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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Three More Countries to Support U.S. in Security Council; Elizabeth Smart Found Alive; Rumsfeld Says U.S. Could Fight Without U.K.

Aired March 12, 2003 - 17:00   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.


WOLF BLITZER, HOST: The United Nations Security Council is in session right now. Member states are speaking out on the showdown with Iraq. We're closely watching what's going on.
Also, the U.S., Britain, France and Russia say they all agree they want Iraq disarmed. So why can't these four allies find common ground on how to test Iraqi intentions? Senator Evan Bayh and former Senator Sam Nunn are standing by to join us.

And today's hot topic: what happens to countries that ignore the U.N.'s calls for peace?

WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) Showdown Iraq: new support in the U.N. Security Council. Whom did the U.S. win over? Will it make a difference?

The president's closest ally, can he hang on?

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: ... to come together, to work very hard at the United Nations to secure a second resolution.

BLITZER: Ready for war: we're with stealth bombers deploying, and we're aboard an assault ship in the Persian Gulf.

Secret surrender talks: have some of the Iraqi military already agreed not to fight?

And a CNN exclusive: in long forgotten words and pictures, the early days of the world's most wanted man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Osama bin Laden did not seem to be committed to any cause when the whole thing started.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Wednesday, March 12, 2003. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Here are the latest developments we're tracking this hour in the showdown with Iraq.

They vow victory or death. Iraqi authorities today showed off dozens of self-styled suicide attackers being trained at a military camp near Baghdad. The volunteers say they've come from all across the Arab world to confront the U.S.-led attack and are ready for, quote, "martyrdom."

Iraq displayed a drone aircraft that resembles a giant size model plane. The wingspan is 25 feet, but it's made of balsa wood and duct tape. Iraqi officials insist it can't possibly be used to spread chemicals or germs, as charged by the United States.

America's staunchest ally is under enormous pressure at home. The British prime minister, Tony Blair, faced his critics in Parliament, where rebels from his own party lashed out verbally. The prime minister outlined a set of conditions meant to gauge Iraq's willingness to disarm. Those British proposals are to be raised shortly in the Security Council, which is beating at this hour. We'll bring you live updates.

These are critical hours in the showdown with Iraq. Behind the scenes the diplomacy and the arm twisting are intense. I've been talking with sources here in Washington. Here's the bottom line.

If France or Russia vetoes a new U.N. Security Council resolution, all bets are off. The earlier British proposed March 17 deadline would no longer be operative, nor would the March 24 or March 27 dates that have also been widely mooted.

In other words, there would be nothing standing in the way of President Bush from immediately going on television, urging the U.N. inspectors, humanitarian workers and journalists to get out of Iraq quickly. A U.S.-led assault would follow shortly thereafter.

Right now, though, diplomacy has its last shot. Our senior White House correspondent, John King, and our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, are watching all of these dramatic developments.

Andrea first to you, has the U.S. scored some diplomatic gains in the past several hours?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the quick answer is yes, but officials are also quick to point out that they won't know for sure if they've made any progress until those votes are finally cast.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

(voice-over) The Bush administration believes it's only one vote away from the nine it will need to pass a second U.N. resolution.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: I wouldn't deny that we're making progress, but I don't want to mislead you into thinking we've got it in the bag.

KOPPEL: The latest break-through, U.S. and British officials tell CNN, fresh assurances Angola, Cameroon and Guinea, three of the six undecided Security Council members, will support the resolution. In addition, officials say Pakistan's president has also signaled his willingness to vote yes, providing the U.S., Great Britain and Spain with eight of the nine votes needed.

Still not on board, Chile and Mexico. Two years ago, Mexico's support would have been a given, but differences over immigration policy have soured a close relationship.

The Bush administration denies it has engaged in dollar diplomacy with any of the undecideds, but one State Department official told CNN the message is, quote, "their votes are very important to us."

At the same time the administration was noticeably noncommittal about a new British proposal with specific benchmarks to test Iraqi compliance.

BOUCHER: As far as whether they become part of the resolution or the resolution package, that's a question of really how useful they are in terms of getting other members of the council on board.

KOPPEL: And in a highly unusual public criticism of French President Jacques Chirac, a close U.S. ally, Boucher said the French threat to veto was, quote "disturbing."

BOUCHER: To tell Iraq that, no matter what, they're not going to be subject to another Security Council resolution really sends the wrong signal to Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: And not just to Baghdad, Wolf. Earlier today the Spanish prime minister said that because of that strong signal on the veto from France, that Spain and Great Britain and the U.S., all the sponsors of this resolution, are considering the possibility of not introducing it -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. We'll be watching Andrea Koppel at the State Department. Thanks very much, Andrea.

The White House, meanwhile, says the president is going the last mile for a diplomatic solution. That led to more top level telephone calls throughout this day.

Let's get to our senior White House correspondent, John King for more -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, and to amplify the final point Andrea just made, remember it was just yesterday White House officials were adamant there would be a vote this week.

Now officials say it is still their intention to have a vote, but as one put it, this is a fluid situation. Another senior official said the United States is listening to its allies, no option has been ruled out.

So it is possible, after all the adamancy expressed by the president and his top aides, that there will be no vote at all.

As we track that, you mentioned the president reaching out for votes today. The key conversations today, a phone conversation from President Bush to Vladimir Putin of Russia. Mr. Bush, we are told, appealing for Russia to be with the United States in this confrontation with Iraq. The U.S. ambassador to Moscow had tougher words, saying the president would remember if Russia did not side with the United States in this fight.

Also, a key phone call to President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan. Administration officials voicing growing confidence they will have Pakistan's support in the end.

And as the diplomacy at the U.N. plays out, we are told by senior administration officials that the president will pivot quickly. No matter what happens at the United Nations, look for the president within a matter of days, perhaps even within a matter of hours, to lay out to the American people as to how he sees the situation going forward. Included in any Bush remarks to the nation would be one final ultimatum to Saddam Hussein -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Reported before, the president does have a good relationship with Jacques Chirac of France, yet they haven't spoken lately. Why don't they pick up the phone and simply talk to each other and try to work out some sort of framework for putting the tests to the Iraqis to disarm?

KING: Well, Wolf, officials say he has had a good relationship with President Chirac, but they also say that relationship is now deteriorating.

They do not understand how the French could have signed on to Resolution 1441, which says total immediate disarmament, and now several months later not be willing to vote on a resolution that says Iraq has failed that test. It has not immediately disarmed.

The French, of course, say they did not sign on to regime change and that President Bush wants the resolution so he can knock Saddam Hussein from power. A deteriorating relationship.

One foot note to that, President Bush is scheduled to go to France in early June for a G-8 summit. He tends to remember when people don't side with him in these fights.

BLITZER: Ask Gerhard Schroeder, the chancellor of Germany. Thanks very much, John King, for that report.

Meanwhile, new estimates are out on the cost of a possible war against Iraq. The Council on Foreign Relations says reconstructing the country would run about $3 Billion a year. And troop deployment would add $17 Billion a year, for a total of $20 Billion annually for at least several years.

The report also says Iraqi oil revenues would not cover those costs and that President Bush has failed to warn the United States of the financial obligations it would face. The British prime minister, Tony Blair, was blasted in Parliament over a strong stand on Iraq. The heated exchange came as Mr. Blair proposed a plan giving the Iraqi leader one last chance to disarm. And while trying to diffuse remarks by the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, later retracted, that the United States might have to fight Iraq without British troops.

Here's an example of the fireworks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IAIN DUNCAN SMITH, CONSERVATIVE LEADER: The current situation is deeply reckless, reckless for the world, reckless for the undermining of the U.N., reckless with our government and reckless with his own future.

Surely, if he can't convince his own cabinet, it's going to be very difficult to convince the British people. The prime minister's big tent surely is not big enough to include both the international development secretary and Donald Rumsfeld. Surely, it's time for him to choose. Which is it?

BLAIR: Well, the one thing I've found out in the last few weeks is that I've not been short of advice from on this particular issue, but I do honestly say to them that I think the most important thing for us to do, actually as a house, never mind as a government or as a country, is particularly with our armed forces facing the potential of action, to come together to work very hard in the United Nations, to secure the second resolution and to try and make sure that we send the strongest possible signal out to Saddam Hussein that he has now to disarm or face the consequences. And I say again to him, it's better to concentrate on that than the points he just made.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the U.N. Security Council. Nothing about disarmament, nothing about human rights, nothing about terrorism. Isn't that the smoking gun?

BLAIR: I mean, again, one of the things I found is that I can't actually answer for the comments of every member of every administration around the world including occasionally my own -- (laughter) -- so I would say to him very simply is this, that rather than debate the wealth of conspiracy theories and comments from the Republican right or the Democrat left or this part or that part, why don't we just work out what it is that it is the right thing to do and do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The British Parliament earlier today, a lively session.

Let's look at some other developments now in the showdown with Iraq.

Former President Bill Clinton says the British proposal to give Saddam Hussein more time to disarm might -- might prevent war, but he says, regardless of what happens the U.N. must be united.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe a lot of these other people in the U.N. will vote for this if Hans Blix will say how much time he needs and we let the merit, not the politics govern that. And I think that's what we ought to do.

That is -- And I'm not so sure that we can't still avoid war and disarm Saddam Hussein, but we all got to be together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The city council of New York today passed a resolution opposing war with Iraq. The measure states that the council opposes any preemptive attack unless it's shown that Iraq poses a, quote, "real and imminent threat to the United States or its allies."

New York now joined some 140 other U.S. cities that have adopted similar anti-war measures.

The United Nations is withdrawing most of its observers on the Iraqi side of the, Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. On the Kuwaiti side, the U.N. post on the Warma (ph) Island also was closed. In a statement, the U.N. says the move is due to the looming war in Iraq.

U.N. Forces have been patrolling the border since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.

The FBI is warning of more hate crimes against Arab-Americans if the United States goes to war with Iraq. The bureau also says that increase in such crimes could occur if there's another terrorist attack in the U.S. The warnings are on the FBI's weekly intelligence bulletin sent to law enforcement officials around the country.

Iraq scrambled today to diffuse controversy over one of its unmanned drones, an aircraft the Bush administration claims violates U.N. disarmament requirements.

Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is in Baghdad and he has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The reason this particular drone or remotely piloted vehicle, as Iraqi officials call it, (voice- over) has become so controversial is because that when Iraq originally declared it in January earlier this year, they said that it had a wingspan of 4.4 meters.

Now when U.N. inspectors went to the site in the middle of February to investigate it, they discovered it had a wingspan of 7.4 meters. Immediately after that, Iraqi officials sent a letter to the U.N., they said they made a typo and that was the reason for the mistake. However, right now the U.N. says the question about this aircraft is, is it capable and it was designed for use with weapons of mass destruction, to carry and disperse chemical or biological warfare agents? And is it capable of going beyond the U.N. limit of 150 kilometers?

Now, Iraqi officials (on camera) say that it is not designed for chemical or biological weapons. They say that it is designed only as an aerial surveillance vehicle. They also say its range is limited to 120 kilometers and that the aircraft is only able to fly that distance in a very -- in a circle with a very small radius, perhaps only two or three or four, perhaps, kilometers.

(voice-over) Now, Iraqi officials took the journalists to this site to very much try and lay to rest any allegations or any misunderstanding about this particular aircraft.

(on camera) We've also seen today on Iraqi television President Saddam Hussein meeting with his top ministers. (voice-over) Again, we've seen this on many occasions, President Saddam Hussein meets with key government advisers, key government ministers, military commanders.

