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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Was an Ohio truck driver scouting for al Qaeda?; U.S. Troops Endure Four Attacks in 24 Hours

Aired June 19, 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.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, HOST (voice-over): Jihad in American: a plot and a plea. Was an Ohio truck driver scouting for al Qaeda?

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: He traveled from Pakistan to Afghanistan, covertly meet with Osama bin Laden.

BLITZER: Ambushed: Four attacks in 24 hours. The troops are talking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're really small when we're spread out and we don't have as many forces as we'd like to have to take care of things like this.

BLITZER: Where is Whitey?

Boston's Bulger brothers, an alleged mob killer and a university president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know my brother stands accused of many things, serious crimes, brutal crimes.

BLITZER: And walling off the West Bank: a barrier to terror or a barrier to peace?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from the Middle East. Reporting from Jerusalem, here's Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Good evening. We begin tonight with an Ohio truck driver who allegedly met with Osama bin Laden and plotted to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge. He's enter a secret plea agreement.

Let's go to our justice correspondent Kelli Arena, she's in Washington and has details.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Iyman Faris is a naturalized U.S. citizen and commercial truck driver. The government also says an al Qaeda operative.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ASHCROFT: From late 2000 to March of this year, Faris worked in concert with al Qaeda, our enemies, to plot potential attacks against America and its citizens here in his adopted homeland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: According to government documents, Faris met with Osama bin Laden in late 2000. After that the government says that he provided al Qaeda with research on ultra light planes for use in terror attacks. He also provided al Qaeda with cash, sleeping bags, plane tickets and cell phones. And the government says that Faris conducted surveillance of the Brooklyn Bridge, and was ordered to purchase equipment to derail trains. He was also told about a plot in 2002 to simultaneously attack New York and Washington. Sources say that Faris was fingered as a result of the interrogation of al Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. He plead guilty on May 1 to charges of providing and conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda. But the plea deal was kept under seal until today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHCROFT: This is a case which I believe would have been -- I firmly believe that for us to have announced this case a day sooner, would have carried with it the potential of impairing very important interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: The attorney general has said that there are other plea deals under seal and sources tell CNN that some of those involved individuals like Faris arrested here in the United States as a result of the al Qaeda operations chief, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

Back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelli Arena, thanks very much.

Later this hour we'll speak with a former Justice Department prosecutor who worked in counterterrorism and get some perspective on exactly what's going on.

Let's go to Iraq right now, where Americans have been ambushed in the streets. Iraqis are calling for revenge and U.S. soldiers have found a treasure trove.

Our CNN's Ben Wedeman is standing by and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Southern Baghdad another American Soldier, a medic, killed by unknown attackers. His ambulance hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, the third American soldier killed here in combat in the last three days. The wounded were whisked away by helicopter. The chopper surrounded by troops to prevent another attack. Every day several times a day, U.S. Forces in Iraq now come under attack. Gunfire in the streets of Baghdad at a funeral. Shots fired in anger towards the heavens. This time.

There is no god but god and America is the enemy of god, mourners chant at the funeral for former Iraqi Army officer, Tariq Mohammed shot dead by an American soldier outside coalition headquarters in Baghdad. Mohammed was one of two of army officers killed in a demonstration Wednesday, demanding that members of the disbanded Iraqi armed forces receive back pay. In protesting the American mandated disillusion of the Iraqi army, an incident the U.S. says was self- defense. Striking back, American forces continue to press ahead with Operation Desert Scorpion. nabbing not only senior figures from the old regime, but treasure as well. On a farm outside the town al-Jaq (ph) where Saddam Hussein was born, a major haul.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About four motivated guys and mine detector, we went though the whole area. In that particular area we turns up five caches, two being about $4 million a piece and the other two containing the jewels and about $300,000 in American cash.

WEDEMAN: Also found, a passport belonging to Saddam Hussein's wife, Sajida.

(on camera): Daily attacks on U.S. Forces, daily American casualties. Steadily mounting Iraqi anger and frustration. It all adds up to a far more complicated and dangerous scenario than anyone ever expected for the new post-Saddam Iraq.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: How are U.S. soldiers coping with the constant dangers?

We spoke with one soldier and got his perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They know they're here for a reason and that helps when they see the bad guys out there and they see people shooting at them. They realize they have an important mission. It's just they also have a mission at home and that's to raise a family. So, they're fighting that and so am I. We do the best we can and just hope that the sooner we can get this done the sooner we can get the hell out of here and go home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: None of the ranking Iraqis in U.S. hands has offered significant information on weapons of mass destruction, at least not yet. That's the word from intelligence officials who say that may change in Saddam Hussein is captured. They say the U.S. intelligence community increasingly believe that Saddam is still alive and that his capture or possible plea deals could prompt others to start speaking up.

One thing that has been found in Iraq, 16 Arabian horses owned by Saddam Hussein. They are now back in their stables, rescued by U.S. troops. The valuable horse had been at a race course for safe keeping. After the war the people holding them refused to let them go until U.S. forces intervened. Now moving to the Middle East crisis, where I am right now.

Just hours before a meeting aimed at ending Palestinian terror attacks, another suicide bombing. Israeli police say a Palestinian man set up a bomb inside an Israeli grocery store killing himself and the 63-year-old owner. The Islamic Jihad is claiming responsibility for the attack, which comes as Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is trying to talk militant groups into a cease-fire.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says some progress is being made toward reining in Palestinian militants. Powell heads to the region tomorrow. He was in Bangladesh today when he learned of the latest suicide bombing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We condemn such acts of terror. Such acts of terror are perpetrated by those who don't want to see two states living side by side in peace. They want to destroy the hopes and dreams the Palestinian people. We can't let these acts of terror keep us from that dream, keep us from that possibility. We have to keep moving forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Secretary Powell will meet with Prime Minister Sharon here in Jerusalem tomorrow morning. Then he'll go to Jericho on the West Bank to meet with Mahmoud Abbas. The national security adviser to President Bush, Condoleezza Rice expected to come here late next week to Jerusalem as well.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army is finding itself in confrontation, not necessarily this time with Palestinians, but with Jewish settlers on the West Bank. A dramatic development unfolding today.

Let's bring in Sheila MacVicar. She was an eyewitness to what happened on the West Bank. She's now with me here in Jerusalem -- Sheila.

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a small isolated settlement, a little more than a couple of tents and ram shackled buildings. Hours of confrontation and a taste of what may be a lot more to come.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACVICAR (voice-over): This is one of the victories the Israeli army had today, holding back hundreds of Jewish settlers long enough to tear down a ramshackle shed. On a windy West Bank hilltop, dozens of Israeli soldiers and police struggled for hours to demolish the illegal settlement outpost. As the tents came down, they fought over cupboards and bedspreads and parts of a tarp. This is outpost is one of 62 that the Israeli Activist Group, Peace Now, that monitors settlement activities says is illegal and built since (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the fall of 2000. It is one the prime minister had said must go. An idea of how long and a long hot summer it's going to be here.

The settlers say they are determined to make it as difficult as they can for Prime Minister Sharon to implement this small part of President Bush's road map. The prime minister was considered a friend and a supporter. Not now.

ADI MEANS, SETTLERS COUNCIL: He is taking Israel to a dangerous -- to dangerous places and if he will keep going in the old map, this will -- we will arrive to destroy all the state of Israel.

MACVICAR: There were no guns today, but force and the strength of numbers. Dozens were injured, including soldiers. The settlers say as soon as the soldiers leave here, they will be back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They leave, we put it up again. They take it down, we'll put it up again. And not only that, for everyone they take down, we'll put up tents.

MACVICAR: The settlers believe this is their land given to them by God. No one, they say, has the right to take it from them.

The Palestinians and the international community, the settlements and their outposts sit on illegally occupied land. And if there is to be peace between Israelis and Palestinians, much more than a dozen outposts of tents and shacks will have to go. If it is hard now, it could get much, much harder. And what Prime Minister Sharon needs is an agreement with the settlers, not a struggle for every carpet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACVICAR: The settlers are saying that every time one of these hilltop settlements is to be dismantled they will be there. They are promising more confrontations. But, Wolf, they are saying they will not resort to weapons.

