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Investigation: Push for tough laws continues

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SUMMARY:

Attorney General John Ashcroft continued to push Congress on Thursday to strengthen a legislative package of antiterrorism measures proposed in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Pakistan says evidence gathered by U.S. investigators against Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden was enough for an indictment over the September 11 attacks in the United States.

Meanwhile, hoping to elicit more information from the public, the FBI Thursday released new photographs of two of the suspected hijackers, taken from security cameras in the Portland area the day before last month's terrorist attacks.

UPDATE:

Versions of the legislative package proposed by Ashcroft, which grants greater power to law enforcement and intelligence officials, are moving through both houses in Congress, and lawmakers have been negotiating with the White House to tone down some of the more controversial aspects of the package. (Full story)

The legislation, originally proposed by the White House, drew complaints from civil libertarians and some lawmakers -- including both Democrats and Republicans -- concerned that it tread too strongly on constitutional rights.

Meanwhile, the new photographs released by the FBI showed Mohamed Atta and and Abdulaziz Alomari -- named by the Justice Department as two of the five hijackers on board American Airlines Flight 11, the first airliner that slammed into New York's World Trade Center -- at a Wal-Mart, gas station and ATM machine. (Full story)

The FBI said the men were in Portland for a 12-hour period September 10. The next day, they boarded a flight to Boston, where they then got on Flight 11, authorities said. Previously released photos taken from a surveillance camera showed the men passing through a security checkpoint at the Portland airport.

Pakistan's declaration supporting the U.S. case against bin Laden is significant because no other Muslim country has taken such an unequivocal stand on the issue of the suspected terrorist's possible role in the attack. (Full story)

"We have seen the material that was provided to us by the American side yesterday," foreign office spokesman Riaz Mohammad Khan told a press briefing. "This material certainly provides sufficient basis for indictment in a court of law.


  •  Summary

  •  Update

  •  Key questions

  •  Who's who

  •  Impact

KEY QUESTIONS:

How is law enforcement working globally to coordinate the investigation?

How will the expansion of law enforcement powers affect Americans' civil liberties? Click here for more.

How are people identified as terrorists communicating with each other? Click here for more.

How are law enforcement authorities using technology such as encryption tools to hunt terrorists? Click here for more.

What groups are U.S. investigators focusing on, and what are their aims? Click here for more.

How would law enforcement authorities go after financial assets of people identified as terrorists? Click here for more.

How did the September 11 attackers evade U.S. intelligence? Click here for more.

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president

Colin Powell: U.S. secretary of state Click here for more

Condoleezza Rice: National security adviser Click here for more

John Ashcroft: U.S. attorney general

Robert Mueller: FBI director Click here for more

George Tenet: CIA director. Click here for more

Osama bin Laden: U.S. authorities have named bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi exile living in Afghanistan, as the prime suspect in masterminding the September 11 attacks. Click here for more

IMPACT:

Information gained from the investigation could lead to fundamental changes in U.S. security and intelligence systems, as well as surveillance laws.




 
 
 
 



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