Image from ABC NewsTerrorist Watch Lists Shorter Than Previously Reported -- CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The federal government's terrorist watch lists are far shorter than have been reported, the secretary of homeland security said Wednesday.
Michael Chertoff revealed for the first time that 2,500 people are on the "no fly" list and only about 10 percent of those are U.S. citizens. Individuals on this list are barred from boarding aircraft because intelligence indicates they pose a threat to aviation.
Fewer than 16,000 people are designated "selectees," he said, and most are not Americans. These people represent a less specific security threat and receive extra scrutiny, but are allowed to fly.
The American Civil Liberties Union has estimated more than 1 million names have been added to the lists since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The FBI, which manages the Terrorist Screening Database, said in August that there were about 400,000 people on its list, but that approximately 95 percent of those people were not U.S. citizens. Video
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My Comment: This is long overdue.