US list of terror suspects grows to 325,000 names News
US list of terror suspects grows to 325,000 names

[JURIST] The number of alleged international terrorism suspects named in a centralized US database has more than quadrupled since the list's inception in 2003, according to a report in Wednesday's Washington Post. The list, compiled by the National Counterterrorism Center [official website] based on information from the CIA, FBI, NSA and other agencies, began with 75,000 names and now has 325,000.

NCTC officials say that the actual number of individuals listed is closer to 200,000 because of duplications resulting from different spellings or aliases. An administration official added that "only a very, very small fraction" of those named were US citizens and it is unclear how many names on the list are derived from the NSA's domestic surveillance program [JURIST news archive]. Human rights groups have denounced similar terror lists [JURIST report] as arbitrary and unfair for not providing individuals a chance to clear their names. Reuters has more.