Justice Department juking terror data?

A report from Justice's inspector general says the department has been including crimes like marriage fraud in terror statistics.

Published February 21, 2007 2:25PM (EST)

An audit of the Justice Department's reporting of antiterror-case statistics showed that the department has been including cases that had nothing to do with terrorism. In fact, the audit concluded, only two of the 26 data sets reported by the department between 2001 and 2005 were accurate.

The audit found that in some cases the department had actually been over- and underreporting terror statistics, but some of the overreporting is particularly egregious: Counted as "terror" cases were prosecutions for false marriages, drug trafficking and small-level arms dealing.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

MORE FROM Alex Koppelman


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Department Of Justice Terrorism War Room