Rand Paul Questions How Terrorism Suspects Entered U.S.

by Kevin Willis, Kentucky Public RadioKentucky's junior senator says he plans to ask for congressional hearings on how two Iraqi men arrested in Bowling Green on terrorism charges got into the U.S. At a news conference Friday morning, Rand Paul said the charges raise questions about who is allowed into the country. He pointed to the suspects' history, saying, "At least one of them had been in prison in Iraq and had been fighting with the insurgents and had been accused and put in prison for planning IEDs at the time. What I want to know is, how the heck did he get into our country, then?"Senator Paul also criticized airport security procedures, speculating that, "because we have this sort of universal 'Everybody could be a terrorist' at the airports and otherwise, we're not spending enough specific time on those who are coming from certain countries."He says anyone immigrating to the U.S. should have their fingerprints cross-checked against prints contained in a database of terrorists. The two men appeared in federal court in Louisville this week and pled not guilty to charges that they tried to ship stinger missiles, sniper rifles and cash to al Qaida members in Iraq.