Two Terror Suspects Inquired About Medical Positions in U.S.

Two of the foreign-born doctors suspected of plotting last week's failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow had inquired about applying for medical training positions in the United States, U.S. officials said yesterday.

Within the past year, Mohammed Asha, 26, a Saudi-born Jordanian, contacted a Philadelphia-based clearinghouse that reviews and approves foreign applicants for U.S. medical residency and fellowship programs. A second suspect, who was not identified, approached the same group, whose members include the American Medical Association, medical schools and teaching hospitals.

Stephen S. Seeling, vice president of operations for the nonprofit Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, confirmed that FBI agents visited its offices in Philadelphia this week but also declined to discuss the two contacts for privacy reasons.

All eight suspects in the custody of British authorities are believed to have worked for Britain's National Health Service. The two men who rammed a burning sport-utility vehicle packed with propane cylinders into Glasgow Airport's main terminal Saturday are alleged to be Iraqi doctors who worked at a nearby hospital. Some officials have said the same pair was linked to two Mercedes-Benz sedans rigged with propane tanks and nails that failed to detonate in London on Friday.

British authorities have responded to news of the plot with alarm that, in that country's rush to fill a physician shortage, they failed to scrutinize adequately the visa applications of foreign-born doctors and medical workers.

But FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials yesterday played down the significance of the suspects' contacts inside the United States and said they did not immediately evoke official concern that U.S. procedures for screening foreigners seeking training in specialized fields are lax.

"There continues to be no credible information to suggest an imminent threat to the United States," DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said. "The focus of the investigation is overseas, and there is no record of travel to the U.S. by the suspects." The contacts were first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Associated Press.

Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the United States has markedly tightened procedures for admitting foreigners to study or work in technical fields. Changes include the introduction of a computer system that since 2003 has tracked 2.5 million foreign students and dependents, 1 million of them active. All visa applicants now must undergo consular interviews, FBI fingerprint and name checks, and immigration and State Department background checks.

Universities, companies and tourism groups have complained about these procedures, alleging that the obstacles faced by potential visitors have eroded U.S. competitiveness and its international standing.

Victor C. Johnson, associate executive director for public policy for the Association of International Educators, said that tightening the limits would be counterproductive. "You get to the point it's not worth the cost anymore," Johnson said. "That's one of the issues of globalization. Countries like ours and the United Kingdom are talent-short, and we rely on foreign talent."

Knocke said the government is not considering expanding screening requirements because of the British arrests. "In many respects, events in recent days validate the focus that's been placed on foreign nationals traveling in the United States in terms of screening and vetting," he said.

About 25 percent of U.S. physicians -- or 228,655 -- are trained abroad, not counting those trained in Canada, according to the American Medical Association. Of the 11,000 applicants certified to apply for residency and fellowship programs in 2006, 83 percent were non-U.S. citizens; 25 percent came from India; 6 percent from Pakistan; and 4 percent from China, according to the medical education commission.

Foreign-trained doctors must obtain certification by the commission to apply for medical residency programs in the United States, Seeling said, which most states require before granting licenses.