The Terrorist Attack Investigation

Court Rules the U.S. Must Reveal Detainee Identities
Aug. 5, 2002 -- Two legal experts discuss whether the U.S. Justice Dept. should be forced to reveal detainees' identities.

Aug. 2, 2002 -- Update: A federal judge orders the U.S. Justice Department to disclose the names of people detained during the government's investigation of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Rumsfeld: U.S. Pursuing Al-Qaida Suspects Throughout the World
May 1, 2002 -- RealAudio: U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says American forces are continuing their hunt for al-Qaida members in Afghanistan as well as along the war-torn nation's border with Pakistan, although he refuses to comment on whether U.S. troops are conducting searches with Pakistan itself.

Rumsfeld Denies Bin Laden Error
April 17, 2002 -- RealAudio: In a briefing with reporters, Def. Sec. Donald Rumsfeld denies that U.S. forces had the opportunity to capture Osama bin Laden last year but failed, as was reported in the Washington Post.

U.S. Indicts Four Suspects for Aiding Terror Group
April 9, 2002 -- Update: A federal grand jury has indicted four people for allegedly helping Egyptian cleric Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman direct the activities of the Islamic Group, an Egyptian terrorist organization.

Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the move Tuesday in New York. Ashcroft said the four aided "Sheikh Abdel-Rahman in continuing to direct terrorist activities" from his U.S. prison cell.

Those indicted -- Abdel-Rahman's attorney Lynne Stewart, interpreter Mohammed Yousry, New York resident Ahmed Abdel Sattar, and Yassir Al-Sirri -- are charged with unlawful communication with Abdel-Rahman. The cleric was imprisoned for plotting strikes on sites in New York, including the 1993 World Trade Center attack.

New York Times reporter Ben Weiser discusses the indictment and the case against the four.

White House: Al-Qaida Leader in U.S. Custody
April 2, 2002 -- Update: The White House confirms that top Osama bin Laden aide Abu Zubaydah is in U.S. custody.
April 2, 2002 -- RealAudio: New York Times military reporter Michael Gordon updates the Zubaydah capture and its potential impact.
April 1, 2002 -- Update: Abu Zubaydah, believed to have been trying to re-form the al-Qaida in Pakistan, is captured by U.S. and Pakistani authorities.
April 1, 2002 -- RealAudio: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld talks with reporters about Zubaydah and violence in the Middle East.

Administration Defends Plan to Try Terrorists by Military Tribunal
Nov. 29, 2001 -- RealAudio: President Bush defends the use of military tribunals in a speech to the annual conference for U.S. Attorneys.
Nov. 29, 2001 -- RealAudio: White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer answers questions about the anti-terror investigation and military tribunals.

Newsmaker: White House Legal Counsel Alberto Gonzales
Nov. 28, 2001 -- White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales defends the Bush administration's order to hold military tribunals.

Ashcroft: "Suspected Terrorists," al-Qaida Members in U.S. Custody
Nov. 27, 2001 -- RealAudio: The U.S. has brought federal criminal or immigration charges against some 650 people since the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, Attorney General Ashcroft said Tuesday.

Britain's Tony Blair Offers New Evidence of Bin Laden's Guilt
Nov. 14, 2001 -- RealAudio: Prime Minister Tony Blair outlines new intelligence information he says confirms Osama bin Laden's guilt for the Sept. 11 attacks. | Official summary of new evidence

Investigation Update
Oct. 24, 2001 -- Update: The Justice Department and German officials have identified three fugitives suspected of helping orchestrate the terrorist attacks of September 11.
Oct. 23, 2001 -- RealAudio: Attorney General Ashcroft and his German counterpart, Otto Schily, press conference.
Oct. 17, 2001 -- The Attorney General talks to Jim Lehrer about the anthrax investigation and progress in the Sept. 11 case.

U.S. Freezes Assets of 39 More Groups and Individuals
Oct. 12, 2001 -- Update: U.S. more than doubles the number of groups and individuals tied to funding terrorist networks.

President Bush Unveils Most Wanted List at the FBI
Oct. 10, 2001 -- NPR's Barbara Bradley and The New York Time's Tim Weiner analyze the investigation thus far.
Oct. 10, 2001 -- Update: President Bush announces a new list of the world's 'most wanted terrorists,' vowing to "shine the light" of justice on evil.
Oct. 10, 2001 -- RealAudio: President Bush
Oct. 10, 2001 -- RealAudio: FBI Director Robert Mueller and Sec. of State Colin Powell.

Names, Photos of Suspected Hijackers Released
Sept. 28, 2001 -- Update: FBI seeks more information on the 19 suspected hijackers.
Sept. 27, 2001 -- Update: Ten men are arrested for holding faulty hazardous material permits.
Sept. 27, 2001 -- RealAudio: Attorney General Ashcroft and FBI Director Mueller release photos of the 19 suspected hijackers.

Racial Profiling
Sept. 26, 2001 -- Gwen Ifill examines the use of racial profiling in the hunt for terrorists with four legal experts.

The Civil Liberties Question
Sept. 25, 2001 -- With Congress considering more authority to monitor suspected terrorists, legal scholars debate the impact on civil liberties.

President Bush Praises FBI Efforts
Sept. 25, 2001 -- RealAudio: On a visit to FBI headquarters, President Bush today praised the agency's response to the terrorist attacks.

Ashcroft Asks Congress for Anti-Terrorism Measures
Sept. 24, 2001 -- Update: Attorney General John Ashcroft urges Congress to approve new authority to track and investigate suspected terrorism.

