HI JT; I don't know of him do you have a url ?
Here is something from way back , looks like someone
was trying to get people to look.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, February 24, 1998
Foreign Terrorists Continue to Operate
in the U.S., Kyl Panel Told
Threat of Attacks Heightened by Conflict with Iraq, FBI Says
CIA Confirms Issuance of Death Threat “Fatwas” Against U.S. Citizens
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Five years after the bombing of the World Trade Center, the Senate’s chief anti-terrorism panel was told that the threat of such attacks remains high due to increasing tensions between the United States and Iraq and in the Middle East.
“Fatwas,” or religious rulings, calling for attacks on Americans around the world have been issued by a coalition of Islamic groups in London and terrorist financier Usama Bin Ladin, the CIA confirmed to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Technology.
“These fatwas are the first from these groups that explicitly justify attacks on American civilians anywhere in the world,” the CIA stated in its memo to panel Chairman Jon Kyl of Arizona. “Both groups have hinted in the past that civilians are legitimate targets, but this is the first religious ruling sanctifying such attacks.”
FBI Section Chief for International Terrorism Operations Dale Watson agreed with Chairman Kyl during questioning that “we are in a period of heightened risk and that Americans should be concerned about these threats.”
Today’s hearing was called to examine the lessons learned and the preventive steps taken following the New York bombing on February 26th, 1993 -- the most devastating act of foreign terrorism in the United States.
The open nature of American society, and the commitment by foreign terrorist groups to cause harm to America, also heightens the risk of additional attacks, witnesses testified.
“The World Trade Center bombers were not united by ethnic background or even alignment with a particular terrorist group,” said Kyl. “Instead, they shared a radical ideology and hatred for the United States. That hate continues to be used for recruitment today, and provides motivation for similar attacks in the future.”
Federal law enforcement officials also testified that they have learned a great deal from the WTC bombing case, and that they have begun to utilize new law enforcement tools provided subsequently by Congress. They conceded, however, that much remains to be done and that there is no guarantee they will be able to prevent every such attempt in the future, although they have had some successes -- few of which have been publicized.
In her opening remarks, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, ranking Democrat on the panel, discussed the continued need for legislative efforts to give law enforcement the necessary tools with which to prevent terrorist attacks -- particularly when dealing with the increased use of encryption -- and the need for federal agencies to make more effective use of existing authority, especially in immigration enforcement.
In the panel’s first presentation, the prosecutors of the initial WTC bombing case explained how the perpetrators received advanced explosives training abroad, entered the United States illegally using false identification, acquired explosive chemicals, scouted the WTC complex unhindered, planted and exploded their device, and attempted to flee the country.
“The WTC bombing and related cases provide insights into how a terrorist operation in the United States is facilitated, and how our free and open society can provide safe haven for terrorist conspirators,” explained Chairman Kyl.
The FBI’s Watson described the lessons the agency has learned since the tragedy in New York. “One of these is that loosely-affiliated groups of like-minded extremists — like the one assembled by Ramzi Yousef for the plot against the WTC — pose a real and significant threat to our security and a particular challenge to law enforcement,” Watson testified.
Watson also noted the increasing use and command of technology by terrorist organizations -- a further area of investigation by the Kyl subcommittee. He echoed Kyl’s and Feinstein’s concerns about the increasing use of encryption by terrorists and called for Congressional legislation to address the issue. “Encryption is a real problem for the FBI in its fight against terrorism, and it needs to be fixed sooner rather than later,” Watson said.
Some witnesses mentioned other attacks that had been foiled by a combination of law enforcement actions and accidental misfortune for the terrorists. Testimony by the FBI’s Watson revealed a plot by WTC bombing leader Ramzi Yousef “to destroy numerous U.S. air carriers [in flight to the U.S. from abroad],” while former FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force leader Patrick Colgan described a plot by the WTC perpetrators to simultaneously explode bombs in key New York City transit and government locations, including the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, the George Washington bridge, the United Nations building, and the Manhattan branch of the FBI.
Noting that “U.S. academic institutions are at risk of being used as cover for terrorists, who use campuses to solicit money, recruit members, and espouse violent ideologies,” Kyl called on the INS to redouble its efforts to develop the Student Information Tracking Program — mandated by Congress -- which should reduce the exploitation of student visas by terrorists.
Richard Rohde of the Secret Service described numerous financial crimes committed by foreign terrorists in the U.S to finance their activities, including massive credit card fraud and the operation of “call/sell” rings utilizing cloned cellular phones. (The Senate passed legislation in November by Senator Kyl to help law enforcement crack down on cell phone cloning.)
Former New York police officer Ben Jacobsen described a manufacturers’ coupon fraud ring run by the self-confessed nephew of Palestinian Liberation Front leader George Habash.
Previewing the contributions of the day’s final two witnesses, Chairman Kyl noted that the panel would hear “first hand testimony about how radical Muslims are distorting the teachings of Islam, and attempting to drive a wedge between the vast majority of Muslims of good will and the people and government of the United States.”
Omar Ashmawy, the son of noted Muslim scholar Seifeldin Ashmawy who was killed in a car accident last month, described the inherently peaceful nature of Islam and his fathers efforts to expose Muslim extremism. “My father felt obligated as a Muslim, and as a person, to do something about this danger,” Ashmawy testified. “He endeavored to promote the true Islam, fighting the misconception that the religion was one of violence and intolerance.”
Steven Emerson, producer of the award-winning PBS documentary “Jihad in America,” emphasized the degree to which foreign terrorist groups operate within the United States, displaying a map showing centers for organized terrorist groups dotted across the country.
This point was buttressed by written FBI testimony stating that the agency “has identified a significant and growing organizational presence of terrorist groups in the United States.”
Emerson also described how radicals attempt to gain legitimacy by hiding behind front organizations such as charities and academic institutions.
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senate.gov
Jim |
