US law enforcement agencies are seeking broader powers in the wake of the devastating September 11th attacks, but US Attorney General Mr John Ashcroft denied today they would undermine US civil liberties.
"We need the tools to prevent terrorism," Mr Ashcroft told CBS television, adding that "if we don't build our capacity to fight terrorism, the risk (of other terror attacks) goes up."
Mr Ashcroft said he was asking the US Congress to boost the surveillance and detention abilities of the agencies under his responsibility, such as the FBI.
Specifically, the justice department wants to be able to put "airtight surveillance on spies, terrorists, foreign agents" and keep "suspected terrorists who are already charged with other violations of the immigration law to be detained on a continuing basis," he said.
"I don't want to be releasing suspected terrorists onto the streets of United States of America who have been - who are being adjudicated as violators of the immigration laws already," he said.
Civil liberty groups have expressed concerns about the draft legislation as removing the checks and balances that separate the United States from a police state.
But Mr Ashcroft insisted: "This isn't a threat to the civil rights of individuals."
In a series of US media interviews, Mr Ashcroft also warned that a "clear and present danger to Americans" from terrorists remained.
"It's very unlikely that all those associated with the attacks of September 11th have been detained or detected," he said.
Moreover, he said, the risk of further terror actions against the United States would increase with US retaliation against the attacks.
More than 20 potential suspects have been detained in Europe, where Germany and Britain have emerged as likely hubs for the squad that later launched the attack.
US authorities were today seeking the extradition of an Algerian pilot Mr Lotfi Raissi after British prosecutors claimed he trained four of the hijackers in flying.