FBI agents who were at the scene of the shooting death of a key figure of the occupation of an Oregon national wildlife refuge are under federal investigation for not disclosing they fired two shots that missed Robert "LaVoy" Finicum.

Oregon law enforcement officials said on Tuesday that two Oregon state troopers were justified in shooting Finicum on 26 January because he failed to heed their commands to surrender and repeatedly reached for his weapon.

Finicum was struck by three rounds fired by state troopers after he got out of his truck.

The troopers also shot three rounds into Finicum's truck as it was barreling towards them, officials said.

But officials also said that FBI agents who were on the scene failed to say that as Finicum was getting out of his truck, they themselves fired two rounds, neither of which hit him.

One of those rounds hit the roof of Finicum's truck.

The US Justice Department's Office of Inspector General said it is investigating the FBI team's actions, working with Oregon officials.

Finicum was a high-profile figure in the weeks long standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, launched on 2 January by a small armed group demanding the government relinquish control of public lands and objecting to the prison sentences of two local ranchers convicted of setting fires.

His death became a symbol for those decrying federal oversight, on public lands in the West and elsewhere, and led to protests of what they called an unnecessary use of force.

FBI agents who were at the scene of the shooting death of a key figure of the occupation of an Oregon national wildlife refuge are under federal investigation for not disclosing they fired two shots that missed Robert "LaVoy" Finicum.

Oregon law enforcement officials said on Tuesday that two Oregon state troopers were justified in shooting Finicum on 26 January because he failed to heed their commands to surrender and repeatedly reached for his weapon.

Finicum was struck by three rounds fired by state troopers after he got out of his truck.

The troopers also shot three rounds into Finicum's truck as it was barreling towards them, officials said.

But officials also said that FBI agents who were on the scene failed to say that as Finicum was getting out of his truck, they themselves fired two rounds, neither of which hit him.

One of those rounds hit the roof of Finicum's truck.

The US Justice Department's Office of Inspector General said it is investigating the FBI team's actions, working with Oregon officials.

Finicum was a high-profile figure in the weeks long standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, launched on 2 January by a small armed group demanding the government relinquish control of public lands and objecting to the prison sentences of two local ranchers convicted of setting fires.

His death became a symbol for those decrying federal oversight, on public lands in the West and elsewhere, and led to protests of what they called an unnecessary use of force.

FBI - MUST COURTESY 'FBI'

Near Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon - 26 January, 2016

1. Aerial, Truck driven by LaVoy Finicum stopped on road ++MUTE++

LAW ENFORCEMENT HANDOUT - PART MUST COURTESY 'LAW ENFORCEMENT HANDOUT'

Near Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon - 26 January, 2016

2. SOUNDBITE (English) LaVoy Finicum, Armed Rancher:

"You can go ahead and shoot me. Put the laser right there. Put the bullet through the head."

FBI - MUST COURTESY 'FBI'

Near Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon - 26 January, 2016

3. Aerial, Various Finicum's truck driving ++MUTE++

LAW ENFORCEMENT HANDOUT - PART MUST COURTESY 'LAW ENFORCEMENT HANDOUT'

Near Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon - 26 January, 2016

4. Two Videos synchronized by law enforcement: FBI Aerials as truck approaches roadblock and swerves, Amateur video from inside truck as passengers hear shots

FBI - MUST COURTESY 'FBI'

FILE: Near Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon - 26 January 2016

5. Aerial, Finicum walking away from truck, falls ++MUTE++

AP TELEVISION

FILE: Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon - January 2016

6. Various LaVoy Finicum speaking with reporters, sitting in snow (filmed before shooting)

HEADLINE: FBI raids rescue 105 kids forced into prostitution

CAPTION: The FBI says it has rescued 105 children who were forced into prostitution in the United States and arrested 150 people it described as pimps and others in a series of raids in 76 American cities. (July 29)

DURATION:

Washington, DC - July 29, 2013

1. SOUNDBITE: Ron Hosko / Asst. Director, FBI Criminal Investigative Division

Over the past 72 hours, the FBI has joined forces with over 230 federal, state and local agencies as well as our partners from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children to conduct a seventh iteration of Operation Cross Country.

**Video over Soundbite**

Operation Cross Country -- Courtesy FBI

Various Locations in US -- Past 72 Hours

2. SOUNDBITE: Ron Hosko / Asst. Director, FBI Criminal Investigative Division

"Operation Cross Country Seven included enforcement action in 76 cities across the country and it resulted in the recovery of 105 children and the arrest of 150 pimps, who would be involved in the commercial exploitation of both adults and children. The arrests occurred on a variety of federal and state charges. The FBI and our partners conducted 28 searches, with 129 seizures of cash drugs, vehicles and firearms as well as other personal items estimated to have a value of $165,000. This operation targeted venues where girls and adults are operated for commercial sex. That includes street tracks, truckstops, motels, casinos, internet sites, social media platforms, and the like. The children recovered in this operation ranged in age from 13-17, and at least 21 of them had been previously known to our partners at NCMEC. All the child victims identified were removed from dangerous environments and relocated to safe settings according to our standards, state regulations and local regulations.

**Video over Soundbite**

Operation Cross Country -- Courtesy FBI

Various Locations in US -- Past 72 Hours

STORYLINE:

Authorities rescued 105 children who were forced into prostitution and arrested 150 pimps and others in a three-day law enforcement sweep in 76 American cities, the FBI said Monday. The victims, almost all girls, range in age from 13 to 17.

The largest numbers of children rescued were in San Francisco, Detroit, Milwaukee, Denver and New Orleans. The campaign, known as Operation Cross Country, was conducted under the FBI's Innocence Lost initiative.

"Child prostitution remains a persistent threat to children across the country," Ron Hosko, assistant director of the bureau's criminal investigative division, told a press conference.

The FBI said the campaign has resulted in rescuing 2,700 children since 2003.

The investigations and convictions of 1,350 have led to life imprisonment for 10 pimps and the seizure of more than $3.1 million in assets.

For the past decade, the FBI has been attacking the problem in partnership with a non-profit group, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

John Ryan, the head of the center, called the problem "an escalating threat against America's children."

The Justice Department has estimated that nearly 450,000 children run away from home each year and that one-third of teens living on the street will be lured toward prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.

Congress has introduced legislation that would require state law enforcement, foster care and child welfare programs to identify children lured into sex trafficking as victims of abuse and neglect eligible for the appropriate protections and services.

"In much of the country today if a girl is found in the custody of a so-called pimp she is not considered to be a victim of abuse, and that's just wrong and defies common sense," Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said during a Senate Finance Committee hearing last month. Wyden co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.

APVUS VERSION

Video of FBI-led raids -- Courtesy FBI

Various Locations -- 72 Hour Operation

1. Various shots of FBI-led raids

Pool Video

Washington, DC. - July 29, 2013

2. SOUNDBITE: Ron Hosko / Asst. Director, FBI Criminal Investigative Division

The FBI and our partners conducted 28 searches, with 129 seizures of cash drugs, vehicles and firearms as well as other personal items estimated to have a value of $165,000.

Video of FBI-led raids -- Courtesy FBI

Various Locations -- 72 Hour Operation

3. Various shots of FBI-led raids

Pool Video

Washington, DC. - July 29, 2013

4. SOUNDBITE: Ron Hosko / Asst. Director, FBI Criminal Investigative Division

This operation targeted venues where girls and adults are operated for commercial sex. That includes street tracks, truckstops, motels, casinos, internet sites, social media platforms, and the like. The children recovered in this operation ranged in age from 13-17, and at least 21 of them had been previously known to our partners at NCMEC.

Video of FBI-led raids -- Courtesy FBI

Various Locations -- 72 Hour Operation

5. Various shots of FBI-led raids

Pool Video

Washington, DC. - July 29, 2013

6. SOUNDBITE: John Ryan / Center for Missing and Exploited Children

We must remember that these children are victims. They are too you to consent to having sex. Pimps market sex for children openly at online classified sites like Back Page, they sell them at truck stops, and they sell them on streets in every city in America.

Video of FBI-led raids -- Courtesy FBI

Various Locations -- 72 Hour Operation

7. Various shots of FBI-led raids

STORYLINE

The FBI has released sketches drawn by an admitted serial killer of some of his victims, along with other information on a string of unsolved cold-case homicides to which investigators say the man confessed.

The bureau updated on Tuesday information it had posted in November on its website. The update included drawings made recently by admitted serial killer Samuel Little, based on his memories of some of his victims.

An FBI statement says Little targeted "marginalized and vulnerable women who were often involved in prostitution and addicted to drugs." The bureau hopes the information will generate tips and clues from the public that could help solve the dozens of unsolved homicides.

The FBI says Little, who's 78, is in poor health and is expected to remain in a Texas prison.

The Texas Rangers say Little to date has confessed to 90 homicides nationwide over the past four decades. Ector County District Attorney Bobby Bland in Odessa, Texas, said 50 cold homicide cases have been closed as a result and most of the unsolved homicides remaining are in California

The FBI says Little, whom the bureau said "may be among the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history," has a criminal record dating to 1956. But only recently has he opened up about the long list of killings he has said he committed. Agents who have interviewed Little say he remembers his victims and the killings in great detail, including where he was and what car he was driving. But he could provide little help on dates, creating a challenge that the FBI hopes Little's drawings can help surmount.

