Testimony of J. T. Caruso, Deputy Assistant Director, Counterterrorism
Division, FBI
Before the House
Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Defense
October 3, 2001
"Penttbom"
Good morning Mr. Chairman, Ms.
Harman, and Members of the Subcommittee. On behalf of the
men and women of the FBI, I would like to commend you for
your leadership in combating terrorism and to pledge the full
support and cooperation of the FBI in your efforts.
Like all Americans, I am deeply
saddened by the tragic events of September 11th. The terrorist
attacks we witnessed are among the most horrific crimes ever
committed against the citizens of this country. As you know,
the FBI, in conjunction with law enforcement and intelligence
agencies throughout the United States and the world, is in
the midst of the largest, most complex and perhaps the most
critical criminal and terrorism investigation in our history.
Mr. Chairman, I am limited in
what I can discuss today in an open forum. I do not want to
reveal any strategies planned, actions taken, or information
received by the FBI which may jeopardize the pending investigation.
Numerous Committees of the United States Congress, including
this one, however, receive frequent updates on the investigation
from the FBI and other agencies. These updates are provided
in closed session which allows us to speak candidly about
the sensitive and classified aspects of this investigation.
The FBI will continue to work with you and your staff in this
regard.
Within minutes of the September
11th attacks, the FBI's Command Center, called the Strategic
Information and Operations Center, or SIOC, was operational.
Our efforts began as a search and rescue mission, with SIOC
providing multi-agency analytical, logistical and administrative
support for the teams on the ground in New York, Pennsylvania,
and at the Pentagon. Sadly, as days passed, the hope of finding
survivors amid the debris began to wane. The crash sites became
crime scenes and the tedious process of evidence collection
began. The focus in SIOC shifted from rescue efforts to a
large scale, global terrorism investigation.
Members and staff of this Subcommittee
have had the opportunity to visit SIOC and to observe our
operations in action. You were able to witness firsthand the
cooperation and coordination of every aspect of this investigation
by and between FBI Headquarters, our 56 field offices, and
32 other government agencies present in the Command Center.
The SIOC currently operates
with more than 500 personnel representing these 32 different
agencies and their components. Criminal Division lawyers from
the Department of Justice are also working in SIOC both to
facilitate obtaining warrants and to continuously evaluate
evidence.
The FBI recognizes that each
agency represented in SIOC plays a critical role in this investigation.
We are all working side by side in the Command Center setting
investigative leads, responding to inquiries, and tracking
the hijackers' activities and contacts prior to September
11th. We have enlisted the professional assistance of our
state and local law enforcement partners across the nation
in two ways: first, through our 35 joint terrorism task forces
and regional task forces where federal, state and local law
enforcement agencies partner together on terrorism matters;
and, second, through the electronic dissemination of threat
warnings and law enforcement intelligence to police agencies
across the nation. In this way, we reach approximately 18,000
law enforcement agencies instantly.
In addition, the FBI has dedicated
significant resources to this investigation, including 4,000
Special Agents and 3,000 support personnel. Over 250 Laboratory
personnel and related field personnel are deployed at the
Pentagon and New York crash sites. Thirty of the FBI's Legal
Attache offices overseas are pursuing leads and coordinating
investigation with their foreign counterparts. This is truly
an investigation of global dimension. Attorney General Ashcroft
and FBI Director Mueller are present in the SIOC on a daily
basis, actively overseeing and directing this investigation.
To date, more than 238,000 tips
and potential leads have been generated in this investigation.
Over 100,000 of those tips were received through the FBI's
Internet information form available on our website "www.ifccfbi.gov."
Another 20,000 tips were received on the FBI's toll-free hotline
at 1-866-483-5137. The remainder have been generated through
the dedicated efforts of the FBI field offices.
As you know, the FBI has identified
at least 19 hijackers aboard the four airliners that crashed
on September 11th into the North and South Towers of the World
Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon, and Stony Creek Township,
Pennsylvania. Last week, the FBI released a letter handwritten
in Arabic found in three separate locations: the first, in
a suitcase of hijacker Mohammed Atta which did not make the
connection to American Airlines Flight #11 that crashed into
the North Tower of the World Trade Center; the second, in
a vehicle parked at Dulles International Airport belonging
to hijacker Nawaf Alhazmi; and the third at the crash site
in Pennsylvania. Translations of the letter indicate an alarming
willingness to die on the part of the hijackers.
We have also located some of
the flight recorders and voice data recorders and are in the
process of analyzing them for insights into what took place
on board those flights. With respect to United Airlines Flight
#93 that crashed in Pennsylvania, I can confirm that the passengers
engaged in a fight for their lives with their four hijackers
and most likely saved the lives of unknown individuals on
the ground.
