Interpol Arranging Bureau For Houston

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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/m...politan/2832549

Oct. 6, 2004, 7:21AM

Interpol arranging bureau for Houston

International agency steps up global cooperation

By IOAN GRILLO

Chronicle Foreign Service

CANCUN, MEXICO - After a spate of terrorist attacks in Spain, North Africa and the Middle East, police forces around the world are stepping up cooperation and the use of global real-time databases.

Interpol has recently compiled a list of more than 6,000 wanted terrorists, Ronald K. Noble, the organization's general secretary, said at a meeting Tuesday in Cancun.

That means police officers anywhere who suspect someone of being involved in terrorist activities can check Interpol's database, Noble said.

Officials of Interpol, which has bureaus in all 50 U.S. states, are negotiating to open a Houston bureau, said James Sullivan, director of the U.S. central bureau of Interpol.

"We'd like to bring Houston aboard as soon as possible," said Sullivan, who is a chief deputy U.S. marshal.

Interpol has also compiled a list of more than 4 million stolen documents that terrorists could use to illegally cross borders, Noble said. World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yusuf entered the United States on a stolen Iraqi passport, Noble said.

If Houston opens an Interpol office, police will be able to access its I-24/7 database, a system that networks information from police departments across the globe via satellite, cable and encrypted Internet. Sullivan said it is important for Houston to have a bureau, as it is close to an international border and has large numbers of foreign visitors.