Los Angeles police detectives conducted a major cold case review in 2013, after Little was arrested for the murder of three Los Angeles women in the 1980's.

FBI - Must Credit FBI

1. Undated sketches - drawings made by admitted serial killer Samuel Little, based on his memories of some of his victims

ECTOR COUNTY, TEXAS SHERIFF'S OFFICE - Mandatory Credit Ector County Sheriff's Office

Location/Date not available

2. STILL - Samuel Little

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

++MUTE FROM SOURCE++

Los Angeles - 15 March 2013

3. Los Angeles police detectives going through files on cold cases, including binders of evidence on Samuel Little

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Det. Mitzi Roberts, Los Angeles Police Dept.

"Once we knew what we were dealing with, which was a violent offender, a serial killer, then it became very important for us to get this guy in custody."

++MUTE FROM SOURCE++

5. Detectives look through cold case files

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Det. Mitzi Roberts, Los Angeles Police Dept.

"He preys on women that are either prostitutes or addicted to drugs. Either makes a date with them."

++MUTE FROM SOURCE++

7. Detectives looking through cold case files

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Detective Rick Jackson, Los Angeles Police Dept:

"He used a boxer's punch. He has a boxing background from what we've learned."

++MUTE FROM SOURCE++

9. Detective Jackson looking at maps

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Det. Mitzi Roberts, Los Angeles Police Dept.

"The act of choking is what actually motivates him sexually, what sort of gets him off."

ODEESSA AMERICAN VIA AP - Mandatory Credit Odessa American

Odessa, Texas - 13 December 2018

11. Various stills - Samuel Little, in wheel chair, leaves court after pleading guilty to killing Denise Christie Brothers in 1994 and receiving an additional life sentence

SHOTLIST:

FBI HANDOUT

April 19 2013

1. FBI statement with pictures of surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, reading (English) "The above suspect in hood, a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing, has been identified by the FBI as the individual in the photo on the right, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (DOB: 7/22/93). Approach with caution. Suspect may be armed and dangerous."

INTERNET - unknown date

2. STILL: Frame grab of Russian social network Vkontakte (VK.COM) showing profile page that is apparently Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev's (Please note his name on the website has been spelled as: Djohar Tsarnaev)

INTERNET - unknown date

3. STILL: Picture grabbed from Russian social network Vkontakte showing photo that is apparently Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev (Photo was uploaded on 19 March 2012

INTERNET - unknown date

4. STILL: Picture grabbed from Russian social network Vkontakte showing photo that is apparently Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev (Photo was uploaded on 8 April 2012)

INTERNET - May 05 2001

5. STILL: Various frame grabs of a website called wickedlocal.com/cambridge reporting in 2011 about 2,500 US dollars scholarship awards from the city of Cambridge to Cambridge high school seniors. Last line, second name reading: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

STORYLINE:

The FBI has released images of the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect and warned the public to approach him with caution, as he "may be armed and dangerous."

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, is one of two brothers believed to be responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday.

The two brothers allegedly killed a university police officer and hurled explosives at police in a car chase and gun battle overnight that also killed Dzhokhar's brother, Tamerlan, who was 26.

An uncle, Ruslan Tsarni, who lives in a Washington suburb, said the men lived together near Boston and have been in the United States for about a decade.

Before moving to the United States, Dzhokhar attended School No. 1 in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim republic in Russia's North Caucasus that has become an epicentre of an insurgency.

In what appears to be Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's page on the Russian social networking site Vkontakte, he says he attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Massachusetts, graduating in 2011.

In May of that year, Dzhokhar was awarded a 2,500 US dollars scholarship from the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to pursue higher education.

On what appears to be his Vkontakte page he describes himself as speaking Chechen as well as English and Russian.

His world view is described as "Islam" and his personal goal is "career and money."

Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev are ethnic Chechens who spent some of their youth in Dagestan in Russia's North Caucasus, which has been plagued by separatist wars.

English/Nat

Law enforcement officers around the United States are finally able to compare D-N-A genetic evidence taken from convicted felons and that gathered in unsolved cases.

The F-B-I switched on a national computer system on Tuesday making this possible.

The project is not without controversy however as the collection of D-N-A from prisoners is considered an invasion of privacy by some groups.

All 50 states will be linked to the F-B-I computer which contains genetic profiles of 250- thousand convicted state felons.

The database also includes D-N-A profiles taken from evidence left at the scene of 46- hundred unsolved cases.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"With respect to that issue, suspects or crime scene samples that is identified as belonging to a potential suspect, are not permitted to be up-loaded into the national D-N- A index system. Truely unknown crime scene samples and then the samples, the D-N- A profile from convicted offenders will be all that's contained at the national level. And I think that's depicted in the board down there. Its the forensic index and the convicted offender."

SUPER CAPTION: Dawn Herkemham, Unit Chief of Forensic Science Systems Unit

The states have collected another 350-thousand D-N-A samples from convicted felons but have yet to analyse them and enter the genetic profiles onto the computer database.

While the federal government set up the national computer system to share the records, Congress has not passed a law authorising collection of D-N-A samples from federal felons.

Proposed federal legislation would cover only violent felons, not white-collar criminals.

The system faces many unresolved issues.

One is whether the mass screening of suspects' D-N-A will prove constitutional.

Another is whether the government is invading the privacy of those from whom it is collected.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"Prisoners who are convicted of crime have to serve a sentence. That's the debt they owe to society. They don't owe the sacrifice of their personal privacy rights for all time."

SUPER CAPTION: Gregory T. Nojeim, American Civil Liberties Union

D-N-A reveals so much about a person that some fear behavioural scientists might wish to search for genetic variants linked to criminal behaviour.

Some groups question whether the government can be trusted to protect the database from other uses despite assurances it will only be used for law enforcement purposes.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"There are two primary concerns about the new data bases. The first is misuse of the information which is collected and the second is abuse of the information collected. And we have these concerns because there is a history of the government abusing personal information about the citizens. For example, since this data was abused back in world war two to find Japanese Americans so that they could be interned."

SUPER CAPTION: Gregory T. Nojeim, American Civil Liberties Union

Since last December the F-B-I has conducted an eight-state test of the system and has matched D-N-A evidence from almost 200 cases to specific individuals.

When local police labs take evidence from a convicted felon or crime scene they enter the D-N-A profiles into a state computer system.

The states then decide which records are loaded into the F-B-I computer, known as the National D-N-A Index System.

When a state wants to make a comparison, it first checks locally, then state wide, then among nearby states and finally nationally in this computerised system.

Each broader search takes more time.

If there are no matches between local evidence and the convicted-felon profiles, local authorities would then try to match their evidence with the profiles in the unsolved cases.

This could link previously unrelated crimes and might help investigators find a culprit.

A match with a felon's profile is enough to provide probable cause to get a court order to obtain a new blood sample from that felon to compare with any crime-scene evidence.

Washington D-C, U-S-A, October 13, 1998

APTN - Washington, Oct 13

1. Wideshot of F-B-I press conference

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dawn Herkemham, Unit Chief of Forensic Science Systems Unit

3. Gregory T. Nojeim walking down steps of American Civil Liberties Union

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gregory T. Nojeim, American Civil Liberties Union

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gregory T. Nojeim, American Civil Liberties Union

FBI VNR - File

7. Sign for D-N-A lab at F-B-I

8. Various shots of scientist working at F-B-I lab

APTN - Rockville, MD May 11, 1998

9. Lab technicians at the Armed Forces Identification Laboratory

HEADLINE: Man shot while questioned in Boston probe

CAPTION: Officials say a Chechen immigrant who was being questioned about his ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was shot to death after a violent confrontation with an FBI agent. (May 22)

DURATION:

1:00

SOURCE - RESTRICTION or COURTESY

Orlando, Florida

1. Wide of home where shooting took place

2. Medium of investigators nearby

3. Wide of neighborhood

ORANGE COURNTY CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT - COURTESY ORANGE COUNTY CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT

Unknown date and location

4. Still image of Ibragim Todashev

AP TELEVISON

Kissimmee, Florida - May 22, 2013

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Khusen Taramov, friend of Ibragim Todashev (Transcript Below)

FBI - AP Clients Only

Boston, Massachusetts - April 15, 2013

6. Still image of Tsarnaev brothers just before Boston bombings

HANDOUT

No date or location given

7. Still image of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

FBI

Boston, Massachusetts - April 15, 2013

8. Surveillance footage of Tsarnaev brothers walking after placing bombs

RYAN HOYME - COURTESY RYAN HOYME

Boston, Massachusetts - April 15, 2013

++USER GENERATED CONTENT: UGC cannot be absolutely verified. This video has been authenticated based on the following validation checks:

++Video and audio checked against known locations and events

++Video is consistent with independent AP reporting

++Video cleared for use by all AP clients by content creator

++Mandatory on-screen credit to: Ryan Hoyme

9. Wide shot of bombing aftermath

VOICE-OVER SCRIPT:

A CHECHEN IMMIGRANT -- BEING QUESTIONED ABOUT HIS TIED TO ONE OF THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING SUSPECTS --

IS SHOT TO DEATH AFTER A VIOLENT CONFRONTATION WITH AN F-B-I AGENT IN AN ORLANDO HOME.

