ARE YOU ON IT?

Half of Watchlist Not Tied to Terrorists

A quarter-million names.

The U.S. government's terrorist watchlist is filled with non-terrorists. According to classified documents, the database of terrorist suspects includes more 280,000 people (40 percent of the list) who fall under the category "no recognized terrorist group affiliation." Well-known militant organizations, including al Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah, make up the rest of the Terrorist Screening Database, which is widely shared with law enforcement, private contractors, and foreign leaders. Of those "known or suspected terrorists," the second-highest concentration resides in Dearborn, Michigan. The government adds 900 new records, either names or additional information on suspects, to the database daily, some content of which is secretly extracted from foreign governments.