But what was interesting today was that they announced that there would be an interest rate cut for government workers, civil servants and members of the army the military in Iraq. The rate cut would be from 8 percent to 1 percent on loans.

So at a time when there's a lot of pressure on people in the country, a lot of tension in the country, this perhaps alleviating some (on camera) economic burden for those key workers in the government and in the military at this time.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: "If the U.N. resolution is vetoed should the U.S. still go to war against Iraq?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at CNN.com/Wolf.

And while you're there I'd like to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'd like to read some of them on the air each day at end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column: CNN.com/Wolf.

It's the debate that's dividing the world. So what's the rush to war? I'll ask Senator Evan Bayh when we return.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Osama bin Laden does not seem to be committed to any cause when the whole thing started. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The birth of the world's most dangerous terrorist. An exclusive look at a young, a young Osama bin Laden.

And troops on standby, practicing for war. We'll take you onboard the USS Baton, where the word is hurry up and wait.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

We have some news, though, that I want to interrupt our programming to report. The Associate Press -- the Associate Press is now reporting that Elizabeth Smart -- Elizabeth Smart has been found alive, incredibly developing -- dramatic development.

Of course, Elizabeth Smart, many of you remember Elizabeth Smart, going back to when she was missing long ago last year. I believe it was -- if you can help me a little bit when the date when Elizabeth Smart went missing. It's been months and months, of course. since she's been missing.

But now we are getting word from the Associate Press in Sale Lake City in Utah. Elizabeth Smart has been found, has been found alive. We're going to continue to get some information. We're going to find out precisely what's going on. That's the headline when we come back.

We'll get some more details, but the headline, of course, Elizabeth Smart, the young girl who's been missing from Sale Lake City, Utah, for months and months and months now has been found. She was kidnapped, of course, as I'm now being told, last June.

Let's take a break. We'll pick up on this story when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BLITZER: We want to reiterate the story that we've been reporting now for the last few minutes. Elizabeth Smart, the 14-year- old Utah girl, has been found, according to local police outside of Sale Lake City. She has been found. She is alive.

Obviously, very relieving, very good news. She was kidnapped last June, taken from her home in an affluent part of Sale Lake City, taken away and has been missing ever since.

There's been a worldwide alert for her. Her parents, other loved ones have gone out looking for her. No one knew exactly where she was. Obviously, the Salt Lake City police chief and others have been looking for her desperately.

Her 9-year-old sister, many of you probably will remember, was in the same room when an intruder came into the house in the early hours of the night and abducted her, took her somewhere and we obviously don't know where, but the good news, of course, is that she has been found. She's alive and she is well.

We are trying to check out precisely some more details. We are told there will be a news conference at 7 p.m. eastern time. That's in about an hour and a half from now in Salt Lake City, providing the details.

Once again, Elizabeth Smart has been found. She is alive. She is apparently in good -- in good shape right now. The Salt Lake City police department already scheduling a news conference in about an hour and a half from now, 7 p.m. eastern time.

That's the information we're getting right now. We're going to try to get some officials from Salt Lake City on the phone and get some more details. When we do we'll, of course, bring them to you as they become available.

Let me go over here to the wire service and see what else we're getting. We're getting from Associate Press the 15-year-old girl, she is now 15, who vanished from her bedroom eight months ago was found alive and well during a traffic stop in suburban Sale Lake City. That, according to local police in Salt Lake City.

We're going to continue to monitor the story. We'll have some more details as they become available.

But let's move on now and get back to the showdown with Iraq.

If President Bush goes ahead and does order U.S. forces to invade Iraq, will British troops be at their side? Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, is joining us now live on the controversy triggered by remarks only yesterday by the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld -- Jamie.

JAMIE McINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a few days ago we wouldn't even be having this discussion, but because of those remarks from Secretary Rumsfeld and a lot of speculation, the Pentagon says simply that with or without the British the U.S. is ready to go.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) On the U.S. aircraft carrier Constellation, parked in the Persian Gulf, all is ready to carry out the U.S. strategy of shock and awe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we are alerted to go forward it will be lightning quick. It will be devastating. It will be lethal. It will be persistent, and it will be precise.

McINTYRE: But will it be with the help of Great Britain? After Donald Rumsfeld's remark Wednesday that the U.S. might have to fight without British troops, both allies are down playing the notion America would go to war without its most stalwart ally.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the coalition is the United States, the U.K. and an Australian smaller contingent, we're fully integrated, working with the Americans and we built up our plans and our training with them to make a coherent coalition force.

McINTYRE: Pentagon sources say the British ground forces, which number about 27,000 troops, are in the war plan to help take the southern port town of Basra and secure the vital Ramayla (ph) oil fields.

Britain also has an aircraft carrier and two Cruise missile firing submarines in the Persian Gulf.

But Pentagon sources say the U.S. military could adapt if, for any reason, the British government gets cold feet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

The Pentagon is still a number of days away from war, in part because of problems with another U.S. ally, Turkey. The U.S. is still pressing for over-flight rights there and until they get an answer one way or the other, the U.S. is still holding two aircraft carriers and 15 Cruise missile ships in the eastern Mediterranean. It they don't get permission, they'll all be moved to the Red Sea -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Thanks, Jamie, very much.

And let's recap what we know now on this breaking story that we're following.

The 15-year-old girl, Elizabeth Smart, has been found alive and well just outside Salt Lake City. She was kidnapped last June, taken in the middle of the night from her bedroom. Her sister was in the bedroom at the same time.

The Associate Press now quoting the girl's uncle, Tom Smart, as saying miracles -- miracles do exist.

We're also learning from the Associated Press that the girl was found in the car of a drifter who was pulled over in a traffic stop this afternoon. The -- two separate women called in and said they thought they had spotted Emanuel. Emanuel, whose real name is Brian David Mitchell, once did work, handiwork at the Smart's home. He's been sought after for some time after the younger sister, the girl who was in the bedroom with Elizabeth Smart, said she recognized his picture.

The girl was found in the car of a drifter who was pulled over in a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon and we're getting that information, as I said, from the Associate Press.

Our affiliate in Salt Lake City, KUTV, is having some live coverage. Let's break in and listen to see how they're covering this dramatic story.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Elizabeth Smart disappearing from her home in the Federal Heights area. Sandy City police and Salt Lake City police expected to hold a news conference this afternoon at 5. The appearance of Elizabeth Smart today also brings up a lot of unanswered questions. When was she originally taken, by whom? Where was she staying? Who was involved, and I imagine all of the same questions that Salt Lake City police and their detectives are trying to answer right now. What kind of condition is she in?

And of course, the family's reaction today, they have to be absolutely overjoyed and stunned, at the same time if their daughter had been here in the Salt Lake City, in the Sandy area, for nine months now during what was one of the biggest searches in the history of Salt Lake City.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And this news is spreading like wildfire. National media has been talking about this. Actually the speed, our show right now is being on CNN live.

People all across the nation took part in this search for Elizabeth. They felt something when she disappeared. They felt for the family, and now nine months later she has been recovered. She is alive and with Sandy police right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to talk about Brian David Mitchell. He is the man that Salt Lake City police wanted to talk to. They held a news conference a couple of weeks ago. They mentioned that this man was a street preacher.

They appeared with the Smart family. The Smart family said that Elizabeth's sister thought the man in the house on the night of the kidnapping may have had the mannerisms of Brian David Mitchell. He also went by the name of Emanuel.

He was a street preacher in downtown Salt Lake, worked for one day as a contract worker on the Smart house. He was hired by Elizabeth Smart's mother.

He was the man that police wanted to talk to in connection with the case. They called it a long shot. They called it a whim. They said he wasn't a suspect. They just wanted to make contact with him, and out where he was, if he knew anything about the case and now it appears this man may have known about I a lot about the case. And now it appears this man may have known a lot about the case, may have even been responsible for her disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just receiving late breaking word from one of our producers that Elizabeth Smart is actually with Salt Lake City police. Mitchell -- Brian Mitchell, the homeless man that she was apparently with, is in custody with police in Sandy. That's just the very latest that came to us from producers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, that news conference expected this afternoon to hopefully answer some of these questions. An extraordinary development today in the Elizabeth Smart case.

Elizabeth Smart, again, to update you, found alive today in Sandy. And the scenario, we are being told by Sandy City police, which is a suburb of Salt Lake City, for those viewers who are watching on a national level right now, it's about 14, 15 miles away from downtown Salt Lake City.

Elizabeth Smart found alive today after a phone call from a citizen who reported seeing a man that police wanted to talk to with two females by the side of the road.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And just last month Elizabeth's parents announced a brand new reward for this man. You're looking at a picture of him right now. His name is Brian David Mitchell, who goes by the street name Emanuel. The Smart family hired him for one day to do some handiwork around their home.

Just about a month ago the sister, Mary Katherine, said that she thought that there was some resemblances, something about him seemed familiar to her. The family came to the media, they again announced an update in the search. They made an increase in the reward, and they released the sketch of the man that they believed had something to do with her disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brian Malahey (ph) with the Smart family today doing an interview with Tom Smart at about 3 p.m. this afternoon when word was received by the family that Elizabeth may have been found.

Tom Smart, a quote here today from the family, "Miracles do exist. We are absolutely overjoyed." I can imagine they are also stunned with this development today.

Tom Smart is a spokesman for the family, a brother of Ed Smart, the father of Elizabeth, today. Again, his quote today, "Miracles do happen. They do exist."

The family overjoyed and stunned at this extraordinary development in the Elizabeth Smart case. A case that was followed nationally by millions of people and a search that went from Salt Lake City to a seven or eight-state area, even all the way to California, with flyers that went out all over the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once again, you are looking at a picture of Brian David Mitchell, who goes by the street name Emanuel. The family and police first became interested in him in mid-October, when Mary Katherine came forward and said something about him reminded her of that night. There were some familiarities.

You have to remember that Mary Katherine is 9 years old. So police had a hard time determining what characteristics exactly she was trying to describe. Police were looking for him. The family upped the reward for any information regarding David Brian Mitchell -- Brian David Mitchell, who goes by the name Emanuel. And tonight, or this afternoon it appears that he was, indeed, involved in Elizabeth's disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over the past nine months that Elizabeth Smart has been gone, there have been vigils, prayer services, thousands and thousand of volunteers combing the woods in and around her house, all over the state. Elizabeth also, in the time that she was gone, celebrated her 15th birthday. In fact, the family went to Disneyland and made a point to talk to the media about the fact that this would have been their daughter's birthday. Celebrated a 15th birthday while she was missing, during that nine-month period.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And to put it into perspective, Mark, 16,000 leads in those nine months and Salt Lake police tried to follow up as many as they could, and here we are today with the one lead that turned out to be positive.

Elizabeth Smart alive and with Salt Lake police right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to update you, a three paragraph statement from Sandy City police and the Salt Lake City Police Department today, saying that this afternoon, around 2 this afternoon, Elizabeth Smart was discovered on a roadside with another female and a man believed to be Brian Mitchell. Brian David Mitchell, a street preacher in Salt Lake City, that police wanted to find and question about the disappearance.

His name came up after Mary Katherine, Elizabeth's sister, mentioned that the man in the house on the night of the disappearance may have had some of the same mannerisms as Mitchell, who worked in the house as a contractor for one day after he was hired by Elizabeth's mother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you know, to put it in perspective, she has been missing for nine months now. This has been all over the national media. Obviously, in Salt Lake, it has been in the media over and over again. As you mentioned Mark (ph), the celebration of her birthday. New developments from Mary Katherine, some new information regarding the street person named Emmanuel.

