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CNN Live Saturday

Will Khalid Shaikh Mohammed Be Brought to United States?

Aired March 01, 2003 - 16:12   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: We also have much more on the major arrest today in Pakistan. We are going to be talking with Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House. Suzanne, what have you learned? What has the president said about this latest arrest and how important it may be?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's extremely important. The White House just released a statement. I'll read it to you verbatim here, on the detention, the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. It says that, "the United States commends Pakistani and U.S. authorities on the completion of a successful joint operation, which resulted in the detention of several al Qaeda operatives, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed." It goes on to say that, "Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is one of Osama bin Laden's most senior and significant lieutenants, a key al Qaeda planner and a mastermind of the September 11 attacks. He is known to have been centrally involved in plotting by al Qaeda terrorists since September 11, 2001, including plots to launch attacks within the United States. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists and has been under indictment since 1996 for the Manila air conspiracy, a plot to bomb a series of U.S. civilian airliners."

Clearly, this is a very, very big catch, a big fish. The White House very pleased with the joint effort from Pakistani as well as U.S. officials to have him behind bars -- Carol.

LIN: Suzanne, do you have any information directly from the White House as to exactly where Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is headed right now? We know that he's left Pakistan. Some sources by some of our correspondents are saying that he's actually headed here for the United States.

MALVEAUX: Well, we understand that he is headed to the United States. The White House being rather quiet about that. They're not telling us where he is or where he's headed at this time, but certainly keeping that a tight lip under wraps, the White House may come out with more details on that. Just getting this reaction right now.

LIN: All right, thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House with that.

RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: So we've heard from both ends of the trail here in Pakistan and the U.S., that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is on his way to the U.S. What happens once he gets here? Joining us now by phone is David Ensor, one of our Washington correspondents. And David, what have you heard regarding this issue?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I'm actually hearing something quite contrary to what you're hearing from the other places. I'm hearing that he's not coming to the United States. That Khalid Shaikh Mohammed will be taken to an undisclosed third country, outside Pakistan and not inside the United States, where he will be interrogated, as has happened to Abu Zubaydah, as has happened to Ramzi Binalshibh and some of the other senior al Qaeda figures who are now prisoners. These are people who are being held, basically, by the Central Intelligence Agency, and their purpose, their usefulness at this point is to mine them for information about any possible future attacks that might have been contemplated. The goal is to save lives. That comes first.

SAN MIGUEL: And David, the idea of being able to do that in a third country, I mean, before he was brought to the U.S., if that is indeed his ultimate destination it's going to be, it's easier to do that and get that done as quickly as possible while he's in custody right now?

ENSOR: I am -- you know, in the past, they have said that they had no immediate plans to bring Abu Zubaydah or Ramzi Binalshibh to the United States at all. It is true that the difference here is that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is under indictment in this country, but my understanding from the officials I'm talking to is that there will be -- they'll be in no hurry to bring Khalid Shaikh Mohammed to the United States. It's possible he may never come here.

The goal now is to put him in a third country, an undisclosed location, where he can be interrogated without disturbance, and, frankly, without having some of the legal rights that he would have if he were to be brought to this country and to serve as -- to be defendant in a legal case.

SAN MIGUEL: I was going to bring that up as well, but you've already done that. What are your sources telling you about just the fact that this high level al Qaeda figure is now in the custody of the U.S.?

ENSOR: Well, obviously, there's a very relieved and happy feeling amongst American intelligence officers who have been trying to catch this man since 9/11 and before. This is a great success, and they are really -- they can't say enough good things about the Pakistani government and its involvement in this case.

SAN MIGUEL: And are you hearing anything from your sources regarding the other two gentlemen who were arrested along with Mohammed?

ENSOR: Only that I'm told they are people that you and I haven't heard of before, that they're not anybody of any great importance. They're not on the sort of the FBI, you know, top wanted list.

SAN MIGUEL: But they are al Qaeda? They are, I guess, lesser figures in al Qaeda.

ENSOR: Well, at least one of them is al Qaeda. I'm not clear on the third person.

SAN MIGUEL: OK, David Ensor, joining us from Washington, thank you very much.

