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Breaking News

Terror Concern in Florida

Aired September 13, 2002 - 13:42   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well a story we have been following all throughout the morning. It has since quelled a bit. We were telling you about a portion of a major Florida highway that had been shut down over fears of a possible terror plot. Three men have now been detained in the situation. You are looking at live pictures as bomb technicians continue to check the second car.
The first one was cleared, but continue to check the second car for explosives or any potentially harmful type of weapon. And as we follow the procedure there, that's happening, just outside of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, there was a tie between the men involved in this situation and Chicago.

And that is where we find our Jeff Flock. He is standing by with a little more information on that -- Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Kyra. Outside of Chicago in Hanover Park, a suburb. It appears this is a dead end as we try to put all the loose ends to bed for you. Tie them all up. Apparently, one of the cars, the plate on one of the cars was Illinois plates traced to an address here in Hanover Park, which is outside of Chicago, to a residence here.

We spent the morning, there, but Hanover Park Police Department coming out and telling us now, apparently, there is not a connection although the plate apparently did match and was traced here, there is apparently no connection with the family that the plate was traced to here in Illinois. Apparently, they say, that the plate that they have and we obtained this from the Secretary of State's Office here in Illinois as well, was registered to a Buick vehicle.

And of course, that was not the vehicle down in Florida. How do they explain the fact that perhaps one of the plates from one of their cars was on a vehicle in Florida? At this point, police are not able to explain that. They think, perhaps, it might have been an old plate. Other than that, they are not sure, but they tell us definitively, now, there is no connection between the Florida incident and this family here in suburban Chicago. So, putting that one to bed as to how that all still fits together, we don't know. But we'll continue to look at it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Chicago bureau chief Jeff Flock, thanks so much.

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