21.   The indictment came exactly three months after four teams of hijackers mounted the most deadly attack on America in history.

22.   The indictment comes as the Securities and Exchange Commission steps up efforts to work more closely with federal prosecutors in cases of serious financial wrongdoing.

23.   The indictments came on the three-month anniversary of the attacks, though Ashcroft said the timing was not deliberate.

24.   The investigators have recommended that three Croatian generals be indicted, and a U.S. official said last week that the indictments could come within a few weeks.

25.   The indictment also comes on the heels of controversy over plans to bring some terrorist suspects to justice in a military tribunal rather than in U.S. courts.

26.   The indictment came as law enforcement authorities point to the growing influence of Russian organized crime in Los Angeles and throughout California.

27.   The indictment comes at a sensitive time in U.S. relations with China, which is seeking U.S. backing for its entry into the World Trade Organization.

28.   The indictment comes four days after Spano backed out of a plea bargain with three states stemming from his aborted purchase of the National Hockey League franchise.

29.   The indictment comes one day after lawyers for the North Hollywood man claimed that a key prosecution witness was unable to identify his client in a police lineup.

30.   The indictments come at a time when federal and state officials are wrestling with proposals regarding taxes on Indian reservation sales.