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### DATE: FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 2002, 9:00 AM EDT

# Today's Edition {#todays-edition .BNN_HeadBanner}

Terrorism News:

Feds Reopen FL Arms Deal Case In Search Of Taliban Role.
[2](#sTerrorismNews)

US Holding Man Arrested In Foiled Embassy Bombing Plot.
[2](#hUSHoldingManArrested)

Feds Search MD Home A Second Time In Anthrax Investigation.
[2](#hFedsSearchMDHomeASec)

Members Of Congress Refuse Polygraphs In FBI Probe Of Leaks.
[3](#hMembersOfCongressRef)

Debate Continues On Civil Service Rules For New Homeland Security
Department. [4](#hDebateContinuesOnCiv)

Widows Of 9/11 Press White House For Independent Commission To Probe
Attacks. [4](#hWidowsOf911PressWhit)

# Terrorism News: {#terrorism-news .Section-Head}

[]{#sTerrorismNews .anchor}**Feds Reopen FL Arms Deal Case In Search Of
Taliban Role.** The [Washington
Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33797-2002Aug1.html)
(8/2, A1, Mintz) reports, "Federal investigators are reexamining a
recent arms smuggling case in Florida to determine whether agents of the
Pakistani government tried to buy missiles and nuclear weapons
components in the United States last year for use by terrorists or
Pakistan\'s military." The original criminal case \-- a "sting operation
in which intermediaries allegedly tried to buy the weapons from a
diamond thief-turned-informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms \-- attracted little public notice when arrests were made in
June 2001." It "resulted in a single guilty plea and the sealing of
court files for another defendant." The alleged weapons buyers
"repeatedly said in conversations taped by authorities that they
represented the Pakistani government and were arranging the purchases
for Pakistani intelligence, the then-Taliban government of Afghanistan
or terrorists." Many details of the case "have not been made public
previously. The investigation was brought to light by 'Dateline NBC,'
which shared some material, including undercover audiotapes, with The
Washington Post and is scheduled to air its report tonight." Lawyers for
the two men arrested in the sting "said their clients have no
connections to terrorists or arms dealers, and became involved only when
approached by a US government informant."

[]{#hUSHoldingManArrested .anchor}**US Holding Man Arrested In Foiled
Embassy Bombing Plot.** The [Washington
Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33658-2002Aug1.html)
(8/2, A1, Brown, Eggen) reports, "A Canadian man accused of organizing a
plot to blow up US and Israeli embassies in Singapore is being held in a
secret location in the United States, where he is cooperating and
revealing information about terrorists\' plans, US officials said." The
man, Mohammed Mansour Jabarah, 20, a native of Kuwait, "was arrested in
the Persian Gulf state of Oman and is being held at a military base in
the northeastern United States as a material witness, US officials
said." Prosecutors are "considering filing charges against him in
connection with the Singapore operation." Heng-Chee Chan, Singapore\'s
ambassador to the United States, and US officials "said that Jabarah,
using the pseudonym 'Sammy,' was the ringleader of a plot in Singapore
to blow up embassies of the United States, Israel, Britain and
Australia." Authorities "allege that the operation, involving members of
the militant Jemaah Islamiah group, had significant logistical support
from Osama bin Laden\'s al Qaeda network." Singaporean police "arrested
more than a dozen militants in December in connection with the plot, but
Jabarah escaped." He was "arrested and interrogated in Oman, then turned
over to Canadian authorities before being sent to the United States,
several officials said." Although authorities "do not believe Jabarah
was a senior al Qaeda leader, one US official said he had significant
'operational authority' in running the aborted attacks in Singapore."
Jabarah "has also told interrogators about training provided at al
Qaeda\'s camps in Afghanistan, an official said."

[]{#hFedsSearchMDHomeASec .anchor}**Feds Search MD Home A Second Time In
Anthrax Investigation.** The [Washington
Post](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33697-2002Aug1.html)
(8/2, A13, Jackman, Eggen) reports, "The FBI and the US Postal Service
conducted a second search yesterday of the Frederick apartment of a
former Army researcher who specialized in helping the government devise
responses to possible bio-terrorism incidents such as anthrax attacks."
Federal authorities "would not say why they obtained a search warrant
and returned to the home of Steven J. Hatfill, who once worked at nearby
Fort Detrick, the Pentagon\'s top bio-defense research center." In
February, FBI agents "investigating last fall\'s anthrax mailings gave
Hatfill a lie-detector test, which his attorney said he passed, and in
June, Hatfill invited agents to search his Frederick apartment without a
warrant, which they did."