BLITZER: Sheila, thank you very much.

She's disappeared from public view. But guess what? She's making an appearance today in court, Martha Stewart showing a different side. We'll talk to someone who witnessed all of it in federal court.

Also, he drugged women, then raped them. Now this Max Factor heir finally faces justice.

And accused mobster on the lam. His high-profile brother breaks an eight-year silence in exchange for immunity.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Not even an umbrella could shield her from the spotlight today. Martha Stewart forced to show up in court. Our own Jeffrey Toobin witnessed an interesting exchange inside. That story, much more coming up in 90 seconds.

But first, today's "News Quiz." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: (voice-over): Who's the richest woman in America? Oprah Winfrey? Alice Walton? Susan Thomas Buffett? Martha Stewart? The answer coming up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked, who's the richest woman in America? The answer, Alice Walton, daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. She also happens to be the richest woman in the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Martha Stewart made an appearance in a federal courtroom earlier today in New York City. Our Jeffrey Toobin was inside during the proceeding.

Jeffrey, first of all, they decided that January, that's when the trial will actually begin. Is that a long period to prepare or a short period to prepare?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, from the looks on Martha Stewart's face, it seemed like a long time. Actually seven month, until January 12, which is when the trial is scheduled to begin, is not really that long by the standards of fairly complex white collar crime cases. But it sure seems like a long time when your whole future, when your business, when your freedom is on hold for all that time. Martha Stewart didn't look too pleased, but it was her lawyers and her co-defendants' lawyers who wanted it put off until January.

BLITZER: Jeffrey, take us inside that courtroom. There were some -- let's say unusual exchanges that involved Martha Stewart. Tell our viewers what you eyewitnessed.

TOOBIN: Well, you know, Martha Stewart didn't so much attend this hearing as preside over it. When she walked in, the courtroom was already full. And when she walked in, the courtroom really went silent in the way that it usually goes silent when the judge arrives. That's how much people wanted to see her.

So she took her place and -- at the defense table and Peter Baconovic, her co-defendant, arrived somewhat late. In fact, he was sort of chastized by the judge for that. And Martha Stewart kept looking at him, wanted to catch his eye, wanted acknowledge him, say hello. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't look at her for almost the whole hearing. Then finally, at the end, he looked back and nodded hello to her.

But the real innerplay between Martha Stewart and spectators was between her and the courtroom artists who were sitting in the jury box facing her. And one of the courtroom artists sort of pointed to her finger and said, Look, I have a Barnard college ring, because Martha Stewart went to Barnard College as well. And they chatted about going to Barnard.

But at the very end of the hearing, one of the -- another one of the courtroom artists sort of apologized to Martha Stewart for staring at her so much in these little binoculars that she was wearing and Stewart looked at her and said, Remember, no pockmarks, perfect skin. So Martha still cares about how she looks, even despite everything.

BLITZER: And so based on what you saw, though -- I don't know if you can draw any permanent conclusions -- but how does it look like she would be able to affect a jury?

TOOBIN: Well, you know, one of the things that, you know, just to state the obvious is that Martha Stewart is a celebrity. And people in America are hypnotized by celebrities. They like looking at celebrities. I saw her walk out of the courtroom, not just before the cameras, as we're seeing on the screen here, but just through the courtroom itself through the hallways and everybody's neck snaps and turns around and, you know, looks at her. I mean, she is really one of the most recognizable people in America.

You know, I think by and large that helps her. People like celebrities more than they dislike her. While this is a serious accusation, she's not after all accused of killing anybody, and I think people are going to look at her perhaps with the benefit -- with more than the usual benefit of the doubt. Obviously the evidence is what's going to matter most. But I think despite her reputation as a perfectionist and as a demanding person, she'll probably come in with more advantages than disadvantages.

BLITZER: And one final question. What was she wearing? How did she look?

TOOBIN: Well, she was wearing muted earth tones. I don't consider myself much of a fashion observer, so I'm sort of doing my best here. But what I was struck by, Wolf, was the fact she wore this sort of brown tweed jacket and she had this umbrella, this polka dotted beige umbrella that matched her outfit very well. And I thought, you know, it takes Martha Stewart to wear a matching -- to have a matching umbrella with her outfit.

BLITZER: You did pretty good with that little fashion description, Jeffrey. Maybe there's another analysis kind of work you'll be doing down the road. Jeffrey Toobin.

TOOBIN: I'll study up for the trial.

BLITZER: Yes, the trial everybody is going to want to know what outfit she wore every single day. Get ready for that one.

TOOBIN: OK. I will.

BLITZER: Jeffrey Toobin always helping us understand the intricacies of the law. Appreciate it very much. Here's your chance to weigh in on this. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: "Do you think Martha Stewart's celebrity will help or hurt her case?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. You can vote at cnn.com/wolf.

While you're there, I'd love to hear from you. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

He lived the life of the rich and famous. Now this Max Factor heir begins a long life in prison. The rapist on the run comes home.

Also, deadly error. Air National Guard Pilots accused of killing four Canadians find out their fates.

And nuclear mistake. The Los Alamos lab loses some cargo.

Plus this...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The Max Factor heir and convicted rapist Andrew Luster is back in a United States jail right now. He's fought -- he was hiding out in Mexico, but as CNN's Dan Lothian is about to tell us, he's now back in the United States -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Andrew Luster touched down at Los Angeles International Airport about two hours ago. He was aboard a commercial flight. He was taken inside the airport where we are told he was interviewed for a short period of time by immigration officials and then FBI agents placed him in a car and he was driven off.

A district attorney in the county where the trial took place said that he next will go to the Wasco State Prison near in Bakersfield, California, that's pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, out in the desert. That is where he will be processed. It could be a place where he will also spend the next 124 years, or he could be taken to another prison.

Of course he was cornered in Mexico yesterday morning by a bounty hunter who is based out of Hawaii. That bounty hunter apparently, according to authorities, getting a tip from a couple who was vacationing in Mexico. After they returned home, they saw his picture and then alerted that bounty hunter and also alerted FBI agents.

In an interesting twist, the bounty hunter who goes by the name "Dog" was also picked up. Authorities in Mexico telling us that he will be charged. They do not like bounty hunters coming across the border and going after fugitives in their country. And so, one official telling me that he will be charged, but it will be up to the judge to lay out exactly what the case will be -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Do you know how much that reward that bounty hunter is supposed to get for finding this guy?

LOTHIAN: Well, you know, ironically all along there was not a reward. At least as far as we knew there wasn't a reward. Until yesterday we found out that there was a $10,000 reward, half being put up by the FBI the other half by the county. It is possible that the bounty hunter could get his hands on that $10,000. But certainly he's gotten a lot of publicity out of this as well -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Dan Lothian in Los Angeles reporting for us. Thanks, Dan, very much.

An al Qaeda operative plotting to bring down the Brooklyn Bridge. So why did the government cut a plea deal? We'll take a closer look at the secret process.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was kind of escorted away and I wasn't sure if I'd ever see my wife again or just what was going on. I felt like a criminal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Mistaken identity at the airport. How innocent people are making their way on the terror list.

And the alleged mobster and the politicians. The tale of two brothers and their very divergent lives.

Also this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Driving from Jerusalem to the West Bank can quickly become complicated, especially when the Israeli military closes an area, as it did on this day, citing a suspicious package near the road.

(on camera): We finally reached here at a location not far from Gila Bejella (ph) on the West Bank. It's getting a little complicated, as you can see. Security, the military police may not let us in. We're trying to negotiate whether we can get through this checkpoint over her. Stand by. We'll let you know what's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from the Middle East. Reporting from Jerusalem, here's Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. An alleged political to bring down the Brooklyn Bridge. We'll have details. First the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: More now on our top story: a secret plea agreement reached with a suspected al Qaeda operative right here -- actually, right in the United States.

