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Urgent Worldwide Security Alert Issued for More Than a Dozen Al Qaeda Fighters; Jury Selection Under Way in Case of Zacarias Moussaoui

Aired February 06, 2006 - 10:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: An urgent worldwide security alert has been issued for more than a dozen al Qaeda fighters who have escaped from a prison in Yemen. Among the fugitives, the mastermind of the attack on the USS Cole. That bombing killed 17 U.S. sailors in 2000.
Let's get the latest from our CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

Barbara, hello.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

I was just speaking to U.S. official about how serious this matter is, and he describes these escapees, in his words, as a dream list for Osama bin Laden; 23 Yemenis escaping -- 23 people escaping from a Yemeni jail last Friday, several of them members of al Qaeda, including the man, as you say, who is directly linked to the bombing of the Cole. That man is Jamal Badawi. Mastermind or not, he certainly was involved, according to all accounts, in the bombing of the Cole. It is now believed that these men tunneled their way out of a highly secure prison facility in the capital of Yemen, the city of Sanaa. Security forces from the Yemeni government are now fanning out across the country, including the capital, on the lookout, trying to find these men. And as you say, Interpol has now issued an urgent alert warning all 184 of its member countries to be on the lookout -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr, live at the Pentagon. Thank you.

Other developing news today. Jury selection is under way this hour in the case of Zacarias Moussaoui. He's the only person charged in connection in the U.S., in connection with the 9/11 attacks. Moussaoui has already confessed to taking part in the al Qaeda plot of flying planes into prominent U.S. buildings, but he says he didn't know about the specific 9/11 plans. The trial will decide whether Moussaoui should be executed or serve life in prison.

Our Jeanne Meserve is serving as the broadcast pool reporter for this trial, and she just stepped out of the courtroom. Here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT on camera): "I want to be heard." The judge told him this was not a time for him to be speaking. He said, "I do not want to be represented by these people. These people do not represent me." The judge sent the marshals to remove him from the court. He said, "I am not resisting." As the marshals took him out, he put his hands on top of his head as he walked, and said, "They are not my lawyers. I am al Qaeda. They do not represent me. They are Americans." And as he exited the courtroom, he said "This trial is a circus."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were escorted into the courtroom shortly before the proceedings began. The jurors were being asked their number to make sure that they were there, they were attending. The jurors that we saw, there were probably be 120 roughly, jurors in the room in the spectator seats. They were predominantly white audience. It looked like age was sort of 20 to 50 average. There ere very few African-Americans in the audience.

At one point, the court officer went around and said, told people who are reading newspapers, that newspapers -- put your newspapers away, please, this is a court. We saw no military personnel in uniform in the jury.

MESERVE: There were, we found out late in the session, approximately 17 people who were supposed to be in this jury pool who did not show up for this session this morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lawyers introduced themselves. The lawyers are all known to us, Rob Spencer for the prosecution, David Novak for the prosecution, David Raskin for the prosecution. The defense includes Ed McMahon, Gerald Zirkin and Alan Yamamoto (ph). Later in the proceedings, they introduced two colleagues, Ken Tripoli (ph)...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We've been listening in to tape that was just shot outside the federal courthouse where Zacarias Moussaoui, the trial's going on, the jury selection taking place. He is the only person currently in the U.S. who has been charged to any kind of connection with the 9/11 attacks. And that was our Jeanne Meserve serving as one of the pool reporters. Her first comments were what she heard Zacarias Moussaoui say as he was led out of the courthouse.

Joining us for a closer look at this is former U.S. attorney Kendall Coffey. He is in Miami.

Kendall, hello.

KENDALL COFFEY, FMR. U.S. ATTY.: Hey, good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: So it seems like, once again, Zacarias Moussaoui not happy with his legal representation.

COFFEY: He has created difficulties at every turn in the case. For a period, he was actually representing himself, then the judge said he was abusing it, no right to represent himself, appointed counsel to represent him, back and forth on a guilty plea. Ultimately, as we know, he did plead guilty. Now there's a sentencing trial. Let's see where it goes from here.

KAGAN: This one has taken four years to make it to this point. Why so long?

COFFEY: There extraordinary difficulties reflecting the collision between national security concerns and the rights of a defendant in a civilian court. And in particular, the problem was getting access to high-level people in al Qaeda who are held incommunicado in foreign bases around the world, who the defense said they needed to speak to fairly represent the interests of Moussaoui.

Ultimately he pled guilty. That issue is beside us. Now it's time to look at whether or not this man should live or die.

KAGAN: And it's taking the judge is estimating a month just to seat the jury.

COFFEY: Well, we're all traumatized by what happened in 9/11. This trial is taking place barely miles from the Pentagon. So This is a high-level concern around the country, but especially in this community.

