Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
New Suspected al Qaeda Videotape Worries Officials
Aired December 06, 2003 - 18:01 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: Good evening, I am Carol Lin. Welcome to "CNN LIVE SATURDAY." We begin tonight with new concerns about al Qaeda and a new videotape that really has security officials worried. Our Pentagon correspondent Chris Plante is here to explain why. Chris, what is it?
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Well, it started today with two warnings from the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the capital there. First a U.S. citizen's warning, citizens to stay away from Saudi Arabia for all but nonessential travel. And then a second much more ominous warning came out later in the day, suggesting to U.S. embassy personnel in Riyadh and to embassies personnel working at the consulates in the West Coast city of Jeddah and the East Coast city of Dhahran to avoid public areas, to maintain a low profile and to stay away from all areas where westerners are known to congregate, including residential compounds.
Now according to officials, there have been a number of indications recently, intelligence and otherwise working in conjunction with the government of Saudi Arabia, indicating that another terrorist attack there in Saudi Arabia may be imminent and it may be against U.S. interests. One of the reasons, according to U.S officials that we have spoken to here today is the release of a videotape that came out late Wednesday night on a website that is known to be used by al Qaeda. The videotape shows terrorist training. It also had a section with a man on camera making a statement. One senior U.S. official I spoke to a short time ago suggested that the release of this videotape and the timing of the release of this videotape on this website, known to be used by al Qaeda might be taken as an indication that this is a queue or a go ahead for cells in Saudi Arabia to go ahead with the planned attacks.
So that this videotape according to U.S. officials may be used by releasing it on the website to set the clock going for cells in Saudi Arabia to execute the next attack. As you remember, the last time the state department in Saudi Arabia, the embassy in Saudi Arabia released a warning like this was November 7, and the very next day November 8 around midnight a suicide truck bomber did attack a residential compound in Riyadh, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens of others. These attacks are coming more frequently in Saudi Arabia. There was another attack on three residential compounds, some of those used by Westerners, by Americans earlier in the year. So this obviously is a matter of great concern for U.S. officials and embassy officials in Saudi Arabia, Carol.
LIN: Chris, by actually releasing this tape, do officials at the pentagon think that it will have some sort of an influence on what these terrorists might do next then?
PLANTE: Well, the concern actually is that the cells which are already in place in Saudi Arabia, and there have been a number of arrest in Saudi Arabia, including one on the West Coast recently, two men were arrested, a number of others killed in a shoot out in possession of a vehicle that had already been loaded with significant amounts of explosives, apparently in preparation for an attack. They are aware at this point that there are cells operating in Saudi Arabia. And they may just be waiting for a queue from higher ups, from commanders in the al Qaeda organization.
And the concern is that this website, again known to be used by al Qaeda in the past, may be a reference point for the cells. And their concern is that the cells may have been informed ahead of time to track this website when this particular video is released. And you see this on the website. That is the sign, the go ahead for you to execute your attack. So that is the reason for the concern about the release of the videotape, Carol.
LIN: Chris Plante, thank you very much. Live from the Pentagon.
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 December 6, 2003 - 18:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, I am Carol Lin. Welcome to "CNN LIVE SATURDAY." We begin tonight with new concerns about al Qaeda and a new videotape that really has security officials worried. Our Pentagon correspondent Chris Plante is here to explain why. Chris, what is it?
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. Well, it started today with two warnings from the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the capital there. First a U.S. citizen's warning, citizens to stay away from Saudi Arabia for all but nonessential travel. And then a second much more ominous warning came out later in the day, suggesting to U.S. embassy personnel in Riyadh and to embassies personnel working at the consulates in the West Coast city of Jeddah and the East Coast city of Dhahran to avoid public areas, to maintain a low profile and to stay away from all areas where westerners are known to congregate, including residential compounds.
Now according to officials, there have been a number of indications recently, intelligence and otherwise working in conjunction with the government of Saudi Arabia, indicating that another terrorist attack there in Saudi Arabia may be imminent and it may be against U.S. interests. One of the reasons, according to U.S officials that we have spoken to here today is the release of a videotape that came out late Wednesday night on a website that is known to be used by al Qaeda. The videotape shows terrorist training. It also had a section with a man on camera making a statement. One senior U.S. official I spoke to a short time ago suggested that the release of this videotape and the timing of the release of this videotape on this website, known to be used by al Qaeda might be taken as an indication that this is a queue or a go ahead for cells in Saudi Arabia to go ahead with the planned attacks.
So that this videotape according to U.S. officials may be used by releasing it on the website to set the clock going for cells in Saudi Arabia to execute the next attack. As you remember, the last time the state department in Saudi Arabia, the embassy in Saudi Arabia released a warning like this was November 7, and the very next day November 8 around midnight a suicide truck bomber did attack a residential compound in Riyadh, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens of others. These attacks are coming more frequently in Saudi Arabia. There was another attack on three residential compounds, some of those used by Westerners, by Americans earlier in the year. So this obviously is a matter of great concern for U.S. officials and embassy officials in Saudi Arabia, Carol.
LIN: Chris, by actually releasing this tape, do officials at the pentagon think that it will have some sort of an influence on what these terrorists might do next then?
PLANTE: Well, the concern actually is that the cells which are already in place in Saudi Arabia, and there have been a number of arrest in Saudi Arabia, including one on the West Coast recently, two men were arrested, a number of others killed in a shoot out in possession of a vehicle that had already been loaded with significant amounts of explosives, apparently in preparation for an attack. They are aware at this point that there are cells operating in Saudi Arabia. And they may just be waiting for a queue from higher ups, from commanders in the al Qaeda organization.
And the concern is that this website, again known to be used by al Qaeda in the past, may be a reference point for the cells. And their concern is that the cells may have been informed ahead of time to track this website when this particular video is released. And you see this on the website. That is the sign, the go ahead for you to execute your attack. So that is the reason for the concern about the release of the videotape, Carol.
LIN: Chris Plante, thank you very much. Live from the Pentagon.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
