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From Los Angeles Times

Mohammed says he beheaded U.S. reporter despite warnings

Chilling portraits of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind, and other Guantanamo detainees emerge in the latest release of classified material from WikiLeaks.

by Richard A. Serrano, Washington Bureau

April 25, 2011

Reporting from Washington

A senior Al Qaeda military commander strongly warned Khalid Shaikh Mohammed not to kill Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002, cautioning him "it would not be wise to murder Pearl" and that he should "be returned back to one of the previous groups who held him, or freed."

But Mohammed told his U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay that he cut off Pearl's head anyway, according to U.S. military documents posted on the Internet on Monday by WikiLeaks.

Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, also told his captors of the aborted attempt by Richard Reid to light a shoe bomb aboard a flight from London to the U.S. in late 2001. He "stated that he had instructed Reid to shave his beard prior to boarding the airplane and to detonate the bomb inside the airplane bathroom."

But Reid refused to shave his beard, tried to ignite the bomb in his seat, and was stopped and arrested and sentenced to life in prison. For that, according to a disgusted Mohammed, Reid was "irresponsible," according to the documents.

Fresh and often chilling portraits of Mohammed and the other most-prized "high value" detainees at Guantanamo emerged from the latest release of classified material by WikiLeaks, the controversial Web organization that has tormented the U.S. by revealing a stream of its military and diplomatic secrets. U.S. and British news organization first reported the release of the documents Sunday night.

The Obama administration acknowledged the records contain bona fide "classified information about current and former GTMO detainees." But the White House also sharply castigated WikiLeaks for releasing the material, much of it involving the 172 men currently imprisoned at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The documents are part of thousands of pages of Pentagon dossiers that describe how the detainees were captured, the nature of their alleged crimes and what they had told interrogators — often under duress — in interviews between 2002 and 2008. In all, there are 779 total documents that are in the process of being released. The files are officially titled Detainee Assessment Briefs.

In the Daniel Pearl slaying, according to the newly released material, Sayf al-Adl, a former top Al Qaeda military commander, was outspoken in cautioning Mohammed against killing the reporter. But Mohammed turned for guidance to another Al Qaeda leader, identified as Sharif al-Masri, the group's chief financial officer, and the two of them "disagreed with Adl on this point." Next, "Pearl was taken to the house of Al Qaeda's finance chief in Pakistan, Saud Memon, and murdered" there.

Mohammed boasted in the documents that the "planes operation" of Sept. 11 was his "dream and life's work." A Pakistani raised in Kuwait, he was captured in March 2003, totally disheveled but wearing a ring and a Casio wristwatch, and later was forced to undergo 183 separate water-boarding treatments to get him to talk.

He described a plan to build remote-controlled firing devices disguised as Sega video game cartridges. He began preparations for bombing "the tallest building in California" — presumably the Library Tower (now the U.S. Bank tower) in Los Angeles, "using at least two separate shoe bombs to gain access to the cockpit."

He wanted to hit CIA and FBI headquarters and nuclear power plants, hack into U.S. bank computers and hijack U.S. cargo planes. He discussed a series of natural gas explosions he wanted to perpetrate in Chicago and researched "the feasibility of an operation to set fire to a hotel or gas station" there.

Mohammed's right-hand man was Ramzi Binalshibh, the "9/11 coordinator," according to the documents.

According to the documents, Binalshibh learned from lead Sept. 11 hijacker Mohamed Atta that the "the targets were the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Capitol," sites personally selected by Osama bin Laden, and that the Al Qaeda leader had instructed the hijackers that "if they could not reach their targets, they were to simply to crash the aircraft." It has long been in dispute whether the plane which crashed in a field in Pennsylvania was headed for the Capitol or the White House.

In mid-August 2001, Atta called Binalshibh "during the night and said he wanted to tell detainee [Binalshibh] a riddle. Atta told detainee the riddle was two branches, a slash and a lollipop. " Thus the date Sept. 11, 2001 (11/9, with day first and month second) was revealed.

After the attacks, Binalshibh and his mentor, Mohammed, celebrated in Karachi, Pakistan; they "prostrated themselves and gave thanks to Allah."

