US authorities have taken two people into custody in connection with the devastating attacks that destroyed New York's World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon, a US official confirmed Sunday.
"There were two people taken into custody on material witness warrants" by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said Mindy Tucker, spokeswoman for US Attorney General John Ashcroft.
The two are separate from 25 other individuals taken into custody by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service whom "we are interested in talking to further," she told reporters.
Authorities are chasing down over 40 thousand tips and potential leads received since the September 11 attacks, in which hijackers crashed fuel-heavy commercial airliners into the landmarks, she said.
There have been 5,700 calls over a special hotline set up by the US Justice Department, forcing the agency to increase the number of phone lines available from 30 to 45, she said -- CAMP DAVID, Maryland (AFP)
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