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CNN Live Today
Hijackers Opened Bank Account with Fake Social Security Numbers
Aired July 10, 2002 - 12:02 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with the money trail, leading to the horrors of September 11. It seems the hijackers had little trouble using bogus social security numbers to open several U.S. bank accounts.
CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena joins us now with the details -- Kelly.
KELLY ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, government officials say this is more evidence the hijackers manipulated the system to their advantage. They opened up 35 bank accounts in the United States; in some cases, as you said, using bogus social security numbers.
The bulk of the hijackers' money was deposited in 14 accounts at SunTrust Banks. Now SunTrust officials say the hijackers did have proper documentation to open the accounts that they used there. The investigation into the hijackers' finances is important because investigators hope to unravel who helped orchestrate the September 11 attack. Investigators have already identified several key al Qaeda operatives by tracking the money trail -- Kyra back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, Kelli Arena, thank you.
ARENA: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: A statement from a man claiming to be al Qaeda's spokesman has surfaced in the Middle East. It warns that al Qaeda leaders are alive and expanding their war, but U.S. officials are not sure the speaker is who he claims to be.
Joining us to sort this out, CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr -- what can you tell us, Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well hello, Kyra. U.S. officials are now going to try and use voice print matching technology to determine if this audio recording is indeed from the man named Abu Ghaith, a man they do believe is the spokesman for the al Qaeda.
Now, this audio recording has surfaced on an Islamic Web site and they will look at it now to try and determine its authenticity. There was another recording from Abu Ghaith about two weeks ago, and officials, the U.S. government was able to authenticate it and determine that it was him at that time using voice print technology, so they hope to do that again.
What it won't tell them, of course, is when the recording was made, and whether Abu Ghaith is alive at this time, and the recording may, in fact, be additional material now being released from the initial release of material a couple of weeks ago.
Officials will be looking at that, trying to determine if this indeed is something new. But what they do know is that it includes some of the same threats made by the al Qaeda over the previous months.
What this recording says, quoting from it, as we understand the current translation, that the al Qaeda is "preparing for the coming period of guerrilla war," that they will "strike at the weak infrastructure of the enemy." It goes on and he says in another quote: "Our military and intelligence networks are assessing and monitoring new U.S. targets that we will strike in a period of time which is not long."
And finally, again quoting, he says: "Our suicide militants are ready and impatient to carry out attacks against U.S. and Jewish targets inside America and abroad," and he indicates that Osama bin Laden is alive, along with other senior members of the al Qaeda, and that they indeed are preparing new attacks, but officials tell us they have seen these types of messages before and it changes nothing in the U.S. calculation in the war on terrorism. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon, thank you.
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