COMPLETE COVERAGE | FRONT LINES | AMERICA AT HOME | INTERACTIVES »

Investigation: Attention back in Europe

Attorney General John Ashcroft speaking at a recent news conference.

SUMMARY:

A terrorist cell operating out of Hamburg, Germany, since at least 1999 included three of the hijackers and three accomplices who are being sought in connection with the September 11 attacks on the United States, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in Berlin, a man was arrested trying to board a plane to Iran with baggage containing a "holy war" manual and camouflage clothing.

And in the United States, concern is being expressed by attorneys about the possible violation of fundamental U.S. civil rights for those who have been arrested and detained.

UPDATE:

Ashcroft said the three fugitives, Said Bahaji, Ramsi Binalshibh and Zakariya Essabar, are sought for planning the attacks. German authorities previously issued international arrests warrants for the three. (Full story)

"Their connections to the hijackers are extensive," said Ashcroft, appearing at a news conference with German Interior Minister Otto Schily. He identified the three hijackers as Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al-Shehhi, the suspected pilots of the hijacked planes that crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, and Ziad Jarrah, suspected of flying the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

Ashcroft said the three hijackers were roommates in Hamburg while attending school there in the 1990s. He said Binalshibh and Atta started a Muslim prayer group in Hamburg and Essabar went to Florida in February at a time when both Atta and al-Shehhi were known to be there. And Essabar, Jarrah and al-Shehhi all appeared in a video of Bahaji's wedding, he said.

In Germany, federal prosecutors detained the man, named only as Harun A, a Turkish citizen, at Frankfurt International Airport on October 17, officials revealed in a statement on Tuesday. (Full story)

The 29-year-old was arrested on suspicion of planning murder attacks and being a member of an Islamic terror organisation, the statement said. The statement from the Karlsruhe prosecutor's office said: "Border police found items in his luggage including a balaclava, camouflage clothing, a chemical weapons protection suit and materials to produce an explosive detonator.

Meanwhile, some lawyers allege that the U.S. government will not say which people are being held or what the charges might be. In some cases, attorneys and legal analysts said, the usual rules governing detentions have been altered or even suspended. (Full story)

Concerns have been expressed primarily for people detained or arrested who are of Middle Eastern ethnicity. The government has thrown an unprecedented shroud of secrecy over the arrests and won gag orders barring most defense attorneys from even disclosing their clients' names.

•  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

VIDEO CNN's Lisa Barron reports that since the September 11 attacks more companies are verifying credentials of potential business partners (October 21) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

KEY QUESTIONS:

What avenues are international investigators pursuing to trace the source of funding for the suspected hijackers?

What clues about the September 11 attacks have U.S. investogators learned from the hundreds of arrests made?

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.

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.