Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown
Bush Says Dirty Bomb Suspect is Where He Belongs; Colorado Fires Worst in State History; Pentagon Commemorates 9/11
Aired June 11, 2002 - 22:00 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.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening again. I'm Aaron Brown.
I suppose I knew we were destined to do this bit of business tonight about this time last night. There's been quite a spirited e- mail discussion today about the case of Jose Padilla, the American being held in a military brig, who the government alleges was part of a plot to explode a dirty bomb in the United States.
There was both praise and condemnation, and I was uncomfortable with both. For one, I didn't say the government was wrong. I this space yesterday I said I'm not sure, but denying an American, any American the most basic rights is extraordinary. Indeed, as best I can tell, it's only happened one other time, and that it might be necessary and right, I said, is just one more reason to hate what happened to all of us on the 11th of September. The blame, it seemed to me, was fairly placed on the terrorists.
Without doing what my favorite boss accuses me of sometimes doing, excessive hand-wringing, how can we not ask questions about this matter?
Here you have a man denied a lawyer, a formal charge, the presumption of innocence, something absolutely antithetical to American life -- how can we avoid asking questions about the law in this case? What kind of reporters would we be? And I don't honestly believe even the most critical viewer, if he took a step back, would want us to stop asking these questions -- not taking a stand, not saying this is right and that is wrong, but asking questions.
And one more thing on this, whatever you accuse me of in your e- mails, please don't accuse me ever of forgetting the events of the 11th. How could I possibly? Nine months to the day of the attack, there was another firefighter funeral here in New York today, and today in Washington, workers completed a repair on the facade at the Pentagon, marked it with a ceremony.
No one that I know, certainly not I, have forgotten the events, have forgotten the victims in New York and Pennsylvania and Washington, nor have we forgotten why they died, why the terrorists hate this country so much. It is as the president said, they hate our freedoms.
With that, the whip begins in the case of Jose Padilla and the questions on the table. Deborah Feyerick, our lead reporter on that tonight. Deborah, the headline please.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, the dirty bomb suspect, new details on who he is, his run-ins with the law, and what happened when the Justice Department turned him over to the military.
BROWN: Deb, thank you. How that story played out tonight in Washington, Jeanne Meserve has been tracking that for us, Jeanne a headline from you, please.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The administration says Padilla's detention isn't about trial and punishment. It is about getting information and they plan to keep him right where they have him in a Navy brig. Aaron.
BROWN: Jeanne, thank you. The latest on the case of Elizabeth Smart from Salt Lake City, there is a latest in the case. Frank Buckley has been working that, Frank, the headline from you tonight.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, a change in the tone of the investigation here in the abduction of Elizabeth Smart. No longer are police frustrated about a lack of significant leads. In fact today, they tell us they have some promising leads. They also have some insight into the type of suspect they're after. In fact, they say they may have already interviewed him -- Aaron.
BROWN: Frank, thank you, back with you shortly. Also tonight, we'll go to Colorado to update you on these terrible raging forest fires there. We'll also talk with the head of FEMA, Joe Allbaugh, FEMA out there trying to help in the effort, both to take care of the fires and to take care of the people whose lives have been affected by the fires. That's coming up as well.
And there is more, as they say in the TV ad, the mayor who can whip up a mean Marinara sauce, if only that were the only thing that the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island was known for. Buddy Cianci, awaiting a decision by a jury in a sweeping corruption trial, he is absolutely an American original but he is in his first interview since the trial began tonight here on NEWSNIGHT.
And again, remembering the work to repair the Pentagon, nine months to the day after September 11. We'll close tonight on the ceremony at the Pentagon, all that to come.
We begin with Jose Padilla, who may have been planning an attack of his own on Washington. The list of things we don't yet know remains a long one, how he came to convert to Islam, where he was recruited as the government says he was by al Qaeda, how many other suspects the government is looking for.
But if we don't know everything yet, we do know more about Padilla and his odyssey from the streets of Chicago to a brig in South Carolina. We learned some of it from his lawyer, who was in court today and will be again tomorrow, trying to get her client released. Here again tonight, CNN's Deborah Feyerick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FEYERICK (voice-over): Lawyer Donna Newman last saw client Jose Padilla Friday. He was at New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center in 23-hour lockdown, she says, on a maximum security floor used for suspected terrorists.
DONNA NEWMAN, ATTORNEY FOR JOSE PADILLA: My client was not a prisoner and he, any movement was, there's what we call the three- piece suit, which includes the wrist irons, the leg irons, and the belt with the shackle.
