[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 24370-24371]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    COMMENDING GERMANY IN PREVENTING A LARGE-SCALE TERRORIST ATTACK

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 639) commending the actions of the 
Government of Germany and its cooperation with United States 
intelligence agencies in preventing a large-scale terrorist attack 
against locations in Germany, including sites frequented by Americans, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 639

       Whereas on September 4, 2007, German police arrested three 
     individuals for planning large-scale terrorist attacks 
     against locations in Germany, including sites frequented by 
     Americans;
       Whereas possible targets included Ramstein Air Base, which 
     serves as headquarters for United States Air Forces in Europe 
     and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
     installation, and Frankfurt Airport, the third largest 
     airport in Europe;
       Whereas according to German authorities, the three suspects 
     belonged to a German cell of Islamic Jihad Union, a radical 
     Sunni group based in Central Asia with links to Al Qaeda;
       Whereas 300 police and other law enforcement officials were 
     involved in the investigation and 41 homes across Germany 
     were raided in a highly well-planned operation;
       Whereas German and United States authorities worked closely 
     together in the investigation;
       Whereas United States intelligence agencies reportedly 
     provided critical information that alerted their German 
     counterparts as to the travels of the suspects between 
     Germany and Pakistan and the suspects' affiliation with the 
     Islamic Jihad Union;
       Whereas German authorities acted swiftly and decisively to 
     prevent a horrific attack that could have come within days of 
     the arrests;
       Whereas the successful collaborative action by United 
     States and German authorities prevented the possible deaths 
     of many innocent people;
       Whereas Germany and the United States have been close 
     allies in the fight against terrorism;
       Whereas the law enforcement, intelligence, diplomatic, and 
     military organizations in Germany and the United States 
     continue to work together to combat the terrorist threat and 
     prevent future attacks;
       Whereas acts of terror have profoundly affected citizens of 
     many different countries across the globe; and
       Whereas victory in the fight against terrorism is critical 
     to preserve the liberty and ensure the safety of all people: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends the efforts of German law enforcement 
     authorities in preventing a large-scale terrorist attack on 
     numerous targets in Germany, including sites frequented by 
     Americans;
       (2) recognizes the role of United States intelligence 
     agencies in providing critical information to German 
     authorities in their investigation and apprehension of the 
     suspected terrorists and notes the continuing importance of 
     such United States intelligence efforts with Germany;
       (3) commends the intelligence community of Germany for its 
     outstanding work in identifying the individuals suspected of 
     seeking to carry out this terrorist plot;
       (4) condemns those individuals who would use acts of 
     violence against innocent civilians to spread a message of 
     hate and intolerance;
       (5) urges the allies of the United States to remain 
     steadfast in their efforts to defeat international terrorism; 
     and
       (6) expresses its readiness to provide any necessary 
     assistance to the Government of Germany in its 
     counterterrorism efforts and to bring to justice those 
     individuals involved in this terrorist plot.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) and the gentleman from New Jersey 
(Mr. Smith) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from American Samoa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from American Samoa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
proposed resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.

[[Page 24371]]

  I want to thank the leadership of our Foreign Affairs Committee, the 
distinguished gentleman, the chairman of our committee, Mr. Lantos, and 
our senior ranking member, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, for their 
leadership and their support of this bill.
  I also want to congratulate my good friend and colleague, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly), for introducing this 
important resolution that highlights ongoing efforts to keep our 
country and allies safe.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank Ms. Ros-Lehtinen for her help 
in bringing this resolution to the floor so promptly.
  On September 4th, German police arrested three individuals who were 
suspected of planning a large-scale terrorist attack against several 
locations in Germany. These included sites frequented by Americans, 
such as Ramstein Air Force Base and Frankfurt Airport. Had these 
plotters successfully carried out their planned assault on such 
populous facilities, the levels of death and destruction would have 
been too terrible to imagine, let alone American lives that would have 
been compromised.
  Mr. Speaker, thankfully, the world was spared yet another day of 
horror caused by the heartless acts of terrorists bent on causing 
large-scale loss and chaos. I strongly commend the Republic of Germany 
and their intelligence community for its skillful monitoring 
activities, as well as its swift and decisive action in preventing an 
appalling act of violence and destruction by terrorists.
  Mr. Speaker, I praise the excellent work of our own intelligence 
community, which, as I understand it, played a pivotal role in foiling 
their terror plot by providing essential information to the German 
authorities. This successful collaboration between German and U.S. 
intelligence communities underscores the continued importance of 
cooperative measures across the Atlantic to ensure the safety of 
American lives both here and abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, as part of the broader fight against terrorism, there 
are many nameless individuals whose deeds might not be readily apparent 
to the public. However, their tireless efforts and personal sacrifice 
are crucial to preserving the safety of our Nation. I am thinking in 
particular of our intelligence community as well as members of the 
United States diplomatic corps, members of our armed services, whom I 
wish to thank publicly today for their continued efforts to prevent 
future terrorist attacks.
  The discovery of this plot highlights that the threat of terrorism 
remains real, that it is multifaceted, and that it permeates the 
neighborhoods of our closest allies. It is, therefore, important that 
we remain vigilant, yet collective, poised, yet humble, in our efforts 
to identify and expunge such threats to our national security.
  Again, I want to thank my good friend, the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Gallegly), for his initiative in providing this resolution for 
Members for its passage. I urge my colleagues to approve this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1615

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I want to thank Mr. Gallegly for offering this resolution. I think it 
is a very timely and a very important one.
  I rise in support of House Resolution 639, which commends the German 
Government for its cooperation with our American intelligence community 
in apprehending several terrorists in Germany who were bent on killing 
large numbers of Americans and Germans.
  Just last week, this House and the American people took time to 
commemorate and to remember the tragic loss of life of almost 3,000 
American lives killed 6 years ago in the cowardly attacks on the World 
Trade Center and the Pentagon. Due to the cooperation of the 
intelligence agencies in the U.S. and Germany, many Americans are alive 
today who might well have suffered a similar fate in just the past few 
days who, quite likely, would have been killed or injured in explosions 
masterminded by extremists who care nothing for innocent civilians that 
they are intent on destroying.
  We are fortunate, Mr. Speaker, to have allies in Europe who are 
working with us in this important fight against terrorism as well as 
our own intelligence community that is working around the clock to 
protect not only Americans but people around the world.
  This resolution expresses to both our friends in the Federal Republic 
of Germany and to the hardworking people of our intelligence agencies 
the profound thanks and gratitude for saving American lives
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 639, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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