U.S. “Arrested 603 Person in Relation to 9.11 Terror“

The U.S. Justice Minister John Ashcroft revealed that 603 people are under arrest in relation to 9.11 terror.

John Ashcroft said that 55 of them were arrested for the charge of Federal law violation and 548 were arrested for their violation of the Immigration Law. And he remarked that there are members of Al Qaeda among them and 49 people who were arrested for the violation of the Federal Law were released on bail.

This is the first time that the U.S. government released the number of the arrested in relation to 9.11 terror. The U.S. Congress and the Human Rights Organizations have pressed the Justice Department to release accurate information. The Justice Department has said it arrested over 1100 people and a considerable number of them are under arrest.

Mr. Ashcroft released the names of 104 people who were arrested for the violation of the Federal Laws but did not disclose the identifications of the immigration law violators. He said, "I`d rather not release the name since it could help for Al Qaeda to attempt to murder U.S. citizens."

Meanwhile, Amnesty International requested for the security guarantee of the Justice Minister, criticizing that the arrested people after 9.11 terror have been assaulted, battered, or forced to stay awake without sleeping.

Ki-Heung Han eligius@donga.com