FEYERICK: Shortly after their meeting and before the government could ever file formal charges, Newman says Padilla was moved to a military prison in South Carolina, without her knowledge. His status changed from material witness to what the government calls an enemy combatant. The Attorney General has publicly, not formally accused Padilla of scooping out targets where a radioactive bomb could potentially be set off.
NEWMAN: My client is a citizen. Nothing has changed with respect to that. The last time I looked at the Constitution, he still had constitutional rights.
FEYERICK: Padilla, who calls himself Abdullah Al Muhajir, also has a long criminal record. Documents in Chicago and Florida show Padilla being arrested several times, as a juvenile and an adult, for a number of violent crimes like Armed Robbery.
He used a string of fake names, Jose Rivera, Jose Hernandez, Julio Rodriguez, and he repeatedly failed to show in court for traffic violations. Though he did serve a year in jail, there are still warrants for his arrest in both Chicago and Florida.
In 1996, Padilla married a woman in Florida. Documents show when she filed for divorce two years ago, she listed Padilla's last known address as Alzaytaon (ph), Cairo.
A State Department source says in February, Padilla showed up at the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan saying he lost his passport. A month later, he got a new one, but not before officials raised a red flag.
RICAHRD BOUCHER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: The consular officer brought the application to the regional security officer's attention. The regional security officer then investigated Mr. Padilla's identity and his activities in Pakistan and shared that information with other officials, including the FBI and the Consulate General.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (on camera): Officials say Padilla traveled to Pakistan, Egypt and Switzerland before landing in Chicago a month ago. That's where he was arrested. His lawyer is trying to get Padilla released, saying he's being held unlawfully. Aaron.
BROWN: Well, set that last question aside for a minute, just a couple of things. Some you may know. Some you may not. Do we know where he was recruited, if in fact he was recruited? Do we know that?
FEYERICK: There have been some reports that he was recruited while he was serving time in prison and that's what they have so far.
BROWN: It is not uncommon, we know, for men to convert to Islam while in prison, but this is the first time, at least I've heard, that maybe there is an al Qaeda connection in prisons. Was this a surprise to officials if you know?
FEYERICK: What sources are indicating is that it was a surprise. They didn't expect somebody who did convert to Islam to then be in touch with an al Qaeda operative, and so that's the big question they're asking now is, who was in touch with him, who did he talk to and how did he get involved in this whole thing going to Afghanistan and Pakistan and the countries that he did travel to?
BROWN: And one more, the lost passport, for people who might not know, why is that one of those things that gets the attention of an embassy?
FEYERICK: It gets the attention of embassies because basically a lot of the jihad soldiers, when they do go to Afghanistan, they want to wipe it off their passports. So what they'll tend to do is they'll lose that passport and then simply apply for another one.
And also, sources tell us that they're a bit confused as to why a man by the name of Jose Padilla would have been wandering around Karachi, Pakistan. So that was another thing that made them go to the right sources, the right intelligence agents and say, check this guy's background out.
BROWN: And was that the first dot in the sequence of dots the government says it connected, this kind of happenstance wandering into the embassy or the consulate asking for a passport?
FEYERICK: There's some indication that, in fact, that he was on the radar, and again his name came up because of another top al Qaeda leader who's in custody, Abu Zubaydah, and Abu Zubaydah was being very coy, didn't give officials any names per se, but did give them enough information. So that they were able to go to other al Qaeda operatives who were being detained in Guantanamo and say, "we think we got the guy. We think we know who he is." And then when the Consular General said basically said, you know, here's a man that we're suspicious about, all the red flags went off, the bells, and they were able to get him.
BROWN: I can't stump you on anything tonight.
FEYERICK: Sorry.
BROWN: You're very sharp, thank you, Deborah Feyerick tonight. Nice job. President Bush did today what he does so well. He took all the complicated whys and wherefores and gave us essentially the executive summary. "Mr. Padilla" said the president "is a bad guy and he is where he needs to be." It's pretty clear the president would like to leave it at that. It's also pretty clear he can not. So back to CNN's Jeanne Meserve at the White House with what else the administration is saying in our bureau, Jeanne, sorry.
