FBI Resorts to Lie Detectors in Anthrax Investigation

Brian Ross reports in an ABCNEWS.com article titled, “No Suspects, Few Clues.” Excerpt: April 4 — Six months after the government first said a man in Florida was sick with anthrax, which later killed five people and set off a nationwide panic, federal investigators say they have no suspects and few clues. The FBI asked … Read more

FBI Uses Polygraphs in Anthrax Investigation

In an article titled “Officials look for link in anthrax samples from labs,” the Associated Press reports that the FBI has used polygraph interrogations in its investigation of last year’s anthrax letter attacks. Excerpt: The FBI believes the anthrax letters were the work of a single scientist, and some of the scientists fit aspects of … Read more

“Polygraph, Shrink for Executioner”

Jeannette Andrade reports for the Manila Times regarding the use of polygraphy in the Philippines in a high-profile terrorism case. Excerpt: The man caught on video beheading Abu Sayyaf captives will go through a lie-detector test and psychiatric evaluation to determine if he qualifies as a state witness to pin down other executioners. Jun Peñaflor, … Read more

“Jordanian Testifies About Alleged Abuse in Sept. 11 Probe”

Chicago Tribune national correspondent Evan Osnos reports on the pre-trial testimony of Osama Awadallah, who faces federal perjury charges. Excerpt: Awadallah, a permanent U.S. resident whose trial is set to begin May 20, testified that the government’s intimidation began with his earliest conversations with the FBI on Sept. 20, when, he said, 15 to 20 … Read more

“Strip-Search Jordanian: FBI Trampled My Rights”

William R. Gorta reports for the New York Post. Excerpt: February 19, 2002 — A Jordanian charged with lying to a grand jury recited to a federal judge a list of alleged law-enforcement abuses at his pre-trial evidence-suppression hearing yesterday. Osama Awadallah, 21, said he was physically abused by jail guards, denied access to a … Read more

“Jordanian Student Testifies in Court”

Associated Press correspondent Larry Neumeister reports on Osama Awadallah’s courtroom testimony. Excerpt: NEW YORK (AP) – A Jordanian student testified Monday that FBI agents accused him of being one of the Sept. 11 terrorists after saying he failed a lie detector test. Osama Awadallah, 21, said agents told him he would be freed but after … Read more

“FBI Agent Says Jordanian Student Was Deceptive”

Associated Press correspondent Frank Eltman reports on the case of Osama Awadallah, who faces perjury charges stemming at least in part from an FBI polygraph interrogation. Excerpt: NEW YORK (AP) – An FBI agent testified Saturday that a Jordanian student with alleged links to two of the Sept. 11 suicide hijackers was deceptive during a … Read more

“Ariz. Man Named in Terror Probe Failed Polygraph”

Dennis Wagner of the Arizona Republic reports on the case of Faisal Michael Al Salmi. Excerpt: Faisal Michael Al Salmi, an Arizona man who was indicted as part of the federal anti-terrorism campaign, failed an FBI lie-detector examination when asked if he played a role in the Sept. 11 attacks, according to court records. However, … Read more

Southern California Man Suspected of Al Qaeda Links Passes Polygraph

Aldrin Brown of the Orange County Register reports on the case of Palestinian-American Tawfiq Mohamad Mousa in an article titled “O.C. man quizzed in federal probe.” Excerpt: A Palestinian-born Anaheim businessman jailed in Santa Ana on federal charges could be among the first known U.S. citizens targeted by the FBI’s expanding terrorism investigation, his attorney … Read more

Al Qaeda Studied Polygraph Countermeasures

New York Times correspondent David Rohde, in an article titled, “In 2 Abandoned Kabul Houses, Some Hints of Al Qaeda Presence,” reports that documents seized in two Kabul houses formerly used by members of Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda organization include Arabic language instructions on how to pass lie detector tests. With the FBI making … Read more