United for Peace of Pierce County, WA - We nonviolently oppose the reliance on unilateral military actions rather than cooperative diplomacy.

Why are both national and local media censoring the involvement of the Washington Joint Analytical Center (WAJAC) from reports about the resolution of the Seattle ferry 'mystery men' case? -- UFPPC's Jim O. Madison continues his exploration of the little-known system of "fusion centers" that are sprouting around the country like mushrooms after a heavy rain.[1] -- He also appends the FBI press release[2] and local media reports[3,4] about the resolution of the Seattle ferry case....

** The Case of the Suspicious Ferry Riders Is Resolved — But Don't Mention WAJAC, Please! **

A vague report from the Seattle Field Office of the FBI on Mon., May 5, said that two "European business consultants" came to "a U.S. Embassy two weeks ago and identified themselves as the men pictured in photographs released to the media last August by the FBI and the Washington Joint Analytical Center (WAJAC)."[2]

The FBI said the two "were fearful of arrest if they traveled to the United States" and were seeking to "clear their names" (a curious expression, since their names were -- and are -- unknown). Photos of the two men were released to the media on Aug. 20, 2007, because of "unusual" behavior and because "[t]he two men appear[ed] to be of Middle Eastern descent," as ABC News put it.

Involved in the case was a "fusion center" known as the Washington Joint Analytical Center (WAJAC), one of several dozen militarized intelligence-gathering entities that have been established in the United States over the past few years with very little publicity.

A Seattle Times piece on Monday reported that the two men were "software consultants in town for a weeklong business conference " from "a European Union nation," but followed a now well-established don't-mention-WAJAC pattern by failing to make any mention of the agency, though it was mentioned twice in the FBI press release.[3]

But instead of considering the possibility that the existence of a militarized police intelligence agency poses a danger to fundamental American liberties, the Seattle Times focused on concerns that the incident involved "racial profiling."

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer also failed to mention WAJAC in its report, referring only to the FBI.[4]

Why is WAJAC considered unmentionable? See here (http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/7411/29/) for our earlier investigation of the expanding national network of "fusion centers," which now number forty-three.

In Washington State, WAJAC, with a staff of nine (five "civilian analysts" -- mostly retired military intelligence and police -- and four members of law enforcement agencies), issues "intelligence bulletins" to every law enforcement agency in the state on a daily basis.

Given the Case of the Suspicious Ferry Riders, are we wrong to suspect that many of these "intelligence bulletins" contain observations and information about activities that are constitutionally protected?

And that the very institution of WAJAC has a chilling effect on free speech and dissent -- the very lifeblood of a free society?

--Jim O. Madison has heard that a single spark is enough to set the prairies on fire and is a member of United for Peace of Pierce County (WA).

TWO MEN SOUGHT IN CONNECTION WITH UNUSUAL ACTIVITY ON WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES LAST SUMMER HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED

Laura Laughlin, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Seattle Division of the FBI, announced today that two European Union citizens appeared at a U.S. Embassy two weeks ago and identified themselves as the men pictured in photographs released to the media last August by the FBI and the Washington Joint Analytical Center (WAJAC). The photographs were taken by a crew member after passengers reported that the men were exhibiting unusual behavior while riding on a Washington State Ferry. Law enforcement attempted to identify the men through investigative means but when those efforts proved unsuccessful the FBI released the photographs to the media. The decision was considered to be controversial by some but was determined to be the best way to resolve the situation and maintain the safety and security of the ferry system.

The two men, European business consultants, came forward to clear their names stating they were fearful of arrest if they traveled to the United States. They provided embassy officials with documentation to establish their identities, employment, and the reason for their U.S. travel last summer. The men stated they were in Seattle for business in July 2007 and took a ferry ride during that time. Follow-up investigation has been conducted to verify the information provided by the men, and it appears that they were in the area for legitimate reasons. The identities of the men are being withheld to protect their privacy.

The FBI and the Washington Joint Analytical Center (WAJAC) would like to thank the many media organizations worldwide that published the photographs and ultimately played a prominent role in resolving this matter allowing the investigative resources of the multiple law enforcement agencies to be redirected to other important matters.

TWO FERRY RIDERS SOUGHT BY FBI LAST SUMMER WERE JUST TOURISTS
By Sara Jean Green

They were software consultants in town for a weeklong business conference -- not terrorists planning an attack to cripple the country's largest ferry system.

Last summer, the FBI launched an international search for two men after crew members and riders on a Washington State Ferry reported their unusual behavior -- namely that they were taking pictures below deck, in areas that don't hold much interest for most tourists.

Turns out the men, both citizens of a European Union nation, were captivated by the car-carrying capacity of local ferries.

"Where these gentlemen live, they don't have vehicle ferries. They were fascinated that a ferry could hold that many cars and wanted to show folks back home," FBI Special Agent Robbie Burroughs said Monday.

The FBI's decision to release the photograph to the media last summer was controversial because the men -- who were described as Middle Eastern-looking -- were not suspected of committing a crime. While law-enforcement officials say they focus on behavior, not ethnicity, local activists say members of the Arab-American community often complain of racial profiling and many are afraid to ride ferries or board planes because of it.

Two weeks ago, the men appeared at a U.S. Embassy and identified themselves as the men in the photo released to the media in August, a couple of weeks after they took a ferry from Seattle to Vashon Island during a business trip, Burroughs said.

They came forward because they worried they'd be arrested if they traveled to the U.S. and so provided proof of their identities, employment, and the reason for their July trip to Seattle, according to the FBI. The bureau was able to verify that information but declined to identify the men or the city where the embassy is located, citing privacy concerns.

