Terrorism

November 5, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Mark Begich released the following statement regarding the tragedy today at Fort Hood:

"No words can come close to expressing the shock we are all experiencing today following the deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas.

"As Americans we are collectively stunned when a tragedy of this magnitude occurs in one of our communities. No life is ever more valuable than another, but knowing the victims were soldiers serving their country and preparing for deployment to Iraq perhaps makes it even more difficult to comprehend.    » read more »

Italian Prosecution Highlights Inaction of US Justice Department

November 3, 2009 -- (Milan) - The verdict expected Wednesday in a landmark case may present a historic legal challenge to the US Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) rendition program, Human Rights Watch said today.

The trial in Milan of 26 Americans in absentia and seven Italians for the 2003 abduction of an Egyptian imam began in 2007.    » read more »

Failed Riverdale Bomb Plot Contributes To Added Funding in the Homeland Security Appropriations

10/15/09 -- Washington, D.C.-- Congressman Eliot Engel voted today to approve the FY 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations bill, which included $19 million in federal funds to help protect civil, religious and community institutions from terrorist attacks. The funding will be part of the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Non-Profit program.    » read more »

PITTSBURGH, PA and CHALFONT ST. GILES, UK, 12 October, 2009 -- In an effort to bolster U.S. biosecurity, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), today announced a collaboration aimed at the construction of an advanced development and production facility for the manufacture of vaccines and therapeutics to counter a range of biological threats.    » read more »

Major Boost For High Threat Areas, Transit, And Ports; House and Senate Set to Approve DHS Funding Bill Next Weeks

October 9, 2009 -- (New York, NY) – In light of Najibullah Zazi’s efforts to stage a terrorist attack against New York City's mass transit system, U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley and U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced today that New York City is in line to receive millions in additional security funding to protect our city against terrorist attacks.    » read more »

Senator Lautenberg Introduces Legislation to Close "Terror Gap" In Nation's Gun Laws

June 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Congressmen John Conyers (D-MI) and Bobby Scott (D-VA) today released a new GAO report finding that, from February 2004 to February 2009, there were 963 cases in which a known or suspected terrorist attempted to buy a gun. In 90 percent of those cases – a total of 865 times – they were cleared to proceed with that purchase. One of those cases involved the purchase of explosives.    » read more »

Ahmed Ghailani Transferred from Guantanamo Bay to New York for Prosecution on Terror Charges

June 9, 2009 -- Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian national who had been held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility since September 2006, arrived early this morning in the Southern District of New York to face criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the Aug. 7, 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya.

After a thorough review of his case by the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force, Ghailani was recently referred for criminal prosecution in the Southern District of New York pursuant to a March 12, 2001 superseding indictment against him.    » read more »

Fact Sheet: Prosecuting and Detaining Terror Suspects in the U.S. Criminal Justice System

June 9, 2009 -- I. Terror Prosecutions in the Southern District of New York

Since the 1990s, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) has investigated and successfully prosecuted a wide range of international and domestic terrorism cases—including the bombings of the World Trade Center and U.S. Embassies in East Africa in the 1990s. More recent cases include those against individuals who provided material support to al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, as well as against international arms trafficker Monzer al Kassar and the Somalian pirate charged in the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama.

Major Historical Cases in SDNY:    » read more »

June 5, 2009 -- The Department's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas have launched a federal investigation into federal crimes in connection with the murder of Dr. George Tiller. The federal probe will consist of a thorough review of the evidence and an assessment of any potential violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) or other federal statutes.

The federal investigation will be conducted in close coordination with the Office of the Sedgwick County, Kan., District Attorney, and the state's ongoing murder prosecution will have the full support of federal investigators.    » read more »

June 1, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – In response to the murder of Dr. George Tiller, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement:

"I am outraged and saddened that in this day and age, a doctor is murdered simply for working on behalf of his patients.

"While the issue of reproductive rights provokes emotions on both sides, threats of violence and harassment are morally reprehensible and should not be tolerated.

"Dr. Tiller’s death is a tremendous loss for all those who care about the health and well being of women and families.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Tiller's family.”

Source: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

June 1, 2009 -- "I send my condolences to Dr. Tiller's family, friends and patients who relied on him.

The debate over abortion rights is very difficult and reaches deep into religion, philosophy and one’s view of Roe v. Wade.

Everyone has the right to work for changes in the law. But to assault a health care worker, a patient or anyone else because of a disagreement about an issue, regardless of how contentious, brings all of humanity down into a dark pit of violence.

Such actions must not be tolerated.    » read more »

May 31, 2009 -- New York Governor David A. Paterson issued the following statement on the murder of Dr. George Tiller:

“I was deeply saddened to learn that Dr. George Tiller, a well-known provider of and advocate for women’s health care, was gunned down this morning at his church in Wichita, Kansas. With his murder, we are robbed not only of a dedicated and courageous physician, but also of a husband, father and neighbor. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Dr. Tiller’s family, friends and community. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.    » read more »

NEW YORK, NY – May 31, 2009 -- Cecile Richards, President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, today issued the following statement on the murder of reproductive health care provider Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, KS.

The entire Planned Parenthood family is deeply saddened by the murder of Dr. George Tiller. While he was not a Planned Parenthood provider, he was an integral part of our community and his loss is felt by all of us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and those close to him who are suffering a personal tragedy.    » read more »

May 27, 2009 -- "Thank you, Tim, for that introduction, and my thanks to the Foreign Policy Association for inviting me to be here tonight. It is an honor to speak to the members of an organization who have added so much to our nation’s foreign policy debate over the years.    » read more »

May 26, 2009 -- As President, my highest priority is the safety and security of the American people. That is why, in February, I issued a Presidential Study Directive to look at how the White House should be organized to deal with the critical issues of homeland security and counterterrorism.

I have carefully reviewed the findings and recommendations of that study, and am announcing a new approach which will strengthen our security and the safety of our citizens. These decisions reflect the fundamental truth that the challenges of the 21st Century are increasingly unconventional and transnational, and therefore demand a response that effectively integrates all aspects of American power.

Key decisions that I have made include:    » read more »