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CNN Live Today
British Airways Flights to Saudi Arabia Off Until Further Notice
Aired August 13, 2003 - 10:38 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Once again reminding you about the story we've been following this morning. We are going to go live to London now for the very latest on British Airways' decision to suspend all flights into Saudi Arabia.
We have Tony Campion standing by for the very latest.
Hello to you, Tony.
TONY CAMPION, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi.
As you know, the situation in Saudi Arabia was been increasingly violent, if I can put it in those terms, in recent days and weeks, the security situation deteriorating. Now we have the former British state airline, British Airways, canceling all the flights into country. They, generally speaking, run eight flights a week. First two flights to be affected, one should have left about an hour ago to Riyadh, and there would have been one later today, 7:00 p.m. London time, to Jedda.
What the situation seems to be, the British government, the Department of Transport here, seemed to have talks with British Airways late last night our time, and that's to say something between 12 and 18 hours ago. No flights could have gone since those talks were held, although we're only learning about the cancellation of flights now. And what seems to have happened is the Department for Transport knew about some credible threats towards British interests, British aircraft potentially.
I'll just read you a statement here for what the airline's director of safety and security said. It says, "As a matter of precaution, we have decided to suspend all flights to Saudi Arabia for the time being, and we will continue to liase closely with the British government. So this is essentially government advice to British airways.
Now let me give you a bit of context, this is quite interesting. When we take into account also, what a Saudi official was telling reporters in Washington yesterday, Tuesday, because what that Saudi said, was that he was trying to emphasize the degree of cooperation between Saudi authorities an and the U.S. when it comes to, you know, the war on terror generally. And he was saying that on Monday, this is now two days ago, 10 people were arrested in Saudi Arabia, who the officials say were part of a major cell, a major cell was the phrased used, and that that cell was aimed at a British target. Now at that point, we didn't know what that target was, he wouldn't specify, but he says the Saudis had briefed British authorities about the plot.
So it seems as if we're now beginning to unwind what's happened. There was an arrest on Monday. The U.S. official who confirms the arrests in Saudi Arabia on Monday said that seized materials in that raid contained information that showed an interest in British aircraft. So here we have another piece in the clue, in the jigsaw puzzle. And so we have the arrests on Monday, and then on Tuesday, we have, as I say, the Saudi officials speaking in Washington, highlighting the threat to British interests, and saying that he briefed British authorities. And now British Airways canceling out of its flights to Saudi Arabia. It's pretty clear what the Saudi official on Tuesday had been inferring -- Heidi.
COLLINS: We'll continue to the follow the story. Tony Campion, live from London. We will check in with you should anything else develop.
Thanks so much, Tony.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Notice>
Aired August 13, 2003 - 10:38 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Once again reminding you about the story we've been following this morning. We are going to go live to London now for the very latest on British Airways' decision to suspend all flights into Saudi Arabia.
We have Tony Campion standing by for the very latest.
Hello to you, Tony.
TONY CAMPION, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi.
As you know, the situation in Saudi Arabia was been increasingly violent, if I can put it in those terms, in recent days and weeks, the security situation deteriorating. Now we have the former British state airline, British Airways, canceling all the flights into country. They, generally speaking, run eight flights a week. First two flights to be affected, one should have left about an hour ago to Riyadh, and there would have been one later today, 7:00 p.m. London time, to Jedda.
What the situation seems to be, the British government, the Department of Transport here, seemed to have talks with British Airways late last night our time, and that's to say something between 12 and 18 hours ago. No flights could have gone since those talks were held, although we're only learning about the cancellation of flights now. And what seems to have happened is the Department for Transport knew about some credible threats towards British interests, British aircraft potentially.
I'll just read you a statement here for what the airline's director of safety and security said. It says, "As a matter of precaution, we have decided to suspend all flights to Saudi Arabia for the time being, and we will continue to liase closely with the British government. So this is essentially government advice to British airways.
Now let me give you a bit of context, this is quite interesting. When we take into account also, what a Saudi official was telling reporters in Washington yesterday, Tuesday, because what that Saudi said, was that he was trying to emphasize the degree of cooperation between Saudi authorities an and the U.S. when it comes to, you know, the war on terror generally. And he was saying that on Monday, this is now two days ago, 10 people were arrested in Saudi Arabia, who the officials say were part of a major cell, a major cell was the phrased used, and that that cell was aimed at a British target. Now at that point, we didn't know what that target was, he wouldn't specify, but he says the Saudis had briefed British authorities about the plot.
So it seems as if we're now beginning to unwind what's happened. There was an arrest on Monday. The U.S. official who confirms the arrests in Saudi Arabia on Monday said that seized materials in that raid contained information that showed an interest in British aircraft. So here we have another piece in the clue, in the jigsaw puzzle. And so we have the arrests on Monday, and then on Tuesday, we have, as I say, the Saudi officials speaking in Washington, highlighting the threat to British interests, and saying that he briefed British authorities. And now British Airways canceling out of its flights to Saudi Arabia. It's pretty clear what the Saudi official on Tuesday had been inferring -- Heidi.
COLLINS: We'll continue to the follow the story. Tony Campion, live from London. We will check in with you should anything else develop.
Thanks so much, Tony.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Notice>
