For American citizens, the consequences could come when Washington seeks to help Americans arrested overseas.

American courts have given law enforcement authorities broad powers to bring any suspects arrested overseas - not just terrorists - to this country.

You can be arrested overseas for actions that may be either legal or considered minor infractions in the United States.

Americans are subject to the law of whatever country they are in, but normally the State Department takes an interest when a United States citizen is arrested overseas.

At the least, the tribunals would be used for people arrested overseas who could then be tried on military bases or, as Pentagon officials said today, on ships at sea.

The perpetrator contacts a grandparent on the telephone pretending to be a law enforcement official or attorney and informs them that a loved one has been arrested overseas.

Just last July, several people were arrested overseas in what authorities said was a plot to bomb the PATH system - which has a weekday ridership of 230,000.

Mr. Meese said it was the first time a suspected terrorist had been arrested overseas by United States law enforcement officials.

"They may be under a lot of pressure to do the right thing," said Mr. Griffith, who is a partner in a law firm that specializes in representing Americans arrested overseas.

The number of Britons arrested overseas has fallen by over 10%, but despite this positive trend Foreign Office staff still handled 5,700 arrest cases last year.