The press conference, you'll remember that Ed and Lois held, when they said they had seen him downtown. He had needed work. They asked if he would be willing to do handiwork on their home. And he came, I believe, for one day to their home. They said their association with him was very brief.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's now 3:30, about an hour and a half after the news that Elizabeth Smart was discovered. We're going to stay here and continue to follow the story.

Some of the thing we are working on right now. Brian Malayhe (ph) is with the family. He's with the spokesman, Tom Smart. We're going to try to get an interview with Tom and reaction from the family. Also, we understand that Elizabeth is now in the custody of Salt Lake City police after going to the Sandy City Police Department. The latest development, Salt Lake City police saying they have a positive identification on Elizabeth. They have I.D.'ed her through fingerprints and other evidence.

Elizabeth Smart found alive today around 2:00 this afternoon in Sandy City, that's right outside Salt Lake City, and we, of course, have a team of reporters in the field right now trying to get reaction to this. What we can only say is an extraordinary and stunning development in the nine-month disappearance of Elizabeth Smart.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do have a volunteer on the phone. His name is Charles Kelly (ph). He was a volunteer on the search for Elizabeth.

How are you feeling with the latest developments, Charles?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I don't know too much about them, but I'm ecstatic that they found her alive and well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was your role in searching for Elizabeth when the news first broke that she had disappeared?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I am a neighbor of the family...

WOLF BLITZER, HOST: All right, we're going to break away from our affiliate, KUTV, in Salt Lake City doing extensive coverage on this dramatic development. Police have, in fact, found Elizabeth Smart alive and well just outside Salt Lake City. She's now 15 years old. She was 14 years old last June 5 when she was kidnapped in the middle of the night, taken from her affluent home in Salt Lake City. Her younger sister, Mary Elizabeth, was in the bedroom at the same time.

Mary Elizabeth now suggesting to police that when Brian David Mitchell, also known as Emmanuel, a homeless person, a drifter who had worked one day at the Smart home may have been the person who took Elizabeth from the home. She identified him in a photograph, we are told. And now, police stopped the car of Brian David Mitchell and Elizabeth Smart inside with another woman. She is now in police custody. We're told she's OK. Let's bring in Don Clark. He's a former FBI agent who is very familiar with this case.

Don, normally these cases don't end with a happy ending as long as -- given the amount of time that she's been missing since last June. This is a very happy -- very happy ending. Don Clark is joining us on the phone -- Don.

DON CLARK, FORMER FBI AGENT: Wolf, for sure, you're absolutely right. These cases rarely work. Many of these cases with the agencies down here in Texas and rarely do they come to a conclusion like this. But I think it gives one thing to the police effort in the area that you just can't stop looking for any missing person whether you think they're kidnapped or whatever the case may be until you actually locate a body or find the person. And if anything that you want to do is continue to repeat your steps to try to develop that one lead that may take you to this kind of conclusion.

BLITZER: You remember, of course, Richard Albert Ricci, who was the other worker who had worked at the home, who subsequently died. He was widely suspected to perhaps have played some sort of role in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart. He totally denied it. His wife denied it. And we'll never know for sure, what if any role, he may have had, if this was an isolated incident, or if, in fact, this individual, Brian David Mitchell, had anything to do with it. But let's bring in -- Don Clark, stand by for a minute because one of the other affiliates is getting more information on this story right now. They have some reporters on the scene. Let's listen in.

KAREN SCULLIN, CHANNEL 5 CORRESPONDENT: Now, also her siblings who were, I guess, temporarily with her have been taken across the street to a victim resource center, kind of dealing with things over there at this point. Right now a lot of -- like I said, a lot of media gathering around, waiting for that 5:00 news conference. An unbelievable turn of events, but certainly a happy ending for a stressful story for the community, of course, for the family. Big news for Salt Lake City and we're just waiting to hear more information.

What we know about exactly how she was found, it was actually in Sandy, Utah. A caller called into the Sandy City Police Department, said they spotted a man who looked like the latest guy that police were looking for, this Emmanuel. He was there, possibly with two women. Sandy police went to check it out. They thought one of them might be Elizabeth Smart, brought him into the police station, a positive I.D. Ed Smart went to pick her up and now she's here at the Salt Lake City Police Department. We'll certainly bring you more details as they become available.

Reporting live, I'm Karen Scullin, back to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Karen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Karen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you just were reporting live on CNN, so we appreciate your help.

A little bit more of this man wanted for questions and in custody, Brian David Mitchell. It's interesting that in this morning's edition of the "Salt Lake Tribune," there was a lead story saying that the Smart family, Ed Smart, in particular, was frustrated at the lack of police pursuing this suspect, who had been a handyman in their home last year. He was featured a few weeks ago on the "America's Most Wanted" program and that sketch showed the man as a clean cut person. His stepson, Mark Thompson (ph), had provided investigators pictures of his stepfather without a beard.

And the Associated Press is reporting right now that Thompson (ph) said his stepfather was reportedly sighted in Salt Lake City yesterday. Someone saw him yesterday and the stepson said, yes, his stepfather was capable of kidnapping a child. This man, Brian David Mitchell or Emmanuel Mitchell, he and his then wife, Wanda Mitchell, sold their belongings and started living on the streets late in the 1980s. Mitchell is said to believe that he is a prophet who needs to preach to the homeless, that according to his stepson, Mark Thompson (ph). So there's an interesting figure you're going to learn an awful lot about in the days ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's right now in the Sandy City Police Department. Right now, let's go to Sam Kenlog (ph) who is live in the neighborhood where the Smart family lives.

Sam, this has got to be a relief not only for the Smart family, but for that entire neighborhood who has been through such an ordeal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is. It's the news that everyone wanted to hear, but never expected and neighbors here are really just in tears as we've been going around telling them the news that Elizabeth Smart has been found safe. A lot of them said, you know, they were willing to hold out hope for several months, but, you know, a couple of months ago they kind of feared the worst and really this is something they never expected, but they had never given up hope in this neighborhood.

The ribbons are still all over the streets. There are still signs that say, "Please pray for Elizabeth." There are the missing posters that say "Kidnapped" at the top all up and down the streets of this neighborhood. So certainly, the people here in Federal Heights had not given up on finding Elizabeth Smart. They have continued looking for her and really continued to be in the process, holding out some hope, at least to some degree, that she would be found alive. And the news that it is real, that she has been found alive. People here are just in shock, but also very grateful and thankful for the news that they're hearing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sam, have you had a chance to talk to many of these people and hear their reaction face-to-face? I'm sure that's powerful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is. You know, a lot of people said you know it was just like it was my own child that was taken. They feel like, you know, after all these months, it's something that they just never, ever thought would happen and they're just -- you can just feel this enormous sense of relief.

When we were driving up here and we were on with our first report back in the studio there was a woman outside on the phone and I could tell that she was getting the news that Elizabeth had been found. You could tell that she was just excited and in shock at the news. But certainly this is just -- this neighborhood is just a buzz right now with news that Elizabeth has been found safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And sure...

BLITZER: All right. We're going to break away from our affiliate, KSL, doing a good job with the latest developments in the very, very good news that Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old has been found safe just outside Salt Lake City. We want to thank KSL, our affiliate, also, KUTV, our other Salt Lake City affiliate, for this information.

Let's bring in CNN's Mike Brooks, our law enforcement correspondent. He's been watching. He's been covering this story from virtually day one, as well.

As I was saying to Don Clark, the former FBI agent, Mike, normally after this period of time the news is not very good. This time it was.

MIKE BROOKS, LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It was. It was very good news, Wolf. And law enforcement said they had received over 16,000 tips. And these two tips from two separate women that saw this Emmanuel, today led up to a traffic stop. The Sandy Police pulled him over in the company of another woman and a young girl that they believed looked like Elizabeth Smart and they found out it was Elizabeth Smart. Elizabeth is now -- law enforcement sources are telling us that Elizabeth is now in the custody of Salt Lake City police and are at their headquarters right now. So Sandy Police turned her over to Salt Lake City police and Salt Lake City police are handling the investigation.

Now, as we know, Salt Lake City police had been lead agency in this investigation since her disappearance on June 5. And I know, talking to some of my law enforcement sources out there, they, too, are extremely happy to bring this case to a close.

Now, it's not over yet. There's a lot of questions that still have to be asked. One of those was was she taken by force or did she go voluntarily? Did she for some reason -- law enforcement, Wolf, consider this guy, Emmanuel, that he goes by, who's a Brian David Mitchell, to be a -- they call him a religious fanatic. He wears apparently red robes. They said he acts in a strange manner and has -- and they were focusing on him and as the local affiliates kind of said that they were looking at him and said some of the same things.

But it is good news today, Wolf. Elizabeth Smart in the custody of Salt Lake City police at their headquarters --Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. I want you to stand by, Mike, because we're going to be getting back to you. We're going to be covering this story thoroughly. Right now, Peter Banks is joining us on the phone from the Center For Missing and Exploited Children.

Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, Peter, found, she is safe, almost eight months after she was kidnapped from her home. This is, obviously, very, very good news, but give us your reaction to this dramatic development.

PETER BANKS, CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: You know, this exactly the reason why moms and dads should never give up hope any time a child is missing. This is the exact reason that police keep on working and working to help find these children that are gone for long periods of time. We know sometimes it's -- the odds are stacked against us, but this is exactly the reason we do it.

BLITZER: She, obviously, intrigued all of us. Our hearts were going out to the Smart family from day one, immediately after she disappeared. The circumstances of her kidnapping, the circumstances of the disappearance, the search for her went on and on and on. In your experience, though, Peter, how rare is this good development in the search for these young kids who are kidnapped?

BANKS: Well, we find that it is less than two percent of the long-term cases where children are recovered alive. So -- but, again, there is always hope and this is exactly what we tell parents.

You know, oddly enough, on Friday, there will be about 35 moms and dads here with something called Team Hope and these are moms and dads who have experienced losses and who are there to offer support for other parents. But we recognize that sometimes children are gone for years, but there is -- as long as there is a bit of hope, there is hope.

BLITZER: The parents of the loved ones are always hopeful. They're always holding out hope, but law enforcement, whether state, local, federal law enforcement, they sometimes seem to move on with each passing day week, month. How do you keep law enforcement on top of the situation so that these kinds of good stories, good endings, might, in fact, occur?

BANKS: Well, we have training programs here at the National Center for law enforcement where we review cases and we try to keep them current on the different investigative techniques and the different experiences.

I was a cop in Washington for 23 years and I think it's the experiences that you have that gives you the most knowledge. And when you talk with your colleagues and you find out there has been other cases that have been long term, it gives you that extra to keep going and to keep trying. You know, most of the men and women of law enforcement, they treat every one of these cases like they're their own child and it is very taxing on them. It is very taxing on the community. In fact, it really destroys the quality of life of every child in the community. And when something like this, when the child is found and recovered alive, it is just very, very uplifting.

