Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the highest priority of the Justice Department has been to protect America against acts of terrorism. During this time, the Justice Department has significantly improved its ability to identify, penetrate, and dismantle terrorist plots as a result of a series of structural reforms, the development of new intelligence and law enforcement tools, and a new mindset that values information sharing, communication and prevention. See the Fact Sheet: Justice Department Counter-Terrorism Efforts Since 9/11.

Tips and Public Leads/Most Wanted Terrorists

• The FBI encourages citizens to report suspected criminal activity or information related to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by calling an FBI Field Office or by using this form.
  
  
• The FBI posts pictures and descriptions of the most wanted terrorists on its site. The FBI also seeks information on certain individuals in connection with possible terrorist threats to the United States.

The National Security Division (NSD) was created in March 2006 by the USA PATRIOT Reauthorization and Improvement Act (Pub. L. No. 109-177). The creation of the NSD consolidated the Justice Department’s primary national security enforcement operations: the Counterterrorism and Counterespionage Sections of the Criminal Division with its primary intelligence operation:  the former Office of Intelligence Policy and Review. The new Office of Law and Policy, the Executive Office, as well as the Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism (which also previously operated out of the Criminal Division) complete the NSD. The NSD commenced operations in September 2006 upon the swearing in of the first Assistant Attorney General for National Security.  Since its creation, the NSD has supervised and assisted in numerous terrorism prosecutions, nationally expanded efforts to enforce export laws, and worked to ensure passage of new intelligence surveillance laws.  See the National Security Division Progress Report (April 2008).

Anti-Terrorism Advisory Councils (ATACs) exist in each United States Attorneys Offices.  The 93 United States Attorneys, as the chief federal law enforcement officers in their respective districts, bring inherent leadership and experience to ensure that prevention of terrorism and protection of the nation’s security remains at the forefront of federal law enforcement efforts.  Each United States Attorney has created and leads an Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC).  These councils are comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement, public health and safety officials, and, where appropriate, private industry partners, all of whom are dedicated to the goal of working together to provide comprehensive, coordinated prevention and prosecution operations.  The ATACs, formed shortly after September 11, 2001, and initially called Anti-Terrorism Task Forces, continue to further the Department’s three-pronged approach to protecting America from the threat of terrorism by focusing on the prevention of terrorist acts, the investigation of threats and incidents, and the prosecution of those accused of committing crimes with terrorist connections or intentions.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is dedicated to its primary mission to protect the United States from further acts of terrorism. The FBI is the lead law enforcement agency for investigating international and domestic terrorism activities, espionage, and other threats to national security, including cyber-based attacks by foreign adversaries and terrorists. The FBI has transformed its counterterrorism and counterintelligence operations and expanded its intelligence capabilities while continuing to ensure the protection of privacy rights and civil liberties.  As part of its reorganization, the FBI created a National Security Branch centralizing its Counterterrorism Division, Counterintelligence Division, Directorate of Intelligence, Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate and its Terrorist Screening Center to dramatically improve its ability to detect, deter, dismantle, and prevent threats to national security.

The FBI also significantly expanded Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) existing in FBI Field Offices across the nation.  JTTFs are comprised of highly trained, locally based, passionately committed federal, state, local and tribal officers U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies as well as FBI agents and analysts. There are more than 100 JTTFs nationwide with approximately 4000 members, half of whom are from agencies outside the FBI.  The JTTFs enhance interagency coordination, cooperation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement and regional fusion centers on terrorism investigations and ensure robust sharing of intelligence and threat information.

The Drug Enforcement Administration actively works to dismantle narco-terrorist organizations by using specially trained law enforcement organizations to find and eliminate drug related terrorist groups.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is committed to working with all levels of government to help prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist acts before they occur. BJA supports several initiatives to train law enforcement officers in counter-terrorism efforts.

The Office for Victims of Crime offers various services to victims of terrorism and criminal mass violence, including contacts for information and incident-specific phone numbers and Web sites for victims only.

Law Enforcement Information Sharing Program (OneDOJ). Central to each of the Department’s efforts to protect our nation’s security and prevent further acts of terrorism has been to significantly increase the information sharing between federal agencies and with our state, local and tribal partners.  The Department is working to implement the Law Enforcement National Data Exchange (N-DEx) which will provide law enforcement agencies with a powerful new investigative tool to search, link, analyze, and share criminal justice information such as incident/case reports, incarceration data, and parole/probation data from all DOJ components on a national basis to a degree never before possible.

For more information about the Department components that are most active in this area, consult the National Security Division, the FBI, and the DEA Web sites.