THE F-B-I IS NOT PROVIDING ANY MORE DETAIL ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

PUBLIC RECORDS SHOW IBRAGIM TODASHEV (E-BRA-HIM TOE-DASH-EV) LIVED IN WATERTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS LAST YEAR.

FRIENDS SAY HE KNEW TAMERLAN TSARNAEV FROM MIXED MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Khusen Taramov, friend of Ibragim Todashev:

all it was about, is about him knowing, knowing the guy, Tamerlan, and talking to him on the phone, I think a month before the bombing. That's it. You know what I mean? And but, Tamerlan, those two guys, they kept it in secret. You know what I mean? That's how they did it, I guess.

TSARNAEV WAS KILLED IN A SHOOTOUT WITH POLICE DAYS AFTER THE APRIL 15 BOMBINGS.

HIS YOUNGER BROTHER, DZHOKHAR, SURVIVED --

AND IS CHARGED WITH CARRYING OUT THE ATTACK THAT KILLED THREE PEOPLE AND WOUNDED MORE THAN 260.

INVESTIGATORS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ESTABLISH THE SCOPE OF THE PLOT.

SIGOUT - Bob McCall/Associated Press

STORYLINE

FBI Director James Comey said government and the tech industry need to sort out their differences over encryption before "something terrible happens" that would make productive conversations impossible.

Acknowledging that talks will probably have to wait until a new president takes office next year, Comey said that it's up to the American people - not the FBI or the tech companies- to decide how to resolve the issue. But before making that decision, people need to understand the cost of absolute privacy.

Comey made the comments Tuesday at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York, an event jointly held by the FBI and Fordham University.

The encryption debate took center stage earlier this year after the FBI demanded that Apple Inc. help it access an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Apple vowed a court fight, but the matter was ultimately dropped after a third-party provided the FBI with a way to access the phone's information.

The FBI and other law enforcement maintain that without a so-called "back door" through strong encryption, investigators can't get access to potentially crucial information. But much of the tech industry and privacy advocates counter that creating a back door would undermine security for everyone.

FBI Director James Comey said government and the tech industry need to sort out their differences over encryption before "something terrible happens" that would make productive conversations impossible.

Acknowledging that talks will probably have to wait until a new president takes office next year, Comey said that it's up to the American people - not the FBI or the tech companies- to decide how to resolve the issue. But before making that decision, people need to understand the cost of absolute privacy.

Comey made the comments Tuesday at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York, an event jointly held by the FBI and Fordham University.

The encryption debate took center stage earlier this year after the FBI demanded that Apple Inc. help it access an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Apple vowed a court fight, but the matter was ultimately dropped after a third-party provided the FBI with a way to access the phone's information.

The FBI and other law enforcement maintain that without a so-called "back door" through strong encryption, investigators can't get access to potentially crucial information. But much of the tech industry and privacy advocates counter that creating a back door would undermine security for everyone.

FBI Director James Comey said government and the tech industry need to sort out their differences over encryption before "something terrible happens" that would make productive conversations impossible.

Acknowledging that talks will probably have to wait until a new president takes office next year, Comey said that it's up to the American people - not the FBI or the tech companies- to decide how to resolve the issue. But before making that decision, people need to understand the cost of absolute privacy.

Comey made the comments Tuesday at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York, an event jointly held by the FBI and Fordham University.

The encryption debate took center stage earlier this year after the FBI demanded that Apple Inc. help it access an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Apple vowed a court fight, but the matter was ultimately dropped after a third-party provided the FBI with a way to access the phone's information.

The FBI and other law enforcement maintain that without a so-called "back door" through strong encryption, investigators can't get access to potentially crucial information. But much of the tech industry and privacy advocates counter that creating a back door would undermine security for everyone.

New York - July 27, 2016

1. James Comey, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation, walking to podium

2. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation:

"At some point encryption is going to figure in a major event in this country. We have to have the conversation before that happens because after that happens, the time for thoughtful reflection will be significantly reduced. And this is a hard conversation. It's a conflict of two values that we all share."

3. Wide Comey speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation:

"And I'm not here to tell you what the answer is to resolve this problem, but one thing we have to recognize, is that moving to a place where huge swaths of American life are by default out of reach of judicial authority is a different way to live. We've never lived that way before. And it destroys the balance that our founders struck, and maybe that's okay, or maybe that's terrible. That is not for the FBI to say. The FBI's job is to tell the American people when the tools you are counting on us to use to protect you aren't working so much anymore, we need to shout from the rooftops. But the FBI should not tell people what the answer is, nor should companies that make amazing equipment. They should not be telling the American people how to solve this problem. The American people should be figuring out how they want to be governed. But that conversation has to be informed by and understanding of the costs of absolute privacy."

5. Zoom in Comey speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation:

"So I hope you'll join in that conversation which will probably be, we'll have to wait until after the election to have the space in American life to have that conversation, that's fine. But we will continue collecting data so we can have that informed conversation next year."

7. Wide pan press cameras as Comey closes speech

Was Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh honest when providing testimony last week to the Senate to defend himself against allegations of sexual misconduct?

If the FBI finds any evidence to refute Kavanaugh's testimony, provided under oath, experts say that could change the minds of Republican Senators, even though many of them have already made up their minds on whether they want to confirm him to the Supreme Court.

"The real issue with Judge Kavanaugh's for his confirmation is going to be: is anything he said under oath so contravened by what the FBI finds so as to persuade Republican members of the Senate to change their view?," said National Security attorney Mark Zaid.

"So it's going to be the introduction of new evidence that would directly contradict Judge Kavanaugh to be able to modify or change someone's opinion as to his credibility, temperament or character," said Zaid.

The FBI currently has a deadline of this Friday, October 5th to complete an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh.

FBI agents have interviewed at least one of the three women who have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct as Republicans and Democrats quarreled over whether the bureau would have enough time and freedom to conduct a thorough investigation before a high-stakes vote on his nomination to the nation's highest court.

Zaid said he thinks one week should be enough time to complete an investigation "if the FBI devotes the man hours that they need."

One area Democrats are planning to focus on as they question whether the nominee was fully truthful in his testimony before the Senate, including his statements about his drinking habits during college and high school.

Senate Judiciary Committee member Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., requested an investigation last Friday - after he and other Republicans on the panel voted along strict party lines in favor of Kavanaugh's confirmation - as a condition for his own subsequent vote to put Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rockville, Maryland - 1 October 2018

1. Various of Mark Zaid during interview

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Zaid, National Security Attorney:

"The real issue with Judge Kavanaugh's for his confirmation is going to be: is anything he said under oath so contravened by what the FBI finds so as to persuade Republican members of the Senate to change their view? Because the Democratic members, I mean, let's be honest, they've pretty much made up their minds. And maybe one could say that, and probably can, on both sides. So it's going to be the introduction of new evidence that would directly contradict Judge Kavanaugh to be able to modify or change someone's opinion as to his credibility, temperament or character."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC- 27 September 2018

3. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh walks into hearing room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rockville, Maryland - 1 October 2018

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Zaid, National Security Attorney:

"The FBI does not come up with any type of independent conclusions or recommendations. They are seeking to either verify or corroborate or substantiate the allegation or if they can say that it's been disproven."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - Archive/Recent

5. Various exteriors of FBI

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rockville, Maryland - 1 October 2018

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Zaid, National Security Attorney:

"Even though President Trump has vilified the FBI both by by its credibility, its trustworthiness, its competence. I, having dealt with them all the time, I don't have any problems believing that the FBI cannot handle this objectively by their professional standards as they do every single day. Now there always can be criticisms objectively or subjectively thrown at any of the agencies but this is what the FBI does and they are the experienced investigators. And there's no reason to believe regardless of the partisan bickering that has occurred out of this administration that the FBI wouldn't be able to conduct this investigation in a standard normalized routine manner that it does every single day."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - File/Recent

7. Various exteriors of FBI

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rockville, Maryland - 1 October 2018

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Zaid, National Security Attorney:

"If the FBI devotes the man hours that they need, I think one week they could absolutely continue and finish this investigation. Again right now it looks like we're somewhat limited in scope. It will always change, depending on what information comes up. I would hope if the Bureau comes across a lead that they seem or deemed to be credible and significant they would say, 'Look just give us a few more days to just task out this one lead.'"

POOL

Washington DC - 27 September 2018

9. Various of Senators at hearing on nomination of Kavanaugh

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rockville, Maryland - 1 October 2018

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Zaid, National Security Attorney:

"This particular case can unfortunately and may serve as a real sort of line in the sand or slippery slope to where we go because if the Democrats do gain power in November and then take over in January and they try to initiate any type of impeachment actions against Justice Kavanaugh or pack the court the way President Roosevelt did 70, 80 years ago, we're just as a society, I think, going downhill. It's just going to become more partisan more divided."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 27 September 2018

11. Various of Senate Democrats walking

12. Various of Kavanaugh at hearing

Was Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh honest when providing testimony last week to the Senate to defend himself against allegations of sexual misconduct?

If the FBI finds any evidence to refute Kavanaugh's testimony, provided under oath, experts say that could change the minds of Republican Senators, even though many of them have already made up their minds on whether they want to confirm him to the Supreme Court.