BLITZER: All right. Peter, stand by for a minute. I want to go back to our affiliate coverage, KSL. They're speaking to an eyewitness who watched and saw what happened when this car was taken outside of Salt Lake City with the drifter, the driver, Elizabeth Smart inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... on the road and they looked like sort of transients, but the lady looked more maybe Arabic. They had sort of veils on, covering their hair, long clothing, really big, baggy clothing. And the gentleman was put on to the ground at the time, as I was watching, and had a big beard on. And I thought, oh, my gosh, you know, what's going on. Hopefully, not something, you know, maybe a terrorist attack or what's going on, but thank God now that we know it was Elizabeth Smart and hopefully, she is OK. But the demeanor of everybody was very calm. The police weren't freaking out too much. There wasn't anyone trying to get away or struggling or running. And from what I saw, the young girl, she wasn't trying to run or anything, just very calmly talking to the police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, John (ph), you say young girl. Tell me how many people were there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was three people. One male who was seated onto the ground and his arms were behind his back, so it would only suggest they were -- it would have been cuffed. And then there was a medium-sized woman about maybe 5'4" or 5'6" and she was dressed in that type of clothing that I mentioned, and a younger girl that was probably about the same height, about 5'3" to 5'4", and was dressed with the longer clothing on, with a blue, almost like -- I guess, the material would have been like a pillowcase, blue pillowcase, not over the face, but almost like a veil like you would wear in Israel or something over your clothing there. And they were all just kind of calmly talking to the police at that time. It wasn't anything that -- you know, anyone was struggling or kicking or screaming. As the whole thing unfurled, it almost looked like just something calmly, passively going on. These people were being questioned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John (ph), (UNINTELLIGIBLE) here. You said that the man was on the ground with his hands behind his back, what about the other two young women or women that was there? Were they in the police car or were they just standing there on the sidewalk?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry. My phone cut out. I apologize.

BLITZER: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what about the women? Were they -- you said that the man was behind -- you know, had his hands behind his back on the ground. Were these women in a police car or were they just standing on the sidewalk?

BLITZER: All right, we're going to break away from our coverage, from our affiliate, from KSL. KSL, our local affiliate, doing some good reporting there. We'll be checking in with all of our affiliates in Salt Lake City to get the latest information.

On the phone now is Bob Walcutt. He's joining us.

Bob -- go ahead, Bob. Tell us your name, first of all, Bob? Bob, can you hear me?

BOB WALCUTT, LAURA RECOVERY CENTER: Hello?

BLITZER: Yes, Bob, go ahead. Just tell us your role in all of this.

WALCUTT: OK, I'm the executive director for the Laura Recovery Center For Missing Children out of (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Texas and we had initially been contacted to come out and help set up the initial stages of the civilian ground search for Elizabeth. We were out there about five, maybe six days getting the search up and running, and that was the initial stages of what we were doing.

BLITZER: In Salt Lake City, is that what you're saying?

WALCUTT: Yes, sir. That's what we did initially.

BLITZER: And where are you now?

WALCUTT: We're out of (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Texas.

BLITZER: And so, your reaction, obviously to this good news, you must be thrilled.

WALCUTT: Oh, absolutely. This is incredible news and one thing for families of a child that's missing is to never give up hope. I mean this is just incredible, incredible news.

BLITZER: That's the constant refrain we've been hearing now, never, never, never give up hope no matter how long it takes. When you take a look though at this situation and all of your experience, we've been hearing it's still pretty rare that the end result is as good as this one.

WALCUTT: Well, when the child is gone this long, I mean, it's quite incredible.

BLITZER: Eight, nine months, a long time to be missing. No one saw her. What we do know, though, her younger sister, Mary Katherine, apparently late last year in October did pick him out of a picture. This homeless individual had worked one day at the Smart family home and she said he did resemble, to a certain degree, the individual who walked into that room and took Elizabeth Smart in the early hours of the morning. The search has been on ever since for this individual, Brian David Mitchell, also known as Emmanuel. We've been seeing the picture of him with this long beard that's been shown up. When did you first hear personally about Brian David Mitchell yourself?

WALCUTT: Actually, only -- just about 10 minutes ago, when we first heard about her being found. I'd heard about a man that had been sort of identified, you know, quite some time ago, but nothing more that the man that worked on the house or something like that.

BLITZER: There was another individual, Richard Albert Ricci, who had indeed worked at the home and he was at one point suspected of perhaps having some sort of role. He later died suddenly and his wife had always claimed he had nothing to do with it. He had denied any involvement in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart. He's no longer around right now. But Brian David Mitchell, also known as Emmanuel, is. He's in police custody right now and the situation, obviously, continues to unfold.

We are standing by. We're told that there will be, in about an hour or so from now, a news conference. Local law enforcement, Salt Lake City detectives will be holding a news conference to provide specific information on how all of this unfolded during the past few hours.

We want to show our video -- we want to show our viewers now some videotape we've just received. The family members of Elizabeth Smart look --- take a look right now. Her brothers and sisters running to the police station in Salt Lake City upon hearing the word, walking into the police station there in Salt Lake City, hearing the good news that their sister, their sister, 15-year-old, now 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart has been found safe outside of Salt Lake City.

CNN law enforcement correspondent, Mike Brooks, has been watching -- covering this story from the beginning. He's once again joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta.

The more we hear about this recovery this, this arrest earlier today, the discovery of Elizabeth Smart, the more dramatic it becomes, Mike. BROOKS: It really does, Wolf. After all this time, over nine months -- she disappeared on June 5 of 2002 and no one has given up hope. And we haven't heard too much about this and the news media has not been putting out. We have not even done a follow-up. And then, all of a sudden we hear that she's been -- you know, that she's been found and found alive and at Sandy -- which is just a small city just south of Salt Lake City.

Now, again, she was in the company, apparently, of a man and a woman, is what law enforcement says. The man goes by Emmanuel who -- and his real name is Brian David Mitchell. Apparently, he had done some work in the Smart's home at one time, apparently, just one time.

And what law enforcement and I know what a lot of people are trying to -- want to know now is was she taken by force from the home? We know that she was -- it was reported she was taken by gunpoint from the home -- or did she go with this person voluntarily. Our law enforcement sources in Salt Lake City, Wolf, are telling me that they can look at this guy as a religious fanatic.

We heard just from the eyewitness just a few moments ago, from one of the affiliates there in Salt Lake City, that one of the -- the woman in the car apparently had on a veil and this person, law enforcement sources say, is known to wear red robes. So, you know, what is behind that behavior? I'm sure a lot of people will want to know and we hope to find out in the very near future.

But again, just -- it's unbelievable because you look at cases where children are abducted, where kids are abducted, Wolf, and usually after a week there is usually not that much hope of finding some -- finding the person alive. And we've gone nine months now and this is just -- I've never heard of a case like this in all my years of law enforcement --Wolf.

BLITZER: You have to give the Salt Lake City Police Department a lot of credit for staying on top of this investigation, staying in the forefront and eventually resulting in what resulted today. At what point does local law enforcement hand over responsibility in the kidnapping case like this to the FBI?

BROOKS: Well, the FBI all along, Wolf has been helping the Salt Lake City with some of their resources, with some of the evidence technicians, with some of the profilers. They were using them all along throughout the case. And I can't say for sure, but I'm sure that the law enforcement -- from my previous experience, I can say that law enforcement -- the FBI was probably still assisting, thinking that she may have been taken over state lines because the FBI only will come in on cases like this if there is a ransom, if there's extortion or if there is, you know, an abduction that goes across state lines.

But they also will come in if local law enforcement asks for their assistance, under domestic law enforcement cooperation case. And in this particular case I know they were helping the Salt Lake City police in the early stage of the investigation -- Wolf. BLITZER: As you well remember, Mike, a lot of suspicion early on Richard Albert Ricci, another handyman who had worked at the Smart home albeit very briefly. And he eventually died within weeks after his name surfaced of a cerebral hemorrhage. Looking back on all of that coverage, all of the suspicion, which he always denied, his wife strongly denied, it looks now, if, in fact, this individual who was found with Elizabeth Smart acted alone, did not act with Richard Albert Ricci or anyone else. It looks like all of that suspicion was, of course, misplaced.

BROOKS: Well, we'll have to wait and see exactly what the investigations glean from the information that they're able to get from this Emmanuel subject and his female companion. You know law enforcement has received over 16,000 tips on this case so far in Salt Lake City, Wolf, and it took two tips by two separate women saying they saw Emmanuel in the vicinity of Sandy to get Elizabeth Smart back alive -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And we're now getting more information from the Associated Press. The Associated Press now reporting that she was found, 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart, wearing a wig. She is now at the police station together with her father. She's been reunited with her father at the police station in Salt Lake City.

These pictures that we have seen so often, so often, over these many eight, nine months, since she was kidnapped on June 5 of last year, heart-wrenching moments for all of us who watched and covered this story from the beginning. Elizabeth Smart, though now, reunited with her dad in Salt Lake City after she was picked up and apparently, held by this individual Brian David Mitchell also known as Emmanuel.

What happens now, Mike Brooks, in this investigation?

BROOKS: Well, they will take their time. They do have Elizabeth back safely. Investigators will take their time and do a thorough, extremely thorough interrogation of this person to try to find out exactly what happened from day one on June 5 all of the way to right now. They'll find out exactly where they've been, who they've talked to and also, talk to Elizabeth to find out, no. 1, make sure she's not physically harmed. And the other thing we want to make sure, that she is not psychologically damaged by this.

I'm sure it was -- we can't even imagine. We can't begin to fathom the psychological effects it could have on her for years. But law enforcement will treat her with kid gloves when they interview her and try to get as much information as they can from Elizabeth. And I know right now her family is glad to have her back and so is law enforcement, so is Salt Lake City, the whole area in and around Salt Lake City, very, very happy to get her back.

BLITZER: I'm sure the most important thing right now is for her to be with her parents, for her to be with her brothers and sisters, immediately for as long as possible. That'll be the immediately -- I would assume the best instant help for her right now.

Also one other thing, Mike, if you take a look at what -- well, we're talking about what happens next. Police are going to go back and take a look and see what they did right, what they did wrong, where they may have gone on incorrect leads with all of the tips that were provided. One thing though is abundantly clear, a lot of other parents out there who have children who are still missing, this is going to raise a lot of hopes for them as well.

BROOKS: Yes, it will. I mean the whole message here, Wolf, is never give up hope. Nine months, 16,000 tips that law enforcement has gone through and gone through in looking for her. But you know, we go back and Mary Katherine, her sister, just recently had said when shown a picture of this...

BLITZER: All right...

BROOKS: ... Brian David Mitchell that it did resemble the person that came into the room that night and took her at gunpoint.

BLITZER: Mike, stand by one second. I just want to bring in John Ferguson. He is an eyewitness. He saw what happened when police came upon that car, a car driven by Brian David Mitchell.

John, tell us exactly what you saw and heard.

JOHN FERGUSON, WITNESS TO ARREST: What I saw as I was driving northbound on our state street here is on the right hand side of the road was what looked like four or five police cars. And three pedestrians actually looked like they were walking on the side of the road and the police actually had them on -- well, the gentleman on the ground, what looked like in handcuffs and his legs crossed, sitting there very calmly on the ground while possibly about six to seven police officers were there questioning each person, the lady.

The two ladies that were -- looked like they were on the side of the road -- looked like they were in maybe Arabian dress or Israeli dress, what looked like veils almost on and really homely clothing. But the whole situation was very, very calm. It didn't look like there was much of a struggle between any of the people there at all.

BLITZER: John Ferguson, an eyewitness. Thanks very much, John, for your firsthand account.

I want to just recap to our viewers who may just be joining us. The good news, Elizabeth Smart now 15 years old, kidnapped last June 5 now is safe. She's in police custody, reunited with her father. She was found earlier this afternoon just outside Salt Lake City, at Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City, about 15 miles or so from the family home in Salt Lake City.

She was found in the custody of Brian David Mitchell, also known as Emmanuel, someone described as a homeless individual who worked for one day at the Smart family home. The younger sister, Mary Katherine had once said in October that she thought a picture of him resembled the individual who stole Elizabeth Smart.

We're standing by for a news conference about an hour or so from now. CNN, of course, will have much more coverage. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is coming up next and Lou will have extensive coverage of this as well.

