Homeland Security Leader

Valuable intelligence on thousands of suspected terrorists risks being lost because of backlogs at a little-known US federal government database that processes DNA samples gathered in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The unfinished work at the database – part of a classified intelligence partnership of military, intelligence and law enforcement agencies – has been referred to in public documents but has not been openly discussed by US government officials.

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From The Washington Post, by Patricia Sullivan

Thomas J. Byrne, 40, a supervisory special agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration, died Aug. 30 after he was jumped, abducted and beaten on a street in New Orleans, where he was attending an organized crime drug enforcement conference.

Mr. Byrne was apparently abducted the evening of Aug. 28 while walking to his hotel. He was found, badly beaten, 40 blocks away by a passerby, and rushed to Tulane University Medical Center. After multiple surgeries, he died two days later from his wounds.

Two people have been arrested on state charges of possession and use of Mr. Byrne’s credit cards as well as federal bank fraud charges. The killing remains under investigation by the New Orleans Police Department, with the assistance of the DEA, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service.

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• motion to unseal
• order to unseal
• 07-524-M-01 attachment
• 07-524-M-01 search warrant
• 07-524-M-01 search warrant affidavit
• 07-524-M-01 search warrant application
• 07-524-M-01 search warrant return
• 07-524-M-01
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• 07-525-M-01 search warrant application
• 07-525-M-01 search warrant return
• 07-526-M-01 search warrant
• 07-526-M-01 search warrant affidavit
• 07-526-M-01 search warrant application
• 07-526-M-01 search warrant return
• 07-527-M-01 search warrant
• 07-527-M-01 search warrant affidavit
• 07-527-M-01 search warrant application
• 07-527-M-01 search warrant return
• 07-528-M-01 search warrant
• 07-528-M-01 search warrant affidavit
• 07-528-M-01 search warrant application
• 07-528-M-01 search warrant return
• 07-529-M-01 search warrant
• 07-529-M-01 search warrant affidavit
• 07-529-M-01 search warrant application
• 07-529-M-01 search warrant return
• 08-082-M-01 search warrant
• 08-082-M-01 search warrant affidavit
• 08-082-M-01 search warrant application
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• 08-083-M-01 search warrant
• 08-083-M-01 search warrant affidavit
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• 08-083-M-01 search warrant return
• 08-084-M-01 search warrant
• 08-084-M-01 search warrant affidavit
• 08-084-M-01 search warrant application
• 08-429Affidavit
• 08-429AffidavitAttachment
• 08-429Application
• 08-429SearchWarrant
• 08-429SWAffAttach07524
• 08-429SWAttach07524
• 08-430SearchWarrant
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• 08-430SWAffidavit07524
• 08-430SWReturn
• 08-431Affidavit07524
• 08-431Application
• 08-431Attachment07525
• 08-431SW
• 08-431SW07525
• 08-431SWAffidavit
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• 08-431SWReturn
• 08-432 affidavit
• 08-432 application
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• 08430SWAttachment07524

Disclaimer:
Due to public interest in this case, the Department of Justice is releasing the court documents in the format unsealed by the court today. The Department recognizes that these documents are not in an accessible format. If you have a disability and the format of any material on the site interferes with your ability to access some information, please email the Department of Justice webmaster at webmaster@usdoj.gov. To enable us to respond in a manner that will be of most help to you, please indicate the nature of the accessibility problem, your preferred format (electronic format (ASCII, etc.), standard print, large print, etc.), the web address of the requested material, and your full contact information so we can reach you if questions arise while fulfilling your request.

From DOJ Release

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) today announced that there have been significant developments in the investigation into the 2001 anthrax mailings, which killed five individuals and injured 17 others. In particular, we are able to confirm that substantial progress has been made in the investigation by bringing to bear new and sophisticated scientific tools.

We are unable to provide additional information at this time. The Department, the FBI, and the USPIS have significant obligations to the victims of these attacks and their families that must be fulfilled before any additional information on the investigation can be made public. In addition, investigative documents remain under court seal. We anticipate being able to provide additional details in the near future.

Additional Information on the Investigation

The investigation known as “Amerithrax” is one of the most complex and comprehensive ever conducted by law enforcement. Over the past seven years, the Amerithrax Task Force, which is comprised of 17 FBI Special Agents and 10 U.S. Postal Inspectors, has executed approximately 75 searches and conducted more than 9,100 interviews in the relentless pursuit of the perpetrator of these attacks.

From WashingtonPost.com, by Ellen Nakashima

Federal agents may take a traveler’s laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.

