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<h1><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=3><b>Worth looking at this
document to see what the state is thinking. Excerpts and hi lights are
mine, notably their focus on American Muslims, "Black
separatists" , prisons, schools, Palestinians, animal rights,
environmentalists & anarchists + their ongoing attack on communities
of color under the anti-gang (racketeering - RICO) laws.<br>
<br><br>
</font><div align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=4>Congressional
Testimony</b></font></h1></div>
<font size=3> <br><br>
</font>
<dl><div align="center">
<dd><h2><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2><b>Testimony of <br>
<dd>Robert S. Mueller, III<br>
<dd>Director<br>
<dd>Federal Bureau of Investigation<br>
<dd>Before the<br>
<dd>Senate Committee on Intelligence of the <br>
<dd>United States Senate<br>
<dd>February 16, 2005 <br><br>
</b></font></h2></div>
<dd>The potential recruitment of radicalized American Muslim converts
continues to be a concern and poses an increasingly challenging issue for
the FBI because the process of recruitment is subtle and many times, self
initiated and radicalization tends to occur over a long period of time
and under many different circumstances. <br><br>
<dd>As part of our continued efforts to identify populations that may be
a target for extremist recruitment, the FBI has been involved in a
coordinated effort between law enforcement and corrections personnel to
combat the recruitment and radicalization of prison inmates.
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2 color="#FF0000">Prisons continue to
be fertile ground for extremists who exploit both a prisoner's conversion
to Islam while still in prison, as well as their socio-economic status
and placement in the community upon their release. <br><br>
<dd>Extremist recruitment at schools and universities inside the United
States also poses a particularly difficult problem. Because the
environment on campuses is so open and isolated, schools provide a
particularly impressionable and captive audience for extremists to
target. <br><br>
<br><br>
</font>
<dd><h3><b>The Threat from Other International Terrorist
Groups</b></h3>
<dd>Mr. Chairman, al-Qa'ida and the groups that support it are still the
most lethal threat we face today. However, other terrorist groups that
have a presence in the U.S. require careful monitoring. <br><br>
<dd>It is the FBI's assessment, at this time, that there is a limited
threat of a coordinated terrorist attack in the U.S. from Palestinian
terrorist organizations, such as HAMAS, the Palestine Islamic Jihad, and
the al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade. These groups have maintained a longstanding
policy of focusing their attacks on Israeli targets in Israel and the
Palestinian territories. We believe that the primary interest of
Palestinian terrorist groups in the U.S. remains the raising of funds to
support their regional goals. <br><br>
<dd>The FBI is committed to staunching the flow of funds from the U.S. to
Palestinian terrorist organizations. As an example of this effort, the
former leadership of the Holy Land for Relief and Development, a HAMAS
front organization, was indicted this past year and convictions were won
against the Elashi brothers who owned and ran Infocom, another HAMAS
front organization.<br><br>
<dd>Of all the Palestinian groups, HAMAS has the largest presence in the
U.S. with a robust infrastructure, primarily focused on fundraising,
propaganda for the Palestinian cause, and proselytizing. Although it
would be a major strategic shift for HAMAS, its U.S. network is
theoretically capable of facilitating acts of terrorism in the U.S.
<br><br>
<dd>Like HAMAS, but on a much smaller scale, U.S.-based Palestine Islamic
Jihad members and supporters are primarily engaged in fundraising,
propaganda and proselytizing activities. In 2003, the Palestine Islamic
Jihad, or PIJ, activities and capabilities in the U.S. were severely
undercut by the arrests of the U.S. PIJ leader, Sami al-Arian, and three
of his top lieutenants. There have also been two additional arrests of
suspected PIJ activists on charges unrelated to terrorism. There has been
no indication of a new U.S. PIJ leadership since the arrest of
al-Arian.<br><br>
<dd>Currently, the most likely threat of terrorist attacks from
Palestinian groups to the U.S. homeland is from a "lone wolf"
scenario. In this scenario, a terrorist attack would be perpetrated by
one or more individuals who may embrace the ideology of a Palestinian
terrorist group, but act without assistance or approval of any
established group. <br><br>
<dd>Lebanese Hizballah retains the capability to strike in the U.S.,
although we have no credible information to indicate that US-based
Hizballah members have plans to attack American interests within the U.S.
or abroad. In 2004, we had some success in uncovering individuals
providing material support to Hizballah.
<dd>In Detroit</b>, Mahmoud Youssef Kourani was indicted in the Eastern
District of Michigan on one count of Conspiracy to Provide Material
Support to Hizballah. Kourani was already in custody for entering the
country illegally through Mexico and was involved in fundraising
activities on behalf of Hizballah.
