for safe collection of hazardous materials, sample
preparation, storage, and analysis in a field setting. The major
objectives of the mobile crime laboratory and the FAL are to enhance the
safety of deployed personnel, generate leads through rapid analysis and
screening, and to preserve evidence for further examination at the FBI
Laboratory. In addition, the Laboratory has developed agreements with
several other federal agencies for rapid and effective analysis of
chemical, biological, and radiological materials. One partnership, the
Laboratory Response Network, is supported by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the Association of Public Health Laboratories
for the analysis of biological agents.
Threat Warning
Because warning is critical to the prevention of terrorist acts, the FBI
also has expanded the terrorist threat warning system first implemented in
1989. The system now reaches all aspects of the law enforcement and
intelligence communities. Currently, sixty federal agencies and their
subcomponents receive information via secure teletype through this system.
The messages also are transmitted to all 56 FBI field offices and 44
Legats.
If threat information requires nationwide unclassified dissemination to
all federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the FBI transmits
messages via the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System. In
addition, the FBI disseminates threat information to security managers of
thousands of U.S. commercial interests around the country through the
Awareness of National Security Issues and Response (ANSIR) program. If
warranted, the expanded NTWS also enables the FBI to communicate threat
information directly to the American people.
On September 11, the FBI issued a nationwide terrorist threat advisory via
the National Threat Warning System; this advisory is in place through
March 11, 2002, unless extended by the FBI. Since the terrorist attack of
September 11, the FBI has disseminated 37 warnings via the NTWS. The FBI
also has issued over 40 be on the lookout (BOLO) alerts via the NLETS
system. BOLO alerts provide the names of individuals who are of
investigative interest to the FBI.
Through a 24-hour watch and other initiatives, the NIPC also has developed
processes to ensure that it receives relevant information in real-time or
near-real-time from all relevant sources, including the U.S. intelligence
community, FBI criminal investigations, other federal agencies, the
private sector, emerging intrusion detection systems, and open sources.
This information is quickly evaluated to determine if a broad-scale attack
is imminent or underway. If a chemical, biological, nuclear or
radiological material is threatened, the FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction
Operations Unit (WMDOU) conducts an interagency assessment to determine
the credibility of the threat, utilizing subject matter experts and
federal agencies with relevant authorities. Based on the credibility of
the threat, the WMDOU will coordinate the appropriate response by federal
assets. As a result of this analysis, the FBI can issue warnings using an
array of mechanisms, and disseminate warnings to appropriate entities in
the U.S. government and the private sector so that they can take immediate
protective steps.
The Future
I would like to conclude by talking briefly about steps we can take to
further strengthen our abilities to prevent and investigate terrorist
activity.
Encryption
One of the most important of these steps involves the FBI's encryption
initiative. Communication is central to any collaborative
effort--including criminal conspiracies. Like most criminals, terrorists
are naturally reluctant to put the details of their plots down on paper.
Thus, they generally depend on oral or electronic communication to
formulate the details of their terrorist activities.
Although the FBI, and the law enforcement community at large, fully
supports the development and use of innovative technologies to ensure that
the United States remains competitive in today's global market, we remain
extremely concerned about the serious public safety threat posed by the
proliferation and misuse of technologies that prevent law enforcement from
gaining access to the plaintext of terrorist and/or serious
criminal-related evidence obtained through either court-authorized
electronic surveillance or the search and seizure of digital evidence.
The use of commercially available, non-recoverable encryption products by
individuals engaged in terrorist and other serious criminal activity can
effectively prevent law enforcement access to this critical evidence. Law
enforcement's inability to gain access to the plaintext of encrypted
communications and/or computer evidence in a timely manner seriously
impairs our ability to successfully prevent and prosecute terrorist and/or
other serious criminal acts.
This significant challenge to effective law enforcement poses grave and
serious public safety consequences. Unless the FBI enhances its ability
for gathering and processing computer data obtained through electronic
surveillance, search and seizure of computer evidence, and its ability to
gain access to the plain text of encrypted evidence, investigators and
prosecutors will be denied timely access to valuable evidence that could
be used to prevent and solve terrorist and other serious criminal acts.