The [Wall Street
Journal](http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB102823317987213080,00.html?mod=world_news_whats_news)
(8/2, Fields, Regaldo, Block) reports, 'Agents spent the day at the
Frederick, Md., apartment of the microbiologist and government
consultant, who has worked at labs where anthrax is studied and has
warned of the dangers of bio-terrorism." Dr. Hatfill "has been
cooperating with the investigation, and submitted on June 25 to the
first search of his apartment and a storage bin he rented in Florida, in
what his lawyer said was an effort to clear himself." Agents "said they
found no evidence then to link him to the anthrax attacks that killed
five people last fall." But Thursday, agents "had a warrant for the
second search. They also searched his girlfriend\'s home, but didn\'t
identify her."

[ABC News](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/) (8/1, story 3,
Serafin) reports, "Law enforcement sources tell ABC News the FBI has
recent evidence that leads to increased suspicion of Steven Hatfill.
That is what prompted the FBI to return today for another search of his
apartment, as well as a friend\'s apartment in Washington and a storage
site in Florida. Federal investigators first searched his apartment just
outside the Fort Detrick research facility in late June. Officials said
no trace of anthrax was found. Today, officials were saying very
little." ABC adds, "The FBI has been investigating Hatfill because he
had access to anthrax in his job as a government researcher. And then
later, in 1999, commissioned a study detailing how a hypothetical
anthrax attack could be carried out by mail. About a year ago, for
reasons unknown, Hatfill lost his government security clearance. Despite
today\'s repeat search, Hatfill has not been charged, not even labeled
as a suspect. But, as one of those with the access and expertise to
carry out the attacks, he remains very much what the FBI has called, 'a
person of interest.'"

The
[AP](http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-080102anthrax_wr.story)
(8/2) reports, "FBI Director Robert Mueller declined to say why a second
search was conducted at Hatfill\'s home," saying, "We\'re making
progress in the case but I can\'t comment on ongoing aspects of the
investigation." Federal investigators "first searched Hatfill\'s home
June 25 and questioned him about last year\'s deadly anthrax mailings.
During the initial search, FBI agents, some in protective clothing,
removed computer components and at least a half-dozen garbage bags full
of material from Hatfill\'s apartment." But officials "said no trace of
anthrax was found in his home or at storage unit he rented in Florida."

The [New York
Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/02/national/02SEAR.html) (8/2,
Johnston) reports that Hatfill "is the only person known to have been
subjected to such intensive scrutiny, indicating that investigators
remained focused on Hatfill even as they emphasized in public that he
was not a suspect and said that they had no evidence linking him to the
mailings of letters containing anthrax." Officials "have said they have
no prime suspect in the attacks and have not narrowed the list of
possible suspects." Investigators "have a list of about 50 people, which
is updated periodically. Hatfill\'s name remains on that list, the
officials said." Hatfill "has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but he
has been the subject of speculation by people outside the government,
some with scientific training, who have closely followed the anthrax
inquiry and have offered theories about who might be responsible for the
attacks."

CBS (8/1, lead story, Attkisson) reports that Hatfill "worked at the
Pentagon\'s top biodefense research center a stone\'s throw from his
apartment until 1999. He\'s believed to have been vaccinated against
anthrax. While there, he, like other scientists, had access to the
strain of anthrax used in the post-9/11 mail attacks. He also caught
investigators\' attention because he once commissioned a study that
mentioned an anthrax-laced envelope being opened in an office. Also, the
fictitious return address on the letters used in the anthrax attacks was
Greendale School. Hatfill once studied in Zimbabwe near a school called
Greendale. And he\'s said to have lost his government security clearance
shortly before the attacks. His attorney didn\'t return our calls, but
in recent weeks, said Hatfill was never a suspect. The anthrax
investigation is now in its eleventh month, and seemed largely to stall
once the FBI narrowed the field of people who\'d be technically capable
of carrying out the attacks. Officials won\'t say what triggered the
intensified interest in Dr. Stephen Hatfill. Though they\'re careful not
to call him a suspect, there\'s no question he\'s becoming an
increasingly important figure in the investigation."