Once again, 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart, she's alive. She's well. She's now reunited with her family. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Thanks very much for joining us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Elizabeth Smart Found Alive; Rumsfeld Says U.S. Could Fight Without U.K.>


Aired March 12, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: The United Nations Security Council is in session right now. Member states are speaking out on the showdown with Iraq. We're closely watching what's going on.
Also, the U.S., Britain, France and Russia say they all agree they want Iraq disarmed. So why can't these four allies find common ground on how to test Iraqi intentions? Senator Evan Bayh and former Senator Sam Nunn are standing by to join us.

And today's hot topic: what happens to countries that ignore the U.N.'s calls for peace?

WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) Showdown Iraq: new support in the U.N. Security Council. Whom did the U.S. win over? Will it make a difference?

The president's closest ally, can he hang on?

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: ... to come together, to work very hard at the United Nations to secure a second resolution.

BLITZER: Ready for war: we're with stealth bombers deploying, and we're aboard an assault ship in the Persian Gulf.

Secret surrender talks: have some of the Iraqi military already agreed not to fight?

And a CNN exclusive: in long forgotten words and pictures, the early days of the world's most wanted man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Osama bin Laden did not seem to be committed to any cause when the whole thing started.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Wednesday, March 12, 2003. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

Here are the latest developments we're tracking this hour in the showdown with Iraq.

They vow victory or death. Iraqi authorities today showed off dozens of self-styled suicide attackers being trained at a military camp near Baghdad. The volunteers say they've come from all across the Arab world to confront the U.S.-led attack and are ready for, quote, "martyrdom."

Iraq displayed a drone aircraft that resembles a giant size model plane. The wingspan is 25 feet, but it's made of balsa wood and duct tape. Iraqi officials insist it can't possibly be used to spread chemicals or germs, as charged by the United States.

America's staunchest ally is under enormous pressure at home. The British prime minister, Tony Blair, faced his critics in Parliament, where rebels from his own party lashed out verbally. The prime minister outlined a set of conditions meant to gauge Iraq's willingness to disarm. Those British proposals are to be raised shortly in the Security Council, which is beating at this hour. We'll bring you live updates.

These are critical hours in the showdown with Iraq. Behind the scenes the diplomacy and the arm twisting are intense. I've been talking with sources here in Washington. Here's the bottom line.

If France or Russia vetoes a new U.N. Security Council resolution, all bets are off. The earlier British proposed March 17 deadline would no longer be operative, nor would the March 24 or March 27 dates that have also been widely mooted.

In other words, there would be nothing standing in the way of President Bush from immediately going on television, urging the U.N. inspectors, humanitarian workers and journalists to get out of Iraq quickly. A U.S.-led assault would follow shortly thereafter.

Right now, though, diplomacy has its last shot. Our senior White House correspondent, John King, and our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel, are watching all of these dramatic developments.

Andrea first to you, has the U.S. scored some diplomatic gains in the past several hours?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the quick answer is yes, but officials are also quick to point out that they won't know for sure if they've made any progress until those votes are finally cast.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

(voice-over) The Bush administration believes it's only one vote away from the nine it will need to pass a second U.N. resolution.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: I wouldn't deny that we're making progress, but I don't want to mislead you into thinking we've got it in the bag.

KOPPEL: The latest break-through, U.S. and British officials tell CNN, fresh assurances Angola, Cameroon and Guinea, three of the six undecided Security Council members, will support the resolution. In addition, officials say Pakistan's president has also signaled his willingness to vote yes, providing the U.S., Great Britain and Spain with eight of the nine votes needed.

Still not on board, Chile and Mexico. Two years ago, Mexico's support would have been a given, but differences over immigration policy have soured a close relationship.

The Bush administration denies it has engaged in dollar diplomacy with any of the undecideds, but one State Department official told CNN the message is, quote, "their votes are very important to us."

At the same time the administration was noticeably noncommittal about a new British proposal with specific benchmarks to test Iraqi compliance.

BOUCHER: As far as whether they become part of the resolution or the resolution package, that's a question of really how useful they are in terms of getting other members of the council on board.

KOPPEL: And in a highly unusual public criticism of French President Jacques Chirac, a close U.S. ally, Boucher said the French threat to veto was, quote "disturbing."

BOUCHER: To tell Iraq that, no matter what, they're not going to be subject to another Security Council resolution really sends the wrong signal to Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOPPEL: And not just to Baghdad, Wolf. Earlier today the Spanish prime minister said that because of that strong signal on the veto from France, that Spain and Great Britain and the U.S., all the sponsors of this resolution, are considering the possibility of not introducing it -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. We'll be watching Andrea Koppel at the State Department. Thanks very much, Andrea.

The White House, meanwhile, says the president is going the last mile for a diplomatic solution. That led to more top level telephone calls throughout this day.

Let's get to our senior White House correspondent, John King for more -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, and to amplify the final point Andrea just made, remember it was just yesterday White House officials were adamant there would be a vote this week.

Now officials say it is still their intention to have a vote, but as one put it, this is a fluid situation. Another senior official said the United States is listening to its allies, no option has been ruled out.

So it is possible, after all the adamancy expressed by the president and his top aides, that there will be no vote at all.

As we track that, you mentioned the president reaching out for votes today. The key conversations today, a phone conversation from President Bush to Vladimir Putin of Russia. Mr. Bush, we are told, appealing for Russia to be with the United States in this confrontation with Iraq. The U.S. ambassador to Moscow had tougher words, saying the president would remember if Russia did not side with the United States in this fight.

Also, a key phone call to President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan. Administration officials voicing growing confidence they will have Pakistan's support in the end.

And as the diplomacy at the U.N. plays out, we are told by senior administration officials that the president will pivot quickly. No matter what happens at the United Nations, look for the president within a matter of days, perhaps even within a matter of hours, to lay out to the American people as to how he sees the situation going forward. Included in any Bush remarks to the nation would be one final ultimatum to Saddam Hussein -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Reported before, the president does have a good relationship with Jacques Chirac of France, yet they haven't spoken lately. Why don't they pick up the phone and simply talk to each other and try to work out some sort of framework for putting the tests to the Iraqis to disarm?

KING: Well, Wolf, officials say he has had a good relationship with President Chirac, but they also say that relationship is now deteriorating.

They do not understand how the French could have signed on to Resolution 1441, which says total immediate disarmament, and now several months later not be willing to vote on a resolution that says Iraq has failed that test. It has not immediately disarmed.

The French, of course, say they did not sign on to regime change and that President Bush wants the resolution so he can knock Saddam Hussein from power. A deteriorating relationship.

One foot note to that, President Bush is scheduled to go to France in early June for a G-8 summit. He tends to remember when people don't side with him in these fights.

BLITZER: Ask Gerhard Schroeder, the chancellor of Germany. Thanks very much, John King, for that report.

Meanwhile, new estimates are out on the cost of a possible war against Iraq. The Council on Foreign Relations says reconstructing the country would run about $3 Billion a year. And troop deployment would add $17 Billion a year, for a total of $20 Billion annually for at least several years.

The report also says Iraqi oil revenues would not cover those costs and that President Bush has failed to warn the United States of the financial obligations it would face. The British prime minister, Tony Blair, was blasted in Parliament over a strong stand on Iraq. The heated exchange came as Mr. Blair proposed a plan giving the Iraqi leader one last chance to disarm. And while trying to diffuse remarks by the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, later retracted, that the United States might have to fight Iraq without British troops.

Here's an example of the fireworks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IAIN DUNCAN SMITH, CONSERVATIVE LEADER: The current situation is deeply reckless, reckless for the world, reckless for the undermining of the U.N., reckless with our government and reckless with his own future.

Surely, if he can't convince his own cabinet, it's going to be very difficult to convince the British people. The prime minister's big tent surely is not big enough to include both the international development secretary and Donald Rumsfeld. Surely, it's time for him to choose. Which is it?

BLAIR: Well, the one thing I've found out in the last few weeks is that I've not been short of advice from on this particular issue, but I do honestly say to them that I think the most important thing for us to do, actually as a house, never mind as a government or as a country, is particularly with our armed forces facing the potential of action, to come together to work very hard in the United Nations, to secure the second resolution and to try and make sure that we send the strongest possible signal out to Saddam Hussein that he has now to disarm or face the consequences. And I say again to him, it's better to concentrate on that than the points he just made.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the U.N. Security Council. Nothing about disarmament, nothing about human rights, nothing about terrorism. Isn't that the smoking gun?

BLAIR: I mean, again, one of the things I found is that I can't actually answer for the comments of every member of every administration around the world including occasionally my own -- (laughter) -- so I would say to him very simply is this, that rather than debate the wealth of conspiracy theories and comments from the Republican right or the Democrat left or this part or that part, why don't we just work out what it is that it is the right thing to do and do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The British Parliament earlier today, a lively session.

Let's look at some other developments now in the showdown with Iraq.

Former President Bill Clinton says the British proposal to give Saddam Hussein more time to disarm might -- might prevent war, but he says, regardless of what happens the U.N. must be united.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe a lot of these other people in the U.N. will vote for this if Hans Blix will say how much time he needs and we let the merit, not the politics govern that. And I think that's what we ought to do.

That is -- And I'm not so sure that we can't still avoid war and disarm Saddam Hussein, but we all got to be together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The city council of New York today passed a resolution opposing war with Iraq. The measure states that the council opposes any preemptive attack unless it's shown that Iraq poses a, quote, "real and imminent threat to the United States or its allies."

New York now joined some 140 other U.S. cities that have adopted similar anti-war measures.

The United Nations is withdrawing most of its observers on the Iraqi side of the, Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. On the Kuwaiti side, the U.N. post on the Warma (ph) Island also was closed. In a statement, the U.N. says the move is due to the looming war in Iraq.

U.N. Forces have been patrolling the border since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.

The FBI is warning of more hate crimes against Arab-Americans if the United States goes to war with Iraq. The bureau also says that increase in such crimes could occur if there's another terrorist attack in the U.S. The warnings are on the FBI's weekly intelligence bulletin sent to law enforcement officials around the country.

Iraq scrambled today to diffuse controversy over one of its unmanned drones, an aircraft the Bush administration claims violates U.N. disarmament requirements.

Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is in Baghdad and he has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The reason this particular drone or remotely piloted vehicle, as Iraqi officials call it, (voice- over) has become so controversial is because that when Iraq originally declared it in January earlier this year, they said that it had a wingspan of 4.4 meters.

Now when U.N. inspectors went to the site in the middle of February to investigate it, they discovered it had a wingspan of 7.4 meters. Immediately after that, Iraqi officials sent a letter to the U.N., they said they made a typo and that was the reason for the mistake. However, right now the U.N. says the question about this aircraft is, is it capable and it was designed for use with weapons of mass destruction, to carry and disperse chemical or biological warfare agents? And is it capable of going beyond the U.N. limit of 150 kilometers?

Now, Iraqi officials (on camera) say that it is not designed for chemical or biological weapons. They say that it is designed only as an aerial surveillance vehicle. They also say its range is limited to 120 kilometers and that the aircraft is only able to fly that distance in a very -- in a circle with a very small radius, perhaps only two or three or four, perhaps, kilometers.

(voice-over) Now, Iraqi officials took the journalists to this site to very much try and lay to rest any allegations or any misunderstanding about this particular aircraft.

(on camera) We've also seen today on Iraqi television President Saddam Hussein meeting with his top ministers. (voice-over) Again, we've seen this on many occasions, President Saddam Hussein meets with key government advisers, key government ministers, military commanders.

But what was interesting today was that they announced that there would be an interest rate cut for government workers, civil servants and members of the army the military in Iraq. The rate cut would be from 8 percent to 1 percent on loans.