"The real issue with Judge Kavanaugh's for his confirmation is going to be: is anything he said under oath so contravened by what the FBI finds so as to persuade Republican members of the Senate to change their view?," said National Security attorney Mark Zaid.

"So it's going to be the introduction of new evidence that would directly contradict Judge Kavanaugh to be able to modify or change someone's opinion as to his credibility, temperament or character," said Zaid.

The FBI currently has a deadline of this Friday, October 5th to complete an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh.

FBI agents have interviewed at least one of the three women who have accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct as Republicans and Democrats quarreled over whether the bureau would have enough time and freedom to conduct a thorough investigation before a high-stakes vote on his nomination to the nation's highest court.

Zaid said he thinks one week should be enough time to complete an investigation "if the FBI devotes the man hours that they need."

One area Democrats are planning to focus on as they question whether the nominee was fully truthful in his testimony before the Senate, including his statements about his drinking habits during college and high school.

Senate Judiciary Committee member Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., requested an investigation last Friday - after he and other Republicans on the panel voted along strict party lines in favor of Kavanaugh's confirmation - as a condition for his own subsequent vote to put Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rockville, Maryland - 1 October 2018

1. Various of Mark Zaid during interview

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Zaid, National Security Attorney:

"The real issue with Judge Kavanaugh's for his confirmation is going to be: is anything he said under oath so contravened by what the FBI finds so as to persuade Republican members of the Senate to change their view? Because the Democratic members, I mean, let's be honest, they've pretty much made up their minds. And maybe one could say that, and probably can, on both sides. So it's going to be the introduction of new evidence that would directly contradict Judge Kavanaugh to be able to modify or change someone's opinion as to his credibility, temperament or character."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 27 September 2018

3. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh walks into hearing room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rockville, Maryland - 1 October 2018

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Zaid, National Security Attorney:

"The FBI does not come up with any type of independent conclusions or recommendations. They are seeking to either verify or corroborate or substantiate the allegation or if they can say that it's been disproven."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - File/Recent

5. Various exteriors of FBI

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rockville, Maryland - 1 October 2018

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Zaid, National Security Attorney:

"Even though President Trump has vilified the FBI both by by its credibility, its trustworthiness, its competence. I, having dealt with them all the time, I don't have any problems believing that the FBI cannot handle this objectively by their professional standards as they do every single day. Now there always can be criticisms objectively or subjectively thrown at any of the agencies but this is what the FBI does and they are the experienced investigators. And there's no reason to believe regardless of the partisan bickering that has occurred out of this administration that the FBI wouldn't be able to conduct this investigation in a standard normalized routine manner that it does every single day."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - File/Recent

7. Various exteriors of FBI

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rockville, Maryland - 1 October 2018

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Zaid, National Security Attorney:

"If the FBI devotes the man hours that they need, I think one week they could absolutely continue and finish this investigation. Again right now it looks like we're somewhat limited in scope. It will always change, depending on what information comes up. I would hope if the Bureau comes across a lead that they seem or deemed to be credible and significant they would say, 'Look just give us a few more days to just task out this one lead.'"

POOL

Washington - 27 September 2018

9. Various of Senators at hearing on nomination of Kavanaugh

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rockville, Maryland - 1 October 2018

10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mark Zaid, National Security Attorney:

"This particular case can unfortunately and may serve as a real sort of line in the sand or slippery slope to where we go because if the Democrats do gain power in November and then take over in January and they try to initiate any type of impeachment actions against Justice Kavanaugh or pack the court the way President Roosevelt did 70, 80 years ago, we're just as a society, I think, going downhill. It's just going to become more partisan more divided."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 27 September 2018

11. Various of Senate Democrats walking

12. Various of Kavanaugh at hearing

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus060173

FBI Director James Comey said government and the tech industry need to sort out their differences over encryption before "something terrible happens" that would make productive conversations impossible.

Acknowledging that talks will probably have to wait until a new president takes office next year, Comey said that it's up to the American people _ not the FBI or the tech companies _ to decide how to resolve the issue. But before making that decision, people need to understand the cost of absolute privacy.

"At some point encryption is going to figure into a major event in this country, "Comey said. "We've got to have this conversation before that happens, because after that, the time for thoughtful reflection will be significantly reduced."

Comey made the comments Tuesday at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York, an event jointly held by the FBI and Fordham University.

The encryption debate took center stage earlier this year after the FBI demanded that Apple Inc. help it access an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Apple vowed a court fight, but the matter was ultimately dropped after a third-party provided the FBI with a way to access the phone's information.

The FBI and other law enforcement maintain that without a so-called "back door" through strong encryption, investigators can't get access to potentially crucial information. But much of the tech industry and privacy advocates counter that creating a back door would undermine security for everyone.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus060173

FBI Director James Comey said government and the tech industry need to sort out their differences over encryption before "something terrible happens" that would make productive conversations impossible.

Acknowledging that talks will probably have to wait until a new president takes office next year, Comey said that it's up to the American people _ not the FBI or the tech companies _ to decide how to resolve the issue. But before making that decision, people need to understand the cost of absolute privacy.

"At some point encryption is going to figure into a major event in this country, "Comey said. "We've got to have this conversation before that happens, because after that, the time for thoughtful reflection will be significantly reduced."

Comey made the comments Tuesday at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York, an event jointly held by the FBI and Fordham University.

The encryption debate took center stage earlier this year after the FBI demanded that Apple Inc. help it access an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Apple vowed a court fight, but the matter was ultimately dropped after a third-party provided the FBI with a way to access the phone's information.

The FBI and other law enforcement maintain that without a so-called "back door" through strong encryption, investigators can't get access to potentially crucial information. But much of the tech industry and privacy advocates counter that creating a back door would undermine security for everyone.

New York - July 27, 2016

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASHES+

1. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation:

"At some point encryption is going to figure in a major event in this country. We have to have the conversation before that happens because after that happens, the time for thoughtful reflection will be significantly reduced. And this is a hard conversation. It's a conflict of two values we all share."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation:

"And I'm not here to tell you what the answer is to resolve this problem, but one thing we have to recognize, is that moving to a place where huge swaths of American life are by default out of reach of judicial authority is a different way to live. We've never lived that way before. And it destroys the balance that our founders struck, and maybe that's okay, or maybe that's terrible. That is not for the FBI to say. The FBI's job is to tell the American people when the tools you are counting on us to use to protect you aren't working so much anymore, we need to shout from the rooftops. But the FBI should not tell people what the answer is, nor should companies that make amazing equipment. They should not be telling the American people how to solve this problem. The American people should be figuring out how they want to be governed. But that conversation has to be informed by and understanding of the costs of absolute privacy."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation:

"So I hope you'll join in that conversation which will probably be, we'll have to wait until after the election to have the space in American life to have that conversation, that's fine. But we will continue collecting data so we can have that informed conversation next year."

FBI Director James Comey said government and the tech industry need to sort out their differences over encryption before "something terrible happens" that would make productive conversations impossible.

Acknowledging that talks will probably have to wait until a new president takes office next year, Comey said that it's up to the American people _ not the FBI or the tech companies _ to decide how to resolve the issue. But before making that decision, people need to understand the cost of absolute privacy.

"At some point encryption is going to figure into a major event in this country, "Comey said. "We've got to have this conversation before that happens, because after that, the time for thoughtful reflection will be significantly reduced."

Comey made the comments Tuesday at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York, an event jointly held by the FBI and Fordham University.

The encryption debate took center stage earlier this year after the FBI demanded that Apple Inc. help it access an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Apple vowed a court fight, but the matter was ultimately dropped after a third-party provided the FBI with a way to access the phone's information.

The FBI and other law enforcement maintain that without a so-called "back door" through strong encryption, investigators can't get access to potentially crucial information. But much of the tech industry and privacy advocates counter that creating a back door would undermine security for everyone.

FBI Director James Comey said government and the tech industry need to sort out their differences over encryption before "something terrible happens" that would make productive conversations impossible.

Acknowledging that talks will probably have to wait until a new president takes office next year, Comey said that it's up to the American people _ not the FBI or the tech companies _ to decide how to resolve the issue. But before making that decision, people need to understand the cost of absolute privacy.

"At some point encryption is going to figure into a major event in this country, "Comey said. "We've got to have this conversation before that happens, because after that, the time for thoughtful reflection will be significantly reduced."

Comey made the comments Tuesday at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York, an event jointly held by the FBI and Fordham University.

The encryption debate took center stage earlier this year after the FBI demanded that Apple Inc. help it access an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Apple vowed a court fight, but the matter was ultimately dropped after a third-party provided the FBI with a way to access the phone's information.

The FBI and other law enforcement maintain that without a so-called "back door" through strong encryption, investigators can't get access to potentially crucial information. But much of the tech industry and privacy advocates counter that creating a back door would undermine security for everyone.

New York - July 27, 2016

1. James Comey walking to podium

2. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation:

"At some point encryption is going to figure in a major event in this country. We have to have the conversation before that happens because after that happens, the time for thoughtful reflection will be significantly reduced. And this is a hard conversation. It's a conflict of two values that we all share."

