Larry Mefford: Thanks to everyone that is logging on today. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about this important topic. We realize that it is very important tha the FBI work closely, not only with the U.S. public, but also with the people around the world to combat terrorism based upon our common interests and public safety.

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Washington, D.C.: Can you give us an update on the investigation into last months bombings inside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and how the attack there may be influencing the threat level and the atmosphere of law enforcement vigilance we are now experiencing inside the U.S.?

Larry Mefford: We are working closely with the Saudi Arabian government in this matter and have sent a team of FBI personnel to assist in processing the crime scene and collecting evidence. Clearly the attack in Riyadh and Casa Blanca demonstrate that al-Qaeda is still very much able to conduct operations and inflict casualties. Consequently, our vigilance in the United States must remain high.

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Terre Haute, Ind.: Has the help of the public helped or hindered your efforts to combat this great evil?

Larry Mefford: The public has been a great asset in combating the war on terrorism and is absolutely essential in this endeavor. The FBI relies to a large extent upon information that is provided to us from citizens of this country and around the world. In the 21st century combating terrorism is going to require the efforts of both the public and private sectors and the FBI is developing new procedures to share information and include the public in our efforts.

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Washington, D.C.: What is the role of the counterterrorism task forces?

Larry Mefford: The Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) have become the operational arm of the effort against terrorism in the United States. Each major city across the United States has its own JTTF which is staffed by a multitude of Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement departments as well as intelligence agencies. Threat information which is reported to the FBI in Washington D.C. is shared with the JTTFs nationwide. These JTTFs are responsible for conducting terrorism investigations and responding to threats on a daily basis. Not only does this help the FBI share information with State and Local Police Agencies, it also contributes to enhanced government efforts to protect the nation.

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Baltimore, Md.: Has the FBI's post-9/11 efforts substantially changed the day to day job for Special Agents within the counterterrorism Unit and if yes, how so?

Larry Mefford: Post 9/11, Special Agents assigned to the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI are dedicated more than ever to Director Mueller's number one priority, the prevention of the next terrorist attack. In order to meet this challenge, Special Agents today have shifted their focus from one of prosecution to one of prevention. This requires that the FBI provide enhanced training to our Counterterrorism Agents and ensure greater connectivity in the sharing of terrorism information between the Intelligence Community and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

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New York, N.Y.: This has probably been answered before, but with the FBI's new, intense focus on counter-terrorism, what has happened with the sorts of crimes they used to handle? How much have we been hurt by their not concentrating on more typical crimes?

Larry Mefford: You are correct that while the FBI has made counterterrorism its number one priority, we are still responsible for addressing numerous other violations of federal law. These include everything from public corruption, civil rights violations, organized crime investigations, espionage cases, corporate fraud, internet crime and a myriad of other important responsibilities. While the FBI, like all public and private organizations, must prioritize our efforts, the public can be assured that all serious matters, such as noted above, are still being addressed. Where we identify the need for additional resources we make appropriate requests of Congress.

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Columbia, Md.: How is you work different than the CIA counterterrorism unit?

Larry Mefford: The FBI's mission is to focus on the national security of the United States from a domestic perspective. This means that, for instance, most of our investigations are conducted within the U.S. itself. The CIA's mission is to protect the country from an overseas perspective, meaning that they operate outside the United States. There are several exceptions to these rules where the FBI actually has been provided the authority to conduct investigations overseas when it is in the country's best interests. In all cases, the FBI operates pursuant to U.S. Federal statutes, Attorney General Guidelines, and the U.S. Constitution. Since 9/11, the FBI and the CIA are working closer than ever in a collaborative effort to fight terrorism at home and abroad.

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Virginia: Hello. How can you fighter terrorism without being discriminatory?

