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Khalid Shaikh Mohammed Played Key Role in 9/11, But Not Mastermind

Aired June 05, 2002 - 11:31   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Back here in the U.S., federal officials say that a suspect wanted in connection with the 1995 bomb plot was a key player in the September 11 attacks, and a top al Qaeda official.

Our national security correspondent David Ensor joins us live, he is in Washington with details. David, good morning.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, U.S. officials now believe that a little known figure in al Qaeda -- little known until now, that is -- played a key role in the 9/11 plot. He is Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and he was instrumental and may even have been pivotal in the planning of the attack on 9/11, officials say. Though officials say he was not, as some reports have suggested, the mastermind of the attacks.

The information about Mohammed's key role comes in part from Abu Zubaydah, captured al Qaeda operations chief who has been, for months, under interrogations by U.S. officials. Officials say they know that Zubaydah is trying to play up the role of others and downplay his own role in the September 11 attacks, but that certain information that he has given on the activities of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has checked out with other intelligence information.

The man is a Kuwaiti national. He was indicted by the U.S. in 1996, charged with involvement in the failed plot led by Ramzi Yousef to blow up airliners over the Pacific. He is on the FBI's most wanted list, has been for some time now. He has been a fund raiser for al Qaeda, and he is believed to be, most likely, in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Officials say there is some evidence that Mohammed may, in fact, be related to Ramzi Yousef, the leader of the failed plot against airliners, who is now serving a life sentence for his role in the first attack on the World Trade Center back in 1993. The U.S. has raised the reward for information leading to Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, they did that back in November, it is now up to $25 million.

Sources who saw the man before September 11 say that he usually wore glasses and a full beard, and that he was somewhat overweight. There are also pictures however, showing him without glasses and without a beard, so he may look different at this point -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, time will tell. We will see if they can get him. David Ensor in Washington, thank you very much.

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