FWD: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10846-2001Sep22.html

[KXX4493553 at aol.com]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10846-2001Sep22.html

"Investigators Identify 4 to 5 Groups Linked to Bin Laden Operating in U.S. 

No Connection Found Between 'Cell' Members and 19 Hijackers, Officials Say

By Bob Woodward and Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, September 23, 2001; Page A01 

Four to five al Qaeda groups have operated in the United States for the last 
several years, but investigators have not yet found any connection between 
them and any of the 19 hijackers responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, 
according to government officials.

The groups, called "cells" by the FBI, are under intensive government 
surveillance. The FBI has not made any arrests because the group members 
entered the country legally in recent years and have not been involved in 
illegal activities since they arrived, the officials said.

Government officials say they do not know why the cells are here, what their 
purpose is or whether their members are planning attacks. One official even 
described their presence as "possibly benign," though others have a more 
sinister interpretation and give assurances that measures are in place to 
protect the public.

..."


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