JTTFs act as an "operational arm" of the U.S. government to combat terrorism. These teams are managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and consist of FBI agents, federal, state and local law enforcement officials, and other agency representatives. JTTFs bring federal agencies and personnel together to investigate and prevent acts of terrorism. JTTF teams are important in the war on terror, bringing experts from a variety of agencies to ensure the timely collection and sharing of intelligence and the investigation of cases.
I do not believe that Maine should be one of only ten states without a JTTF as is now the case. Therefore, I requested that the FBI establish a JTTF in our state. I discussed the proposal with FBI Director Robert Mueller as well as with state and local officials. And I was pleased that Director Mueller recently called to tell me personally that a JTTF has been approved for Maine.
I would like to share why I believe a JTTF is important for our state. The very first paragraph of the report by the 9/11 Commission describes the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. It was a beautiful, nearly cloudless day in the eastern United States. Millions of men and women were going to work, and thousands went to the World Trade Center and to the Pentagon.
The second paragraph of the report reads: "For those heading to an airport, weather conditions could not have been better for a safe and pleasant journey. Among the travelers were Mohammed Atta and Abdul Aziz al Omari, who arrived at the airport in Portland, Maine."
It is chilling to see the name of our state in such a horrifying context. It is sobering to realize that, even if our state is never the target of a terrorist attack, terrorists already have used our state as a launching point for their journey of death and destruction.
The 9/11 attacks struck two great cities that are centers of our government and our economy, and it is possible – although by no means certain -- that terrorists will continue that strategy. The exhaustive investigation conducted by the 9/11 Commission revealed, however, that those terrorists did much of their planning, organizing and training in small cities, and even small towns: Falls Church, Virginia; Teterboro, New Jersey; Norman, Oklahoma; Venice, Florida; and Eagan, Minnesota, to cite just a few such places. Subsequent investigations have exposed al Qaeda sleeper cells in such communities as Sunrise, Lackawanna, and Peoria.
We probably will never know why Atta and al Omari drove from Boston to Portland on September 10th, only to fly back on the 11th. The Commission report posits two theories: perhaps Atta – the field commander of the entire operation – mistakenly thought security would be less stringent at the Portland Jetport than at Logan; or perhaps, as he had done before, he was trying to disguise his movements with that side trip. An alternate theory, unproven but plausible, is that an al Qaeda operative took a ferry from Canada to Portland – no identification was needed at that time – in order to retrieve documents Atta would no longer need after his murderous mission. Whatever the reason, the point is that small cities and towns have a value to terrorists beyond the existence of attractive targets.
There are 84 JTTFs in 40 states. They are in our largest states and our biggest cities; they also are in places like Kentucky, South Carolina, and Iowa. Recently, the Cedar Rapids JTTF, working in conjunction with the Memphis JTTF, broke up an operation trafficking in counterfeit identification documents shipped from Argentina. These were not fake IDs such as illegal immigrants might use to get jobs. These were multiple drivers' licenses, Social Security cards, and blank checks for the same person, such as terrorists might use to cover their tracks.
Small states and cities clearly are on the terrorists' map. And, among the small states, Maine has substantial vulnerabilities. We have two international airports and three deep-water seaports, including the busiest port by tonnage in New England, in Portland. We have 300 miles of coastline as the crow flies -- 10 times that amount if every bay and cove is measured, and 600 miles of international border. We have industrial facilities, fuel depots, and a natural-gas pipeline.
A foiled attack illustrates another reason why I believe a JTTF is important for Maine. On December 14, 1999, Ahmad Ressam attempted to cross the border between British Columbia and Washington State, but a Customs agent became suspicious of his evasive answers to her questions. A search of Ressam's car uncovered 100 pounds of nitroglycerin, and the Millennium Plot to blow up the terminal at Los Angeles International Airport was thwarted. Ressam and his two accomplices now are in prison.
That alert Customs agent was a federal official, but she also was a resident of the region. She knew that border crossing, she knew the people who crossed it, and she knew that Ahmad Ressam did not act like a Canadian coming to the States for a vacation. Local knowledge is one of our best weapons in the war against terrorism.
Local officials have the knowledge about Maine, and a Maine JTTF would add to our arsenal in defending our state from terrorist activity.
Operating under the leadership of the FBI, a JTTF team of federal, state, and local officials will be a tremendous force multiplier against an enemy that seeks not only the death of Americans, but also the destruction of our American way of life, a way of life based upon democracy, equality, opportunity, and freedom.
###