Testimony of Steven Emerson Before the House Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations "PATRIOT Act Oversight: Investigating Patterns of Terrorist Fundraising“ Fund-Raising Methods and Procedures for International Terrorist Organizations February 12, 2002 Steven Emerson Executive Director The Investigative Project
[email protected] Washington, DC STEVEN EMERSON A Biographical Sketch 5505 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #341, Washington DC 20015-2601 Phone: (202) 363-8602 Fax: (202) 966-5191 E-Mail:
[email protected] Steven Emerson is an internationally recognized expert on terrorism and national security, a correspondent, and an author who also serves as the Executive Director of The Investigative Project. His current book, American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us, published by The Free Press, details the rise of the militant Islamic infrastructure in the United States and provides the most comprehensive account of the major fundamentalist Islamic cells on American soil to date. Mr. Emerson started The Investigative Project in late 1995 following the broadcast of his documentary film, "Jihad in America," on public television. The film exposed video of clandestine operations of militant Islamic terrorist groups on American soil. For the film, Mr. Emerson received numerous awards including the George Polk Award for best television documentary, one of the most prestigious awards in journalism. He also received the top prize from the Investigative Reporters and Editors Organization (IRE) for best investigative report in both print and television for the documentary. The award from the IRE was the fourth such award he had received from that group. Since 1996, Mr. Emerson has testified more than a dozen times before Congress on such topics as the terrorist infrastructure in the US, Palestinian violations of the Oslo accords, the protection of America's national infrastructure, and the threat of Islamic fundamentalism against the United States and the West.