Another top detainee, Abu Zubaydah, is a Saudi pictured in the documents with a patch over his left eye. Should he be released, U.S. authorities said, he "is likely to seek out prior associates and re-engage in hostilities and extremist support activities. Since his transfer [to Guantanamo, Zubaydah] has appeared to be cooperative during interviews but may also have been withholding information and employing counter interrogation techniques."

He has staged four hunger strikes, and once passed up nine consecutive meals, for which he was cited for disciplinary infractions. But it is in his prior life in Al Qaeda that he is seen as an entirely different man: "Detainee [Zubaydah] worked directly with Al Qaeda and was trusted enough to provide a safe haven for UBL [Bin Laden] after the 11 September 2001 attacks," according to the WikiLeaks documents.

He told interrogators he originally was a "bad Muslim" and attempted to improve his reputation by joining the fight in Afghanistan in the early 1990s; there he was wounded in the head by shrapnel.

Zubaydah "stated he had to relearn fundamentals such as walking, talking and writing; as such, he was therefore considered worthless to Al Qaeda."

But Zubaydah redeemed himself, and by the end of that decade he was working closely with Ahmed Ressam, convicted as the so-called "millennium bomber" who was arrested coming into this country from Canada with plans to bomb Los Angeles International Airport.

Ressam, in his debriefings with the FBI, had high praise for Zubaydah, according to Zubaydah's dossier. "There is no one to whom Abu Zubaydah must report in terms of a superior; [he] is emir [commander]." In fact, Ressam considered Zubaydah "equal" even to Bin Laden.

And Ressam said that while he conceived the plan to bomb LAX, it was Zubaydah who "encouraged him and helped facilitate the operation."

Zubaydah was captured during a firefight in March 2002 in Pakistan and eventually transferred to Guantanamo. He was wounded three times while trying to escape. In his safe house were found computers with over three dozen discs, seven passports and a page torn from a U.S. phonebook.

Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, a Saudi charged last week in Guantanamo in the 2000 bombing of the U.S. destroyer Cole off the coast of Yemen, is described in his detainee assessment as "one of the highest-ranking, most skilled, and dangerous Al Qaeda operatives captured to date. He has a proven ability to plan and carry out attacks against the U.S. and its interests and allies [and] is linked to as many as a dozen plots to attack U.S. and Western interests."

He answered directly to Bin Laden, and his cell was responsible for conducting suicide and sabotage operations outside Afghanistan, the Pentagon alleged. For the suicide attack on the Cole, staged in the Gulf of Aden from a small boat, Nashiri chose Hassan al-Khamiri "because Hassan knew the area" and Ibrahim al-Nebras because "Nebras could operate the boat."

Nashiri was so pleased with the Cole attack that he began thinking about attacking submarines in the North Atlantic, according to the documents. He also discussed a follow-up attack in the U.S., something with "cars and/or truck bombs targeted against large and/or tall buildings in a 9/11-style attack." He also considered chemical bombs, because they "are easy to make."

Nashiri said he joined jihad in 1998, when his nephew Jihad Harazi died for Al Qaeda as one of the U.S. embassy bombers in Kenya.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-wikileaks-interrogations-20110425,0,132185,print.story

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Many freed Guantanamo inmates join terrorists, files say

Detainees from Yemen and Saudi Arabia are the most problematic, according to classified documents released by WikiLeaks. And with Yemen roiled in political upheaval, some worry that the former inmates will see an opportunity.

by Brian Bennett, Los Angeles Times

April 25, 2011

Reporting from Washington

Said Shihri, who was captured in Pakistan in late 2001 and became one of the first suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, was released six years later after he convinced U.S. officials that he would go home to Saudi Arabia to work in his family's furniture store.

He emerged instead as the No. 2 leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a Yemen-based group that U.S. intelligence considers the world's most dangerous terrorist organization.

Review panels at Guantanamo Bay also released at least six other detainees who later joined the militant group that has turned Yemen into a key battleground for Al Qaeda. One former detainee now is a prominent radical cleric, and another writes propaganda in English encouraging others to attack the United States.

Classified documents from Guantanamo Bay that were released to news organizations by WikiLeaks indicate U.S. officials repeatedly returned detainees to their home countries in hopes they would be incarcerated or be rehabilitated into society. Detainees returned to Saudi Arabia and Yemen have proved the most problematic.