So at a time when there's a lot of pressure on people in the country, a lot of tension in the country, this perhaps alleviating some (on camera) economic burden for those key workers in the government and in the military at this time.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our Web question of the day is this: "If the U.N. resolution is vetoed should the U.S. still go to war against Iraq?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at CNN.com/Wolf.

And while you're there I'd like to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'd like to read some of them on the air each day at end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column: CNN.com/Wolf.

It's the debate that's dividing the world. So what's the rush to war? I'll ask Senator Evan Bayh when we return.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Osama bin Laden does not seem to be committed to any cause when the whole thing started. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The birth of the world's most dangerous terrorist. An exclusive look at a young, a young Osama bin Laden.

And troops on standby, practicing for war. We'll take you onboard the USS Baton, where the word is hurry up and wait.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

We have some news, though, that I want to interrupt our programming to report. The Associate Press -- the Associate Press is now reporting that Elizabeth Smart -- Elizabeth Smart has been found alive, incredibly developing -- dramatic development.

Of course, Elizabeth Smart, many of you remember Elizabeth Smart, going back to when she was missing long ago last year. I believe it was -- if you can help me a little bit when the date when Elizabeth Smart went missing. It's been months and months, of course. since she's been missing.

But now we are getting word from the Associate Press in Sale Lake City in Utah. Elizabeth Smart has been found, has been found alive. We're going to continue to get some information. We're going to find out precisely what's going on. That's the headline when we come back.

We'll get some more details, but the headline, of course, Elizabeth Smart, the young girl who's been missing from Sale Lake City, Utah, for months and months and months now has been found. She was kidnapped, of course, as I'm now being told, last June.

Let's take a break. We'll pick up on this story when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BLITZER: We want to reiterate the story that we've been reporting now for the last few minutes. Elizabeth Smart, the 14-year- old Utah girl, has been found, according to local police outside of Sale Lake City. She has been found. She is alive.

Obviously, very relieving, very good news. She was kidnapped last June, taken from her home in an affluent part of Sale Lake City, taken away and has been missing ever since.

There's been a worldwide alert for her. Her parents, other loved ones have gone out looking for her. No one knew exactly where she was. Obviously, the Salt Lake City police chief and others have been looking for her desperately.

Her 9-year-old sister, many of you probably will remember, was in the same room when an intruder came into the house in the early hours of the night and abducted her, took her somewhere and we obviously don't know where, but the good news, of course, is that she has been found. She's alive and she is well.

We are trying to check out precisely some more details. We are told there will be a news conference at 7 p.m. eastern time. That's in about an hour and a half from now in Salt Lake City, providing the details.

Once again, Elizabeth Smart has been found. She is alive. She is apparently in good -- in good shape right now. The Salt Lake City police department already scheduling a news conference in about an hour and a half from now, 7 p.m. eastern time.

That's the information we're getting right now. We're going to try to get some officials from Salt Lake City on the phone and get some more details. When we do we'll, of course, bring them to you as they become available.

Let me go over here to the wire service and see what else we're getting. We're getting from Associate Press the 15-year-old girl, she is now 15, who vanished from her bedroom eight months ago was found alive and well during a traffic stop in suburban Sale Lake City. That, according to local police in Salt Lake City.

We're going to continue to monitor the story. We'll have some more details as they become available.

But let's move on now and get back to the showdown with Iraq.

If President Bush goes ahead and does order U.S. forces to invade Iraq, will British troops be at their side? Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, is joining us now live on the controversy triggered by remarks only yesterday by the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld -- Jamie.

JAMIE McINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a few days ago we wouldn't even be having this discussion, but because of those remarks from Secretary Rumsfeld and a lot of speculation, the Pentagon says simply that with or without the British the U.S. is ready to go.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over) On the U.S. aircraft carrier Constellation, parked in the Persian Gulf, all is ready to carry out the U.S. strategy of shock and awe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we are alerted to go forward it will be lightning quick. It will be devastating. It will be lethal. It will be persistent, and it will be precise.

McINTYRE: But will it be with the help of Great Britain? After Donald Rumsfeld's remark Wednesday that the U.S. might have to fight without British troops, both allies are down playing the notion America would go to war without its most stalwart ally.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the coalition is the United States, the U.K. and an Australian smaller contingent, we're fully integrated, working with the Americans and we built up our plans and our training with them to make a coherent coalition force.

McINTYRE: Pentagon sources say the British ground forces, which number about 27,000 troops, are in the war plan to help take the southern port town of Basra and secure the vital Ramayla (ph) oil fields.

Britain also has an aircraft carrier and two Cruise missile firing submarines in the Persian Gulf.

But Pentagon sources say the U.S. military could adapt if, for any reason, the British government gets cold feet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

The Pentagon is still a number of days away from war, in part because of problems with another U.S. ally, Turkey. The U.S. is still pressing for over-flight rights there and until they get an answer one way or the other, the U.S. is still holding two aircraft carriers and 15 Cruise missile ships in the eastern Mediterranean. It they don't get permission, they'll all be moved to the Red Sea -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Thanks, Jamie, very much.

And let's recap what we know now on this breaking story that we're following.

The 15-year-old girl, Elizabeth Smart, has been found alive and well just outside Salt Lake City. She was kidnapped last June, taken in the middle of the night from her bedroom. Her sister was in the bedroom at the same time.

The Associate Press now quoting the girl's uncle, Tom Smart, as saying miracles -- miracles do exist.

We're also learning from the Associated Press that the girl was found in the car of a drifter who was pulled over in a traffic stop this afternoon. The -- two separate women called in and said they thought they had spotted Emanuel. Emanuel, whose real name is Brian David Mitchell, once did work, handiwork at the Smart's home. He's been sought after for some time after the younger sister, the girl who was in the bedroom with Elizabeth Smart, said she recognized his picture.

The girl was found in the car of a drifter who was pulled over in a traffic stop Wednesday afternoon and we're getting that information, as I said, from the Associate Press.

Our affiliate in Salt Lake City, KUTV, is having some live coverage. Let's break in and listen to see how they're covering this dramatic story.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Elizabeth Smart disappearing from her home in the Federal Heights area. Sandy City police and Salt Lake City police expected to hold a news conference this afternoon at 5. The appearance of Elizabeth Smart today also brings up a lot of unanswered questions. When was she originally taken, by whom? Where was she staying? Who was involved, and I imagine all of the same questions that Salt Lake City police and their detectives are trying to answer right now. What kind of condition is she in?

And of course, the family's reaction today, they have to be absolutely overjoyed and stunned, at the same time if their daughter had been here in the Salt Lake City, in the Sandy area, for nine months now during what was one of the biggest searches in the history of Salt Lake City.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And this news is spreading like wildfire. National media has been talking about this. Actually the speed, our show right now is being on CNN live.

People all across the nation took part in this search for Elizabeth. They felt something when she disappeared. They felt for the family, and now nine months later she has been recovered. She is alive and with Sandy police right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to talk about Brian David Mitchell. He is the man that Salt Lake City police wanted to talk to. They held a news conference a couple of weeks ago. They mentioned that this man was a street preacher.

They appeared with the Smart family. The Smart family said that Elizabeth's sister thought the man in the house on the night of the kidnapping may have had the mannerisms of Brian David Mitchell. He also went by the name of Emanuel.

He was a street preacher in downtown Salt Lake, worked for one day as a contract worker on the Smart house. He was hired by Elizabeth Smart's mother.

He was the man that police wanted to talk to in connection with the case. They called it a long shot. They called it a whim. They said he wasn't a suspect. They just wanted to make contact with him, and out where he was, if he knew anything about the case and now it appears this man may have known about I a lot about the case. And now it appears this man may have known a lot about the case, may have even been responsible for her disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just receiving late breaking word from one of our producers that Elizabeth Smart is actually with Salt Lake City police. Mitchell -- Brian Mitchell, the homeless man that she was apparently with, is in custody with police in Sandy. That's just the very latest that came to us from producers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, that news conference expected this afternoon to hopefully answer some of these questions. An extraordinary development today in the Elizabeth Smart case.

Elizabeth Smart, again, to update you, found alive today in Sandy. And the scenario, we are being told by Sandy City police, which is a suburb of Salt Lake City, for those viewers who are watching on a national level right now, it's about 14, 15 miles away from downtown Salt Lake City.

Elizabeth Smart found alive today after a phone call from a citizen who reported seeing a man that police wanted to talk to with two females by the side of the road.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And just last month Elizabeth's parents announced a brand new reward for this man. You're looking at a picture of him right now. His name is Brian David Mitchell, who goes by the street name Emanuel. The Smart family hired him for one day to do some handiwork around their home.

Just about a month ago the sister, Mary Katherine, said that she thought that there was some resemblances, something about him seemed familiar to her. The family came to the media, they again announced an update in the search. They made an increase in the reward, and they released the sketch of the man that they believed had something to do with her disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brian Malahey (ph) with the Smart family today doing an interview with Tom Smart at about 3 p.m. this afternoon when word was received by the family that Elizabeth may have been found.

Tom Smart, a quote here today from the family, "Miracles do exist. We are absolutely overjoyed." I can imagine they are also stunned with this development today.

Tom Smart is a spokesman for the family, a brother of Ed Smart, the father of Elizabeth, today. Again, his quote today, "Miracles do happen. They do exist."

The family overjoyed and stunned at this extraordinary development in the Elizabeth Smart case. A case that was followed nationally by millions of people and a search that went from Salt Lake City to a seven or eight-state area, even all the way to California, with flyers that went out all over the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once again, you are looking at a picture of Brian David Mitchell, who goes by the street name Emanuel. The family and police first became interested in him in mid-October, when Mary Katherine came forward and said something about him reminded her of that night. There were some familiarities.

You have to remember that Mary Katherine is 9 years old. So police had a hard time determining what characteristics exactly she was trying to describe. Police were looking for him. The family upped the reward for any information regarding David Brian Mitchell -- Brian David Mitchell, who goes by the name Emanuel. And tonight, or this afternoon it appears that he was, indeed, involved in Elizabeth's disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over the past nine months that Elizabeth Smart has been gone, there have been vigils, prayer services, thousands and thousand of volunteers combing the woods in and around her house, all over the state. Elizabeth also, in the time that she was gone, celebrated her 15th birthday. In fact, the family went to Disneyland and made a point to talk to the media about the fact that this would have been their daughter's birthday. Celebrated a 15th birthday while she was missing, during that nine-month period.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And to put it into perspective, Mark, 16,000 leads in those nine months and Salt Lake police tried to follow up as many as they could, and here we are today with the one lead that turned out to be positive.

Elizabeth Smart alive and with Salt Lake police right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to update you, a three paragraph statement from Sandy City police and the Salt Lake City Police Department today, saying that this afternoon, around 2 this afternoon, Elizabeth Smart was discovered on a roadside with another female and a man believed to be Brian Mitchell. Brian David Mitchell, a street preacher in Salt Lake City, that police wanted to find and question about the disappearance.

His name came up after Mary Katherine, Elizabeth's sister, mentioned that the man in the house on the night of the disappearance may have had some of the same mannerisms as Mitchell, who worked in the house as a contractor for one day after he was hired by Elizabeth's mother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you know, to put it in perspective, she has been missing for nine months now. This has been all over the national media. Obviously, in Salt Lake, it has been in the media over and over again. As you mentioned Mark (ph), the celebration of her birthday. New developments from Mary Katherine, some new information regarding the street person named Emmanuel.

