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American Morning

Justice Department Focusing Terrorist Investigation on Thousands of People Who Are Not Necessarily Targets

Aired December 07, 2001 - 07:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hundreds of people were swept up in the federal dragnet following the September 11th attacks. Three months later "USA Today" reports that none of the detainees will be charged as direct accomplices of the 19 hijackers. Yesterday Attorney General John Ashcroft was called before Senate lawmakers to defend the ongoing investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: Since lives and liberties depend on clarity, not observation (ph), and upon reason, not high puerility (ph), let me take this opportunity to be clear. Each action taken by the Department of Justice, as well as the War Crimes Commissions considered by the president and the Department of Defense is carefully drawn to target a narrow class of individuals - terrorists. Our legal powers are targeted at terrorists. Our investigation is focused on terrorists. Our prevention strategy targets the terrorist threat.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ZAHN: But the Justice Department is also focusing on thousands of other people who are not necessarily targets. In Michigan alone more than 500 Middle Eastern men here on temporary Visas received letters asking them to submit to voluntary interviews. The letter said we have no reason to believe that you are in any way associated with terrorist activities. Nevertheless, you may know something that could be helpful in our efforts.

And the list of what they're being asked is extensive including which countries they've traveled to and when - what they're in the U.S. in the first place, what they know about September 11th, and their reaction to the attacks. They are also asked if they know anyone involved in terrorist activities and if they or anyone they know has access to weapons, explosives, or harmful chemicals.

Joining me now from Detroit Wissam Safa, a Lebanese student who just yesterday was interviewed by authorities and his attorney Mohammed Abdrabboh. Welcome gentlemen.

(CROSSTALK)

ZAHN: Glad to have you with us this morning. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning Paula.

ZAHN: So Wissam, we just highlighted some of the most obvious questions that investigators wanted the answers to. Were there any surprise questions that came your way yesterday?

WISSAM SAFA: I don't think there were any surprise questions. The questions were somehow general. Some of them were personal like addresses, phone numbers, things like that - the university I went to in Lebanon and other questions were more general.

ZAHN: You obviously had the original letter soliciting the interview to prepare with. How much did you think about the questions that were going to be asked of you and did it go the way you thought it would go?

SAFA: To be honest with you, I thought it would be much more difficult. When I received the letter I was like stressed out. I - it took me a couple of days to just get familiar to the letter, what to do. I went to seek legal advice. I - to know my rights - to my - to know my duties, what to do. And then I was expecting much more difficult questions. The interview went well. It was smooth. The agents were really friendly. They were great. I mean I was expecting a more difficult interview than that to be honest with you.

ZAHN: So describe to us how you're feeling now that the interview is over and the fact that you felt the agents respected you and how that might have been different than the initial feelings you first got when you had this letter.

SAFA: Yes.

ZAHN: When you had it in your hands for the first time.

SAFA: In fact when I just received the letter that says that I have to contact the FBI office, I was - I was like I don't know what to do. This is the first time such a thing happened to me. I - it took me a couple of days to get to know what to do, how to react, but then later on I - when I knew that it's voluntary, it's somehow to get - it might help other people. I went through it, but through the interview when I was - when I was - when I conducted the interview, it was great. I mean the questions were easy.

The agents were really friendly and I would like to advise other people (INAUDIBLE) letter that I did, do not hesitate to just call for an appointment and to just to go for an interview. There's no need - no need to panic. Everything will go great and then just to go for that interview.

ZAHN: Obviously you just describe that your experience was pretty easy, but to this day do you still believe that you were a victim of racial profiling here?

SAFA: In fact I think when I first received the letter, that kind of why me - I came here to get my master degree in business. This is the - all the reason why I am in the United States to get - to complete my academic achievement. This has nothing to do with something else. Although I was shocked when I heard what happened during September, but still I tried to - I tried to know - to guess (ph) the reason why they sent me that letter, and I - and I think - I do know right now.

ZAHN: All right and Mr. Abdrabboh, as I understand it, you're seeing two types of clients - clients like Wissam who are here on legal Visas and those who have stayed beyond the length that their Visas allows them to stay. What kind - based on Wissam's experience, what kind of advice are you giving to those men?

MOHAMMED ABDRABBOH: Well first of all Paula, a message that needs to be reiterated is that this community is against terrorism and wants to and is in full cooperation with the investigation. Having said that, these people fall into two categories, as you stated, in status and out of status. It's very difficult for me at this time to advise people who are out of status to set up the interview and to go talk and the reason being is because I really don't know the intent of the government at this point.

I don't know if they are holding the immigrant - the immigrations status over their heads as a hammer, and I don't know the true intent of the government. And I've said before and I'll say it again, if the government would be clear that they're not targeting these people specifically for deportation, then it would be much easier to advise clients to come forward.

ZAHN: Mohammed Abdrabboh and Wissam Safa, thank you for helping us better understand the practice here this morning. Just a quick footnote here, "USA Today" saying closest - sources closest to the probe agree that the roundup likely has prevented more terrorism, but once again, they say that U.S. investigators have not definitively linked anyone in custody here with al Qaeda.

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