Posted on 10/24/2001 12:57:58 AM PDT by XBob
This is the initial pleading from the lawyers McVeigh fired. Sorry, I can no longer get the original source link to work. Search on Iraq and Philippines
010514 McVeigh's Mandamus -- March 25, 1997
010514 McVeigh's Mandamus -- March 25, 1997
2001-05-14
5/14/01 7:30:17 PM
http://www.monett.net/~mlindste/mcveigh1.html
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
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Copyright 1997 Media Bypass magazine. Reprinted with permission.
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PART TWO OF EIGHTEEN: IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS |
Copyright 1997 Media Bypass magazine. Reprinted with permission.
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PART THREE OF EIGHTEEN I. INTRODUCTION.The Government of the United States is hiding from the defense and the trial court evidence and information that the government had a prior warning that the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City (and possibly federal property in Tulsa) was very likely a target of a terrorist attack on or about April 19, 1995. This information came to the government from a variety of sources, including Carol Howe, a paid ATF informant for about 6 months, who infiltrated Elohim City and the Christian Identity Movement and who provided specific information prior to April 19, 1995, that an illegal German national, the grandson of one of the founders of the German Nazi Party, proposed to bomb federal buildings and installations and engage in mass murder. Information also came to the government through foreign intelligence services in the Middle East and from the government's own assets that an attack was being planned on the quot;heartland" of America. The government responded to part of these warnings by conducting a superficial security examination of the federal building complex in Oklahoma City on the early morning hours of April 19, 1995.[ 1] But rather than admit that it acted, no matter how superficially or limited on this information, the government has chosen to deny, and maybe even withholding from the chief prosecutor, evidence of this prior warning from an informant it deemed reliable because she regularly passed polygraph tests. The defense has repeatedly sought by letter, motion, argument in chambers and in open court, detailed information which it knows the government has.The district court has repeatedly advised the government, both in published opinions and in judicial statements, of the government's duty. The government has claimed it understood its duty. We submit the government has affirmatively misled the district court repeatedly on this subject, through prosecutors who may or may not know the truth. The government, in short, is stonewalling. The Defendant has made a sufficient showing below for a judicial order compelling the FBI, the Department of Justice, ATF, Department of State, the National Security Agency, and the Central Intelligence Agency to produce information to support the Defendant's claims which are a material part of his defense. Timothy McVeigh's defense is that (1) he did not rent the Ryder truck (2) he did not assemble a bomb at Geary Lake State Park (3) he did not drive the Ryder truck to Oklahoma City, and (4) he did not detonate the bomb. There is a lack of credible government evidence to convince any fair-minded jury beyond a reasonable doubt that he did in fact do these things, and there is credible testimony and evidence known to the government and the defense which impeaches each of the government's claims down to and including who rented the truck the number of conspirators, where the bomb was assembled, and who left the truck after parking it in front of the Murrah Building. The information which will help to establish Mr. McVeigh's innocence in front of the jury, particularly in light of the recent bizarre disclosures by two thieves[ 2] masquerading as journalists, is uniquely in the hands of the government.However, with the resources allowed it by the district court pursuant to the Crimes and Offenses Act of 1790 as modified by the Criminal Justice Act of 1963, the Defendant has made a substantial investigation and has produced volumes of evidence and specifications of materiality to the district court ex parse, in camera and on some occasions in open court or in camera with the prosecutors. The government's reaction has consistently been first to deny, then to produce a scant amount of information as the Defendant files formal motions, then to produce a little bit more just before the hearing, then to deny the existence of anything else, then when the "anything else" surfaces, grudgingly to admit that it has been found. See D.E. 1918 at 6-35. There is no better example of this than the government's submission to the defense in January, 1996 of a two-page FBI Insert of a conversation with Carol Howe in which she is not identified by her last name and every proper noun, including Dennis Mahon, Andreas Strassmeir, Elohim City, and the Reverend Robert Millar, is grotesquely misspelled so that it could not reasonably be found. D.E. 3313, Exhibit "D." Then, when this information surfaced, the government informed the Court that Ms. Howe had been an ATF informant until a date several weeks prior to April 19, 1995. See Transcript of Scheduling and Rule 17.1 Conference--Sealed, January 29, 1997, at 67. Then, when the defense discovered that in fact she had continued to be an informant after the bombing, the government acknowledged to the Court that in fact she had been an ATF informant in late April and early May 1995 and had been sent back to Elohim City.