FBI head talks Somalia in Seattle

In town to meet newly appointed U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan, FBI Director Robert Mueller took a moment Thursday to talk about issues of interest in this Washington, particularly the recent revelation that a Seattle man had apparently taken part in a suicide bombing in Somalia.

Offering few new insights, Mueller's comments -- like the questions put to him -- centered on the apparent involvement of a Somali-American killed conducting a Sept. 17 suicide attack in Mogadishu, Somalia. The FBI has interviewed the family of the 18-year-old man, identified by The Associated Press as Omar Mohamud, as well as members of the area's Somali community.

According to press reports, Mohamud was recruited to join an Islamist militia called al-Shabad, which has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks against Somali and African Union forces in the war-torn country.

Mueller -- appointed to the bureau's top spot in 2001 by President Bush -- said that the FBI is working to better relations with the Somali community, members of which, he said, remain "every bit as patriotic as any other community in the United States."

"It's a concern for us, and it's a concern for the Somali community," Mueller said, speaking during a media availability Thursday afternoon. "Mothers and fathers who have had sons travel to Somalia and join al-Shabab are far more concerned than we are."

Responding to questions about possible realignment of FBI resources to better combat white-collar crime, Mueller touted earlier successes against while asserting that the bureau is aiming to add staff to address the issue.

With the eighth anniversary of the assassination of Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Wales days away, Mueller said he remains hopeful that the man's killer will be caught.

Wales was shot to death in his Queen Anne house on Oct. 11, 2001, apparently killed by a shooter outside his home. Though aspects of the case have caused much speculation, its conclusion remains elusive and Mueller offered no new details.

"Needless to say, the killing of an assistant U.S. attorney is a high priority for the FBI," Mueller said.

The 20-minute news conference's sole moment of levity came when AP reporter Gene Johnson asked Mueller what on its face seemed an esoteric question regarding FBI procedures during interviews of suspects.

Asked to respond to criticism that FBI agents, unlike many law enforcement officers, rarely record in-custody interviews of suspects, Mueller argued that no such criticism existed and defied Johnson to produce some.

Johnson then pulled one such article -- a piece in the Georgetown Law Journal, apparently -- from his bag and offered it to Mueller.

Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer