Ashcroft praises Helder’s arrest

Jace Radke

Thursday, May 9, 2002 | 9:48 a.m.

Attorney General John Ashcroft praised Nevada law enforcement for the apprehension of alleged mailbox bomber Luke J. Helder and said that the arrest showcased the teamwork needed to protect the country from acts of terrorism.

"Cooperation and information are law enforcement's best friends," Ashcroft said at a news conference at the George Federal Building Wednesday. "Yesterday we witnessed the success that cooperation can bring.

"The FBI, U.S. Postal Service and Nevada authorities all worked together to make a swift and effective response."

The arrest of Helder, who was taken into custody Tuesday night on Interstate 80 near Reno by the Nevada Highway Patrol, is an example of law enforcement agencies sharing responsibility in an effort to prevent terrorism, Ashcroft said.

A total of 93 anti-terrorism task forces have been created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including one in Reno and one in Las Vegas.

Metro Police Deputy Chief Bill Young said Ashcroft briefed the Las Vegas task force -- made up of representatives from the FBI, Metro Police, U.S. Customs, the Secret Service and the Air Force's Office of Special Investigations -- about his expectations.

"He gave us an overview of what has been happening since Sept. 11, and mandated that federal and local agencies continue to play well together," Young said. "It was heartening to hear that. He stressed that we need to continue building better and stronger relationships throughout the law enforcement community."

Ashcroft emphasized the need for information to flow upward from local law enforcement to federal agencies.

"We have to make sure we do the nuts and bolts work," Ashcroft said.

Some of that work came in the form of 5,000 interviews of individuals whose countries of origin are known to have al-Qaida activity.

"The interviews were very successful, and we learned things that we were able to develop into leads," Ashcroft said.

A second round of interviews with 3,000 more individuals is being planned.

Some of the original interviews took place in Las Vegas, Young said.

The local task force is in the process of expanding to include additional federal and local agencies, and within the next month the number of Metro officers assigned to the unit will increase from two to five, Young said.

Ashcroft, who turned 60 today, also met with U.S. attorneys and talked to court staffers and U.S. District Court judges while at the George building.