The press conference, you'll remember that Ed and Lois held, when they said they had seen him downtown. He had needed work. They asked if he would be willing to do handiwork on their home. And he came, I believe, for one day to their home. They said their association with him was very brief.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's now 3:30, about an hour and a half after the news that Elizabeth Smart was discovered. We're going to stay here and continue to follow the story.

Some of the thing we are working on right now. Brian Malayhe (ph) is with the family. He's with the spokesman, Tom Smart. We're going to try to get an interview with Tom and reaction from the family. Also, we understand that Elizabeth is now in the custody of Salt Lake City police after going to the Sandy City Police Department. The latest development, Salt Lake City police saying they have a positive identification on Elizabeth. They have I.D.'ed her through fingerprints and other evidence.

Elizabeth Smart found alive today around 2:00 this afternoon in Sandy City, that's right outside Salt Lake City, and we, of course, have a team of reporters in the field right now trying to get reaction to this. What we can only say is an extraordinary and stunning development in the nine-month disappearance of Elizabeth Smart.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do have a volunteer on the phone. His name is Charles Kelly (ph). He was a volunteer on the search for Elizabeth.

How are you feeling with the latest developments, Charles?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I don't know too much about them, but I'm ecstatic that they found her alive and well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was your role in searching for Elizabeth when the news first broke that she had disappeared?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I am a neighbor of the family...

WOLF BLITZER, HOST: All right, we're going to break away from our affiliate, KUTV, in Salt Lake City doing extensive coverage on this dramatic development. Police have, in fact, found Elizabeth Smart alive and well just outside Salt Lake City. She's now 15 years old. She was 14 years old last June 5 when she was kidnapped in the middle of the night, taken from her affluent home in Salt Lake City. Her younger sister, Mary Elizabeth, was in the bedroom at the same time.

Mary Elizabeth now suggesting to police that when Brian David Mitchell, also known as Emmanuel, a homeless person, a drifter who had worked one day at the Smart home may have been the person who took Elizabeth from the home. She identified him in a photograph, we are told. And now, police stopped the car of Brian David Mitchell and Elizabeth Smart inside with another woman. She is now in police custody. We're told she's OK. Let's bring in Don Clark. He's a former FBI agent who is very familiar with this case.

Don, normally these cases don't end with a happy ending as long as -- given the amount of time that she's been missing since last June. This is a very happy -- very happy ending. Don Clark is joining us on the phone -- Don.

DON CLARK, FORMER FBI AGENT: Wolf, for sure, you're absolutely right. These cases rarely work. Many of these cases with the agencies down here in Texas and rarely do they come to a conclusion like this. But I think it gives one thing to the police effort in the area that you just can't stop looking for any missing person whether you think they're kidnapped or whatever the case may be until you actually locate a body or find the person. And if anything that you want to do is continue to repeat your steps to try to develop that one lead that may take you to this kind of conclusion.

BLITZER: You remember, of course, Richard Albert Ricci, who was the other worker who had worked at the home, who subsequently died. He was widely suspected to perhaps have played some sort of role in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart. He totally denied it. His wife denied it. And we'll never know for sure, what if any role, he may have had, if this was an isolated incident, or if, in fact, this individual, Brian David Mitchell, had anything to do with it. But let's bring in -- Don Clark, stand by for a minute because one of the other affiliates is getting more information on this story right now. They have some reporters on the scene. Let's listen in.

KAREN SCULLIN, CHANNEL 5 CORRESPONDENT: Now, also her siblings who were, I guess, temporarily with her have been taken across the street to a victim resource center, kind of dealing with things over there at this point. Right now a lot of -- like I said, a lot of media gathering around, waiting for that 5:00 news conference. An unbelievable turn of events, but certainly a happy ending for a stressful story for the community, of course, for the family. Big news for Salt Lake City and we're just waiting to hear more information.

What we know about exactly how she was found, it was actually in Sandy, Utah. A caller called into the Sandy City Police Department, said they spotted a man who looked like the latest guy that police were looking for, this Emmanuel. He was there, possibly with two women. Sandy police went to check it out. They thought one of them might be Elizabeth Smart, brought him into the police station, a positive I.D. Ed Smart went to pick her up and now she's here at the Salt Lake City Police Department. We'll certainly bring you more details as they become available.

Reporting live, I'm Karen Scullin, back to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Karen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Karen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you just were reporting live on CNN, so we appreciate your help.

A little bit more of this man wanted for questions and in custody, Brian David Mitchell. It's interesting that in this morning's edition of the "Salt Lake Tribune," there was a lead story saying that the Smart family, Ed Smart, in particular, was frustrated at the lack of police pursuing this suspect, who had been a handyman in their home last year. He was featured a few weeks ago on the "America's Most Wanted" program and that sketch showed the man as a clean cut person. His stepson, Mark Thompson (ph), had provided investigators pictures of his stepfather without a beard.

And the Associated Press is reporting right now that Thompson (ph) said his stepfather was reportedly sighted in Salt Lake City yesterday. Someone saw him yesterday and the stepson said, yes, his stepfather was capable of kidnapping a child. This man, Brian David Mitchell or Emmanuel Mitchell, he and his then wife, Wanda Mitchell, sold their belongings and started living on the streets late in the 1980s. Mitchell is said to believe that he is a prophet who needs to preach to the homeless, that according to his stepson, Mark Thompson (ph). So there's an interesting figure you're going to learn an awful lot about in the days ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's right now in the Sandy City Police Department. Right now, let's go to Sam Kenlog (ph) who is live in the neighborhood where the Smart family lives.

Sam, this has got to be a relief not only for the Smart family, but for that entire neighborhood who has been through such an ordeal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is. It's the news that everyone wanted to hear, but never expected and neighbors here are really just in tears as we've been going around telling them the news that Elizabeth Smart has been found safe. A lot of them said, you know, they were willing to hold out hope for several months, but, you know, a couple of months ago they kind of feared the worst and really this is something they never expected, but they had never given up hope in this neighborhood.

The ribbons are still all over the streets. There are still signs that say, "Please pray for Elizabeth." There are the missing posters that say "Kidnapped" at the top all up and down the streets of this neighborhood. So certainly, the people here in Federal Heights had not given up on finding Elizabeth Smart. They have continued looking for her and really continued to be in the process, holding out some hope, at least to some degree, that she would be found alive. And the news that it is real, that she has been found alive. People here are just in shock, but also very grateful and thankful for the news that they're hearing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sam, have you had a chance to talk to many of these people and hear their reaction face-to-face? I'm sure that's powerful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is. You know, a lot of people said you know it was just like it was my own child that was taken. They feel like, you know, after all these months, it's something that they just never, ever thought would happen and they're just -- you can just feel this enormous sense of relief.

When we were driving up here and we were on with our first report back in the studio there was a woman outside on the phone and I could tell that she was getting the news that Elizabeth had been found. You could tell that she was just excited and in shock at the news. But certainly this is just -- this neighborhood is just a buzz right now with news that Elizabeth has been found safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And sure...

BLITZER: All right. We're going to break away from our affiliate, KSL, doing a good job with the latest developments in the very, very good news that Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old has been found safe just outside Salt Lake City. We want to thank KSL, our affiliate, also, KUTV, our other Salt Lake City affiliate, for this information.

Let's bring in CNN's Mike Brooks, our law enforcement correspondent. He's been watching. He's been covering this story from virtually day one, as well.

As I was saying to Don Clark, the former FBI agent, Mike, normally after this period of time the news is not very good. This time it was.

MIKE BROOKS, LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It was. It was very good news, Wolf. And law enforcement said they had received over 16,000 tips. And these two tips from two separate women that saw this Emmanuel, today led up to a traffic stop. The Sandy Police pulled him over in the company of another woman and a young girl that they believed looked like Elizabeth Smart and they found out it was Elizabeth Smart. Elizabeth is now -- law enforcement sources are telling us that Elizabeth is now in the custody of Salt Lake City police and are at their headquarters right now. So Sandy Police turned her over to Salt Lake City police and Salt Lake City police are handling the investigation.

Now, as we know, Salt Lake City police had been lead agency in this investigation since her disappearance on June 5. And I know, talking to some of my law enforcement sources out there, they, too, are extremely happy to bring this case to a close.

Now, it's not over yet. There's a lot of questions that still have to be asked. One of those was was she taken by force or did she go voluntarily? Did she for some reason -- law enforcement, Wolf, consider this guy, Emmanuel, that he goes by, who's a Brian David Mitchell, to be a -- they call him a religious fanatic. He wears apparently red robes. They said he acts in a strange manner and has -- and they were focusing on him and as the local affiliates kind of said that they were looking at him and said some of the same things.

But it is good news today, Wolf. Elizabeth Smart in the custody of Salt Lake City police at their headquarters --Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. I want you to stand by, Mike, because we're going to be getting back to you. We're going to be covering this story thoroughly. Right now, Peter Banks is joining us on the phone from the Center For Missing and Exploited Children.

Fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart, Peter, found, she is safe, almost eight months after she was kidnapped from her home. This is, obviously, very, very good news, but give us your reaction to this dramatic development.

PETER BANKS, CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: You know, this exactly the reason why moms and dads should never give up hope any time a child is missing. This is the exact reason that police keep on working and working to help find these children that are gone for long periods of time. We know sometimes it's -- the odds are stacked against us, but this is exactly the reason we do it.

BLITZER: She, obviously, intrigued all of us. Our hearts were going out to the Smart family from day one, immediately after she disappeared. The circumstances of her kidnapping, the circumstances of the disappearance, the search for her went on and on and on. In your experience, though, Peter, how rare is this good development in the search for these young kids who are kidnapped?

BANKS: Well, we find that it is less than two percent of the long-term cases where children are recovered alive. So -- but, again, there is always hope and this is exactly what we tell parents.

You know, oddly enough, on Friday, there will be about 35 moms and dads here with something called Team Hope and these are moms and dads who have experienced losses and who are there to offer support for other parents. But we recognize that sometimes children are gone for years, but there is -- as long as there is a bit of hope, there is hope.

BLITZER: The parents of the loved ones are always hopeful. They're always holding out hope, but law enforcement, whether state, local, federal law enforcement, they sometimes seem to move on with each passing day week, month. How do you keep law enforcement on top of the situation so that these kinds of good stories, good endings, might, in fact, occur?

BANKS: Well, we have training programs here at the National Center for law enforcement where we review cases and we try to keep them current on the different investigative techniques and the different experiences.

I was a cop in Washington for 23 years and I think it's the experiences that you have that gives you the most knowledge. And when you talk with your colleagues and you find out there has been other cases that have been long term, it gives you that extra to keep going and to keep trying. You know, most of the men and women of law enforcement, they treat every one of these cases like they're their own child and it is very taxing on them. It is very taxing on the community. In fact, it really destroys the quality of life of every child in the community. And when something like this, when the child is found and recovered alive, it is just very, very uplifting.

