Terrorism Task Force Raids Tenn. Home

— -- Terrorism Task Force Raids Nashville Home

N A S H V I L L E, Tenn., Oct. 31 — Agents with the Tennessee JointTerrorism Task Force raided a home of a Pakistani man today, andauthorities said other search warrants also were being served inthe city.

No arrests were made, but FBI, U.S. Customs and IRS agents spentabout three hours at the home owned by Fadhil Abbas Al-Sahaf, 34.They confiscated several items and were seen leaving the home withboxes, plastic bags filled with papers, envelopes, FedEx packagesand videotapes. A travel trailer in the back yard also wassearched.

Douglas Riggin, an FBI agent in charge of the task force, saidtheir moves were not related to "any terrorist act which mightpose a threat to the city."

He would not elaborate on whether the raid was related toterrorist threats elsewhere, but added: "The task forceinvestigated it. Draw your own conclusions."

Riggin also declined to say where the other Nashville searchwarrants were served, except to say the searches were "related tothe ongoing investigation conducted under the auspices of the JointTerrorism Task Force."

The task force is composed of agents with the FBI, Bureau ofAlcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and other federal agencies, as wellas investigators with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation,Tennessee Highway Patrol and local police departments.

Al-Sahaf, who apparently was at the home during the raid, boughtthe house in 1997, according to Davidson County property records.

— The Associated Press

States Prepare Anti-Terror Plans

S A V A N N A H, Ga., Oct. 31 — While U.S. lawmakers battle over details ofa Homeland Security department, states are forging ahead withanti-terrorism plans that need billions of federal dollars to befully implemented.

"We're ready to do a lot as soon as the funding comes in,"said Mickey Lloyd, Georgia's deputy commissioner of Public Safety,who said the state expects $125 million for homeland security. "Idon't think it's put us behind. It would give us a giant stepforward at this point."

Governors' security advisers from seven states and the VirginIslands attended a two-day summit by the National GovernorsAssociation to swap ideas on combating terrorism. They came fromGeorgia, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia.

All the states share priorities such as securing funding andsharing information between state, local and federal authorities.But their individual approaches also highlight the complexity ofguarding against terrorism on numerous fronts.

Pennsylvania is setting up a computer network linking 130hospitals and 50,000 doctors to monitor trends that may lead toearly detection of a bioterror attack.

Iowa plans to stockpile veterinary drugs to protect livestock ifterrorists attempt to plague the farm belt's food supply.

The Virgin Islands, a U.S. territory, is seeking to root out andbreak the connection between drugs and terrorists, who may fundtheir activities by trading narcotics.

"We feel the states are going to be the strongest in counteringterrorism, not individually but by working together," said EarlFreilino, director of Pennsylvania's homeland security office and aformer FBI agent. "The state and local governments are thefrontline."

So far, states have shouldered the bulk of new funding for newequipment for health agencies, law enforcement and emergencymanagers as well as networking technology that allows thoseagencies to seamlessly share information.

The money will help states fund big projects such as satelliteimaging systems to watch government buildings and other potentialtargets.

But it will also filter to local agencies such as police andfire departments in the form of gas masks and hazardous materialssuits, which are critical for states forging partnerships at thelocal level.

"I'd like to have that money because I can literally changebehaviors with it," said Clifford Ong, Homeland Security directorfor Indiana. "Local governments respond very poorly to unfundedmandates."

Georgia and Utah, which hosted Olympics in 1996 and 2002,already had experience in preparing for possible attacks. Otherstates have hurried to devise plans that will hold even whenadministrations change, with at least 21 new governors takingoffice after next week's elections.

"I had to beg governors to come to meetings" before Sept. 11,2001, said Ann Beauchesne, director of the Homeland Securitydivision of the National Governors Association. "Prior to 9/11,states weren't out there protecting buildings and tunnels andnuclear power plants."

— The Associated Press

Feds Plan Mock Gas Attack in Oklahoma

O K L A H O M A C I T Y, Oct. 31 — Federal agencies plan to release harmlessgases in Oklahoma City next summer to test how chemical andbiological weapons would work in a terrorist attack.

"The goal of this program is in domestic terrorismpreparedness," said Jerry Allwine, a scientist with theEnvironmental Technology Division of Pacific Northwest NationalLaboratory. "It's important to the protection of the homelandagainst chemical and biological threats."

A similar study was conducted in 2000 in Salt Lake City. The $4 million test, discussed at Tuesday's City Councilmeeting, is a project of the departments of energy and defense. Itwill also involve the University of Oklahoma and the NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The study test for July will use sulfur hexafluoride andperfluorocarbon tracer gases. Allwine said the gases are innocuousand are used to inflate athletic shoes and tennis balls. They havealso been used to study atmospheric conditions since the 1960s.

— The Associated Press

Bracelets Raise $850,000 Toward Flight 93 Memorial

P I T T S B U R G H , Pa., Oct. 31 — Steel bracelets engraved with the words"We remember 9-11-01, United We Stand" have raised $850,000toward a memorial at the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 inShanksville, organizers said.

State Sen. Jane C. Orie, R-Allegheny, on Wednesday announcedthat the "Hearts of Steel" fund-raising project, begun inNovember, had raised most of the $1 million sought for thememorial.

The bracelets, being sold for $10, are being made by aconsortium of businesses, nonprofit groups and labor unions thathave banded together to donate materials and services.

The bracelets have been sold at union offices, from the officesof state lawmakers and through a Web site.

Flight 93 crashed into a field in western Pennsylvania on Sept.11 after it was hijacked by terrorists.

Authorities believe the hijackers intended to fly the airplaneinto a target in Washington, but that some passengers and crewfought back and forced the plane into the field. All 44 peopleaboard, including the four hijackers, died.

— The Associated Press