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CNN Live Today

Terrorism Experts Say Collection of Al Qaeda Tapes Show Group's Global Reach

Aired August 23, 2002 - 12:01   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, first up this hour, Anderson, terrorism experts say the collection of Al Qaeda tapes obtained by CNN shows the group's global reach. We've been reviewing more than 60 tapes for you this week as part of our series "Terror on Tape."
Today, CNN's Mike Boettcher reveals this face of evil.

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, if we go back and take a look at what we've seen over the past week, we have seen the institutional knowledge of Al Qaeda. First, we had pictures, horrific pictures, of experimentation using chemical weapons on dogs. Then, we saw them training and actually rehearsing terrorists kidnappings and assassinations. After that, we saw bin Laden in a candid fashion spreading his word through journalists who had been invited at his camp somewhere in Afghanistan.

What this represents is the institutional knowledge, and in those tapes and what you are seeing today are videos of various Al Qaeda- linked groups around the world, stretching from southeast Asia across through North Africa.

Now what has happened since 9-11 and the attacks in Afghanistan that have disrupted Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda operatives have moved back to their home countries, those who survived the attacks an managed to escape. They formed alliances, according to intelligence experts we have spoken to, they have formed alliances with groups on the ground in their home countries, and are using this knowledge that is on videotape, that's in documents, that's on the Internet, to continue terrorists campaigns.

So, in my mind, Fredricka, that is the most important part of these videotapes, is the fact that this knowledge has been spread around the world and that this war is not over.

WHITFIELD: Well, Mike, most of us lay people would think that this is very alarming information. Most of us didn't have any idea about the reach of Al Qaeda, but what are U.S. authorities, the Pentagon, Justice Department authorities saying about this tape? Are they directly reacting to what CNN has uncovered all week?

BOETTCHER: Well, the coalition intelligence experts I have spoken to were astounded by these tapes. They especially were very surprised that anyone uncovered tapes that showed Al Qaeda testing chemical weapons, because that has been something long known, but no one has ever seen visual proof except for satellite photos showing dead animals around the compound.

The director of the CIA and the DIA and other agencies around the world have said in their statements, for the last several years that Al Qaeda has been attempting to develop a capability with chemical and biological weapons, and this is proof positive of that.

WHITFIELD: Now what about any concern that while this cache of tapes has been uncovered and retrieved by CNN, what about any duplicates of these tapes, and how far they may have been distributed and perhaps being used as instructional guides? Well, according to the experts I have spoken to, it is believed the instructional tapes, for example, the one showing how to use an SA-7 surface-to-air missile, the one showing how to make T&T. It appears that those have been widely distributed. No one knows for sure.

But I can give you a perfect example of how Al Qaeda knowledge spreads. Within the last hour, we obtained another manual. It was written notes of one it looks like Al Qaeda student terrorists, and he had copied exactly the formulas for chemical weapons that were in the 11th volume, which CNN obtained several months ago, the 11th volume of Al Qaeda's Encyclopedia of Jihad. That particular volume is the chemical biological manual. So this student had taken that information, had been taught it, had written it down in the notebook, so you can follow a chain of how information is spread around the world by Al Qaeda.

BOETTCHER: All right, Mike Boettcher, thank you very much, and thanks for bringing us this inside look all week.

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