Now, with Yemen roiled by street protests and political upheaval, U.S. intelligence officials worry that the former Guantanamo detainees will seek to capitalize on the turmoil to plot attacks against their former captors and other targets.

"It's just a big frickin' mess over there," said a U.S. intelligence official, who was not authorized to speak in public.

U.S. counter-terrorism officials have relied on cooperation from President Abdullah Ali Saleh's regime to battle Al Qaeda's presence. But with public pressure mounting daily for Saleh's swift ouster, the resultant chaos could produce an even larger opening for anti-Western militants.

Al Qaeda "will be more prolific in recruiting, and it could become easier to launch attacks from Yemen," said the official. "That unrest could have the most impact on our domestic security."

In Shihri's case, although evidence indicated he had played an operational role in Al Qaeda, he denied to a review board at Guantanamo Bay that he had provided support to militants, and insisted he was "just a Muslim and not a terrorist."

The review board approved his release in November 2007 into a special program in Saudi Arabia that has sought to rehabilitate former jihadists. Two years later, he appeared in an Al Qaeda video touting the merger of its Saudi Arabian and Yemeni branches, and he has since become deputy emir of Al Qaeda's operations in Yemen.

Other cases also have raised alarms.

A former inmate named Uthman Ghamdi has used his detention as a recruiting tool. In Al Qaeda's online English-language magazine, Inspire, Ghamdi recently described his time in Guantanamo and his flight from Saudi Arabia to join Al Qaeda in Yemen. He called on fellow Muslims to follow his footsteps into jihad.

Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish, a Saudi, spent five years at Guantanamo after he was captured by Pakistani officials in 2001. The review board assessment described him as "a Taliban fighter and Al Qaeda member."

After he was released to the Saudi rehabilitation program, Rabaish made it to Yemen, where he now is believed to be a religious leader for the Al Qaeda group. In an audiotape last month attributed to Rubaish, he criticized President Saleh and the U.S. presence in Yemen and encouraged Yemeni soldiers to attack Western embassies. "Haven't you seen the enemy's embassies, which were only established to spy on and fight the Muslims?"

Officials say those cases are severe, but not unusual. Since the Guantanamo camp was established by the Bush administration after Sept. 11, 2011, U.S. officials say, 25% of the inmates released have rejoined Al Qaeda or other militant groups.

Of the 775 men who have been held at Guantanamo Bay since January 2002, 604 have since been transferred to other countries. Most of the 172 who remain have been rated "high risk" by the military.

"We always want to think there was a process or a procedure for releasing these guys. I am not sure there was," said Christopher Boucek, an associate at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, who has tracked former detainees who have joined Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

"Someone … will have to answer questions about why some of these guys were released," said Boucek, who has studied the intelligence on detainees that was made public by WikiLeaks.

Officials in Washington have been under "a lot of pressure to clean out the zoo down there," said a U.S. official familiar with the review process for detainees at Guantanamo. "[The review boards] probably have been leaning far too far forward"

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-yemen-wikileaks-20110426,0,1886883,print.story

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Push for open dependency courts set for key test on Tuesday

The push to allow public oversight of court hearings that consider foster care placements and other sensitive child welfare decisions faces a crucial test when it is reaches the state assembly's human services committee on Tuesday.

The bill, AB73 by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), enjoys support among many child advocates, the presiding judge of Los Angeles County children's court and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

But the bill has also attracted the opposition of social workers whose work would regularly be available for public review for the first time, as well as the California Youth Connection, former Senate leader John Burton and the court-appointed lawyers who represent children in the Los Angeles County system.

Leslie Starr Heimov, executive director of the Children's Law Center, wrote in a letter to the committee that children risk a “loss of dignity associated with having one's entire life subject to scrutiny.”

Burton said in an interview that his opposition to the bill was “visceral” and “emotional,” and he said court hearings were “already traumatizing enough without having a bunch of gawkers.”

Under the bill, a pilot program would be established in Los Angeles, Ventura and one other county. Hearings would be presumed to be open unless a court believes it would not be in the child's best interest. Children would be advised of their right to request closed hearings, and their wishes would receive “special consideration.”

“There is no way for us to meaningfully reform the child welfare system without first shining a light on it,” Feuer said in an interview, noting that none of the 17 states with open courts have decided to go back to closed proceedings.

“We need to hold everyone in the system accountable,” he said. “Those changes will not come easily, particularly for the adult participants.”

