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CNN Live Today

Government Reviews Bin Laden Tape

Aired May 20, 2002 - 12:34   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Government terror experts closely reviewing that Osama bin Laden videotape released over the weekend, looking for clues to his whereabouts and also when that tape was produced.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon as they search for answers there -- Barbara, they finding much? Good afternoon.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill.

Well, no, not really. And the interesting thing is that there is a very muted Pentagon reaction to this videotape. They say there is no way of telling when it was made. They have seen a number of tapes emerge in recent weeks. And they are fairly dismissive of it at this point. Their working assumption is that bin Laden is alive.

And what they are more worried about, more concerned about, is the possibility of more terrorist attacks. And, indeed, that is something the Pentagon has been worried about since September 11.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTORIA CLARKE, ASST. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We also think it is likely that there will be another attack. They have made clear their intent; they have made clear their desire to harm and kill Americans. It clearly is an organization with some real capabilities to have pulled off what they pulled off on 9/11. And all the planning that went into that, you've got to believe there must have been something else in the pipeline.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now, military installations around the world, of course, have been on a high state of alert since September 11. They are told to keep an extra eye out.

There is one change, however, that we learned about today. Since September 11, military intelligence officials participate now in a twice-a-day secure video conference call with the rest of the intelligence community, including the CIA and the FBI, twice a day, to talk about the latest updates in the terrorist threat.

Officials emphasize that months of planning went into the September 11 attacks. So, their working assumption has to be that the al Qaeda must have had something else in the works, although they have no specifics as to time, date or location.

And in Afghanistan itself, operations are continuing. And we are told that preparations are now under way to return to the United States the body of that special forces soldier who was killed over the weekend -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara, I want to go back to this videotape just for a moment.

Part of the confusion, I believe, about putting a date or a time on the tape is that there was no clear reference to September 11, was there?

STARR: There was not. And that's one of the big mysteries.

Most of the tapes they have seen they believe were made some months back. There is that one tape, of course, from late last year made since September 11. But, in fact, they don't think at this point there have been any bin Laden tapes that we have seen that were made this year. So, they are going to look at it. But, at the moment, their view is, the working assumption still has to be: Bin Laden is alive. He and the al Qaeda pose a serious threat to the United States. And any tapes are just simply background noise to them at the moment.

HEMMER: Thank you, Barbara -- Barbara Starr at the Pentagon

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