[ 3]See D.E. 3360 at 2-4. The same pattern of disingenuous, economical-with-the-truth statements and representations by the government to the district court permeates its claims concerning FBI Laboratory material (now presumably largely furnished), prior warnings, possible foreign involvement, and other material. The Petitioner asks this Court to enter a Writ of Mandamus directing the District Court to enter an order commanding the government to produce the material requested in the manner outlined by the defense in sealed district court documents D.E. 2768 and D.E. 3123. The District Court has declined to do so. See D.E. 3016; D.E. 2840 (January 8, 1997 Pretrial Conference: Volume m--Sealed); D.E. 2866 (January 9, 1997 Pretrial Conference: Volume IV--Sealed); D.E. 3410 (March 10, 1997 Pretrial Hearing--Sealed--Not Provided to Defendant Nichols). The defense has made a sufficient showing under Brady and Rule 16 that the requested information is required in order to defend properly against the allegations in the Indictment and for a fundamentally fair trial in this capital case. In order to file this Writ of Mandamus and make the appropriate allegations, most of the material relied upon originates from the public record, what has appeared in the press, and open judicial proceedings. In a few cases, names have been redacted or otherwise modified in order to protect the rights of other persons not on trial and to protect the security and secrecy of information.[ 4]All of the documents filed under seal, some of which are ex parte, in camera pursuant to controlling caselaw, are identified by Docket Number ("D.E.") and within that Docket Number the exhibit number or page number so that the Court may quickly find the material. This issue arrives before the Court at this late date simply because the defense has repeatedly gone to the government with information and requests, had to then seek intervention from the district court, and the last district court order has been issued within the last two weeks. D.E. 3410. The district court has denied defense motions for either a continuance or, in the alternative, a dismissal. Trial is now set to commence on March 31, 1997, with the selection of the jury. The defense moves that the Court, while considering this matter, either stay the commencement of the trial, or proceed with jury selection but stay the commencement of evidence being received until this matter has been resolved in this Court. One hundred and sixty-eight people died in the Oklahoma City bombing. The devastation was total and complete. The public is entitled to accept the jury's verdict, whatever it is, with safety and confidence, bizarre press sensationalism and government stonewalling notwithstanding. The Petitioner is entitled to the relief set forth herein in order that he may meet the government's evidence. [ CONTINUED IN PART FOUR]FOOTNOTES
[1] Several witnesses interviewed by ABC News 20/20, including an attorney and a private process server, among others, claim to have seen law enforcement using sniffer dogs, as well as a "bomb disposal" or "bomb squad" unit truck near the Murrah Building in the early morning hours of April 19, 1995, shortly before the bombing. See attached Exhibit "D" (transcript of ABC News 20/20 broadcast, January 17, 1997). Oklahoma County Sheriff J.D. Sharp denied the presence of the Oklahoma County bomb squad truck, telling local media on the record that the county bomb truck was ten miles away from downtown and nowhere near the country courthouse. See attached Exhibit "E." However, the County Sheriff's office later stated that the bomb squad unit was in fact in downtown Oklahoma City the morning of the bombing for a routine training exercise. See attached Exhibit "H." This information was confirmed to the defense through discovery. See exhibits "J" and "K" The presence of the bomb squad truck was commented on by several other persons and mentioned in a business newsletter of one downtown Oklahoma City business. See attached Exhibit "F';; see also Exhibit "G" (news account of witness in Oklahoma City who recalled that, "The day was fine, everything was normal when I arrived at 7:45 to begin my day at 8:00 a.m., but as I walked through my building's parking lot, I remember seeing a bomb squad.")
[2] In late January, one stole computer information by personally downloading from a defense lap top computer material he was not authorized to receive. The other secured the information by personal, unethical and immoral means plus theft, and then proceeded to embellish the stolen document with language found no place in the document which he mischaracterized (because it bore a computer generated logo "Attorney Work Product, Privileged and Confidential, Attorney/Client Communication") as coming from the Defendant. A Motion to Dismiss the Indictment and Abate the Proceedings Through a Change of Venue or Continuance was denied by the Respondent Trial Court on Monday, March 17, 1997. See D.E. 3429.
[3] The government on background (see below) has confirmed details given to the Court in camera to ABC and NBC News. Hence the discussion here.
[4] Information given to the media by the government or others, even if the substance of the same material was filed under seal, is included here because it is already in the public record through interviews with the media. |
Copyright 1997 Media Bypass magazine. Reprinted with permission.