3. Wide Comey speaking

4. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation:

"And I'm not here to tell you what the answer is to resolve this problem, but one thing we have to recognize, is that moving to a place where huge swaths of American life are by default out of reach of judicial authority is a different way to live. We've never lived that way before. And it destroys the balance that our founders struck, and maybe that's okay, or maybe that's terrible. That is not for the FBI to say. The FBI's job is to tell the American people when the tools you are counting on us to use to protect you aren't working so much anymore, we need to shout from the rooftops. But the FBI should not tell people what the answer is, nor should companies that make amazing equipment. They should not be telling the American people how to solve this problem. The American people should be figuring out how they want to be governed. But that conversation has to be informed by and understanding of the costs of absolute privacy."

5. Zoom in Comey speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation:

"So I hope you'll join in that conversation which will probably be, we'll have to wait until after the election to have the space in American life to have that conversation, that's fine. But we will continue collecting data so we can have that informed conversation next year."

7. Wide pan press cameras as Comey closes speech

FBI Director James Comey likened impenetrable digital encryption to a "vicious guard dog" Tuesday, as a high-stakes fight between privacy and national security moved from the courts to Congress.

"There's already a door on that iPhone. We're asking Apple to take the vicious guard dog away and let us pick the lock," Comey said before the House Judiciary Committee.

Tuesday's hearing comes amid two significant — and conflicting — court rulings in New York and California on whether Apple can be forced to help the FBI gain access to locked phones.

The hearing, which was also to feature Apple's top lawyer, is providing an extraordinary public forum for the Justice Department and Apple Inc. to stake out competing positions. The company's recent opposition has brought a long-simmering debate over digital privacy rights and national security to the mainstream.

A judge in California two weeks ago directed Apple to help the FBI hack into a locked iPhone used by one of the gunmen responsible for the San Bernardino, California attacks that killed 14 people. But on Monday, a judge in Brooklyn said the Obama administration couldn't force Apple to help it gain access to the phone.

Comey acknowledged Tuesday that either decision could set a precedent for other courts.

The California case involves an iPhone 5C owned by San Bernardino County and used by Syed Farook, who was a health inspector. He and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people during a Dec. 2 attack that was at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group. The couple died later in a gun battle with police.

FBI Director James Comey likened impenetrable digital encryption to a "vicious guard dog" Tuesday, as a high-stakes fight between privacy and national security moved from the courts to Congress.

"There's already a door on that iPhone. We're asking Apple to take the vicious guard dog away and let us pick the lock," Comey said before the House Judiciary Committee.

Tuesday's hearing comes amid two significant — and conflicting — court rulings in New York and California on whether Apple can be forced to help the FBI gain access to locked phones.

The hearing, which was also to feature Apple's top lawyer, is providing an extraordinary public forum for the Justice Department and Apple Inc. to stake out competing positions. The company's recent opposition has brought a long-simmering debate over digital privacy rights and national security to the mainstream.

A judge in California two weeks ago directed Apple to help the FBI hack into a locked iPhone used by one of the gunmen responsible for the San Bernardino, California attacks that killed 14 people. But on Monday, a judge in Brooklyn said the Obama administration couldn't force Apple to help it gain access to the phone.

Comey acknowledged Tuesday that either decision could set a precedent for other courts.

The California case involves an iPhone 5C owned by San Bernardino County and used by Syed Farook, who was a health inspector. He and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people during a Dec. 2 attack that was at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group. The couple died later in a gun battle with police.

POOL

Washington - 1 March 2016

1. FBI Director James Comey walking into hearing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"Thank you for hosting this conversation and for helping us all talk about an issue that I believe is the hardest issue I've confronted in government, which is how to balance the privacy we so treasure, that comes to us through the technology that we love. And also achieve public safety which we also all very much treasure."

3. Cutaway of hearing

4. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

++SOUNDBITE INCLUDES CUTAWAYS++

"Two terrorists in the name of ISIL killed 14 people and wounded 22 others at an office gathering, and left behind three phones - two of which, the cheaper models, they smashed beyond use, and the third was left locked. In any investigation that's done competently, the FBI would try to get access to that phone. It's important that it's a live ongoing terrorism investigation, but in any criminal investigation, a competent investigator would try and use all lawful tools to get access to that device. And that's what you see happening in San Bernardino. The San Bernardino case is about that case. It obviously highlights the broader issue and of course it will be looked upon by other judges and other litigants, but it is about the case."

5. Cutaway of hearing

6. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"There are no demons in this debate. The companies are not evil. The government is not evil. You have a whole lot of good people who see the world through different lenses, who care about things - all care about the same things in my view. The companies care about public safety. The FBI cares about innovation and privacy. We devote our lives to trying to stop people from stealing our innovation, our secrets, and hacking into our devices. We care about the same things, which should make this in a way an easier conversation."

7. Cutaway of hearing

8. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"Sure potentially, because any decision of a court about a matter is potentially useful to other courts, which is what a precedent is. I happen to think, having talked to experts, there are technical limitations to how useful this particular San Bernardino technique will be, given how the phones have changed. But sure, other courts, other prosecutors, other lawyers for companies, will look to that for guidance or to try and distinguish it."

9. Cutaway of hearing

10. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"There's already a door on that iPhone. Essentially, we're asking Apple - take the vicious guard dog away. Let us try and pick the lock."

11. Cutaway of hearing

The FBI said Friday that investigators were examining the international travel of the gunman who opened fire on two military facilities in Chattanooga and killed four Marines.

FBI agent Ed Reinhold said investigators were looking at all of the overseas travel of 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, who was killed by police.

The gunman opened fire Thursday at a Marine-Navy reserve facility. The FBI, which is leading the investigation into the attacks, said he was wearing a load-bearing vest that allowed him to move about while carrying additional ammunition while he moved about.

The U.S. Attorney in eastern Tennessee said the attacks were being treated as a terrorism investigation.

The FBI said Friday that investigators were examining the international travel of the gunman who opened fire on two military facilities in Chattanooga and killed four Marines.

FBI agent Ed Reinhold said investigators were looking at all of the overseas travel of 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, who was killed by police.

The gunman opened fire Thursday at a Marine-Navy reserve facility. The FBI, which is leading the investigation into the attacks, said he was wearing a load-bearing vest that allowed him to move about while carrying additional ammunition while he moved about.

The U.S. Attorney in eastern Tennessee said the attacks were being treated as a terrorism investigation.

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK++

++QUALITY AS INCOMING++

WKRN - COURTESY WKRN, EMBARGO CHATTANOOGA

Chattanooga, Tennessee - 17 July 2015

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Bill Killian, US Attorney:

"The active shooter situation is being treated as a terrorism investigation. It is being led by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, and we will continue to investigate it as an act of terrorism until the proof shows us otherwise."

WZTV - COURTESY WZTV, EMBARGO NASHVILLE

Chattanooga, Tennessee - 17 July 2015

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ed Reinhold, FBI Special Agent in Charge:

"We have not classified it as an act of terrorism. Let me be perfectly clear. What we have decided, or what we have determined, that we will treat it as an act of terrorism until it is determined one way or the other as to whether it was an act of terrorism or some other type of criminal event."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ed Reinhold, FBI Special Agent in Charge:

"He was killed inside of the fence area. All the Marines were killed within inside the fence as well."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ed Reinhold, FBI Special Agent in Charge:

"Well, obviously we are looking at any foreign travel that he may have performed. We do know that he has traveled outside of the United States. We have, we are exploring all travel that he has done and we have asked our intelligence partners throughout the world to provide us with any information they may have concerning his travel and/or activities while over seas."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ed Reinhold, FBI Special Agent in Charge:

"All indications are that he was killed by fire from the Chattanooga police officers. We have no indication that there was any self-inflicted wounds. However, we will examine that to ensure that that's the case."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Fred Fletcher, Chattanooga Police Chief:

"It was clear that this gunman had every intent to encounter and to murder police officers if he needed to."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ed Reinhold, FBI Special Agent in Charge:

Reporter asking question: "Are you guys confirming that this was an ISIS inspired shooting?"

Reinhold: "No, we are not confirming that. What we are saying is that that is a possibility that we will explore, just like any other possibility. At this time, we have no indication that he was inspired by or directed by anyone other than himself."

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus034354

Federal law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that data encryption is making it harder to hunt for pedophiles and terror suspects, telling senators that consumers' right to privacy is not absolute and must be weighed against public-safety interests.

The testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee marked the latest front in a high-stakes dispute between the Obama administration and some of the world's most influential tech companies, moving the discussion squarely before Congress.

FBI and Justice Department officials say encryption technology built into smartphones makes it harder for them to monitor and intercept messages from criminal suspects, such as Islamic State sympathizers who communicate online and child predators who conceal pornographic images.

They're asking for greater access to encrypted data.

They face fierce opposition from Silicon Valley companies, who say encryption protects the security of customers' communications and protects them from hackers and corporate spies.

The companies have written to the Obama administration and used public speeches to press their case.

FBI Director James Comey sought to tamp down tension on Wednesday, telling senators that he believed technology companies were fundamentally on the same page as law enforcement, adding, "I am not here to fight a war."

"Encryption is a great thing. It keeps us all safe. It protects innovation," Comey said. "It protects my children. It protects my health care. It is a great thing."

