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CNN Live Today

Terrorism Threat

Aired May 20, 2003 - 11:11   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Concern about the threat of more terrorist attacks. U.S. diplomats in Saudi Arabia say more attacks there may be imminent.
Our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel joins us live. She's here to talk about how the U.S. now is responding to that threat.

Andrea, good morning.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

The U.S. has decided to shut down its embassy, as well as two U.S. consulates in the Saudi kingdom. We know that lot of this is based on credible threats to unspecified sites in the Saudi kingdom. This is a move that's being made obviously responding to last week's terrorist attacks in Riyadh. This includes not only the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, but two U.S. consulates, one in the eastern part of the country in Dhahran, and on in the western port of Jeddah. There are an estimate 35,000 American citizens who call Saudi Arabia home.

Now, specifically, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Bandar bin Sultan, had said that his kingdom, the Saudi intelligence authorities, had received also credible threats that another big attack was in the works, another big terrorist attack, somewhere in Saudi Arabia, or perhaps somewhere in the United States.

But U.S. officials are saying they have no reason to raise the threat level, the color coding here in this country.

Now, just on Monday, there was a gunman arrested outside the gates of the consulate in Dhahran. Saudi authorities are speaking -- or are investigating this official, as well as the site of last week's bombing at those Western housing complexes in Riyadh.

U.S. officials tell us right now, Daryn, that they are getting good cooperation with Saudi authorities, despite the fact that the Saudi authorities themselves are saying that U.S. investigators are there in an observer's role.

Our understanding is that's being said for public consumption. But in point of fact, the cooperation on the ground right now is quite good. There is no determination yet, as to when the embassy and consulates will reopen, but they should be closed at least through Sunday -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Andrea Koppel at the State Department, Andrea. Let's get more on what is behind this increased concern about the terror attacks, and check in now with our national security correspondent David Ensor.

David, good morning.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATL. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, there's no specific information to date about future terrorist attacks, but there's a lot of intelligence raising concern among U.S. officials that further attacks may be in the offing soon. An FBI bulletin to local law enforcement that was sent out last week said -- quote -- "The U.S. intelligence community assesses that attacks against U.S. and Western targets are likely. Attacks in the United States cannot be ruled out," the message said.

Now, Prince Bandar, as Andrea mentioned, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, is saying that based on the intelligence he's seeing, his gut feeling is that something big will happen, either in Saudi Arabia or America. The ambassador said there are several cells of Al Qaeda that he believes, he understands, are plotting attacks in the kingdom or North America.

In recent weeks, U.S. officials say that two suspected Al Qaeda operatives were arrested in the United States, suspected of surveilling sites for possible terrorism here.

But beyond that, U.S. officials have no specific evidence that terrorism is planned against this country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: We are monitoring that situation very, very closely. We do know that there are probably a number of sleeper cells of Al Qaeda within the United States. We're just trying to make sure that any bad guy trying to come in the United States is kept out, and if somebody has a very suspicious background, they're going to be monitored very closely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Now some officials talking to us are saying that they privately favor raising the homeland security threat index color from yellow to orange. But there's been no such decision by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. U.S. officials are wary of worrying Americans unnecessarily, but they certainly are watching the threat level very closely just now. And U.S. intelligence is monitoring Al Qaeda with even more interest than usual -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, David Ensor, thank you. And also Andrea Koppel, thanks for letting us look at those new threats.

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 20, 2003 - 11:11   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Concern about the threat of more terrorist attacks. U.S. diplomats in Saudi Arabia say more attacks there may be imminent.
Our State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel joins us live. She's here to talk about how the U.S. now is responding to that threat.

Andrea, good morning.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

The U.S. has decided to shut down its embassy, as well as two U.S. consulates in the Saudi kingdom. We know that lot of this is based on credible threats to unspecified sites in the Saudi kingdom. This is a move that's being made obviously responding to last week's terrorist attacks in Riyadh. This includes not only the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, but two U.S. consulates, one in the eastern part of the country in Dhahran, and on in the western port of Jeddah. There are an estimate 35,000 American citizens who call Saudi Arabia home.

Now, specifically, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Bandar bin Sultan, had said that his kingdom, the Saudi intelligence authorities, had received also credible threats that another big attack was in the works, another big terrorist attack, somewhere in Saudi Arabia, or perhaps somewhere in the United States.

But U.S. officials are saying they have no reason to raise the threat level, the color coding here in this country.

Now, just on Monday, there was a gunman arrested outside the gates of the consulate in Dhahran. Saudi authorities are speaking -- or are investigating this official, as well as the site of last week's bombing at those Western housing complexes in Riyadh.

U.S. officials tell us right now, Daryn, that they are getting good cooperation with Saudi authorities, despite the fact that the Saudi authorities themselves are saying that U.S. investigators are there in an observer's role.

Our understanding is that's being said for public consumption. But in point of fact, the cooperation on the ground right now is quite good. There is no determination yet, as to when the embassy and consulates will reopen, but they should be closed at least through Sunday -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Andrea Koppel at the State Department, Andrea. Let's get more on what is behind this increased concern about the terror attacks, and check in now with our national security correspondent David Ensor.

David, good morning.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATL. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, there's no specific information to date about future terrorist attacks, but there's a lot of intelligence raising concern among U.S. officials that further attacks may be in the offing soon. An FBI bulletin to local law enforcement that was sent out last week said -- quote -- "The U.S. intelligence community assesses that attacks against U.S. and Western targets are likely. Attacks in the United States cannot be ruled out," the message said.

Now, Prince Bandar, as Andrea mentioned, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, is saying that based on the intelligence he's seeing, his gut feeling is that something big will happen, either in Saudi Arabia or America. The ambassador said there are several cells of Al Qaeda that he believes, he understands, are plotting attacks in the kingdom or North America.

In recent weeks, U.S. officials say that two suspected Al Qaeda operatives were arrested in the United States, suspected of surveilling sites for possible terrorism here.

But beyond that, U.S. officials have no specific evidence that terrorism is planned against this country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: We are monitoring that situation very, very closely. We do know that there are probably a number of sleeper cells of Al Qaeda within the United States. We're just trying to make sure that any bad guy trying to come in the United States is kept out, and if somebody has a very suspicious background, they're going to be monitored very closely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Now some officials talking to us are saying that they privately favor raising the homeland security threat index color from yellow to orange. But there's been no such decision by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. U.S. officials are wary of worrying Americans unnecessarily, but they certainly are watching the threat level very closely just now. And U.S. intelligence is monitoring Al Qaeda with even more interest than usual -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, David Ensor, thank you. And also Andrea Koppel, thanks for letting us look at those new threats.

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