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CNN Live Today
Suspected 9/11 Planner Arrested
Aired March 03, 2003 - 07:07 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. U.S. officials say the arrest of al Qaeda's operations chief is a major victory over terror. Mohammed, suspected of being the key planner of the 9/11 attacks, is now in U.S. custody at an undisclosed location. He is being questioned.
Our national correspondent, Mike Boettcher, joins us from Amman, Jordan, who is following the story for us from there.
Good morning -- Mike.
MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Paula.
If Osama bin Laden is the spiritual leader, the chairman of al Qaeda so to speak, then it was Khalid Shaikh Mohammed who ran the nuts and bolts, who knew how to run the company, the different divisions of it, or cells as it's called in the terrorist world.
So, according to coalition intelligence sources I've spoken to, this is a hugely significant arrest, because Khalid Shaikh Mohammed knows where the cells are from Asia across to Europe to North America.
And I'm also told by my sources that in recent months, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was focusing on developing cells in North America and planning attacks in the United States.
So, this arrest comes at a very critical time -- Paula.
ZAHN: Mike, you were talking about information that perhaps he had planned attacks against the United States. "Newsweek" is reporting today that he had directed operatives to target bridges, gas stations and power plants in a number of cities, including New York City. Can you give us any more information on that?
BOETTCHER: Well, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was the first to recognize in al Qaeda that they could not launch big attacks with no big base, like Afghanistan. A new big base is being formed now in the Pankisi Gorge in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. But until they get completely reorganized, he said -- according to detainees who have been arrested -- he said, let's go for softer targets, we can't go for the big targets, like the attacks on 9/11.
So, this fits exactly that particular pattern that he would be planning or telling his cells to plan to hit softer targets -- Paula.
ZAHN: And, Mike, finally this morning, Senator Biden saying yesterday it is his belief now that you've got Shaikh Mohammed that it might lead to 22 to 25 of the top leaders in the vicinity. What are the chances of nabbing more of these suspects now that this part of the al Qaeda operation has been pierced?
BOETTCHER: Well, I think the chances are very good. It is very likely that he knew the numbers, names -- it's not very likely; he had them -- the numbers, names in his head. The question is: Did he have them on paper of all of these various cells around the world? He was the one in contact with them. He was always on the phone. According to detainees who were once al Qaeda, he was always on the phone talking to various cells.
Now, if they can get two more people -- Saif al-Adil, who is a former Egyptian army officer, the security chief of al Qaeda, if they can get him, and Abu Musab al Zarqawi, who Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke about and his connections to Iraq -- if they can get those two, they have pretty much wiped out the top lieutenants.
I've got to tell you, Paula, that I find it very interesting that they managed to take him alive, because it was believed for many, many months, again from interrogations of detainees from al Qaeda, that he carried cyanide tablets with him. And he had said that he would kill himself if arrested, but they managed to get him before he took those tablets. So, that's a very interesting aspect of this.
ZAHN: Mike, we've got 10 seconds left. What about the fate of Osama bin Laden?
BOETTCHER: Well, Osama bin Laden and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed never traveled together in the last year, year-and-a-half or so. He could have information about where he is; probably does. But you can bet that every cell on earth of al Qaeda and the top people will have moved once the news got out about Khalid Shaikh Mohammed being arrested, because they know that he knows where everything and everyone is.
ZAHN: Mike Boettcher reporting for us this morning.
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 March 3, 2003 - 07:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. U.S. officials say the arrest of al Qaeda's operations chief is a major victory over terror. Mohammed, suspected of being the key planner of the 9/11 attacks, is now in U.S. custody at an undisclosed location. He is being questioned.
Our national correspondent, Mike Boettcher, joins us from Amman, Jordan, who is following the story for us from there.
Good morning -- Mike.
MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Paula.
If Osama bin Laden is the spiritual leader, the chairman of al Qaeda so to speak, then it was Khalid Shaikh Mohammed who ran the nuts and bolts, who knew how to run the company, the different divisions of it, or cells as it's called in the terrorist world.
So, according to coalition intelligence sources I've spoken to, this is a hugely significant arrest, because Khalid Shaikh Mohammed knows where the cells are from Asia across to Europe to North America.
And I'm also told by my sources that in recent months, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was focusing on developing cells in North America and planning attacks in the United States.
So, this arrest comes at a very critical time -- Paula.
ZAHN: Mike, you were talking about information that perhaps he had planned attacks against the United States. "Newsweek" is reporting today that he had directed operatives to target bridges, gas stations and power plants in a number of cities, including New York City. Can you give us any more information on that?
BOETTCHER: Well, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was the first to recognize in al Qaeda that they could not launch big attacks with no big base, like Afghanistan. A new big base is being formed now in the Pankisi Gorge in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. But until they get completely reorganized, he said -- according to detainees who have been arrested -- he said, let's go for softer targets, we can't go for the big targets, like the attacks on 9/11.
So, this fits exactly that particular pattern that he would be planning or telling his cells to plan to hit softer targets -- Paula.
ZAHN: And, Mike, finally this morning, Senator Biden saying yesterday it is his belief now that you've got Shaikh Mohammed that it might lead to 22 to 25 of the top leaders in the vicinity. What are the chances of nabbing more of these suspects now that this part of the al Qaeda operation has been pierced?
BOETTCHER: Well, I think the chances are very good. It is very likely that he knew the numbers, names -- it's not very likely; he had them -- the numbers, names in his head. The question is: Did he have them on paper of all of these various cells around the world? He was the one in contact with them. He was always on the phone. According to detainees who were once al Qaeda, he was always on the phone talking to various cells.
Now, if they can get two more people -- Saif al-Adil, who is a former Egyptian army officer, the security chief of al Qaeda, if they can get him, and Abu Musab al Zarqawi, who Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke about and his connections to Iraq -- if they can get those two, they have pretty much wiped out the top lieutenants.
I've got to tell you, Paula, that I find it very interesting that they managed to take him alive, because it was believed for many, many months, again from interrogations of detainees from al Qaeda, that he carried cyanide tablets with him. And he had said that he would kill himself if arrested, but they managed to get him before he took those tablets. So, that's a very interesting aspect of this.
ZAHN: Mike, we've got 10 seconds left. What about the fate of Osama bin Laden?
BOETTCHER: Well, Osama bin Laden and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed never traveled together in the last year, year-and-a-half or so. He could have information about where he is; probably does. But you can bet that every cell on earth of al Qaeda and the top people will have moved once the news got out about Khalid Shaikh Mohammed being arrested, because they know that he knows where everything and everyone is.
ZAHN: Mike Boettcher reporting for us this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