MESERVE: Aaron, President Bush says the arrest of Jose Padilla is proof positive that government agencies are now cooperating in the fight to make America safe from terrorism and Bush says the detention of Padilla is far from the end of the quest to break the back of al Qaeda. In his words, "we will run down every lead, every hint."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As we run down these killers or would-be killers, we'll let you know, and this guy Padilla is one of many who we have arrested. As I said in the speech to West Point, the coalition we have put together has hauled in over 2,400 people and call it 2,401 now, and there's just a full scale manhunt on and Padilla's where he needs to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Padilla has been in a Navy brig in South Carolina and is being classified as an enemy combatant and can be held there indefinitely. Defense Department officials have said that if he is going to be prosecuted, he will be moved back into the criminal justice system. But for now, the Secretary of Defense says they have him exactly where they want him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We're not interested in trying him at the moment. We're not interested in punishing him at the moment. We're interested in finding out what in the world he knows. Here is a person who unambiguously was interested in radiation weapons and terrorist activity and was in league with al Qaeda. Now our job as responsible government officials is to do everything possible to find out what that person knows.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: While Padilla is in military detention, authorities are free to interrogate him as much as they choose, but sources say Padilla is not cooperating and has not since his arrest. Aaron.
BROWN: Jeanne, thank you, Jeanne Meserve in Washington. A little later in the program, by the way, a conversation with a terrorism expert on al Qaeda and what has been done, how much damage has been done, what the organization is still capable of. That's a little bit later coming up.
Up next, Colorado, many people in the outskirts of Denver today were packing up their cars and they weren't planning an early summer's getaway. Well, actually they were but this would be no vacation. They were planning to get away from the worst wildfires in the history of the State of Colorado, a fire that has swept so far and so fast that you can see it now from the Space Shuttle.
It has burned 80,000 acres, and even though the winds calmed down a bit from yesterday, the situation on the ground remains quite threatening. Here's CNN's Charles Molineaux.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Hayman fire, as it has come to be called, slowed down slightly on Tuesday, but it still managed to grow to 75,000 acres. It's one of eight fires burning around Colorado and the most severe by far.
LAURIE (ph) ABBOT: I've got all my family pictures in it, so definitely got to take that.
MOLINEAUX: Laurie Abbott has spent the past two days going through family belongings, sorting out those too precious to leave behind to the mercy of the wildfire. She and her husband Paul have been watching for fire updates and standing by for that final word to reluctantly clear out.
If it comes to that, they'll move in with friends with their four kids, one dog, two cats, one bird, and yes one rat. The family has kept its nervous vigil light for the most part.
BROOKE ABBOT: I don't know, it's coming pretty close. Yes, never in real immediate danger like this before.
L. ABBOT: I love living in the forest. It's been ten years and we've never been frightened like this before, never.
MOLINEAUX: That fear is all over Perry-Park Ranch, an upscale community of 580 homes in the foothills right at the edge of the Pike National Forest, where the Hayman fire began. Evacuation in the fire's path is still voluntary but strongly recommended.
TOM SNELL: They told us if you see flames on top of the ridge, it's time to go.
MOLINEAUX: Tom Snell and the workers at the local golf course have taken on the roll of a community center, passing along warnings to keep their neighbors updated and ready to move. For Patrice Levens (ph) and her husband Jim Gottlieb, that move would mean abandoning the dream home they've had just one year. They had planned to live here the rest of their lives.
TOM GOTTLIEB, PERRY-PARK RESIDENT: I'd hate to be evacuated and come back and find nothing. That would be a nightmare.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MOLINEAUX (on camera): Here at the Lake George work area for the Pike National Forest where the fire began, we are feeling the smoke, heavy right now, the smell is in the air, although we did actually see some raindrops incredibly enough.
The forecast for tomorrow is for more of the same, severe, not as severe winds and also conditions less conducive to fires and more conducive towards aerial firefighting. But the winds will be bouncing back and forth and are expected to continue to be changing, which means that we will not see the continued on rush threats towards Denver suburbs that we saw yesterday, but more unpredictability in this fire and the chance is still there for some thunder showers, which on the one hand offer some hope for rain to tamp the fire down some. On the other hand, it does offer also the threat of lightning. Aaron.
BROWN: Charles, do me a favor. Just step a little bit to one side or another. I want the photographer to shoot past you a second, while I ask. We can see the smoke pretty clearly here. How far are you from the fire line itself?
MOLINEAUX: Well actually the fire lines spread out from here to Denver and we are at the extreme southern end of the fire. We're probably about four miles away from the lines themselves.
Now the place we are now was pretty clear as the wind was steadily blowing northward. This is actually something of a change, the fact that we are seeing this area now inundated with smoke. That is a change because of the change in the wind, which is actually a big break well to the north where the suburbs had been threatened and got something of a reprieve today, not that much of a treat for the firefighters who are trying to work in this part of the area.
And, in fact, on the southeastern end of the fire lines, an area where they actually thought that things were pretty stable. The flames jumped over a fire line this morning and a couple of hundred people had to be evacuated well to the southeastern part of the fire, an area that was not considered severely threatened earlier.