Larry Mefford: The FBI has the dual mission of combatting terrorism and protecting the rights of all inhabitants, including Arab/ Muslim-Americans. The terrorist acts of 9/11 were committed by a handful of terrorists and is not reflective of Islam or our Arab/Muslim citizens. The Director has met with Arab/Muslim leadership on numerous ocassions, and the FBI is forming partnerships with Arab/Muslim communities nationwide. Since 9/11, the FBI has investigated 484 "backlash hate crimes" against Arab/Muslim citizens. To date, the FBI in concert with state and local authorities have convicted 173 subjects responsible for those heinous "backlash hate crimes." With the support of all Americans, including the Arab/Muslim community, the FBI will continue to successfully combat terrorism and protect the rights of all Americans.

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Grand Rapids, Mich.: What does it mean to us, the public, when you raise the terror alert to orange or higher?

Larry Mefford: As of March, 2003 the responsibility to manage the threat advisory system was transferred from the Department of Justice to the new Department of Homeland Security. Today, the FBI is just one agency that contributes to the decision to raise or lower the threat level. Ultimately, the change in this threat level means that the U.S. government believes that there is a high possibility of a terrorist attack against the U.S. We are constantly working with the Department of Homeland Security to improve this system and make the information conveyed to the American people more specific and useful

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Alexandria, Va.: Without delving into specificities, roughly how many real counterterror ops have taken place on the North American continent since 9/11/01?

Larry Mefford: The FBI's recent National Threat Assessment indicates that there are groups of people (cells) within the U.S. who are in a position to support terrorism within our borders. Most of these people provide support in the form of financial assistance, recruitment, and training. Several of these groups across the country have been identified, their operations disrupted, and their members arrested and prosecuted. It is important to remember that these groups support terrorists and terrorist organizations but at this time have not committed an actual terrorist act. Examples of these cells include those that have been arrested in Buffalo, NY, Detroit, MI, and Charlotte, NC.

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Sterling, Va.: Some of our allies in the war on terror, such as Pakistan or Saudi Arabia have citizens sympathetic to al Qaeda or other terrorist organizations. Do you see cases where the U.S. could get more help than it does in these countries, but the governments are unwilling to risk the political consequences of supporting the U.S. too much?

Larry Mefford: Certainly public sympathy in all countries is a reality.
While the FBI has been concerned in the past about the cooperation of certain countries in the war on terrorism, our recent experience has demonstrated a renewed sense of cooperation in certain areas. For instance, after the May 12, 2003 bombing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in which 9 Americans lost their lives, the Saudi Government allowed the FBI to send a large forensic team to assist them in their investigation and provided unprecedented cooperation and assistance to FBI efforts. Therefore, we are optimistic about continued joint successes in the global war on terrorism.

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Washington, D.C.: What functions do the National Joint Terrorism Task Force have that are different than the Joint Terrorism Task Forces?

Larry Mefford: 66 JTTFs have been established throughout the United States, one in each of the FBIs 56 field divisions and another 10 in other large cities. We anticipate that the number of these task forces will increase in the future. As a result of the success of these interagency efforts we found it necessary to form the National JTTF at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. The purpose of this national task force is to ensure effective coordination with 32 other federal agencies and to provide appropriate support and coordination of the regional JTTFs throughout the country. The FBI has also created a program in which major law enforcement agencies from across the United States assign personnel to the National JTTF to improve information sharing efforts.

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Cleveland, Ohio: The Internet has become a tool for extremely fast information exchange throughout the world. How well is the FBI able to monitor and identify possible terrorist communication? I could only imagine coverage of the Internet to be marginal, at best. Is there a government plan to tighten control over the Internet?

Larry Mefford: Al-Qaeda like many terrorist groups evolve with changing technologies and will exploit new communication methods. The FBI has recognized that crimes facilitated through the use of computers and the internet continue to increase. For this reason, FBI Director Robert Mueller created the Cyber Division and initiated aggressive efforts by the FBI to successfully address both current and emerging threats in the cyber environment, including combatting terrorism.

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Steubenville, Ohio: What is the FBI doing in the cities where you don't have a JTTF? I live in a smaller town, who protects me?

