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CNN Live Today

Terrorists May Use Shoulder-Fired Missiles Against Airliners

Aired May 31, 2002 - 10:09   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. Troops scouring eastern Afghanistan have found a cache of 30 Russian-made shoulder-fired missiles. The Pentagon announcement comes on the heels of a federal warning that terrorists could use such weaponry to target airliners in the U.S.

CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre joins us with more details on that -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this discovery by U.S. troops in Afghanistan is not unexpected, but it does underscore the availability of these kinds of small shoulder-fired weapons. These were SA-7s, Russian-made, shoulder-fired weapons, which are very common on the black market and were known to have been in the hands of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan.

But the discovery of a missile tube from one of these types of weapons near the Prince Sultan Airbase and the conclusion that it might have been an attempt to shoot down a plane there prompted the FBI to issue warning that these weapons could show up in the United States, in the hands of terrorists.

Now, according to experts such as Steven -- Michael O'Hanlon rather, of the Brookings Institution, who talked to Paula Zahn on AMERICAN MORNING this morning, the good news is it is not easy to smuggle these kinds of weapons into the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: The basic idea is that you have one or two people carrying it around a battlefield, it will probably weigh, 50, 75-pounds. It is not tiny. But inside of a container coming into the United States, it's going to be much smaller and easier to hide than let's say the nuclear weapon fear that we sometimes have to deal with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTRYE: Now the FBI alert that was circulated to law enforcement agencies, airlines, the FAA, virtually every government agency on May 22nd, made it clear that the FBI has no intelligence of any specific plan or any specific action involving these kinds of missiles, just that because there had been an apparent attempt in Saudi Arabia, that was linked to Al Qaeda, that everyone in the United States, law enforcement in particular, should be the alert for the possibility that that may be something the terrorists may attempt to do -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, Jamie, if indeed, it would be difficult in order to transport such missiles, then why issue this threat that these are the types of weaponry that could be used on airlines in the U.S., on U.S. soil.

MCINTYRE: Well, administration officials said yesterday that the intention of this warning, which was not issue to the public, but was issued to law enforcement agencies, was really in some manner educational, to tell them about, to educate them about the range and capabilities of the these kinds of missiles, so that people who are responsible for protecting airports, or providing security for airliners, would just be more aware of the possible threat and could just use their own common sense in trying to figure out things that might -- they might be able to do to increase security, or to recognize something that might be suspicious activity.

Again, this is in the spirit of the abundance of caution that is in effect in post September 11th, and making sure that any information that could be of use to law enforcement gets to them so they can process it.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jamie McIntyre, from the Pentagon, thank you.

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