One of the men recognized himself in the photo sometime in the fall but didn't know what to do, said David Gomez, the FBI's assistant special agent in charge of national-security programs in Seattle. He contacted his friend and they consulted family members involved in law enforcement in their home country. Then they went to the U.S. Embassy, Gomez said.

"We want to put the issue to rest," he said, noting that all along, the FBI only wanted to talk to the men. They aren't in trouble, nor do their names appear on a government watch list or no-fly list, he said.

For someone who rides the ferry every day, taking photos of the car deck is pretty unusual -- but not so for "a guy who rides it one time in his life," Gomez said. "Their story makes sense; their story has validity . . . . It was perfectly normal once we learned what was going on."

Gomez defended the decision to release the photo to the public after agents became "somewhat stymied" in their investigation into the men's identities.

The Seattle Times initially refrained from publishing the photos in print or online to allow time for additional reporting on the circumstances surrounding the FBI investigation and the photographs. After more reporting, the Times did publish the photos with a story that also covered the controversy.

But Rita Zawaideh criticized the FBI's decision to release the photo -- then and now. At the time, Zawaideh, chairwoman of the Seattle-based Arab American Community Coalition, questioned why officials didn't first consult community members, who might have been able to identify the men.

"Everyone yelled at me for telling the FBI off," she said. "We're lucky it came out the way it did."

Had the men been terrorists, the publicity could have forced them to change tactics and targets, creating a risk for another city, she said. Or the men could have been innocent victims had someone spotted them and "decided to take the law into their own hands," she said.

Zawaideh says relationships between the local Arab community and law-enforcement agencies have since improved. Still, at least 30 calls to the coalition's 24-hour hotline are logged each month with complaints of racial profiling, said Zawaideh, who suspects the problem is underreported. The majority involve the treatment of "anyone who looks dark-skinned and foreign" when they ride ferries, board airplanes, or cross the U.S.-Canada border, she said.

Aziz Junejo, who hosts a weekly public-access television program and writes a column on Islam for the Seattle Times, said he's heard stories about and even experienced more scrutiny on local ferries, particularly when he's with Muslim women who wear traditional head scarves.

"We kind of get the walk-by a little slower and a little more noticeable than any others on the boat," he said. "It perpetuates fear, especially in Muslim children who are Americans, first and foremost."

Coast Guard Cpt. Steve Metruck said none of the agencies that meet monthly to discuss the ferry system's vulnerability to a terrorist attack -- including the FBI, Washington State Ferries and the Washington State Patrol -- engage in "any profiling of that sort." Threats to the ferry system -- which carries 24 million people and 11 million vehicles on 10 routes each year -- are constantly monitored, he said.

"We're constantly changing our [security] practices so they can't be predicted," he said. "This work is never done -- it's always continuous."

The FBI has called off a global manhunt for two men who looked Middle Eastern and were spotted snapping pictures and demonstrating "suspicious behavior" on a Washington ferry last summer.

The men appeared at a U.S. Embassy two weeks ago and identified themselves as European business consultants who were on a trip to Seattle, FBI officials said Monday.

Special Agent in Charge Laura Laughlin said the men took a couple of days off in the middle of the July visit and decided to ride a car ferry. They took photos to show relatives back home, she said.

FBI agents have seen the photos and found them to be innocuous, as were the pair's business activities, Laughlin said.

The consultants came forward to clear their names, stating that they feared getting arrested if they returned to the United States. They gave U.S. Embassy officials documentation of their identities, jobs, and the reason for their trip to the U.S. last summer.

The men, described as residents of a European Union country, were not identified.

Photos of the pair, taken by Washington State Ferries employees, were released to the news media in August in an effort to identify and locate them, after an investigation found that they "showed an inordinate interest in the operation of the shipboard systems," the FBI said at the time.

Two years ago, a Justice Department report named the Washington ferry system as a top target for maritime terrorism.

The decision to release the photos was controversial, in part because some news organizations chose not to publish them. The *Seattle P-I* ruled out publication, citing civil liberties and privacy concerns, which editors felt outweighed the newsworthiness of the images.

Anticipating a backlash and wishing to avoid "misrepresenting these people in any way," Laughlin said it was a difficult call.

"We reached a point in the investigation where we were stymied, could get no further," she said.

"This was the last resort -- to try and identify these individuals and have them explain their apparently suspicious behavior.

"Our opinion now is that it worked," she said. "Excellent outcome. What happened is exactly what we had hoped would happen -- that either the men in question would identify themselves, which occurred, or someone would recognize them."

Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights and advocacy group, had no criticism of the FBI's handling of the incident.

"The authorities handled this situation quite well," he said Monday. "I have no indication that the authorities went beyond what they are allowed to do. Reports were brought to them and they checked them out the best they could."

But Hooper wasn't happy with some other responses: "Anti-Muslim Internet hate sites; the bloggers; the ones that routinely say 'round up the usual Muslim suspects'; the extremist commentators that would be willing give up the rights of others to create a false sense of security for themselves.

"Media outlets that chose not to pander to this type of hysteria made the right choice and indeed protected the reputation of people who were doing nothing more than sightseeing," Hooper said.

"At the time, there was a hue and cry that it was justified to single these people out merely based on their appearance and the perception that they may have been Middle Eastern or Muslim, and that perception was used to justify profiling them for security concerns," he added.

"Once there is a perception that the individual is Muslim or Middle Eastern, every subsequent act becomes suspicious in the eyes of the onlooker."

The FBI, in a statement issued Monday, thanked "the many media organizations worldwide that published the photographs and ultimately played a prominent role in resolving this matter, allowing the investigative resources of the multiple law enforcement agencies to be redirected to other important matters."

--P-I reporter Paul Shukovsky can be reached at 206-448-8072 or paulshukovsky@seattlepi.com.