NBC (8/1, story 6, P. Williams) reports that Hatfill "now helps train
police and other first responders on how to safely work at the scenes of
potential bio-weapons attacks. Both Hatfill and his lawyer have said
that he is not a suspect and never was. But they say they understand why
someone with his background would attract suspicion. Officials tonight
say no arrests in the case are imminent. And they say dozens of people
have risen and fallen from interest as investigators continue to work
through leads."

[]{#hMembersOfCongressRef .anchor}**Members Of Congress Refuse
Polygraphs In FBI Probe Of Leaks.** The [[Washington
Post]{.underline}](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33821-2002Aug1.html%0D%0A)
(8/2, A1, Priest) reports in a front-page story, "FBI agents have
questioned nearly all 37 members of the Senate and House intelligence
committees and have asked many if they would be willing to submit to lie
detector tests as part of a broad investigation into leaks of classified
information related to the Sept. 11 attacks, according to officials
involved in the inquiry. Most of the lawmakers have told the FBI they
would refuse a polygraph, citing the constitutional separation of powers
between the legislative and executive branches of government and the
unreliability of the exam, those involved in the inquiry said." FBI
agents have also "questioned 60 congressional staff members and
officials at the CIA, the Defense Department and the National Security
Agency. They are trying to find the source of news stories that quoted
Arabic communications making vague references to an impending attack on
the United States, which were intercepted by the NSA on Sept. 10 but not
translated until Sept. 12." But "experts in the separation of powers
said yesterday that the FBI investigation raised serious concerns about
whether lawmakers would feel free to aggressively review the performance
of intelligence agencies and the FBI." And "during a congressional
hearing Wednesday, Sen. John McCain" told Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld "that unwanted disclosures are 'a game that was played when you
first came here nearly 30 years ago, and it will probably be played 30
years from now.' 'The fact is that there are competing proposals within
the administration, and certain people are using or attempting to gain
advantage by leaking information...and when it is resolved within the
administration...then I think you\'ll find the leaks will stop,' McCain
said."

The [[New York
Times]{.underline}](http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/02/politics/02SECR.html%0D)
(8/2, Marquis) reports, "Ranit Schmelzer, a spokeswoman for Senator Tom
Daschle of South Dakota, the majority leader, said the inquiry had
provoked 'grave concerns about the constitutional separation of powers
issues raised by having one branch of government administering a
polygraph to employees of another branch.'"

[]{#hDebateContinuesOnCiv .anchor}**Debate Continues On Civil Service
Rules For New Homeland Security Department.** The [[Washington
Post]{.underline}](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34073-2002Aug1.html%0D%0A)
(8/2, A21, Miller) reports, "Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said
yesterday that the White House would not back off its demand that a
proposed new federal anti-terrorism department have unprecedented
flexibility to hire, reward, discipline and transfer its 170,000
employees." Ridge "said an 'old-line bureaucracy' can\'t fight emerging
terrorist threats and overcome the 'inertia' that in the past has
hampered some federal departments. He expressed the same views in a
letter yesterday to Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.)
that contended that a Senate version of the homeland security bill \--
which denies the White House the management flexibility it wants --
'would create a cumbersome bureaucracy that would not provide the best
security for America.'" The issue "of workers\' rights has dominated the
recent debate over President Bush\'s bid to create the new department.
Many lawmakers and labor leaders contend Bush\'s proposal would
needlessly imperil civil service and union protections." Meanwhile "a
spokeswoman for Daschle said he had no comment on Ridge\'s letter.
Lieberman and other Democrats said the new department would have enough
flexibility to accomplish its objectives without changing current
rules."

***More Commentary.*** The [[Washington
Post]{.underline}](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33997-2002Aug1.html%0D%0A)
(8/2) editorializes, "The new Department of Homeland Security must have
workers who are energized and committed to the vital task of protecting
against terrorist attack. It requires senior officials, managers and
employees focused on the achievement of that goal. It does not, however,
need a workforce distracted by fears over its fate in a new
organization. The escalating partisan fight over workers\' protections
threatens the department\'s fundamental purpose. Lawmakers on Capitol
Hill and Bush administration officials should use the recess that begins
this weekend to cool their rhetoric and find common ground on which this
department can be created." Bush "reached too far when he proposed to
leave the new homeland secretary free to set up an entirely new
personnel system, without a clear sense of what such sweeping power
would entail, and with no compelling explanation of why existing legal
authorities weren\'t enough to do the job." The homeland security
legislation "ought simply to include the specific, defined authorities,
such as pay and hiring flexibility, that will help get the new
department up and running. There will be time later for adjustments if
needed, and other legislative vehicles for government-wide management
reforms. The workers should not become pawns in a political struggle."

