Scouring the mangled USS Cole, Kevin Finnerty and his fellow FBI agents came across strands of burned orange carpet, evidence that would become crucial in the investigation into the terrorist explosion in Yemen that killed 17 sailors. The agents, part of a special team from the Washington field office, linked the fibers to the small, explosives-laden boat that was used by suicide bombers to blow a 40-by-40-foot hole in the Navy destroyer in October 2000. Later, agents found identical fibers in a makeshift bomb factory and two other buildings in the harbor town of Aden, where the Cole was docked — part of a trail of evidence that would tie the attack to al Qaeda. “It goes to show just how you have to pay attention to every detail,” Finnerty said. Finnerty and other agents from the Washington field office help investigate terrorist acts and murders of Americans in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Their stops in recent years have included the scenes of major terrorist strikes in such places as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Kenya. Full Story
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