Apparently an Arabic translator for the FBI was a significant player in a recent counterterrorism case, according to an Associated Press (1/4/06) report out of Rochester, N.Y. A grocer of Palestinian descent pled guilty in Federal District court to trying to deceive agents about his brother's plans to go to Israel to become a suicide bomber. Prosecutors reportedly said he destroyed his brother's letter detailing the plan, but investigators managed to photograph it first. A copy of the same letter was found on the would-be bomber when he was stopped at the airport in Rochester on his way to Jordan. No doubt court papers contained the translation of the letter, but I would also imagine investigators used an Arabic interpreter in some of their interrogations. It would be interesting to know more about the training and security requirements for interpreters in these jobs.