Gonzales Says There Are Terrorists In Our Neighborhoods
Prepared Text of Attorney General Gonzales at the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh

http://releases.usnewswire.com/printing.asp?id=70829

8/16/2006 12:38:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: U.S. Department of Justice, 202-514-2007 or 202-514-1888 (TDD) or Web: http://www.usdoj.gov

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is the prepared text of Attorney General Gonzales at the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh:

Good morning.

I remember the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 as if it were yesterday. I did not lose a friend or loved one, nor was I nearby the World Trade Center towers or Pentagon as people died. But like so many others working in government that day, I am an American and I love my country.

And so the horrific images, the heroic stories of that day, and the days and weeks that followed still make me stop and shake my head in disbelief.

In a few weeks, we will mark the five-year anniversary of those attacks. During this period, our way of life has changed so much. Our children and grandchildren will grow up in a world much different than ours. With advances in technology, such as the Internet, change is natural, of course, among successive generations. But the most dramatic change is the nature of the enemy our country today faces -- a stateless enemy sometimes hidden and nurtured here in our neighborhoods, taking advantage of the very laws they mock with their killing and destruction, as a shield from detection and prosecution.

Much has changed, but the threat remains and so much our determination to prevent terrorism.

Last Thursday, we had a vivid example of the prevention of terrorism with the disruption of what would have been a major terrorist attack with massive casualties. Thanks to the vigilance of the British authorities, a terrorist plot to kill more innocent men, women and children was disrupted.

It was an international success for intelligence and law enforcement, with over 200 FBI agents working with their British counterparts to investigate every possible lead here in America, to make sure that plotting was not taking place on this side of the Atlantic as well.

Our investigation into this disrupted plot is ongoing. The FBI continues to work with its counterparts overseas to analyze the evidence seized. From this, we will track down every possible lead to ensure that there is no threat to the homeland.

Last week's events are a chilling reminder of the threats that continue to exist. As the President has said, "The terrorists have to succeed only once to achieve their goal of mass murder, while we have to succeed every time to stop them."

Staying one step ahead of ideologically-driven killers who do not value human life, who do not respect the rule of law, and whose organizational structure is constantly evolving, requires constant attention and tireless dedication.

So, for those of us in government whose job it is to protect our country from terrorism, every day is Sept. 12...

Every day is that day after.

The day of questioning and probing.

The day of anger and determination.

The day of commitment and re-dedication.

The day of urgency and purpose.

Never again.

The concept of prevention, while always in the picture of law enforcement, took on a particular meaning and urgency after Sept. 11.

Prevention is the goal of all goals when it comes to terrorism because we simply cannot and will not wait for these particular crimes to occur before taking action. Investigating and prosecuting terrorists after they have killed our countrymen would be an unworthy goal. Preventing terrorism is a meaningful and daily triumph.

At the Department of Justice, our strategy of prevention is built on four primary pillars of activity:

First, aggressive criminal and intelligence investigations.

Second, utilization of partnerships, information-gathering and collaboration at every level: international, national, state and local.

Third, prosecution and incarceration of terrorists. And, finally, containment of the radicalization that leads to homegrown, al Qaeda-inspired terrorists.

Let me address briefly each in turn.

Investigation
The aggressive national security investigations (the combination of criminal and terrorist investigations), where we use every lawful tool to prevent terrorism, forms the first pillar of our strategy.

Winning the war on terror requires us to win the war of getting information. Like tiny but important pieces of a complicated puzzle, we can now take the most innocuous, seemingly unrelated pieces of information and connect the dots of a complex terrorist plot.

The reasons are many. The Patriot Act closed law-enforcement and intelligence gaps so that a local cop can check a national terrorist list when he arrests a thief or drug dealer and the FBI can check with the CIA when investigation a ring of art thieves.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act -- commonly referred to as FISA -- has been available since 1978 to gather foreign intelligence through electronic surveillance. It, too, is a valuable tool in investigations.

Sen. Arlen Specter is currently sponsoring legislation that would update FISA in light of today's new technologies. I applaud his effort to ensure that this important anti-terror tool is kept current and urge the Congress to support this important piece of legislation.

To enhance our abilities to conduct aggressive national security investigations we reformed the FBI, establishing a Directorate of Intelligence to oversee all FBI intelligence activities.

And the FBI has enhanced its workforce, doubling the number of intelligence analysts, hiring additional linguists and implementing new training.

There are now intelligence groups in every single FBI field office where analysts, linguists and surveillance specialists work as teams. These Field Intelligence Groups play a major role in making sure that the FBI gathers the intelligence we need and then shares that intelligence with counterparts in law enforcement and the intelligence community.

Field intelligence groups participate in Joint Terrorism Task Forces -- what FBI Director Mueller calls the "eyes and ears" of communities around the country. We have increased the number of joint terrorism task forces from 35 to 103.

These are a few of the steps we have taken, working with Congress, to enhance our ability to investigate terrorism-related activities.

Cooperation
The second pillar of our strategy is cooperation. "It takes a network to defeat a network." This is a central truth of the campaign to prevent terrorist attacks and illustrates our widespread use of partnerships and cooperation at every level of government.

Last week's disruption of the UK bomb plot highlights the success of international cooperation. Our prosecutors train one another, share information and one another's sensitive intelligence. The level of cooperation between the United States and our foreign counterparts is outstanding and is truly the untold story of the war on terror.

At home, we have dramatically improved collaboration among federal agencies. Indeed, we have applied a new mentality of constant sharing and communicating with our partners -- and this includes our state and local partners as well.

We are standing up intelligence fusion centers across the country because we realize that partnerships increase our abilities exponentially. The FBI is a relatively small organization of 12,000 agents when compared to the 800,000 state and local law enforcement officers across the country. Our combined abilities are so much greater, so united we will stand.

I also want to note that, at every level, the people of this country are partners in this effort to prevent terrorism. Tips are welcomed by federal, state and local intelligence and law enforcement officials. We must remember that with the vigilance of both the people and the government, our network can dwarf that of the terrorists.

Prosecution
Third, aggressive investigations, facilitated by cooperation with our partners, leads to arrests and prosecutions -- and this is where prevention is most visible. Putting a would-be terrorist behind bars is a tangible example of protecting the American people.

Central to these efforts, of course, is the question of when to arrest and begin prosecution. Simply put, we need to gather enough information and evidence during our investigations to ensure a successful prosecution, but we absolutely cannot wait too long, allowing a plot to develop to its deadly fruition. Let me be clear, preventing the loss of life is our paramount objective. Securing a successful prosecution is not worth the cost of one innocent life.

Determining when to arrest would-be terrorists depends on countless factors like the dangerousness of the possible attack, the parties involved, and the imminence of the plot becoming operational.

No two cases are the same and decisions about arrest are difficult ones that must be made on a case-by-case basis by career professionals using their best judgment -- keeping in mind that we need to protect sensitive intelligence sources and methods and sometimes rely upon foreign evidence in making a case.

Although every situation is different, and flexibility is critical, there is one thing that does fit every case: adherence to civil liberties and the rule of law. Those concerned with civil liberties should be reassured, and all Americans should find satisfaction in knowing that we are fighting terrorists according to our constitution.

End Part I