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PART FOUR OF EIGHTEEN STATEMENT OF MATERIAL FACTS II. PHYSICAL AND POLITICAL MAGNITUDE OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ALFRED P. MURRAH FEDERAL BUILDING.A. Immediate Effects of the Explosion. On April 19, 1995, at approximately 9:02 a.m. a "massive explosive" detonated outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The shockwave of the explosion blew into and through the Murrah Building and scores of other buildings in the downtown Oklahoma City area, including the United States Courthouse located just one block away. D.E. 222 at 1. Alerted by the concussion of the blast, crowds of persons appeared from the areas surrounding the blast site and immediately began to tend to the injured, most cut by flying debris and still in uncomprehending shock at what had happened. Persons present near the explosion began to comprehend the scale of destruction that had occurred when they looked at the gaping ruins that moments before had been a federal office building--but which in a matter of seconds had been turned into a grave site for 168 federal workers with scores still trapped and injured in the collapsed, still smoking building. When the explosion occurred, the United States Courthouse trembled one block away as if caught in an earthquake. Over one hundred 36" by 54" windows shattered and flew into the Courthouse. Id. Inside, heavy courtroom doors were jammed, courtrooms were flooded with broken glass, judges' chambers were turned into piles of plaster, fallen ceiling tiles, and broken glass. Shards of glass peppered and scarred desks, courtroom furniture, and walls. Inside the Courthouse and the remaining structure of the Alfred P. Murrah Building, there was pandemonium. People ran screaming from courtrooms, judges' chambers, and offices. The halls quickly became jammed with panic-stricken people and a stifling mixture of dust and acrid smoke. The Courthouse exits were destroyed, making evacuation excruciatingly slow for everyone. No one had any idea what had befallen them or those far less fortunate in the Murrah Building. Terror and shock permeated the Federal Courthouse, the trapped survivors of the Murrah Building, and the occupants of surrounding buildings. See D.E. 222 at 6. The destruction of the Murrah Building, and the subsequent investigation by federal and state law enforcement, is simply unparalleled in American history. The resulting criminal prosecution of Timothy James McVeigh and Terry Lynn Nichols has resulted in an Indictment which accuses these two Defendants of participating in a crime which encompasses the intentional homicides of 168 people, inflicting injuries upon 503 others, damaging 320 structures in the area surrounding the Murrah Building, and being responsible for approximately $651 million dollars in recovery costs. D.E. 215 at 16. This is a federal criminal case in which the able 53-year-old Republican Governor of Oklahoma, Frank Keating, stated that the bombing in Oklahoma City was unlike anything he had ever seen as an FBI Agent, U.S. Attorney, or law enforcement official in the Reagan and Bush Administrations. This is a case in which Kevin McNally, Federal Death Penalty Resource counsel, stated in a sworn affidavit that, to his knowledge, is the largest murder case in American history. Id. This is a case which immediately captured the personal attention of the President of the United States, resulting in a trip to Oklahoma City by President Clinton to address survivors of the bombing and the nation. This is a case in which a Federal Grand Jury met and a preliminary hearing was held on an Air Force Base amidst the chirping of a family of birds because the bombing had significantly destroyed the Federal Courthouse in Oklahoma City. See United States v. McVeigh, No. M-95-98-H, Transcript of Preliminary Hearing had on April 27, 1995 at 3. The magistrate presiding over the preliminary hearing noted with judicial understatement that this case presented "unusual circumstances." Id. at 4. Susan Otto, the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Oklahoma, in support of a Motion to Transfer, stated that she had not found a case in the history of this country that was of such magnitude. Id. at 10. This is now a capital case involving multiple investigation sites including Oklahoma, Kansas, Michigan, Arizona, New York, Florida, as well as others worldwide. This is a case in which Judge Russell, in granting the government more time to issue an Indictment, observed that the facts upon which the Grand Jury must ultimately base its determination are "highly unusual" and "complex"; that the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Murrah Building was an act of unprecedented terrorism resulting in a massive criminal investigation; that the criminal investigation has required the government to follow up more than 100,000 phone calls, analyze thousands of business records, and interview hundreds of witnesses and potential witnesses; and that there exists a huge volume of evidentiary material subject to a myriad of chemical and physical tests. See D.E. 107 (United States v. McVeigh, No. M-95-98-H, Order filed June 12, 1995 at 5). Three of the most rarely granted defense requests in criminal litigation were granted in this case because of its unique nature. This Court, in considering a Petiton [sic] for Writ of Mandamus, removed the then-presidng [sic] Judge assigned to this case in the initial stages. See Nichols v. Alley, 71 F. 3d 347 (10th Cir. 1995). As a result of this Court's decision, the Chief Judge of this Circuit assigned Chief Judge Richard P. Matsch to preside over this litigation. See D.E. 711. After giving careful consideration to the facts of this case, Chief Judge Matsch changed the venue of the prosecution to Denver, Colorado (918 F. Supp. 1467 (D. Colo. 1996)), and subsequently granted the defendants' motions for a severance (169 F.R.D. 362 (D. Colo. 1996)). See D.E. 984; 2376. Timothy McVeigh will be tried beginning March 31, 1997. D.E. 3429 B. The Response of the Federal Government. The prosecution in this case has at its disposal the resources of every federal, state, and local agency in the United States to interrogate, arrest, prosecute and convict those the Grand Jury charges with the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building. The President of the United States pledged to send "the world's finest investigators to solve these murders." See