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CNN Live Today

Interview With Sajjan Gohel

Aired November 20, 2003 - 10:15   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.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime we've got news on so many different fronts. We're going to go back to the situation in Turkey today, take a closer look at this latest strike of terrorism. Sajjan Gohel is director of international security at the Asia-Pacific Foundation. He joins us from London right now. Thank you very much for being with us.
SAJJAN GOHEL, DIR., INTNL. SECURITY, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Thank you.

LIN: Taking a look at the conditions here, the similarity of the attacks between the two synagogues just last week and now this attack near the British consulate and a British bank, who do you think is responsible? Does this have the ear marks of al Qaeda?

GOHEL: If we look at the sophistication, the coordination, the aim of creating mass casualty attacks, yes, this does have a hallmarks of a trans-national group.

However I think we should be careful before we start labeling with al Qaeda. We've got to remember that al Qaeda is just one component of what is in fact a global jihad movement. There are various terrorist groups that have the same ideology, the same beliefs, and also have the same ability to carry out these attacks. And they are all committed to attacks on Western interests throughout the world.

LIN: Well, at the same time, what do you notice about these attacks? That the pattern that is beginning to develop? You have attacks on Jews, as well as Muslims around these two synagogues. Now you have attacks against British interests. What is a pattern here, if any, that's beginning to develop?

GOHEL: Well, it was seen, since 2003 there's been increase in tempo in the number of attacks we're witnessing on a global scale. We've seen that Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco are also being attacked. We're seeing an increase in attacks against Jewish interests. And we're seeing British interests being attacked now for the first time since September 11 in a major way.

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: ... but also more soft targets, civilian targets where people are very vulnerable.

GOHEL: Well, exactly. Terrorist groups are aiming for soft targets because they know that is where they can achieve maximum damage, maximum devastation and also take in a large number of civilians.

They look for where security is lax, minimal, non-existent, that gives them the most opportune time to strike. And unfortunately as we've seen in Turkey twice within the last space of seven days we've seen soft targets being attacked.

LIN: So given this pattern or what you are theorizing here, who do you think is next?

GOHEL: Well, that's very difficult to pick on a certain country. What this does indicate that there's no such thing as a safe place in the world. There's no Islamic country that is safe, there's no Western country that's safe. Interests around the world are under threat.

The U.S. is also, as always, the primary target for the global terrorist movement and they will -- you have to expect that they will try to undermine U.S. presence wherever it is. They will try to undermine the U.S. allies. And more terrorist attacks will take place.

I think we just got to point on the fact that this has happened during the holy month of Ramadan which has become a favorite period for terrorist groups to attack as they deem it to be the most holiest of times for them to do it. And that's the warped logic that we're dealing with.

LIN: Sajjan, what do you expect in terms of another attack in the United States? What the nature of that attack might be?

GOHEL: Well, I think we can safely say that al Qaeda has not finished with the United States. The ultimate primary goal is to destabilize the U.S.

And they have experimented with all types of attacks before. They have been in the market for purchasing surface-to-air missiles which could bring down airliners. They've been interested in their usual car bomb attacks have become the favorite mode. And even in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks that they have been experimenting in.

So any type of major infrastructure where there's mass population, where's there's economic interests, these are types of places that the global terrorist jihad movement will be aiming at in the U.S. And not just the U.S., but globally, on a global scale.

LIN: A lot of information if not a lot of comfort in what you had to say this morning. Sajjan Gohel, thank you very much, with the Asia-Pacific foundation.

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 November 20, 2003 - 10:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime we've got news on so many different fronts. We're going to go back to the situation in Turkey today, take a closer look at this latest strike of terrorism. Sajjan Gohel is director of international security at the Asia-Pacific Foundation. He joins us from London right now. Thank you very much for being with us.
SAJJAN GOHEL, DIR., INTNL. SECURITY, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Thank you.

LIN: Taking a look at the conditions here, the similarity of the attacks between the two synagogues just last week and now this attack near the British consulate and a British bank, who do you think is responsible? Does this have the ear marks of al Qaeda?

GOHEL: If we look at the sophistication, the coordination, the aim of creating mass casualty attacks, yes, this does have a hallmarks of a trans-national group.

However I think we should be careful before we start labeling with al Qaeda. We've got to remember that al Qaeda is just one component of what is in fact a global jihad movement. There are various terrorist groups that have the same ideology, the same beliefs, and also have the same ability to carry out these attacks. And they are all committed to attacks on Western interests throughout the world.

LIN: Well, at the same time, what do you notice about these attacks? That the pattern that is beginning to develop? You have attacks on Jews, as well as Muslims around these two synagogues. Now you have attacks against British interests. What is a pattern here, if any, that's beginning to develop?

GOHEL: Well, it was seen, since 2003 there's been increase in tempo in the number of attacks we're witnessing on a global scale. We've seen that Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco are also being attacked. We're seeing an increase in attacks against Jewish interests. And we're seeing British interests being attacked now for the first time since September 11 in a major way.

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: ... but also more soft targets, civilian targets where people are very vulnerable.

GOHEL: Well, exactly. Terrorist groups are aiming for soft targets because they know that is where they can achieve maximum damage, maximum devastation and also take in a large number of civilians.

They look for where security is lax, minimal, non-existent, that gives them the most opportune time to strike. And unfortunately as we've seen in Turkey twice within the last space of seven days we've seen soft targets being attacked.

LIN: So given this pattern or what you are theorizing here, who do you think is next?

GOHEL: Well, that's very difficult to pick on a certain country. What this does indicate that there's no such thing as a safe place in the world. There's no Islamic country that is safe, there's no Western country that's safe. Interests around the world are under threat.

The U.S. is also, as always, the primary target for the global terrorist movement and they will -- you have to expect that they will try to undermine U.S. presence wherever it is. They will try to undermine the U.S. allies. And more terrorist attacks will take place.

I think we just got to point on the fact that this has happened during the holy month of Ramadan which has become a favorite period for terrorist groups to attack as they deem it to be the most holiest of times for them to do it. And that's the warped logic that we're dealing with.

LIN: Sajjan, what do you expect in terms of another attack in the United States? What the nature of that attack might be?

GOHEL: Well, I think we can safely say that al Qaeda has not finished with the United States. The ultimate primary goal is to destabilize the U.S.

And they have experimented with all types of attacks before. They have been in the market for purchasing surface-to-air missiles which could bring down airliners. They've been interested in their usual car bomb attacks have become the favorite mode. And even in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks that they have been experimenting in.

So any type of major infrastructure where there's mass population, where's there's economic interests, these are types of places that the global terrorist jihad movement will be aiming at in the U.S. And not just the U.S., but globally, on a global scale.

LIN: A lot of information if not a lot of comfort in what you had to say this morning. Sajjan Gohel, thank you very much, with the Asia-Pacific foundation.

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