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American Missionary Killed in Lebanon

Aired November 21, 2002 - 10:01   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A reminder of the danger facing Americans. Just hours after the State Department issued a worldwide alert warning of the possible targeting of U.S. civilians, a gunman kills an American missionary in Southern Lebanon.
Officials say 30-year-old Bonnie Weatherall was shot at close range as she was opening the health clinic where she worked in the port city of Sidon. Our Beirut Bureau Chief Brent Sadler picks up on that story. He joins us now -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Thanks, Leon. Good morning.

U.S. officials from the embassy here in the Lebanese capitol Beirut immediately dispatched a team, a fact-finding team, to Sidon, which is a southern port city about 30 miles south of the capitol. The area around Sidon, particularly the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp, is known as a hotbed for Islamic fundamentalist groups, notably Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Now there is no known motive at this stage for the killing of 33- year-old -- sorry -- 30-year-old Bonnie Weatherall, a missionary at the center run by a church, which has about six places of worship in this country and about 8,000 Christian followers.

It's known that she went to work about quarter to eight local time, was opening up a clinic, which is also a place of worship. She was followed in there, apparently, shot at close quarters range with a 7-millimeter pistol, three bullets to the head, and died instantly.

Now, the nurse is married to -- was married to -- a Briton, Gary Weatherall. He's been helping authorities here to try and piece together what possible motives there might have been for this slaying. He is quoted as telling the president of the church, which runs the clinic that the dead American missionary died because she loved Christ, and because she loved the people of Sidon.

At this stage, of course, no known motive but there is, of course, a suspicion that this maybe terror-related. Back to you Leon.

HARRIS: Thank you very much Brent -- Brent Sadler reporting live from Sidon -- thanks.






Aired November 21, 2002 - 10:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A reminder of the danger facing Americans. Just hours after the State Department issued a worldwide alert warning of the possible targeting of U.S. civilians, a gunman kills an American missionary in Southern Lebanon.
Officials say 30-year-old Bonnie Weatherall was shot at close range as she was opening the health clinic where she worked in the port city of Sidon. Our Beirut Bureau Chief Brent Sadler picks up on that story. He joins us now -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Thanks, Leon. Good morning.

U.S. officials from the embassy here in the Lebanese capitol Beirut immediately dispatched a team, a fact-finding team, to Sidon, which is a southern port city about 30 miles south of the capitol. The area around Sidon, particularly the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp, is known as a hotbed for Islamic fundamentalist groups, notably Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Now there is no known motive at this stage for the killing of 33- year-old -- sorry -- 30-year-old Bonnie Weatherall, a missionary at the center run by a church, which has about six places of worship in this country and about 8,000 Christian followers.

It's known that she went to work about quarter to eight local time, was opening up a clinic, which is also a place of worship. She was followed in there, apparently, shot at close quarters range with a 7-millimeter pistol, three bullets to the head, and died instantly.

Now, the nurse is married to -- was married to -- a Briton, Gary Weatherall. He's been helping authorities here to try and piece together what possible motives there might have been for this slaying. He is quoted as telling the president of the church, which runs the clinic that the dead American missionary died because she loved Christ, and because she loved the people of Sidon.

At this stage, of course, no known motive but there is, of course, a suspicion that this maybe terror-related. Back to you Leon.

HARRIS: Thank you very much Brent -- Brent Sadler reporting live from Sidon -- thanks.