The Justice Department says it is not seeking new authorities, though officials say they're concerned that existing laws have not kept pace with advancing technologies.

They say end-to-end encryption, in which only the user but not the company can access the data, means that law enforcement cannot monitor electronic communication even with a lawful court order.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus034354

Federal law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that data encryption is making it harder to hunt for pedophiles and terror suspects, telling senators that consumers' right to privacy is not absolute and must be weighed against public-safety interests.

The testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee marked the latest front in a high-stakes dispute between the Obama administration and some of the world's most influential tech companies, moving the discussion squarely before Congress.

FBI and Justice Department officials say encryption technology built into smartphones makes it harder for them to monitor and intercept messages from criminal suspects, such as Islamic State sympathizers who communicate online and child predators who conceal pornographic images.

They're asking for greater access to encrypted data.

They face fierce opposition from Silicon Valley companies, who say encryption protects the security of customers' communications and protects them from hackers and corporate spies.

The companies have written to the Obama administration and used public speeches to press their case.

FBI Director James Comey sought to tamp down tension on Wednesday, telling senators that he believed technology companies were fundamentally on the same page as law enforcement, adding, "I am not here to fight a war."

"Encryption is a great thing. It keeps us all safe. It protects innovation," Comey said. "It protects my children. It protects my health care. It is a great thing."

The Justice Department says it is not seeking new authorities, though officials say they're concerned that existing laws have not kept pace with advancing technologies.

They say end-to-end encryption, in which only the user but not the company can access the data, means that law enforcement cannot monitor electronic communication even with a lawful court order.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus034354

Federal law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that data encryption is making it harder to hunt for pedophiles and terror suspects, telling senators that consumers' right to privacy is not absolute and must be weighed against public-safety interests.

The testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee marked the latest front in a high-stakes dispute between the Obama administration and some of the world's most influential tech companies, moving the discussion squarely before Congress.

FBI and Justice Department officials say encryption technology built into smartphones makes it harder for them to monitor and intercept messages from criminal suspects, such as Islamic State sympathizers who communicate online and child predators who conceal pornographic images.

They're asking for greater access to encrypted data.

They face fierce opposition from Silicon Valley companies, who say encryption protects the security of customers' communications and protects them from hackers and corporate spies.

The companies have written to the Obama administration and used public speeches to press their case.

FBI Director James Comey sought to tamp down tension on Wednesday, telling senators that he believed technology companies were fundamentally on the same page as law enforcement, adding, "I am not here to fight a war."

"Encryption is a great thing. It keeps us all safe. It protects innovation," Comey said. "It protects my children. It protects my health care. It is a great thing."

The Justice Department says it is not seeking new authorities, though officials say they're concerned that existing laws have not kept pace with advancing technologies.

They say end-to-end encryption, in which only the user but not the company can access the data, means that law enforcement cannot monitor electronic communication even with a lawful court order.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus034354

Federal law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that data encryption is making it harder to hunt for pedophiles and terror suspects, telling senators that consumers' right to privacy is not absolute and must be weighed against public-safety interests.

The testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee marked the latest front in a high-stakes dispute between the Obama administration and some of the world's most influential tech companies, moving the discussion squarely before Congress.

FBI and Justice Department officials say encryption technology built into smartphones makes it harder for them to monitor and intercept messages from criminal suspects, such as Islamic State sympathizers who communicate online and child predators who conceal pornographic images.

They're asking for greater access to encrypted data.

They face fierce opposition from Silicon Valley companies, who say encryption protects the security of customers' communications and protects them from hackers and corporate spies.

The companies have written to the Obama administration and used public speeches to press their case.

FBI Director James Comey sought to tamp down tension on Wednesday, telling senators that he believed technology companies were fundamentally on the same page as law enforcement, adding, "I am not here to fight a war."

"Encryption is a great thing. It keeps us all safe. It protects innovation," Comey said. "It protects my children. It protects my health care. It is a great thing."

The Justice Department says it is not seeking new authorities, though officials say they're concerned that existing laws have not kept pace with advancing technologies.

They say end-to-end encryption, in which only the user but not the company can access the data, means that law enforcement cannot monitor electronic communication even with a lawful court order.

US Network Pool via ABC News Videosource - Strictly no Archive Resale / Authorized re-use by AP’s broadcast and digital output internationally only but strictly no access US

Washington - July 8, 2015

1. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director

"I think all Americans care about the same things. There is not a war being fought here. There is, I hope, a conversation among serious people to figure out is there a way to maximize both? To keep ourselves secure on the Internet and, as best we can, keep ourselves safe on our streets and in our communities?"

2. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director

"There has always been a crypto discussion, but the world has changed in the last two years. Encryption has moved from something that is available to something that is the default. Both on devices and on data in motion as you said, Mister Chairman."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director

"The ISIL threat I think illustrates the inflection point. The Deputy Attorney General said this is not your grandfather's Al Qaeda. This is a group of people using social media to reach thousands and thousands of followers, find the ones who might be interested in committing acts of violence and moving them to an encrypted end-to-end encrypted messaging app. Our job is to look at a haystack the size of this country for needles that are increasingly invisible to us because of end-to-end encryption."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director

"We belong to the American people. The tools we have are only tools given to us by the American people through this Congress. I am finding that the tools we're being asked to use are increasingly ineffective in our national security work and in our criminal work. And I think my job is to tell folks about that so we can talk about it."

Federal law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that data encryption is making it harder to hunt for pedophiles and terror suspects, telling senators that consumers' right to privacy is not absolute and must be weighed against public-safety interests.

The testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee marked the latest front in a high-stakes dispute between the Obama administration and some of the world's most influential tech companies, moving the discussion squarely before Congress.

FBI and Justice Department officials say encryption technology built into smartphones makes it harder for them to monitor and intercept messages from criminal suspects, such as Islamic State sympathizers who communicate online and child predators who conceal pornographic images.

They're asking for greater access to encrypted data.

They face fierce opposition from Silicon Valley companies, who say encryption protects the security of customers' communications and protects them from hackers and corporate spies.

The companies have written to the Obama administration and used public speeches to press their case.

FBI Director James Comey sought to tamp down tension on Wednesday, telling senators that he believed technology companies were fundamentally on the same page as law enforcement, adding, "I am not here to fight a war."

"Encryption is a great thing. It keeps us all safe. It protects innovation," Comey said. "It protects my children. It protects my health care. It is a great thing."

The Justice Department says it is not seeking new authorities, though officials say they're concerned that existing laws have not kept pace with advancing technologies.

They say end-to-end encryption, in which only the user but not the company can access the data, means that law enforcement cannot monitor electronic communication even with a lawful court order.

Federal law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that data encryption is making it harder to hunt for pedophiles and terror suspects, telling senators that consumers' right to privacy is not absolute and must be weighed against public-safety interests.

The testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee marked the latest front in a high-stakes dispute between the Obama administration and some of the world's most influential tech companies, moving the discussion squarely before Congress.

FBI and Justice Department officials say encryption technology built into smartphones makes it harder for them to monitor and intercept messages from criminal suspects, such as Islamic State sympathizers who communicate online and child predators who conceal pornographic images.

They're asking for greater access to encrypted data.

They face fierce opposition from Silicon Valley companies, who say encryption protects the security of customers' communications and protects them from hackers and corporate spies.

The companies have written to the Obama administration and used public speeches to press their case.

FBI Director James Comey sought to tamp down tension on Wednesday, telling senators that he believed technology companies were fundamentally on the same page as law enforcement, adding, "I am not here to fight a war."

"Encryption is a great thing. It keeps us all safe. It protects innovation," Comey said. "It protects my children. It protects my health care. It is a great thing."

The Justice Department says it is not seeking new authorities, though officials say they're concerned that existing laws have not kept pace with advancing technologies.

They say end-to-end encryption, in which only the user but not the company can access the data, means that law enforcement cannot monitor electronic communication even with a lawful court order.

Federal law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that data encryption is making it harder to hunt for pedophiles and terror suspects, telling senators that consumers' right to privacy is not absolute and must be weighed against public-safety interests.

The testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee marked the latest front in a high-stakes dispute between the Obama administration and some of the world's most influential tech companies, moving the discussion squarely before Congress.

FBI and Justice Department officials say encryption technology built into smartphones makes it harder for them to monitor and intercept messages from criminal suspects, such as Islamic State sympathizers who communicate online and child predators who conceal pornographic images.

They're asking for greater access to encrypted data.

They face fierce opposition from Silicon Valley companies, who say encryption protects the security of customers' communications and protects them from hackers and corporate spies.

The companies have written to the Obama administration and used public speeches to press their case.

FBI Director James Comey sought to tamp down tension on Wednesday, telling senators that he believed technology companies were fundamentally on the same page as law enforcement, adding, "I am not here to fight a war."

"Encryption is a great thing. It keeps us all safe. It protects innovation," Comey said. "It protects my children. It protects my health care. It is a great thing."

The Justice Department says it is not seeking new authorities, though officials say they're concerned that existing laws have not kept pace with advancing technologies.

They say end-to-end encryption, in which only the user but not the company can access the data, means that law enforcement cannot monitor electronic communication even with a lawful court order.

