"We, law enforcement (and) intelligence communities, have identified other terrorist organizations that have benefited from organized crime," said John Pistole, the FBI's deputy director. "We have not seen, to date, a direct link between what we would describe as international organized crime, traditional organized crime, and core al-Qaida."

Pistole spoke at a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington last week, after Attorney General Michael Mukasey rolled out a new strategy for dealing with the threat from a new generation of global crime organizations -- wealthy, politically connected and technologically savvy.

Pistole said there was evidence of links between such groups and other terrorist organizations "whether it's (left-wing Colombian insurgent group) FARC or Hezbollah or other groups, but not core al-Qaida, thus far."

Retired veteran Foreign Service officer William Pope, who asked Pistole about al-Qaida's links with organized crime, said he was pleased with the "very candid" response.

"It's important to keep things in perspective," he told UPI. "Just because al-Qaida is evil … doesn't mean they're involved in everything."

"There are other threats out there … it's good that people are paying attention to them," concluded Pope, who was No. 2 in the State Department's counter-terrorism office until his retirement in 2005.

--

Shaun Waterman, UPI Homeland and National Security Editor