BROWN: And these are the most dangerous kinds of fires. When the wind shifts around like that, it not only endangers houses you didn't think were in trouble, it endangers firefighters you thought were in safe areas, because these fires can turn on a dime.
MOLINEAUX: And they are very much avoiding going out to this on the ground. Yes, the firefighters actually have been fighting this with a slew of bombers and helicopters, but because it can be so unpredictable and it has at times moved so quickly, they are very reluctant to try and fight it from the ground.
BROWN: Charles, thanks, Charles Molineaux outside of Denver tonight on the fires. A little bit later in the program, we'll go to Salt Lake City to update the investigation into the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.
But before we do that, a bit more on the fires, we'll talk with the Director of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Joe Allbaugh joins us after this short break. This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: For nine months FEMA, the federal agency that handles disasters has been consumed with the events of September 11th, here in New York, food, housing, counseling, all sorts of things for people impacted by the 11th.
Tonight, FEMA's back in the more routine disaster business, if there could be such a thing, the fires in Colorado. We're always pleased to welcome to the program the Director of FEMA, Joe Allbaugh. It's nice to see you, sir.
JOE ALLBAUGH, DIRECTOR FEMA: Good evening, Aaron.
BROWN: We were talking on the break. This is a nasty one you got on your hands out there.
ALLBAUGH: It's very nasty. I just declared another one, where we will participate at five o'clock local time this evening, outside of Durango, Missionary Ridge.
Governor Owens and I visited the Coal Seam fire outside of Glenwood Springs earlier this morning, then went down to the Hayman fire, which is just absolutely the worst fire I've ever seen in my life.
BROWN: And you got these shifting winds around that we talked about just a moment ago that make it all especially dangerous.
ALLBAUGH: It's extremely dangerous. We don't want to put anyone in harm's way right now, particularly the firefighters. We have about 450 at the Hayman fire, about 400 over at the Coal Seam fire. Statewide, there's an additional 2,000 fighters that are fighting these fires.
The most important thing for individuals to know, Coloradoans to know is to listen to their local officials. If there is an evacuation order that comes through, they need to pay attention to it and evacuate and move as quickly as possible. This is a very dangerous fire.
BROWN: What is FEMA, what can FEMA do here as people are evacuated out?
ALLBAUGH: Well, we're governed by the Stafford Act, which is our law that allows us to do a lot of things. President Bush is deeply concerned about this fire. We're early in the fire season.
Quite frankly, FEMA's been fighting fires since the first of this calendar year. Just to put it in perspective, Aaron, all of calendar year 2001, we handled 43 fires. To date in this year, 2002, we've been involved in 42 fires now and fire season only starts here in Colorado this Saturday.
What we're doing immediately is removing the concern about where they're going to get the money to pay for these fires. We're stepping up to the plate with the state and the local communities, paying 75 cents on the dollar of whatever it costs to fight these fires. It's a tremendous task.
BROWN: We're just looking, Joe, at pictures of some of this. It's actually, it is staggering. I can't believe I just called you Joe. I know I'm going to get in trouble.
ALLBAUGH: Well, that's all right.
BROWN: Even if you told me to.
ALLBAUGH: Well, I called you Aaron. At least I didn't call you Paula.
BROWN: Thank you, I appreciate that quite a lot. It sounds like if Colorado's any indication, this is going to be a tough season all across the West. All you can hope for is good weather at some point.
ALLBAUGH: Well, good weather and these professional firefighters, and we need to commend them, men and women coming from all over the country to lend assistance to local Coloradoans to fight these fires.
If we get a break in the weather, some high moisture, the winds die down, these folks can whip this fire. You'll remember in '95 and '98, then Governor Bush and myself and his team fought similar fires in Texas when it was burning up very early in the fire season, and we have about three months of the fire season left in this country.
There is a drought everywhere. Everyone needs to pay attention to how they use their water, what they're doing outside, not starting unnecessary fires, because this place is dry.
BROWN: Mr. Director, sir, are these caused by humans these fires?
ALLBAUGH: I think, Mr. Brown, that this particular fire was an illegal campfire and I have to commend Governor Owens who stepped up to the plate, made some very difficult decisions, along with Secretary Gail Norton, to ban all outdoor burning in state parks, federal lands, any type of outdoor burning.
And also he went a step further, I believe, yesterday and banned fireworks, which I know coming up on July 4th is a very tough decision, but we can't run the risk of putting anyone else in harm's way.
BROWN: What do you need now, weather more than anything?
ALLBAUGH: I think weather more importantly for the winds to die down a little bit.
BROWN: Yes.
