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CNN Live Today
More Captures of Iraqi Most Wanted
Aired July 09, 2003 - 11:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We go to Iraq now where Central Command says two more Iraqis are on the most wanted list. They are now in custody. CNN nation securtiy correspondent David Ensor joins us. He's in Washington with details on these captures -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, two new members of the card pack of 55, as you say, have been captured in Iraq. Their names are Mizban Khadr Al Hadi, a senior Ba'ath Party official, and Mahmud Dhiyab Al-Ahmad who was interior minister in the Saddam Hussein regime towards the end of its tenure in power.
These bring to 34 the number of -- the senior 55 people that the U.S. is looking for that are now in U.S. hands. And obviously they're going be interrogated closely. They may know quite a bit.
Yesterday, we got the word that a rather important middle-level Iraqi intelligence officer has also now been taken into American custody. He is Ahmed al Ani. And he's interesting because he was based in Prague for many years. And Czech intelligence got evidence he might have met in April of 2001 with Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the September 11 hijackers.
Now U.S. officials say they have no evidence to support such a meeting. And in fact they have some evidence that suggests Mohammed Atta was still in the United States in April of 2001 and was not ever in Prague. Still, there is some evidence suggesting a meeting might have taken place. If it did that of course would have been the first real evidence that there might have been a connection between the regime of Saddam Hussein and the events of September 11. And you may remember there was a lot of interest in that last year.
So, the interrogation of that man will be, let's just say, fairly intense -- Daryn.
KAGAN: I would suspect as much. David Ensor in Washington, thanks for that.
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 July 9, 2003 - 11:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We go to Iraq now where Central Command says two more Iraqis are on the most wanted list. They are now in custody. CNN nation securtiy correspondent David Ensor joins us. He's in Washington with details on these captures -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, two new members of the card pack of 55, as you say, have been captured in Iraq. Their names are Mizban Khadr Al Hadi, a senior Ba'ath Party official, and Mahmud Dhiyab Al-Ahmad who was interior minister in the Saddam Hussein regime towards the end of its tenure in power.
These bring to 34 the number of -- the senior 55 people that the U.S. is looking for that are now in U.S. hands. And obviously they're going be interrogated closely. They may know quite a bit.
Yesterday, we got the word that a rather important middle-level Iraqi intelligence officer has also now been taken into American custody. He is Ahmed al Ani. And he's interesting because he was based in Prague for many years. And Czech intelligence got evidence he might have met in April of 2001 with Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the September 11 hijackers.
Now U.S. officials say they have no evidence to support such a meeting. And in fact they have some evidence that suggests Mohammed Atta was still in the United States in April of 2001 and was not ever in Prague. Still, there is some evidence suggesting a meeting might have taken place. If it did that of course would have been the first real evidence that there might have been a connection between the regime of Saddam Hussein and the events of September 11. And you may remember there was a lot of interest in that last year.
So, the interrogation of that man will be, let's just say, fairly intense -- Daryn.
KAGAN: I would suspect as much. David Ensor in Washington, thanks for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
