Questions on identities of hijackers resolved

WASHINGTON -- FBI Director Robert Mueller said Friday investigators have established the true identities of all 19 of the Sept. 11 hijackers and have found places outside the United States where the plot was hatched.

But progress on the anthrax investigation has been slow, Mueller conceded as he appealed for Americans, especially those working in medical labs where anthrax is studied, to contact authorities about suspicious activities.

"It may well be that there is somebody in the United States who is manufacturing the anthrax," Mueller said.

The identities of some of the hijackers were in question for weeks after the attacks because investigators were not sure whether some were carrying false identification when they boarded planes in Washington and Boston.

"We at this point definitely know the 19 hijackers who were responsible," Mueller said.

The FBI released the names and photos of the hijackers in late September. The names were those listed on the planes' passenger manifests and investigators were certain that those were the names the hijackers used when they entered the United States. But questions remained about whether they were the hijackers' true identities.

The FBI has not disclosed which names were in doubt and Mueller provided no new information on the hijackers' identities beyond his statement at a briefing for reporters. FBI officials did not return phone calls.

Overseas locations

Investigators know some of the overseas locations where the hijacking plot was hatched and have identified overseas accomplices, Mueller said.

He did not name the places or others involved.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said last month that three of the leaders of the hijackers and three accomplices were part of a terrorist network that operated at least since 1999 in Hamburg, Germany, and in the United States.

Investigators believe the culprits spreading anthrax by mail could be highly-trained technicians with laboratory know-how. Mueller asked Americans for help in finding who sent the bacteria.

"If you believe that persons are doing something with anthrax ... and is somewhat suspicious, we're asking you to let us know," he said.