FBI holds silent protest

Nearly 500 current and retired FBI agents took part

Several hundred agents of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have held an unprecedented protest march outside the White House in Washington.

They were demonstrating against a controversial pardon under consideration by President Clinton for Leonard Peltier, an American Indian convicted of killing two FBI agents in 1975.

These killings were not accidental - they were not in the heat of the moment

Louis Freeh, FBI Director

Clad in dark overcoats and sporting sunglasses, the agents marched in silence behind a banner reading "Never Forget".

Some carried large photos of the two dead agents, Ronald Williams and Jack Coler.

They were killed at the Pine Ridge Indian reservation in South Dakota after chasing a truck believed to be driven by a robbery suspect. Leonard Peltier was convicted of their deaths and is serving two life sentences.

President Bill Clinton fuelled clemency speculation in November when he told a New York radio station that he would review a pardon request.

"The president understands that many people on all sides have strong views on this issue, but he has promised a careful review of the facts," said White House spokesman Jake Siewert.

Killings 'not accidental'

FBI Director Louis Freeh opposes any pardon. "These killings were not accidental, they were not in the heat of the moment, they were not in the defence of life," he said.

But Amnesty International and many civil rights groups say Leonard Peltier is innocent.

"It's not surprising to us that the FBI continues to try to malign Leonard Peltier and the American Indian Movement," said Glenn Morris, an American Indian Movement leader.

He went on to describe Mr Peltier as "the most noted political prisoner in the United States."