Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

U.S. Officials Say United Flight 93 Intended to Hit White House on 9-11

Aired May 23, 2002 - 13:17   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: Now to another story about something that people had long suspected about what happened to United Airlines Flight 93. That was the fourth plane hijacked on September 11. That plane going down in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh. It left Newark earlier. In fact, it left Newark that morning at 8:42 a.m. headed for San Francisco, and at 9:35 the plane made a U-turn heading straight for the nation's capital, we are told. It crashed in Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m.

David Ensor with more on where that plane may have been headed.

David, good afternoon.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill.

Well, U.S. officials say Abu Zubaydah has told them in the last few days that that fourth plane, the United Flight 93, was intended -- was indeed intended, as had been suspected, to hit the White House on September 11. On balance, one official told me, they do believe Zubaydah on this, although officials look at everything the former senior al Qaeda figure says with a highly skeptical eye. Officials say his willingness to talk about matters that could be useful varies greatly from day to day. Of course Flight 93 ended up in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania after passengers battled the hijackers and all onboard were killed.

Officials say Abu Zubaydah's information varies greatly in its reliability. However, he has told them things that have not been made public and that they have been able to corroborate using other intelligence methods. In other words, they are skeptical of what he says, but he has given them some useful information, information that's useful in the war on the terrorist group that he once helped to lead.

In addition, other sources are confirming that the warning that terrorists might try to attack New York landmarks, such as the Statute of Liberty or the Brooklyn Bridge, that warning also comes in part, these sources say, from Abu Zubaydah -- Bill.

HEMMER: Thank you, David.

David Ensor in Washington.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com