In a [New York
Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/02/opinion/02JONE.html) (8/2)
op-ed, Brandeis University history professor Jacqueline Jones writes,
"'Solidarity forever': The dramatic rescue of nine coal miners trapped
240 feet underground in Pennsylvania last weekend gives new meaning to
the historic rallying cry of the American labor movement. ...
Ultimately, however, it was not modern technology but the miners'
determination and teamwork that enabled them to endure cold, water and
hunger during their 77-hour ordeal. ... The Bush administration seems to
believe that collective action on the part of workers \-- and
specifically the right of certain federal workers to join a union \-- is
a potential threat to national security. The President favors a plan for
the proposed Department of Homeland Security that would allow for
'managerial flexibility.' Many critics contend this would mean that the
new department's 170,000 employees would lose civil service protection
and with it the right to form and join a union. ... Presumably the
nation cannot afford the luxury of a homeland security work force that
wields some power over the terms and conditions of its own labor \--
wages, hours and benefits. Such a possibility, the President seems to be
suggesting, would hamstring the federal government and weaken the
nation's ability to respond effectively to threats both internal and
external. ... This notion that unions are superfluous \-- or, worse,
somehow subversive to the nation's well-being \-- is deeply troubling.
By denying Homeland Security employees the right to union membership,
the federal government would be emulating business practices that seek
to keep workers separate from one another and make it difficult to speak
or act with one voice on their own behalf."

[]{#hWidowsOf911PressWhit .anchor}**Widows Of 9/11 Press White House For
Independent Commission To Probe Attacks.** [[USA
Today]{.underline}](http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2002-08-02-commission_x.htm%0D)
(8/2, Kiely) reports, "A group of women who lost their husbands in the
collapse of the World Trade Center are beginning to change some minds
about the need for an independent commission to investigate the Sept. 11
attacks. Their next target: President Bush. For months, the president
and other administration officials have argued against an independent
commission. This week, however, senior White House officials met with
three widows spearheading a lobbying campaign." Opponents "argue that it
will duplicate efforts underway in Congress and distract key law
enforcement officials at a time when they should be focusing on the war
against terrorists." Rep. Chris Smith "said he has no criticism of the
joint congressional inquiry already underway by the House and Senate
intelligence committees. But he and the family members want a broader
investigation." Meanwhile Sen. Joseph Lieberman "says he will try to add
the commission" to the Homeland Security Department bill. And "family
members are hoping Bush, who could establish a commission by executive
order, will act sooner."

**Police Chiefs Irritated By FBI Program To Provide Them With Terrorism
Information.** [[USA
Today]{.underline}](http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2002-08-01-fbi-police_x.htm%0D)
(8/2, Johnson) reports, "A new FBI program designed to provide local
police with intelligence reports on potential terrorism is sputtering
because many police officials believe the application process is too
long and intrusive. They also say the reports aren\'t that valuable. Of
1,000 police executives whom U.S. authorities identified as candidates
for clearance to the secret reports, only 600 have applied since the
program began in January, FBI officials say. About 320 police officials
have been granted access so far." Chuck Wexler, executive director of
the Police Executive Research Forum, "says police officials are
'infuriated' about having to undergo background checks of up to six
months to gain access to FBI reports." William Berger, president of the
International Association of Chiefs of Police, "says the information
offered by US authorities often is not fully developed or specific
enough to indicate how police should react."

**Senators Propose Privacy Commission.** The [[Washington
Times]{.underline}](http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020802-473343.htm%0D)
(8/2, Dinan) reports, "Two senators are proposing a privacy commission
that would examine new surveillance technology with the goal of
balancing security and privacy concerns. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New
York Democrat, and Sen. John Edwards, North Carolina Democrat, say the
commission won\'t have the power to prevent any technology from being
used, but it would be a place to discuss the proper role for new
machines and methods in the war on terrorism." Commission members "would
be appointed by the president and Congress, and would mix law
enforcement officials, privacy specialists and representatives from the
technology and business world, the senators said. It would propose rules
for implementing new technology and investigative strategies. The
senators hope to attach the provision as an amendment to an upcoming
bill \-- perhaps the proposal to create a Department of Homeland
Security, which will be on the Senate floor after the August recess."
Schumer "suggested such a commission during a committee hearing with
Attorney General John Ashcroft last week, who said he would be open to
discussing the idea."

