For weeks, FBI agents watched six suspected al-Qaeda trainees in suburban Buffalo, looking for some clue that they were about to launch an attack. And for weeks last summer, the agents came up empty. With the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaching, agents intercepted an e-mail that sent ripples all the way to the White House because it seemed to suggest that another assault was coming. In secret meetings, federal sources say, nervous Bush administration officials made a decision that has redefined how U.S. authorities investigate and prosecute terrorism cases. The officials urged the FBI — which wanted more time to build a case against the group — to cut short its investigation and arrest the six men in Lackawanna, N.Y. The sources say White House officials, including President Bush and Vice President Cheney, didn’t want to risk having the men elude surveillance and launch an attack. Five months later, sources say, there’s still no evidence that the Lackawanna group was planning anything. Full Story
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