Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Saffi's Family in New Zealand Unwilling to Talk to Reporters

Aired July 05, 2002 - 06:32   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: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's stepson is about to be deported. Right now he's being held in Miami on a visa violation. Red flags went up when U.S. officials learned he was in the States from New Zealand to take an aviation course at the very same flight school used by one of the September 11 hijackers.

Mark Hannan of TV New Zealand visited his hometown in New Zealand. He has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK HANNAN, TV NEW ZEALAND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 1 News wasn't welcome at Mohammed Saffi's home today.

(on camera): Can you tell us about Mohammed?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't care about it. (EXPLETIVE DELETED)

HANNAN: You don't care about it? Do you live here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't live here. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) off.

HANNAN: Why won't you talk to us?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm telling you to (EXPLETIVE DELETED) off.

HANNAN: We're on public property.

(voice-over): Visitors arrived at the Saffi home throughout the day.

(on camera): Do you want to talk to us about Mohammed?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No.

HANNAN: Mohammed Saffi and his wife and their teenage son and daughter have lived in this house in a quiet cul-de-sac on Auckland's North Shore for about three years. Neighbors wouldn't go on camera, but they say the family's very nice, always friendly, that they keep very much to themselves.

(voice-over): But one person keen to talk about Mohammed Saffi is the man said to employ him. JIMMY BROOKS, TIGER LINES CARGO: He's a very nice, hard working family man. He wants to live peacefully and do his job.

HANNAN: Mr. Brooks owns the freight company Tiger Lines Cargo. It has a 727-200 parked at Hamilton Airport with plans to run a freight business servicing the Pacific. The only place Mr. Saffi could get certification to fly the plane was Miami.

EWAN WILSON, AVIATION ANALYST: The U.S. offers the least expensive simulator training facilities in the world. So it makes a great deal of sense to me.

HANNAN: Mr. Saffi is currently employed as an engineer at Air New Zealand and he took leave to get his Miami training. Now his future employer is concerned about his well-being.

BROOKS: Most of our captains that are there in Miami drove down to the detention center today and they were denied access to him.

HANNAN: Flying this plane will also be forbidden if Mohammed Saffi is deported from the U.S. Now his job prospects are uncertain.

Mark Hannan, 1 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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