Federal law enforcement officials warned Wednesday that data encryption is making it harder to hunt for pedophiles and terror suspects, telling senators that consumers' right to privacy is not absolute and must be weighed against public-safety interests.

The testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee marked the latest front in a high-stakes dispute between the Obama administration and some of the world's most influential tech companies, moving the discussion squarely before Congress.

FBI and Justice Department officials say encryption technology built into smartphones makes it harder for them to monitor and intercept messages from criminal suspects, such as Islamic State sympathizers who communicate online and child predators who conceal pornographic images.

They're asking for greater access to encrypted data.

They face fierce opposition from Silicon Valley companies, who say encryption protects the security of customers' communications and protects them from hackers and corporate spies.

The companies have written to the Obama administration and used public speeches to press their case.

FBI Director James Comey sought to tamp down tension on Wednesday, telling senators that he believed technology companies were fundamentally on the same page as law enforcement, adding, "I am not here to fight a war."

"Encryption is a great thing. It keeps us all safe. It protects innovation," Comey said. "It protects my children. It protects my health care. It is a great thing."

The Justice Department says it is not seeking new authorities, though officials say they're concerned that existing laws have not kept pace with advancing technologies.

They say end-to-end encryption, in which only the user but not the company can access the data, means that law enforcement cannot monitor electronic communication even with a lawful court order.

US Network Pool via ABC News Videosource - Strictly no Archive Resale / Authorized re-use by AP’s broadcast and digital output internationally only but strictly no access US

Washington - July 8, 2015

1. Wide of hearing room

2. FBI Director James Comey being sworn in

3. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"I think all Americans care about the same things. There is not a war being fought here. There is, I hope, a conversation among serious people to figure out is there a way to maximize both? To keep ourselves secure on the Internet and, as best we can, to keep ourselves safe on our streets and in our communities?"

4. Wide of hearing

5. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"There has always been a crypto discussion, but the world has changed in the last two years. Encryption has moved from being something that is available to something that is the default. Both on devices and on data in motion as you said, Mister Chairman. We are moving inexorably to a place where all of our lives, all of our papers and affects, all of our communications will be covered by universal strong encryption. And that is a world that in some ways is wonderful, and in some ways has serious public safety ramifications, and I hope we can have a conversation about that before we get to that world and people start looking at us and saying 'What do you mean you can't? What do you mean you can't do what we pay you to do?'"

6. Wide of hearing room

7. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"The ISIL threat I think illustrates the inflection point. The Deputy Attorney General said this is not your grandfather's Al Qaeda. This is a group of people using social media to reach thousands and thousands of followers, find the ones who might be interested in committing acts of violence and moving them to an encrypted end-to-end encrypted messaging app. Our job is to look at a haystack the size of this country for needles that are increasingly invisible to us because of end-to-end encryption."

8. Wide of hearing room

9. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"We belong to the American people. The tools we have are only tools given to us by the American people through this Congress. I am finding that the tools we're being asked to use are increasingly ineffective in our national security work and in our criminal work. And I think my job is to tell folks about that so we can talk about it. I don't come with a solution, this is a really really hard problem."

10. Wide of hearing room

The FBI (US Federal Bureau of Investigation) said on Friday that the case of the suspected child predator who worked in US schools around the world is certainly one of the most prolific suspected sexual predators the agency had pursued.

William Vahey, 64, committed suicide on March 21 in Luverne, Minnesota, two days after US agents filed for a warrant to search his computer thumb drive.

The FBI said the device contained pornographic images of at least 90 boys, aged 12 to 14, who appeared to be drugged and unconscious.

"The most important thing for us is to reach out to potential victims in this case, to give them a way to contact us confidentially, and to offer them assistance if needed, said FBI Special Agent Shauna Dunlap.

"Certainly, we're going to continue on with the ongoing investigation. Just because the suspect chose to not face justice doesn't mean the FBI's going to stop seeking justice," Dunlap also said.

The FBI has asked for international help to find victims of Vahey, who worked at 10 international schools around the world over four decades.

A British private school said on Thursday that images of between 50 and 60 of its students were found on the computer drive.

The FBI said the photos were dated from 2008 or after, but that Vahey may have abused children for decades.

In a statement, the FBI said Vahey had confessed to an administrator at his most recent school in Nicaragua that he was molested as a child and had preyed on boys his entire life, giving them sleeping pills prior to the molestation.

The agency said Vahey was jailed for child molestation in California in 1969.

AP TELEVISION

1. Close of FBI (US Federal Bureau of Investigation) flier on suspected paedophile William Vahey

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Shauna Dunlap, FBI special agent, agency's spokeswoman in Houston:

"Without a doubt, this is certainly one of the most prolific suspected sexual predators that we've seen, given the numbers of children, potential victims, his position of trust, and so forth. And some of the allegations and the methods that are being alleged that he may have employed while committing these crimes. This is definitely a difficult case for us to work."

3. Close of Dunlap holding FBI flier on her lap

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Shauna Dunlap, FBI special agent, agency's spokeswoman in Houston:

"That's obviously going to be part of the ongoing investigation, to determine exactly what happened. Right now, the most important thing for us is to reach out to potential victims in this case, to give them a way to contact us confidentially, and to offer them assistance if needed. And then, certainly, we're going to continue on with the ongoing investigation. Just because the suspect chose to not face justice doesn't mean the FBI's going to stop seeking justice."

5. Close of Dunlap speaking

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Shauna Dunlap, FBI special agent, agency's spokeswoman in Houston:

"We were in possession of photographs and at least 90 - those photographs depict at least 90 different young students who were potentially victimised by Mr Vahey. So we have those photographs in our possession. At that time, they depicted 90 different students who had been molested and so our concern is absolutely that there may have been more."

7. Close of Dunlap holding FBI flier on William Vahey

SHOTLIST:

Detroit - November 13, 2007

1. Various of media approaching former FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) agent Nada Nadim Prouty outside federal court before she gets into vehicle

2. Exterior of federal court

3. Artist sketch of Prouty in court

New York - November 13, 2007

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jack Cloonon, former FBI Agent:

"This is as bad as it gets. This is a violation of trust and it means getting into systems that haven't been protected well enough."

Date unknown

5. GRAPHIC: photo of Prouty's brother-in-law Talil Chahine, then Ayatollah Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah, a Lebanese Shiite cleric and spiritual leader of Hezbollah.

FILE:

Washington, DC.

6. J. Edgar Hoover Building

7. Various of computer screens

Washington, DC - November 13, 2007

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Richard Clarke, ABC News Consultant:

"Right now, CIA and FBI are both trying to find out what more might she have known, what more might she have passed on to Hezbollah, and was she in fact sent here by Hezbollah in the first place to penetrate the United States intelligence services."

FILE:

Washington, DC

9. Pull out of Federal Bureau of Investigation

10. Various exterior and interior shots of the Central Intelligence Agency

STORYLINE:

A former agent for the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) pleaded guilty on Tuesday to faking a marriage to win U.S. citizenship, clearing the way to being hired and given security clearances by the two intelligence agencies.

Nada Nadim Prouty, 37-years-old, emigrated to United States from Lebanon in 1989.

She was given U.S. citizenship five years later and began working as a special agent at the FBI's field office in Washington in 1999, according to a criminal information sheet filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

While working as a special agent, Prouty improperly searched an FBI computer database for information about her relatives and links they might have to the Hezbollah militant organisation, the criminal sheet showed.

She joined the CIA in 2003 and resigned as part of her guilty plea on Tuesday, officials said.

There is no evidence that Prouty was working as a spy on Hezbollah's behalf, two government officials said.

Nada Nadim Prouty sat quietly with her lawyer, Thomas Cranmer, in the U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn's courtroom on Tuesday afternoon waiting for her case to be called.

Standing before Cohn, Prouty said she understood and agreed to the details of the plea agreement.

She left the court building without speaking with reporters.

Jack Cloonon, a former FBI agent said that the case was a clear "violation of trust" and it questions the security systems at the FBI and CIA.

The case raises questions about hiring practices and background checks by two of the United States' most security-sensitive and secretive agencies.

Richard Clarke, an ABC News Consultant said that both the FBI and CIA will be trying to ascertain whether Prouty was sent by Hezbollah to penetrate the United States intelligence services.

Prouty passed a lie-detector test before she was hired by the FBI, which conducted numerous interviews with her relatives and other associates in Beirut and the United States as part of her security background check, said an FBI spokesperson.

But she was not subject to the more rigorous security screening that the FBI adopted after its 2001 arrest of Robert Hanssen, who spied for the Soviet Union and Russia over a 20-year period.

The CIA largely relied on the FBI's security checks when they hired Prouty, according to a government official familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

According to the court documents, released in Washington by the Justice Department, Prouty lived in Taylor, Michigan, with her sister when her visa ran out in 1990.

That summer, she paid off an unemployed U.S. citizen to marry her in a civil ceremony in Detroit.

But the two never lived together and the marriage was never consummated sexually, the documents show.

Over the next four years, Prouty claimed she was legally married and living with her husband as part of her application for U.S. citizenship. She was naturalised in 1994.

In 1999, she was hired as a special agent in the FBI's field office in Washington, where she investigated crimes committed against U.S. residents while overseas.

