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CNN Live At Daybreak
Americans Killed in Attack in Yemen
Aired December 31, 2002 - 06:07 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: Now to the deadly attack on Americans in Yemen. A self-described Islamic fundamentalist says that he killed the aid workers to -- quote -- "get closer to God."
The dead are Dr. Martha Myers of Montgomery, Alabama, an obstetrician at the Baptist Mission Hospital, William Koehn, hospital administrator from Arlington, Texas, and Kathleen Gariety of Wisconsin, the business manager there. Her brother expresses anger and grief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME GARIETY, KATHY'S BROTHER: That some ruthless human being, if you can call him a human being, can just come in and take her life and the other two lives, you know, for no reason at all. I don't understand what goes on in this world (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: And our Rula Amin is in the Yemeni capital with a reaction to yesterday's deadly hospital shooting there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, professional investigators are working alongside Yemeni investigators on the ground in Jibla, where the three missionaries were killed.
Initial investigations, according to Yemeni sources, said that this was not linked to al Qaeda, but this individual was encouraged by al Qaeda (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but apparently no direct link established yet. However, there may be a possibility that this individual has been working in accordance (ph) with a lot of individuals.
They assassinated a popular opposition figure on Saturday, and the investigations here, the authorities are trying to make sure that this is not part of a larger scheme where foreigners along with Yemeni secular (ph), Yemeni opposition figures are targeted.
In Jibla, the three victims -- the bodies of the three victims are still there. The families are expected to arrive here in the capital Sana'a. Two of them will be transferred to the United States. One of them may be buried (ph) on Jibla, where he had been working for a long time, but still not confirmed yet. Officials here say they have to coordinate this with the families, and they will not know anything for sure until the families are on the ground. The U.S. ambassador we spoke to earlier said that the Yemeni authorities have been cooperating very well with the U.S. investigators, and that he was struck by the condemnations that the Yemeni -- regular Yemeni have been voicing against that one act.
And he had this to say about efforts by the Yemeni government to combat such acts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday, the government laid out in the People's Assembly a very, very strong case against terrorism and the harm that terrorism has been to Yemeni interests, and calling upon all political parties and political forces in Yemen to make common cause with the government to counter and eliminate this terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMIN: The U.S. ambassador also said that the embassy had urged Americans to exercise extra caution, to keep a low profile, to stay away from places where foreigners usually gather, because Yemen is considered a dangerous place for Americans.
Rula Amin, CNN, Sama'a.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 31, 2002 - 06:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the deadly attack on Americans in Yemen. A self-described Islamic fundamentalist says that he killed the aid workers to -- quote -- "get closer to God."
The dead are Dr. Martha Myers of Montgomery, Alabama, an obstetrician at the Baptist Mission Hospital, William Koehn, hospital administrator from Arlington, Texas, and Kathleen Gariety of Wisconsin, the business manager there. Her brother expresses anger and grief.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME GARIETY, KATHY'S BROTHER: That some ruthless human being, if you can call him a human being, can just come in and take her life and the other two lives, you know, for no reason at all. I don't understand what goes on in this world (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: And our Rula Amin is in the Yemeni capital with a reaction to yesterday's deadly hospital shooting there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, professional investigators are working alongside Yemeni investigators on the ground in Jibla, where the three missionaries were killed.
Initial investigations, according to Yemeni sources, said that this was not linked to al Qaeda, but this individual was encouraged by al Qaeda (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but apparently no direct link established yet. However, there may be a possibility that this individual has been working in accordance (ph) with a lot of individuals.
They assassinated a popular opposition figure on Saturday, and the investigations here, the authorities are trying to make sure that this is not part of a larger scheme where foreigners along with Yemeni secular (ph), Yemeni opposition figures are targeted.
In Jibla, the three victims -- the bodies of the three victims are still there. The families are expected to arrive here in the capital Sana'a. Two of them will be transferred to the United States. One of them may be buried (ph) on Jibla, where he had been working for a long time, but still not confirmed yet. Officials here say they have to coordinate this with the families, and they will not know anything for sure until the families are on the ground. The U.S. ambassador we spoke to earlier said that the Yemeni authorities have been cooperating very well with the U.S. investigators, and that he was struck by the condemnations that the Yemeni -- regular Yemeni have been voicing against that one act.
And he had this to say about efforts by the Yemeni government to combat such acts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday, the government laid out in the People's Assembly a very, very strong case against terrorism and the harm that terrorism has been to Yemeni interests, and calling upon all political parties and political forces in Yemen to make common cause with the government to counter and eliminate this terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMIN: The U.S. ambassador also said that the embassy had urged Americans to exercise extra caution, to keep a low profile, to stay away from places where foreigners usually gather, because Yemen is considered a dangerous place for Americans.
Rula Amin, CNN, Sama'a.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