D.E. 1079 at 10. Within hours of the President's statement, the Attorney General of the United States emphatically stated that "[t]he FBI and the law enforcement community will pursue every lead and use every possible resource to bring these people responsible to justice." Id. Innumerable federal agencies have participated in the investigation of this case. The day after the bombing the New York Times reported as follows: From offices and bases around the country, government aircraft carried to Oklahoma City an array of federal law enforcement officials, emergency management personnel and military forces, an operation that constituted one of the vastest[sic] responses to a crime in American history. A 24 hour FBI command center with 400 telephones was established in Oklahoma to coordinate the work of explosives teams, bomb technicians and portable scientific gear used to analyze chemical residues. D.E. 1079 at 10-11. According to a May 31, 1995, "Nightline" broadcast interview of former FBI Assistant Director Buck Revell, ". . . when you have an event of [the Oklahoma City bombing's] magnitude, you have to cast a very broad net. " D.E. 1079 at 11. The President of the United States "dispatched a small army of federal investigators to Oklahoma and pledged a relentless hunt for the killers." Id. 1. The Government's Immediate Response to the Bombing. a. Mobilization. The government began its search for suspects within minutes after the gravity of the Oklahoma City bombing became apparent. The White House Situation Room, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Command Center, the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Watch Office, and other agencies' nerve centers undoubtedly monitored media reporting of the bombing and established communications with personnel located at or near the scene in Oklahoma City. D.E. 1079 at 2. Government agencies throughout the United States were alerted to the potential for similar attacks. At the White House, a "crisis team" was convened in order to coordinate the intensive investigation. Id. at 13. This team, under the direction of the Justice Department, consisted of personnel from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and members of the National Security Council. According to media reports, this crisis team was formed in the wake of the blast and met on Wednesday, April 19, 1995, via teleconference in Washington and convened again on Thursday morning at the White House. Id. CIA spokesman David Christian has verified to the media that the agency was involved in the Murrah bombing investigation. Id In addition, the investigative machinery of U.S. military intelligence agencies has been utilized in this criminal case. One media source reported that "the nation's intelligence community, the CIA and defense intelligence officials, also will contribute information, and send their own agents overseas to work digging up leads, according to the law enforcement experts." Id. Civilian and military intelligence agencies were placed on the highest alert here in the United States and similar warnings of impending attacks were forwarded to United States installations overseas. For example, The CIA's Directorate of Operations (DO) transmitted to stations and bases worldwide a high precedence cable instructing agency officers to query sources for information about the attack. The FBI's Counterterrorism Center issued a directive to all CIA stations to search their international sources for possible leads among foreign terrorist groups. Id. at 14. Officers in the CIA Directorate's six overseas divisions immediately began arranging meetings and conducting debriefing sessions. The domestic arm of the DO - the National Resources (NR) Division - also began combing contacts for leads concerning the bombing. (NR Division's procedures for obtaining information are described in United States v. Reward, 889 F. 2d 836 (9th Cir. 1989), although NR is described therein as the Domestic Collection (DC) Division). The CIA's sources include individuals holding positions in governments, military services, corporations, universities, political parties, and terrorist groups. Id. The agency's officers utilized both unilateral assets - those who are cooperating with the United States unbeknownst to their superiors; and liaison relationships - formal contacts between the CIA and foreign law enforcement, intelligence, and security agencies. Military Intelligence and the CIA similarly obtain information through the use of ostensibly private or commercial entities that are, in fact, intelligence platforms. Through liaison relationships, the government is also able to avail itself of the multitude of sources operated by foreign governments. See infra for description of assistance from Israel. b. Evidence From Public Sources of Government Use of Intelligence Networks With Foreign Nations in the Investigation of the Alfred P. Murrah Building Bombing. In its annual report, the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism reports that the Clinton Administration is "deeply engaged in cooperation with other governments in an international effort to combat terrorism[.]" D.E. 1079 at 15. Such cooperation includes an "active network of cooperative relations with counterparts in scores of friendly countries" involving United States intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Id. The State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism conducts consultations on counterterrorism with many other governments including G-7 nations and the European Union. Additionally, there are now 11 treaties and conventions that commit signatories to combat various terrorist crimes. Id. United States government agencies, including the CIA and FBI, maintain liaison relationships with many countries. The Supreme Court has recognized the existence of these relationships, as well as the United States government's receipt of information through such contacts. See Snepp v. United States, 444 U. S. 507, 512 (1980) (''[T]he CIA obtains information from the intelligence agencies of unfriendly nations and from agents operating in foreign countries"). The United States derives substantial information from these associations. These liaison relations would have provided numerous reports concerning the Oklahoma City bombing, possible motives for the bombing, and possible suspects other than Timothy McVeigh. |
Copyright 1997 Media Bypass magazine. Reprinted with permission.