Joining me from Washington is the former federal prosecutor Victoria Toensing, who worked in the Justice Department on counterterrorism issues.

Vicki, give us some perspective right now. This must be so extraordinary, the developments that we reported, that we all heard from the attorney general earlier today, the way this operation unfolded.

VICTORIA TOENSING, FMR. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, you know, Wolf, I think it's a big success.

But it's just one more step of. you know, another terrorism attack thwarted because of the proactive preventive mode of federal law enforcement. And that's what's new. Since September 11, this, as I say, proactive preventive mode, rather than waiting for the crime to take place, they go after the people, try to find them out, get information and make the arrest before the people have a chance to attack Americans.

BLITZER: But it was done in such secret session here in the United States. It's one thing to pick up alleged terrorists overseas and ship them off to Guantanamo. It's another thing to find someone in the United States and do all this in a hush hush manner, isn't it?

TOENSING: No, I'm used to that. When I was a former federal prosecutor, I did narcotics cases. I did conspiracy cases. And that was not unusual. When we had a conspiracy, we had somebody who was an informant. We wanted to lock them into a plea. But if the informant is now going to cooperate and tell you about coconspirators X, Y and Z, you certainly don't want to go out publicly and say, guess what? We've got informant A, and he's going to give information. X, Y and Z then skip town. So this would be a usual mode, Wolf for this kind of case.

I know the press hates anything this secret, except, you know, keeping their own sources secret. But this is a usual law enforcement method.

BLITZER: Well, it's not just the press. The ACLU, other civil liberties groups are suggesting -- and they're suggesting, obviously, there's a subject for debate -- that some of the tactics used by law enforcement, Justice Department personnel in this particular case, may have been extraordinary, may have been beyond the normal in the sense of what the Justice Department, FBI officials would do in a similar kind of domestic case.

TOENSING: No, I mean, not at all. I just said they did this in drug cases. They does these -- this in organized crime cases. I don't know the -- what is the specific accusation by the ACLU? What is it that's extraordinary? Because I can tell you as a former prosecutor and then a former Justice Department official, this was not unusual, when you have a co-conspirator and you want to get the rest of the group.

BLITZER: The specific allegation is that the kind of pressure that was used to get this guy to confess, to plead guilty, warning him he was going to be sent to jail, sent to Guantanamo, horrendous kind of threats and as a result of those dire fears, they suggest, he may have been willing to cop the plea and maybe even for something he maybe really didn't have any role in.

TOENSING: Well, I think you'd have to have the evidence to show, and it seems to me that they have the travel records and the information. If they don't have the information about him, if they don't have the evidence against him -- and by the way, you know he had a lawyer throughout this process. The court appointed a lawyer and a very good lawyer from Virginia. So I can't imagine a lawyer allowing someone to plead guilty if there was no evidence against him.

Now, do you say that there is coercion when the government has evidence against a person and then can indict them? Well, yes, I guess you could call that coercion. But it's a very typical criminal case. It's not unusual. Maybe, just maybe he pleaded guilty because he didn't want to go to jail for a long time.

This was not a bad plea agreement for him. The maximum he could face was 20 years.

BLITZER: It's an amazing, an amazing story, and we'll continue to follow it. Thanks very much, Victoria Tonesing.

One more question before I let you go. As you look at the overall issue involved in the Patriot Act and the concerns that have been raised by many of the critics, would you go so far as to suggest that there's going to be a constitutional question that will eventually reach the Supreme Court?

TOENSING: Oh, there will be several constitutional questions that will reach the Supreme Court, Wolf. The Hamdi (ph) kind of case, can somebody not have access to a lawyer if he is a U.S. citizen or if he's not a U.S. citizen? Those are just two issues right there -- the secrecy of the detainees, which was a court of appeals decision this week upholding the Justice Department. But that's going to go to the Supreme Court. There is a list and I'm sure we'll be discussing them all right here.

BLITZER: Victoria Toensing will be discussing them with me. Thanks very much, Vicki, for joining us today.

Let's move on to another extraordinary legal case, something probably stranger than fiction. It involves two brothers, two very different brothers, potentially pitted against each other. One is an alleged mobster. One is a university president.

Our Bob Franken is standing by in Washington with this extraordinary story -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And far too convoluted to be a book that anybody would read, Wolf.

But the story really concerns ultimately Whitey Bulger. James Bulger who is a man the FBI has said has been an informant for a long time and has been indicted in connection with 21 murders. And he's been missing since 1995.

Now his brother, University of Massachusetts President William Bulger, who refused to testify before a Congressional committee about his whereabouts in December. He's saying that he was possibly going to be incriminated by the testimony. Now that he's gotten a judge to order him to testify, granting him immunity, he testified before the Congressional committee today and said that he really didn't have much information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BULGER, UNIV. OF MASS. PRESIDENT: I do not know where my brother is. I do not know where he has been over the past eight years. I have not aided James Bulger in any way while he has been a fugitive. Do I possess information that could lead to my brother's arrest? The honest answer is no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now the members of the committee and members of Congress are trying to find out exactly how it is the FBI operates with its informants. In this particular case, in 1995 when James Bulger fled, he had been warned that he was about to be indicted by an FBI agent, John Connolly, who has now been retired. Connolly was convicted in connection with that last year of racketeering.

And the case gets even more complicated because it's all caught up in politics. William Bulger, the university president, has been a Democrat figure in Massachusetts for decades. Top Republicans and even some Democrats are saying he should resign from the University of Massachusetts. That he has not done, but now he has testified before Congress and shed very little light on this very murky story -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob Franken, shedding some light for us as he always does. Thanks, Bob, very much.

And since Whitey Bulger has not been seen or heard from for eight years, it's obviously not possible to get his direct story. But I'm joined by a man who knows him and knows the story firsthand because he lived it.

Edward MacKenzie is a self-confessed former member of Boston's Irish mob who said he was the right-hand man to Whitey Bulger. He's written a book about his experiences. He calls it "Street Soldier." Edward MacKenzie is joining us now live from New York.

Edward, thank you very much for joining us. What do you make about the relationship, as far as you know it, of these two brothers?

EDWARD MACKENZIE, JR., AUTHOR, "STREET SOLDIER": Well, you know, at one time you had William Bulger, who was the president the Massachusetts Senate. And on the other hand you had Whitey Bulger, the president of basically the Massachusetts mob. They were known at one time as a ying and yang of absolute power in Boston.

BLITZER: And in terms of the kind of dealings they had with each other, were these two estranged brothers or were they two loving brothers who happened to have gone in very different directions?

MACKENZIE: I don't know too many brothers that have grown up in the tight-knit neighborhood Irish neighborhood of South Boston that weren't close, very close.

Whitey and William were very close. They loved each other. They always looked out with each other and over the course of the years they protected each other by not being seen in public with each other.

BLITZER: What made one become a mobster and the other become a politician and eventually the president of the University of Massachusetts?

MACKENZIE: Well, typical Irish. One son goes off to the priesthood and another son becomes a cop or one son becomes a top and one become a criminal. It's the environment that you grow up in. One can never guess at what one's destiny would be.

BLITZER: What was the relationship that Whitey had, the alleged mobster, with the FBI?

MACKENZIE: Whitey and the FBI were playing a game together. And the FBI was playing checkers and Whitey was playing chess. And Whitey ultimately won that game. For over two decades he had a close relationship with a couple of rogue agents from the FBI, Boston office. One namely John Conly (ph) who grew up in the same neighborhood. Ironically that William Bulger and White Bulger grew up in it. They were all childhood friends. And basicly these couple of rogue FBI agents gave Whitey cart blanch to do anything, including murder.

BLITZER: Let me read to you one quote from your book, "I worked for him as a street soldier, an enforcer, a leg breaker, a drug runner. I was the hired muscle who distributed drugs for my boss and broke the limbs of those who disrespected him."