Previous efforts to open juvenile dependency court hearings failed in 2000 and 2004 due to concerns that open court hearings would conflict with federal confidentiality requirements and would place federal funding for foster care at risk. Federal officials have since put those fears to rest.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/

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Let sun shine on dependency court

An Assembly committee should approve a bill aimed at helping troubled children by opening California's dependency court proceedings to the public.

April 26, 2011

One of the most important pieces of state legislation to be introduced this year — a bill to open California's dependency courts to the public — faces a tough committee vote Tuesday. That should not be the case. AB 73 by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) has the potential to significantly improve the lives of thousands of children, at no cost to taxpayers. But because organized labor is agitated at the prospect of increased scrutiny of some of its members, the bill is in jeopardy.

Dependency courts are where the fates of troubled children often are decided. The judges who oversee those proceedings decide whether children should be taken from their homes or reunited with their families, whether they belong in foster care or under the custody of a parent or other relative. It is no exaggeration to say that lives turn on those questions.

Unlike in criminal courts, however, those proceedings take place largely in secret, ostensibly to protect the privacy of children but in fact more often to insulate social workers, lawyers and judges from public accountability. Feuer's bill would subtly but importantly change that. Judges would operate under a rule that hearings are open, though they would still retain the right — as they do in adult proceedings — to close them if especially delicate or sensitive matters are to be discussed. Children would have no fear of having to testify to intimate details of their lives in open court, but the public could be assured that its dependency system — which the public pays for, after all — is subject to oversight. Indeed, Feuer's bill stops short of mandating that rule for the whole state, as it would merely launch a pilot project, with an eye toward analyzing the results and then expanding it statewide if the pilot is successful.

After a moving and enlightening hearing earlier this year, the Assembly's Judiciary Committee saw the wisdom of Feuer's proposal and unanimously supported it, voting 10 to 0 in favor, a rare bipartisan endorsement. That was before organized labor declared its opposition and its longtime friend, California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton, began lobbying against the bill.

The prospect of opening dependency courts is understandably unsettling to some, but this is hardly a radical or novel proposal. More than a dozen states have opened dependency proceedings, with uniformly positive results. And if openness here should inexplicably produce negative results, the pilot need not be extended. Judges, led by Michael Nash, the presiding judge of the juvenile courts for Los Angeles County, strongly support this bill, and the Legislature should pass it.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-court-20110426,0,6827436,print.story

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From Google News

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FBI issues warning for armed suspect

LITTLETON, Colo. (KGO) -- The FBI has issued a nationwide "be on the lookout" alert for a suspect wanted in a mall fire last week in Littleton Colorado.

He is identified as 65-year-old Earl Albert Moore, but has a number of aliases. He's considered armed and dangerous.

You might also recognize him by the tattoos on his arms. Moore is wanted in connection with not only the fire, but also the discovery of a pipe bomb and two propane tanks last week, on the anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings, two miles from the mall.

An FBI spokesman said investigators have uncovered a motive for the fire, but would only say it was probably not related to the columbine anniversary.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/national_world&id=8094120

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From the White House

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Meeting the Needs of People with Autism

Helping every American with autism achieve their full potential is one of this administration's top priorities. At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we continue to strive to meet the complex needs of all people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families. While there is no cure, early intervention is critical and can greatly improve a child's development.

Perhaps the biggest step we've taken to support those affected by autism and their families happened over a year ago, with the signing of the Affordable Care Act . Now, new insurance plans are required to cover autism screening and developmental assessments for children at no cost to parents. Insurers will also no longer be allowed to deny children coverage for a pre-existing condition such as ASD or to set arbitrary lifetime or annual limits on benefits.

Also, thanks to the new law, young adults are allowed to stay on their family health insurance until they turn 26. For a young adult with autism spectrum disorder and their family, that means peace of mind. It means more flexibility, more options, and more opportunity to reach their full potential.

Ultimately, there is more support for Americans with autism than ever before. This means more promise of new breakthroughs that will help us understand autism even better. But in order to continue meeting the needs of people with autism, the Combating Autism Act must be fully reauthorized. We still have a long way to go. Working collaboratively with important partners, the Affordable Care Act and the Combating Autism Act will allow us to continue important research and develop and refine vital treatments.

