October 16, 2001
Source: U.S. Department of State
On October 16, 2001, the U.S. Department of State published the statement of Attorney General John Ashcroft to Arab-American, Muslim, and Sikh leaders, which said, in part: "Working in tandem, the Civil Rights Division, FBI, and U.S. Attorneys' offices have opened over 170 hate crime investigations -- cases involving killings, shootings, death threats, assaults, and the destruction of mosques."