Joint Terrorism Task Forces
Cooperation among law enforcement agencies at all levels represents an
important component of a comprehensive response to terrorism. This
cooperation assumes its most tangible operational form in the Joint
Terrorism Task Forces that are authorized in 44 cities across the nation.
These task forces are particularly well-suited to responding to terrorism
because they combine the national and international investigative
resources of the FBI with the street-level expertise of local law
enforcement agencies. This cop-to-cop cooperation has proven highly
successful in preventing several potential terrorist attacks. Perhaps the
most notable cases have come from New York City, where the city's Joint
Terrorism Task Force has been instrumental in thwarting two high-profile
international terrorism plots--the series of bombings planned by Shaykh
Rahman in 1993 and the attempted bombing of the New York City subway in
1997.
Not only were these plots prevented, but today, the conspirators who
planned them sit in federal prisons thanks, in large part, to the
comprehensive investigative work performed by the Joint Terrorism Task
Force.
Given the success of the Joint Terrorism Task Force concept, the FBI has
established 15 new JTTFs since the end of 1999. By the end of 2002 the FBI
plans to have established or authorized JTTFs in each of its 56 field
divisions. By integrating the investigative abilities of the FBI and local
law enforcement agencies these task forces represent an effective response
to the threats posed to U.S. communities by domestic and international
terrorists.
Expansion of FBI Legats
The FBI's counterterrorism capabilities also have been enhanced by the
expansion of our Legat offices around the world. These small offices can
have a significant impact on the FBI's ability to track terrorist threats
and bring investigative resources to bear on cases where quick response is
critical. As I've mentioned, the FBI currently operates 44 such Legat
offices. Many of these have opened within the past five years in areas of
the world where identifiable threats to our national interests exist. We
cannot escape the disquieting reality that in the 21st century, crime and
terrorism are carried out on an international scale. The law enforcement
response must match the threat. By expanding our first line of defense, we
improve the ability of the United States to prevent attacks and respond
quickly to those that do occur. Given the nature of the evolving terrorist
threat and the destructive capabilities now available to terrorists, the
American people deserve nothing less. The expansion of the number of FBI
Legal Attache offices (Legats) around the world has enhanced the ability
of the FBI to prevent, respond to, and investigate terrorist acts
committed by international terrorists against U.S. interests worldwide. As
evidenced by developments in the Embassy Bombing cases in East Africa, the
ability to bring investigative resources to bear quickly in the aftermath
of a terrorist act can have significant impact on our ability to identify
those responsible. I encourage Congress to support our efforts to counter
the international terrorist threat by continuing to support expansion of
our Legat program.
Results
Improved analysis and operational capabilities combined with increased
cooperation and integration have enhanced the FBI's ability to investigate
and prevent acts of terrorism.
Dozens of domestic extremists have been indicted and prosecuted during the
past ten years. Among these are Timothy McVeigh, who carried out the
bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. McVeigh
was executed in June 2001 for perpetrating the worst act of domestic
terrorism ever conducted in the United States. More recently, on January
25, 2002, anti-abortion extremist Clayton Lee Waagner was given a combined
sentence of over 30 years in prison for various theft and firearms
violations. Waagner is also suspected of sending over 250 hoax anthrax
letters to reproductive services clinics in October and November 2001.
During the past ten years, more than 60 subjects associated with
international terrorism have been prosecuted in the United States. These
include Ramzi Yousef, operational mastermind of the 1993 World Trade
Center bombing and a plot to bomb U.S. airliners transiting the far east
(convicted in May 1997); Tsutomu Shirosaki, Japanese Red Army member who
fired rockets at the U.S. Embassy compound in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1986
(convicted in November 1997); and Gazi-Abu Mezer and Lafi Khalil,
extremists who, in 1997, nearly carried out a plan to bomb the New York
City subway system (convicted in July 1998). Yousef and Shirosaki were
among the 16 fugitives indicted for terrorist-related activities that have
been rendered to the United States from overseas since 1987. The 1997 plot
to bomb the New York subway was narrowly averted by the FBI/New York City
Police Department Joint Terrorism Task Force.
On October 18, 2001, four Al-Qaeda members received life sentences for
their roles in a conspiracy to kill Americans which resulted in the August
1998 embassy bombings in East Africa. Mohamed Rashed Daoud al-Owhali,
Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, Wadih el-Hage, and Mohamed Sadeek Odeh were
convicted earlier in 2001 in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) on a
variety of charges related to the embassies bombing plot. Two other
subjects in this case are awaiting trial in the SDNY.
