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American Morning
National Task Force Recommending Plan to Make Saudi Arabia Crack Down on Terrorist Financiers
Aired November 26, 2002 - 08:05 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: And a national task force reportedly is recommending a plan to the Bush administration that is designed to make Saudi Arabia crack down on terrorist financiers. The "Washington Post" reporting this morning comes just after revelations that money from a Saudi princess might have been passed along to 9/11 hijackers. The kingdom denies any intentional support for the terrorists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TURKI AL-FAISAL, SAUDI PRINCE: My sister believes that what she did was to help someone who was in need, someone who was ill and who wanted money to help reach a cure for her illness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: A lawsuit filed by relatives of September 11 victims charged that dozens of institutions are funding terror.
How will these new developments affect the case?
Well, an attorney in the lawsuit, Allen Gerson, joins us from Washington this morning.
And along with me here in our New York studios is Liz Alderman, who lost her son Peter in the 9/11 attacks.
Good morning to both of you.
LIZ ALDERMAN, SUING SAUDI ARABIA: Good morning.
ALLEN GERSON, ATTORNEY: Good morning.
ZAHN: Mr. Gerson, I'd like to start with you and to talk a little bit about what you're trying to accomplish for this lawsuit. And just for a little bit of background, I wanted to explain to the audience you and your co-counsel are suing dozens of different people and organizations, many of them linked to the Saudi government, you charge. And you claimed that they helped fund terrorism and that laid the groundwork for 9/11.
How does this "Newsweek" bombshell fit into the picture?
GERSON: Well, the "Newsweek" bombshell, as you put it, demonstrates what we've been saying all along, that the pervasive funding of terrorism is a problem that we must come to grips with. And it simply reinforces what we have been saying, that unless there is accountability, there cannot be deterrence, and we will have a repetition of what occurred.
ZAHN: You just heard part of Turki Al-Faisal's response, saying that his sister or family member had a history of giving charitable donations to Saudi citizens who needed help. What did you make of that explanation?
GERSON: Well, he has to understand we are not involved in a criminal prosecution. We don't have to demonstrate that there has been malice aforethought, that this was willful. It is sufficient for us to demonstrate that individuals who knew or should have known that their money would go, in part, to fund terrorism, did so without being careful, without checking where their money went, and that's the standard that the courts in the United States will apply.
ZAHN: And the debate that surrounds that issue played out quite blatantly last night on Connie Chung's show. And I want to play a small part of an interview where your co-counsel, Ron Motley, was represented.
Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONNIE CHUNG, HOST: Do you believe that any member of the royal family would knowingly give money to al Qaeda?
FAISAL: Of course not. Al Qaeda is targeting the kingdom. Al Qaeda has done terrorist operations in the kingdom. They are declared enemies of the kingdom. No one in their right mind would contribute to that.
RON MOTLEY, ATTORNEY: Prince Turki was in Afghanistan on numerous occasions facilitating the transfer of funds and equipment to al Qaeda, and the people who gave us these sworn statements were in the room when it occurred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Help us understand this evidence that you and your co- counsel have developed that would show that Turki al-Faisal in some way was involved with all this.
GERSON: Well, we have investigators that have now been in 13 different countries. We've scoured tens of thousands of pages of documents and we have information that we will be revealing to the courts that demonstrate conclusively the allegations made by my co- counsel, Ron Motley. The issue is not, I might also add, simply al Qaeda. The issue is global jihad and it's the pattern, it's the web of financial networks that has made this possible. And unless we come to grips with that, we will not come to grips with terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Of course, the Saudis continue to deny these charges, Liz, and I know you feel and have expressed quite publicly that you're fearful the Bush administration might not encourage this lawsuit to go any further out of fear of hurting the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia.
ALDERMAN: Absolutely.
ZAHN: Expand on that, if you would.
ALDERMAN: It was very upsetting, a few weeks ago in the "New York Times" there was a report that stated that sources from the White House were going to either delay or dismiss the case against the Saudis. It is very, very upsetting to find that our own government is, who is creating problems for us. There are governments all around the world who are helping us, who are supporting what we're trying to do, and not only is our own government not supporting us, but it appears that they may step in the way to stoop what we are trying to do.
ZAHN: Why is this suit so important to you and your son's legacy?
ALDERMAN: A number of reasons. First of all, I believe that this is truly the way to stop this from ever happening again. I would pray that nobody would ever have to walk in my shoes. The funding for terrorism is, it has to be stopped, and the only way to stop it is to go after the people that are doing it.
ZAHN: And if you want to share a thought about your son with us this morning, as so many parents face Thanksgiving and in the same situation as you do.
ALDERMAN: Peter was a fighter. Peter believed in what was just and what was right. And if Peter were alive today, he would be fighting this fight instead of me.
ZAHN: Allen, how far do you see this lawsuit going?
GERSON: Well, it all depends on the types of answers that the defendants provide. But we believe that we are making tremendous progress. We now believe that the United States government fully understands the nature of the challenge. You've alluded to the "Washington Post" story this morning.
We would, in fact, like to move forward and gain the cooperation of the United States government. But either way this suit is moving ahead very, very well and it's exposing the web that has been there all along, this terrible web that has led to the financing of terrorism.
ZAHN: Allen Gerson, we really thank you for your time. And Liz Alderman, our thoughts are with your family -- ALDERMAN: Thank you very much.
ZAHN: ... as you come up on yet another holiday season feeling very much alone.
ALDERMAN: Thank you.
