Investigation: U.S. links terrorists to drug trade

SUMMARY:

The al Qaeda terrorist network benefits at least indirectly from the opium trade, U.S. drug officials said.

Elsewhere, a U.S. District judge ordered held without bond a man who allegedly helped suicide hijackers obtain bogus Virginia driver's licenses.

There had been covert signs of impending attacks coming from the Middle East when U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell took office this year, a U.S. official in the Middle East said.

UPDATE:

U.S. officials said the drug market in Afghanistan appears to be flourishing, based on record drug seizures this year in neighboring countries, as well as the seizure of materials used in drug production that were intercepted on their way in to Afghanistan. (Full story)

The trade seems to have continued unabated -- even though the ban was effective in slashing cultivation -- because of the existence of large stockpiles of opiates within Afghanistan.

In Alexandria, Virginia, Luis Martinez-Flores was ordered to stand trial on a charge of identity fraud for allegedly helping Saudi Arabian nationals Hani Hanjour and Khalid Almihdhar obtain drivers licenses just six weeks before the attacks. Hanjour and Almihdhar are believed to be among those who hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 after it took off from Washington Dulles International Airport and crashed it into the Pentagon. (Full story)

Court papers say Martinez-Flores certified that the two men lived at an address where he once lived in Falls Church, a Virginia suburb south of Washington. The FBI has said Martinez-Flores admitted vouching for the two Saudis, but said he apparently did so without knowledge of their intentions.

Meanwhile, one of the first briefings Powell requested after he took office as secretary of state was on counter-terrorism, a U.S. official said. (Full story)

"We had anticipated attacks ... there was awareness there was a threat," the official said. "Yes, we knew something was happening. No, we didn't know it was Manhattan," referring to the September 11 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center's twin towers.

U.S. officials believed attacks against U.S. interests were more likely to take place in Europe or the Middle East. As a result, the attacks in New York and Washington came as a surprise, "not strategically, but tactically."

•  Summary   •  Update   •  Key questions   •  Who's who   •  Impact

KEY QUESTIONS:

How is law enforcement working globally to coordinate the investigation?

How will the expansion of law enforcement powers affect Americans' civil liberties? Click here for more.

How are people identified as terrorists communicating with each other? Click here for more.

How are law enforcement authorities using technology such as encryption tools to hunt terrorists? Click here for more.

What groups are U.S. investigators focusing on, and what are their aims? Click here for more.

How would law enforcement authorities go after financial assets of people identified as terrorists? Click here for more.

How did the September 11 attackers evade U.S. intelligence? Click here for more.

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president

Colin Powell: U.S. secretary of state Click here for more

Condoleezza Rice: National security adviser Click here for more

John Ashcroft: U.S. attorney general

Robert Mueller: FBI director Click here for more

George Tenet: CIA director. Click here for more

Osama bin Laden: U.S. authorities have named bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi exile living in Afghanistan, as the prime suspect in masterminding the September 11 attacks. Click here for more

IMPACT:

Information gained from the investigation could lead to fundamental changes in U.S. security and intelligence systems, as well as surveillance laws.