In December 1999 the coordinated efforts of the FBI and other law
enforcement/intelligence agencies were instrumental in responding to the
millennium threat exposed when Ahmed Ressam was apprehended attempting to
smuggle explosives across the U.S.-Canadian border near Seattle. On April
6, 2001, after a three-week trial in Los Angeles, Ressam was found guilty
on all counts brought against him. On March 7, 2001, Abdelghani Meskini,
another individual suspected of involvement in the plot to bomb the Los
Angeles airport, had pled guilty in the Southern District of New York to
charges of providing material support to Ressam. On July 13, 2001, a third
suspect subject, Mokhtar Haouari, was convicted of charges related to the
plot. In January of this year, Haouari was sentenced to 24 years in prison
for his role in supporting Ressam's plot to carry out terrorist activity
in the United States. One indicted subject, Abdelmajid Dahoumane, is in
Algerian custody.
In addition, numerous individuals have been indicted for their involvement
in terrorist activities and are currently being sought by the FBI. Usama
Bin Laden and 15 other subjects stand indicted for their roles in Al-Qaeda
and the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa. Three additional
subjects are in custody in the United Kingdom but are expected to be
extradited soon to stand trial in the SDNY.
In October 2001 the FBI established the Most Wanted Terrorists program to
focus expanded attention on indicted terrorist suspects. Usama Bin Laden
was among the first 22 names placed on this list. In June 1998 Bin Laden
had been named to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Conclusion
Despite the current focus on international terrorism, it is important to
remain cognizant of the full range of threats that confront the United
States. These threats continue to include domestic and international
terrorists. While the majority of attacks perpetrated by domestic
terrorists have produced low casualty figures, the 169 lives claimed in
the Oklahoma City bombing and the potential very heavy loss of lives that
could have resulted from various thwarted plots demonstrate the interest
among some domestic extremists in inflicting mass casualties.
On September 11, 2001, the scope and sophistication of the international
radical jihad movement was demonstrated with horrendous clarity when 19
hijackers commandeered four commercial airliners, crashing two of them
into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and the other into a
remote field in Pennsylvania. This attack resulted in more casualties than
any other terrorist act ever recorded.
Even as the Al-Qaeda command structure in Afghanistan is destroyed,
Al-Qaeda cells in countries around the world will continue to pose a
threat to U.S. and other western interests. The plotters who carried out
the September 11, 2001 attack maintained a low profile and appeared to
actively avoid coming to the attention of law enforcement agencies. Such
operational discipline underscores the challenge to U.S. law enforcement
agencies in uncovering and disrupting Al-Qaeda cells in the United States.
Although the public mind often groups international terrorists into a
standard stereotype, such a view fails to accommodate subtle but important
differences in goals and tactics among different extremist movements. For
example, the low-level operational scope of 17 November (assassinations,
small-scale bombings centered primarily in Athens) reflects the limited,
ethnocentric strategic goal of the organization (a nationalist Greek
state). By contrast, the high-impact, transnational operational focus of
Al-Qaeda and other groups associated with the international radical jihad
movement clearly underscores a strategic goal to confront the United
States and other western interests with high-casualty attacks on a global
scale. Despite the military setbacks suffered by Al-Qaeda, extremists
adhering to the international jihad movement will continue to focus on
attacks that yield significant destruction and high casualties, thus
maximizing worldwide media attention and public anxiety. It also appears
likely that as governments "harden" (or make more secure)
official targets, such as embassies and international schools, these
terrorists will increasingly seek out more vulnerable "softer"
targets, such as high-profile offices of multinational firms and Americans
traveling and working abroad.
Terrorism represents a continuing threat to the United States and a
formidable challenge to the FBI. In response to this threat, the FBI has
developed a broad-based counterterrorism program, based on robust
investigations to disrupt terrorist activities, interagency cooperation,
and effective warning. While this approach has yielded many successes, the
dynamic nature of the terrorist threat demands that our capabilities
continually be refined and adapted to continue to provide the most
effective response.
Source: http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress02/watson020602.htm
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