There are still many unknowns. However, one thing is certain. We will continue to work harder than ever to find solutions and provide support to individuals with ASD and their families. Together, we can help reduce disparities and allow everyone to actualize their greatest potential.

Kathleen Sebelius is Secretary of Health and Human Services.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/04/25/meeting-needs-people-autism

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From the Department of Homeland Security

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Secretary Napolitano Announces “If You See Something, Say Something™” Campaign Partnership with Los Angeles

April 25, 2011

LOS ANGELES—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today joined Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, LA County Sheriff Baca, Chief of Los Angeles Port Police Ronald Boyd and Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck at the Los Angeles Port of Entry to announce the expansion of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) "If You See Something, Say Something™" public awareness campaign to the city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to help ensure the safety and security of Los Angeles.

"Every citizen plays a role in identifying and reporting suspicious activities and threats," said Secretary Napolitano. "Expanding the 'If You See Something, Say Something™' campaign to Los Angeles and across the country is an important part of our efforts to partner with the public to keep our country safe and resilient."

The "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign—originally implemented by New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and now licensed to DHS for a nationwide campaign—is a simple and effective program to engage the public and key frontline employees to identify and report indicators of terrorism, crime and other threats to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities.

DHS and the city of Los Angeles will distribute "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign posters in English and Spanish throughout the city, with materials displayed throughout the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Transit System, the Port of Los Angeles, as well as police stations and fire stations.

In March, Secretary Napolitano joined AEG President and CEO Timothy J. Leiweke at the company's STAPLES Center to announce the expansion of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) "If You See Something, Say Something™" public awareness campaign to stadiums, arenas, theatres, clubs, convention centers and other venues owned by or affiliated with AEG Facilities—a division of Los Angeles-based AEG—in an effort to help ensure safety and security of the American public.

Over the past nine months, DHS has worked with its federal, state, local and private sector partners, as well as the Department of Justice, to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign and the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative—an administration effort to train state and local law enforcement to recognize behaviors and indicators related to terrorism, crime and other threats; standardize how those observations are documented and analyzed; and expand and enhance the sharing of those reports with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and DHS—to communities throughout the country.

Partnerships with the "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign have recently been launched by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL), as well as in several states including Colorado, Minnesota and New Jersey, more than 9,000 federal buildings nationwide, Walmart, Mall of America, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Amtrak, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the general aviation industry, and state and local fusion centers across the country. Last month, Secretary Napolitano unveiled the "If You See Something, Say Something™" public awareness video, available here.

In the coming months, DHS will continue to expand the "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign nationally to help America's business, communities and citizens remain vigilant and play an active role in keeping the country safe.

The "If You See Something, Say Something™" campaign complements the implementation of the new National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS)—a robust terrorism advisory system that provides timely information to the public about credible terrorist threats and replaces the former color-coded alert system—that Secretary Napolitano announced last week. NTAS alerts provide a concise summary of the potential threat including, when applicable, geographic region, mode of transportation, or critical infrastructure potentially affected by the threat, actions being taken to ensure public safety, as well as recommended steps that individuals, communities, business and governments can take to help prevent, mitigate or respond to a threat.

While in Los Angeles, Secretary Napolitano also joined Mayor Villaraigosa to tour the Maritime Law Enforcement Training Center (MLETC) at the Port of Los Angeles and highlighted the launch of the country's first maritime curriculum—approved by DHS and California Emergency Management Agency—specifically designed to train state and local law enforcement personnel.

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1303758062431.shtm

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From the Department of Justice

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks About the Department of Justice's Priorities and Mission

Washington, D.C.

April 25, 2011

Good morning, and thank you all for being here – and for tuning in from Department of Justice offices across the country. It is a pleasure to join Lee [Lofthus] in welcoming so many colleagues and critically important partners here today.

I'd also like to thank Lee – and each of our Assistant Attorneys General, our Associate Attorney General, and all of our component heads – for their outstanding leadership of the Department, and for the invaluable guidance that – over the last two years – they have provided to me. And although he could not be here today, I also want to thank our Deputy Attorney General, Jim Cole, for his dedicated partnership and friendship – not only over the last few months, but also over the last few decades, since the two of us – fresh out of law school – began our careers in this great Department.

