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| 119 incarcernated terrorists, no Arabic speakers to listen to their calls |
| 2005-07-11 |
| The federal Bureau of Prisons is holding 119 persons with "specific ties" to international Islamist terrorist groups, yet has no full-time Arabic translators or a system to monitor their communications, The Washington Times has learned. A congressional aide said Bureau of Prisons officials maintain an informal list of 17 employees who are proficient in Arabic. The prison officials acknowledge, however, that none of the workers had been tested to determine Arabic fluency or undergone a special screening or background check, the aide said. Capitol Hill is starting to notice. "It's ludicrous to think that the Bureau of Prisons doesn't have a single full-time translator to monitor their communications," said Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, in a statement given to The Washington Times before Thursday's multiple terror bombings in London. Mr. Grassley called the current system "a recipe for disaster." "There is no question that the number of Arabic translators should be beefed up as quickly as possible -- the very last thing that prisoners should be able to do from behind bars is write a letter to encourage, recruit or aid terrorists in their plans to attack here or around the world," Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, said in a separate statement to The Times. After inquiries from members of Congress and The Times, prison officials said last week that they had hired one designated, full-time Arabic translator and plan to hire one more. But the employee had not begun work as of today and there was no indication of any fluency test or special background check. Since the September 11 attacks, authorities have identified prisons as security threats because of recruitment efforts by al Qaeda and other terror groups. But convicted terrorists in federal penitentiaries, including those behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, retain communication privileges and have had direct contact with other terrorists. The 119 inmates linked to terror groups include 40 thought to be members of al Qaeda and 23 who are "identified as linked to 9/11," according to a document prepared by the Bureau of Prisons. It is not clear from the document how many fall under both categories. Although the agency limits the use of Arabic in some communications within prison walls, the lack of full-time translators makes it difficult for the bureau to learn efficiently and promptly the contents of phone calls or letters, which are monitored and can be in Arabic. "There are several known instances in U.S. prisons of known or suspected terrorists communicating with terrorists overseas, or with their followers or other networks that share their ideologies and goals," counterterrorism consultant Daveed Gartenstein-Ross said. "Probably the best example is the 14 letters that were exchanged between the convicted World Trade Center bombers and a Spanish terror cell." A February 2003 letter from convicted bomber Mohammed Salameh to the Spanish terror cell read in part: "Oh God! Make us live with happiness, make us die as martyrs, may we be united on the Day of Judgment." Bureau of Prisons spokesman Michael Truman said all inmate phone calls are recorded and all incoming and outgoing letters are scanned or copied. He was not able to say what portion of correspondence of the 119 prisoners tied to Islamic terrorists is monitored promptly. Although the agency does not employ full-time Arabic translators, Mr. Truman said, it uses outside contractors as needed. He did not provide specifics. The congressional aide said the prison officials acknowledge not having a formal procedure for using translation services of other agencies. The Justice Department inspector general also warned that federal prisoners were being "radicalized" during religious services conducted in Arabic, and that the prison agency lacked Arabic-speaking employees to monitor the sessions. To address concerns raised in that audit, the Bureau of Prisons six months ago issued regulations saying that all "sermons, original oratory, teachings and admonitions must be delivered in English." Regulations allow each inmate five hours of phone calls per month and unlimited written correspondence, with some exceptions. Three prisoners are barred from outside communication except with legal counsel. One is Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind sheik and spiritual mastermind behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Another 16 inmates have limited outside contact. The imprisoned World Trade Center bombers have had regular contact with other inmates in the general prison population, "where they radicalized inmates and told them that terrorism was part of Islam." The whistleblower who brought the lack of Arabic translators to public attention fears reprisal from inmates at the federal prison in Lee County, Va., where he is scheduled to return to work this month after an eight-month medical leave. The whistleblower, Joe Mansour, was interviewed on camera by NBC in March and discussed his role in translating Arabic communications of prisoners, including in terror-related cases. His attorney, Mathew Tully, said Mr. Mansour, who is Muslim, is seen as a traitor by the Muslim population at the prison and is in personal danger. Despite repeated requests, Mr. Mansour has been denied a transfer to any other prison facility. Mr. Tully says transfer requests are commonplace. "It is extremely uncommon not to grant a transfer," he said. When questioned by aides to Mr. Grassley, an ardent advocate of whistleblowers, Bureau of Prisons officials complained that Mr. Mansour was not a true whistleblower, a person in attendance said. The officials suggested that Mr. Mansour was attempting to bootstrap the whistleblowing onto a 2004 discrimination complaint in which he charged harassment from other employees because of his Arab ethnicity. Mr. Mansour is not seeking monetary damages. He first wrote a letter to supervisors in April 2003 saying that Arabic phone calls and letters from suspected and convicted terrorists were going "unmonitored due to a lack of Arabic speaking staff." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #11 Apologies for the multiple posts. Now I know how it happens. When in doubt as to whether a post took, pop up another window (or another tab, if using Firefox) and check the comments. Most of the time the machine swallowed it, and is simply tardy in dispensing an acknowledgement. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-07-11 22:03 |
| #10 C_L - we gotta follow the PC rules, yes? No matter how much it hurts, even until the death. How silly. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-07-11 21:42 |
| #9 Tell me again about the Arabic speak Jews the Feds won't take on as translators because we are afraid of hurting feelings... |
| Posted by: Classical_Liberal 2005-07-11 21:19 |
| #8 Apologies for the multiple posts. Now I know how it happens. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-07-11 20:17 |
| #7 The way to deal with these terrs is to set them free on Howland Island together with the perverts who molest children. Once a month air drop supplies, if there is any sign of life. The government should also pass a scholarship program that provides a free ride if you major in Arabic and become fluent. Just a regular student loan if you don't attain fluency. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-07-11 19:50 |
| #6 The way to deal with these terrs is to set them free on Howland Island together with the perverts who molest children. Once a month air drop supplies, if there is any sign of life. The government should also pass a scholarship program that provides a free ride if you major in Arabic and become fluent. Just a regular student loan if you don't attain fluency. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-07-11 19:50 |
| #5 The way to deal with these terrs is to set them free on Howland Island together with the perverts who molest children. Once a month air drop supplies, if there is any sign of life. The government should also pass a scholarship program that provides a free ride if you major in Arabic and become fluent. Just a regular student loan if you don't attain fluency. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-07-11 19:50 |
| #4 The cheapest solution might be to prevent incarcerated terrorists from communicating at all. But, for those of us who can't stomach that, how about just branding their foreheads with "T" and throwing them overboard off the shores of Yemen or Somolia. |
| Posted by: Neutron Tom 2005-07-11 19:37 |
| #3 Beat me to it, SH. Better watch the lawyers, too, considering the 5th columnist Lynne Stewart. When is that bitch going to jail? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-07-11 18:15 |
| #2 I cheaper solution might be to prevent incarcerated terrorists from communicating other than to their lawyers. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2005-07-11 12:33 |
| #1 He first wrote a letter to supervisors in April 2003 saying that Arabic phone calls and letters from suspected and convicted terrorists were going "unmonitored due to a lack of Arabic speaking staff." Great. Two years later and a few Congressmen and a backwater of the MSM have taken note. Anyone ever think of cutting off there arabic communications until there are translators available? That would certainly rate a front page somewhere! Howsabout we transfer 'em to Gitmo? (Well, yeah, there'd have to be some funds change hands, too.) |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-07-11 12:32 |