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CNN Live At Daybreak
Alarming Warning
Aired November 15, 2002 - 07:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on that FBI warning, our top story of the morning. In a weekly bulletin to law enforcement, the FBI says al Qaeda is likely to try a -- quote -- "spectacular attack." The alert warns that the terrorist group is aiming for certain goals. The group wants a target with high symbolic value. It must inflict extensive casualties, cause severe damage to America's economy and maximum psychological trauma.
There were no specifics, and the government hasn't even raised the nation's terror alert level at this time, as Jack just reported.
So, from Washington, let's check in with our own security analyst, J. Kelly McCann.
J. Kelly McCann, welcome -- good to see you again.
J. KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Hi, Paula.
ZAHN: How credible do you think this latest threat is?
MCCANN: Well, I mean, the fact that it was released even in the weekly bulletin gives it some credibility. However, it is doctrinal approach to terrorism that terrorists want to get the most bang for their buck, if you will, and have targets that, you know, put fear in the populist to basically create a lot of casualty. So, that's really nothing new.
The only thing that's really alerting about this release is the word, "spectacular." And I would suggest that that's not in a law enforcement organization's lexicon. They're not prone to subjective language like that. So, that could indicate that it was either intercepted or that a person they were interviewing used that or that it was found in written doctrine that, you know, we've been pouring through.
So, I don't think that it demands the level of attention that some might give this.
ZAHN: And while the criteria itself seems quite alarming, we have mentioned this three times now, the government hasn't raised the level of alert. We're still at Code Yellow right now.
Let's talk, though, about the very specific language in the memo. When they're talking about groups that are targeting places with highly-symbolic significance and value, what do you think the memo is alluding to? MCCANN: Well, for the last several months, infrastructure, of course, has been looked at very closely, but also national landmarks -- things that would dent the American kind of psyche. It could be places that the public goes to that hold up -- we hold up as shrines, more or less.
Really, the attacks are only limited to the imagination of the attacker, so anything that they perceive would hurt us the most in the world's eyes as far as stature goes, that's going to be a likely target.
ZAHN: Let's talk a little bit more about what Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had to say yesterday that the U.S. is likely to suffer more terrorist attacks if there is a coalition military action against Iraq. He said -- quote -- "I have no doubt that if he's able, he would like to see the terrorist attacks occur in the event that military action is taken."
How do we protect ourselves from that?
MCCANN: I would agree with him 100 percent. And in fact, in the most recent audiotape that was released, the speaker was careful to talk about and loop in together actions that were taken by perhaps not al Qaeda members, but sympathizers. And I think that if we do, in fact, go to war with Iraq, then you'll see more of that, perhaps not by al Qaeda directly, but by people who are sympathetic to their cause.
What can people do? Well, the first thing I think people should do is realize the value of the tactic of terror against a superpower. Nothing's changed. That's been -- it's been valuable historically as long as we've been doing warfare.
And secondly, people have to really understand and dispel myths that have been fictionalized over the years in movies, et cetera. Counterterrorism and antiterrorism are difficult undertakings. No one is going to shimmy through the ventilation shaft like Bruce Willis did in the "Diehard" movies and solve the problem. There are bigger problems.
Lastly, I think people, Paula, should do one thing, and that is resist being fearful and be careful consumers of the news. They should be informed, and they should demand from their politicians that homeland security raises to the forefront and stays there, because this is not going to go away.
ZAHN: So, let's talk about the politics in closing this morning. You have Senator Bob Graham saying some very tough things, attacking the administration for paying more attention to a possible military strike against Iraq than homeland security. Does he have a point there?
MCCANN: He has a point, but he doesn't have a point. The fact that we need to be multi-taskable, yes, that's a valid point. We need to be able to do more than one thing. However, the bill was held up for a workers' rights dispute. There was another bill pending, et cetera. And I don't know whether that is valid or not. I'm not saying, nor would anybody say, that workers' rights are not important. However, when you think that attacks could be imminent, that should raise that issue and hold -- right there at the forefront -- it for everybody to focus on.
So, I think it was a little bit unfair to be that harsh, but my opinion only.
ZAHN: All right, that's why we ask you. J. Kelly McCann, as always, good to have you on the air with us. Thanks so much. Have a good weekend.
