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CNN Live Today
Pakistani Officials Turn Suspect Over to U.S.
Aired September 16, 2002 - 12:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to start off with talking about one of the world's most wanted men is in U.S. custody now after being arrested in Pakistan. Ramzi Binalshibh is accused of helping plan the September 11 attacks. In a recent interview, he even said that he had hoped to be one of those hijackers.
We have our Islamabad bureau chief, Ash-har Quraishi, on the videophone, and CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena in Washington -- first, Kelli, to you. What can you tell us?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you reported, Kyra, yes, he is in U.S. custody. I was told by one U.S. official that he will be taken to an undisclosed location, not the United States, where an interrogation will be attempted.
Of course, investigators are hoping that A, he can finally be someone who can lay out the entire plan in detail for the 9/11 attacks, but even more important than that, that he might be able to provide up to date information on the al Qaeda terror network, possibly give them information about plans that may be underway for future attacks.
So far, I am told by sources that he is not cooperating, not talking, but that situation, of course, is fluid and can change.
When Binalshibh was taken into custody, there was also a second person who taken -- well, there were several people, but someone who is of interest to the United States was taken into custody. He too, we are told, is no longer in Pakistan, we do not -- we have not been able to confirm his identity. However, he is described, as several sources here in the United States, as someone of interest, but not necessarily a high-level al Qaeda operative like Binalshibh is. So, some progress being made here on the terror front, Kyra, for sure.
PHILLIPS: Well, Kelli, sources saying that operatives like Binalshibh don't -- quote-unquote -- spill their guts right away, but eventually, these are -- no matter how deep they are into the system, they do eventually give information, isn't that correct?
ARENA: Really, it is a case-by-case basis, Kyra, but we have seen that some people in custody have eventually provided information. Abu Zubaydah is the perfect example. At first, wasn't talking, and then provided information of a general nature. What is helpful here is that there has been such a tremendous intelligence-gathering effort that has been going on now for the past year, that even if investigators get hold of one nugget, just a little bit of information on something, they have other pieces of that puzzle that they are just looking to to join together. So while one of these individuals in custody may not think they are providing a whole lot of information, or depth, they may, in fact, be filling in more blanks than they believe they are filling in. So that has been helpful, at least, in the past we know with individuals like Abu Zubaydah.
PHILLIPS: All right. Kelli Arena, thank you so much.
We are going to move on now to our Islamabad bureau chief, Ash- har Quraishi with more from there -- Ash-har.
ASH-HAR QURAISHI, ISLAMABAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Kyra. Well, Pakistani officials also telling us tonight that that hand-over has taken place. The officials we spoke to said that about half of the men that were arrested in these raids last week in the port city of Karachi were also handed over to U.S. authorities.
Now, included in that bunch is Ramzi Binalshibh. Until today, there had been really no official word on his identity by Pakistani officials, although today they did say that they believed it was him, and they say that he had been handed over earlier in the day.
Now, the officials would not go into detail as to whether or not this was some sort of an extradition. They said that right now, he has been moved outside of Pakistan, and he has been transferred into the custody of U.S. officials.
Now, the officials we also spoke to said that they believe that there was a second man, a person of some importance within the al Qaeda terror network. They have not confirmed the identity of this person. They say that they are still investigating, and now the other men that were captured in these raids that took place, as you are looking right now, this was a raid that took place in Karachi on September 11 in which five of these men were captured.
A total of 12 men were captured in these raids, and about half of them still remain here in Pakistan. They are with Pakistani intelligence agents, as well as with FBI agents here in Pakistan who are interrogating them, and continue to investigate who exactly these people are -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: ... a little bit background on Binalshibh. This is the man that was said to have COOPER: -coordinated the operation, the 9/11 operation, from his base in Germany. Is that right?
QURAISHI: That's right. Officials we have spoken to say that Binalshibh is somebody of great interest. He is believed to have played a direct role in the planning of the September 11 attacks, and as Kelli just mentioned, he had actually wanted to be one of those hijackers.
Now, this is another high-profile arrest that has taken place here in Pakistan in the last few months, as we mentioned, Abu Zubaydah, one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants, was captured in a series of raids that took place in the cities of Lahore and Fazelbad (ph) in March. Now, officials here in Pakistan say that these raids are conducted by Pakistani intelligence agencies in cooperation with FBI and U.S. officials. But it just goes to prove that the intelligence- gathering that is going on here in Pakistan is not restricted to the tribal areas where a lot of al Qaeda are believed to be hiding, are believed to be being kept in hiding by tribesmen there. They have also moved on to the bigger cities like Lahore, Karachi, and Faselbad (ph).
PHILLIPS: Ash-har, thank you.
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