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CNN Live Today

Foreign Nationals Arrested in U.S. for Fraudulent Visas

Aired July 10, 2002 - 14:16   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: An update on a story we have been talking about throughout the morning. Thirty-one foreign nationals being arrested in the United States after obtaining fraudulent visas. We're going to go to the State Department now. Andrea Koppel standing by with more on this. Hi, Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

It's an alarming case of visa fraud involving a total of 71 foreign nationals, some of whom paid upwards of $10,000 a piece to get an American visa at the U.S. embassy in Doha, Qatar.

As you mentioned, 31 have been detained, and of those 31, state department officials say at least three of them had links to the September 11 hijackers. One of those individuals' name has been reported for some time. We have had it out there -- Rosni Al Shanak (ph), a Jordanian national. In fact, he was detained -- he was arraigned rather, in Baltimore, earlier today. Now, as far as the remaining 29 who are still out there, officials say they are looking for mostly Middle Eastern and South Asian men who got their visas in Doha.

How did they find these 71 individuals, their names? Well, apparently all three, all 31 of them, had red flags raised. And that is, including their applications at the embassies were missing.

No payment was received for their visa applications. And they didn't show up on the visitor's log at the embassy. Now, Kyra, as far as who was behind this, State Department investigators with the diplomatic security service say they don't know.

They say that all those at the embassy, both foreign nationals and American consular officials, are still on duty, still doing their jobs, and they are still trying to piece together how this happened. This happened actually between June, July of 2000 and May of 2001.

PHILLIPS: Andrea, any -- real quickly, any proof at all that any of these individuals that received fraudulent visas are terrorists, were involved in terrorism? Are those in custody saying -- giving any good leads to terrorism activity?

KOPPEL: Yes, they are getting good leads, and that's a very important point to make. Even those three gentlemen who were detained by the INS for having links to the September 11 hijackers, none of them has been determined to have any links to actual terrorism.

They are believed to have been the roommates of a couple of the September 11 hijackers here in the Washington area. So they do not have any hard evidence right now that any of these individuals, any of the 71, in fact, had links to terrorism.

But obviously they're very concerned about the fact that there are an additional 29 people who are still out there on fake U.S. visas.

PHILLIPS: Andrea Koppel, live from the State Department. Thanks, Andrea.

We are going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

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