FBI arms itself with more powers amid fresh alerts

As part of a major restructuring aimed at preventing terrorist attacks, the FBI will be given more latitude for surveillance operations unde...

As part of a major restructuring aimed at preventing terrorist attacks, the FBI will be given more latitude for surveillance operations under new US Justice Department guidelines, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Under the changes to be announced on Thursday, FBI agents may enter public places and forums, including publicly accessible Internet sites, libraries and religious institutions without first having to offer evidence of criminal activity, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed officials.

Justice Department and FBI officials told the paper the guidelines will remove serious barriers to the prevention of terrorism. ‘‘The concern is when we’re confronted with people like Zacarias Moussaoui, or even some of the hijackers, who are known to spend substantial periods of time in mosques or other similar situations, it is very difficult to find out what they’re up to,’’ one senior law enforcement official said.

Moussaoui, the only person charged in connection with the September 11 attacks, was arrested in Minnesota on immigration violations after arousing suspicions at a flight school and was in custody when the attacks took place. A Minneapolis agent recently complained that FBI headquarters missed important clues about the plot with the mishandling of Moussaoui’s case.

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