<dd>Also in Detroit</b>, Fawzi Assi was arrested in May of 2004 and was
charged under the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act for
providing material support to Hizballah. Assi was initially arrested in
1998 after an outbound US Customs search at the Detroit Metro Airport
discovered night vision goggles, one thermal imaging scope and two Boeing
Global Positioning System devices. Assi later fled the country after
being released by the court on bail but was later turned over to us in
Lebanon to face US criminal charges.<br>
<br><br>
<dd><h3><b>The Threat from Domestic Terrorism</b></h3>
<dd>While national attention is focused on the substantial threat posed
by international terrorists to the homeland, law enforcement officials
must also contend with an ongoing threat posed by domestic terrorists
based and operating strictly within the U.S. Domestic terrorists
motivated by a number of political or social agendas -- including white
supremacists,<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2 color="#FF0000"> black
separatists, animal rights/environmental terrorists, anarchists</font>,
anti-abortion extremists, and self-styled militia -- continue to employ
violence and criminal activity in furtherance of these agendas.
<br><br>
<dd>Animal rights and environmental extremists</b>, operating under the
umbrella of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Earth Liberation Front
(ELF) utilize a variety of tactics against their targets, including
arson, sabotage/vandalism, theft of research animals, and the occasional
use of explosive devices. <br><br>
<dd>Serious incidents of animal rights/eco-terrorism decreased in 2004, a
fact we attribute to a series of law enforcement successes that are
likely deterring large-scale arsons and property destruction. Following a
rash of serious incidents of animal rights/eco-terrorism, including a $50
million arson in San Diego and two bombing incidents in the San Francisco
area, law enforcement authorities achieved several significant successes
which have likely deterred additional terrorist activity. Despite these
successes, we anticipate that animal rights extremism and eco-terrorism
will continue to threaten certain segments of government and private
industry, specifically in the areas of animal research and
residential/commercial development. <br><br>
<dd>The potential for violence by anarchists and other emerging
revolutionary groups, such as the Anarchist Black Cross Federation
(ABCF), will continue to be an issue for law enforcement. The stated
goals of the ABCF are "the abolishment of prisons, the system of
laws, and the Capitalist state." The ABCF believes in armed
resistance to achieve a stateless and classless society. ABCF has
continued to organize, recruit, and train anarchists in the tactical use
of firearms.<br><br>
<dd>US-based black separatist groups</b> follow radical variants of
Islam, and in some cases express solidarity with al-Qa'ida and other
international terrorist groups. <br><br>
<br>
<dd>Violent Gangs<br><br>
</i>
<dd>Violent gangs are more organized, larger, more violent, and more
widespread than ever before, and they pose a growing threat to the safety
and security of Americans. The Department of Justice estimates there are
approximately 30,000 gangs with more than 800,000 members in the U.S.
<br><br>
<dd>Our communities continue to experience devastating incidences of
murder, drive-by shootings, and assaults by gangs mainly involved in the
sale and distribution of illicit drugs. However, gang activity extends
far beyond protection of turf. It impacts innocent citizens who have no
connection or involvement with gangs, and it increasingly transcends
municipal boundaries. Gang members travel from city to city, between
states and, on occasion, between countries to commit their crimes.
<br><br>
<dd>In response, the FBI is implementing a coordinated,
intelligence-driven
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2 color="#FF0000">National Gang
Strategy to disrupt and dismantle gangs </font>that pose the greatest
threats to America's communities. In the past year, we have increased the
number of Safe Street Task Forces from 78 to 107 and we are seeking to
increase the number by an additional 10 to 20 percent in the coming year.
We are also centralizing gang investigations at FBI Headquarters with a
new $10 million National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC). The NGIC will
collect intelligence on gangs from across the U.S., analyze this
intelligence, and disseminate it to help law enforcement authorities
throughout the country plan and execute strategies to prevent further
gang activity and violence. <br><br>
<dd><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2 color="#FF0000">The FBI has
reclassified gang matters from "violent criminal offenders" to
"criminal organizations and enterprises" -- a higher priority
area. The new classification also allows the U.S. Department of Justice
to charge gang members under federal racketeering statues which can
result in stiffer prison sentences for convicted subjects. This approach
is similar to the successful strategy used by the FBI to dismantle
traditional organized crime groups. <br><br>
</font>
<dd>Under the National Gang Strategy, priority is given to efforts to
disrupt and dismantle gangs that are national in their scope and exhibit
significant connectivity and internal alliances. Among the first to be
targeted is Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), a violent gang which originated in
Los Angeles comprised primarily of Central American immigrants. We have
created a National Gang Task Force specifically to address
MS-13.<br><br>
<br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
</dl><font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
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