Public urged to look closely at suspects' photos

(CNN) -- The FBI is appealing to the public for information on the 19 men suspected in the hijackings of the four flights that crashed September 11. In hopes of jogging someone's memory, the agency Thursday released photos of the men and any aliases they may have used.

"This is another step in what in effect is part of a national neighborhood watch," said Attorney General John Ashcroft.

FBI Director Robert Mueller said investigators are "fairly certain on a number" of the names.

But, he said, authorities are still cross-checking drivers' licenses, identifications cards and passports the suspects obtained in the United States against paperwork from their native countries.

Some of the hijackers are believed to have used stolen identities.

The FBI has established a toll-free number to report any tips at 1-866-483-5137, and a Web site at www.ifccfbi.gov.

At least five of the suspected hijackers on the jetliners that hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon spent a night in Las Vegas one month before the suicide attacks, government sources told CNN.

Federal investigators are puzzled by the trip: Was it was a planning meeting, a rehearsal, or a party night on the town?

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CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

Meanwhile, a document tied to at least two of the suspected hijackers contained reminders and "rules of engagement" for carrying out a strike against "the enemy," a law enforcement source told CNN.

"It seemed like it was written to put them into a zone ... a certain mindset ... to carry out the mission," the source said.

The FBI believes some of the 19 suspects had ties to the terrorist group run by Osama bin Laden.

"We believe that one or more of them do have contacts with al Qaeda," Mueller said without elaboration. (Full story)

Latest developments

• Federal agents arrested another eight Middle Eastern men Thursday in connection with an investigation into suspected efforts to fraudulently obtain commercial trucking licenses allowing the transportation of hazardous materials. Two suspects remain at large. Ten arrests were announced Wednesday night. None of the arrests has been tied to any terrorist plot. (Full story)

• President Bush on Thursday proposed tightening security at airports and aboard airplanes by putting more armed air marshals aboard flights and establishing a $500 million fund to strengthen cockpit security. He also said he would provide funds for all 50 states to send National Guard troops to secure airports until the new measures can be implemented. (Full story)

• A key House Democrat said Bush's proposal does not go far enough because it does not put the federal government in charge of security screening at airports. Rep. James Oberstar, the top Democrat on the House Transportation Committee, said the White House plan "would not be a step forward. At best it would be a step sideways." (Full story)

• The Rev. Jesse Jackson said he has not decided whether to accept an invitation from the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan to act as a mediator between them and the United States, but sources told CNN that the Bush adminstration preferred he not go.

• Six flags were raised Thursday on a roof across from the wreckage of the World Trade Center in tribute to members of the armed services who were killed in the terrorist attack. Standing on the roof of 2 World Financial Center, New York police officers -- among them former Marines -- raised the flags of the United States, Marines, Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard.

• Two of the three candidates to succeed Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Thursday they would be willing to delay his departure from office to ease the transition of power during the crisis resulting from the terrorist attack.

• As the United States deploys military forces overseas for a possible strike against Afghanistan, administration officials said they were working with a variety of what they called "Afghan nationalists," ethnic, religious and political groups in Afghanistan and abroad, in the hope that they would band together and form a new coalition government. (Full story)

• Military leaders have been authorized to order the shooting down of commercial airliners without first getting clearance from the president if the planes threaten U.S. cities, defense officials said Thursday. (Full story)

• The Pentagon Thursday called up 607 Army Reservists who serve in 11 different units from 10 states, of which nine units will provide military police support. The announcement brought to around 16,200 the number of National Guard and Reserve members called to active duty.

• New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Thursday 4,620 people have been reported at the family center as missing from the World Trade Center. The police department has registered 5,960 missing, but because it gets names from six sources, there may be duplications. The mayor said that of the 305 confirmed dead, the remains of 238 have been identified. He also said 128,050 tons of debris have been removed in 8,606 truckloads.

• Pakistan will send a new diplomatic delegation to Afghanistan in the hope of persuading the Taliban government to cooperate with the international community, a government official said Thursday. (Full story)

• U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said Thursday there has been progress in "finding and freezing" the assets of terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden. (Full story)

• Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced that members of the Armed Forces who died in the attacks will receive the Purple Heart military decoration. Civilian employees of the Department of Defense who were killed or wounded will receive a new decoration, the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom, which is the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart, Rumsfeld said. (Full story)

• Sources told CNN that middle- and lower-level Taliban officials and soldiers are abandoning their posts and young men are avoiding military conscription by returning to their villages or leaving for neighboring Pakistan. The number of security checkpoints manned by the Taliban has dropped considerably. (Full story)

• South Dakota Gov. William Janklow said Thursday he's ordered "tactical units" armed with automatic weapons to be stationed at his state's airports to help passengers and plane crews feel safe in the wake of this month's terrorist attacks. (Full story)