Jersey Residents Have Ties to Al-Qaida

By Pamela Mortimer

FBI counter-terror officials knew Osama bin Laden was rebuilding his forces. However, it was believed that the majority of the efforts were taking place somewhere in remote Afghanistan, where bin Laden is supposedly in hiding. No one knew that part of the plan included several residents in northern New Jersey.

The FBI's elite Joint Terrorism Task Force in Newark says it is keeping a close watch on a number of North Jersey residents with known ties to al-Qaida. Agents have also managed to quietly "disrupt" their activities and even deported a few.

This is the first time since the 9/11 attacks that FBI counterterror officials have revealed any known ties to al-Qaida present in North Jersey.

"There are definitely facilitators in this state," said Kevin Cruise, the veteran FBI counter terror agent who directs Newark's 100-member terrorism task force of FBI and CIA agents. Cruise also directs state police and local beat cops.

"There are people in your county who are affiliated with known al-Qaida members overseas," said Jack Jupin, the FBI agent who heads the Bergen County counter terror squad.

Cruise, a supervisor of FBI investigations involving terrorist bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa and the USS Cole, cautioned that his agents have no information about an imminent attack. Cruise believes several al-Qaida sympathizers would try if given the chance.

"There are many people who are like-minded who want to commit acts of terrorism and have just not taken that extra step," said Cruise, who keeps a "wanted" poster of Bin Laden on his office wall.

Cruise declined to describe any particular case in detail. However, the "disruption methods" used by the task force ranged have included outright deportations to "quiet visits" by FBI agents in which suspected terrorists are told their activities are being monitored.

"There are many disruptions that occur that the public does not know about," Cruise said.

Regarding his own fear of an attack, Cruise commented that northern New Jersey has a large array of tempting and vulnerable targets, from tunnels and bridges to sports venues, chemical plants, and shopping malls.

"My greatest fear in New Jersey is that somebody or some group will slip through our grasp," he said.

With virtually hundreds of cases under Cruise’s watchful eye, the task force has its work cut out for it. One of the most challenging aspects is to monitor phone and Internet contacts.

"If it's somebody who is simply communicating with somebody who is known to be an al-Qaida operative, that in itself is not illegal," Cruise said. "It's what they intend to do."