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CNN Live At Daybreak
American Missionary Killed in Lebanon
Aired November 21, 2002 - 05:03 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: There was also an American missionary killed in Lebanese this morning. We have a lot of breaking news to tell you about.
We want to join our Brent Sadler right now to bring us up to date on that -- and, Brent, I understand this woman was killed in a health clinic.
BRENT SADLER, NBC CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. Yes, details coming in. It happened just a few hours ago in the southern Lebanese port city of Saidon. Lebanese police and security forces are trying to establish a motive for the killing of Bonnie Weatherall (ph), a 30-year-old American missionary working in Saidon. And apparently she'd just opened the clinic at the Union Center in Saidon, which houses both a clinic and a chapel, a place of worship, when an unidentified gunman knocked on the door and shot her, we understand, at close range, with a .7 millimeter pistol. All three shots, according to security sources here, were to the head.
Now, the U.S. Embassy has confirmed to CNN just a short time ago that two U.S. officials have been sent from the embassy here in Beirut to Saidon, about 40 miles south of the Lebanese capital, to try and establish what was behind this killing. It's the first killing of an American in more than 10 years in Lebanon, which saw many attacks against Americans and American targets in the 1980s during the Lebanese civil war.
So this is being taken very, very seriously, the killing of Bonnie Weatherall, a missionary, we understand an evangelical missionary. She'd been working, it's understood, for about three years in Lebanon. But there's yet no idea what's behind this, but obviously suspicion that it may be terror related -- back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Brent, wasn't she a nurse?
SADLER: Indeed. The details, we're getting reports on scene, are that she was involved with the clinic there. We have one of our people on the scene there. He reports that the officials from the U.S. Embassy have just arrived in Saidon. They're now working with the Lebanese authorities on the ground to try and find out what happened. It's understood she may have been married, this is according to police sources, to a British man.
But as I say, it's still sketchy in terms of final details. But certainly this is being regarded by the embassy and by the authorities here as a very serious incident. But as yet I must stress no motive yet.
COSTELLO: All right, Brent Sadler, thanks for bringing us up to date.
We'll get back to you, as well, throughout the hour here on DAYBREAK.
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 21, 2002 - 05:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: There was also an American missionary killed in Lebanese this morning. We have a lot of breaking news to tell you about.
We want to join our Brent Sadler right now to bring us up to date on that -- and, Brent, I understand this woman was killed in a health clinic.
BRENT SADLER, NBC CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol. Yes, details coming in. It happened just a few hours ago in the southern Lebanese port city of Saidon. Lebanese police and security forces are trying to establish a motive for the killing of Bonnie Weatherall (ph), a 30-year-old American missionary working in Saidon. And apparently she'd just opened the clinic at the Union Center in Saidon, which houses both a clinic and a chapel, a place of worship, when an unidentified gunman knocked on the door and shot her, we understand, at close range, with a .7 millimeter pistol. All three shots, according to security sources here, were to the head.
Now, the U.S. Embassy has confirmed to CNN just a short time ago that two U.S. officials have been sent from the embassy here in Beirut to Saidon, about 40 miles south of the Lebanese capital, to try and establish what was behind this killing. It's the first killing of an American in more than 10 years in Lebanon, which saw many attacks against Americans and American targets in the 1980s during the Lebanese civil war.
So this is being taken very, very seriously, the killing of Bonnie Weatherall, a missionary, we understand an evangelical missionary. She'd been working, it's understood, for about three years in Lebanon. But there's yet no idea what's behind this, but obviously suspicion that it may be terror related -- back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Brent, wasn't she a nurse?
SADLER: Indeed. The details, we're getting reports on scene, are that she was involved with the clinic there. We have one of our people on the scene there. He reports that the officials from the U.S. Embassy have just arrived in Saidon. They're now working with the Lebanese authorities on the ground to try and find out what happened. It's understood she may have been married, this is according to police sources, to a British man.
But as I say, it's still sketchy in terms of final details. But certainly this is being regarded by the embassy and by the authorities here as a very serious incident. But as yet I must stress no motive yet.
COSTELLO: All right, Brent Sadler, thanks for bringing us up to date.
We'll get back to you, as well, throughout the hour here on DAYBREAK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
