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U.S. Government Sifting Through Documents Discovered in Pakistan

Aired April 03, 2002 - 13:30   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: There were some documents that were gathered up and even some computers at the safehouse where Zubaydah was hiding. CNN's national security correspondent David Ensor has more on this. David, a few days ago you said the top priority would be to question Zubaydah, to find out if there were any terrorist attacks in the planning right now. Have these documents or these computers helped them at all?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: U.S. officials say that they have not yet found a direct link to a specific planned future terrorist attack, so, no. They are sifting through documents, computers, the contents of computers, as you say, from a number of different houses in Lafore and Fais Alabad (ph) in Pakistan that were raided in the last few days of last week, including the one where Abu Zubaydah was found.

The officials say that the information they are finding there is proving very interesting and useful. And some officials say that the information includes lists of telephone numbers and names which are being cross-checked around the world. So, it is something of a gold mine of intelligence gathering information.

I should also point out that officials say in addition to Abu Zubaydah, one of the top lieutenants of Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, some of Zubaydah's subordinates were also captured in the same house. About 10 Arabs were in the house at the time it was raided. And officials tell me that several of them were key lieutenants to Zubaydah. So, the U.S. now has in its hands a number of key people who may be able to help lead them to al Qaeda sleeper cells, to others who might be planning terrorism. This is a very major intelligence breakthrough, but as was eluded to just a moment ago, the question is will these gentlemen talk. That is the question.

Now, officials are confirming that Abu Zubaydah, who was of course badly injured in the raid that took him, he was shot in the groin, in the thigh and in the stomach, he is not well. He is in serious condition but expected to survive. However, officials are confirming that he is able to talk to the extent of confirming he is the man they think he is. So they are not willing to talk about whether he has gone farther than that yet, but clearly they want him to in a big way, Carol.

LIN: David, here is what I don't understand about this. Donald Rumsfeld -- and we didn't even show the most fiery exchange that he had with reporters about this. He was extremely defensive at the Pentagon briefing, pounding the podium and trying to explain that Zubaydah is in U.S. custody, that the United States will remain responsible for his personal safety, his health, and the questioning of him.

But, as you know, former U.S. officials have told CNN, and it's been reported, that often times just the threat of transferring a suspect to a third-party country where torture perhaps could be used to extract information, in this situation, if they feel that Zubaydah has so much information, he may actually know if there is a pending attack that could happen tomorrow. Why would they not use every strategy available to them to get that information as soon as possible?

ENSOR: I think what you are listening to is the government has several agendas at the same time when it is talking us to. It is talking to a lot of different audiences. Mr. Rumsfeld is perhaps worried that some around the world might fear that the U.S. will approve the use of torture by others against Abu Zubaydah, and that that might have a very bad propaganda impact in the Arab world, for example.

On the other hand, you talk to at least former officials about how something like this might have been handled when they were in office and they will say that, you know, an American interrogator really needs information out of a suspect and that suspect has been indicted in another country, and Abu Zubaydah has been indicted in Jordan, I should point out, in connection with the millennium plot, supposedly being involved in a plot to blow up a hotel there, that American investigators might at least mention that to the gentleman and point out to him that he might want to start talking now. The alternatives are less attractive. So, there are kind of mixed agendas here. It may be a little bit of they are both right, Carol.

LIN: All right. The beat goes on. Thank you very much. David Ensor with some fascinating information about Abu Zubaydah and what developments may occur with these documents and computers found in Pakistan in that safehouse.

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