MCCANN: Thanks, Paula.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired November 15, 2002 - 07:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on that FBI warning, our top story of the morning. In a weekly bulletin to law enforcement, the FBI says al Qaeda is likely to try a -- quote -- "spectacular attack." The alert warns that the terrorist group is aiming for certain goals. The group wants a target with high symbolic value. It must inflict extensive casualties, cause severe damage to America's economy and maximum psychological trauma.
There were no specifics, and the government hasn't even raised the nation's terror alert level at this time, as Jack just reported.
So, from Washington, let's check in with our own security analyst, J. Kelly McCann.
J. Kelly McCann, welcome -- good to see you again.
J. KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Hi, Paula.
ZAHN: How credible do you think this latest threat is?
MCCANN: Well, I mean, the fact that it was released even in the weekly bulletin gives it some credibility. However, it is doctrinal approach to terrorism that terrorists want to get the most bang for their buck, if you will, and have targets that, you know, put fear in the populist to basically create a lot of casualty. So, that's really nothing new.
The only thing that's really alerting about this release is the word, "spectacular." And I would suggest that that's not in a law enforcement organization's lexicon. They're not prone to subjective language like that. So, that could indicate that it was either intercepted or that a person they were interviewing used that or that it was found in written doctrine that, you know, we've been pouring through.
So, I don't think that it demands the level of attention that some might give this.
ZAHN: And while the criteria itself seems quite alarming, we have mentioned this three times now, the government hasn't raised the level of alert. We're still at Code Yellow right now.
Let's talk, though, about the very specific language in the memo. When they're talking about groups that are targeting places with highly-symbolic significance and value, what do you think the memo is alluding to? MCCANN: Well, for the last several months, infrastructure, of course, has been looked at very closely, but also national landmarks -- things that would dent the American kind of psyche. It could be places that the public goes to that hold up -- we hold up as shrines, more or less.
Really, the attacks are only limited to the imagination of the attacker, so anything that they perceive would hurt us the most in the world's eyes as far as stature goes, that's going to be a likely target.
ZAHN: Let's talk a little bit more about what Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had to say yesterday that the U.S. is likely to suffer more terrorist attacks if there is a coalition military action against Iraq. He said -- quote -- "I have no doubt that if he's able, he would like to see the terrorist attacks occur in the event that military action is taken."
How do we protect ourselves from that?
MCCANN: I would agree with him 100 percent. And in fact, in the most recent audiotape that was released, the speaker was careful to talk about and loop in together actions that were taken by perhaps not al Qaeda members, but sympathizers. And I think that if we do, in fact, go to war with Iraq, then you'll see more of that, perhaps not by al Qaeda directly, but by people who are sympathetic to their cause.
What can people do? Well, the first thing I think people should do is realize the value of the tactic of terror against a superpower. Nothing's changed. That's been -- it's been valuable historically as long as we've been doing warfare.
And secondly, people have to really understand and dispel myths that have been fictionalized over the years in movies, et cetera. Counterterrorism and antiterrorism are difficult undertakings. No one is going to shimmy through the ventilation shaft like Bruce Willis did in the "Diehard" movies and solve the problem. There are bigger problems.
Lastly, I think people, Paula, should do one thing, and that is resist being fearful and be careful consumers of the news. They should be informed, and they should demand from their politicians that homeland security raises to the forefront and stays there, because this is not going to go away.
ZAHN: So, let's talk about the politics in closing this morning. You have Senator Bob Graham saying some very tough things, attacking the administration for paying more attention to a possible military strike against Iraq than homeland security. Does he have a point there?
MCCANN: He has a point, but he doesn't have a point. The fact that we need to be multi-taskable, yes, that's a valid point. We need to be able to do more than one thing. However, the bill was held up for a workers' rights dispute. There was another bill pending, et cetera. And I don't know whether that is valid or not. I'm not saying, nor would anybody say, that workers' rights are not important. However, when you think that attacks could be imminent, that should raise that issue and hold -- right there at the forefront -- it for everybody to focus on.
So, I think it was a little bit unfair to be that harsh, but my opinion only.
ZAHN: All right, that's why we ask you. J. Kelly McCann, as always, good to have you on the air with us. Thanks so much. Have a good weekend.
MCCANN: Thanks, Paula.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
