FBI chief: People from countries tied to al-Qaida coming via Mexico
Wednesday, March 09, 2005 Mark Sherman Associated Press http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1110369319114 10.xml Washington- FBI Director Robert Mueller told Congress on Tuesday that people from countries with ties to al-Qaida have crossed into the United States from Mexico, using false identities. "We are concerned, Homeland Security is concerned about special interest aliens entering the United States," Mueller said, using a term for people from countries where al-Qaida is known to be active. Under questioning from Rep. John Culberson, Republican of Texas, Mueller said he was aware of one route that takes people to Brazil, where they assume false identities, and then to Mexico before crossing the U.S. border. He also said that in some instances people with Middle Eastern names have adopted Hispanic last names before trying to get into the United States. Mueller provided no estimate of the number of people who have entered the country in this manner. Bush administration officials have said previously al-Qaida could try to infiltrate the United States through the Mexican border. In recent congressional testimony, Adm. James Loy, deputy Homeland Se curity secre tary, said al- Qaida opera tives believe they can pay to get into the country through Mex ico and entering illegally is "more advantageous than legal entry." But Loy said there's no conclusive evidence that al-Qaida operatives have entered the country via Mexico. Likewise, Mueller did not acknowledge that terrorists had entered the country through Mexico, only that it's believed people from countries where al- Qaida is active have done so. U.S. authorities are investigating groups that may be smuggling people from countries with al-Qaida ties, he said. On another topic, Mueller said it will take until 2008 and cost an unknown amount of money to replace a flawed computer system that was supposed to improve management of terrorism and other criminal cases. The Virtual Case File project was to have been the final piece of the FBI's overhaul of its computer system, an instantaneous and paperless way for FBI agents and analysts to manage all types of investigations. Instead, faced with mounting evidence that the system is inadequate and outdated, the FBI is undertaking a new project. The FBI director said the new project would be managed better and put into place in distinct pieces. After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Mueller made improvement of the agency's computer systems a priority. Members of Congress and the independent Sept. 11 commission said the overhaul was critical to enabling the FBI and intelligence agencies to "connect the dots" in preventing attacks. Mueller has said he expects the loss to taxpayers from the Virtual Case File to be $105 million. On another topic, more than 40 terror suspects were able to buy firearms in the United States last year because background checks showed they had no felony convictions and weren't illegal immigrants, according to a government report released Tuesday. Gun control advocates cited the Government Accountability Office's study, "Gun Control and Terrorism," as evidence that stricter laws are needed to prevent terror suspects from buying firearms. But the National Rifle Association says the law is protecting Americans from terrorists while allowing citizens to own guns. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. 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