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CNN Live Saturday
Turkish Officials Suspect International Terrorist in Recent Bombing
Aired November 15, 2003 - 12:31 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.
ANDREA KOPPEL CNN ANCHOR: Now back to your top story. Turkish officials say they suspect international terrorists may be responsible for the bombing outside two synagogues in Istanbul. For more on this and the situation in Iraq we go know to Chris Plante at the Pentagon.
Chris, it's got to be way too early for anybody to know who is behind the Istanbul attacks.
CHRIS PLANTE, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that's right, Andrea. And what we know, 20 are dead -- at least 20 dead, and 257 wounded in the coordinated terrorist attacks against to synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey. There apparently has been a claim of responsibility through Turkish news media by organization, an indigenous group calling itself the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front. But as you said there are Turkish officials who say it may have been an outside group. And at least one official has named al Qaeda as a potential culprit in that situation. Pardon me. It is early on in the investigation. There is a lot yet to be learned. It's not known right now whether these were suicide bombings, whether remotely detonated or whether perhaps they were on a timer. But they did go off in a near simultaneous fashion. And at least one of the synagogues, reports from the scene indicate no one inside the synagogue was wounded. And all the people killed and injured in the attack were passersby in effect.
Now In Iraq, there's also new information out of there. The Pentagon officials say intelligence indicates they have a new top suspect in the attacks recently, the October 26th, on the Al Rashid Hotel. Pardon me, a bit of a frog in my throat here today. The October 26th rocket attack on the Al Rashid Hotel, a lieutenant continental was killed and at least 15 other people were wounded. You might remember that Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, the number two man in the Defense Department was in the hotel at the time. He was not wound in the attack. Of course, one lieutenant colonel killed and 15 people wounded. Also, the man they believe in that attack behind a second attack of a Chinook helicopter in which 16 troops were killed. The man that they have is the primary suspect in this case. Officials say it's based on interrogations with people arrested in association with those attacks.
One Comhisir Han Amulhabil (ph), who was the Ba'ath party in Karbala before the fall of the regime in Baghdad. He is number 54 on the most wanted list. We do not have a photograph available of him at this point but seeking one. He is now actively being pursued by U.S. Forces on the ground. He along with Mr. Al Durry (ph), a senior member of the Saddam Hussein regime, number 6 on the most wanted list and the king clubs in the deck of cards is also believed by U.s. Intelligence to be behind a number of these attacks. He is also being hotly pursued by the U.S. Military. Mr. Al Durry is the highest ranking member of the regime other than Saddam Hussein who is still at large -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: Covering a lot of ground at the Pentagon, Chris Planet. Thanks, Chris.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Recent Bombing>
Aired November 15, 2003 - 12:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL CNN ANCHOR: Now back to your top story. Turkish officials say they suspect international terrorists may be responsible for the bombing outside two synagogues in Istanbul. For more on this and the situation in Iraq we go know to Chris Plante at the Pentagon.
Chris, it's got to be way too early for anybody to know who is behind the Istanbul attacks.
CHRIS PLANTE, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that's right, Andrea. And what we know, 20 are dead -- at least 20 dead, and 257 wounded in the coordinated terrorist attacks against to synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey. There apparently has been a claim of responsibility through Turkish news media by organization, an indigenous group calling itself the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front. But as you said there are Turkish officials who say it may have been an outside group. And at least one official has named al Qaeda as a potential culprit in that situation. Pardon me. It is early on in the investigation. There is a lot yet to be learned. It's not known right now whether these were suicide bombings, whether remotely detonated or whether perhaps they were on a timer. But they did go off in a near simultaneous fashion. And at least one of the synagogues, reports from the scene indicate no one inside the synagogue was wounded. And all the people killed and injured in the attack were passersby in effect.
Now In Iraq, there's also new information out of there. The Pentagon officials say intelligence indicates they have a new top suspect in the attacks recently, the October 26th, on the Al Rashid Hotel. Pardon me, a bit of a frog in my throat here today. The October 26th rocket attack on the Al Rashid Hotel, a lieutenant continental was killed and at least 15 other people were wounded. You might remember that Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, the number two man in the Defense Department was in the hotel at the time. He was not wound in the attack. Of course, one lieutenant colonel killed and 15 people wounded. Also, the man they believe in that attack behind a second attack of a Chinook helicopter in which 16 troops were killed. The man that they have is the primary suspect in this case. Officials say it's based on interrogations with people arrested in association with those attacks.
One Comhisir Han Amulhabil (ph), who was the Ba'ath party in Karbala before the fall of the regime in Baghdad. He is number 54 on the most wanted list. We do not have a photograph available of him at this point but seeking one. He is now actively being pursued by U.S. Forces on the ground. He along with Mr. Al Durry (ph), a senior member of the Saddam Hussein regime, number 6 on the most wanted list and the king clubs in the deck of cards is also believed by U.s. Intelligence to be behind a number of these attacks. He is also being hotly pursued by the U.S. Military. Mr. Al Durry is the highest ranking member of the regime other than Saddam Hussein who is still at large -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: Covering a lot of ground at the Pentagon, Chris Planet. Thanks, Chris.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Recent Bombing>