KAGAN: So as the decision with this sentence, life in prison, or the death penalty, what will be the burden for either side?

COFFEY: Well the government has to show a couple things. In particular, they need to show that he had some way of -- in which his conduct actually directly contributed to 9/11. They no longer say he was a 20th hijacker. In fact, he was supposed to be part of a second wave of suicide bombings.

So what they're trying to establish is that because he lied to the government more than a month before 9/11. Had he told the truth, that would have been enough information for the government to have been able to connect the dots and perhaps prevent the terrible atrocities of 9/11.

KAGAN: Kendall Coffey live from Miami. Kendall, thank you.

Now to an issue that is causing outrage in the Muslim world: European newspaper cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed. In Washington this hour, the Muslim American Society is holding a news conference. The group is announcing an American-European interfaith initiative. That initiative advocates the approach that respects religion and supports free speech values.

Meanwhile, overseas the furor over the editorial cartoon shows no signs of dying. In Afghanistan today, protesters unsuccessfully tried to break into the Danish diplomatic mission. There was a march in New Zealand, where the caricatures were republished in a newspaper. And in Beirut, tensions remain high after protesters attacked the building housing the Danish consulate.

Our Beirut bureau chief Brent Sadler joins us with more on that.

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Daryn. Good morning.

Lebanese authorities have at the outset apologized officially to the Danish authorities for the storming of a high-rise office block in downtown Beirut that was set upon by thousands of violent demonstrators. They ransacked, first of all, the ground floor, torched the first three floors of the building, but the demonstrators failed to break inside the actual Danish consulate offices on the fourth floor, because the area was re-enforced with very heavy steel doors.

Nevertheless, in the aftermath of this violence, the authorities here are now claiming that this protest, which initially set out according to religious leaders here as every intention of being a peaceful protest, against, they said, attacks from Islam to cartoons, caricatures of the prophet Mohammed, it was hijacked, in effect, its claimed, by political extremists, and that in a country that was once divided by civil war between Christians and Muslims is a very dangerous red line to go anywhere near, let alone cross -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Brent Sadler, live from Beirut, thank you.

We'll have more news from here in the U.S. just ahead, including we'll check in on the markets. They have been open just over an hour. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The markets have been open about an hour and fifteen minutes, getting a slow start on this Monday morning. You can see the Dow not moving up much. It's up seven points. And the Nasdaq, it has moved down just a little bit. It is down four points.

Well speaking of money, get ready for the debate about your tax dollars and how they should be spent. It is budget time in Washington. President Bush sent Congress his $2.7 trillion spending plan this morning. And you are looking at the hand-off. The budget blueprint includes some big increases for the military and homeland security, but it puts the squeeze on some other government programs, including Medicare.

Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has the highlights of the plan. Good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Well, this is what we are talking about here. Weighs about 15 pounds. It is mighty hefty, of course. And as expected, there are big cuts, but they're also big increases in very different areas. The Office of Management and Budget Director Josh Bolten is giving a briefing at the White House at this hour to talk about some of the details.

Here the highlights. It's $2.77 trillion for fiscal 2007. The White House is proposing to eliminate or cut 141 federal programs, worth about $14.5 billion. Also want to slow down the Medicare spending by making reductions in those payment increases to hospitals and nursing homes. We're talking about in the tune of $36 billion over five years.

Now, increases -- this is expected here, of course -- defense spending by 7 percent, bringing up to about $440 billion, with an additional $120 billion for the war against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also homeland security spending increases, more than 5 percent, perhaps even closer to 7 percent. And then Gulf Coast hurricane relief, about $18 billion that the president is asking for. That, of course, bringing the total up to about $100 billion for hurricane relief.

Already, Daryn, there are some complaints and criticism from Democrats, others, who say that this is a budget that is simply hurts the poor. One of those, Senator Kent Conrad, a Democrat of North Dakota, saying -- very quickly -- "We have seen this playbook before. Every year the Bush administration talks about fiscal responsibility but in the end, its policies dig us deeper into deficit and debt. Its results not matter, not talk. The results so far have disastrous for our country."

So Daryn, just to give you a little bit of the taste of the tone, the tenor, of course, the debate with Congress. This is going to be very heated over this 2007 budget -- Daryn.

KAGAN: It's probably one of the few things conservative and liberal could agree on, because neither happy with the amount that President Bush is spending, or proposes to spend.

MALVEAUX: It's going to be a tough battle on the Hill to get this one through.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, the good news is it's the one day of the year you can do the workout and be at work at the same time by doing reps with the big budget book.

MALVEAUX: Fifteen (INAUDIBLE).

KAGAN: Suzanne, thank you.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

KAGAN: Let's take a look at other stories making news coast to coast on this Monday morning.