**Ashcroft Friend Lobbied On Behalf Of Oklahoma City Victims Seeking
Compensation.** The
[AP](http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/washington/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0768_BC_Ashcroft-OKCVictims&&news&newsflash-washington)
(8/1, Solomon) reports a "longtime friend and adviser to Attorney
General John Ashcroft signed up Oklahoma City bombing survivors as
clients with a promise to use his connections to win them government
compensation in exchange for 10 percent to 27.5 percent of the proceeds,
according to court documents and interviews." About "120 survivors and
victims\' relatives from the 1995 bombing signed up for the lobbying
campaign, which fell apart last month amid lawsuits and an ethics
complaint involving the organizers. The intent was to win a share of the
hundreds of millions set aside for families of Sept. 11 victims, the
documents and participants say. " The Ashcroft friend, attorney Charles
Polk, "has had occasional contact with senior Justice officials,
including Ashcroft, adviser David Israelite and Sept. 11 fund
administrator Kenneth Feinberg, Justice officials said." But officials
were "unaware he was soliciting business from Oklahoma City victims,
Justice spokeswoman Barbara Comstock said Thursday." Comstock said, "No
one in the attorney general\'s office, including the attorney general
himself, had any idea that Charles Polk was working on any legal matters
related to Oklahoma City victims or that Polk had a financial interest."
The AP adds Polk said "in a statement released by his attorney that he
worked as a lobbyist along with two other partners in an attempt to win
compensation for the Oklahoma victims, but he never discussed it with
Ashcroft and cleared all his actions in advance with lawyers." Polk's
statement said, "We operated under the assumption that we were in
compliance with all applicable laws." The AP adds some of those "who
worked with Polk say the St. Louis attorney suggested to them that
Ashcroft\'s department supported the idea of extending the compensation
Congress set up for Sept. 11 victims to the Oklahoma City families."

**Ohio Businessman Says He Helped FBI Monitor Al Qaeda Website.** The
[AP](http://www.indystar.com/data/wire/out/0801ap_m705pm5009.html) (8/1)
reports Dayton, Ohio businessman Bill O\'Neill\'s "first instinct was to
pull the plug when he learned his company was host to a Web site that
al-Qaida terrorists may have used to communicate among themselves. But
the FBI talked him out of it so agents could monitor the site."
O\'Neill, president of Trident Networks, said, "I had no idea. We host
thousands and thousands of Web sites. We have clients from over 100
countries." The AP adds, "O\'Neill said he was eating breakfast last
week when he learned from a CNN news broadcast that his Dayton-based
Internet company had unwittingly been host for the Alneda.com Web site
believed to have been used by terrorists. As O\'Neill watched, CNN
flashed the Web address while reporting that an Ocean City, Md., online
businessman had been tracking the Web site until its originators caught
on." After "absorbing the shock, O\'Neill contacted the FBI," and "until
Tuesday, when Trident Networks finally shut down the site, federal
agents were monitoring Alneda.com as part of the US war against
terrorism, O\'Neill said." This month, someone "moved Alneda.com to
Trident\'s computers, using a Saudi Arabian credit card to pay for three
months of service, O\'Neill said. The site, entirely in Arabic, promoted
Osama bin Laden\'s al-Qaida organization and carried messages from its
leaders, O\'Neill said."

**NYC Officials To Announce Ideas For New High-Rise Building Code.** The
[[New York
Times]{.underline}](http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/02/nyregion/02CODE.html%0D)
(8/2, Lipton, Glanz) reports, "New York City officials are creating a
sweeping plan to change the codes that govern how all high-rise
buildings are protected against fire and structural damage and how they
are evacuated in an emergency. The plan is one of the first concrete
signs that the fiery collapse of the World Trade Center is going to
transform the construction and operation of high-rises around the
nation. A task force of city building and fire officials, real estate
leaders, engineers and construction executives has already drawn up a
list of possible changes, which would be among the city\'s most
comprehensive in three decades." The task force\'s ideas "will be aired
in a daylong public hearing on Aug. 13 at the United States Custom House
near the trade center site. The goal is to have a completed plan ready
by the end of the year, for swift consideration by the City Council and
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg." The task force "has drafted highly specific
recommendations in certain areas, such as moving intakes for
air-conditioning and heating systems away from vulnerable street-level
spots in all new high-rises. But in other cases it has identified a
range of possible measures to achieve a goal, such as making stairways
and exits easier to move through in an emergency."