Nearly 35 years ago, I arrived here, to this building, to begin my “dream job” as a line attorney in the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section. The day before starting work, I had moved down from New York City, assuring my friends and family that I only would be in Washington for a couple of years. That was 1976.

What I did not know then – but soon discovered – is that I had been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the chance to be part of a highly skilled and motivated team – an extraordinary group of men and women who – in common cause and through individual action – were reaffirming our nation's founding principles of liberty, equality, and security; helping to shape America's future; and taking innovative and collaborative steps to protect our fellow citizens.

Contributing to this work – our work – quickly became, and continues to be, the most thrilling and rewarding experience of my professional life. In the years that I have been privileged to serve this Department, I have worked alongside – and learned from – some of the world's most talented and dedicated lawyers, law enforcement officials, and public servants. Every day, you and your colleagues – a team that's now more than 114,000 members strong – carry out your important jobs with the simple, but essential, goals of protecting and improving lives – and pursuing justice in every case, every circumstance, and every community.

You demonstrate how the law can be a powerful force for good – a protector of those we serve; and a driver of change and progress, of tolerance and inclusion, of peace and prosperity. And you have proven that – in the work of ensuring justice for all, opportunity for all, and security for all – one person can make a difference.

Like you, I love this Department. And, like you, I am proud – not only to serve it, but also to champion its work.

Just over two years ago, together, we launched a new chapter in the Department's extraordinary history. And I was honored that – on that February day – so many of you welcomed me home. That day, as I stood before you – and swore the oath of office for the last job I will ever hold here – I laid out three priorities that would guide our work. First, and most importantly, I promised that the Department's top priority – and our chief responsibility – would be protecting the security, rights, and interests of the American people.

I also pledged to reinvigorate the Department's traditional missions and breathe new life into important areas that had been overlooked in recent years.

Finally, I promised to heal the Department – by rebuilding morale and restoring credibility. As a young lawyer, I had seen my first boss and one of my personal heroes – Attorney General Edward Levi – do just that in the wake of the Watergate scandal. At a time of deep national division – and widespread cynicism and mistrust of government – he provided the leadership and vision necessary to bring this Department together, to raise standards, and to remind the American people of why this institution – and its work to protect this nation – is essential, and how it positively affects every city and community; every neighborhood and home; every life.

Two years later, I am proud to say that we have kept our word. Because of you – your hard work, your commitment, your willingness to sacrifice, and your eagerness to improve the lives of others – we have made meaningful, measurable progress in fulfilling the pledges we made to the American people.

Of course, it hasn't always been easy. Department of Justice employees face some of the most challenging circumstances and complex issues in government. And your work has never been more difficult.

Together, we have witnessed our nation's most severe environmental catastrophe, and responded to a historic financial crisis that left our economy severely crippled. We have faced increasingly sophisticated criminal enterprises, and worked to keep pace with the cutting-edge technologies that have brought new opportunities for criminals to commit theft and fraud. We have responded to growing demands and leveraged limited resources – and you have risen to the occasion when asked to accomplish more with less. And while confronting and overcoming a broad range of challenges, we have sustained an ongoing battle against determined – and constantly evolving – enemies.

Together, we also have mourned the loss of innocent lives. We have struggled to understand – and to prevent – unspeakable acts of violence. And we have paid tribute, and our last respects, to law enforcement heroes who – in the line of duty and in the service of their country – have made the ultimate sacrifice.

But despite these and other challenges, we have taken critical steps forward in meeting the goals – and fulfilling the responsibilities – that I laid out two years ago.

We have thwarted serious – and potentially devastating – terrorist plots. We have adapted our operations to identify and disrupt national security threats. And we have prosecuted more terrorists than in any other two-year period in history.

In addition to advancing our national security efforts, we have reformed and strengthened the way this Department works. We have found innovative ways to foster transparency, accountability, and professionalism across every component. We have reestablished the authority of career officials to make hiring decisions. We have launched landmark initiatives to foster diversity across the Department's ranks and to ensure that all Americans – no matter where they live or how much money they make – can access our justice system. We have developed training programs and new tools to ensure the highest standards of conduct among prosecutors. And we have signaled that, once again, the Civil Rights Division is open for business and true to its founding principles.