Larry Mefford: The FBI has 66 Joint Terrorism Task Forces across the country. In addition, we have 10 Regional Terrorism Task Forces which cover specific areas of the country such as the Southeast, Central, Atlantic area, etc. These JTTFs are made up of federal, state, and local agencies that are representative of the area in which they serve. They reach out to other law enforcement agencies who cannot, for one reason or another, have a full-time presence on the task forces, such as smaller towns and communities. The information to which the JTTFs are privy is disseminated to all law enforcement partners as appropriate. In addition to the JTTFs, the FBI disseminates a weekly Intelligence Bulletin over a national law enforcement communications system known as NLETS. This same system can immediately notify all law enforcement agencies of urgent threat information made known to the FBI. Furthermore, the FBI maintains a system of 450 satelite offices thoughtout the country which are in touch with the JTTFs. FBI personnel assigned to these satelite offices have the responsibility to share information and coordinate activities with smaller police and sheriff offices in every state.

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Atlanta, Ga.: I work the anti-money laundering field for a major bank, what are signs of terrorist financing?

Larry Mefford: This is a very important question. Terrorists cannot operate without funding. To that end, the FBI has established the Terrorism Financing Operations Section in the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters. This section oversees financial investigations of terrorism by following the "money trail". To faciliate these investigations the FBI is in contact with various financial institutions so as to assist us in identifying signs of money laundering involving potential terrorist activities. We are in the process of providing the type of information you requested to the U.S. financial community to assist them in helping us defeat terrorism. For reasons so as not to compromise these investigations we are unable to discuss specifics we use to identify possible terrorism-related money-laundering.

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Washington, D.C.: How are the members on the Joint Terrorism Task Forces selected?

Larry Mefford: Good question. The Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) are vital to this country's efforts to combat terrorism. The FBI works closely with the State and Local Law Enforcement Agency heads in selecting individuals to serve on the JTTFs. The qualities we look for include a strong work ethic, the ability to work in a team environment, experience working complex investigations and possessing cultural awareness. For obvious reasons, we particulary have a need for individuals with a foreign language capability and those with experience traveling or working in certain areas of the world.

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Alexandria, Va.: Wouldn't a logical person consider place of bith in estimating the risk of someone being an al Qaeda member?

Do immigrants from the Middle East require special surveillance?

Larry Mefford: This question brings up a concern that many citizens have voiced in the last 12 months. The FBI does not profile who may be a member of a terrorist group based on their place of birth. Terrorist groups hold specific ideologies that have spread throughout the world and, therefore, they are difficult to tie to specific country or region. Where a person is indoctrinated into these ideologies may not be the country in which they were born. Today's world has become a smaller place due to mass transportation, global economies, and the Internet, as a result, the recruitment of an individual into a terrorist organization can happen anywhere. Therefore, the FBI does not consider a person's place of birth as a factor in determining if a person is a terrorist.

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College Park, Md.: While I realize you are forbidden to be specific about such matters, I was wondering if you could provide a rough percentage on this question. What is the ratio of 'counter-terrorism' efforts against international versus domestic groups? Of course, I'm speaking of such domestic groups as peace activists, environmentalists, and assorted other progressive and left-leaning groups. Do you feel that being required to target such overwhelmingly non-violent groups weakens efforts against actual terrorism?

Larry Mefford: While the FBI has committed significant resources to international terrorism, we cannot forget about domestic terrorsm threats, such as the Oklahoma City bombing. Everyday, the FBI evaluates threats form a varitey of sources including international and domestic terrorism threats alike. While we cannot discount ongoing domestic terrorist threats, we receive about four times as many international terrorism threats as domestic. Our allocation of resources relects that ratio. Finally, the FBI, pursuant to the Attorney General Guidelines, does not investigate "non-violent groups" so long as their activities remain lawful.

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Larry Mefford: Sorry my time is up for today. I appreciate the opportunity to repsond to your questions and look forward to doing this again in the near future. We realize that to be successful the FBI needs to work closely with the public and a forum such as this affords us an opportunity to do that.

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washingtonpost.com:

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