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| Al-Qaeda alumni now living in Oregon |
| 2005-01-26 |
| The FBI knows of "jihadists" who have trained in terrorist camps in Afghanistan and are now living in Oregon, the agency's Oregon chief said in an exclusive Tuesday interview with The Associated Press. "We don't have an imminent threat that we're aware of. But I will say this: We have people here in Oregon that have trained in jihadist camps in bad areas. In the bad neighborhoods of the world," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Jordan. Asked what he meant by "bad neighborhoods," he said Afghanistan, as well as several other countries he would not specify. During the session with The AP, which lasted nearly two hours, Jordan discussed a wide range of themes - from his agents' participation in the Bush administration's war on terror to the upcoming opening of a new laboratory in Portland to conduct forensic work on computers seized from suspects. Jordan refused to say how many "jihadists" live in Oregon. He said the FBI knows "they've trained overseas, taken oaths to kill Americans and engage in jihad," but the challenge is "to prove those things." Jordan contrasted the known "jihadists" living in Oregon with the so-called "Portland Seven," a group of seven Portland-area men accused of plotting to wage war against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. One of the men was killed in combat, while the six others returned to Oregon, where they eventually pleaded guilty to all the charges against them. Discussing his office's participation in the ongoing war on terror, Jordan said that last fall FBI agents in Oregon took part in an analysis of crop-dusting aircraft across the country, interviewing their current and past owners, examining bills of sale and other pertinent information. U.S. officials had received intelligence that al-Qaida intended to use a crop duster to spray biological or chemical weapons on American targets, he said. The crop duster interviews, he said, led to some questionable activities being disrupted. He declined to provide specifics. Beth Anne Steele, spokeswoman for the FBI's Portland office, said it was the second time since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 that FBI agents had interviewed owners and pilots of crop duster planes. The purpose is not just to make an accounting of where the aircrafts are, she said, but also to encourage people who use the planes to contact the FBI if a suspicious person inquires about buying such an aircraft. Jordan said demands on the FBI's agents in Oregon have increased since the Sept. 11 terror attacks and since the launching of the war on Iraq. He said some of his agents have been assigned to the U.S. prison for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay. Some have also been assigned to duties in Iraq. Jordan said that his chief bomb technician volunteered to go to Iraq, where he helped defuse improvised explosive devices - called IEDs - placed along roads. Jordan also spoke of a new regional laboratory that's being set up in southeast Portland to analyzed seized computers. He said the lab will have a staff of at least 12, and will include officers from local law-enforcement agencies. "Our goal is to be one-stop shopping for law enforcement in the Northwest, not just Oregon," Jordan said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #7 The Trees, man! It's the Treeeeees! |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-01-26 8:59:49 PM |
| #6 banana slugs. ya lick em and get high. ugh |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-01-26 12:51:55 PM |
| #5 What the f*** is it about the Pacific Northwest that attracts so many fascists and far left-far-right-far-out idiotarians of all stripes? |
| Posted by: lex 2005-01-26 12:47:34 PM |
| #4 If they are citizens it would probably be difficult, but if they aren't, or if they lied about something on their application (like being a member of a terrorist organization, perhaps?), it shouldn't be difficult to start deportation proceedings -- even under the old rules. But it sounds to me that the FBI office there is severely understaffed for the current situation, so probably they are dealing with crises first. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-01-26 12:38:24 PM |
| #3 He said the FBI knows "they’ve trained overseas, taken oaths to kill Americans and engage in jihad," but the challenge is "to prove those things." -if we've reason to believe this, why can't we just keep them out of the country? Does the Pat Act not cover this situation? |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2005-01-26 10:07:59 AM |
| #2 HV, you are in good company. |
| Posted by: Mr. Spock 2005-01-26 10:04:17 AM |
| #1 I guess we're still confused about whether this is about law enforcement or war. In war you shoot your enemy on sight. |
| Posted by: HV 2005-01-26 9:47:51 AM |