Congressmen: Arrests prove security agencies working together

Two Republican congressmen on a visit to Fort Myers on Friday reacted to news of the foiled terrorist plot in Miami as proof that national security agencies are working together.

"After 9/11 we learned that our agencies were not communicating and not working well together," said U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV of Fort Myers, who represents the 14th District, which includes Naples and Fort Myers. "With the war on terror and the collaborative effort of trying to bring all the agencies together with the FBI, we were able to infiltrate this organization and bring them down."

U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach, who represents the sprawling 16th District north and east of Fort Myers, said the thwarted plot is the result of better communication between national security agencies, but he also emphasized the need for Americans to be vigilant about reporting suspicious behavior.

The suspected terrorists had been training at night outside a warehouse they rented in Liberty City. They also had confronted other youths in the community to try to recruit them to their cause.

"Every American should be vigilant in their communities to observe unique activities," Foley said. "Thankfully a citizen along the way called authorities."

Foley said Florida has been attractive to terrorist organizers in the U.S. because the state receives thousands of new residents from a variety of cultures each day. People with quirky behavior blend in better here, he said.

"An al-Qaida cell member is probably not going to feel comfortable in Vermont," Foley said.

Foley also said the plot highlights the need for extraordinary security measures, including President George Bush's use of wiretapping, which has been highly criticized by Democrats and civil rights groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union.

"It bothers me when everyone second guesses President Bush's wiretapping operations," Foley said. "Civil liberties are important to me, but I also want to be able to catch the bad guys. At least, in this case, we've been able to do that."

Mack said wiretapping Americans' conversations bothers him.

He said he tried to put a measure in the Patriot Act that would have forced the government periodically to evaluate its use of surveillance.

"If the government's listening in on people's conversations, we ought to go back every four years and make sure we're not trampling on people's privacy," Mack said, adding that his provision did not get included in the bill. "Whenever we talk about wiretapping and listening in on American conversations, it makes me uncomfortable."