◆ SpookStack

and we now coordinate soint warnings through the Homeland Security Advisory System to address our Customers’ concerns about multiple and duplicative warnings. We designated an experienced executive from the Transportation Security Administration to run the TSC and detailed a senior DHS executive to the FBI’s Office of Intelligence to ensure coordination and transparency between the agencies. On March 4, 2003, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of Central Intelligence signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing policies and procedures for information sharing, handing, and use. Pursuant to that MOU, information related to terrorist threats and vulnerabilities is provided to DHS automatically without DHS having to request it. Consistent with the protection of sensitive sources and methods and the protection of privacy rights, we now share as a rule, and withhold by exception. Foreign Governments With terrorists traveling, communicating, and planning attacks all around the world, coordination with our foreign partners has.become more critical than ever before We have steadily increased our Overseas presence since September 11, 2001, and now routinely deploy agents and crime scene experts to assist in the vestigation of overseas attacks, such as the May 2003 bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. As of January 7, 2004, 413 FB! personnel were assigned overseas, over 200 of whom are permanently assigned. Their efforts, and the relationships that grow from them, have played a critical role in the successful international operations we have conducted over the past 31 months. International Investigations Bureau personnel have participated in numerous investigations of terrorist attacks in foreign countries over the past 31 months. Our approach to those investigations differs from the approach we traditionally have taken. Prior to September 11, 2001, our overseas investigations primarily were focused on building cases for prosecution in the U.S. Today, our focus 1s more broadly to provide our foreign partners with investigative, forensics, or whatever type of support will enhance our joint efforts to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks. Our partners have embraced this approach, and it is paying dividends with greater reciprocal cooperation and more effective joint investigations. By way of an example, our Legal Attaché office in Islamabad, Pakistan, was extensively involved in the investigation of the abduction and murder of Wail Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The FBI conducted a forensic examination of a lap top computer seized by the Pakistani police that revealed a draft of the demand note for Pearl's release, FBI agents later returned to Pakistan and testified in the trial of Omar Sheikh and his co-conspirators, resulting in their convictions and a capital sentence for Sheikh. Expansion of Legal Attaché Offices Director Freeh recognized the need for greater operational collaboration with foreign government Services, and dunng his tenure the FBI expanded the number of Legal Attache offices fram 23 to 44. Since September 2001, we have opened three more Legal Attaché offices, in Beijing. China, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and Sanaa, Yemen. We pian to open an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the arrival of the Legal Attache in May 2004. Construction and certification of our office in Tbilisi, Georgia, will soon be complete, and the office will open with the arrival of our Legal Attaché in June 2004. We also expect to open an office in the new U.S, Embassy building in Sofia, Bulgaria, this fall, We have gained Congressional approval and appropriations for offices that are currently in the design or construction bidding phases MISC Doc. #5 46 000000385