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CNN Live Today

Al Qaeda Tapes Show Chemical Testing

Aired August 19, 2002 - 13:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: First up this hour, Osama bin Laden's archive of terror, 64 tapes, a chilling account of the many methods of killing learned by al Qaeda. The tapes retrieved from Afghanistan by CNN.
Our Mike Boettcher is here to tell us more, give us more of a reaction to these tapes.

You live, eat and breathe al Qaeda, and have been working on this for several years. What was your reaction when you saw these tapes?

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I was stunned, to be very frank. We had been reporting for months about the chemical testing of al Qaeda in their camps, specifically the Abu Khabab camp, which is in eastern Afghanistan near Darunta.

Now, there has been satellite imagery taken by a coalition satellite showing dead animals around this camp, and they suspected that chemical testing had gone on. We had also managed to obtain documents showing chemical testing done by al Qaeda, their manual in how to do it.

But, when you look at the pictures of those dogs, and these videotapes show testing on three separate dogs of some sort of, it appears, a chemical weapon -- and there is disagreement among experts what kind it is. In this particular instance, it was done outdoors with this dog. In an earlier videotape, you see smoke going across the floor. You see the gas as it goes to the dog. And the dogs gradually lose muscle control, then roll over and die.

And so, this was very stunning, because in the past, we had only read about it, known about it. But right now, Carol, with al Qaeda's own cameras, we are seeing inside those walls.

LIN: There was also videotape of them mixing some chemicals. I think it was a pure form of TNT. What does this tell you about what al Qaeda is up to?

BOETTCHER: Well, that particular tape, Carol, was basically a how-to video to be sent out, it appears, to al Qaeda cells across the world. And if you look at the mixing going on there now, that matches exactly the manual with the diagram showing how to mix this particular sort of TNT.

Now, the interesting aspect of this was, apparently it was felt that this wasn't enough, and this is, in talking to coalition intelligence sources, apparently al Qaeda felt that it wasn't enough just to have it written down. They put together this video.

And it also tells that you al Qaeda keeps things simple. They use materials that are readily available in any country that they might be operating, and in this case, to build a very high-grade form of TNT.

LIN: All right. There was also some videotape never-before-seen of Osama bin Laden and his security entourage. What did you learn from that?

BOETTCHER: Well, it was a chance to see Osama bin Laden in a circumstance that was not rehearsed, not part of a promotional video. You see him walking with his bodyguards. For the first time, you are able to see how he is protected. And the most interesting thing is, who are the faces behind those masks, and what are the faces that are seen there? Those will be the aspects looked at by intelligence agencies.

But on another part of this tape, it's very interesting, you get an indication of Osama bin Laden showing fear. There is a gunshot, an explosion, and he flinches and puts his arm up. And it indicates to analysts I have talked to that he is in an area that he is unfamiliar with. And they believe that that particular video was taken in the tribal areas of Pakistan. They're not 100 percent sure of that, but they believe it's there. In that videotape, he was there to meet with Pakistani journalists to talk about, in 1998, the jihad he was launching worldwide -- Carol.

LIN: CNN, of course, is sharing this videotape with the appropriate authorities in the interest of, obviously, worldwide safety issues. Many people interested in knowing what al Qaeda's abilities are.

When you take a look at this videotape, though, what does it tell you in terms of al Qaeda's planning, what they're planning on doing? Because if over the years they have been developing these techniques, why haven't we seen more attacks, then, if the ingredients were readily available, that they were training people worldwide?

BOETTCHER: You know, al Qaeda has a plan that is not measured in one year or two years. It's a plan that's measured in 20 years and 30 years down the line. There is a certain trajectory to al Qaeda attacks ever-increasing in volume. And it's well-planned out, judging by the documents that we have seen, and judging by information we've been able to get from intelligence sources and people very familiar with this group. They are very patient.

And just because they have all of this, they look for the appropriate time. Their plan, Carol, stretches on for many, many years. They don't look at this as a short war. We may look at it as a war that we can win and fight in a short period of time. They don't. They look at it as something that's going to be fought for decades.

LIN: All right, and surely, we'll be covering it as well. Thank you very much, Mike. BOETTCHER: You're welcome.

LIN: We'll see you more in the next hour on these tapes, and you'll also be seeing more of the tape itself.

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