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Breaking News

Visitors Allowed Back into Sacre Coeur

Aired January 14, 2003 - 14:47   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: This is a breaking news story we have been telling you about throughout this past hour, and that is the fact that police evacuated the Sacre Coeur basilica in Paris. You are looking at a picture now, a famous landmark in Montmartre, and I'm told, believe it or not, we have an employee, Audrey Concannon. She's inside the basilica. First of all, Audrey, why are you there? Are you actually on vacation?
AUDREY CONCANNON, CNN: Yes. Actually, I'm living in Paris, and I live in Montmartre, which is just at the bottom of Sacre Coeur, so it is 10 minutes away from Sacre Coeur. You could say it's my local basilica.

PHILLIPS: Wow, OK. I didn't know that you were there living in the area now. Well, Audrey, tell us what's going on. We know it was evacuated because of this homemade explosive device that was found. Are you still inside?

CONCANNON: I'm not inside at the moment. I'm outside. Everything's very calm here at the moment. People were evacuated from the basilica earlier on at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon when the device was found, but everything is very calm here now, and there are some dignitaries (ph) and the church is open to tourists again.

PHILLIPS: OK. So it has opened up, business as usual. You can go in and tour...

CONCANNON: Yes, exactly. There are some local visitors to the church, and as always, tourists in the church, but it's a small number of tourists at the moment.

PHILLIPS: Well, that is good news. Do you know what the latest is on the investigation? Have police been able to tell you if they are checking in to who left this there? Do they know anything about how the suspicious device got in the church?

CONCANNON: We don't have any information about that at the moment, but according to police sources, it was at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon that a black plastic bag was discovered by some tourists near to a confessional box, and they found several bottles of flammable liquids with no detonator. And they were highly dangerous bomb-making materials, but not ready to explode.

PHILLIPS: All right. Audrey Concannon, thank you so much.

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 January 14, 2003 - 14:47   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: This is a breaking news story we have been telling you about throughout this past hour, and that is the fact that police evacuated the Sacre Coeur basilica in Paris. You are looking at a picture now, a famous landmark in Montmartre, and I'm told, believe it or not, we have an employee, Audrey Concannon. She's inside the basilica. First of all, Audrey, why are you there? Are you actually on vacation?
AUDREY CONCANNON, CNN: Yes. Actually, I'm living in Paris, and I live in Montmartre, which is just at the bottom of Sacre Coeur, so it is 10 minutes away from Sacre Coeur. You could say it's my local basilica.

PHILLIPS: Wow, OK. I didn't know that you were there living in the area now. Well, Audrey, tell us what's going on. We know it was evacuated because of this homemade explosive device that was found. Are you still inside?

CONCANNON: I'm not inside at the moment. I'm outside. Everything's very calm here at the moment. People were evacuated from the basilica earlier on at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon when the device was found, but everything is very calm here now, and there are some dignitaries (ph) and the church is open to tourists again.

PHILLIPS: OK. So it has opened up, business as usual. You can go in and tour...

CONCANNON: Yes, exactly. There are some local visitors to the church, and as always, tourists in the church, but it's a small number of tourists at the moment.

PHILLIPS: Well, that is good news. Do you know what the latest is on the investigation? Have police been able to tell you if they are checking in to who left this there? Do they know anything about how the suspicious device got in the church?

CONCANNON: We don't have any information about that at the moment, but according to police sources, it was at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon that a black plastic bag was discovered by some tourists near to a confessional box, and they found several bottles of flammable liquids with no detonator. And they were highly dangerous bomb-making materials, but not ready to explode.

PHILLIPS: All right. Audrey Concannon, thank you so much.

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