Chertoff: European terrorists trying to enter US

By EILEEN SULLIVAN – 14 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — European terrorists are trying to enter the United
States with European Union passports, and there is no guarantee
officials will catch them every time, Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff said Thursday.
Chertoff's comments on Capitol
Hill comes as the country is entering a potentially vulnerable period
with the presidential nominating conventions coming up next month; the
presidential election in November; and the transition to a new
administration in January — all of which may be attractive targets for
terrorists.
In his last scheduled appearance before the House
Homeland Security Committee, Chertoff said that the more time and space
al-Qaida and its allies have to recruit, train, experiment and plan,
the more problems the U.S. and Europe will face down the road.
"The
terrorists are deliberately focusing on people who have legitimate
Western European passports, who don't appear to have records as
terrorists," Chertoff told lawmakers. "I have a good degree of
confidence we can catch people coming in. But I have to tell you ...
there's no guarantee. And they are working very hard to slip by us."
Chertoff
and other intelligence officials have delivered similar warnings
before, and he offered no new information about specific threats or an
imminent attack.
Chertoff reiterated his concern that terrorists
could sneak radiological material into the country on small boats or
private aircraft. This material could be used to create an explosive
device known as a "dirty bomb."
The Homeland Security Department
has a strategy to protect against this small boat vulnerability and is
testing radiation detection equipment in Seattle and San Diego ports.
Chertoff
said that getting out a regulation to prescreen and enhance security of
general aviation aircraft coming to the U.S. from overseas is one of
his top priorities.
He also said he expects to approve new radiation detection technology this fall.
Responding
to a question from Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, Chertoff dismissed any rumor
that he is on a list of potential running mates for Sen. John McCain,
the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Chertoff quipped that
the only list he has for next year is a list of vacations.
Chertoff's
term as the country's second Homeland Security Secretary ends when a
new administration takes over the White House in January.