ZAHN: Good luck to you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Crack Down on Terrorist Financiers>
Aired November 26, 2002 - 08:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And a national task force reportedly is recommending a plan to the Bush administration that is designed to make Saudi Arabia crack down on terrorist financiers. The "Washington Post" reporting this morning comes just after revelations that money from a Saudi princess might have been passed along to 9/11 hijackers. The kingdom denies any intentional support for the terrorists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TURKI AL-FAISAL, SAUDI PRINCE: My sister believes that what she did was to help someone who was in need, someone who was ill and who wanted money to help reach a cure for her illness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: A lawsuit filed by relatives of September 11 victims charged that dozens of institutions are funding terror.
How will these new developments affect the case?
Well, an attorney in the lawsuit, Allen Gerson, joins us from Washington this morning.
And along with me here in our New York studios is Liz Alderman, who lost her son Peter in the 9/11 attacks.
Good morning to both of you.
LIZ ALDERMAN, SUING SAUDI ARABIA: Good morning.
ALLEN GERSON, ATTORNEY: Good morning.
ZAHN: Mr. Gerson, I'd like to start with you and to talk a little bit about what you're trying to accomplish for this lawsuit. And just for a little bit of background, I wanted to explain to the audience you and your co-counsel are suing dozens of different people and organizations, many of them linked to the Saudi government, you charge. And you claimed that they helped fund terrorism and that laid the groundwork for 9/11.
How does this "Newsweek" bombshell fit into the picture?
GERSON: Well, the "Newsweek" bombshell, as you put it, demonstrates what we've been saying all along, that the pervasive funding of terrorism is a problem that we must come to grips with. And it simply reinforces what we have been saying, that unless there is accountability, there cannot be deterrence, and we will have a repetition of what occurred.
ZAHN: You just heard part of Turki Al-Faisal's response, saying that his sister or family member had a history of giving charitable donations to Saudi citizens who needed help. What did you make of that explanation?
GERSON: Well, he has to understand we are not involved in a criminal prosecution. We don't have to demonstrate that there has been malice aforethought, that this was willful. It is sufficient for us to demonstrate that individuals who knew or should have known that their money would go, in part, to fund terrorism, did so without being careful, without checking where their money went, and that's the standard that the courts in the United States will apply.
ZAHN: And the debate that surrounds that issue played out quite blatantly last night on Connie Chung's show. And I want to play a small part of an interview where your co-counsel, Ron Motley, was represented.
Let's watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONNIE CHUNG, HOST: Do you believe that any member of the royal family would knowingly give money to al Qaeda?
FAISAL: Of course not. Al Qaeda is targeting the kingdom. Al Qaeda has done terrorist operations in the kingdom. They are declared enemies of the kingdom. No one in their right mind would contribute to that.
RON MOTLEY, ATTORNEY: Prince Turki was in Afghanistan on numerous occasions facilitating the transfer of funds and equipment to al Qaeda, and the people who gave us these sworn statements were in the room when it occurred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Help us understand this evidence that you and your co- counsel have developed that would show that Turki al-Faisal in some way was involved with all this.
GERSON: Well, we have investigators that have now been in 13 different countries. We've scoured tens of thousands of pages of documents and we have information that we will be revealing to the courts that demonstrate conclusively the allegations made by my co- counsel, Ron Motley. The issue is not, I might also add, simply al Qaeda. The issue is global jihad and it's the pattern, it's the web of financial networks that has made this possible. And unless we come to grips with that, we will not come to grips with terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Of course, the Saudis continue to deny these charges, Liz, and I know you feel and have expressed quite publicly that you're fearful the Bush administration might not encourage this lawsuit to go any further out of fear of hurting the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia.
ALDERMAN: Absolutely.
ZAHN: Expand on that, if you would.
ALDERMAN: It was very upsetting, a few weeks ago in the "New York Times" there was a report that stated that sources from the White House were going to either delay or dismiss the case against the Saudis. It is very, very upsetting to find that our own government is, who is creating problems for us. There are governments all around the world who are helping us, who are supporting what we're trying to do, and not only is our own government not supporting us, but it appears that they may step in the way to stoop what we are trying to do.
ZAHN: Why is this suit so important to you and your son's legacy?
ALDERMAN: A number of reasons. First of all, I believe that this is truly the way to stop this from ever happening again. I would pray that nobody would ever have to walk in my shoes. The funding for terrorism is, it has to be stopped, and the only way to stop it is to go after the people that are doing it.
ZAHN: And if you want to share a thought about your son with us this morning, as so many parents face Thanksgiving and in the same situation as you do.
ALDERMAN: Peter was a fighter. Peter believed in what was just and what was right. And if Peter were alive today, he would be fighting this fight instead of me.
ZAHN: Allen, how far do you see this lawsuit going?
GERSON: Well, it all depends on the types of answers that the defendants provide. But we believe that we are making tremendous progress. We now believe that the United States government fully understands the nature of the challenge. You've alluded to the "Washington Post" story this morning.
We would, in fact, like to move forward and gain the cooperation of the United States government. But either way this suit is moving ahead very, very well and it's exposing the web that has been there all along, this terrible web that has led to the financing of terrorism.
ZAHN: Allen Gerson, we really thank you for your time. And Liz Alderman, our thoughts are with your family -- ALDERMAN: Thank you very much.
ZAHN: ... as you come up on yet another holiday season feeling very much alone.
ALDERMAN: Thank you.
ZAHN: Good luck to you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Crack Down on Terrorist Financiers>
