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CNN Live Today

Hijacking Plot?

Aired July 29, 2003 - 11:08   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: Federal authorities are quietly warning airlines about a possible September 11th-style hijacking in the coming weeks.
Let's turn to our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve in Washington with more on that this morning.

Jeanne, good morning.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

An advisory went out Saturday to the aviation sector and state and local governments, warning them of a possible threat of hijackings of commercial aircraft. The information was developed in part from the interrogations of high-level Al Qaeda detainees, according to intelligence officials.

But some government officials are questioning the information's credibility. One official calling it, quote, "dubious." The investigation and the evaluations continue.

Sources say the possible scenario authorities are looking at is different from that used on 9/11, in that it would not require the hijackers to have any type of flight training. Officials say the hijackers might try to lead passengers to believe they are facing a conventional hostage situation, rather than the use of aircraft as a weapon. One official says that by doing this the hijackers might hope to minimize the chances that passengers would take preemptive action as they did on United flight 93. Passengers on that September 11 flight were aware, a plane that crashed into the World Trade Center, and apparently decided to attack the terrorists who had commandeered their plane before it could be used to hit another target.

The advisory since Saturday warns of the possible targeting of national symbols, sites of economic importance, and venues where there would be high casualties.

One homeland security source says, there is concern about domestic targets and U.S. interests overseas, and that the time period of concern runs through the heavy summer travel season.

There are no plans to hike the nation's threat level at this point, but the aviation sector has been encouraged to be on the lookout for new and different terrorist techniques, and implement new, random security measures though officials won't say what those are; they don't want to give the terrorists a blueprint. The other goal of the advisory, to let the terrorists know that authorities are onto them, and perhaps short-circuit their plans -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And yet, Jeanne, I have to figure the airlines got to be the last thing they want to come out. You touched on this. Part of busy summer season. Airline traffic is already down. The last thing the airlines need are people even more discouraged from taking that form of transportation.

MESERVE: That's absolutely right. Several of the airlines in some financial trouble at this point. Levels of traffic had begun to rise. This sort of threat is not the sort of thing they welcomed. Neither they welcome the prospect and expense of possible new security measures.

KAGAN: Jeanne Meserve in Washington. Jeanne, thank you 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 29, 2003 - 11:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Federal authorities are quietly warning airlines about a possible September 11th-style hijacking in the coming weeks.
Let's turn to our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve in Washington with more on that this morning.

Jeanne, good morning.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

An advisory went out Saturday to the aviation sector and state and local governments, warning them of a possible threat of hijackings of commercial aircraft. The information was developed in part from the interrogations of high-level Al Qaeda detainees, according to intelligence officials.

But some government officials are questioning the information's credibility. One official calling it, quote, "dubious." The investigation and the evaluations continue.

Sources say the possible scenario authorities are looking at is different from that used on 9/11, in that it would not require the hijackers to have any type of flight training. Officials say the hijackers might try to lead passengers to believe they are facing a conventional hostage situation, rather than the use of aircraft as a weapon. One official says that by doing this the hijackers might hope to minimize the chances that passengers would take preemptive action as they did on United flight 93. Passengers on that September 11 flight were aware, a plane that crashed into the World Trade Center, and apparently decided to attack the terrorists who had commandeered their plane before it could be used to hit another target.

The advisory since Saturday warns of the possible targeting of national symbols, sites of economic importance, and venues where there would be high casualties.

One homeland security source says, there is concern about domestic targets and U.S. interests overseas, and that the time period of concern runs through the heavy summer travel season.

There are no plans to hike the nation's threat level at this point, but the aviation sector has been encouraged to be on the lookout for new and different terrorist techniques, and implement new, random security measures though officials won't say what those are; they don't want to give the terrorists a blueprint. The other goal of the advisory, to let the terrorists know that authorities are onto them, and perhaps short-circuit their plans -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And yet, Jeanne, I have to figure the airlines got to be the last thing they want to come out. You touched on this. Part of busy summer season. Airline traffic is already down. The last thing the airlines need are people even more discouraged from taking that form of transportation.

MESERVE: That's absolutely right. Several of the airlines in some financial trouble at this point. Levels of traffic had begun to rise. This sort of threat is not the sort of thing they welcomed. Neither they welcome the prospect and expense of possible new security measures.

KAGAN: Jeanne Meserve in Washington. Jeanne, thank you 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