Newseum's Popular FBI Exhibit Reopens Today

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Newseum opened "Inside Today's FBI: Fighting Crime in the Age of Terror," a new version of its popular FBI exhibit, featuring never-before-displayed evidence and artifacts from some of the FBI's biggest cases. In the post-9/11 era, the bureau's top priorities are terrorists, spies and cybercriminals, stalked with powerful new surveillance technologies.

The FBI's mission of combating terrorism is a major focus of the new exhibit, which displays more than 45 new artifacts, including the Toyota Corolla abandoned by 9/11 hijackers at Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C., and a Nissan Pathfinder that was rigged with explosives in a failed attempt to bomb Times Square in 2010. The alarm clocks, propane tanks, pressure cooker pot and other components of the homemade bomb will be on display inside the SUV.

The FBI has been making headlines for more than 100 years, and the exhibit explores the sometimes cooperative, sometimes combative relationship between the press and the bureau.

"The exhibit vividly illustrates the dramatic story of the FBI's changing mission after 9/11 and explores debates over national security and privacy in this new age of global fear," said Cathy Trost, senior vice president of exhibits and programs at the Newseum. "With an unprecedented display of evidence, the exhibit takes visitors behind the investigations of some of the FBI's biggest cases, including stories about terrorism and cybercrime ripped from today's headlines."

"Inside Today's FBI" also displays artifacts from the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, including the handcuffs that restrained bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and a mobile fingerprinting device that identified his brother, Tamerlan, as well as the marathon bib and running shoes worn by Boston Globe reporter Michael Rezendes, who switched from running the marathon to reporting on the deadly bombings.

The Newseum's original FBI exhibit was the first temporary exhibit to open after the Newseum moved from Arlington, Va., to Washington, D.C., in 2008. The exhibit proved so popular with visitors that its run was extended indefinitely until it finally closed for renovations in July 2015. Some of the most significant artifacts from the old FBI exhibit will remain on display, including the Unabomber's cabin, engine parts and landing gear from United Airlines Flight 175, which crashed into the World Trade Center South Tower on Sept. 11, 2001, and the shoes worn by shoe bomber Richard Reid in an attempt to blow up an American Airlines flight in December 2001.

"Inside Today's FBI" will be on display indefinitely.

About the Newseum
The mission of the Newseum is to champion the five freedoms of the First Amendment through exhibits, public programs and education. One of the top attractions in Washington, D.C., the dynamic, engaging and interactive museum allows visitors to experience the stories of yesterday and today through the eyes of the media while celebrating the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans by the First Amendment. The Newseum Institute serves as a forum for First Amendment study, exploration and education. The Newseum is a 501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals, corporations and foundations, including the Freedom Forum. For more information, visit newseum.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151112/286969 
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151112/286970

SOURCE Newseum

Related Links

http://www.newseum.org