That doesn't sound like a pleasant kind of job that you had.

MACKENZIE: I wasn't a very pleasant kind of guy back then, Wolf, and it wasn't a very pleasant atmosphere back then.

BLITZER: How did you turn your life around?

MACKENZIE: In 1990 we got indicted, 51 of us from south Boston. We went to Danbury Federal Prison. Raymond Patriaca (ph), the god father of the Italian mob of New England, told us to our face that it was Whitey Bulger that ratted us out. So basically I was kind of stuck. My boss, the guy that I worked for and respected had ratted me out. So I made the decision I had to do something to save myself. And that's when things started to turn around for me. And I had some children so I had to get back out on the streets to protect and take care of them.

BLITZER: Eddie MacKenzie, is the author of "Street Soldier"

Thanks for joining us from New York.

We have much more news coming up, including this, separated by violence. Two people now potentially a fence that's going up. The Israelis are trying to distance themselves from danger. But will this massive project really keep the peace? I'll take you along both sides.

And terror, tracking out of control. Why some innocent people are being pulled from the airport. The terror list has gotten out of control.

First let's take a look at some other news making headlines around the world.

Two men set themselves on fire outside the French embassy in Rome protesting a crackdown on an Iranian opposition group in France. Three people set themselves on fire yesterday in Paris and London in similar protests.

A 21-year-old American serviceman is in the hands of Japanese police accused of rape. The military facing increasing public anger made a rare move and handed him over before charges were filed.

A controversial birth in England. A woman there underwent fertility treatment to make sure her baby was a genetic match to her older son who has a rare disease. The family hopes stem cells from the infant will cure him.

The author of the Harry Potter books is suing the "New York Daily News." The J.K. Rowlings says the paper published excerpts from her latest novel without her authorization. The book comes out Saturday.

And a warm welcome for Prince William in Wales. He paid a visit. Part of a series of public appearances leading up to this 21st birthday on Saturday. And that's our look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: When we come back, we're going to tell you why this fence, this fence could tell you so much about the conflict here in the Middle East. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's made up of massive walls, electronic fences, ditches. A state of the art surveillance system and patrol roads. And it goes along the border at what at least some call the border between Israel and the West bank.

Will it be a barrier to terrorism or a barrier to peace?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER (voice-over): The Israeli argument is simple. As the poet Robert Frost said, good fences make good neighbors. And so the Israelis have started building a fence that eventually will continue for more than 200 miles, roughly coinciding with the 1967 border with the West Bank. But there are several major detours to ensure that Ariel, Emanuel and other major Jewish settlements on the West Bank are on the Israeli side of the fence. As you can see from the air, it's a massive project. Its eventual cost, an estimated $220 million.

The Israelis say they need this fence to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers and other terrorists from crossing into populated Israeli centers. Most of the infiltrators, they say, have come from the West Bank. Israel already has a fence encircling Gaza. Officials say there have been virtually no infiltrations from there.

(on camera): Right now we're outside of Jerusalem, very close to Bethlehem. This is where the Israelis are building a fence. They, obviously, want this fence to provide them a security. Now take a look at this ditch. This is going to be the ditch where this fence is going to go. On this side where I'm standing is going to be the Israeli-controlled area. On the other side of this ditch, once this fence goes up, and it's going to be high, almost like a wall, that's going to be the Palestinian side. And it's going to literally go all along here, all along down there and it's going to go for miles and miles and miles. And the goal, of course, is to prevent infiltrators from getting into Israeli controlled areas. They think it might help. We'll see.

(voice-over): Most Palestinians say they hate the fence. In part because it will make it more difficult for them to get desperately needed jobs in Israel. It will also, at various locations, divide Palestinian farms and villages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Even the wall of Berlin, the big wall, the people there were jumping over it to the other side to look for work. And this fence, compared with the Berlin Wall, is nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fence will not help. Anyone who wants to cross can do it.

BLITZER: Israelis we spoke to acknowledge it won't provide 100 percent protection, but they insist it will help in the short term. The only long-term solution, they say, is peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you have to get to agreement with the other side. And I hope this is what they will do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What you need a real peace agreement and not a fence. Not a solution, I think.

BLITZER: But Israeli government officials say 7-year-old Naomi Leibowitz (ph) will be alive today if that fence had been completed. Her father was driving her and her 3-year-old sister in central Israel this week, not far from Qalqiliya. They say a Palestinian gunman crossed into Israel and shot them. Her father and sister survived. A fence, the Israelis say, could have prevented the incident.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And earlier in this program we showed you, we were driving out to the West Bank to take a look at the construction site. We were stopped by Israeli military personnel at a check point. They feared their could be some suspicious object along the way. We had to turn back. Eventually we were allowed to come back to the area and continue on our way.

Your privacy is important issue, of course, and as well as your security. Why some watch lists at airports have problems with mistaken identity and what U.S. officials are doing about it right now. That just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Imagine standing in line at an airport and then being hauled away for no apparent reason. It's happening more than you might think. Our Patty Davis is at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. with details -- Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Transportation Security Administration says it's working with airlines to clear up the confusion about passengers getting hauled off because their names apparently, they say, are on a no-fly list. But the TSA is saying what it really needs is an entirely new system to check passenger identities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS (voice-over): It's not easy being a David Nelson at the airport these days. Just ask this Utah financial planner.

DAVID NELSON, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: I'm being flagged, I'm on some list. I believe it's some TSA list.

DAVIS: Same with these David Nelsons in Seattle.

DAVID NELSON (NO. 1), SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: I was kind of escorted away and I wasn't sure if I'd see my wife again or just what was going on. I felt like a criminal.

DAVID NELSON (NO. 2), SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: Why is my name on a list? I'm, you know, Joe Everyday.

DAVIS: The Transportation Security Administration maintains a no-fly list of people who may have terrorist ties and another of those who need additional screening. But it won't say if someone named David Nelson or anyone else, is on either list. That concerns privacy groups.

JAYASHRI SRIKANTIAH, ACLU, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: We want to know how a name gets on the list, how a name can be taken off of the list, how accurate the list is, whether a First Amendment activity is ever a reason for someone being placed on the list. DAVIS: The TSA says it's working to fix the apparent cases of mistaken identity.

Those who have that problem can contact our ombudsman, fill out a form and then go through a process that we hope will allow us to alert the airlines that they are not the people we're interested and thus can fly.

DAVIS: So far, 50 people have contacted the TSA including Asa Eikball (ph), a New York consultant. He's had to turn over certified documents proving his identity and is undergoing a background check.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have much of a choice. That's the thing.

DAVIS: The TSA says a new passenger screening system would end the confusion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS: That new passenger prescreening system is called CAPS II (ph) and the TSA expects it to go into effect sometime next year. It would take your personal information, kind of do a background check on you, check that information against commercial and government databases and find out if you are who you say you are. But some privacy advocates say even then the TSA still would not have to tell you why you ended up mistakenly on a no-fly list or make it any easier to get off that list -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Patty Davis at Reagan National Airport. Very interesting story. Thanks very much.

When we come back, Jay Leno. He has a suggestion to CNN executives.

Plus the results of "Our Web Question of the Day." Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The last couple of days have brought me a new meaning for the term "hot stories".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Driving from Jerusalem to the West Bank can quickly become complicated, especially when the Israeli military closes an area, as it did on this day, citing a suspicious package near the road.

(on camera): We finally reached here at a location not far from Gila Bejella (ph) on the West Bank. It's getting a little complicated, as you can see. Security, the military police may not let us in. We're trying to negotiate whether we can get through this checkpoint over her. Stand by. We'll let you know what's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Finally, this programing note from our friend Jay Leno.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": And Wolf Blitzer has kind of a problem. he's got a show on CNN called "SHOWDOWN: IRAQ", but now the war is over, they need a new name. How about calling it "The Search for Weapons of Mass Destruction"? That's a show that'll run forever, that way.