Across the Department, and in our United States Attorneys' Offices, we have raised both standards and spirits – and restored public faith in our critical work. We also have shown that, if mistakes are made along the way, we will admit them; we will act immediately to correct them; and we will move forward with the central goals of protecting – and achieving justice for – the American people.

We have also made strategic investments to revitalize the Department's traditional missions – investments that, already, are paying dividends. We have re-invigorated our working collaboration with state and local law enforcement in making our communities safer. And we have provided targeted, evidence-based assistance to communities under the Recovery Act and through our critical grant programs.

Over the past two years, we've filed a record number of civil rights criminal cases, and secured an all-time high in civil recoveries for taxpayers and victims. We've led government-wide efforts to respond to the largest oil spill in our nation's history, and made certain that taxpayers do not foot the bill for its cleanup. And just last week, we secured a conviction – in the biggest bank fraud prosecution of this generation – against the former chairman of a private mortgage lending company for his role in a nearly $3 billion fraud scheme.

In addition, we have strengthened the rule of law across our country and beyond our borders – and established the international partnerships necessary to combat global threats and 21 st -century crimes. And we have helped to advance important changes in policy and legislation – including the reduction of the crack/powder cocaine sentencing disparity, the passage of landmark hate crimes legislation, and the implementation of reforms to ensure that DNA evidence is used to convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent.

Your work matters. And your success is no hollow achievement. Your constant vigilance and ongoing commitment to collaboration, the sleep that you've sacrificed and the time with your families that you've cut short, the hours that you've logged in offices and courthouses, in the back rooms of investigation sites and on the front lines of community safety efforts – that work has made a difference. It has allowed our fellow Americans to know peace and security, while maintaining faith in our nation's system of justice.

You deserve – and you have earned – my deepest gratitude. You are patriots in every sense of the word. Over the last two years, you have made our nation not only safer, but stronger. I am proud – and each of you should be proud – of what we have accomplished.

Without question, the results that we've achieved have been historic. But I am not yet satisfied. And I don't want you to be either.

As we consider where we must go from here, I am reminded of Attorney General Levi's assurance – 35 years ago – that “the agenda of the Department is inevitably unfinished…[and] is also always boundless.”

Boundless, too, are the opportunities now before us. So, today, as we look toward the future, we will take action in four key areas to fulfill one core mission: protecting the American people. These priorities will allow us to build on the record of success that we've established, and they will guide our future efforts.

First and foremost: we will protect Americans from terrorism and other threats to national security – both at home and abroad. Using every available resource and appropriate tool, we will continue to disrupt terrorist plots, thwart potential attacks, and vigorously prosecute those who seek to harm our nation and our people. We will aggressively pursue emerging threats around the world and at home, and enhance our ability to gather and analyze actionable intelligence. We will engage in outreach efforts to all communities in order to prevent terrorism before it occurs. We will be vigilant – not only against international terrorist organizations, but also against domestic extremist groups, militias, and other home-grown threats. And let me be very clear about this: we will continue to rely on our most powerful and most proven tool in bringing terrorists to justice – our federal court system.

These national security efforts are among the most important work we do. As we have learned – in the most painful of ways – our nation is at war with a determined enemy who seeks to strike at American interests – and to harm our people – both here and abroad. But we can defeat this enemy – and we will do so without compromising the values that have made our nation great. Indeed, it is only by upholding our most cherished and sacred principles that we will ultimately be successful in this fight.

Second: we will protect Americans from the violent crimes that have ravaged too many communities, devastated too many families, and stolen too many promising futures. One of the key ways we will strengthen violent crime prevention is by increasing our support for the law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line each day to keep our communities safe. Although we can all be encouraged that violent crime rates are down nationwide, it is clear that more work remains to be done. In recent months, we have seen an alarming spike in officer fatalities and the number of line-of-duty law enforcement deaths. This is appalling and unacceptable. And it is why we will continue making investments to provide life-saving equipment, training, and information-sharing capabilities to our courageous men and women in the field.

We also will invest in scientific research to make certain that this Department is both tough and smart on crime, and that our decisions are economically sound. This means working closely with state, local, and tribal partners. It also means broadening our support for effective crime prevention, intervention, enforcement, and reentry strategies. By better understanding the cycle of violence – and by applying targeted solutions at every phase of it – we can stop and disrupt violent patterns. This work could not be more urgent. Today, 1 in every 100 American adults is incarcerated – and two-thirds of those who transition out of our jails and prisons eventually are rearrested. This is not acceptable. Helping our young people avoid lives of violence and crime – and providing support to those who've served their time and are struggling to rejoin and contribute to their communities – is not just a proven public safety approach. It is an economic imperative. And it is our moral obligation.

