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Investigation: Tracking people across borders

Attorney General John Ashcroft speaking at a recent news conference.

SUMMARY:

A new federal report released tracked the number of people entering the United States across the Mexican and Canadian borders.

Meanwhile, the FBI said Tuesday that information prompting a warning that terrorists might target a major Western bridge has been determined to be "not credible."

And elsewhere, Justice Department, FBI and immigration officials said they do not know how many individuals are in custody as a result of the September 11 investigation, and could not confirm White House press secretary Ari Fleischer's statement that "the lion's share of the people [detained] are not still in custody."

UPDATE:

•  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 FBI agents are probing an apartment complex with links to both the September 11 hijackings and anthrax mailings. CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports (November 2) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

The report from the U.S. Department of Transportation showed that in the year 2000, 290 million people entered the United States over the Mexican border while 96 million entered over the Canadian border. (Full story)

"The report provides important information on cross-border transportation with Canada and Mexico, our largest trading and travel partners," said Ashish Sen, director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "With this report, transportation decision-makers will have more data for decisions about security at border facilities and about capacity needs."

The release of the figures comes as increased scrutiny is being placed on the U.S. borders following the September 11 attacks. Some of the suspected hijackers are believed to have entered the northeast region of the United States from Canada.

FBI officials, meanwhile, said local law enforcement officials were about to be notified of the agency's conclusion about the lack of evidence that a threat existed against one of the bridges in the West. (Full story)

The FBI last week had passed the warning along to officials in six Western states, but stressed that the credibility of the information "could not be determined."

California Gov. Gray Davis made the threat public, saying the Golden Gate Bridge and three others in his state were considered targets. He said the threat was fairly specific, warning of attacks on bridges -- mostly suspension types -- during rush hours in coming days in Western states. Security was beefed up at major bridges in Western states, but no unusual incidents were reported. The information was passed to officials in Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and California, the FBI said.

The Justice Department's total of individuals detained or arrested as part of the ongoing terrorist investigation has climbed to 1,147, including 185 in the custody of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Justice officials have consistently declined to disclose how many of that total has been released, but said last week that "the vast majority" remain in custody.

But Fleischer asserted, "the overwhelming number of the people were detained, they were questioned, and then they've been released." (Full story)

KEY QUESTIONS:

Investigators have detained hundreds of people in the U.S., but not much is known about who these people are or why they are in custody. Why is this information about the hundreds of people detained so difficult to obtain?

Should the government keep information about the detained from the public?

What tactics are being used to get people in custody to talk about any knowledge they may have of the September attacks?

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

What clues about the September 11 attacks have U.S. investigators 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.

What groups are U.S. investigators focusing on, and what are their aims? 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.