She was not part of investigations into Hezbollah, the Lebanese guerrilla group that has been designated a foreign militant organisation by the U.S. Government.

Prouty was not authorised to search the FBI database, in 2002, for her name and that of her sister and brother-in law.

Her relatives were linked to Hezbollah two years later when they joined a senior Hezbollah official at a fundraiser in Lebanon, the documents show.

She joined the CIA in 2003.

CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield described Prouty as a "mid-level employee" who violated immigration laws long before she was hired by the government.

The CIA is cooperating with the investigation, Mansfield said.

Prouty pleaded guilty to conspiracy, unauthorised computer access and naturalisation fraud.

English/Nat

As the hunt for Rafael Resendez-Ramirez continues, the F-B-I confirmed law officers had the suspected serial killer in custody earlier this month.

But they let him go because they didn't know he was wanted.

Rafael Resendez-Ramirez is suspected in at least eight killings, four of which took place after his release.

They had him and then, they let him go, taking the FBI back to square one.

Put simply, he could be anywhere.

The amazing revelation from the FBI comes just three weeks after these mug shots where taken.

Rafael Resendez-Ramirez - the prime suspect in eight murders- had been in the custody of immigration officials when he moved to the top spot of America's most wanted list.

Yet he was still deported to Mexico - allegedly given his freedom to return to a life of evil.

So for now, police in Kentucky continue an intensified manhunt after the FBI confirmed Ramirez was sighted in the state just last week.

He's wanted for eight murders across three states.

Four of them were committed since his return to the U-S.

Despite the blunder by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, the agent in charge of the investigation says he's not interested in blame -he just wants to capture his man.

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"I'm not going to comment on where he was, obviously he was let go".

SUPER CAPTION: Donald Clark, FBI Special Agent

Immigration officials for their part have said that the information about Ramirez wasn't on their computers when they expelled him from the US.

What's now clear is that Ramirez returned to the United States within days of his expulsion.

His common law wife told reporters that she met up with him on his return on June the 10th.

It wasn't until Thursday, more than three weeks after this picture was taken that the FBI learned their man was back in the United States.

A clearly frustrated agent told a packed news conference:

SOUNDBITE: (English)

"This is the photograph, that's the US photograph taken on June the first of 1999."

SUPER CAPTION: Donald Clark, FBI special agent

An FBI task force of more than 200 investigators has been fielding hundreds of tips since Resendez-Ramirez, believed to be 38, went on the agency's 10 Most Wanted list.

A 125-thousand U-S dollars reward is posted for his capture.

Various, 25 June 1999

1. FBI officers searching bushes

2. FBI walking shots

3. Interior FBI Houston command centre

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Clark, FBI Special Agent

5. Mug shots of Ramirez

6. Cargo train speeding past

7. Police officers watch train go past

8. Police officers walk across railway track

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Clark, FBI Special Agent

10. Mug shots of Ramirez

11. FBI call centre

12. Mug shot of Ramirez

SHOTLIST:

APTN

Washington, DC - May 30, 2002

1. Walk in view of Mueller and Ashcroft

2. Cutaway reporters

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Mueller, FBI Director:

"Let me be clear that while I do not believe it was at all likely that we could have prevented September 11th, nonetheless our reforms of the FBI will and must strengthen our ability to prevent future terrorist attacks."

4. Mid view Mueller and Ashcroft shake hands

5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney General:

"Under the current guidelines FBI investigators cannot, for example, surf the web in the same way that you and I can to look for information. Nor can FBI investigators simply walk into a public event or a public place to observe ongoing activities. They have no clear authority to use commercial data services that any business in America is authorised to use. These restrictions are a competive advantage for terrorists who skillfully utilise sophisticated techniques and modern computer systems to compile information for targeting and attacking innocent Americans."

6. Pan view Ashcroft speaking

7. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney General:

"This is an activity authorised in the guidelines for purposes of preventing terrorism and so that its not to be abused for other purposes."

APTN

Washington, DC - May 29, 2002

8. Close-up FBI sign

9. Wide view of FBI building

POOL

Washington, DC - May 30, 2002

10. Pan view of Cabinet meeting

11. Close-up John Ashcroft

12. SOUNDBITE (English) George Bush, U.S. President:

"We intend to honour our Constitution and respect the freedoms that we hold so dear. And secondly, we want to make sure that we do everything we can to prevent a further attack, to protect America. The FBI needed to change. It was an organisation full of fine people that loved America but they ... the organisation did not meet the times."

13. Cutaway Cabinet members

14. Close-up President Bush's hands as he speaks

STORYLINE:

The United State's Justice Department significantly eased restrictions on domestic spying on Thursday.

Its handed the FBI broad, new authority to monitor Internet sites, libraries, churches and political organisations for clues to terrorist plots.

The changes were announced by Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Ashcroft, claiming FBI agents in the field have been hampered by bureaucratic restrictions, said the new guidelines would help them to do their jobs.

He said existing rules gave a competitive advantage to terrorists.

The new guidelines give FBI agents more freedom to investigate terrorism even when they are not pursuing a particular case.

FBI Director Mueller said the changes will be exceptionally helpful to the agency.

On Wednesday, Mueller suggested for the first time that investigators might have detected the terrorist plot if they had pursued leads more diligently.

Under existing rules, FBI agents are not allowed to do general research on the Internet or at public libraries unless the information sought directly relates to a current investigation or to leads being checked out.

The new policy, which does not require congressional approval, removes these obstacles.

US President George Bush welcomed the overhaul saying the FBI needed to change.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus049739

FBI Director James Comey likened impenetrable digital encryption to a "vicious guard dog" Tuesday, as a high-stakes fight between privacy and national security moved from the courts to Congress.

"There's already a door on that iPhone. We're asking Apple to take the vicious guard dog away and let us pick the lock," Comey said before the House Judiciary Committee.

Tuesday's hearing comes amid two significant — and conflicting — court rulings in New York and California on whether Apple can be forced to help the FBI gain access to locked phones.

The hearing, which was also to feature Apple's top lawyer, is providing an extraordinary public forum for the Justice Department and Apple Inc. to stake out competing positions. The company's recent opposition has brought a long-simmering debate over digital privacy rights and national security to the mainstream.

A judge in California two weeks ago directed Apple to help the FBI hack into a locked iPhone used by one of the gunmen responsible for the San Bernardino, California attacks that killed 14 people. But on Monday, a judge in Brooklyn said the Obama administration couldn't force Apple to help it gain access to the phone.

Comey acknowledged Tuesday that either decision could set a precedent for other courts.

The California case involves an iPhone 5C owned by San Bernardino County and used by Syed Farook, who was a health inspector. He and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people during a Dec. 2 attack that was at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group. The couple died later in a gun battle with police.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus049739

FBI Director James Comey likened impenetrable digital encryption to a "vicious guard dog" Tuesday, as a high-stakes fight between privacy and national security moved from the courts to Congress.

"There's already a door on that iPhone. We're asking Apple to take the vicious guard dog away and let us pick the lock," Comey said before the House Judiciary Committee.

Tuesday's hearing comes amid two significant — and conflicting — court rulings in New York and California on whether Apple can be forced to help the FBI gain access to locked phones.

The hearing, which was also to feature Apple's top lawyer, is providing an extraordinary public forum for the Justice Department and Apple Inc. to stake out competing positions. The company's recent opposition has brought a long-simmering debate over digital privacy rights and national security to the mainstream.

A judge in California two weeks ago directed Apple to help the FBI hack into a locked iPhone used by one of the gunmen responsible for the San Bernardino, California attacks that killed 14 people. But on Monday, a judge in Brooklyn said the Obama administration couldn't force Apple to help it gain access to the phone.

Comey acknowledged Tuesday that either decision could set a precedent for other courts.

The California case involves an iPhone 5C owned by San Bernardino County and used by Syed Farook, who was a health inspector. He and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people during a Dec. 2 attack that was at least partly inspired by the Islamic State group. The couple died later in a gun battle with police.

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASH++

POOL

Washington - 1 March 2016

1. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"Thank you for hosting this conversation and for helping us all talk about an issue that I believe is the hardest issue I've confronted in government, which is how to balance the privacy we so treasure, that comes to us through the technology that we love. And also achieve public safety which we all very much treasure."

2. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"Two terrorists in the name of ISIL killed 14 people and wounded 22 others at an office gathering, and left behind three phones - two of which, the cheaper models, they smashed beyond use, and the third was left locked. In any investigation that's done competently, the FBI would try to get access to that phone. It's important that it's a live ongoing terrorism investigation, but in any criminal investigation, a competent investigator would try and use all lawful tools to get access to that device."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"There are no demons in this debate. The companies are not evil. The government is not evil. You have a whole lot of good people who see the world through different lenses, who care about things - all care about the same things in my view."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"Sure potentially, because any decision of a court about a matter is potentially useful to other courts, which is what a precedent is. I happen to think, having talked to experts, there are technical limitations to how useful this particular San Bernardino technique will be, given how the phones have changed. But sure, other courts, other prosecutors, other lawyers for companies, will look to that for guidance or to try to distinguish it."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, FBI Director:

"There's already a door on that iPhone. Essentially, we're asking Apple - take the vicious guard dog away. Let us try and pick the lock."