FederalDaily - August 14, 2006

Feds Aid British In Foiling Terror Plot

Employees of the FBI and several agencies of the Department of Homeland Security are working extended hours and doing their part in the rollup of a terrorist operation foiled by British authorities in raids conducted Aug. 10. Scotland Yard announced the apprehension of 24 suspects who allegedly planned to blow up U.S.-bound airliners from the United Kingdom by mixing commonly available household chemicals to create explosives aboard the planes. Many feds are part of a continuing international investigation and other steps being taken to return the world’s commercial air system to a more secure status. “Americans are grateful to British authorities for disrupting a plot that endangered the citizens of both our countries,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. “I also commend the FBI professionals and others for their close and expert cooperation in this investigation.” Transportation Security Administration screeners are enhancing their searches and enforcing new rules against carrying most liquids aboard commercial flights. For more, go to www.dhs.gov.

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AFGE President Gage Begins Second Term

On August 11th, John Gage began his second term as president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the single largest union of federal workers. The union represents some 600,000 people, including federal employees and the District of Columbia’s government workers. “There is much to do on behalf of federal workers in anti-worker administration,” Gage said after his swearing in. “We plan to help elect a Congress with men and women who are actually responsive to the needs of the American people, particularly the nation’s working families,” he said, starting with this fall’s November 7 elections. The union has a new National Secretary-Treasurer, J. David Cox. Cox urged delegates to help push AFGE to the forefront of the labor movement. “This union is great and has the capacity to be even greater.” Cox said. For more, go to www.afge.org.

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U.S. Civilian Translator Admits Bribery Attempt

A former U.S. civilian translator working in Iraq pleaded guilty to charges of attempted bribery of an Iraqi police official, the U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) announced in release dated Aug. 4. Faheem Mousa Salam admitted that in January 2006 he offered a senior Iraqi police official approximately $60,000 in exchange for facilitating the $1 million sale of about 1,000 armored vests and a map printer to the multinational Civilian Police Assistance Training Team (CPATT), an organization training Iraqi police and border guard. Salam admitted making final arrangements with an undercover agent of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction who was posing as a procurement officer for CPATT. Salam offered the official a separate gift of up to $35,000 to process the contracts. Salam’s actions breach the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Each violation is punishable by five years imprisonment plus a $100,000 fine or twice the gross gain—whichever is greater.  

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