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CNN Live At Daybreak

State Department Issues Worldwide Caution Alerting Americans to Threat of Terrorism Tomorrow

Aired September 10, 2002 - 05:01   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The State Department has issued a worldwide caution alerting Americans to the threat of terrorism around tomorrow's September 11 anniversary.
CNN's Maria Ressa joins us now live by phone from Manila to talk about U.S. interests that are targeted in Southeast Asia -- Maria, what precautions are being taken?

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, in Jakarta, the U.S. Embassy has said that there is a credible security threat of a terrorist attack. That's why the U.S. Embassy and other U.S. facilities in the capital and the second largest city, Surabaya, have been shut down as of further notice.

In Manila, an al Qaeda suicide bombing plot has been activated, authorities here tell CNN. The embassy has not been closed, but security has been heightened and the Philippine police and armed forces have been placed on high alert.

We've been told that information for both these attacks came from al Qaeda operatives now in U.S. custody. And just coming in now we are getting word that the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia has also received threats of a credible, credible threats of an attack.

COSTELLO: Oh, Maria?

RESSA: Yes, Carol?

COSTELLO: I was just looking at the wire. I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. But Kuala Lumpur, the U.S. Embassy there in Malaysia, has been closed. Have you heard about that?

RESSA: We're just getting word of that now. We'll investigate exactly why. But part of the reason that perhaps Southeast Asia in general has been placed on high alert, there have been several al Qaeda operatives who've been arrested from here. Information for these credible attacks, at least in Jakarta and in Manila, have come from them. It's also an area where in many ways Osama bin Laden has been successful in effectively co-opting homegrown separatist movements and giving them his anti-Western agenda -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Maria Ressa reporting live for us from Manila.

Thank you very much.

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