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'Dr. Germ' in Coalition Custody

Aired May 12, 2003 - 10:59   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Perhaps yet another key figure from that deck of cards of Iraqi's most wanted by the Pentagon is actually coming to some fruition here. Let's go to Chris Plante, who is standing by at the Pentagon. He's got the very latest word on this -- Chris.
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon.

That's right, another member of the Saddam Hussein regime now in custody. The woman in custody, also known as "Dr. Germ," the second Dr. Germ now in custody. Her name is Rihad Rashid Taha Alaza Awi (ph), and she is now in coalition custody. The Central Command not providing a lot of details in the way of whether she was brought in forcibly, whether she turned herself in.

But this woman is the former director of the bacteria and biological program run by the regime of Saddam Hussein. Could be key in terms of intelligence for directing coalition forces to locations where biological programs may have been ongoing, if there were in fact, any stocks of biological weapons, which may or may not have been the case. She might leading coalition forces to those stocks. Could be a key figure in the hunt for weapons of mass destruction. She is from Saddam Hussein's region of Tikrit. She has an "Al Tikriti" on the end of her name, which indicates that she is from that region. She is technically on the deck of cards. She is listed as number 197 on the hitlist for the coalition, now in U.S. custody, and there may be further announcements as to additional players from the regime taken into custody later on today -- Leon.

HARRIS: That could be a very key acquisition there, if she does end up talking and giving up any information, because she is a key figure there in that weapons of mass destruction program that Saddam Hussein was running for years.

But, Chris, Is there any word at the pentagon whether any of the others taken into custody in recent weeks, whether any of them are talking?

PLANTE: Well, quite honestly, the line that we're getting from officials who discussed the intelligence that have been gathered from these actors from the regime that have been taken into custody is that they are pretty much sticking to the same sheet music, as the say around here, and that is that, for the most part, they had destroyed their weapons of mass destruction. Some of the reports indicate that these weapons and perhaps physical capabilities associated with those programs may have been destroyed even as coalition troops were massing in the area, perhaps even as U.S. troops were heading toward Baghdad. There were members of the regime and of the military busy destroying elements of their weapons of mass destruction programs. That is an area of concern.

However, if there is videotape testimony from senior members of the regime, saying that they were destroying these elements of weapons of mass destruction programs shortly before the war, that may provide good evidence for the United States, too. So it remains to be seen.

HARRIS: Chris Plante at the Pentagon with this word of the capture, or surrender or whatever. She is now in custody. The so- called Dr. Germ now in the hands of the U.S. coalition.

Thank you very much, Chris.

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 12, 2003 - 10:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Perhaps yet another key figure from that deck of cards of Iraqi's most wanted by the Pentagon is actually coming to some fruition here. Let's go to Chris Plante, who is standing by at the Pentagon. He's got the very latest word on this -- Chris.
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon.

That's right, another member of the Saddam Hussein regime now in custody. The woman in custody, also known as "Dr. Germ," the second Dr. Germ now in custody. Her name is Rihad Rashid Taha Alaza Awi (ph), and she is now in coalition custody. The Central Command not providing a lot of details in the way of whether she was brought in forcibly, whether she turned herself in.

But this woman is the former director of the bacteria and biological program run by the regime of Saddam Hussein. Could be key in terms of intelligence for directing coalition forces to locations where biological programs may have been ongoing, if there were in fact, any stocks of biological weapons, which may or may not have been the case. She might leading coalition forces to those stocks. Could be a key figure in the hunt for weapons of mass destruction. She is from Saddam Hussein's region of Tikrit. She has an "Al Tikriti" on the end of her name, which indicates that she is from that region. She is technically on the deck of cards. She is listed as number 197 on the hitlist for the coalition, now in U.S. custody, and there may be further announcements as to additional players from the regime taken into custody later on today -- Leon.

HARRIS: That could be a very key acquisition there, if she does end up talking and giving up any information, because she is a key figure there in that weapons of mass destruction program that Saddam Hussein was running for years.

But, Chris, Is there any word at the pentagon whether any of the others taken into custody in recent weeks, whether any of them are talking?

PLANTE: Well, quite honestly, the line that we're getting from officials who discussed the intelligence that have been gathered from these actors from the regime that have been taken into custody is that they are pretty much sticking to the same sheet music, as the say around here, and that is that, for the most part, they had destroyed their weapons of mass destruction. Some of the reports indicate that these weapons and perhaps physical capabilities associated with those programs may have been destroyed even as coalition troops were massing in the area, perhaps even as U.S. troops were heading toward Baghdad. There were members of the regime and of the military busy destroying elements of their weapons of mass destruction programs. That is an area of concern.

However, if there is videotape testimony from senior members of the regime, saying that they were destroying these elements of weapons of mass destruction programs shortly before the war, that may provide good evidence for the United States, too. So it remains to be seen.

HARRIS: Chris Plante at the Pentagon with this word of the capture, or surrender or whatever. She is now in custody. The so- called Dr. Germ now in the hands of the U.S. coalition.

Thank you very much, Chris.

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