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Terrorists Cased Las Vegas

NEVADA – As reported by the Associated Press: "A year after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Justice Department obtained video surveillance tapes suggesting terrorists were casing Las Vegas casinos, but authorities never alerted the public as they discussed whether a warning might hurt tourism or increase the casinos' legal liability, internal memos show.

"The mayor of Las Vegas said Monday he was never told about the tapes uncovered in Detroit and Spain in 2002, and had been assured by the FBI there were no credible threats against his city.

"…But memos and e-mails between federal prosecutors say Las Vegas authorities were alerted to some of the footage by Aug. 30, 2002. Later, numerous local law enforcement officials were invited by a senior FBI agent to view the footage, but most spurned the invitation, the memos say.

"…'The information, unfortunately, was not taken as seriously as we believed it to have been,' said Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino, recounting how only two local police officers took up the FBI agent's offer to see the tape.

"'The reason that [the FBI agent] was given for the low turnout was because of liability. That if they heard this information they would have to act on it. It was extraordinarily unacceptable and absolutely outrageous,' Convertino said…"

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