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Investigation: Airport security under scrutiny

Attorney General John Ashcroft speaking at a recent news conference.

SUMMARY:

Four men convicted of carrying out Osama bin Laden's edict to kill Americans were sentenced Thursday in New York to life in prison without parole for their roles in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

Preliminary findings of a government audit revealed that one of the nation's largest airport security firms is still employing screeners with criminal records that should disqualify them from employment.

In Detroit, Michigan, meanwhile, a so-called "mystery" man indicted on identity fraud charges following the September 11 terrorist attacks pleaded not guilty Wednesday and will remain in federal custody in Michigan.

UPDATE:

Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, a 28-year-old Tanzanian, had been found guilty of carrying out the truck bomb attack at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on August 7, 1998, and murdering the 11 people who died there. Mohamed rented the house where the bomb was assembled and TNT was ground for it. (Full story)

Also sentenced were Mohamed al-'Owhali and Mohamed Odeh, the two men with a hands-on role in the suicide truck bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya on the same day as the Tanzania attack. They were convicted of murdering the 213 people killed in that blast. Al-'Owhali is a 24-year-old Saudi and Odeh is a 36-year-old Jordanian.

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

Wadih el Hage, a 41-year-old naturalized American of Lebanese descent, was also sentenced to life. He is a longtime aide to bin Laden. El Hage was convicted of taking part in a conspiracy to kill Americans and to destroy U.S. property. He left Kenya a year before the bombings and was never accused of having a direct role in the attacks.

Airport security, meanwhile, continues to be a pressing issue for the federal government in the aftermath of the September attacks. An audit conducted by the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration examined Atlanta, Georgia-based Argenbright Security's operations at 14 airports. (Full story)

Argenbright is responsible for security at Philadelphia International Airport and airports nationwide including Newark, New Jersey, Logan in Boston, O'Hare in Chicago, and Dulles outside Washington. Two planes used in the September 11 terrorist attacks were hijacked from Logan and one plane each was hijacked from Dulles and Newark.

The audit revealed that several screeners had criminal backgrounds including a Seattle-Tacoma International Airport screener who had been convicted on charges of being a felon in possession of a handgun.

In Detroit, attorney Stephen Rabaut said Wednesday his client, Youseff Hmimssa, would waive his right to a detention hearing at this time, but could request one in the future.

Hmimssa was arrested in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on September 28 as part of a nationwide dragnet of people with possible links to the attacks or Osama bin Laden. Federal authorities say he has a number of aliases, including Michael Saisa, Edgardo Colon, Patrick Vuillaume, and "Jalai." However, U.S. Attorney Rick Covertino said last week the government was not positive of Hmimssa's identity or citizenship.

KEY QUESTIONS:

What are investigators learning of the financial contributions collected by terrorist organizations?

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

How long can suspects be held, and on what charges are they being held? Click here for more.

How are people identified as suspected 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.

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.