(LAUGHTER)

LENO: In 10 years you'll still be doing the show, no problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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





Troops Endure Four Attacks in 24 Hours>


Aired June 19, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, HOST (voice-over): Jihad in American: a plot and a plea. Was an Ohio truck driver scouting for al Qaeda?

JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: He traveled from Pakistan to Afghanistan, covertly meet with Osama bin Laden.

BLITZER: Ambushed: Four attacks in 24 hours. The troops are talking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're really small when we're spread out and we don't have as many forces as we'd like to have to take care of things like this.

BLITZER: Where is Whitey?

Boston's Bulger brothers, an alleged mob killer and a university president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know my brother stands accused of many things, serious crimes, brutal crimes.

BLITZER: And walling off the West Bank: a barrier to terror or a barrier to peace?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from the Middle East. Reporting from Jerusalem, here's Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Good evening. We begin tonight with an Ohio truck driver who allegedly met with Osama bin Laden and plotted to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge. He's enter a secret plea agreement.

Let's go to our justice correspondent Kelli Arena, she's in Washington and has details.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Iyman Faris is a naturalized U.S. citizen and commercial truck driver. The government also says an al Qaeda operative.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ASHCROFT: From late 2000 to March of this year, Faris worked in concert with al Qaeda, our enemies, to plot potential attacks against America and its citizens here in his adopted homeland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: According to government documents, Faris met with Osama bin Laden in late 2000. After that the government says that he provided al Qaeda with research on ultra light planes for use in terror attacks. He also provided al Qaeda with cash, sleeping bags, plane tickets and cell phones. And the government says that Faris conducted surveillance of the Brooklyn Bridge, and was ordered to purchase equipment to derail trains. He was also told about a plot in 2002 to simultaneously attack New York and Washington. Sources say that Faris was fingered as a result of the interrogation of al Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. He plead guilty on May 1 to charges of providing and conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda. But the plea deal was kept under seal until today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHCROFT: This is a case which I believe would have been -- I firmly believe that for us to have announced this case a day sooner, would have carried with it the potential of impairing very important interests.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: The attorney general has said that there are other plea deals under seal and sources tell CNN that some of those involved individuals like Faris arrested here in the United States as a result of the al Qaeda operations chief, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

Back to you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelli Arena, thanks very much.

Later this hour we'll speak with a former Justice Department prosecutor who worked in counterterrorism and get some perspective on exactly what's going on.

Let's go to Iraq right now, where Americans have been ambushed in the streets. Iraqis are calling for revenge and U.S. soldiers have found a treasure trove.

Our CNN's Ben Wedeman is standing by and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Southern Baghdad another American Soldier, a medic, killed by unknown attackers. His ambulance hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, the third American soldier killed here in combat in the last three days. The wounded were whisked away by helicopter. The chopper surrounded by troops to prevent another attack. Every day several times a day, U.S. Forces in Iraq now come under attack. Gunfire in the streets of Baghdad at a funeral. Shots fired in anger towards the heavens. This time.

There is no god but god and America is the enemy of god, mourners chant at the funeral for former Iraqi Army officer, Tariq Mohammed shot dead by an American soldier outside coalition headquarters in Baghdad. Mohammed was one of two of army officers killed in a demonstration Wednesday, demanding that members of the disbanded Iraqi armed forces receive back pay. In protesting the American mandated disillusion of the Iraqi army, an incident the U.S. says was self- defense. Striking back, American forces continue to press ahead with Operation Desert Scorpion. nabbing not only senior figures from the old regime, but treasure as well. On a farm outside the town al-Jaq (ph) where Saddam Hussein was born, a major haul.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About four motivated guys and mine detector, we went though the whole area. In that particular area we turns up five caches, two being about $4 million a piece and the other two containing the jewels and about $300,000 in American cash.

WEDEMAN: Also found, a passport belonging to Saddam Hussein's wife, Sajida.

(on camera): Daily attacks on U.S. Forces, daily American casualties. Steadily mounting Iraqi anger and frustration. It all adds up to a far more complicated and dangerous scenario than anyone ever expected for the new post-Saddam Iraq.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: How are U.S. soldiers coping with the constant dangers?

We spoke with one soldier and got his perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They know they're here for a reason and that helps when they see the bad guys out there and they see people shooting at them. They realize they have an important mission. It's just they also have a mission at home and that's to raise a family. So, they're fighting that and so am I. We do the best we can and just hope that the sooner we can get this done the sooner we can get the hell out of here and go home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: None of the ranking Iraqis in U.S. hands has offered significant information on weapons of mass destruction, at least not yet. That's the word from intelligence officials who say that may change in Saddam Hussein is captured. They say the U.S. intelligence community increasingly believe that Saddam is still alive and that his capture or possible plea deals could prompt others to start speaking up.

One thing that has been found in Iraq, 16 Arabian horses owned by Saddam Hussein. They are now back in their stables, rescued by U.S. troops. The valuable horse had been at a race course for safe keeping. After the war the people holding them refused to let them go until U.S. forces intervened. Now moving to the Middle East crisis, where I am right now.

Just hours before a meeting aimed at ending Palestinian terror attacks, another suicide bombing. Israeli police say a Palestinian man set up a bomb inside an Israeli grocery store killing himself and the 63-year-old owner. The Islamic Jihad is claiming responsibility for the attack, which comes as Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is trying to talk militant groups into a cease-fire.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says some progress is being made toward reining in Palestinian militants. Powell heads to the region tomorrow. He was in Bangladesh today when he learned of the latest suicide bombing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We condemn such acts of terror. Such acts of terror are perpetrated by those who don't want to see two states living side by side in peace. They want to destroy the hopes and dreams the Palestinian people. We can't let these acts of terror keep us from that dream, keep us from that possibility. We have to keep moving forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Secretary Powell will meet with Prime Minister Sharon here in Jerusalem tomorrow morning. Then he'll go to Jericho on the West Bank to meet with Mahmoud Abbas. The national security adviser to President Bush, Condoleezza Rice expected to come here late next week to Jerusalem as well.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army is finding itself in confrontation, not necessarily this time with Palestinians, but with Jewish settlers on the West Bank. A dramatic development unfolding today.

Let's bring in Sheila MacVicar. She was an eyewitness to what happened on the West Bank. She's now with me here in Jerusalem -- Sheila.

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a small isolated settlement, a little more than a couple of tents and ram shackled buildings. Hours of confrontation and a taste of what may be a lot more to come.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACVICAR (voice-over): This is one of the victories the Israeli army had today, holding back hundreds of Jewish settlers long enough to tear down a ramshackle shed. On a windy West Bank hilltop, dozens of Israeli soldiers and police struggled for hours to demolish the illegal settlement outpost. As the tents came down, they fought over cupboards and bedspreads and parts of a tarp. This is outpost is one of 62 that the Israeli Activist Group, Peace Now, that monitors settlement activities says is illegal and built since (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the fall of 2000. It is one the prime minister had said must go. An idea of how long and a long hot summer it's going to be here.

The settlers say they are determined to make it as difficult as they can for Prime Minister Sharon to implement this small part of President Bush's road map. The prime minister was considered a friend and a supporter. Not now.

ADI MEANS, SETTLERS COUNCIL: He is taking Israel to a dangerous -- to dangerous places and if he will keep going in the old map, this will -- we will arrive to destroy all the state of Israel.

MACVICAR: There were no guns today, but force and the strength of numbers. Dozens were injured, including soldiers. The settlers say as soon as the soldiers leave here, they will be back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They leave, we put it up again. They take it down, we'll put it up again. And not only that, for everyone they take down, we'll put up tents.

MACVICAR: The settlers believe this is their land given to them by God. No one, they say, has the right to take it from them.

The Palestinians and the international community, the settlements and their outposts sit on illegally occupied land. And if there is to be peace between Israelis and Palestinians, much more than a dozen outposts of tents and shacks will have to go. If it is hard now, it could get much, much harder. And what Prime Minister Sharon needs is an agreement with the settlers, not a struggle for every carpet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACVICAR: The settlers are saying that every time one of these hilltop settlements is to be dismantled they will be there. They are promising more confrontations. But, Wolf, they are saying they will not resort to weapons.

