Adapting a time-honored tool of US crime-fighting, President George W. Bush on Wednesday released a list of the 22 "most wanted" terrorists, which includes Osama bin Laden and some of his top lieutenants.
"We list their names, we publicize their pictures, we rob them of their secrecy," Bush said. "Terrorism has a face, and today we expose it for the world to see."
The president made the announcement at the headquarters of the FBI, whose "10 Most Wanted" list has been a staple of US law enforcement for more than half a century. With him were Secretary of State Colin Powell, Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Muelle, and the new director of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge.
"Terrorists live in the shadows, under the cover of darkness," Ashcroft said. "We will shine the light of justice on them. Our global manhunt will track the trail of terror and leave no place to hide."
The list of 22 people was compiled in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Bin Laden and some of his confederates are suspected of being behind those crimes, but the list alludes to other notorious events, including the bombings of two US Embassies in Africa on Aug. 7, 1998, that killed hundreds of people.
Others were listed as wanted for a World Trade Center bombing in 1993, the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia in 1996 and the hijacking of a TWA flight in 1985.
"The men on the wall here have put themselves on the list because of great acts of evil," Bush said, alluding to the photographs of the 22 men.
"They plan, promote and commit murder. They fill the minds of others with hate and lies. And by their cruelty and violence, they betray whatever faith they espouse," he added.
"These 22 individuals do not account for all the terrorist activity in the world, but they are among the most dangerous -- the leaders and key supporters, the planners and strategists," Bush said. "They must be found. They will be stopped, and they will be punished."
Mueller said the release of the list, and publicity about it, is aimed at "those who attack freedom itself: terrorists who hide in the shadows and whisper their plots in the dark corners of the world."
"We are going to spread the names and faces of the most dangerous terrorists across the globe so that they have nowhere to hide, nowhere to run," Mueller said.
The "10 Most Wanted" list, after which the list of 22 is modeled, was begun in 1950 as part of a symbiotic relationship between journalists and the FBI, whose longtime director, J. Edgar Hoover, courted publicity that portrayed him and his agents as tireless, incorruptible pursuers of evil.
Mueller said that of the 467 fugitives placed on the "10 Most Wanted" list since its inception, 438 have been captured and about one-third of those caught were undone by tips from private citizens.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
RSS