BLITZER: All right. Peter, stand by for a minute. I want to go back to our affiliate coverage, KSL. They're speaking to an eyewitness who watched and saw what happened when this car was taken outside of Salt Lake City with the drifter, the driver, Elizabeth Smart inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... on the road and they looked like sort of transients, but the lady looked more maybe Arabic. They had sort of veils on, covering their hair, long clothing, really big, baggy clothing. And the gentleman was put on to the ground at the time, as I was watching, and had a big beard on. And I thought, oh, my gosh, you know, what's going on. Hopefully, not something, you know, maybe a terrorist attack or what's going on, but thank God now that we know it was Elizabeth Smart and hopefully, she is OK. But the demeanor of everybody was very calm. The police weren't freaking out too much. There wasn't anyone trying to get away or struggling or running. And from what I saw, the young girl, she wasn't trying to run or anything, just very calmly talking to the police.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, John (ph), you say young girl. Tell me how many people were there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was three people. One male who was seated onto the ground and his arms were behind his back, so it would only suggest they were -- it would have been cuffed. And then there was a medium-sized woman about maybe 5'4" or 5'6" and she was dressed in that type of clothing that I mentioned, and a younger girl that was probably about the same height, about 5'3" to 5'4", and was dressed with the longer clothing on, with a blue, almost like -- I guess, the material would have been like a pillowcase, blue pillowcase, not over the face, but almost like a veil like you would wear in Israel or something over your clothing there. And they were all just kind of calmly talking to the police at that time. It wasn't anything that -- you know, anyone was struggling or kicking or screaming. As the whole thing unfurled, it almost looked like just something calmly, passively going on. These people were being questioned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John (ph), (UNINTELLIGIBLE) here. You said that the man was on the ground with his hands behind his back, what about the other two young women or women that was there? Were they in the police car or were they just standing there on the sidewalk?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry. My phone cut out. I apologize.

BLITZER: All right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what about the women? Were they -- you said that the man was behind -- you know, had his hands behind his back on the ground. Were these women in a police car or were they just standing on the sidewalk?

BLITZER: All right, we're going to break away from our coverage, from our affiliate, from KSL. KSL, our local affiliate, doing some good reporting there. We'll be checking in with all of our affiliates in Salt Lake City to get the latest information.

On the phone now is Bob Walcutt. He's joining us.

Bob -- go ahead, Bob. Tell us your name, first of all, Bob? Bob, can you hear me?

BOB WALCUTT, LAURA RECOVERY CENTER: Hello?

BLITZER: Yes, Bob, go ahead. Just tell us your role in all of this.

WALCUTT: OK, I'm the executive director for the Laura Recovery Center For Missing Children out of (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Texas and we had initially been contacted to come out and help set up the initial stages of the civilian ground search for Elizabeth. We were out there about five, maybe six days getting the search up and running, and that was the initial stages of what we were doing.

BLITZER: In Salt Lake City, is that what you're saying?

WALCUTT: Yes, sir. That's what we did initially.

BLITZER: And where are you now?

WALCUTT: We're out of (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Texas.

BLITZER: And so, your reaction, obviously to this good news, you must be thrilled.

WALCUTT: Oh, absolutely. This is incredible news and one thing for families of a child that's missing is to never give up hope. I mean this is just incredible, incredible news.

BLITZER: That's the constant refrain we've been hearing now, never, never, never give up hope no matter how long it takes. When you take a look though at this situation and all of your experience, we've been hearing it's still pretty rare that the end result is as good as this one.

WALCUTT: Well, when the child is gone this long, I mean, it's quite incredible.

BLITZER: Eight, nine months, a long time to be missing. No one saw her. What we do know, though, her younger sister, Mary Katherine, apparently late last year in October did pick him out of a picture. This homeless individual had worked one day at the Smart family home and she said he did resemble, to a certain degree, the individual who walked into that room and took Elizabeth Smart in the early hours of the morning. The search has been on ever since for this individual, Brian David Mitchell, also known as Emmanuel. We've been seeing the picture of him with this long beard that's been shown up. When did you first hear personally about Brian David Mitchell yourself?

WALCUTT: Actually, only -- just about 10 minutes ago, when we first heard about her being found. I'd heard about a man that had been sort of identified, you know, quite some time ago, but nothing more that the man that worked on the house or something like that.

BLITZER: There was another individual, Richard Albert Ricci, who had indeed worked at the home and he was at one point suspected of perhaps having some sort of role. He later died suddenly and his wife had always claimed he had nothing to do with it. He had denied any involvement in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart. He's no longer around right now. But Brian David Mitchell, also known as Emmanuel, is. He's in police custody right now and the situation, obviously, continues to unfold.

We are standing by. We're told that there will be, in about an hour or so from now, a news conference. Local law enforcement, Salt Lake City detectives will be holding a news conference to provide specific information on how all of this unfolded during the past few hours.

We want to show our video -- we want to show our viewers now some videotape we've just received. The family members of Elizabeth Smart look --- take a look right now. Her brothers and sisters running to the police station in Salt Lake City upon hearing the word, walking into the police station there in Salt Lake City, hearing the good news that their sister, their sister, 15-year-old, now 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart has been found safe outside of Salt Lake City.

CNN law enforcement correspondent, Mike Brooks, has been watching -- covering this story from the beginning. He's once again joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta.

The more we hear about this recovery this, this arrest earlier today, the discovery of Elizabeth Smart, the more dramatic it becomes, Mike. BROOKS: It really does, Wolf. After all this time, over nine months -- she disappeared on June 5 of 2002 and no one has given up hope. And we haven't heard too much about this and the news media has not been putting out. We have not even done a follow-up. And then, all of a sudden we hear that she's been -- you know, that she's been found and found alive and at Sandy -- which is just a small city just south of Salt Lake City.

Now, again, she was in the company, apparently, of a man and a woman, is what law enforcement says. The man goes by Emmanuel who -- and his real name is Brian David Mitchell. Apparently, he had done some work in the Smart's home at one time, apparently, just one time.

And what law enforcement and I know what a lot of people are trying to -- want to know now is was she taken by force from the home? We know that she was -- it was reported she was taken by gunpoint from the home -- or did she go with this person voluntarily. Our law enforcement sources in Salt Lake City, Wolf, are telling me that they can look at this guy as a religious fanatic.

We heard just from the eyewitness just a few moments ago, from one of the affiliates there in Salt Lake City, that one of the -- the woman in the car apparently had on a veil and this person, law enforcement sources say, is known to wear red robes. So, you know, what is behind that behavior? I'm sure a lot of people will want to know and we hope to find out in the very near future.

But again, just -- it's unbelievable because you look at cases where children are abducted, where kids are abducted, Wolf, and usually after a week there is usually not that much hope of finding some -- finding the person alive. And we've gone nine months now and this is just -- I've never heard of a case like this in all my years of law enforcement --Wolf.

BLITZER: You have to give the Salt Lake City Police Department a lot of credit for staying on top of this investigation, staying in the forefront and eventually resulting in what resulted today. At what point does local law enforcement hand over responsibility in the kidnapping case like this to the FBI?

BROOKS: Well, the FBI all along, Wolf has been helping the Salt Lake City with some of their resources, with some of the evidence technicians, with some of the profilers. They were using them all along throughout the case. And I can't say for sure, but I'm sure that the law enforcement -- from my previous experience, I can say that law enforcement -- the FBI was probably still assisting, thinking that she may have been taken over state lines because the FBI only will come in on cases like this if there is a ransom, if there's extortion or if there is, you know, an abduction that goes across state lines.

But they also will come in if local law enforcement asks for their assistance, under domestic law enforcement cooperation case. And in this particular case I know they were helping the Salt Lake City police in the early stage of the investigation -- Wolf. BLITZER: As you well remember, Mike, a lot of suspicion early on Richard Albert Ricci, another handyman who had worked at the Smart home albeit very briefly. And he eventually died within weeks after his name surfaced of a cerebral hemorrhage. Looking back on all of that coverage, all of the suspicion, which he always denied, his wife strongly denied, it looks now, if, in fact, this individual who was found with Elizabeth Smart acted alone, did not act with Richard Albert Ricci or anyone else. It looks like all of that suspicion was, of course, misplaced.

BROOKS: Well, we'll have to wait and see exactly what the investigations glean from the information that they're able to get from this Emmanuel subject and his female companion. You know law enforcement has received over 16,000 tips on this case so far in Salt Lake City, Wolf, and it took two tips by two separate women saying they saw Emmanuel in the vicinity of Sandy to get Elizabeth Smart back alive -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And we're now getting more information from the Associated Press. The Associated Press now reporting that she was found, 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart, wearing a wig. She is now at the police station together with her father. She's been reunited with her father at the police station in Salt Lake City.

These pictures that we have seen so often, so often, over these many eight, nine months, since she was kidnapped on June 5 of last year, heart-wrenching moments for all of us who watched and covered this story from the beginning. Elizabeth Smart, though now, reunited with her dad in Salt Lake City after she was picked up and apparently, held by this individual Brian David Mitchell also known as Emmanuel.

What happens now, Mike Brooks, in this investigation?

BROOKS: Well, they will take their time. They do have Elizabeth back safely. Investigators will take their time and do a thorough, extremely thorough interrogation of this person to try to find out exactly what happened from day one on June 5 all of the way to right now. They'll find out exactly where they've been, who they've talked to and also, talk to Elizabeth to find out, no. 1, make sure she's not physically harmed. And the other thing we want to make sure, that she is not psychologically damaged by this.

I'm sure it was -- we can't even imagine. We can't begin to fathom the psychological effects it could have on her for years. But law enforcement will treat her with kid gloves when they interview her and try to get as much information as they can from Elizabeth. And I know right now her family is glad to have her back and so is law enforcement, so is Salt Lake City, the whole area in and around Salt Lake City, very, very happy to get her back.

BLITZER: I'm sure the most important thing right now is for her to be with her parents, for her to be with her brothers and sisters, immediately for as long as possible. That'll be the immediately -- I would assume the best instant help for her right now.

Also one other thing, Mike, if you take a look at what -- well, we're talking about what happens next. Police are going to go back and take a look and see what they did right, what they did wrong, where they may have gone on incorrect leads with all of the tips that were provided. One thing though is abundantly clear, a lot of other parents out there who have children who are still missing, this is going to raise a lot of hopes for them as well.

BROOKS: Yes, it will. I mean the whole message here, Wolf, is never give up hope. Nine months, 16,000 tips that law enforcement has gone through and gone through in looking for her. But you know, we go back and Mary Katherine, her sister, just recently had said when shown a picture of this...

BLITZER: All right...

BROOKS: ... Brian David Mitchell that it did resemble the person that came into the room that night and took her at gunpoint.

BLITZER: Mike, stand by one second. I just want to bring in John Ferguson. He is an eyewitness. He saw what happened when police came upon that car, a car driven by Brian David Mitchell.

John, tell us exactly what you saw and heard.

JOHN FERGUSON, WITNESS TO ARREST: What I saw as I was driving northbound on our state street here is on the right hand side of the road was what looked like four or five police cars. And three pedestrians actually looked like they were walking on the side of the road and the police actually had them on -- well, the gentleman on the ground, what looked like in handcuffs and his legs crossed, sitting there very calmly on the ground while possibly about six to seven police officers were there questioning each person, the lady.

The two ladies that were -- looked like they were on the side of the road -- looked like they were in maybe Arabian dress or Israeli dress, what looked like veils almost on and really homely clothing. But the whole situation was very, very calm. It didn't look like there was much of a struggle between any of the people there at all.

BLITZER: John Ferguson, an eyewitness. Thanks very much, John, for your firsthand account.

I want to just recap to our viewers who may just be joining us. The good news, Elizabeth Smart now 15 years old, kidnapped last June 5 now is safe. She's in police custody, reunited with her father. She was found earlier this afternoon just outside Salt Lake City, at Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City, about 15 miles or so from the family home in Salt Lake City.

She was found in the custody of Brian David Mitchell, also known as Emmanuel, someone described as a homeless individual who worked for one day at the Smart family home. The younger sister, Mary Katherine had once said in October that she thought a picture of him resembled the individual who stole Elizabeth Smart.

We're standing by for a news conference about an hour or so from now. CNN, of course, will have much more coverage. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is coming up next and Lou will have extensive coverage of this as well.

Once again, 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart, she's alive. She's well. She's now reunited with her family. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Thanks very much for joining us.

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