Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Pakistan Bombing Kills Eight

Aired June 14, 2002 - 05:02   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: We want to focus more now on that car bombing outside the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. So let's go to our phone lines now.

Azhar Abbas is a journalist with GOTV, in Pakistan.

What can you tell us?

AZHAR ABBAS, GOTV: Well, the situation is almost the same, but the death toll has increased. I have just talked to the police officials, and they are saying now that the death toll is eight, eight people have died, and it is still thought about 40 people are injured. Two of the deaths are the security people who were actually standing outside -- Pakistani security officials who were assigned to stand outside the U.S. Consulate.

Among the injured, the interesting development is -- among the injured -- one injured is -- the police officials are saying -- belongs to a religious extremist school. But it is not yet confirmed whether he was kind of involved in anything. But he is one of the persons injured.

I've also talked to President Musharraf's spokesperson, Gen. Qureshi, and he just condemned the blast and all. On the other hand, in Karachi, the chief of police intelligence, Capt. Sober (ph), said that they are still looking into various aspects. But he believes -- he said that he believes that the same group which was involved in the May 8 Sheraton blast is the same group which is involved in this blast as well. And the May 8 blast, the French nationals who were here were killed.

COSTELLO: Can you expound on that group? What is that group, and what is their mission?

ABBAS: Well, Capt. Sober (ph) is saying, Carol, that, apparently, this group is linked to al Qaeda network. He said that we cannot know for sure, but it is. So he was saying that we don't have any proof that an al Qaeda network is in Karachi, but these two incidents show that there are some people who have sympathies with al Qaeda who are operating in Karachi. That's what Capt. Sober (ph) just told me -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Authorities had just reopened a road in front of the U.S. Consulate. Do you think the group was just waiting for that to happen?

ABBAS: It seems like that. I mean, the road was closed after the May 8 blast for about a week, 10 days. And then, because for a lot of citizens, there was inconvenience, they opened the road. It's a major road. It has the main Marriott Hotel there, and the main ABN AMRO Bank is there. So it's a main road. It was difficult for the officials to close it down. That's why they opened the road. But obviously, they were not prepared -- it seems that they were not prepared for another suicide attack. And that's exactly what happened.

COSTELLO: All right. Azhar, thank you for joining us live this morning. We sure appreciate it. Azhar Abbas, live from Pakistan this morning.

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