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Manhunt for accomplices widens
Congress ready to move on Ashcroft's request for new anti-terrorism law

From Detroit News wire services

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   WASHINGTON -- The Immigration and Naturalization Service has detained 49 people and an unknown number of others have been arrested in connection with last week's terrorism, FBI Director Robert Mueller said Monday.
   But Attorney General John Ashcroft said he had warned key lawmakers that the Justice Department believes "associates of the hijackers that have ties to terrorist organizations may be a continuing presence in the United States."
   Ashcroft asked Congress for swift approval of a new bill that would allow federal agents broader wiretap and search powers, tighten immigration law, and allow the seizure of assets belonging to those who harbor or otherwise help suspected terrorists.
   "I want to assure you that in our effort to make sure that law enforcement can gain the intelligence that it needs in order to protect America, we are also mindful of our responsibility to protect the rights and privacy of Americans," Ashcroft said.
   As part of his campaign, Ashcroft lobbied members of Congress on Sunday who visited him at the special command center set up at FBI headquarters in Washington. About 500 officials from 32 federal agencies, including the White House and federal intelligence agencies such as the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the super-secret National Security Agency are coordinating the manhunt from FBI headquarters.
    One day after briefing congressional leaders privately, Ashcroft publicly urged Congress quickly to expand the FBI's wiretapping authority, to impose stronger penalties on those who harbor or finance terrorists and to increase punishments on terrorists themselves.
   Ashcroft told lawmakers the FBI needs his package passed this week, even though Congress is observing the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. "I'm optimistic that we will be able to act quickly to provide law enforcement with the additional tools that are necessary to fight terrorism," Ashcroft said.
   House and Senate leaders had yet to see the specifications of Ashcroft's proposal Monday afternoon. The attorney general said it would be ready in a "day or two," which led to uncertainty whether committees will hold hearings or just send the package directly to the House and Senate floors for votes.
   The Senate already has approved changing wiretapping laws by amending the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill last Thursday to make terrorism a reason to request a wiretap.
   Part of Ashcroft's terrorism package includes a request to allow the FBI to request wiretapping orders for a suspect instead of a telephone.
   That would mean law enforcement agents would be able to tap any phone a suspect uses, instead of having to ask for a new wiretapping order whenever the suspect changed telephones. With the introduction of cellular phones, it has become harder for law officers to track conversations of suspects because of the ease of getting new telephone numbers or new telephones, officials said.
   "That's a key piece of legislation that would be helpful to us," FBI Director Robert Mueller said Monday.
   Ashcroft also wants wiretapping orders to extend over state lines. That would allow investigators around the country to tap a suspect's call, instead of having to get a separate wiretapping warrant in each jurisdiction. "This is a reasonable upgrade," he said.
   The attorney general also said he wants Congress to give him expanded electronic surveillance, search authority and the ability to identify, seize and forfeit terrorists' assets.
   The package would include making contributions to terrorism groups a crime under money-laundering statutes, lift the statute of limitations on prosecuting terrorists and increase penalties for harboring terrorists.
   After their private briefing by Ashcroft and Mueller on Sunday, senators were positive about moving legislation forward quickly.
   "I don't know how soon, but the sooner the better," said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala, top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee. "All of us want to see the details of any legislative plan if there's going to be a legislative response, but Congress, I believe, is in the mood to do whatever it takes to win this war against terrorism."
   Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., head of the Senate Judiciary Committee and one lawmaker Ashcroft briefed Sunday, signaled he may not support some of the antiterrorism measures Ashcroft proposes.
   Leahy's press secretary, David Carle, said congressional support probably would be widespread for a proposal to raise penalties on those who harbor terrorists and for some broadening of U.S. wiretapping authority.
   "But he believes that history has shown that there's great impetus in times of crisis to rush to Congress legislation that hasn't been thought through," Carle said.
   Ashcroft also announced Monday that he had tapped more than 300 deputy marshals from the U.S. Marshals Service to help in the investigation that has been top priority at all 56 FBI field offices.
   The Justice Department will use law enforcement officials from various agencies to serve as air marshals on U.S. flights. Last week, the attorney general deployed hundreds of U.S. marshals and customs' officials at the nation's airports to beef up security.
   Mueller said the FBI has received 47,000 leads from a special Web site it created after Sept. 11's attacks and 7,800 tips from a new hot line. Another 26,000 leads were generated through the various field offices.
   Mueller also said 49 people have been detained -- some since the attacks -- on immigration charges and are being questioned in connection with terrorism.
   The FBI also has arrested two people in New York on material witness warrants. But those warrants -- and an unknown number of others that have been executed -- are under seal.
   Mueller made a plea for Americans fluent either in Arabic and Farsi -- the language spoken in Iran -- to help the FBI. He asked anyone who was interested to call (866) 483-5137. Mueller said the FBI and other federal agencies have had what he called a language shortage for some time "and we feel at this point in time we can use the additional manpower helping us with the language issues."
   The FBI chief also warned that hate crimes against Arab visitors or Arab Americans will not be tolerated. Anti-Arab sentiment may have inspired at least two killings, and the FBI has initiated 40 hate crime investigations "involving reported attacks on Arab-American citizens and institutions," Mueller said.
   He also said last week's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon caught federal law enforcement by surprise.
   "There were no warning signs that I'm aware of that would indicate this type of operation in the country," he said.
   To help
   (866) 483-5137, www.fbijobs.com: FBI hot line and Web site to offer language services.