U.S. Will Interview More Foreigners in Fight on Terrorism

U.S. law enforcement officials will pursue voluntary interviews with an additional 3,000 foreign nationals in this country in an effort to gain more information about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft said Wednesday.

An initial round of interviews, begun in November, has elicited few clues about the attacks, but has provided leads that might prove helpful in the future, the Justice Department said in a report released Wednesday. Civil libertarians have assailed the program as unfairly targeting Muslims and Arabs while yielding little payoff for investigators, and they were quick to denounce plans to extend it.

But the announcement indicated that the Justice Department--far from being deterred by the controversy over the first interviews--is determined to continue such sweeping tactics.

“We believe that these individuals might, either wittingly or unwittingly, be in the same circles, communities or social groups as those engaged in terrorist activities,” Ashcroft said during a briefing at the U.S. attorney’s office in Alexandria, Va.

Those sought for questioning, he added, are not suspected of crimes. “We are merely seeking to solicit their assistance to obtain any information they may have regarding possible terrorists or potential terrorist acts,” Ashcroft said.

In November, investigators announced plans to interview young men who came to the United States after Jan. 1, 2000, from nations where the Al Qaeda terrorist network is active. They eventually reached 2,261 out of a list of almost 5,000 drawn from various government databases. The newer list, which may take investigators 60 days to work through, will focus on men who entered the United States more recently than those sought in the first round.

“While most of the interviewees had no information relating to specific terrorists or terrorist acts,” some provided leads that may help investigators, the report found.

According to the report, which offered only sketchy details, the interviews yielded the name and address of one person who possibly had ties to one of the Sept. 11 hijackers, another who “recalled seeing” one of the hijackers and the names of others who may be linked to extremist groups. At least two interviewees identified acquaintances who had taken flight training.

Under the program, the Justice Department last fall drew up a list of 4,793 men, aged 18 to 33, who entered the United States on non-immigrant visas. Of those, about 680 apparently have left the country, the location of more than 1,000 could not be determined, and 785 were believed to have relocated inside the United States but in many cases have yet to be found. The vast majority of those contacted agreed to be interviewed, officials said.

Despite widespread fears among immigrant advocates, the meetings so far have led to only a small number of arrests. Fewer than 20 individuals were taken into custody, most for immigration violations, the Justice Department said. Three were arrested on criminal charges. None of the cases appeared to be terrorist-related.

While officials are continuing to look for many of the men they could not locate in the first round, Ashcroft said, “We don’t assume that because we couldn’t find a person . . . they’re planning a terrorist attack.”

Critics of the government program complained that it subjects individuals who may have violated immigration laws--but are innocent of terrorism--to deportation. While participation in the interviews is voluntary, those sought for questioning may fear that silence could be construed as guilt, fairly or otherwise, their advocates contend.

“The reality is that if someone refuses [to talk], they’re stuck with a complete unknown about what their future will be in this country,” said David Leopold, an immigration lawyer who has attended voluntary interviews in Detroit and Columbus, Ohio.

Jeanne Butterfield, director of the American Immigration Lawyers Assn. in Washington, argued that the interview effort cannot succeed unless those being asked to come forward are granted immunity from routine immigration violations.

“Until and unless such assurances are given, I don’t think this process is productive, and I don’t think it’s engendering confidence from the communities he [Ashcroft] needs cooperation from,” Butterfield said.

Muslim groups Wednesday criticized the Justice Department’s plan as ethnic and racial profiling, but some also urged their members to provide law enforcement agencies with any useful information they may have.

“American Muslims, like all Americans, condemn terrorism in all its forms and seek to ensure the safety of our nation against acts of violence,” said Omar Ahmad, chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic advocacy group. “We believe, however, that rounding up the ‘usual suspects’ based on nothing more than race, religion or national origin is not an effective law enforcement technique and creates the perception of profiling.”

Ahmad encouraged anyone with information of value to investigators to come forward, rather than wait to be contacted for an interview.