ALLBAUGH: I'm going to Durango tomorrow to see this Missionary Line fire with Governor Owens and then I'm going to go to Boise to the Interagency Fire Center to get a national briefing on how rough it is everywhere.
We're about three or four months ahead of the normal cycle where we train individuals for fire seasons, so we're trying to train people as fast as we can. We're going to get more. I believe they told me this afternoon the team that they asked for 46 more teams in here. We've got some first-class people, the hot shots. They are they Type I teams that really know how to do this business. We're going to get them in here as soon as we can to take care of this fire.
BROWN: Let me ask you one more thing, a little off the subject, FEMA is one of those agencies that would end up being the president's vision of a new homeland security cabinet position.
ALLBAUGH: Right.
BROWN: How does it change, if it changes, do you think it changes in any sense, you're a good friend of the president's, how FEMA goes about its business?
ALLBAUGH: I don't really think it will change our business. It will enhance our mission quite frankly. The president's approach in this in the proper fashion, in my opinion, he's asking the question, what's in the best interest of the country?
And last Thursday night, he answered that question by unveiling this plan. This is a bold step. The status quo was unacceptable as you know, Aaron. We have to change as a result of 9/11. Our world has changed and the sooner we recognize that, step up to the plate, now Congress will take some action here in the coming months, do the right thing for the country and we'll all be better off.
BROWN: Mr. Director, sir, it is always a delight to talk to you. One of my favorite people.
ALLBAUGH: Thank you very much. Good to see you, Mr. Brown.
BROWN: Thank you, sir. Joe Allbaugh, the director of FEMA. Later on the program, the hunt for someone, anyone, who has a clue where young Elizabeth Smart is and who took her from her Salt Lake City home?
Up next though, the fight against al Qaeda, a progress report on America's new war. This is NEWSNIGHT on a Tuesday from New York.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: There are so many ways to measure the distance between now and the 11th of September, troops sent into battle, people taken into custody, pages of legislation written. You can measure the distance in bricks laid at the Pentagon or tons of rubble taken from Ground Zero. They all matter.
But at the end of the day, nine months after 9/11, the most important measure of progress remains a judgment call. Are we stronger now? Is the enemy weaker?
It is a question we put to Magnus Ranstorp of the Center for the Study of Terrorism at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland when we spoke with him late this afternoon. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Sir, it's been nine months since the attacks on New York and Washington, give me your best sense of how much damage has been inflicted on al Qaeda since then and how significantly they've been hurt.
DR. MAGNUS RANSTORP, CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF TERRORISM: Well, al Qaeda has certainly suffered a severe blow by the removal of Afghanistan or at lest most of Afghanistan for using it for its operational base.
However, al Qaeda was always a multinational organization that was governed, not only from the top down but also from the bottom up. Local al Qaeda cells, the constituent groups that exist underneath the umbrella of al Qaeda, have always had the capacity to take own decisions, own reconnaissance and also strike independently.
And therefore, we are faced now with the possibility that -- that al Qaeda has been somewhat diminished, but not radically. And therefore, they have the -- still the capability to continue waging war and terror on us.
I think there are a number geographical regions, that we're still only storing to make a dent in, and trying to degrade and disrupt terrorist networks, and the movements. Southeast Asia is one of them. It's a critical area. There are lots of operatives there. South America, we haven't even begun from extending from the tri border area upwards.
And so, it's a mammoth task. And this will take many decades, really, to get a serious handle on, at least in the next 10 to 15 years. We have to realistically face the same type of threat level that -- as we're facing right now.
BROWN: Let me ask you a couple of quick things, just based on what you just said? Are they able to finance these operations, absent some sort of central command. You said that they can do reconnaissance, they can plan. Can they finance them absent, essential leadership?
RANSTORP: Both before and after 9/11, al Qaeda, of course, depended on different types of official financing, companies, front organizations, charities that were associated with bin Laden. But it was also the case that al Qaeda used a whole series of sets of criminal enterprise, ranging from credit card fraud, bank fraud, petty theft.
And therefore, were able to, in a very short space of time, generate enough cash to mount serious operations. It doesn't cost a lot of money to wreck terror and mayhem. And therefore, while freezing assets and going after the official front companies is important, it's only really the start. It's almost like a bottomless pit.
BROWN: Do you think that today, that al Qaeda today is capable of pulling off an operation the size of September 11?
RANSTORP: I think it's really important to bear in mind that al Qaeda has a very long range strategic view and takes very -- takes very long-term decisions in terms of planning operations. In East Africa, it took four years. In the case of 9/11, at least two years. So while we may not see an immediate return of the same level as 9/11, we could probably see that in a couple of years if we leave them undisturbed. And therefore, they do have the capacity. They do have the manuals. They do have the manpower. And therefore, they constitute -- continue to constitute a clear and present danger.
