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CNN Live Today

Feds to Search Counterterrorism Training School Today

Aired August 19, 2002 - 13:15   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Federal agents are due back at an explosives training school in New Mexico today to search for more missiles. Agents have already seized 1,000 pounds in missiles, and the school's operator is in custody.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Roswell, New Mexico, and he joins us now with the latest there -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Well, we can tell you that it appears that federal agents are back at the scene here. This is the entrance gate to the High Energy Access Tools plant, which is on the southern edges of Roswell, New Mexico.

And we have seen groups of agents, and we are being told that U.S. Customs agents and federal ATF agents are working here, trying to collect up what they consider to be thousands of pounds of missiles.

And what the ATF has been saying so far is that the owner, the president of this company, High Energy Access Tools, has been put under arrest for federal weapons charges and immigration charges as well.

And we are being told that a lot of this was led to, because the information that was being given to these authorities was that at the time, this company was training students from Yemen and the United Arab Emirates in how to fire shoulder-propelled missiles. Although they do say that so far at this point, they haven't found -- they have only found the missiles at this point, but they haven't found any of the warheads that launched those missiles. So that work here continues.

David Hudak is a Canadian citizen, and he has been placed under arrest, as the ATF agents and the Customs agents continue to work here. They say the work here will last about a week in trying to collect it. They brought in special teams, because of the amount of the weaponry that they have found here, as they continue to go through for the safety of the agents. So they're working through that with special teams that are being used to collect a lot of this information.

Now, the authorities stress that they have no information at this point that leads them to believe that David Hudak, or any of the students who were working here, have any connection to terrorists or any kind of terrorist organizations around the world. But they do say that the amount of ammunition that was found here and other evidence that brought them here, suggested they should take this situation very seriously.

David Hudak's wife has been quoted as saying that all of this was started, because of three employees that were recently fired from this workplace, and that they are ones that have created all of the stir.

So that's the story from here so far, as the agents continue to work. And they are expected to be here throughout the week -- Carol.

LIN: Thank you very much, Ed Lavandera in Roswell, New Mexico.

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