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CNN Saturday Morning News
10 With Possible Links to Terrorists Detained in Nairobi
Aired June 21, 2003 - 09:24 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.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: We have a developing story that we need to pass along to you coming to us out of Nairobi. It was yesterday that the U.S. embassy was shut down there by the State Department. We are learning now that there could possibly be at least 10 people detained for a possible link to a terrorist plot. They are related to al Qaeda. At least, that was the word yesterday.
We have our Catherine Bond on the phone who's in that region to give us an update. Catherine, good morning.
CATHERINE BOND, CNN NAIROBI BUREAU CHIEF: Well, the Kenyans in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the predominantly Somalia area of Nairobi called Esily (ph) yesterday, a suburb that's fairly close to the city center. And they didn't (UNINTELLIGIBLE) they detained a number of people. It's not clear yet they're detaining them because they happen to be Somalis without identity papers, or whether they're detaining them because they reason to believe that they may be (UNINTELLIGIBLE) any terrorist plot here in Kenya, Thomas.
ROBERTS: And Catherine, as you said, it's still uncertain exactly if they are, in fact, linked to this, but I guess what is the sense, the tone being taken there, especially after the embassy was shut down yesterday?
BOND: I think the Kenyans feel under pressure from the United States to do something about the terrorist alert here. The American ambassador to Kenya, Johnny Carson, was quoted in the papers here today as having said on one of the television stations here this week that the U.S. may close its embassy in Kenya if the Kenyan authorities can't tighten up on security sufficiently.
And so I think they feel that they must be seen to be doing something. And Esily is a very crime-prone area. It's known to be very lawless. So that is one of the first places which (UNINTELLIGIBLE) where they would look for anybody they might feel has fallen foul of the law.
Secondly, the other significant development here today is that the office of the president has ordered a directive, issued a directive, to put a flight ban on all flights to and from Somalia from Kenya. There's about 10 or 15 flights that go each day from the private airfield here in Nairobi, mostly carrying a mild narcotic drug called Nura (ph), which is one of Kenya's exports, to Somalia, it's a trade of about $30,000 a day. And also passengers. And today those flights have been suspended indefinitely. ROBERTS: Our Catherine Bond reporting to us this morning. Catherine, keep us updated. Thanks very much. Catherine telling us about the situation there where Kenyan police have taken several people into custody, possibly linked to the situation there where terrorism -- a terrorism plot could be linked to al Qaeda.
Also we're learning that there has been a flight ban from Somalia to Kenya, that being issued by the president. We'll of course keep you updated on this throughout the morning.
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 June 21, 2003 - 09:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: We have a developing story that we need to pass along to you coming to us out of Nairobi. It was yesterday that the U.S. embassy was shut down there by the State Department. We are learning now that there could possibly be at least 10 people detained for a possible link to a terrorist plot. They are related to al Qaeda. At least, that was the word yesterday.
We have our Catherine Bond on the phone who's in that region to give us an update. Catherine, good morning.
CATHERINE BOND, CNN NAIROBI BUREAU CHIEF: Well, the Kenyans in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the predominantly Somalia area of Nairobi called Esily (ph) yesterday, a suburb that's fairly close to the city center. And they didn't (UNINTELLIGIBLE) they detained a number of people. It's not clear yet they're detaining them because they happen to be Somalis without identity papers, or whether they're detaining them because they reason to believe that they may be (UNINTELLIGIBLE) any terrorist plot here in Kenya, Thomas.
ROBERTS: And Catherine, as you said, it's still uncertain exactly if they are, in fact, linked to this, but I guess what is the sense, the tone being taken there, especially after the embassy was shut down yesterday?
BOND: I think the Kenyans feel under pressure from the United States to do something about the terrorist alert here. The American ambassador to Kenya, Johnny Carson, was quoted in the papers here today as having said on one of the television stations here this week that the U.S. may close its embassy in Kenya if the Kenyan authorities can't tighten up on security sufficiently.
And so I think they feel that they must be seen to be doing something. And Esily is a very crime-prone area. It's known to be very lawless. So that is one of the first places which (UNINTELLIGIBLE) where they would look for anybody they might feel has fallen foul of the law.
Secondly, the other significant development here today is that the office of the president has ordered a directive, issued a directive, to put a flight ban on all flights to and from Somalia from Kenya. There's about 10 or 15 flights that go each day from the private airfield here in Nairobi, mostly carrying a mild narcotic drug called Nura (ph), which is one of Kenya's exports, to Somalia, it's a trade of about $30,000 a day. And also passengers. And today those flights have been suspended indefinitely. ROBERTS: Our Catherine Bond reporting to us this morning. Catherine, keep us updated. Thanks very much. Catherine telling us about the situation there where Kenyan police have taken several people into custody, possibly linked to the situation there where terrorism -- a terrorism plot could be linked to al Qaeda.
Also we're learning that there has been a flight ban from Somalia to Kenya, that being issued by the president. We'll of course keep you updated on this throughout the morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