Bush Announces Asset Freeze
Sept. 24, 2001 -- Update: President Bush issues an executive order freezing the assets of groups with suspected terrorist links.
Sept. 24, 2001 -- Text | RealAudio: President Bush, Secretary of the Treasury O'Neill and Secretary of State Powell brief reporters on the executive order.
Sept. 24, 2001 -- Text: The full text of the president's order.

Identifying the Victims
Sept. 21, 2001 -- Gathering and identifying human remains at the terrorist attack sites is a difficult, but crucial task.
Col. Brion Carleton Smith
Madeline Lew Moy
Dr. Charles J. Stahl

Political Wrap
Sept. 21, 2001 -- Mark Shields and David Brooks discuss the week in politics as the country braces for a war against terrorism.

Presidential Ultimatum
Sept. 20, 2001 -- President Bush says Taliban leaders must "hand over every terrorist" living in Afghanistan or "share in their fate".
Sept. 20, 2001 -- Update: Tom Ridge, currently governor of Pennsylvania, is President Bush's choice to head the new Office of Homeland Security.

Afghan Religious Leaders Ask bin Laden to Leave
Sept. 20, 2001 -- Update: Facing possible U.S. military action, Islamic clerics recommend asking Osama bin Laden to leave Afghanistan.

Ashcroft Widens Investigation Powers, Scope
Sept. 19, 2001 -- Update: The U.S. Has broadened its investigation to include all major cities and expanded its power to detain immigrants suspected of crimes.

FBI Arrests Four, Detains 75
Sept. 18, 2001 -- RealAudio: Evan Thomas of Newsweek gives an update on investigation efforts.
Sept. 18, 2001 -- RealAudio: Attorney General Ashcroft says the FBI has arrested at least four material witnesses in its attack investigation and detained 75 people for questioning.

FBI Investigates Possible Hate Crimes
Sept. 17, 2001 -- RealAudio: FBI director Robert Mueller initiates hate crime investigations into attacks on Arab Americans.

Bin Laden: Prime Suspect
Sept. 16, 2001 -- RealAudio: Kwame Holman recaps Sunday's events.
Sept. 16, 2001 -- RealAudio: President Bush says Osama bin Laden is the prime suspect in Tuesday's attacks and that the U.S. will wage a campaign to "rid the world of the evil-doers" at fault.
Sept. 16, 2001 -- Update: Vice President Dick Cheney says Osama bin Laden was "no doubt" involved in the attacks and that those who shield him would face "the full wrath of the United States"
Sept. 16, 2001 -- RealAudio: The attorney general says the U.S. Will "do everything we can to disrupt" terrorist groups' activities.

U.S. Military Was Ordered to Shoot Down Hijacked Plane Over D.C.
Sept. 16, 2001 -- Update: Vice President Dick Cheney says President Bush ordered U.S. Military pilots to shoot down the plane that crashed into the Pentagon if it would not divert. (9/16/01)

FBI Releases Suspect List
Sept. 15, 2001 -- RealAudio: Two journalists update the latest in the terrorist investigation.
Sept. 14, 2001 -- The full list of Tuesday's suspected hijackers, provided by the FBI.
Sept. 14, 2001 -- RealAudio: Attorney General Ashcroft discusses the list a suspected hijackers.

Reports of New York Airports Arrests Untrue
Sept. 14, 2001 -- Update: Reports of arrests at Laguardia and JFK airports Thursday night turned out to be untrue.

Rescue Teams Locate Data, Voice Recorders From Pentagon Crash
Sept. 14, 2001 -- Update: Officials say although the components of the "black box" at the Pentagon site were badly burned, they could still provide crucial information for investigators.

The U.S. and Osama bin Laden
Sept. 14, 2001 -- Update: Leaders of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban say they would respond to a U.S. strike.
Sept. 13, 2001 -- A look at the man many believe is behind the attacks in New York and Washington.
Sept. 13, 2001 -- Update: Federal authorities uncover evidence pointing to Osama bin Laden.

Investigators Locate Flight 93 Flight Data Recorder
Sept. 13, 2001 -- Update: Officials uncover the flight data recorder for the hijacked 757 jetliner that crashed southwest of Pittsburgh.
Sept. 13, 2001 -- RealAudio: The FBI updates reporters on the investigation.

Tracking the Hijackers
Sept. 13, 2001 -- RealAudio: Attorney General Ashcroft estimates at least 18 hijackers took part in Tuesday's attacks and that their "number of associates was significant."

Investigation Update
Sept. 12, 2001 -- Journalist Evan Thomas discusses what investigators have uncovered 36 hours after the attacks.
Sept. 12, 2001 -- Update: Ashcroft says investigation is the most "intense and massive" in history.
Sept. 12, 2001 -- Text | RealAudio: Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller detail investigation efforts.

Assessing a Disaster
Sept. 11, 2001 -- RealAudio: NewsHour historians and columnists Tom Oliphant and Bill Kristol review the events of a day that saw the shattering of American landmarks.

Intelligence Questions
Sept. 11, 2001 -- Senators Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) And Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) And former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott react to the terrorist attacks.
Sept. 11, 2001 -- Former CIA Director Jim Woolsey and former Senator David Boren on the intelligence aspect of the strikes.
Sept. 11, 2001 -- RealAudio: Three experts on who might have been behind the attack.

Discussing the Attacks
Sept. 11, 2001 -- Three experts on changes in airline security.
Sept. 11, 2001 -- RealAudio: Aviation experts on security in the air.

NewsHour Regulars
Sept. 11, 2001 -- RealAudio: Tom Oliphant and William Kristol on the attacks' aftermath.
Sept. 11, 2001 -- RealAudio: The NewsHour's historians put the attack in historical perspective.

The Bush Administration, Congress React
Sept. 11, 2001 -- 7:15 p.m. RealAudio: Attorney General Ashcroft condemns the terrorist attacks.