In addition to potential evidence
collected at the scenes of these attacks, the FBI is working
tirelessly to "follow the money" associated with
the 19 hijackers. In the investigation of any terrorist organization,
identifying and tracing funds used to finance and fund the
organizations is a critical step. "Following the money"
plays a key role in identifying those involved in criminal
activity, establishing links among them, and developing evidence
of their involvement in the activity. Locating, seizing, and/or
freezing assets tied to terrorist organizations plays a key
role in cutting off the financial lifeblood of these organizations
and in not only dismantling the organization, but in preventing
future terrorist acts. Due to the international nature of
terrorist organizations, these investigations require considerable
coordination with foreign authorities as well as the CIA and
the Intelligence Community to ensure that the criminal investigation
does not jeopardize or adversely impact sensitive national
security matters. This requires careful adherence to restrictions
separating criminal investigations from those involving national
security and classified intelligence matters.
In the course of this investigation,
the level of cooperation by U.S. financial institutions has
been extraordinary. In all respects, the financial institutions
have gone to considerable lengths to provide subpoenaed information
as expeditiously as possible and have done everything possible
within the legal framework to provide any cooperation requested.
To date, the federal government has frozen approximately $6
million in assets both at home and abroad.
One of the inherent difficulties
the FBI faces in high-profile investigations such as this
is the plethora of news article accounts -- some accurate,
some partially accurate, and some not accurate at all. I would
like to comment on some of the more prevalent reports regarding
the September 11th attacks.
- Early in the investigation,
reports emerged that the FBI had detained two Middle Eastern
males found wearing Delta Airlines pilots' uniforms, carrying
false pilots' licenses as well as box cutters. These reports
were untrue.
- According to some media reports,
two of the hijackers were on a so-called "FBI Watch
List" and were under active FBI surveillance at the
time of the attacks. Prior to the events of September 11,
the FBI did not maintain a "watch list" and none
of the 19 hijackers were under surveillance. In the aftermath
of the attacks, the FBI compiled a list of those individuals
who the FBI, through investigation, determined may have
some information about one or more of the hijackers or about
related activities. This list has grown to over 400 names.
It is important to note that these are persons the FBI is
interested in interviewing; they are not 400 suspected hijackers.
- Just days ago, the FBI was
reported to have foiled a terrorist plot to fly a hijacked
plane into the Sears Tower in Chicago. The FBI is unaware
of any such plot.
- Media reports also contend
that the FBI had advance warnings since 1995 of the plot
to hijack U.S. airliners. The FBI had no warnings about
any hijack plots. There was a widely publicized 1995 conspiracy
in the Philippines to remotely blow up 11 U.S. airliners
over the Pacific Ocean but that plot was disrupted. As is
the practice, the information obtained during that investigation
was widely disseminated, even internationally, and thoroughly
analyzed by multiple agencies. It does not connect to the
current case.
- Most recently, the media
has focused on an individual in Minneapolis who has been
detained since August 17 on immigration charges. It has
been suggested that this individual, Zacarias Moussaoui,
was training to be the fifth hijacker on the flight that
crashed in Pennsylvania. Media accounts also suggest that
the FBI did not actively investigate Moussaoui until after
the September 11th attacks. The FBI conducted vigorous investigation
of Moussaoui upon learning of his detention in mid-August,
to include seizing his computer, contacting foreign officials
for additional information, and seeking a number of authorities
under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to
conduct further investigation. In addition, information
about Moussaoui was shared throughout the Intelligence Community
prior to September 11th. Although there was insufficient
evidence to establish that Moussaoui was an "agent"
of a foreign power or terrorist group as required for a
FISA warrant, the FBI pursued all reasonable and lawful
investigative steps since mid-August.
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank
you and the Subcommittee for this opportunity to address some
of these media reports and to describe the extraordinary interagency
cooperation in this investigation. The FBI and its sister
agencies are literally working around the clock to determine
the full scope of these terrorist acts, to identify all those
involved in planning, executing, and assisting in the commission
of these acts, and to bring those responsible to justice.
Even so, we at the FBI are clear
as to our mission. Director Mueller has forcefully and repeatedly
articulated our number one priority: to do everything in our
power to prevent the occurrence of any additional terrorist
acts. Mr. Chairman, you and the American people can be assured
that the FBI is committed to this fight. To honor the memories
of those who perished on September 11th, we must, and we will,
win this war on terrorism.
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