CIA chief: More than 1,300 terror suspects arrested

George Tenet

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda remain a major threat to Americans, CIA Director George Tenet warned a congressional panel Tuesday, saying more than 1,300 suspects linked to the accused terrorist leader's network have been arrested worldwide.

"Al Qaeda has not been destroyed. It and other like-minded groups remain willing and able to strike us," Tenet told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Al Qaeda leaders still at large are working to reconstitute the organization and resume terrorist operations.

"We must eradicate these organizations by denying them the source of financing, their sanctuary and eliminating their ability to hijack charitable organizations for terrorist purposes. We must be prepared for a long war, and we must not falter."

With the cooperation of allies, the United States has uncovered terrorist plans and broken up cells, resulting in arrests in more than 70 countries, Tenet said.

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Federal prosecutors are preparing to seek the death penalty for one of those suspects, Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in connection with the September 11 attacks, according to letters sent to families of attack victims and Justice Department sources.

Tenet also said that intelligence material -- some of it left behind by al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan -- shows terrorists have considered more attacks in the United States against bridges, financial institutions and other targets. Those intentions have been thwarted, he said.

A major concern is the possibility of an attack using unconventional weapons, Tenet said.

He also described threats to the United States from nations such as North Korea, Iraq, Iran and China. President Bush called the first three nations part of an "axis of evil" in his State of the Union address in January.

The director said the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa -- with their poverty and political instability -- are fertile breeding grounds for terrorist recruiters. In the next two decades, those regions will have the highest populations of young people with the potential of becoming terrorists, Tenet added.

Vice Adm. Thomas Wilson, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, also testified Tuesday before the Senate panel.