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CNN Live Today

Al Qaeda Leader Confirms White House 9/11 Target

Aired May 23, 2002 - 10:14   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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: More than eight months after the September 11 attacks, U.S. officials tell CNN the White House was indeed the target of a United Airlines jet that crashed in Pennsylvania. That information reportedly comes from Abu Zubaydah, the highest ranking al Qaeda leader in U.S. custody.

CNN national security correspondent David Ensor has been working his sources.

What have you found out?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Carol, as you say, a few days ago, U.S. officials say Abu Zubaydah told them that, in fact, that fourth aircraft, United Flight 93, that ended up in a field in Pennsylvania, that aircraft was designed, was planned, to hit the White House in the middle of Washington, D.C. That was the target, according to Abu Zubaydah.

Now U.S. officials treat with considerable skepticism everything that Abu Zubaydah tells them. But they say that, on balance, it is likely he is telling the truth on this one.

The plan was to have the fourth aircraft turn and head into Washington and try to hit the White House. Now, as we all know, some heroic passengers attacked the hijackers, and that plane ended up in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and the terrible tragedy that could have occurred was thwarted. It is also possible the plane would have been shot down on the way in, in any case.

Officials say that Abu Zubaydah's information that he is giving them under interrogation varies greatly in its reliability, but most of all in his willingness to talk. Sometimes he will talk and tell them quite a bit. Officials say that some of the information he has given them, which is still secret -- in other words, it's information they have not made public -- they have been able to check out and have been able to corroborate.

So Abu Zubaydah, they have been able to prove, has given them useful intelligence leads, which they are following up in the war on terror -- Carol.

COSTELLO: The latest terror alerts, concerning New York City landmarks, where did that come from, the same place? ENSOR: My understanding is that that information did come, in part, at least, from Abu Zubaydah. That's right. But the warnings about the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty and so forth, that at least in part, the information, the warnings that those could be targets came, in part, from Abu Zubaydah -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Why would he be spilling this?

ENSOR: Well, he is facing a very long time, probably the rest of his life, behind bars. His life can be made more or less pleasant in various ways. So there are pressure points on him. There may be pressure points in terms of what could happen to other members of his family in other countries. I'm only speculating here. In any case, you can be sure that the interrogators, knowing that thousands of lives could be at stake, are using everything they can think of short of torture and some of the other steps that U.S. officials say the U.S. government never uses -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Got you. David Ensor, reporting live for us this morning.

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