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PART FIVE OF EIGHTEEN: In an interview on CNN on April 20, 1995, White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta confirmed that the Justice Department was reviewing all of the intelligence network data in order to determine whether there are any leads. D.E. 1079 at 15. Mr. Panetta stated that the investigation into the bombing clearly involves looking at communications, both within the United States and outside the United States. Id. Also, CNN's State Department correspondent Steve Hurst stated that there was bound to be a volume of cable traffic coming into the State Department and into the CIA from stations abroad concerning information about the bombing. Presumably, Mr. Hurst is proficient and knowledgeable in the operations of the State Department, and his observations are supported by other media accounts establishing an FBI directive to CIA stations to search its international sources for possible leads among foreign terrorist groups. Id. at 16. c. CIA and NSA Investigation Protocol. In the immediate aftermath of the bombing, the CIA searched its databases for candidates who might have the means and motive to perpetrate the bombing. The databases were also used to verity the bona fides of sources providing leads. The CIA's stations and bases submitted numerous "name traces" on individuals as a result of the bombing investigation. These traces were requests for information on individuals, including those suspected of having knowledge of the bombing. Technical assets, such as global, regional, and local communication intercepts and reconnaissance satellites, were also used to obtain or verify information about the Oklahoma City bombing.[ 5]The CIA's Counterterrorism Center was the focal point for all reports. The information gathered was then sent to government analysts and other official consumers, including the Justice Department. Id. at 16-17. Also in response to the attack the National Security Agency (NSA) promptly supplemented their existing "watch list" for domestic terrorist threats with specific terms related to the Oklahoma City bombing, potential suspects and suspect organizations. Id. at 17. A watch list enables NSA listening posts to key on specific words spoken in their global net of intercepted oral communications. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) was also requested to assist in the investigation of the bombing by providing satellite photography. Id. The NSA's sole reason for being is to intercept electronic messages worldwide and analyze these interceptions for useful intelligence and national security information. As reported by the Senate Select Committee to Study Government Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities: The National Security Agency was created by Executive Order in 1952 to conduct 'signals intelligence' including the interception and analysis of messages transmitted by electronic means, such as telephone calls and telegrams. D.E. 1079 at 17. Lewis Allen, a General in the United States Air Force and then-Director of the National Security Agency, testified before the Committee that the "mission of the NSA was directed to foreign intelligence obtained from foreign electrical communications[.]" Id. But in delineating the scope of the NSA's mission, the Committee pointed out that the NSA has interpreted "foreign communications" to include communication where one terminal is outside the United States. Under this interpretation, the NSA has for many years intercepted communications between the United States and a foreign country, even though the sender or receiver was American. Thus, the full range of the NSA's sphere of interceptions is virtually unlimited and unchecked. Id. at 17-18. Yet, the NSA is allowed specifically by Executive Order to assist domestic law enforcement authorities and to participate in law enforcement activities to investigate or prevent clandestine intelligence activities by foreign powers, or international terrorists or narcotics activities. Id. at 18 (Executive Order 12333). With respect to methods of interception utilized by the NSA, a Senate Select Committee has reported the following: The use of lists of words, including individual names, subjects, locations, etc., has long been one of the methods used to sort out information of foreign intelligence value from that which is not of interest. In the past, such lists have been referred to occasionally as watch lists, because the lists were used as an aid to watch for foreign activity of reportable intelligence interest. However, these lists generally did not contain names of U.S. citizens or organizations. The activity in question is one in which U.S. names were used systematically as a basis for selecting messages, including some between U.S. citizens, when one of the communicants was at a foreign location. D.E. 1079 at 18. The system and the procedure for selection and interception has been described in the Select Committee report on the handling of the "watch lists":The information produced by the watch list activity was, with one exception, entirely a byproduct of our foreign intelligence mission. All collection was conducted against international communications with at least one terminal in a foreign country, and for purposes unrelated to the watch list activity. That is, the communications were obtained, for example, by monitoring communications to and from Hanoi. The watch list activity specifically consisted of scanning international communications already intercepted for other purposes to derive information which met watch list requirements. This scanning was accomplished by using the entries provided to NSA as selection criteria. Once selected, the messages were analyzed to determine if the