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CNN Live Today

America Under Attack: The Investigation

Aired September 12, 2001 - 12:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk now about the investigation into finding out exactly who is responsible for this. officials are saying that early investigation into this -- these deadly attacks point to the Islamic extremists, and the alleged terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden.

Our national correspondent Mike Boettcher is joining us here on the set. He's got the latest for us on the investigation. And you have been checking out the things.

And I want to ask you first of all: In looking at what you have heard -- seen so far, and talking to those you have, has anyone said to you that they think that the four attacks that happened yesterday were the only four that were planned? Because that to me would seem sort of -- sort of strange to think that any group could be so efficient that they would have 100 percent effectiveness or efficiency here.

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I was told by one source that they wanted to ensure, they're speculating now, but that these groups obviously wanted to ensure that they were successful. And other attempts that have occurred, usually a quarter, or a half, or sometimes none of the efforts work.

BOETTCHER: But, there was a concern: Is this over? And no one can answer that question yet.

HARRIS: All right. How close are they now getting to actually identifying who they think it's they're going to be going after here?

BOETTCHER: Well, in the United States, the search is centering on three fronts: First, that car that was seized at Logan International Airport in Boston. Inside the car were flight training manuals. They're looking at that car. We've confirmed independently that indeed there are interesting items inside of that car that FBI agents want to look at.

Also, another car was seized at Daytona Airport. In that car, again, there were items in Arabic, apparently, relating to Osama Bin Laden, and that is the reason that they're looking at that car. It has been towed away and is being looked at.

And at the second location in Florida, in Dennis, a question there has been questioned by the FBI. They run a flight school, and they say that the FBI indicated to them that maybe two of their former students a year ago may have had something to do with the attacks yesterday.

Leon.

HARRIS: Let me ask you about that material that you said that was found in Boston, because our Bill Delaney was on about maybe an hour and a half or so ago, and he was saying that there was some concern that that information may actually be false information floating out there. Because the experts he talked to found it so hard to believe that he would find something left behind that would be an Arabic, flight training manual.

Something as specific as that they being left behind in the wake of this?

BOETTCHER: Well, let me give you an example. The Daytona car may provide some answers to that. Maybe these people wanted those cars to be found, because we have indications in the Daytona car that information was left very obvious, relating to Osama Bin Laden, that it was left out there for people to see.

So, you know, you can speculate all you want about this, and it is difficult to know. The agents, the intelligence analysts themselves are really wrestling with this issue. And to second guess a terrorist is a difficult thing to do.

HARRIS: What about the overseas cooperation that we've been hearing about so much lately? The U.S. is going to be seeking it from other states, other entities overseas. And we've heard also that many folks in the intelligence community are concerned that there is no human intelligence, at least not like there used to be. The U.S. doesn't have as many people on the ground in different places.

Any concern that fact alone will prevent them from finding out exactly who is responsible?

BOETTCHER: No, they do not think that will prevent them from finding who was responsible for this. What they're looking at is information that they developed over the last few years, that Al- Qa'Ida is not a group, it's a network. I think Secretary Powell said the same this morning. It is a network, and this network has been mutating over the past two years, and they've been trying to study this mutation.

For example, Al-Qa'Ida has been reaching out to other terrorist group, especially in North Africa and especially Algerians. And in 1994, for example, the only other case kind of similar to this was a hijacking that went bad for the Algerian terrorist group Gia, which has contacts to Osama Bin Laden. And in that case, they wanted to ram that jet into the Eiffel tower, but that did not work. And so they're looking at that.

They are also looking at possible significance of dates, why did this happen in September. They know that recent recently, and if you look at his most recent videotape to come out a few months ago. In that tape he really embraces the Palestinian Intifada which is a real shift for Bin Laden. In the past it has been an American presence overseas.

So they are looking at possible symbolism of September going back to Black September, which was the radical Palestinian group that hijacked four planes back in 1970. Three of those were successful hijackings, and also they are responsible for the Munich massacre during the Olympics. So they are looking at all of these things going through the files but nothing hard yet.

HARRIS: Great indication how much work is to be done here. Mike Boettcher thank you very much. We'll be talking to you through out the day on this one.

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