BROWN: Do you think that al Qaeda can be defeated?
RANSTORP: I think it would be incorrect almost to call this a war because war implies the finality that this is going to end one day. This is going to be a ceaseless struggle. We're going to be have peaks, ups and down. We're going to have successes. We're also going to have other terrorist attacks. And it's imperative that we don't wait for al Qaeda to come to us. We have to take the war to them. And therefore, we have to do this in a multinational level.
BROWN: Thanks for your time today. These are provocative thoughts. We appreciate your time. Thank you very much.
RANSTORP: Pleasure. Pleasure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Magnus Ranstorp, we talked to him late this afternoon.
Quick update on the accused shoe bomber, Richard Reid. In Boston today, a federal judge tossed out one of the charges against him, trying to wreck a mass transportation vehicle. The judge ruled an airliner is not the vehicle Congress had in mind when it passed that law. So that charge is out. But Mr. Reid still faces eight more, including attempted murder and life in prison if he's convicted. His lawyers want the judge to suppress the confession Reid reportedly made. No decision by the judge on that. All back in court tomorrow.
Another bloody day in Israel. A suicide bomber blew himself up in a restaurant in Herzliya, an upscale suburb just north of Tel Aviv. A 15-year-old girl died in the bombing. At least eight others were hurt. A bloody day all around. Palestinian authorities say an eight- year-old boy was killed by Israeli gunfire outside a Jewish settlement near Gaza. Israeli military sources say it happened during a shootout at a security outpost. And not far from there, in another shootout, soldiers killed three Palestinian gunmen. The day in the Middle East.
Ahead on NEWSNIGHT, we'll talk with the mayor of Providence, Buddy Cianci, unforgettable guy, in a whole lot of trouble. This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Buddy Cianci in a segment or so. The latest now on the case of Elizabeth Smart, the 14-year-old taken from her Salt Lake City home now nearly a week ago. Yesterday, it seemed like the trail had gone ice cold. A police spokesman saying "our investigation is becoming very frustrated." Today, what sounded like a dramatic change, and we can only hope, it bring us closer to finding this child, or figuring out who abducted her. The police chief says it's possible they have already spoken with the suspect, or will soon. And the focus has been narrowed to people who knew her and the neighborhood she lives in.
Once again, CNN's Frank Buckley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This evening, Elizabeth Smart's parents pleaded for their 14-year-old daughter's safe return.
ED SMART, ELIZABETH'S FATHER: Please release Elizabeth.
LOIS SMART, ELIZABETH'S MOTHER: Elizabeth, we love you. Our hearts are close together. I'm wearing the special necklace you gave me on my birthday. I love you. I think of you every minute. And I know we're close. You're going to come home, Elizabeth.
BUCKLEY: As the Smarts were reaching out to their daughter, investigators were re-canvassing their neighborhood. Detectives and FBI agents now narrowing their search for Elizabeth and the man who abducted her to the streets around the Smart's million-dollar home.
DAN ROBERTS, FBI: Well, clearly, we're looking for somebody that was comfortable up in that area, at least somebody that feels like they knew their way around that area, or had been in that area before, for some reason.
BUCKLEY: And while investigators don't yet have a name, they do believe that, based on evidence from the crime scene, analysis from FBI profilers and interviews with Elizabeth's nine-year-old sister, who witnessed the abduction, that they know just what kind of man they're looking for. In fact, they may have already encountered him.
RICH DINSE, CHIEF, SALT LAKE POLICE: We believe we have an understanding of this suspect. And it is very possible that we have already interviewed him, or very soon will be interviewing him.
BUCKLEY: Police Chief Rick Dinse says there is a very strong probability that Elizabeth's abductor is a sexual predator. Detectives have not ruled out anyone, including family members, but they stress that the family has been extremely cooperative, providing hair and blood samples to compare to potential evidence. Ed Smart, Elizabeth's father, taking a polygraph exam to satisfy investigators.
The abduction of Elizabeth has struck a chord in this community. Some 8,000 people volunteering in the search. Police say their efforts have allowed them to focus on the investigation. The chief confident enough to tell the suspect he'll be caught.
DINSE: And my caution to this suspect, if he is listening is, we are going to get you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BUCKLEY: The chief also told the suspect that if he has Elizabeth, that he should release her immediately. Police are not releasing some sort of a time table. They're not saying that an arrest is imminent. What they are saying is that they do now have some promising leads, but they have a lot of work ahead of them. Today, Aaron, the police told us they've received some 6,000 leads since the beginning of this investigation. Just a week ago, 600 of those are worthy of follow-up, and they've only gone through about half of those leads.
