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American Morning
9-11 Plotters on Tape
Aired May 07, 2003 - 09:04 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We go to Baghdad and Nic Robertson right now, watching this and tracking the fallout and the reaction.
Nic, good afternoon there.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill. Good morning to you.
Certainly it seems that this is the first organized call for resistance from Saddam Hussein since he was removed from power here. The message refers to his birthday on the 28th of April, it refers to looting at the National Museum in Baghdad. Both events occurred since U.S. forces pushed him out of power. He also talks on the tape, if it is him, talks about how Iraqis should resist what he calls U.S. occupation. He says that they should shoot at American soldiers, that they shouldn't do business with American soldier, and that they should write their feelings on the wall so everyone can see it in Baghdad.
The message also says anyone here who deals with foreigners should be considered a traitor. Very strong message for the people of Iraq. No doubt causing apprehension in some circles here.
Many people in Baghdad and Iraq want to see Saddam Hussein verifiably captured or killed, so that they know he is no longer around. And a message like this, whether or not they choose to believe it is him, and certainly some people we've talked to today say that they think it is, some say they think it isn't, isn't his voice, but whether or not they choose to believe, it certainly for them a clear indication that elements of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, elements of his leadership, are still getting their message our, are still talking about resistance, and still haven't gone, and that is the cloud that people here feel they're living under. They don't feel that until Saddam Hussein is gone fully and assure assuredly they will be truly free and out from under his former regime -- Bill.
HEMMER: Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thanks for that.
On the audiotape, now to the videotape today. More on that wedding reception in Germany from 1999. At least two of the 9/11 hijackers, other suspected plotters of attacks in attendance. What does this reveal about the Al Qaeda network?
Peter Bergen, terrorism analyst, joins us now live in D.C.
Peter, welcome back. Good morning to you.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning, Bill. HEMMER: We're going to roll some of this videotape. The first shot is, I believe, three individuals sitting at a table, and the shot after that, though, will be this pan of the room right now where you see all of these individuals. How, then, do experts look at this tape, try and identify and gain clues to the network from four years ago?
BERGEN: Well, Bill, I think the videotape is useful for trying to check out who is -- who is friends with who and who is in the Hamburg cell? This is all taking place in Germany in October of 1999. Who is attending this wedding? Who might be on friends with whom? There are, as you mentioned, at least two, perhaps three of the hijackers on the tape. There are other people who have disappeared from Germany, one of them at least a Pakistan, shortly after 9/11. These are people that German authorities are looking for and also American law enforcement is very interested in.
HEMMER: We're going to roll some videotape, here, too. Peter, just bear with us. You're going to see some tape of Malin Al Sheikhi (ph), of the alleged pilots of 9/11. The tape after that will the Ziad Jarrah (ph), another one of the pilots back on 9/11.
Al Qaeda loved videotape, did it not?
BERGEN: Well, we live in an age in which people videotape things, certainly their own weddings. And we're seeing from bin Laden himself a procession of videotapes. In fact, when bin Laden's son got married in early 2000, they videotaped the wedding, and that was shown around the world.
So the fact that this wedding tape has shown up is not entirely surprising, since we, as I say, live in an age where people document things.
HEMMER: Go back to your first answer, if you could -- if you were an investigator trying to track down Al Qaeda, can you take much away from this, knowing it was four years ago. There is some audio, some songs, some words spoke on that. But where as an investigator do you take it from this point that leads you possibly to apprehension or more clues of how they operate?
BERGEN: I think it's more about the network rather than this, in terms of gathering information from these tapes. Clearly the Hamburg cell in Germany was absolutely critical to the 9/11 plot. That's where Mohammed Atta was living. We see Marwan Shaweh (ph) there on the right. These were two of the key hijackers. So who they were talking to, who they were friends with is, of course, a matter of keen interest to investigators, and this tape may well help.
HEMMER: Peter, thanks. Peter Bergen, watching the tapes for us in D.C.
