Ressam and sketch of Garofalo

December 30, 1999
Web posted at: 1:10 p.m. EST (1810 GMT)

BURLINGTON, Vermont (CNN) -- Federal prosecutors Thursday linked a Canadian woman arrested at a remote Vermont border crossing with an Algerian man arrested in Washington state and charged with attempting to smuggle bomb-making materials into the United States from Canada.

A prosecutor said in court documents that Lucia Garofalo and Algerian Ahmed Ressam were in the same cell of the GIA, which was described as "a violent Algerian terrorist organization."

Deputy U.S. Attorney David Kirby submitted the court documents to a magistrate in advance of a hearing in which the federal government is seeking to continue holding Garofalo until trial.

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Ressam is charged with attempting to smuggle one of the world's most powerful explosives into the United States two weeks ago.

Authorities originally believed he was carrying common nitroglycerine when he was arrested December 14 near the Port Angeles, Washington, border crossing.

Federal officials now say he was carrying 200 pounds of a fertilizer called urea, four rudimentary timing devices and two jars of liquid.

According to court documents released Tuesday, the liquid turned out to be RDX, or cyclotrimethylene trinitramine, used by military forces around the world for demolition. No blasting caps or other possible detonators were found, the documents said.

Ressam, 32, is charged with five counts related to the bomb-making materials found in the car, and could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

He is suspected of having ties to accused terrorist Osama bin Laden.

In a proactive bid to prevent terrorism in the United States during this weekend's New Year's celebrations, FBI and local police in several states have contacted dozens of people suspected of associating with potential terrorists, government sources told CNN on Thursday.

They said the information-gathering action was not related to any specific threat but was part of an investigation into the activities of Ressam.

FBI agents investigating the case showed up Thursday morning at the doors of 40 to 50 people located in states across the nation -- including New York, Texas, Washington, and California -- according to the sources, who said people were interviewed, but not arrested.

The people contacted by FBI agents and local police were identified through surveillance that included telephone taps. They are believed to have ties to other people who are under investigation in the Ressam case, the sources told CNN.

Thursday's disclosure came as senior Canadian law enforcement officials are set to meet in Washington with FBI Director Louis Freeh. Their objective is to coordinate counter-terrorism strategy, the Ressam investigation and border security.

The Canadian group includes the head of that country's spy agency, Ward Elcock, who is director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.

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