Aaron?
BROWN: I just want to go back over one thing. And then, let me throw one or two more. I'm a little confused, actually, on whether or not there is a suspect or suspects here. It sounds to me like they have a general profile of what they -- of who they think did this, the kind of person as opposed to a specific idea of the person?
BUCKLEY: You're absolutely right, Aaron. And that was one thing that we sort of hammered away at with the chief and with the FBI today, to make sure that they weren't saying, yes, we have a suspect, and yes, we're staking him out, and we're prepared to arrest him. That is not what they're saying. What they're saying is, that yes FBI profilers have been called in. They've been able to help provide a sense of who this person is. And they have a better idea of what to look for.
So that as they're going through this list of leads, they can narrow themselves. They can say well, that person doesn't fit the profile. This is not the kind of person we're looking for. So that's the kind of development. It's an incremental development. For those of us who have been here for the past week, watching these detectives, who've been telling us how frustrated they are, it's a pretty significant one.
BROWN: Ten seconds here. Absolutely ruled out a runaway here?
BUCKLEY: They haven't ruled out anything, but they have said that all the evidence suggests this is not a runaway case.
BROWN: OK, thanks, Frank. Frank Buckley in Salt Lake City. It's a horribly sad story. And I think all of us hopes it ends well somehow. We're working on a story tonight out of western Alabama that will give you a chill. Authorities in Pickens County, Alabama say a 25-year-old man is in the hospital tonight with injuries, both serious, and it is fair to say horrifying. The man, a black man, was badly beaten by a group of men, then dragged for a mile behind a car.
The victim is described as a man from Mississippi, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), rather in Western Alabama. His attackers remain at large. As we said, that's not a whole lot is known now about the crime. We're not getting a whole lot from the police yet, but we are continuing to work the story. Ahead on NEWSNIGHT, haven't I said this before, Buddy Cianci, yes, I have, in his own words. The mayor is a character. He may be going to prison too, depending on the outcome of this trial. This is NEWSNIGHT on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Buddy Cianci is a piece of work. It is hard to argue the long time mayor of Providence isn't popular. He gets reelected time after time. It's hard to argue he hasn't done some wonderful things for the city, which is probably why he is reelected time after time. It's hard to argue he is not a character. You'll see for yourself that he is in a moment. And it's hard to argue that he would be anything but one more mid size city mayor, with a whole lot of flair if it weren't for the federal indictments.
It seems the government thinks Buddy is a bit of a crook in the old fashioned political sense. If they're right, Jim Traficant, the Ohio congressman, will have some company in the slammer. We sent producer Ted Winner to Providence to report on the Cianci trial. He came back with Buddy himself in his first interview since the trial began.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VINCENT BUDDY CIANCI, MAYOR, PROVIDENCE: I love this city. And you know, if you have to go through something like this being mayor over four decades, then so be it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you relieved it's getting to the end?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a hands-on guy. No, he's got his hands in everything. He's done a lot of good for the city, but none of us are perfect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he'll probably still get reelected. He's been elected on and off for over 20 years. There's something going on all time.
CIANCI: I have every confidence in my integrity. I have confidence in the system. And I know that I'm not guilty.
WINNER: A key day in the federal corruption trial of Mayor Cianci...
BROWN (voice-over): In Providence today, there is only one story, the U.S. government versus mayor Buddy Cianci.
BRUCE SUNDLUN, FMR. GOVERNOR OF PROVIDENCE: He's a unique personality. And he's a professional politician. And he's a professional actor. And he plays the part very, very well.
CIANCI: Good morning.
BROWN: These days, the best seat to see theatre in Providence may be the U.S. District courthouse, where the mayor is on trial, facing a dozen federal charges, charges including extorting a quarter of a million dollars in campaign contributions, accepting a $10,000 payoff for a city real estate tax break, and for extorting a free honorary lifetime membership to a prestigious club. That sum, there are others, and all of which could land the longest serving mayor in U.S. history in prison.
CIANCI: No one can predict what 12 people on a jury would do, but I know that no matter what happens, I've had a great, great, great relationship with the people of my city. And I'm looking forward to having another four years of a great relationship with them.
MIKE STANTON, REPORTER, THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL: Well, the big question in Providence right now is, will Buddy walk? And you know, in spite of anyone's opinion, it's really up to the jury, and you know, how they perceive some of the revelations coming out of city hall. And whether they think there's enough evidence to tie it directly to the mayor beyond a reasonable doubt.