Thanks, nice to talk to you again.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 7, 2003 - 09:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We go to Baghdad and Nic Robertson right now, watching this and tracking the fallout and the reaction.
Nic, good afternoon there.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill. Good morning to you.
Certainly it seems that this is the first organized call for resistance from Saddam Hussein since he was removed from power here. The message refers to his birthday on the 28th of April, it refers to looting at the National Museum in Baghdad. Both events occurred since U.S. forces pushed him out of power. He also talks on the tape, if it is him, talks about how Iraqis should resist what he calls U.S. occupation. He says that they should shoot at American soldiers, that they shouldn't do business with American soldier, and that they should write their feelings on the wall so everyone can see it in Baghdad.
The message also says anyone here who deals with foreigners should be considered a traitor. Very strong message for the people of Iraq. No doubt causing apprehension in some circles here.
Many people in Baghdad and Iraq want to see Saddam Hussein verifiably captured or killed, so that they know he is no longer around. And a message like this, whether or not they choose to believe it is him, and certainly some people we've talked to today say that they think it is, some say they think it isn't, isn't his voice, but whether or not they choose to believe, it certainly for them a clear indication that elements of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, elements of his leadership, are still getting their message our, are still talking about resistance, and still haven't gone, and that is the cloud that people here feel they're living under. They don't feel that until Saddam Hussein is gone fully and assure assuredly they will be truly free and out from under his former regime -- Bill.
HEMMER: Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thanks for that.
On the audiotape, now to the videotape today. More on that wedding reception in Germany from 1999. At least two of the 9/11 hijackers, other suspected plotters of attacks in attendance. What does this reveal about the Al Qaeda network?
Peter Bergen, terrorism analyst, joins us now live in D.C.
Peter, welcome back. Good morning to you.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning, Bill. HEMMER: We're going to roll some of this videotape. The first shot is, I believe, three individuals sitting at a table, and the shot after that, though, will be this pan of the room right now where you see all of these individuals. How, then, do experts look at this tape, try and identify and gain clues to the network from four years ago?
BERGEN: Well, Bill, I think the videotape is useful for trying to check out who is -- who is friends with who and who is in the Hamburg cell? This is all taking place in Germany in October of 1999. Who is attending this wedding? Who might be on friends with whom? There are, as you mentioned, at least two, perhaps three of the hijackers on the tape. There are other people who have disappeared from Germany, one of them at least a Pakistan, shortly after 9/11. These are people that German authorities are looking for and also American law enforcement is very interested in.
HEMMER: We're going to roll some videotape, here, too. Peter, just bear with us. You're going to see some tape of Malin Al Sheikhi (ph), of the alleged pilots of 9/11. The tape after that will the Ziad Jarrah (ph), another one of the pilots back on 9/11.
Al Qaeda loved videotape, did it not?
BERGEN: Well, we live in an age in which people videotape things, certainly their own weddings. And we're seeing from bin Laden himself a procession of videotapes. In fact, when bin Laden's son got married in early 2000, they videotaped the wedding, and that was shown around the world.
So the fact that this wedding tape has shown up is not entirely surprising, since we, as I say, live in an age where people document things.
HEMMER: Go back to your first answer, if you could -- if you were an investigator trying to track down Al Qaeda, can you take much away from this, knowing it was four years ago. There is some audio, some songs, some words spoke on that. But where as an investigator do you take it from this point that leads you possibly to apprehension or more clues of how they operate?
BERGEN: I think it's more about the network rather than this, in terms of gathering information from these tapes. Clearly the Hamburg cell in Germany was absolutely critical to the 9/11 plot. That's where Mohammed Atta was living. We see Marwan Shaweh (ph) there on the right. These were two of the key hijackers. So who they were talking to, who they were friends with is, of course, a matter of keen interest to investigators, and this tape may well help.
HEMMER: Peter, thanks. Peter Bergen, watching the tapes for us in D.C.
Thanks, nice to talk to you again.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