Also, officials may share copies of the laptop’s contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“The policies . . . are truly alarming,” said Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), who is probing the government’s border search practices. He said he intends to introduce legislation soon that would require reasonable suspicion for border searches, as well as prohibit profiling on race, religion or national origin.

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From Reuters

A video released by an Israeli human rights group has sparked a military investigation into the abuse of a Palestinian protester by an Israeli soldier.

The video released by B’Tselem this weekend shows a soldier firing a rubber-coated bullet near the foot of a West Bank man whose hands were bound and whose eyes were blindfolded. The man, Ashraf Abu Rahmeh, said Monday he was lightly hurt by the riot control weapon and treated at the scene. Abu Rahmeh said he was arrested at a demonstration after troops imposed a curfew on the town of Naalin in an attempt to quell protests against the West Bank separation barrier Israel is building nearby. Soldiers took him to an army jeep and seized his ID card. Then, he said, “They shot me in the foot, in the toe.”

B’Tselem obtained the videotape from a Palestinian girl who said she filmed the incident from her home on July 7, spokeswoman Sarit Michaeli said. She demanded that the military take steps against the soldier and an officer who is seen holding Abu Rahmeh’s arm when the soldier fired. In a statement sent to the AP on Monday, the military called the incident a “stark violation” of its rules of conduct and safety, and said military police were investigating.

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GlobeandMail.com, by Robert Matas

VANCOUVER — U.S. army deserter Robin Long is slated to be deported back to his army base in Fort Knox, Ky., Tuesday, which would make him the first resister to the U.S. war effort in Iraq to be sent out of Canada.

Madam Justice Anne Mactavish of the Federal Court of Canada cleared the way for the deportation late Monday, dismissing a last-ditch attempt to delay the process while the 25-year-old pursued further appeals.

“I was just shocked at some things in [the] ruling,” Bob Ages, a spokesman for an informal group called Vancouver War Resisters Support Campaign, told reporters outside the courtroom. “It just flies in the face of everything that we and every Canadian know about the reality of what is going on.”

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Washington Post.com (via Blackwater Newsletter), by Ernesto Londoño

BAGHDAD, July 9 — Suspected Shiite militiamen have begun using powerful rocket-propelled bombs to attack U.S. military outposts in recent months, broadening the array of weapons used against American troops.

U.S. military officials call the devices Improvised Rocket Assisted Munitions, or IRAMs. They are propane tanks packed with hundreds of pounds of explosives and powered by 107mm rockets. They are often fired by remote control from the backs of trucks, sometimes in close succession. Rocket-propelled bombs have killed at least 21 people, including at least three U.S. soldiers, this year.

The latest reported rocket-propelled bomb attack occurred Tuesday at Joint Security Station Ur, a base in northeastern Baghdad shared by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers. One U.S. soldier and an interpreter were wounded in the attack.

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The FBI is seeking information about Nicholas T. Sheley, a fugitive from Rock Falls, Illinois. Sheley is wanted for a home invasion in Sterling, Illinois, and on federal charges for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He is also suspected in eight homicides, including:

* the murder of an elderly man in Whiteside County, Illinois
* the murder of two individuals in Festus, Missouri
* the murder of an individual in Galesburg, Illinois
* the murder of three adults and one child in Rock Falls, Illinois

All eight victims appear to have been killed by blunt force trauma to the head.

“Nicholas T. Sheley is suspected of violently taking eight lives in the span of a few days. The FBI will bring to bear all of its investigative resources to assist the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Police in bringing Sheley to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert D. Grant, FBI Chicago Division.

“We ask that citizens remain alert and report any suspicious activity that may lead to Sheley’s location and arrest. With the vigilance of the public, we can end Sheley’s violent killing spree,” said Sheriff Roger Schipper, Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office.

“Sheley should be considered violent and extremely dangerous, and we are working diligently with our partners, the FBI and the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office, to apprehend him,” said Director Larry G. Trent, Illinois State Police.

Nicholas T. Sheley is described as a white male, 28 years of age, 5’11”, approximately 165 pounds, with green eyes and brown hair. He has tattoos on his arms, chest, and shoulders. He has a criminal history of armed violence and resisting arrest. Sheley should be considered armed and dangerous.

A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for any information leading directly to the arrest of Nicholas T. Sheley. Sheley’s picture is featured on digital billboards across the country. Individuals with information should take no action themselves, but instead immediately contact the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office call center at 1-866-219-8333 (toll-free) or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (toll-free). Tips can also be submitted online. For any possible sighting outside the United States, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

For more information, visit www.fbi.gov.