BLITZER: Sheila, thank you very much.

She's disappeared from public view. But guess what? She's making an appearance today in court, Martha Stewart showing a different side. We'll talk to someone who witnessed all of it in federal court.

Also, he drugged women, then raped them. Now this Max Factor heir finally faces justice.

And accused mobster on the lam. His high-profile brother breaks an eight-year silence in exchange for immunity.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Not even an umbrella could shield her from the spotlight today. Martha Stewart forced to show up in court. Our own Jeffrey Toobin witnessed an interesting exchange inside. That story, much more coming up in 90 seconds.

But first, today's "News Quiz." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: (voice-over): Who's the richest woman in America? Oprah Winfrey? Alice Walton? Susan Thomas Buffett? Martha Stewart? The answer coming up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked, who's the richest woman in America? The answer, Alice Walton, daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. She also happens to be the richest woman in the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Martha Stewart made an appearance in a federal courtroom earlier today in New York City. Our Jeffrey Toobin was inside during the proceeding.

Jeffrey, first of all, they decided that January, that's when the trial will actually begin. Is that a long period to prepare or a short period to prepare?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, from the looks on Martha Stewart's face, it seemed like a long time. Actually seven month, until January 12, which is when the trial is scheduled to begin, is not really that long by the standards of fairly complex white collar crime cases. But it sure seems like a long time when your whole future, when your business, when your freedom is on hold for all that time. Martha Stewart didn't look too pleased, but it was her lawyers and her co-defendants' lawyers who wanted it put off until January.

BLITZER: Jeffrey, take us inside that courtroom. There were some -- let's say unusual exchanges that involved Martha Stewart. Tell our viewers what you eyewitnessed.

TOOBIN: Well, you know, Martha Stewart didn't so much attend this hearing as preside over it. When she walked in, the courtroom was already full. And when she walked in, the courtroom really went silent in the way that it usually goes silent when the judge arrives. That's how much people wanted to see her.

So she took her place and -- at the defense table and Peter Baconovic, her co-defendant, arrived somewhat late. In fact, he was sort of chastized by the judge for that. And Martha Stewart kept looking at him, wanted to catch his eye, wanted acknowledge him, say hello. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't look at her for almost the whole hearing. Then finally, at the end, he looked back and nodded hello to her.

But the real innerplay between Martha Stewart and spectators was between her and the courtroom artists who were sitting in the jury box facing her. And one of the courtroom artists sort of pointed to her finger and said, Look, I have a Barnard college ring, because Martha Stewart went to Barnard College as well. And they chatted about going to Barnard.

But at the very end of the hearing, one of the -- another one of the courtroom artists sort of apologized to Martha Stewart for staring at her so much in these little binoculars that she was wearing and Stewart looked at her and said, Remember, no pockmarks, perfect skin. So Martha still cares about how she looks, even despite everything.

BLITZER: And so based on what you saw, though -- I don't know if you can draw any permanent conclusions -- but how does it look like she would be able to affect a jury?

TOOBIN: Well, you know, one of the things that, you know, just to state the obvious is that Martha Stewart is a celebrity. And people in America are hypnotized by celebrities. They like looking at celebrities. I saw her walk out of the courtroom, not just before the cameras, as we're seeing on the screen here, but just through the courtroom itself through the hallways and everybody's neck snaps and turns around and, you know, looks at her. I mean, she is really one of the most recognizable people in America.

You know, I think by and large that helps her. People like celebrities more than they dislike her. While this is a serious accusation, she's not after all accused of killing anybody, and I think people are going to look at her perhaps with the benefit -- with more than the usual benefit of the doubt. Obviously the evidence is what's going to matter most. But I think despite her reputation as a perfectionist and as a demanding person, she'll probably come in with more advantages than disadvantages.

BLITZER: And one final question. What was she wearing? How did she look?

TOOBIN: Well, she was wearing muted earth tones. I don't consider myself much of a fashion observer, so I'm sort of doing my best here. But what I was struck by, Wolf, was the fact she wore this sort of brown tweed jacket and she had this umbrella, this polka dotted beige umbrella that matched her outfit very well. And I thought, you know, it takes Martha Stewart to wear a matching -- to have a matching umbrella with her outfit.

BLITZER: You did pretty good with that little fashion description, Jeffrey. Maybe there's another analysis kind of work you'll be doing down the road. Jeffrey Toobin.

TOOBIN: I'll study up for the trial.

BLITZER: Yes, the trial everybody is going to want to know what outfit she wore every single day. Get ready for that one.

TOOBIN: OK. I will.

BLITZER: Jeffrey Toobin always helping us understand the intricacies of the law. Appreciate it very much. Here's your chance to weigh in on this. Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: "Do you think Martha Stewart's celebrity will help or hurt her case?" We'll have the results later in this broadcast. You can vote at cnn.com/wolf.

While you're there, I'd love to hear from you. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

He lived the life of the rich and famous. Now this Max Factor heir begins a long life in prison. The rapist on the run comes home.

Also, deadly error. Air National Guard Pilots accused of killing four Canadians find out their fates.

And nuclear mistake. The Los Alamos lab loses some cargo.

Plus this...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The Max Factor heir and convicted rapist Andrew Luster is back in a United States jail right now. He's fought -- he was hiding out in Mexico, but as CNN's Dan Lothian is about to tell us, he's now back in the United States -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Andrew Luster touched down at Los Angeles International Airport about two hours ago. He was aboard a commercial flight. He was taken inside the airport where we are told he was interviewed for a short period of time by immigration officials and then FBI agents placed him in a car and he was driven off.

A district attorney in the county where the trial took place said that he next will go to the Wasco State Prison near in Bakersfield, California, that's pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, out in the desert. That is where he will be processed. It could be a place where he will also spend the next 124 years, or he could be taken to another prison.

Of course he was cornered in Mexico yesterday morning by a bounty hunter who is based out of Hawaii. That bounty hunter apparently, according to authorities, getting a tip from a couple who was vacationing in Mexico. After they returned home, they saw his picture and then alerted that bounty hunter and also alerted FBI agents.

In an interesting twist, the bounty hunter who goes by the name "Dog" was also picked up. Authorities in Mexico telling us that he will be charged. They do not like bounty hunters coming across the border and going after fugitives in their country. And so, one official telling me that he will be charged, but it will be up to the judge to lay out exactly what the case will be -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Do you know how much that reward that bounty hunter is supposed to get for finding this guy?

LOTHIAN: Well, you know, ironically all along there was not a reward. At least as far as we knew there wasn't a reward. Until yesterday we found out that there was a $10,000 reward, half being put up by the FBI the other half by the county. It is possible that the bounty hunter could get his hands on that $10,000. But certainly he's gotten a lot of publicity out of this as well -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Dan Lothian in Los Angeles reporting for us. Thanks, Dan, very much.

An al Qaeda operative plotting to bring down the Brooklyn Bridge. So why did the government cut a plea deal? We'll take a closer look at the secret process.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was kind of escorted away and I wasn't sure if I'd ever see my wife again or just what was going on. I felt like a criminal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Mistaken identity at the airport. How innocent people are making their way on the terror list.

And the alleged mobster and the politicians. The tale of two brothers and their very divergent lives.

Also this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Driving from Jerusalem to the West Bank can quickly become complicated, especially when the Israeli military closes an area, as it did on this day, citing a suspicious package near the road.

(on camera): We finally reached here at a location not far from Gila Bejella (ph) on the West Bank. It's getting a little complicated, as you can see. Security, the military police may not let us in. We're trying to negotiate whether we can get through this checkpoint over her. Stand by. We'll let you know what's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from the Middle East. Reporting from Jerusalem, here's Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. An alleged political to bring down the Brooklyn Bridge. We'll have details. First the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: More now on our top story: a secret plea agreement reached with a suspected al Qaeda operative right here -- actually, right in the United States.