BROWN: Cianci's ties with Providence began in 1974, only sliding into the post by the narrowest of margins. At the time, Providence was an industrial town, blue collar, and in decay.
CIANCI: I wasn't supposed to win. And being a Republican in this town in those days was like being the Ayatollah Khomeni at the American Legion convention, you know, but I've changed parties since then. I've run on every label I can imagine. Now I've run on the independent label like four times. And then, the last time, I think it was the independent, and endorsed by the Democratic, and also by the Republican party. So I never build my political fences so high, that I can't, you know, jump over them.
BROWN: In the years that follow, observers say the mayor gave Providence the facelift it needed, not to mention sticking his own face on spaghetti sauce bottles all over the place.
STANTON: He embraced groups that had previously felt shut out of city hall, like the Eastsiders, the Brown University crowd, the historic preservationists, who wanted to preserve all these wonderful old historic buildings we have, at a time when the prevailing mentality was to tear them all down.
BROWN: As you can imagine, the federal government sees the actions at city hall quite differently, calling the Cianci administration a criminal enterprise, stained by scandal.
There is some politics here. And there are others out there who wants Cianci's job, including Democratic mayoral candidate, David Cicilline (ph). Bottom line for Cicilline (ph), Buddy must go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time the city government enters into a contract that's twice the value of what it should be, the taxpayers pay for it. And every time the city hires somebody because they bought a job that we don't need, the taxpayers pay for that. And every time the city government doesn't hire the best person, and doesn't promote people because of their merit, or because of somebody they know, we are deprived of the high quality person that we should have in that position. We pay. The public pays for this corruption.
STANTON: I think that's one of the, you know, things that appeals to people about him, is his resiliency that he's been able to overcome these personal political crises and come back. And come back, you know, stronger than ever.
CIANCI: I only can go by polls. And the latest Brown poll says that I have a 64 or 64 percent approval rating, which I think any politician in America would settle for. I think that I have one more term left in me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: Well, that'll either be in the mayor's office or a term in the penitentiary, depending on what the jury decides. Buddy Cianci of Providence, Rhode Island.
Coming up on NEWSNIGHT, an important and moving ceremony at the Pentagon today. That, as we continue on a Tuesday night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BROWN: Finally from us, remembering September 11, and remembering the Pentagon. Workers laid the final stone to the rebuilt west front of the Pentagon today, nine months to the day since the attack, a step forward in repairing a wounded American symbol, a solemn moment for families of 184 people who died that day.
From the Pentagon tonight, here's CNN's Jamie Mcintyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice-over): From the ashes of September 11 has risen a proud new facade, the result of nine months of labor by an army of construction workers, who replaced more than 4,000 pieces of limestone.
LEE EVEY, RENOVATION PROGRAM MANAGER: Since September 11, 2001, I've probably been asked 1,000 times, when do we get our Pentagon back. And I'm here to tell you that today, you've got your Pentagon back.
MCINTYRE: To mark the milestone, a dedication capsule was placed in the wall near the point of impact. It was covered with a slab of original limestone, still blackened from fire and inscribed with the date. Unlike a time capsule, this bronze cube is not meant to ever be opened. The memorabilia inside includes pins and patches from police, firefighters and construction workers, a signed copy of President Bush's address to the nation, a plaque with the names of all 184 victims, and two unsigned cards representing the hundreds sent by schoolchildren.
PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: Amanda Lin (ph), an eighth grader at Taylor Middle School in California, wrote, "Dear Pentagon, I believe we can all pull together and show what America means. To me, following the attacks last September, America means wisdom, strength, endurance and freedom." Amanda (ph), you got it exactly right.
MCINTYRE: With the completion of the facade, work now moves inside. By the one year anniversary, September 11, this outer ring should be reoccupied. Within another six months, by the spring, the two other damaged rings should be rebuilt as well, completing the entire $700 million repair project on time and under budget.
WOLFOWITZ: You've healed this wall. And in doing so, you're helping to heal our nation.
MCINTYRE: The giant digital clock that counts down the seconds until the one-year anniversary has assumed a double significance. September 11, 2002 is now also the deadline for a design competition for a permanent memorial to be erected at the site by September 11, 2003.
Jamie Mcintyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And that's ground zero tonight. Nine months ago today, what that looked like, the most awful thing we've ever seen. Today, it looks almost sterile, the construction site, nine months to the day.
That's our report for tonight. We're all back tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time. We hope you will be, too. In fact, we know you will be. Well, we hope. We'll see you then. Good night for all of us.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
