NCJ Number
142404
Journal
Terrorism Volume: 12 Issue: 6 Dated: (1989) Pages: 383-385
Date Published
1989
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article briefly discusses recent legislative and investigative initiatives that have been undertaken to protect U.S. citizens overseas.
Abstract
In an effort to protect its citizens, Congress has broadened the investigative jurisdiction of the FBI, allowing it to initiate investigations overseas wherever a citizen of the United States is taken hostage or becomes the subject of any other serious terrorist assault. In 1986, the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act broadened the FBI's responsibilities to include terrorist incidents in which an American is murdered or is the victim of any serious assault. The effectiveness of such legislation rests substantially on the cooperation of the country in which the investigation occurs. The intent of the legislation is that the FBI become an adjunct of the investigative process designed to complement the inquiry of the host country while protecting the interests of the U.S. citizens concerned. Although these initiatives, by themselves, cannot be expected to remedy the problem of attacks on U.S. citizens, they have already proven effective in bringing international terrorists before the bar of justice. Any responsive measures must be scrupulously legal, so that they do not jeopardize the constitutional safeguards that are the essence of democratic government under law. 3 notes