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 March 1, 2003 - 16:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We also have much more on the major arrest today in Pakistan. We are going to be talking with Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House. Suzanne, what have you learned? What has the president said about this latest arrest and how important it may be?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's extremely important. The White House just released a statement. I'll read it to you verbatim here, on the detention, the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. It says that, "the United States commends Pakistani and U.S. authorities on the completion of a successful joint operation, which resulted in the detention of several al Qaeda operatives, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed." It goes on to say that, "Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is one of Osama bin Laden's most senior and significant lieutenants, a key al Qaeda planner and a mastermind of the September 11 attacks. He is known to have been centrally involved in plotting by al Qaeda terrorists since September 11, 2001, including plots to launch attacks within the United States. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is on the FBI's list of most wanted terrorists and has been under indictment since 1996 for the Manila air conspiracy, a plot to bomb a series of U.S. civilian airliners."

Clearly, this is a very, very big catch, a big fish. The White House very pleased with the joint effort from Pakistani as well as U.S. officials to have him behind bars -- Carol.

LIN: Suzanne, do you have any information directly from the White House as to exactly where Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is headed right now? We know that he's left Pakistan. Some sources by some of our correspondents are saying that he's actually headed here for the United States.

MALVEAUX: Well, we understand that he is headed to the United States. The White House being rather quiet about that. They're not telling us where he is or where he's headed at this time, but certainly keeping that a tight lip under wraps, the White House may come out with more details on that. Just getting this reaction right now.

LIN: All right, thank you very much, Suzanne Malveaux, live at the White House with that.

RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: So we've heard from both ends of the trail here in Pakistan and the U.S., that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is on his way to the U.S. What happens once he gets here? Joining us now by phone is David Ensor, one of our Washington correspondents. And David, what have you heard regarding this issue?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I'm actually hearing something quite contrary to what you're hearing from the other places. I'm hearing that he's not coming to the United States. That Khalid Shaikh Mohammed will be taken to an undisclosed third country, outside Pakistan and not inside the United States, where he will be interrogated, as has happened to Abu Zubaydah, as has happened to Ramzi Binalshibh and some of the other senior al Qaeda figures who are now prisoners. These are people who are being held, basically, by the Central Intelligence Agency, and their purpose, their usefulness at this point is to mine them for information about any possible future attacks that might have been contemplated. The goal is to save lives. That comes first.

SAN MIGUEL: And David, the idea of being able to do that in a third country, I mean, before he was brought to the U.S., if that is indeed his ultimate destination it's going to be, it's easier to do that and get that done as quickly as possible while he's in custody right now?

ENSOR: I am -- you know, in the past, they have said that they had no immediate plans to bring Abu Zubaydah or Ramzi Binalshibh to the United States at all. It is true that the difference here is that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is under indictment in this country, but my understanding from the officials I'm talking to is that there will be -- they'll be in no hurry to bring Khalid Shaikh Mohammed to the United States. It's possible he may never come here.

The goal now is to put him in a third country, an undisclosed location, where he can be interrogated without disturbance, and, frankly, without having some of the legal rights that he would have if he were to be brought to this country and to serve as -- to be defendant in a legal case.

SAN MIGUEL: I was going to bring that up as well, but you've already done that. What are your sources telling you about just the fact that this high level al Qaeda figure is now in the custody of the U.S.?

ENSOR: Well, obviously, there's a very relieved and happy feeling amongst American intelligence officers who have been trying to catch this man since 9/11 and before. This is a great success, and they are really -- they can't say enough good things about the Pakistani government and its involvement in this case.

SAN MIGUEL: And are you hearing anything from your sources regarding the other two gentlemen who were arrested along with Mohammed?

ENSOR: Only that I'm told they are people that you and I haven't heard of before, that they're not anybody of any great importance. They're not on the sort of the FBI, you know, top wanted list.

SAN MIGUEL: But they are al Qaeda? They are, I guess, lesser figures in al Qaeda.

ENSOR: Well, at least one of them is al Qaeda. I'm not clear on the third person.

SAN MIGUEL: OK, David Ensor, joining us from Washington, thank you very much.

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