Posted on 07/12/2002 3:05:16 PM PDT by Brian Mosely
WASHINGTON, July 12 — The hunt for terrorist “cells” in the United States is increasingly focused on American citizens, including a group in Seattle linked to a firebrand London cleric who U.S. counterterrorism experts believe is an al-Qaida recruiter, it was reported Friday. Meanwhile, investigators also are searching for Americans who may be acting as behind-the-scenes advisers to the terrorists, including a “wise man” referred to in al-Qaida documents seized in Afghanistan.
A DAY AFTER Attorney General John Ashcroft testified that “sleeper terrorists” were at work inside the United States, published reports indicated that law enforcement agencies are actively seeking — and in some cases believe they have found — hidden terrorists preparing for unspecified future attacks.
In the most detailed report, the Seattle Times reported that a group of militant Muslims, mostly U.S. citizens, is under investigation by the FBI and a federal grand jury for allegedly supporting the al-Qaida terrorist network.
The newspaper quoted sources as saying that members of the group — described as a “cell” by law-enforcement sources — were members of the defunct Dar-us-Salaam mosque and included both African Americans and whites. The group has ties to Sheik Abu Hamza al-Masri of London, a radical Islamic cleric suspected by Western officials of recruiting for al-Qaida, the newspaper said.
About 15 members of the group scouted a ranch in Bly, Ore., in 1999 as a potential site for a terrorist training camp, the newspaper quoted the sources as saying, adding that the account was supported by a relative of one of the men under investigation.
SEARCHING FOR ‘WISE MAN’
Meanwhile, The Associated Press, quoting unidentified law enforcement officials, reported that American citizens may be among those serving as behind-the-scenes advisers to al-Qaida operating in the United States.
Al-Qaida 'crippled,' but still dangerous
Some of the suspected advisers are believed to be immersed in American life and able to financially direct an attack without directly participating in it, said the officials, who spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity. Some may be U.S. citizens.
Al-Qaida manuals recovered in Afghanistan suggest that terror operations have a “senior adviser or wise man” who does not take part in attacks, said a law enforcement official who is familiar with the investigation.
Word that federal agents are seeking senior al-Qaida planners in the United States came a day after Attorney General John Ashcroft testified that “sleeper terrorists” were at work inside the United States.
“As we limit the access of foreign terrorists to our country, we recognize that the terrorists’ response will be to try to recruit U.S. citizens and permanent residents to carry out their attacks,” he told a House committee charged with shepherding legislation to create the new Department of Homeland Security.
Lawmakers remake security plan
Some intelligence officials estimate there may be as many as 5,000 people in the United States with some sort of connection to al-Qaida. That number, larger than other estimates, includes all those in the “realm of suspicion” and those who may know of terrorist activities but not participate in them, one official said.
BACKGROUND CHECKS, SURVEILLANCE
The number of hard-core al-Qaida members in the United States who might actually do harm to Americans is in the low hundreds or even less, officials say.
The Los Angeles Times on Friday quoted an FBI official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as estimating that as many as 500 people are under investigation nationwide, with as many as 200 of them being monitored.
The newspaper also quoted federal law enforcement officials as discounting the estimate that there could be as many as 5,000 al-Qaida sympathizers in the United States. But they acknowledged that many large cities are suspected of harboring terrorist cells.
“There is no focal point. Sure, they’re looking at Seattle, sure they’re looking at San Francisco, sure they’re looking at Detroit,” one Justice Department official told the Times. “Pick a city, any major city,” including Los Angeles, which was targeted when al-Qaida terrorist Ahmed Ressam plotted in 1999 to detonate a bomb in a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. Ressam was arrested in Washington as he attempted to enter the country from Canada.
‘WE ARE BEING VIGILANT EVERYWHERE’
“Our counter-terrorism folks are actively engaged in cities across the country. We are not limited to New York and Washington, D.C.; we are being vigilant everywhere,” the official added. “They’re following every lead. We’re talking about thousands of leads, and we’re in a situation where we have to follow up on all of them.”
While law enforcement looks broadly for terrorists, some FBI agents also are working closely with Treasury agents to conduct a more specialized search for U.S. residents who might be working in an advisory capacity.
As part of the effort, federal investigators are conducting extensive checks into the backgrounds of longtime citizens who fall under suspicion, looking for operatives who may not have anything unusual in their immediate histories.
The agents are “looking for people who have an affinity toward or sympathy for those carrying out terrorist attacks and provide any kind of support,” one law enforcement official told the AP.
The search for terrorist operatives has frustrated members of the Muslim American community, who are pleased with the Justice Department’s prosecution of backlash hate crimes but feel their own rights are being violated.
The FBI’s counterterrorism team played a major role in the search of 14 homes and businesses in Virginia and Georgia in March.
No one was arrested. None of the law enforcement agencies involved would provide further information, saying affidavits filed in support of the search warrants are under seal in federal court.
OUTRAGE OVER SEARCH
Days after the raids, Laura Jaghlit, a high school English teacher from Fairfax Station, Va., described the raid on her home as “the most un-American thing I have ever seen.”
She is still indignant.
“No one ever had to give us any explanation of why we were chosen for a search or what they were looking for,” Jaghlit said. “We’re just supposed to forget about it.”
Officials searched through photos of her children, threw the contents of drawers on the bed and took her family’s computer, credit cards, passports and bank account information, Jaghlit said.
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said, “We understand and have been told that the FBI is looking for terrorist operatives of all ages and races, but what we’re seeing is that people who are well-known and respected citizens are being treated like suspects.”
“There are all of these vague references to threats without any evidence,” Hooper said. “It puts everybody on edge and makes the Muslim community suspect.”
Law enforcement officials believe that limiting the search to those suspected of actively planning an attack might allow some who give terrorists support to remain hidden.
The possibility of terror advisers who don’t fit the demographics of any of the Sept. 11 hijackers — young, Muslim men, who came to the United States in recent years — has led the FBI agents to seek out contacts in all parts of the Muslim community.
That includes older men and people of different demographics that might have gotten in contact with al-Qaida members later in life, one law enforcement official said.
MSNBC.com’s Mike Brunker and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Al-Qaida manuals recovered in Afghanistan suggest that terror operations have a “senior adviser or wise man” who does not take part in attacks, said a law enforcement official who is familiar with the investigation.
I nominate Sami (short for Osama) Al-Arian at USF.
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