Joining me from Washington is the former federal prosecutor Victoria Toensing, who worked in the Justice Department on counterterrorism issues.

Vicki, give us some perspective right now. This must be so extraordinary, the developments that we reported, that we all heard from the attorney general earlier today, the way this operation unfolded.

VICTORIA TOENSING, FMR. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well, you know, Wolf, I think it's a big success.

But it's just one more step of. you know, another terrorism attack thwarted because of the proactive preventive mode of federal law enforcement. And that's what's new. Since September 11, this, as I say, proactive preventive mode, rather than waiting for the crime to take place, they go after the people, try to find them out, get information and make the arrest before the people have a chance to attack Americans.

BLITZER: But it was done in such secret session here in the United States. It's one thing to pick up alleged terrorists overseas and ship them off to Guantanamo. It's another thing to find someone in the United States and do all this in a hush hush manner, isn't it?

TOENSING: No, I'm used to that. When I was a former federal prosecutor, I did narcotics cases. I did conspiracy cases. And that was not unusual. When we had a conspiracy, we had somebody who was an informant. We wanted to lock them into a plea. But if the informant is now going to cooperate and tell you about coconspirators X, Y and Z, you certainly don't want to go out publicly and say, guess what? We've got informant A, and he's going to give information. X, Y and Z then skip town. So this would be a usual mode, Wolf for this kind of case.

I know the press hates anything this secret, except, you know, keeping their own sources secret. But this is a usual law enforcement method.

BLITZER: Well, it's not just the press. The ACLU, other civil liberties groups are suggesting -- and they're suggesting, obviously, there's a subject for debate -- that some of the tactics used by law enforcement, Justice Department personnel in this particular case, may have been extraordinary, may have been beyond the normal in the sense of what the Justice Department, FBI officials would do in a similar kind of domestic case.

TOENSING: No, I mean, not at all. I just said they did this in drug cases. They does these -- this in organized crime cases. I don't know the -- what is the specific accusation by the ACLU? What is it that's extraordinary? Because I can tell you as a former prosecutor and then a former Justice Department official, this was not unusual, when you have a co-conspirator and you want to get the rest of the group.

BLITZER: The specific allegation is that the kind of pressure that was used to get this guy to confess, to plead guilty, warning him he was going to be sent to jail, sent to Guantanamo, horrendous kind of threats and as a result of those dire fears, they suggest, he may have been willing to cop the plea and maybe even for something he maybe really didn't have any role in.

TOENSING: Well, I think you'd have to have the evidence to show, and it seems to me that they have the travel records and the information. If they don't have the information about him, if they don't have the evidence against him -- and by the way, you know he had a lawyer throughout this process. The court appointed a lawyer and a very good lawyer from Virginia. So I can't imagine a lawyer allowing someone to plead guilty if there was no evidence against him.

Now, do you say that there is coercion when the government has evidence against a person and then can indict them? Well, yes, I guess you could call that coercion. But it's a very typical criminal case. It's not unusual. Maybe, just maybe he pleaded guilty because he didn't want to go to jail for a long time.

This was not a bad plea agreement for him. The maximum he could face was 20 years.

BLITZER: It's an amazing, an amazing story, and we'll continue to follow it. Thanks very much, Victoria Tonesing.

One more question before I let you go. As you look at the overall issue involved in the Patriot Act and the concerns that have been raised by many of the critics, would you go so far as to suggest that there's going to be a constitutional question that will eventually reach the Supreme Court?

TOENSING: Oh, there will be several constitutional questions that will reach the Supreme Court, Wolf. The Hamdi (ph) kind of case, can somebody not have access to a lawyer if he is a U.S. citizen or if he's not a U.S. citizen? Those are just two issues right there -- the secrecy of the detainees, which was a court of appeals decision this week upholding the Justice Department. But that's going to go to the Supreme Court. There is a list and I'm sure we'll be discussing them all right here.

BLITZER: Victoria Toensing will be discussing them with me. Thanks very much, Vicki, for joining us today.

Let's move on to another extraordinary legal case, something probably stranger than fiction. It involves two brothers, two very different brothers, potentially pitted against each other. One is an alleged mobster. One is a university president.

Our Bob Franken is standing by in Washington with this extraordinary story -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And far too convoluted to be a book that anybody would read, Wolf.

But the story really concerns ultimately Whitey Bulger. James Bulger who is a man the FBI has said has been an informant for a long time and has been indicted in connection with 21 murders. And he's been missing since 1995.

Now his brother, University of Massachusetts President William Bulger, who refused to testify before a Congressional committee about his whereabouts in December. He's saying that he was possibly going to be incriminated by the testimony. Now that he's gotten a judge to order him to testify, granting him immunity, he testified before the Congressional committee today and said that he really didn't have much information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BULGER, UNIV. OF MASS. PRESIDENT: I do not know where my brother is. I do not know where he has been over the past eight years. I have not aided James Bulger in any way while he has been a fugitive. Do I possess information that could lead to my brother's arrest? The honest answer is no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now the members of the committee and members of Congress are trying to find out exactly how it is the FBI operates with its informants. In this particular case, in 1995 when James Bulger fled, he had been warned that he was about to be indicted by an FBI agent, John Connolly, who has now been retired. Connolly was convicted in connection with that last year of racketeering.

And the case gets even more complicated because it's all caught up in politics. William Bulger, the university president, has been a Democrat figure in Massachusetts for decades. Top Republicans and even some Democrats are saying he should resign from the University of Massachusetts. That he has not done, but now he has testified before Congress and shed very little light on this very murky story -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob Franken, shedding some light for us as he always does. Thanks, Bob, very much.

And since Whitey Bulger has not been seen or heard from for eight years, it's obviously not possible to get his direct story. But I'm joined by a man who knows him and knows the story firsthand because he lived it.

Edward MacKenzie is a self-confessed former member of Boston's Irish mob who said he was the right-hand man to Whitey Bulger. He's written a book about his experiences. He calls it "Street Soldier." Edward MacKenzie is joining us now live from New York.

Edward, thank you very much for joining us. What do you make about the relationship, as far as you know it, of these two brothers?

EDWARD MACKENZIE, JR., AUTHOR, "STREET SOLDIER": Well, you know, at one time you had William Bulger, who was the president the Massachusetts Senate. And on the other hand you had Whitey Bulger, the president of basically the Massachusetts mob. They were known at one time as a ying and yang of absolute power in Boston.

BLITZER: And in terms of the kind of dealings they had with each other, were these two estranged brothers or were they two loving brothers who happened to have gone in very different directions?

MACKENZIE: I don't know too many brothers that have grown up in the tight-knit neighborhood Irish neighborhood of South Boston that weren't close, very close.

Whitey and William were very close. They loved each other. They always looked out with each other and over the course of the years they protected each other by not being seen in public with each other.

BLITZER: What made one become a mobster and the other become a politician and eventually the president of the University of Massachusetts?

MACKENZIE: Well, typical Irish. One son goes off to the priesthood and another son becomes a cop or one son becomes a top and one become a criminal. It's the environment that you grow up in. One can never guess at what one's destiny would be.

BLITZER: What was the relationship that Whitey had, the alleged mobster, with the FBI?

MACKENZIE: Whitey and the FBI were playing a game together. And the FBI was playing checkers and Whitey was playing chess. And Whitey ultimately won that game. For over two decades he had a close relationship with a couple of rogue agents from the FBI, Boston office. One namely John Conly (ph) who grew up in the same neighborhood. Ironically that William Bulger and White Bulger grew up in it. They were all childhood friends. And basicly these couple of rogue FBI agents gave Whitey cart blanch to do anything, including murder.

BLITZER: Let me read to you one quote from your book, "I worked for him as a street soldier, an enforcer, a leg breaker, a drug runner. I was the hired muscle who distributed drugs for my boss and broke the limbs of those who disrespected him."

That doesn't sound like a pleasant kind of job that you had.