information met those requesting agencies' requirements associated with the watch lists. If the message met the requirements, the information therein was reported to the requested agency in writing. D.E. 1079 at 18-19. Significantly, the NSA's interception of international communications sometimes includes, either incidently [sic] or accidently [sic], communications between two American citizens if one of them happens to be abroad. Id. at 19. Thus, within hours of the bombing of the Murrah Building, the NSA's supplemented watch lists would have enabled the agency to pluck a huge amount of data from its incredible volume of global electronic interceptions. The result, within this agency alone, would have been a massive amount of relevant information concerning the bombing, none of which has been given to the defense in this case. Procedures similar to the CIA's, NSA's, and NRO's for gathering information on the bombing were employed by foreign and domestic personnel of the Department of Justice and its enforcement agencies (the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and the U.S. Marshals); the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS); the CIA's Office of Security (OS); the Department of the Treasury's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF, Customs Service (USCS)), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Secret Service (USSS); the Postal Service's Postal Inspectors; The Department of Defense's Armed Services, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Defense Investigative Service, the General Services Administration's Federal Protective Service; the Department of Transportation's Coast Guard; and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Other agencies, bureaus, and departments participated in the gathering of information as well. Personnel at all levels, suspecting the bombing to be a large scale terrorist attack resulting in numerous deaths, immediately mobilized all resources at the government's disposal. The result was a mammoth investigation without political or geographic limits. Id. at 19-20. 2. Evidence of the International Scope of the Investigation and the Involvement of Organs of State Intelligence in Several U.S. Domestic Bombing Cases Including the Alfred P. Murrah Building. The criminal investigation of this case included the use of the civilian and military branches of government; law enforcement, intelligence, and security agencies; foreign and domestic personnel and technical resources; and similar assets of other nations. The international scope of the investigation of this case is underscored by comments made by the Attorney General at an April 20, 1995, press conference: [Reporter]: The government of Israel has offered its help, because it has a vast experience with this sort of thing. Do you know if we are accepting that help? In a 1981 Executive Order, President Reagan authorized agencies within the intelligence community to "participate in law enforcement activities to investigate or prevent clandestine intelligence activities by foreign powers or international terrorist or narcotics activities[.]" Id. at 21 (Executive Order 12333, December 4, 1981). The intelligence community is also authorized to provide specialized equipment, technical knowledge or assistance of expert personnel for use by any department or agency or, when lives are in danger, to support local enforcement agencies. Thus, the Chief Executive of this country has authorized specifically the use of instruments of state intelligence to aid law enforcement agencies in investigating terrorist attacks. The United States Department of State has acknowledged the federal government's use of intelligence organizations in response to terrorism: "A central element in the effective international effort to prevent and/or to bring about to justice those responsible for such attacks is the effective exchange of intelligence. The United States intelligence community is cooperating closely and effectively with other services as part of the international effort to identify those responsible[.]" Id. D.E. 1079 at 21. In fact, a report issued from the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism states: Because terrorism is a global problem, the Clinton administration is deeply engaged in cooperation with other governments in an international effort to combat terrorism: U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies have an active network of cooperative relations with counterparts in scores of friendly countries. D.E. 1079 at 21-22. Such cooperative efforts have been further chronicled in the mainstream press: "In the bombing of the World Trade Center, in February 1993, the FBI, CIA and other agencies scoured the globe for leads and found many," Brian Duffy, et al., Extremism In America, U.S. New and World Report, May 8, 1995 at 30, and in the May 7, 1995, San Diego Union tribune article regarding the investigation into the car-bombing of a United States Navy captain - "[T]he CIA, the National Security Administration [sic], the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and local law-enforcement agencies were involved." See D.E. 1079 at 22. As previously noted, after the bombing the initial "crisis team" assembled in the White House Situation Room consisted of personnel from the BATF, the FBI, the Secret Service, the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, and members of the National Security Council. Id. at 22. Military officials from the defense intelligence agencies have participated in this investigation as well. Finally, the White House Chief of Staff, Leon Panetta, confirmed that the Justice Department conducted a review of data gathered from intelligence networks, including communications from both within the United States and outside the United States. Id. Thus, from its very inception, the investigation launched by the federal government in this case has utilized the resources of the FBI and other domestic law enforcement agencies in tandem with the intelligence gathering entities of the federal government with the imprimatur of an executive order allowing such a symbiotic relationship. In the first 48 hours after the bombing, the domestic law enforcement and intelligence agencies of the federal government were mobilized and directed toward foreign terrorists (concentrating on those from the Middle East) with no limit on available manpower, assets, technology, and without regard to geographical borders. 