FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2001 WWW.USDOJ.GOV

AG (202) 616-2777 TDD (202) 514-1888

ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT DIRECTS LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIALS TO IMPLEMENT NEW ANTI-TERRORISM ACT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General John Ashcroft today directed all 94 U.S. Attorneys' offices and 56 FBI field offices to implement the new anti-terrorism legislation overwhelmingly passed by Congress and today signed by President Bush. The new offensive against terrorism will require law enforcement to make use of new powers in intelligence gathering, criminal procedure and immigration violations. With these enhanced provisions, the fight against terrorism will have the full force of the law while protecting Constitutional civil liberties.

"Law enforcement is now empowered with new tools and resources necessary to disrupt, weaken, and eliminate the infrastructure of terrorist organizations, to prevent or thwart terrorist attacks, and to punish the perpetrators of terrorist acts," said Ashcroft. "The American people can be assured law enforcement will use these new tools to protect our nation while upholding the sacred liberties expressed in the Constitution."

The new provisions have two over-arching principles: airtight surveillance of terrorists and speed in tracking down and intercepting terrorists. Law enforcement has had many of these provisions to fight drug trafficking and organized crime, but previously they did not apply for terrorism. The Department's objective of preventing terrorist acts before they happen is strengthened dramatically and, therefore, the war on terrorism is escalated to a degree commensurate with the threat posed by terrorism. The legislation enacted today provides these new weapons in the war on terrorism:

• Prosecutors will seek judicial authority to intercept communications related to an expanded list of terrorism-related crimes such as: the development, possession, or use of chemical or biological weapons; financial transaction with a terrorist government; or providing material support to terrorists or terrorist organizations. Investigators will use "roving" wiretaps to intercept communications and thereby thwart the ability of terrorists to evade surveillance by switching phones or communication devices.
• Investigators will now aggressively pursue terrorists on the Internet. The legislation permits investigators to obtain senders' and receivers' e-mail addresses just as it is done with telephone surveillance. Terrorists employ sophisticated technologies to evade detection and the legislation updates the law to the technology. Investigators will use search warrants to obtain unopened voice-mail and email.
• New subpoena power will enable authorities to obtain payment information, such as credit card or bank account numbers, of suspected terrorists on the Internet. This will allow investigators to identify the terrorist who hides behind a fictitious Internet name.
• Investigators will be able to use a single court order to trace a communication nationwide, even when it travels beyond the judicial district that issued the order. The scope of search warrants for unopened e-mail and other evidence will also be nationwide. This improved efficiency will save hours or days in investigations where seconds matter.
• Law enforcement and intelligence communities will share information on terrorist activities and thus better coordinate their efforts to prevent terrorism.

These new tools for law enforcement are the products of hundreds of hours of consultation and careful consideration by the Administration, members of Congress, and state and local officials. They are careful, balanced, and long overdue improvements in law enforcement's capacity to prevent terrorism.

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