Los Angeles Times:Europe criticizes U.S. anti-terrorism role - by Josh Meyer

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Europe criticizes U.S. anti-terrorism role - by Josh Meyer

Two of Europe's most prominent counter-terrorism officials on Friday criticized the United States for not being fully cooperative in the global fight against Islamist extremism, saying its unwillingness to share information and evidence in a timely manner had compromised important investigations and prosecutions. The remarks were made by senior investigative magistrates Armando Spataro of Italy and Baltasar Garzon of Spain at a counter-terrorism conference here that was attended by senior U.S. officials.

Garzon, Spain's most prominent counter-terrorism official, said U.S. authorities had withheld evidence or delayed sharing it to protect sources and methods, which had the effect of undermining the efforts of various European governments. He said he had to wait more than a year in some cases for information from the U.S., and in one case still hadn't received it. Asked why, he said: "I don't have an answer. It is a very important problem with the U.S."