HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,40747,00.html > > >Monday, December 17, 2001 > >TONY SNOW, HOST: This week, senior correspondent Carl Cameron has >reported on a longstanding government espionage investigation. >Federal officials this year have arrested or detained nearly 200 >Israeli citizens suspected of belonging to an "organized >intelligence-gathering operation." The Bush administration has >deported most of those arrested after Sept. 11, although some are in >custody under the new anti-terrorism law. > >Cameron also investigates the possibility that an Israeli firm >generated billing data that could be used for intelligence purpose, >and describes concerns that the federal government's own wiretapping >system may be vulnerable. Tonight, in part four of the series, we'll >learn about the probable roots of the probe: a drug case that went >bad four years ago in L.A. > >(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) > >CARL CAMERON, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Los Angeles, >1997, a major local, state and federal drug investigating sours. The >suspects: Israeli organized crime with operations in New York, >Miami, Las Vegas, Canada, Israel and Egypt. The allegations: cocaine >and ecstasy trafficking, and sophisticated white-collar credit card >and computer fraud. The problem: according to classified law >enforcement documents obtained by Fox News, the bad guys had the >cops beepers, cell phones, even home phones under surveillance. Some >who did get caught admitted to having hundreds of numbers and using >them to avoid arrest. "This compromised law enforcement >communications between LAPD detectives and other assigned law >enforcement officers working various aspects of the case. The >organization discovered communications between organized crime >intelligence division detectives, the FBI and the Secret Service." >Shock spread from the DEA to the FBI in Washington, and then the >CIA.An investigation of the problem, according to law enforcement >documents, concluded, "The organization has apparent extensive >access to database systems to identify pertinent personal and >biographical information." When investigators tried to find out >where the information might have come from, they looked at Amdocs, a >publicly traded firm based in Israel. Amdocs generates billing data >for virtually every call in America, and they do credit checks. The >company denies any leaks, but investigators still fear that the >firm's data is getting into the wrong hands. When investigators >checked their own wiretapping system for leaks, they grew concerned >about potential vulnerabilities in the computers that intercept, >record and store the wiretapped calls. A main contractor is Comverse >Infosys, which works closely with the Israeli government, and under >a special grant program, is reimbursed for up to 50 percent of its >research and development costs by Israel's Ministry of Industry and >Trade. Asked this week about another sprawling investigation and the >detention of 60 Israeli since Sept. 11, the Bush administration >treated the questions like hot potatoes. ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE >PRESS SECRETARY: I would just refer you to the Department of Justice >with that. I'm not familiar with the report. COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY >OF STATE: I'm aware that some Israeli citizens have been detained. >With respect to why they're being detained and the other aspects of >your question whether it's because they're in intelligence services, >or what they were doing I will defer to the Department of Justice >and the FBI to answer that. (END VIDEOTAPE) > >CAMERON: Beyond the 60 apprehended or detained, and many deported >since Sept. 11, another group of 140 Israeli individuals have been >arrested and detained in this year in what government documents >describe as "an organized intelligence gathering operation," >designed to "penetrate government facilities." Most of those >individuals said they had served in the Israeli military, which is >compulsory there. > >But they also had, most of them, intelligence expertise, and either >worked for Amdocs or other companies in Israel that specialize in >wiretapping. Earlier this week, the Israeli embassy in Washington >denied any spying against or in the United States. -- Tony. > >SNOW: Carl, we've heard the comments from Ari Fleischer and Colin >Powell. What are officials saying behind the scenes? > >CAMERON: Well, there's real pandemonium described at the FBI, the >DEA and the INS. A lot of these problems have been well known to >some investigators, many of who have contributed to the reporting on >this story. And what they say is happening is supervisors and >management are now going back and collecting much of the >information, because there's tremendous pressure from the top levels >of all of those agencies to find out exactly what's going on. > >At the DEA and the FBI already a variety of administration reviews >are under way, in addition to the investigation of the phenomenon. >They want to find out how it is all this has come out, as well as be >very careful because of the explosive nature and very political >ramifications of the story itself Tony. > >SNOW: All right, Carl, thanks. > ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
