-Caveat Lector- FBI Confirms Probe of Stolen Briefcase N.Y. Agent Questioned for Leaving Classified Documents; Has Said He Is Retiring By Cheryl W. Thompson Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, August 21, 2001; Page A06 The head of the FBI's counterterrorism division in New York is under investigation for leaving his briefcase filled with classified information that was later stolen and found in another hotel, FBI sources said yesterday. John P. O'Neill, a 31-year veteran of the agency with a reputation as a top-notch investigator, was attending an FBI conference last year in Tampa when he was paged. Surrounded by FBI employees, O'Neill left the soft-covered case near his chair and went to return the page, sources said. When he returned, the group had broken for lunch and the briefcase was gone. "He didn't say to any employee, 'Keep an eye on this until I come back,' " an FBI source said. Attorney General John D. Ashcroft declined to comment on the matter yesterday. O'Neill, the special agent in charge of national security for the FBI's New York field office, immediately reported the briefcase missing, sources said. The incident was first reported by the New York Times, which said the documents included a report on national security operations in New York. The stolen briefcase, which was quickly recovered, is one of a string of recent embarrassments for the FBI, including a failure to turn over several thousand pages of material in connection with the Oklahoma City bombing case; missing FBI weapons; and the controversial investigation of Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory scientist Wen Ho Lee. The thief, who has never been caught, took the briefcase to another hotel, left it and stole another case, sources said. When the owner of the second briefcase returned, he opened it and found documents he didn't recognize and called hotel security. Hotel security then reviewed the contents and realized the information was confidential and notified the local FBI. "It probably looked to someone like a laptop," an FBI source said. O'Neill's case was returned to him within 90 minutes after it was taken, sources said. "Nothing was tampered with," an FBI source familiar with the matter said. "I'm fairly confident the thing was retrieved intact." The FBI does not allow documents to be removed from the office without authorization, according to Joe Valiquette, a spokesman in the FBI's New York office. He declined to say whether O'Neill had authorization. O'Neill has not been disciplined, Valiquette said. O'Neill did not return a telephone call to his New York office yesterday. O'Neill, 49, began at the FBI as a civilian and became an agent in 1976, an official said. He announced last week that he was retiring at the end of this week, officials said. O'Neill investigated the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen last year and the bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans, in 1998. He also investigated Osama bin Laden, who allegedly operates terrorist camps in Afghanistan. © 2001 The Washington Post Company ================================================================ Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: *Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends ================================================================ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om