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CNN Live At Daybreak
Yale Law School Blast
Aired May 22, 2003 - 06:34 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush's daughter goes there, Hillary Clinton had gone there, the Unabomber struck there, but investigators have not connected a bomb blast at Yale to Bush, Clinton or terrorism. So, who planted the bomb and why?
We take you live to New Haven, Connecticut now and Maria Hinojosa.
Good morning -- Maria. What's the latest?
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, you know, the mood here on the Yale University campus is calm. We even saw people going to the theater last night. And the university will remain open except for the law school. Federal officials are saying, though, it's going to take about two to three days to clear the rubble and to begin to get some answers.
And, again, the federal Terrorism Task Force is saying that they have no indication right now that this is related to any kind of anti- American terrorism, but this is what the FBI had to say about the investigation last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE WOLF, FBI: This is a two-pronged investigation. They are simultaneous, that being -- the first prong being the forensic aspect of it. That is being processed as we speak. That's a long-term project. We're looking for minute pieces of evidence at the scene. The second prong to this is the investigatory aspect of it. Any and all leads, potential witnesses have been identified or are being identified and interviewed at present.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HINOJOSA: Now, the explosion happened yesterday in Room 120, and students have been telling us that this is not a very popular room for students to gather in. In fact, the room right next to it, which is the alumni reading room in the law school, is where most of the students would congregate in that area. So, many of them are asking: What was the intention of this explosive device? Was the intention, in fact, to hurt people or not?
Now, we also know that there were several hundred people in the buildings around that that were evacuated immediately, including several children. The law school's day care center is located in that compound, so a lot of concern about that. But, again, no injuries at all at this point.
Now, as you had said, Carol, Barbara Bush attends the college. She was not on the campus. President George Bush was in Connecticut yesterday, though not near here. But many people are saying that the investigation here will intensify over the next two to three days -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Maria, can you tell us more about the explosive device?
HINOJOSA: Well, there is a lot of speculation at this point. The federal officials are saying that they don't want to speculate. There has been a lot of local reporting that it may have been a pipe bomb. Some others are saying that it may have been a gas device.
But at this point, again, federal investigators are saying they have just too much rubble to sift through, and, again, it may take two to three days before they have any clear leads or answers -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, it was powerful enough to bring down a whole wall.
HINOJOSA: That's right.
COSTELLO: Maria Hinojosa live from New Haven, Connecticut.
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 22, 2003 - 06:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush's daughter goes there, Hillary Clinton had gone there, the Unabomber struck there, but investigators have not connected a bomb blast at Yale to Bush, Clinton or terrorism. So, who planted the bomb and why?
We take you live to New Haven, Connecticut now and Maria Hinojosa.
Good morning -- Maria. What's the latest?
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, you know, the mood here on the Yale University campus is calm. We even saw people going to the theater last night. And the university will remain open except for the law school. Federal officials are saying, though, it's going to take about two to three days to clear the rubble and to begin to get some answers.
And, again, the federal Terrorism Task Force is saying that they have no indication right now that this is related to any kind of anti- American terrorism, but this is what the FBI had to say about the investigation last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE WOLF, FBI: This is a two-pronged investigation. They are simultaneous, that being -- the first prong being the forensic aspect of it. That is being processed as we speak. That's a long-term project. We're looking for minute pieces of evidence at the scene. The second prong to this is the investigatory aspect of it. Any and all leads, potential witnesses have been identified or are being identified and interviewed at present.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HINOJOSA: Now, the explosion happened yesterday in Room 120, and students have been telling us that this is not a very popular room for students to gather in. In fact, the room right next to it, which is the alumni reading room in the law school, is where most of the students would congregate in that area. So, many of them are asking: What was the intention of this explosive device? Was the intention, in fact, to hurt people or not?
Now, we also know that there were several hundred people in the buildings around that that were evacuated immediately, including several children. The law school's day care center is located in that compound, so a lot of concern about that. But, again, no injuries at all at this point.
Now, as you had said, Carol, Barbara Bush attends the college. She was not on the campus. President George Bush was in Connecticut yesterday, though not near here. But many people are saying that the investigation here will intensify over the next two to three days -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Maria, can you tell us more about the explosive device?
HINOJOSA: Well, there is a lot of speculation at this point. The federal officials are saying that they don't want to speculate. There has been a lot of local reporting that it may have been a pipe bomb. Some others are saying that it may have been a gas device.
But at this point, again, federal investigators are saying they have just too much rubble to sift through, and, again, it may take two to three days before they have any clear leads or answers -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, it was powerful enough to bring down a whole wall.
HINOJOSA: That's right.
COSTELLO: Maria Hinojosa live from New Haven, Connecticut.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