MACKENZIE: I wasn't a very pleasant kind of guy back then, Wolf, and it wasn't a very pleasant atmosphere back then.

BLITZER: How did you turn your life around?

MACKENZIE: In 1990 we got indicted, 51 of us from south Boston. We went to Danbury Federal Prison. Raymond Patriaca (ph), the god father of the Italian mob of New England, told us to our face that it was Whitey Bulger that ratted us out. So basically I was kind of stuck. My boss, the guy that I worked for and respected had ratted me out. So I made the decision I had to do something to save myself. And that's when things started to turn around for me. And I had some children so I had to get back out on the streets to protect and take care of them.

BLITZER: Eddie MacKenzie, is the author of "Street Soldier"

Thanks for joining us from New York.

We have much more news coming up, including this, separated by violence. Two people now potentially a fence that's going up. The Israelis are trying to distance themselves from danger. But will this massive project really keep the peace? I'll take you along both sides.

And terror, tracking out of control. Why some innocent people are being pulled from the airport. The terror list has gotten out of control.

First let's take a look at some other news making headlines around the world.

Two men set themselves on fire outside the French embassy in Rome protesting a crackdown on an Iranian opposition group in France. Three people set themselves on fire yesterday in Paris and London in similar protests.

A 21-year-old American serviceman is in the hands of Japanese police accused of rape. The military facing increasing public anger made a rare move and handed him over before charges were filed.

A controversial birth in England. A woman there underwent fertility treatment to make sure her baby was a genetic match to her older son who has a rare disease. The family hopes stem cells from the infant will cure him.

The author of the Harry Potter books is suing the "New York Daily News." The J.K. Rowlings says the paper published excerpts from her latest novel without her authorization. The book comes out Saturday.

And a warm welcome for Prince William in Wales. He paid a visit. Part of a series of public appearances leading up to this 21st birthday on Saturday. And that's our look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: When we come back, we're going to tell you why this fence, this fence could tell you so much about the conflict here in the Middle East. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's made up of massive walls, electronic fences, ditches. A state of the art surveillance system and patrol roads. And it goes along the border at what at least some call the border between Israel and the West bank.

Will it be a barrier to terrorism or a barrier to peace?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER (voice-over): The Israeli argument is simple. As the poet Robert Frost said, good fences make good neighbors. And so the Israelis have started building a fence that eventually will continue for more than 200 miles, roughly coinciding with the 1967 border with the West Bank. But there are several major detours to ensure that Ariel, Emanuel and other major Jewish settlements on the West Bank are on the Israeli side of the fence. As you can see from the air, it's a massive project. Its eventual cost, an estimated $220 million.

The Israelis say they need this fence to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers and other terrorists from crossing into populated Israeli centers. Most of the infiltrators, they say, have come from the West Bank. Israel already has a fence encircling Gaza. Officials say there have been virtually no infiltrations from there.

(on camera): Right now we're outside of Jerusalem, very close to Bethlehem. This is where the Israelis are building a fence. They, obviously, want this fence to provide them a security. Now take a look at this ditch. This is going to be the ditch where this fence is going to go. On this side where I'm standing is going to be the Israeli-controlled area. On the other side of this ditch, once this fence goes up, and it's going to be high, almost like a wall, that's going to be the Palestinian side. And it's going to literally go all along here, all along down there and it's going to go for miles and miles and miles. And the goal, of course, is to prevent infiltrators from getting into Israeli controlled areas. They think it might help. We'll see.

(voice-over): Most Palestinians say they hate the fence. In part because it will make it more difficult for them to get desperately needed jobs in Israel. It will also, at various locations, divide Palestinian farms and villages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Even the wall of Berlin, the big wall, the people there were jumping over it to the other side to look for work. And this fence, compared with the Berlin Wall, is nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fence will not help. Anyone who wants to cross can do it.

BLITZER: Israelis we spoke to acknowledge it won't provide 100 percent protection, but they insist it will help in the short term. The only long-term solution, they say, is peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you have to get to agreement with the other side. And I hope this is what they will do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What you need a real peace agreement and not a fence. Not a solution, I think.

BLITZER: But Israeli government officials say 7-year-old Naomi Leibowitz (ph) will be alive today if that fence had been completed. Her father was driving her and her 3-year-old sister in central Israel this week, not far from Qalqiliya. They say a Palestinian gunman crossed into Israel and shot them. Her father and sister survived. A fence, the Israelis say, could have prevented the incident.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And earlier in this program we showed you, we were driving out to the West Bank to take a look at the construction site. We were stopped by Israeli military personnel at a check point. They feared their could be some suspicious object along the way. We had to turn back. Eventually we were allowed to come back to the area and continue on our way.

Your privacy is important issue, of course, and as well as your security. Why some watch lists at airports have problems with mistaken identity and what U.S. officials are doing about it right now. That just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Imagine standing in line at an airport and then being hauled away for no apparent reason. It's happening more than you might think. Our Patty Davis is at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. with details -- Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Transportation Security Administration says it's working with airlines to clear up the confusion about passengers getting hauled off because their names apparently, they say, are on a no-fly list. But the TSA is saying what it really needs is an entirely new system to check passenger identities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS (voice-over): It's not easy being a David Nelson at the airport these days. Just ask this Utah financial planner.

DAVID NELSON, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: I'm being flagged, I'm on some list. I believe it's some TSA list.

DAVIS: Same with these David Nelsons in Seattle.

DAVID NELSON (NO. 1), SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: I was kind of escorted away and I wasn't sure if I'd see my wife again or just what was going on. I felt like a criminal.

DAVID NELSON (NO. 2), SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: Why is my name on a list? I'm, you know, Joe Everyday.

DAVIS: The Transportation Security Administration maintains a no-fly list of people who may have terrorist ties and another of those who need additional screening. But it won't say if someone named David Nelson or anyone else, is on either list. That concerns privacy groups.

JAYASHRI SRIKANTIAH, ACLU, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: We want to know how a name gets on the list, how a name can be taken off of the list, how accurate the list is, whether a First Amendment activity is ever a reason for someone being placed on the list. DAVIS: The TSA says it's working to fix the apparent cases of mistaken identity.

Those who have that problem can contact our ombudsman, fill out a form and then go through a process that we hope will allow us to alert the airlines that they are not the people we're interested and thus can fly.

DAVIS: So far, 50 people have contacted the TSA including Asa Eikball (ph), a New York consultant. He's had to turn over certified documents proving his identity and is undergoing a background check.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have much of a choice. That's the thing.

DAVIS: The TSA says a new passenger screening system would end the confusion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS: That new passenger prescreening system is called CAPS II (ph) and the TSA expects it to go into effect sometime next year. It would take your personal information, kind of do a background check on you, check that information against commercial and government databases and find out if you are who you say you are. But some privacy advocates say even then the TSA still would not have to tell you why you ended up mistakenly on a no-fly list or make it any easier to get off that list -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Patty Davis at Reagan National Airport. Very interesting story. Thanks very much.

When we come back, Jay Leno. He has a suggestion to CNN executives.

Plus the results of "Our Web Question of the Day." Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The last couple of days have brought me a new meaning for the term "hot stories".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Driving from Jerusalem to the West Bank can quickly become complicated, especially when the Israeli military closes an area, as it did on this day, citing a suspicious package near the road.

(on camera): We finally reached here at a location not far from Gila Bejella (ph) on the West Bank. It's getting a little complicated, as you can see. Security, the military police may not let us in. We're trying to negotiate whether we can get through this checkpoint over her. Stand by. We'll let you know what's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Finally, this programing note from our friend Jay Leno.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": And Wolf Blitzer has kind of a problem. he's got a show on CNN called "SHOWDOWN: IRAQ", but now the war is over, they need a new name. How about calling it "The Search for Weapons of Mass Destruction"? That's a show that'll run forever, that way.

(LAUGHTER)

LENO: In 10 years you'll still be doing the show, no problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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Troops Endure Four Attacks in 24 Hours>