Terrorism Questions and Answers
(From the Council on Foreign Relations)

Special Report: Afghanistan

New York Recovers: A Photo Essay

Resources for Teachers

Full Coverage of the September 11th Attacks

U.S. Hails Capture of Suspected Sept. 11 Mastermind
Over the weekend, a joint U.S.-Pakistan operation led to the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged architect of the 9/11 attacks.

After a background report, Jim Lehrer discusses the capture of this and two other al-Qaida operatives with Daniel Benjamin, former director of counterterrorism on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration; and Zachary Abuza, an associate professor and director of Asian studies at Simmons College in Boston. (3/3/03)

Update: Pakistani police, aided by U.S. intelligence authorities, stormed a house in suburban Islamabad and arrested three suspected al-Qaida members, including the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks which killed nearly 3,000 Americans.

U.S. officials hailed the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed as the most significant development in the ongoing war against Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. (3/1/03)

Most Wanted Terrorists Web Site (from FBI)

Update: The heads of the FBI and CIA report to Congress that al-Qaida remains a potent enemy, bent on launching further attacks on American targets domestically and overseas. (2/11/03)

"Shoe Bomber" Sentenced to Life in Prison
Update: A Boston judge handed down a life sentence Wednesday for Richard Reid, the alleged al-Qaida member who pleaded guilty to attempting to blow up a jetliner using explosives in his shoe.

Reid's attorneys had attempted to delay the sentencing, calling for officials to declassify intelligence documents they said might help Reid's case. Prosecutors called him "a committed terrorist who will remain so until his dying days." (1/30/03)

Reid Pleads Guilty to Airline Bombing Attempt
Update: A U.S. District Court in Boston accepts Richard Reid's decision to plead guilty to charges that he tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight last December with explosives hidden in his shoes.

Reid, a British citizen, faces a total of eight counts, including attempted murder and attempted use of "a weapon of mass destruction" for trying to blow up the airliner.

Prosecutors said they would seek a prison sentence of 60 years to life, as outlined by U.S. law. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8. (10/4/02)

Ashcroft Praises Oregon Arrests, Reid Plea and Lindh Sentencing
Update: Calling it a "defining day" in the fight against terrorism, Attorney General John Ashcroft praised several legal developments in cases against suspected al-Qaida and Taliban supporters in the U.S.

RealAudio: Attorney General Ashcroft's statement.

Alleged "Shoe Bomber" to Plead Guilty
Update: A lawyer for Richard Reid, the British national accused of trying to blow up a transatlantic flight using explosives hidden in his shoes last December, says his client will plead guilty to all eight charges against him.

"He [Reid] has no disagreement with the facts asserted in the charges about his actions on Dec. 22, 2001," Reid attorney Owen Walker said in a statement. "He wants to avoid the publicity associated with a trial and the negative impact it is likely to have upon his family."

Reid's trial was due to begin Nov. 4. (10/2/02)

More on the Reid case and a report on his background. (12/28/01)