Michigan Asks Arabs to Come for Questioning

[Khoder bin Hakkin]

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011127/ts/attack_usa_interviews_dc.html

Report: Michigan Asks Arabs to Come for Questioning

        NEW YORK (Reuters) - Law enforcement officials in Detroit,
seeking to
        interview hundreds of Middle Eastern men about the Sept. 11
attacks on the
        United States, are trying to do so tactfully by sending them
invitations, the
        New York Times reported on Tuesday.

        The newspaper's online edition said the anti-terrorist task
force in the Detroit
        area would send letters to about 700 young Middle Eastern men
who had
        come to the country on temporary visas in the last two years.
About 5,000
        such people are being sought for questioning nationwide.

        The Times quoted Jeffrey Collins, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern
District of
        Michigan, home to the nation's largest concentration of
Arab-Americans, as
        saying: ``The letters represent a conscious decision by our
district to initiate
        contact with the people who will be interviewed in the manner
that will be
        least intrusive.''

        Lawyers, community groups and police chiefs have complained that
the
        Justice Department (news - web sites)'s investigation into the
attacks was
        singling out people out based on their religion or nationality
and would be
        too time-consuming, the paper said.

        It said civil liberties advocates and Arab-American leaders
believed the use
        of letters in Detroit was a positive step toward making the
interview process
        more dignified, but were worried about the content of the
questions and the
        process of compiling the list.

        Collins did not say what authorities would do about those who
did not call,
        the newspaper said. It reported that federal authorities had
asked that all
        interviews be conducted by Dec. 21.

        The Times said a Justice Department memo told local officials to
check
        visitors' passports and visas; ask about visits to local
landmarks and foreign
        countries; investigate sources of income, scientific expertise
and access to
        weapons, including anthrax; and seek lists of phone numbers of
friends and
        relatives.

        ``The individual should be asked if he is aware of anybody,
including
        himself, who has received any training which could be applicable
to terrorist
        activities,'' said the memorandum, whose contents were disclosed
on
        Saturday in The Detroit Free Press.
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