19 September 2001
Transcript: Foreign Governments Protect Terrorist Networks
(Ashcroft remarks following 9/19 tour of Pentagon) (1320)
Attorney General John Ashcroft, without identifying any country by
name, said September 19 it is "pretty clear" that networks that carry
out hijackings and other terrorist attacks are "harbored and
supported, sustained, protected by a variety of foreign governments."
Speaking to journalists after touring the Pentagon, which was heavily
damaged in the September 11 terrorist jetliner crash, Ashcroft said it
is time for those governments to understand that the United States
will not tolerate that kind of support.
The attorney general also said he is concerned about the civil
liberties of Arab Americans and Middle Eastern Americans, who are
patriotic citizens. Attacks against them, he added, will be
investigated and prosecuted.
Following is a transcript of Ashcroft's remarks:
(begin transcript)
Attorney General John Ashcroft Remarks
Following his tour of the Pentagon
September 19, 2001
Q: (Off mike) -- what the source of the money was for the hijackers?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: Let me first say that this tangled, charred
situation is one that has been a difficult work environment for heroic
individuals who have been doing an outstanding job of coordinating
their efforts and working together. I want to thank those individuals
who, without regard, in many instances, to their own safety and
security, and certainly working through fatigue and through discomfort
in very, very serious conditions, have done a wonderful job.
My heart goes out to the families. My first response at this site is
obviously a response of anger, and then it's a response of sympathy to
the victims and to their families. And then it's a response of making
a -- renewing a commitment to make sure that the network of
individuals responsible for this would be brought to justice and would
pay the price. And we will intensify in every respect all that we can
do, not only to understand and pursue and identify and to punish those
individuals who were responsible and the network associated with it,
but we will take every possible action to make sure that this kind of
injury and assault on America and on its freedom does not happen
again.
Q: Have you identified --
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: He -- you had another question, which I frankly --
Q: I'm happy to restate it, sir. My question is -- well, it's actually
twofold. How far have you moved along in identifying exactly what
happened and who these -- all these people are?
And the first question I had asked you was the source of the funding.
Have you made any progress in identifying who was behind the money,
how much it took, and how the network was financed?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: I think it's fair to say that we are making
progress on a variety of fronts, including the kinds of -- some
progress on fronts like you mentioned. But for me to begin to discuss
particular evidence is premature at this time.
Q: Can you tell us if -- can you confirm that there were criminal
charges filed against some individuals in connection with the
investigation in Detroit yesterday?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: It's my understanding that criminal charges were
filed against individuals who were apprehended in the process of the
FBI following a series of leads related to these incidents. And the
affidavits and materials filed in the court speak for themselves. It
is a process that we are pursuing with intensity and we will continue
to pursue with every ounce of our energy, to disrupt any potential
that we possibly can of any individual or group of individuals or part
of any network to similarly inflict additional injury upon the United
States or our citizens.
Q: What if those individuals are connected to the individuals who
perpetrated last week's attacks?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: The statements which were made in the documents
associated with the arrests and the charges contain all of the
statements that we're prepared to make at this time.
Q: Sir, these are your first criminal charges in connection with this
case at all. Can you characterize for us how significant these three
people may have been in the overall scheme of the plot?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: I think it would be far too early to indicate that
this is some sort of major breakthrough in the case. But we are going
to pursue every lead, and we will prosecute every infraction. We will
intensify efforts.
You know, yesterday I announced that in all U.S. attorneys' offices
across the nation there will be anti-terrorism task forces. It will be
their responsibility to identify violators associated with these
networks and terrorist organizations, and any violation will be
prosecuted.
Q: Is there evidence that foreign governments may have provided
support for those who carried out the hijackings and the attacks?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: It's pretty clear that the networks that conduct
these kinds of events are harbored and supported, sustained, protected
by a variety of foreign governments. And it's time for those
governments to understand with crystal clarity that the United States
of America will not tolerate that kind of support for networks that
would inflict this kind of damage on the American people.
Q: Does that include Iraq when you speak of nations that are harboring
and aiding?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: I think the statement speaks for itself.
Q: Just one question on the immigration rule from yesterday already
raising concerns among civil rights groups. Are you already invoking
the emergency clause of that order that will allow you to keep
detainees indefinitely before they've been charged?
Are you already invoking that?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: When circumstances require us to use the full
force and effect of the order, we will do so. I make no apology -- I
make no apology for being forceful in our enforcing the law and
requiring adherence to the law. This investigation will pursue
violators and use every tool available to us to curtail and prevent
and disrupt any effort to further inflict this kind of damage on the
United States or our citizens.
Q: Mr. Ashcroft, yesterday you said you can't rule out that there may
have been a fifth plane. Why can't you rule out, and have you moved
any farther to -- in the investigation in terms of being able to
conclude that there was another attack planned?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: I would repeat today that we cannot rule out that
there may have been additional aircraft targeted. We cannot rule that
out. And that's the extent of the comment that I would make on that at
this time.
STAFF: Last question, please.
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: Must have been it. Thank you. Thank you.
Q: Can you assure -- the ACLU held a news conference today expressing
concern about civil liberties in the package that you're going to
propose. Can you assure people that privacy rights and civil
libertarian rights won't be eroded?
ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: I'm deeply concerned about the civil liberties of
all Americans. I'm especially concerned about the civil liberties of
Arab Americans and Middle Eastern Americans, who are patriotic
citizens, who lament and regret this loss, perhaps as keenly or more
keenly than any, and whose commitment to the strict enforcement and
pursuit of these networks of terror that inflict this kind of injury
is as strong as any.
We will conduct this effort to investigate and to prosecute with
strict regard for every safeguard of the United States Constitution.
But we will not fail to use any tool -- we will not fail to use any
tool -- that can promote the apprehension, the disruption of the
networks that caused these damages, and prevent a similar occurrence
in the future.
STAFF: Last question, last question. Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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