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CNN Live Today

Police Stepping up Patrols at Golden Gate Bridge, Disneyland

Aired July 17, 2002 - 11:17   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Police are stepping up patrols today at the Golden Gate Bridge, Disneyland, and perhaps other landmarks as well, and this move comes after the arrests of three suspected Al Qaeda figures in Spain.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us. She has the latest on this story as it unfolds.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.

Well, these three men arrested in Spain are described to CNN by intelligence officials as possibly being members of the Muslim brotherhood, a radical group with direct ties to the Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

Now, officials tell us they do believe at this point these three men are foot soldiers rather than commanders, rather than top-level officials, but the U.S. clearly wanted them off the streets.

They were arrested in Spain yesterday in the house of one of the men. There had been videotapes found, some of them found during previous police activity. You see one of the houses here. They found in a previous raid at this site a videotape made of the World Trade Center back in 1997.

This was -- the man who lived here was named Mohamed Al-Saic (ph), and it was described that he had been previously visited by a known courier for Osama bin Laden. There has been an awful lot of concern in Spain about potential Al Qaeda activity in this region of eastern Spain and eastern province, where these men were picked up.

Now, regarding these videotapes that were found, military sources confirm to CNN that the videotapes included, again, some of them found previously the World Trade Center, Disneyland, Universal Studios Theme Park, the Golden Gate Bridge and other sites that officials say show preparation for possible future terrorist attacks.

In California, Governor Gray Davis has been notified of these latest arrests, of the findings here, but officials say this type of videotape surveillance has been scene in previous Al Qaeda arrests, that while security is constantly being stepped up, they see no reason at this time to tell people to stop visiting theme parks and other landmarks. But still, sources tell us this entire matter remains under investigation between the United States and Spain this morning -- Leon.

HARRIS: Very interesting. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you. Appreciate that.

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