Effectively combating violent crime also demands that – with the help and leadership of our U.S. Attorneys' Offices, as well as the FBI, ATF, DEA, and Marshals Service – we continue to crack down on the gang-, gun-, and drug-fueled violence that menaces our streets and threatens our communities. Through intelligence-driven, threat-based prosecutions – we will focus on dismantling criminal organizations and putting them out of business for good. In so doing, we will fight to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and those who are not lawfully allowed to possess them.

Third: we will protect Americans from the financial fraud that devastates consumers, siphons taxpayer dollars, weakens our markets, and impedes our ongoing economic recovery. As we've seen, the impact of financial crime is not confined to Wall Street – and many times the victims of fraud have worked hard and played by established investment rules, only to see their retirement and life savings vanish at hands of white-collar criminals.

Over the last two years, through reinforced interagency partnerships and new joint initiatives – such as the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force and the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team – we have transformed the way we deal with fraud crimes. Not only have we secured record recoveries totaling billions of dollars, we have raised awareness about these crimes and improved the ability of consumers and victims to report suspected fraud schemes. In the coming months, we must take all of these efforts to the next level.

We will vigorously investigate financial crimes and ensure that those who commit them are made to pay the price – by serving long sentences and making restitution to taxpayers, as well as victims. To identify the most effective ways to prevent and combat financial fraud, senior Department leaders will continue to meet with victims, medical providers, business leaders, and key government and law enforcement partners around the country. We will also work to bring our HEAT task forces to new problem areas, and to expand other successful programs that will allow us to maximize both our efficiency and our impact.

Finally, we will protect those most in need of our help – our children, the elderly, victims of hate crimes, of human trafficking, and of exploitation – and those who cannot speak out or stand up for themselves. We will ensure that our children have healthy environments and safe places to live, to learn, and to play. We will protect our seniors from abuse and our young people from experiencing – and witnessing – violence. And we will enforce our civil rights laws to guarantee that – in our workplaces and military bases; in our housing and lending markets; in voting booths, border areas, and boardrooms; in schools and in places of worship – all Americans are protected.

In the critical days ahead, these four essential priorities – protecting Americans from national security threats, protecting Americans from violent crime, protecting Americans from financial fraud, and protecting the most vulnerable members of our society – will guide our work. And they will shape our legacy.

As we advance each of them, we will continue to act as responsible stewards of precious taxpayer dollars. And we will look for new ways to align operations, maximize resources, and amplify our work by building and strengthening partnerships.

Nearly half a century ago, on this very day – April 25, 1963 – Attorney General Robert Kennedy discussed the Justice Department's most critical – and fundamental – responsibility: to build “a better and a safer world…a world in which people will be free to realize their own talents and fulfill their own destiny.”

This is what each of us must do, as Attorney General Kennedy said, “when our time comes.”

This is our time. This is our moment. This is our chance to strengthen the great traditions of this Department, to build on its most notable achievements, to honor the contributions of those who have served before us, and to create a world that reflects our aspirations for future generations.

In examining the long history of this Department, it is clear that – if we commit ourselves to it – change is possible. Improbable – and once-unimaginable – advancements are possible. And even the largest and most persistent obstacles can be overcome.

What endures – what matters most – is the work before us. The work we do for the people we serve. The work that is our great privilege, our urgent and worthy calling, our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

So, let us recommit ourselves to this work. Let us make the most of the opportunities now before us. And let us distinguish this era of the Department's history as yet another great age of accomplishment and progress.

Thank you all for your contributions to what we have – and what we will – accomplish. I am grateful to each of you. I am proud of each of you. And, like our fellow Americans, I am counting on each and every one of you.

Let us leave this Great Hall today committed – every day – to making our nation a place that is both more secure and more just. Our challenges are significant, and our tasks numerous, but our capacity to do great things is evident. We can do these things if we make this moment – and this future – our own. So let us begin.

Thank you.

http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/ag/speeches/2011/ag-speech-110425.html

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