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FBI intensifies investigations of Hezbollah, Hamas
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI has stepped up ongoing investigations of alleged U.S. supporters of the terror organizations Hezbollah and Hamas in at least two dozen U.S. cities, government officials said Thursday. The move is the result of a ruling by a special federal court last November authorizing federal agents who pursue criminal prosecution to gain access to intelligence that had been gathered as part of separate national security investigations -- thus giving them much more potential evidence. Officials said there are active Hezbollah cells in the United States, but their focus is on fund raising -- either through charities or through illegal activities -- and not on planning attacks. About 150 alleged members of Hezbollah living in the United States are under some sort of active surveillance although all are not under constant watch, CNN has learned. Most of the individuals are allegedly involved in some sort of fundraising activity for the terror organization. Sources also say some persons working for Hezbollah in the United States are believed to be trying procure certain readily available items for use by the terror organization, including radio equipment or GPS systems. U.S. government officials already have been increasingly concerned about Hezbollah. What is new, however, is the increased scrutiny on members of Hezbollah in the United States. Officials said there are "quite a few" under surveillance but would not provide a number. The government already has moved in on Hezbollah financing schemes in North Carolina and Detroit. Additional cells are being investigated in Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington, sources said. Officials added that the government is using a variety of tactics, including deportation if criminal charges cannot be brought. Hamas, a Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization founded in the late 1980s, is labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. The group's military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, has admitted responsibility for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and attacks against the Israeli military. Hezbollah, or Party of God, is based in Lebanon and waged a campaign for 18 years against Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon as a self-declared security zone. Israel withdrew its forces from Lebanon two years ago, but maintains a heavy military presence on Israel's northern frontier. Hezbollah is blamed for anti-Western and anti-Israeli terrorist acts dating from the early 1980s and is on the U.S. State Department's official list of terrorist organizations. When asked to describe the danger that Hezbollah poses, FBI officials pointed out that prior to September 11, the group had killed more Americans than any other. None of those attacks took place on U.S. soil. Officials said the group continues to pose a formidable threat to U.S. interests worldwide. They describe it as an extremely centralized and tightly controlled organization that observes rigorous operational security and counter-surveillance procedures. They said the war on terror has raised the U.S. profile in the Middle East among unpopular extremist groups, including Hezbollah. In addition, they said, the Palestinian conflict is an unpredictable dynamic in which Hezbollah is playing a role. Counterterroroism officials said there is no specific or credible information suggesting Hezbollah is planning any attack against the United States or on U.S. soil, nor is there any intelligence suggesting it has changed its strategy toward the United States. As one official put it: "The U.S. is still a big money maker for the group. They don't want to do anything that would result in a drying up of those funds." The FBI probes were triggered by a November 2002 ruling from a secret three-judge U.S. appeals panel. The ruling was issued by an appellate panel that adjudicates investigations begun under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. (More on the FISA court) The court ruling authorized federal agents who pursue criminal prosecution of terrorism suspects to use years worth of classified wiretaps and intelligence reports from non-U.S. security agencies. Federal prosecutors and FBI agents who work on criminal cases are now able to examine tens of thousands of pages of wiretap transcripts and reports compiled over many years by fellow FBI agents who pursued intelligence cases. -- CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena contributed to this report.
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