First to Los Angeles County. A lockdown remains in effect this morning at a maximum security jail after two nights of violence. Ten people were hurt in fighting yesterday between Latino and African- American inmates. This comes after a riot on Saturday left one inmate dead and more than 100 injured. Investigators say Saturday's violence was fueled by racial tension and a feud between rival gangs.

In Brooklyn, police say a bodyguard for rap artist Busta Rhymes was shot to death outside a warehouse where a music video was being shot. No one else was hurt in the shooting early Sunday morning. The bodyguard has been identified as 29-year-old Israel Ramirez. In New Jersey, crews are cleaning up thousands of gallons of fuel that spilled into the Passaic River. Authorities say the fuel leaked from an above ground tank over the weekend. They estimate that anywhere from four to 9,000 gallons of oil seeped into the river. Authorities say the area's drinking water has not been compromised.

In New Orleans, a 41st annual Mardi Gras marathon gets off on the right foot. It was the Crescent City's first major sporting event since Hurricane Katrina. All net proceeds from Sunday's event go to a special fund to help the city's police officers rebuild their homes.

And in Washington, thousands pack the streets of Chinatown to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which officially began on January 29th. And despite that it's the year of the dog, dragons were the most popular characters in Sunday's parade. According to the Chinese calendar, it is the year 4073. That just might make you feel a little bit younger.

A different kind of parade is underway this morning, on the catwalks of New York City. Fashion Week 2006. We'll take you there live coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And we're watching two stories live this hour. On the left side of your screen, the Senate Judiciary Committee holding hearings about the NSA domestic-spying program. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez is on the hot seat. He is defending that today. And we've been listening at different times to parts of his testimony.

On the right part of your screen, that is the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. Zacarias Moussaoui, the alleged -- the confessed al Qaeda conspirator is being -- it's the part of the trial that decides his sentence. Will he be in prison for the rest of his life, or will he get the death sentence? Jury selection started today. And just as it did, he had to be led out of the courtroom as he was protesting that his current legal staff does not represent him, and that he said the whole entire trial, at this point, was a circus.

More on both of those just ahead.

Meanwhile, it might be winter outside, but on the New York runways, fall is on the air. Fashion Week is getting under way, and top designers are in a frenzy. Every season we take you backstage to some of the fashion industry's top stars. CNN's Sibila Vargas joins us from New York.

Hi, Sibila.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN COOPER:: Hi, Daryn.

That's right, we are smack dab in the heart of fashion week. About 100 designers will be out here showing their fall fashions, like you said. And about 4,000 outfits are going to be seen.

Some of those outfits, of course, belonging to Carolina Herrera. How are you?

CAROLINE HERRERA, DESIGNER: Very well. I'm so relieved that everything went...

VARGAS: You just showed the fashion line, your fall collection. How are you feeling exactly? Because I know before that you said you had butterflies in your tummy.

HERRERA: Of course it's always like that before the show, but I feel so well that I think everything went well. I was not sitting in the audience, because I was in the backstage. I hope it went well.

VARGAS: It went wonderfully. You have been doing this for over two decades. Why is New York so important?

HERRERA: I think New York is one of the capitals of fashion, is becoming one. And before it was Paris and Italy, but now New York is a very important place to show. And I think many European designers have a dream to come and show in New York. It's very important.

VARGAS: What makes these shows -- what makes it a success? What makes your show a success?

HERRERA: I think it's a combination of many things. First of all, the designs, and the materials and the details of the clothes and all that. But also the models, and the hair and the makeup. And I mean it's a combination of many things. It's not only wearing the clothes and that's it. The music, the ambience, the people -- everything. It's a lot of ingredients here.

VARGAS: Tell me some of the trends? I saw a lot of reds, and you had some maybe burnt orange. You'll have to help me with the verbiage, because I'm not quite...

HERRERA: I like colors for fall. And to mix them, as you saw.

But I also use black and pencil skirts. Pencil skirts are very big ball gowns.

VARGAS: And I know you like color.

I mean, you are from Caracas, Venezuela. Do your roots -- how do your roots influence what you design?

HERRERA: Well, you know, your roots always influence in a way. But they always ask me, because I'm Latin, are you using the colors in the Latin way? But it's not that, because colors are -- I mean, everybody uses colors. If you take the German expressionist, they used to call bright colors, and they were not Latin. So it's -- colors is universal, and color is fashion, too.

VARGAS: So just in a few words, what do you think this fall is going to be about?

HERRERA: I think this fall is going to be about a seductive woman, like the one you saw today in the show.

VARGAS: Thank you very much.

HERRERA: Thank you so much.

VARGAS: A pleasure meeting you. A beautiful line.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: All right, Sibila Vargas backstage at Fashion Week. Sibila, thank you.

We have a lot more news just ahead. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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