-----------------FBI Policy and Guidelines

In accordance with U.S. Counterterrorism policy, the FBI considers terrorists to be criminals. The FBI investigates terrorists in the United States under the following guidelines:

Domestic Terrorism

Domestic terrorism investigations are conducted in accordance with the Attorney General Guidelines for General Crimes, Racketeering Enterprises, and Domestic Security/Terrorism Investigations. These guidelines set forth the predication threshold and limits for investigation of U.S. persons who reside here, who are not acting on behalf of a foreign power, and who may be conducting criminal activities in support of terrorist objectives.

International Terrorism

International terrorism investigations are conducted in accordance with the Attorney General Guidelines for FBI Foreign Intelligence Collection and Foreign Counterintelligence Investigations. These guidelines set forth the predication level and limits for investigating U.S. persons or foreign nationals in the United States who appear to be either acting on behalf of a foreign power and who appear to be targeting national security interests.

There is no single definition of terrorism. The FBI defines terrorism as, "the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a Government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."

The FBI further describes terrorism as either domestic or international, depending on the origin, base, and objectives of the terrorist organization.
· Domestic terrorism involves groups or individuals who are based and operate entirely within the United States and Puerto Rico without foreign direction and whose acts are directed at elements of the U.S. Government or population.
· International terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence committed by a group or individual, who has some connection to a foreign power or whose activities transcend national boundaries, against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

The FBI divides terrorist-related activity into three categories:
· a terrorist incident is a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, in violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state, to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives;
· a suspected terrorist incident is a potential act of terrorism in which responsibility for the act cannot be attributed at the time to a known or suspected terrorist group or individual; and
· a terrorism prevention is a documented instance in which a violent act by a known or suspected terrorist group or individual with the means and a proven propensity for violence is successfully interdicted through investigative activity.

The FBI breaks down its Counterterrorism program into two separate areas. The first is our Domestic Terrorism program. This program deals with terrorism committed by indigenous U.S. persons or groups who are not controlled or directed by foreign powers, agendas, or issues. The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, marked the worst case of domestic terrorism this country has ever seen.

Our second area of interest is International Terrorism, which includes "Extraterritorial Jurisdiction." This form of terrorism includes political violence directed against U.S. persons or interests (domestic or overseas) in which there is some nexus or connection to foreign powers or some form of foreign control. The best example of this form of terrorism in the United States is the World Trade Center bombing in New York City on February 26, 1993.

In 1984 and 1986, Congress passed extraterritorial or "long-arm" statutes which permit the U.S. Government to charge persons who attack U.S. interests overseas with criminal violations, and return them to the United States for trial. In addition to investigating international terrorism inside the United States, the FBI also is responsible for investigating acts of international terrorism against U.S. interests overseas, and returning terrorist suspects to the United States for trial. We closely coordinate all of our overseas activities with the U.S. Department of State and the host foreign government. Examples of the FBI's Extraterritorial Jurisdiction and overseas response to international terrorism incidents are: the June 25, 1996 bombing of Al-Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; and the August 7, 1998 twin bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

FBI Extraterritorial Jurisdiction and Counterterrorism Incident Response includes:
· bombings, post-blast response/investigations;
· hijackings;
· hostage - taking; and
· homicides of U.S. persons overseas.

The FBI is the lead Federal Agency in the crisis response involving a Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD).

Any Weapon Designed or Intended to:

1. Cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic/poisonous chemicals or their precursors

2. Release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life

3. Any weapon involving a disease organism

4. An explosive (greater than 4 ounces), incendiary, poison gas, bomb, grenade, or rocket

The FBI trains and works closely with other federal and state and local agencies, as well as overseas institutions, to interdict weapons of mass destruction and prevent and/or investigate acts of terrorism involving the use of a weapon of mass destruction.

Also suggest adding the following information regarding the ANSIR program:

The Awareness of National Security Issues and Response (ANSIR) Program is designed for the FBI to work closely with businesses, both large and small, and alert employees to unclassified national security threats and warning. FBI Special Agents mentor corporate employees on issues of espionage, cyber and physical infrastructure protection, and many national security issues.

Information is disseminated nationwide via the ANSIR-Email and ANSIR-FAX networks. Each of the FBI's 56 field offices has an ANSIR coordinator and is equipped to provide national security threat and awareness information on a regular basis to corporate recipients within their jurisdiction. ANSIR-FAX was the first initiative by the U.S. government to provide this type of information to as many as 25,000 individual U.S. corporations with critical technologies or sensitive economic information targeted by foreign intelligence services or their agents. ANSIR-Email increases the capacity for the number of recipients to exceed 100,000 which should accommodate every U.S. corporation who wishes to receive information from the FBI. Interested U.S. corporations should provide their email address, position, company name and address as well as telephone and fax numbers to the national ANSIR Email address at ansir@leo.gov. Individual ANSIR Coordinators in the respective field divisions will verify contact with each prospective recipient of ANSIR Email advisories.