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CNN Live Today

Congress to Investigate FBI, CIA

Aired June 03, 2002 - 14:03   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: And now to Washington and the second- guessing that's soon to be the first order of business for Congressional investigators. At issue in hearings that get underway tomorrow is what the CIA, the FBI and others might have done to prevent the attacks of September 11th.

Today, there's news about information the CIA apparently kept to itself, and there's another change in tactics from the FBI.

CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena joins us with both and Kelli, let's start with the CIA.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Carol, there were two men, Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhamzi, who the CIA knew about before September 11th. They had been at a meeting of suspected terrorists back in January of 2000, but it really wasn't until January of 2001 that the CIA was able to identify one of the men at that meeting, that they were then able to connect these two men that you're looking at too.

So in January of 2001, it's fair to say the CIA firmly had information connecting these two men to known terrorists and that they should have put them on a watch list. They did not.

They didn't share information until August, just before the September 11th attacks, Carol.

LIN: So, Kelli, what did the FBI do with that information, then?

ARENA: It wasn't really passed on until August. The FBI then had determined that they were in the country.

On their customs -- when they came through Customs, they both wrote down they were going to be staying at a Marriott Hotel in New York City. Well, the FBI agents fanned out and searched every Marriott in New York City. Obviously couldn't find anything. They obviously were not here as tourists, but said that anyway. And were looking for them up until those planes crashed into the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon.

So it's interesting to note, though, they really did stay under the radar. They were in this country, but once you get in, it's really hard to find someone if they don't want to be found -- Carol. LIN: All right, so is there any sort of consensus amongst your sources that had all the dots been connected, even just a month before the attacks, that they could have been prevented?

ARENA: You know, it's a big maybe, all the way around, Carol.

Number one, you know, these guys came on in legal visas, as you know, all of them came in on legal visas. They did not associate while they were here with any known terrorists who were under surveillance at the time.

As I said before, it's very easy to hide. Once you're in this country, you know, we don't keep tabs on our tourists as they go from place to place. They did get on the plane with legal paraphernalia at the time -- box cutters were not illegal.

And let's say everybody got really lucky in August and were able to find at least these two men. And had them in custody. The thinking is that they would do exactly what Zacarias Moussaoui, who investigators believe was supposed to be the 20th hijacker is doing now, which is not cooperating with investigators.

Zacarias Moussaoui has not said word one that would be considered helpful in the investigation.

Now, may they have found something on their person or in a place where they were, possibly. But then again, the FBI can't move in on somebody until they do something to break the law. Now, that may have been a visa violation or they may have been involved in some other petty, you know, criminal act. But until there was actual criminal investigation, you can't just go and take people in to custody.

LIN: There you go. All right. Thank you very much, Kelli Arena...

ARENA: You're welcome.

LIN: ... for that perspective.

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