Terrorism Case Shows Range Of Investigators' Tools: Via NPR - National Public Radio.

Investigators in the terrorism case against Najibullah Zazi claim to have amassed stacks of evidence against the former Denver-area shuttle bus driver.

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Officials say FBI agents in Denver and New York had been tracking Zazi for some time — and experts analyzing the case say the way law enforcement gathered evidence against Zazi and possible co-conspirators may be a textbook case of how to conduct a terrorism investigation. The FBI used a blend of wiretaps and subpoenas, search warrants and local police, among other things, to build its case.

"I think what's striking about the Zazi case is not so much that new tools were being used, but that old tools were being used in a comprehensive fashion," says Sam Rascoff, who used to work terrorism cases for the New York Police Department's intelligence unit. "And that they were being stitched together in a thoughtful, strategic way, so that one tool naturally gave way to another."

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The wiretap used on Zazi was different. In his case, officials tell NPR they asked a judge for what's called a roving FISA wire tap. (FISA stands for Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.) Roving wiretaps are standard fare in narcotics cases. They allow investigators to link a wiretap with a person, rather than just a specific phone number. It allows for a broader array of electronic surveillance, including disposable cell phones, e-mail and text messages.

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When Zazi neared New York City on Sept. 10, the New York police pulled him over on the George Washington Bridge. Officials familiar with the case tell NPR that was an orchestrated operation between the FBI and NYPD. They wanted to make sure there weren't any chemicals or a bomb in Zazi's car. They told Zazi it was a routine search and, just to underscore the point, pulled over other cars on the bridge as well.

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Rascoff, the former NYPD official, said that even with the limited evidence revealed so far, the Zazi investigation shows how many tools can be brought to bear in a domestic terrorism case.

"They can use electronic surveillance, which is just a fancy term for eavesdropping on phone calls and looking into e-mails; undercover agents and confidential informants who are on the inside of organizations; and they can use physical surveillance, what you and I would call casing a joint or following a person," Rascoff says. And in the Zazi case, investigators seemed to have used them all.

Law enforcement officials are quick to say they aren't done yet. Officials haven't explained where the chemicals and bomb materials ended up. And they tell NPR more arrests are coming.

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