National Security

"The Department has improved significantly 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… Working with our federal, state, and local partners, as well as international counterparts, the Department has worked tirelessly to safeguard America and will continue to do so."

-- Attorney General Eric Holder Testifying Before the Senate Judiciary Committee, June 17, 2009

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No Higher Priority: Fighting Terrorism and Keeping Americans Safe

by Neil H. MacBride
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia

The Department of Justice has no higher priority than fighting terrorism and keeping the American people safe, while protecting and safeguarding civil liberties guaranteed under our Constitution. The Obama Administration has aggressively used every lawful tool at its disposal to keep Americans safe – military, intelligence, homeland security, law enforcement, diplomacy and financial disruption. Ten years after the September 11th attacks, the Holder Justice Department has played a key role in the U.S. counterterrorism framework and has a proven track record of identifying members of terrorist networks, detecting and disrupting their plots, incapacitating terrorists through successful prosecutions and convictions, collecting valuable intelligence and sharing information with our state and local partners, and creating a dialogue through outreach to our communities, including the American Muslim community.

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The Oklahoma City Bombing: From National Tragedy, We Continue Through our Resilience to Work for Comfort, Strength, Peace, Hope and Serenity
by Sanford Coats
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma

As we pause to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I hope you will also remember the most deadly terrorist attack in United States history prior to September 11, 2001 – the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Although the reasons and motivations of the perpetrators were markedly different, the Oklahoma City bombing, like the tragedies in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, shocked the conscience of every American. The plot to kill innocent people in Oklahoma in 1995 was carried out by domestic terrorists, while those responsible for September 11 were radicalized foreigners. Although fundamentally different in philosophy, purpose and cause, Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols and the September 11 co-conspirators were all intent on destroying our American way of life.

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The ATAC Coordinators

"As Attorney General, I am proud to be here among you today, to acknowledge your difficult work and your dedication, and to let you know that I am committed to supporting your continued success.  It is critical that we do not relax our guard in the battle against either global or domestic terrorism – that we not become complacent.  You have proven yourselves innovative and effective leaders in the fight against terrorism and I want you to know that the President and I are grateful for your work and will fully support you in every way we can."

      -- Attorney General Eric Holder at the National ATAC
          Conference, October 1, 2009

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ATAC Training: FBI New Haven’s Indoor Post-Blast School

FBI New Haven’s Indoor Post-Blast School, an intensive, week long course taught by expert bomb technicians and federal prosecutors, has taken place in Connecticut twice a year for the past eight years and has hosted, each time, approximately 60 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, bomb technicians, and other first responders who might respond to and investigate a bombing or other post-blast event. Until recently, Connecticut’s post-blast school was the only indoor post-blast school in the country.

Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center

One of the Attorney General’s key mandates when he instituted the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) program (then, the Anti-Terrorism Task Force program) was to ensure that information relating to terrorism was efficiently shared with all necessary entities, public and private. In furtherance of this mandate, the Maryland ATAC, through its Executive Committee, decided in April 2002 to create what has now come to be commonly referred to as a “Fusion Center.” Narco-terrorism is a growing area of concern in our counterterrorism efforts, as terrorists exploit drug cartels to provide funding, weapons, and other support for their terrorist activities. Global terrorists also have a substantial and growing presence on the Internet, where one can find radical anti-U.S. propaganda, tutorials on bomb-making, and elaborate religious justifications for the most despicable acts of violence against defenseless civilians. The Internet permits isolated actors to find and connect with one another, justify and intensify their anger, and mobilize resources to attack. Thus, terrorists continue to use the Internet to solicit funds and for recruitment, radicalization, training, and operational planning.

Read more » The U.S. Attorneys’ offices also work on the investigation and prosecution of cases affecting national security, foreign relations, the export of military and strategic commodities and technology, matters relating to espionage, sabotage, neutrality, atomic energy, and criminal cases involving the application of the Classified Information Procedures Act.

Read more » The Eagle Task Force: Prosecuting Export Violations in the Central District of California
by André Birotte, Jr.
U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California

The Export and Anti-proliferation Global Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Task Force was formed in January 2008 as an initiative of the National Security Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The goal was to bring together the different federal agencies focused on counter-proliferation work and allow them to share resources and knowledge in this complex area, as well as to increase the number of prosecutions that could take place.

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Export Enforcement: Protecting Our National Security Through Collaboration and Coordination
by Ronald Machen
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia

In the District of Columbia, we have devoted significant resources to combating the national security threat posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the procurement efforts by and for state sponsors of terrorism. The stakes could not be higher, particularly regarding nuclear proliferation.

Read more » When It Comes To National Security, We’re Not In Kansas Anymore: The Case of United States v. Michael Todd et al.
by Michael J. Moore, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia

The Iran trade embargo prohibits the sale or export of any goods, technology or services from the United States to Iran without prior authorization from the Treasury Department. This is true regardless of whether these goods or services are military or civilian in nature. While many of the technologies sought by Iran may appear harmless, they can pose significant threats. For example, electronic components with primarily civilian uses have been recovered from roadside bombs used against U.S. troops in Iraq.

Read more » The Intelligence Specialists play a vital role in the prosecution and disruption of terrorism suspects by using their experience to incorporate intelligence information into lawful investigations. Because the primary goal of the counterterrorism community is to stop attacks before they happen, intelligence support can be essential to disrupting, arresting and prosecuting terrorist suspects or isolating suspects as they attempt to carry out attacks and related terrorist activities.

Read more » Former FARC Guerrilla Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to 130 Months in Prison for Providing Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization
Southern District of New York — December 7, 2011 Kirkland Man Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for Threatening Public Officials
Western District of Washington — December 2, 2011 San Diego Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracay to Provide Material Support to al-Shabaab
Southern District of California — December 2, 2011 Pakistani National Living in Woodbridge Pleads guilty to Providing Material Support to Terrorist Organization
Eastern District of Virginia — December 2, 2011 Talladega County Man Sentenced to 51 Months for Mailing Series of Hoax Anthrax Letters
Northern District of Alabama — December 1, 2011 Dallas Man Sentenced to more than 22 Years in Federal Prison for Crashing a Stolen truck Through a Gate and Onto Secured Area at Love Field Airport
Northern District of Texas — November 30, 2011 Exporter Pleads Guilty to Selling Sensitive Technology to China
Northern District of California — November 17, 2011

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