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CNN Live Event/Special

FBI Releases Photos

Aired September 27, 2001 - 16:31   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.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: The government of the United States putting out more information about the investigation now releasing photos to match the names of the 19 suspected hijackers who carried out the attacks on September 11. For the latest on that I am joined by our justice correspondent Kelli Arena -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Judy, investigators were hesitant about putting out the photos but they say that they are now sure that the pictures are correct. What they are not sure about is whether the names attached to faces are correct, and in some cases there may have been identity theft involved.

Investigators are hoping that the public release of the pictures will lead to some tips about possible associates or other information. Let's start with pictures from American Flight 11. That flight crashed into the north of the World Trade Center. Among this group: Mohamed Atta, who is believed to be one of the ringleaders. All but one are believed to be Saudis and three of the men are believed to have had flight training in the United States.

Moving to United Flight 175, which crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center, all of the men have Florida connections. Marwan al-Shehhi attended flight school with Mohamed Atta at Huffman Aviation in Florida.

American Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon, all of the men had local, D.C. connections. And on United Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, this is the flight where the passengers apparently tried to overcome the hijackers. All of the men have connections in Florida.

Now, while the FBI is focused on finding associates of those men, Director Robert Mueller says the main focus of the investigation at this point is preventing future terrorist attacks.

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ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: It's fair to say we are under a heightened state-of-alert and without any specificity as to a particular target, a particular place, or a particular time. But we are under a heightened state-of-alert and we ask anybody who believes that they may have information as to a potential the terrorist attack, to give their local FBI office a call.

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ARENA: Now the FBI has received more than 100,000 tips from the public and it has more than 300 people in custody -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: Kelli, we know today there were some new arrests having to do with trucking and hazardous materials.

ARENA: Yes, there are now 18 people that are under arrest, people who fraudulently tried to -- allegedly fraudulently -- tried to obtain licenses for trucks to carry hazardous material. But the Justice Department keeps saying that while these people are under arrest, they have established no direct links between those people and the terrorist attacks.

They are basically going through, they are combing through records making sure licenses are indeed legitimate. If they find a problem, a violation, those people have those licenses revoked and they are put under arrest. So it is all part of the security measures, but no direct links yet.

WOODRUFF: Kelli Arena. Thanks very much. Making a distinct between that and the other part of the investigation.

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