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For Immediate Release
September 5, 2007
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Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
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An
abbreviated version of this letter, edited to comport with
word limitations, was sent to the Washington Post on September
5, 2007.
Our
Anti-Terrorism Success Story
Dear
Editor:
The
August 25th Washington Post article "Terror Suspect
List Yields Few Arrests" inaccurately described the
work of the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), one of the
most significant success stories in the U.S. Government's
fight against terrorism. The TSC addressed pre-September
11th vulnerabilities by consolidating terrorist identity
information into a single database and making that information
available to federal, state, and local law enforcement and
intelligence community authorities. Every day, use of TSC's
watchlist results in known and suspected terrorists being
denied entry into this country, refused boarding on commercial
flights, or identified by state and local law enforcement
officers during routine stops. Because of the unified efforts
of the TSC and its partner agencies, Americans are significantly
safer.
The article and some of those quoted suggest that the efficacy
of the TSC can be measured by the number of arrests made
during watchlist encounters. This fundamentally misperceives
the role of the TSC in disrupting terrorist activity. Information
about a watchlisted person that does not meet the legal
standard for an arrest often allows the U.S. Government
to take other critical action that thwarts terrorist activity
and goals or protects the public safety. A known or suspected
terrorist can still properly be denied a visa or admission
to the country, a license to drive hazardous materials,
or refused boarding on a plane.
Unfortunately,
I am not blessed with our detractors' foresight, which apparently
would allow them to identify and deflect only those who
actually will try to kill us. The dedicated people at the
TSC and our partner agencies struggle to make the best decisions
we can to determine who is a potential threat to those we
have pledged to protect. And we do our best to minimize
inconvenience where possible. We remember the promise that
we made to each other on September 12, 2001: that never
again would we allow the intelligence gaps that our enemies
exploited to victimize us. We are keeping that promise;
and we are keeping America safe.
Leonard
C. Boyle
Director
U.S. Terrorist Screening Center
- More About
the TSC
- Inside the TSC
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