3. The Investigative Focus Upon Foreign Terrorists. News reports conclusively establish that the FBI's early analysis and the judgment of other counterterrorism experts pointed towards foreign responsibility for the Oklahoma City bombing. See D.E. 1079 at 23. CBS News reported shortly after the bombing that the FBI had received claims of responsibility for the attack from at least eight organizations. Seven of the claimants were thought to have Middle Eastern connections. D.E. 1079 at 23. Steven Emerson, an expert on Islamic Jihad said: "There is no smoking gun. But the modus operandi and circumstantial evidence leads in the direction of Islamic Terrorism." The government received calls from six people saying that they were from different Muslim sects and asserting that they were responsible for the bombing. Id. at 23-24. On April 20, 1995, the New York Times reported that federal authorities opened an intensive hunt for the perpetrators of the bombing and "proceeded on the theory that the bombing was a terrorist attack against the government, law enforcement officials said." Id. at 24. The immediate speculation according to some experts, focused on the possibility that the attack had been the work of Islamic militants, similar to those responsible for the World Trade Center bombing in February of 1993. D.E. 1079 at 24. John Magaw, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, when asked whether his agency suspected terrorists, told CNN: "I think any time you have this kind of damage, this kind of explosion, you have to look there first." The FBI even went so far as to approach the Department of Defense about including Pentagon Arabic speakers in the investigative team. Former FBI Assistant Director in Charge of Investigation and Counterterrorism Expert Oliver "Buck" Revell, was quoted as saying, "I think what we've got is a bona fide terrorist attack." Mr. Revell went on to state, "I think it's most likely a Middle East terrorist. I think the modus operandi is similar. They have used this approach." D.E. 1079 at 24. FBI officials in Washington, speaking anonymously, suggested strongly the investigations were focusing on Middle East terrorists . . . among the leads being investigated was a television report of three males of Middle East origin who rented a brown Chevrolet pickup at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Witnesses have reported seeing three men driving away from the blast area in a similar pickup. D.E. 1079 at 25. An FBI communique that was circulated Wednesday suggested that the attack was carried out by the Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed Islamic militant group. The communique suggested the attack was made in retaliation for the prosecution of Muslim fundamentalists in the bombing of the World Trade Center in February, 1993, said the source, a non-government security professional. "We are currently inclined to suspect the Islamic Jihad as the likely group," the FBI notice said. See D.E. 1079 at 25. The FBI's suspicion of an Islamic Jihad connection would have been further reinforced by a sobering fact: Oklahoma City is probably considered one of the largest centers of Islamic radical activity outside the Middle East. Id. at 26. The extensive loss of life and the targeting of a federal facility motivated law enforcement, the military, and U.S. intelligence agencies to engage in the full range of overt and covert resources located throughout the world. Their mission was two-fold: stop other possible attacks, and identify the individuals and groups responsible for the Murrah Building bombing. The government's far-reaching efforts in pursuit of Middle Eastern suspects in this case have become part of the public record. An affidavit of FBI Special Agent Henry C. Gibbons, filed in United States v. Abraham Abdallah Ahmed, No. M-95-94-H, W.D. Okla., April 20, 1995, strongly suggests intelligence assets are being used in the bombing investigation. See D.E. 1079 (Exhibit "E"). Gibbons' affidavit explains how a Jordanian American suspect's luggage was searched in Italy, and how the suspect was detained by British authorities and then forcibly returned to the United States. Id. That a suspect of Middle Eastern origin was promptly apprehended confirmed the widely-held suspicion that a foreign terrorist group would be implicated in the bombing. According to the New York Times, Abraham Ahmed as "caught in the dragnet that spread around the world after the bombing." The newspaper went on to state: In his case, he was first singled out for attention in accordance with a general profile of possible suspects, including young men traveling alone to destinations like the Middle East. The profile was issued by the FBI to police agencies and airport authorities throughout the world. Mr. Ahmed lives in Oklahoma. He checked into O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Wednesday night for a flight to Rome, with connections for a flight to Amman, Jordan. In addition to fitting the suspect profile, he was dressed in a jogging suit similar to one that a witness in Oklahoma City had