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CNN Live Saturday
Interview With Elaine Shannon
Aired March 01, 2003 - 15:54 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.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: "TIME" magazine correspondent Elaine Shannon has followed the al Qaeda leadership closely. Earlier this year, she completed a profile of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, one of the three suspects picked up outside Islamabad, Pakistan, earlier today.
And in her reporting, she described Mohammed as al Qaeda's deadliest agent. And she is in our Washington bureau this Saturday.
Ms. Shannon, thank you for joining us today.
ELAINE SHANNON, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Hi.
SAN MIGUEL: You had said in your reporting that we know -- talking about all the people that were still on the most wanted list for this government, bin Laden, Taliban leader Mohammed Omar, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, and Mohammed.
"In Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's case that's especially worry some. Says one senior intelligence officer in Washington, 'He's out there aggressively planning stuff while bin Laden appears to be spending most of his time trying to stay out of sight.'"
So what does the arrest do to the al Qaeda infrastructure?
SHANNON: Well, it's a huge blow, but as we've seen with the drug trade, kingpins have gone down, their organizations have been hurt but the drug trade goes on. There are other people who can bomb things and kill people.
But this man was a certainly a key lynchpin in the strategic vision of al Qaeda as an organization.
SAN MIGUEL: What made him -- is that what -- a part of what made him, as you wrote, Mohammed, al Qaeda's deadliest agent?
SHANNON: Well, yes. I mean, he knows the people, he knows where the weapons are. He knows where the money is. He's able to travel in many countries, including English-speaking countries. And he's got very ambitious plans. He's not a small thinker.
SAN MIGUEL: So what have you reported on or what have you been able to find out regarding his direct links to the planning of September 11?
SHANNON: Well, as you have shown on CNN, he was probably involved in the first World Trade Center attack. And then he was involved with Ramzi Yousef, his nephew, in planning bombing of airplanes and they also discussed flying an airplane into CIA headquarters in Langley back in '95.
Then Yousef was picked up and he told the FBI, next time, I'm going to take down the World Trade Center. Well, he didn't. He's in jail for about 240 years but his uncle is still out there.
SAN MIGUEL: OK. I wish we could have more time to spend with you, but we have to cut it short. Elaine Shannon, "TIME" magazine, thank you very much for your time. I hope you come back and see 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
Aired March 1, 2003 - 15:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: "TIME" magazine correspondent Elaine Shannon has followed the al Qaeda leadership closely. Earlier this year, she completed a profile of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, one of the three suspects picked up outside Islamabad, Pakistan, earlier today.
And in her reporting, she described Mohammed as al Qaeda's deadliest agent. And she is in our Washington bureau this Saturday.
Ms. Shannon, thank you for joining us today.
ELAINE SHANNON, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Hi.
SAN MIGUEL: You had said in your reporting that we know -- talking about all the people that were still on the most wanted list for this government, bin Laden, Taliban leader Mohammed Omar, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, and Mohammed.
"In Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's case that's especially worry some. Says one senior intelligence officer in Washington, 'He's out there aggressively planning stuff while bin Laden appears to be spending most of his time trying to stay out of sight.'"
So what does the arrest do to the al Qaeda infrastructure?
SHANNON: Well, it's a huge blow, but as we've seen with the drug trade, kingpins have gone down, their organizations have been hurt but the drug trade goes on. There are other people who can bomb things and kill people.
But this man was a certainly a key lynchpin in the strategic vision of al Qaeda as an organization.
SAN MIGUEL: What made him -- is that what -- a part of what made him, as you wrote, Mohammed, al Qaeda's deadliest agent?
SHANNON: Well, yes. I mean, he knows the people, he knows where the weapons are. He knows where the money is. He's able to travel in many countries, including English-speaking countries. And he's got very ambitious plans. He's not a small thinker.
SAN MIGUEL: So what have you reported on or what have you been able to find out regarding his direct links to the planning of September 11?
SHANNON: Well, as you have shown on CNN, he was probably involved in the first World Trade Center attack. And then he was involved with Ramzi Yousef, his nephew, in planning bombing of airplanes and they also discussed flying an airplane into CIA headquarters in Langley back in '95.
Then Yousef was picked up and he told the FBI, next time, I'm going to take down the World Trade Center. Well, he didn't. He's in jail for about 240 years but his uncle is still out there.
SAN MIGUEL: OK. I wish we could have more time to spend with you, but we have to cut it short. Elaine Shannon, "TIME" magazine, thank you very much for your time. I hope you come back and see 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
