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CNN Live At Daybreak

Four American Aid Workers Shot in Yemen

Aired December 30, 2002 - 05:32   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.


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to get right back to the breaking story that we're following this morning. Four American aid workers were shot in Yemen. Three of them died and the fourth is now fighting for her life. That shooting happened just hours ago at a U.S. funded Baptist hospital there in Yemen.
And our senior international editor David Clinch is joining us now to give us the latest on this big story you've been feeling this morning, David.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, Catherine.

CALLAWAY: And, you know, let me ask you starting off, I've been listening to the radio and watching television this morning on this development, developments on this. Some people calling this a terrorist attack. Some people just calling this an isolated incident.

CLINCH: Right. Well, it's an attack on Americans and we know that. And this is significant for three reasons, three important reasons. One is, again, it's an attack on Americans in the region, in Iraq and in the region where the war in Iraq may be taking place. It's an attack on soft target Americans. These people are humanitarian workers, some of them doctors working in a hospital, clearly an American hospital. This is not even American doctors working in a local hospital. This is an American missionary hospital.

Very similar to attacks we've seen in Jordan in the last few months and other countries in the region, in Lebanon, as well, where Americans who are not aggressive diplomats trying to talk to local leaders, but who are helping local people, who are caring for local people, they're the softest kind of targets.

CALLAWAY: And they've been there for some time.

CLINCH: So terror attack or no terror attack, it's a targeting of Americans, which in essence is terrorism.

CALLAWAY: What do we know about that suspect and who's been apprehended?

CLINCH: Well, not much. He was arrested and, again, this is interesting. You're talking about whether it's a terrorist attack. It doesn't bear the hallmarks of an organized terrorist attack. This individual was arrested very quickly afterwards and according to reports made very generic statements about wishing to cleanse his religion by killing Americans. We don't know what -- that is not absolutely confirmed yet, but it doesn't, again, bear the hallmark of an organized al Qaeda type attack.

But we're going to send a reporter. We are sending a reporter right now to Yemen, because it is a location where we know al Qaeda is operational. We know the U.S., the CIA killed a top al Qaeda leader there earlier this year using an unmanned drone.

CALLAWAY: Right.

CLINCH: So it's a story which we don't get that many opportunities to go and visit. We've been issued visas. Today we're going immediately to cover this story and the general story of Yemen as well as we can.

CALLAWAY: But we should say that it could be a story that revolves just around the hospital in some way because the...

CLINCH: Possibly. It could possibly...

CALLAWAY: ... the hospital was going to be given up to local...

CLINCH: It could possibly. But personally I don't think that that's very likely.

CALLAWAY: So much activity in Yemen.

CLINCH: It seems to be, again, you know, the line between terrorism and targeting of Americans is a very thin one in that part of the world. But in essence they become the same thing when Americans, especially soft targets, are killed like this. And it's an horrific attack. We need to be there. Again, lots of other stories in Yemen that we can take advantage and cover while we're there. So we're going and we'll be there later today.

CALLAWAY: All right, David, we'll be looking for the information you can get for us from the international desk.

CLINCH: OK.

CALLAWAY: Talk to you a little bit later on.

Of course, we'll bring you the latest on the shooting on the U.S. doctors in Yemen all morning long so stay with us for that.

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 December 30, 2002 - 05:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to get right back to the breaking story that we're following this morning. Four American aid workers were shot in Yemen. Three of them died and the fourth is now fighting for her life. That shooting happened just hours ago at a U.S. funded Baptist hospital there in Yemen.
And our senior international editor David Clinch is joining us now to give us the latest on this big story you've been feeling this morning, David.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, Catherine.

CALLAWAY: And, you know, let me ask you starting off, I've been listening to the radio and watching television this morning on this development, developments on this. Some people calling this a terrorist attack. Some people just calling this an isolated incident.

CLINCH: Right. Well, it's an attack on Americans and we know that. And this is significant for three reasons, three important reasons. One is, again, it's an attack on Americans in the region, in Iraq and in the region where the war in Iraq may be taking place. It's an attack on soft target Americans. These people are humanitarian workers, some of them doctors working in a hospital, clearly an American hospital. This is not even American doctors working in a local hospital. This is an American missionary hospital.

Very similar to attacks we've seen in Jordan in the last few months and other countries in the region, in Lebanon, as well, where Americans who are not aggressive diplomats trying to talk to local leaders, but who are helping local people, who are caring for local people, they're the softest kind of targets.

CALLAWAY: And they've been there for some time.

CLINCH: So terror attack or no terror attack, it's a targeting of Americans, which in essence is terrorism.

CALLAWAY: What do we know about that suspect and who's been apprehended?

CLINCH: Well, not much. He was arrested and, again, this is interesting. You're talking about whether it's a terrorist attack. It doesn't bear the hallmarks of an organized terrorist attack. This individual was arrested very quickly afterwards and according to reports made very generic statements about wishing to cleanse his religion by killing Americans. We don't know what -- that is not absolutely confirmed yet, but it doesn't, again, bear the hallmark of an organized al Qaeda type attack.

But we're going to send a reporter. We are sending a reporter right now to Yemen, because it is a location where we know al Qaeda is operational. We know the U.S., the CIA killed a top al Qaeda leader there earlier this year using an unmanned drone.

CALLAWAY: Right.

CLINCH: So it's a story which we don't get that many opportunities to go and visit. We've been issued visas. Today we're going immediately to cover this story and the general story of Yemen as well as we can.

CALLAWAY: But we should say that it could be a story that revolves just around the hospital in some way because the...

CLINCH: Possibly. It could possibly...

CALLAWAY: ... the hospital was going to be given up to local...

CLINCH: It could possibly. But personally I don't think that that's very likely.

CALLAWAY: So much activity in Yemen.

CLINCH: It seems to be, again, you know, the line between terrorism and targeting of Americans is a very thin one in that part of the world. But in essence they become the same thing when Americans, especially soft targets, are killed like this. And it's an horrific attack. We need to be there. Again, lots of other stories in Yemen that we can take advantage and cover while we're there. So we're going and we'll be there later today.

CALLAWAY: All right, David, we'll be looking for the information you can get for us from the international desk.

CLINCH: OK.

CALLAWAY: Talk to you a little bit later on.

Of course, we'll bring you the latest on the shooting on the U.S. doctors in Yemen all morning long so stay with us for that.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com