reported seeing worn by a man at the scene of the explosion. D.E.1079 at 27. The initial focus on foreign terrorist connections undeniably placed the intelligence community at the forefront of the investigatory efforts, since United States intelligence assets exist solely to protect against such foreign threats. Nor is the government's focus limited to the Middle East. The Sunday Times in London reported on February 4, 1996, that senior FBI sources have confirmed that the Bureau was "also pursuing inquiries into a possible neo-Nazi link between the Oklahoma City bombers and British and German extremists." D.E. 1079 at 27. Because of Defendant Terry Nichols' ties to the Philippines, within days of the bombing U.S. and Philippine officials began reconstructing his movements there. An American Embassy legal attache interviewed Marife Nichols' father, Eduardo Torres, and showed him sketches of the two original bombing suspects. Id. at 27-28. Philippine intelligence agents briefly placed Mr. Torres under surveillance to make sure he was not involved with terrorism. Id. Clearly then, the tentacles of the federal government have reached out worldwide in the investigation of the bombing of the Murrah building. Compelled by the urgency of a grievous attack on the United States government itself, resources ordinarily dedicated to military and intelligence applications were brought to bear on a domestic criminal investigation. By the government's commitment of such resources to a criminal investigation, the Defendant becomes entitled to the product of these resources, so that they may be as fairly and justly applied to his defense as they are to his prosecution. [ CONTINUED IN PART SIX]FOOTNOTES:
[5] On May 10, 1995, the government, as part of its investigation of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building, enlisted the aid of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas, in obtaining Global Positioning System (GPS) readings for twenty (20) geographical sites. These readings were taken by the "Magellan GPS Nav 1000." The readings were taken "for possible satellite photograph requests[.]" D.E. 1079 at 16 n.7 (Exhibit "D"). |
Copyright 1997 Media Bypass magazine. Reprinted with permission.
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PART SIX OF EIGHTEEN: III. THE ARREST OF TIMOTHY MCVIEGH.On April 21, 1995, federal law enforcement officials became unshakably focused upon Timothy McVeigh who was being held in the Noble County Jail in Perry, Oklahoma, on various state misdemeanor charges. See D.E. 1457 at 4. Mr. McVeigh had been pulled over by an Oklahoma Highway Patrolman, Charles Hanger, on Interstate Highway 35 on the morning of April 19, 1995. McVeigh was driving a 1977 pale yellow Mercury Marquis, and was stopped by Trooper Hanger because the car McVeigh was driving displayed no license plate. McVeigh told Trooper Hanger that he was returning from Arkansas.[ 6] Hanger arrested McVeigh on the basis of the traffic violation and the state misdemeanor charge of carrying a weapon. McVeigh's yellow Mercury was left on the side of the highway and was not impounded.Between April 19, 1995, and April 21, 1995, federal law enforcement officials traced a Vehicle Identification Number appearing upon the axle of the truck believed to have carried the bomb to a Ryder rental truck dealership in Junction City, Kansas. The FBI prepared a composite drawing of "unidentified subject #1" based upon descriptions provided by witnesses at the Ryder rental dealership. By showing the composite drawing to employees at various motels in Junction City, Kansas, the FBI "determined" that the drawing resembled a man named Timothy McVeigh that had been a guest at the Dreamland Motel in Junction City from April 14-18, 1995. A records check then revealed that a man named Timothy McVeigh was in custody in the Noble County Jail in Perry, Oklahoma, facing state misdemeanor charges. The FBI, knowing their sus |
McVeigh Petition for Writ of Mandamus
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Mrs Kus
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McVeigh Petition for Writ of Mandamus
Mrs Kus
The government's far-reaching efforts in pursuit of Middle Eastern suspects in this case have become part of the
public record. An affidavit of FBI Special Agent Henry C. Gibbons, filed in United States v. Abraham Abdallah
Ahmed, No. M-95-94-H, W.D. Okla., April 20, 1995, strongly suggests intelligence assets are being used in the
bombing investigation. See D.E. 1079 (Exhibit "E"). Gibbons' affidavit explains how a Jordanian American suspect's
luggage was searched in Italy, and how the suspect was detained by British authorities and then forcibly returned
to the United States. Id.
That a suspect of Middle Eastern origin was promptly apprehended confirmed the widely-held suspicion that a
foreign terrorist group would be implicated in the bombing. According to the New York Times, Abraham Ahmed as
"caught in the dragnet that spread around the world after the bombing." The newspaper went on to state:
In his case, he was first singled out for attention in accordance with a general profile of possible
suspects, including young men traveling alone to destinations like the Middle East. The profile
was issued by the FBI to police agencies and airport authorities throughout the world. Mr.
Ahmed lives in Oklahoma. He checked into O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on
Wednesday night for a flight to Rome, with connections for a flight to Amman, Jordan. In
addition to fitting the suspect profile, he was dressed in a jogging suit similar to one that a witness
in Oklahoma City had reported seeing worn by a man at the scene of the explosion. D.E.1079 at
27.
Mrs Kus
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