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CNN Live At Daybreak

America's New War: FBI Files First Criminal Charges in Attack

Aired September 19, 2001 - 08:02   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Our Justice Department correspondent, Kelli Arena, has been keeping up with this very broad, very fast- moving investigation. She joins us now from Washington with the latest -- Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

The FBI has filed the first criminal charges in its investigation into the terrorist attacks.

While looking for one of the nearly 200 witnesses that were being sought, FBI agents found three other men in Detroit. Now, they have been charged with identity fraud, misuse of visas and conspiracy to commit those violations. One FBI agent told CNN that two of the men had I.D. badges for an onboard airline caterer at Detroit's Metropolitan Airport. However, a company official said the men were dishwashers no longer employed there, and who had no access to the airport ramp areas.

The FBI manhunt involves more than 4,000 agents, and CNN was granted exclusive access to the FBI Washington field office command center yesterday for a close-up look at the investigation in progress.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA (voice-over): The tips are pouring into this FBI command center at an overwhelming rate. Even with as many as 358 agents and 150 support staff working around the clock, gleaning useful information is a tedious job.

VAN HARP (ph), FBI: There is such a volume. We've never had an investigation like this of this magnitude. I don't think anyone has. And the volume of information that we have, there have been numerous fictitious names and false addresses and cutouts (ph) and that type of thing, and it just takes a long time analyzing all of this information.

ARENA: But the assistant director in charge, Van Harp (ph), says the FBI is not going it alone.

HARP (ph): We have Customs, IRS, ATF, Washington (ph) Police Department, Federal Protective Service, Washington Metropolitan Police Department and our personnel. And it's a joint -- and the United States Attorney's office from Virginia, the Eastern District of Virginia is represented.

ARENA: Part of their focus is on finding out exactly what happened on American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon, and on locating nearly 200 people the Justice Department says may have information about the terrorist attacks.

HARP (ph): It's like drinking out of a fire hose, but we have made some material progress.

ARENA: But as the agents piece together the information, chilling revelations: One of the hijackers who crashed into the Pentagon tried to polish his skills right in their own backyard at this small airport school in Bowie, Maryland.

HARP (ph): The significance of this event, of this disaster, of this heinous crime has had an impact on everyone in this country.

ARENA: The FBI is specifically looking into whether other hijacks were planned, and whether a similar threat still exists. So far, there are more than 80 people in custody, either as material witnesses or being held by the INS.

HARP (ph): This is the worst criminal act I've ever seen, and our primary objective is to bring those people to justice. Collateral is to collect the intelligence and be able to prevent that prospectively. And that's exactly what we're doing.

ARENA: The agents here are noticeably tired, and there's no indication the pace will slow down anytime soon.

HARP (ph): When you look at the dedication and the effort that these people are putting into this investigation, I think in the long run, we will prevail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: Now, while there has been a great deal of progress, there is still a great level of concern. Some members of Congress were told by White House officials in a classified briefing that further terrorist acts are being planned, but that there is no specific information about targets or dates -- that according to our sources -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Kelli, I noticed in the backdrop some of that brown paper over some of those marker boards; obviously a lot of sensitive information in there. One the one hand, the FBI wants to let the American public know this investigation is progressing. On the other hand, their hands are tied. They really can't say can't say much, can they?

ARENA: They really can't. And every time we got into specifics about the investigation, we were told, "can't comment, can't comment." And that room was sanitized, Miles -- there were a lot of things that were taken out, and even some agents who had to be removed from the room, because they are working under cover. So there is a lot that we don't know; a lot that we do know. And we know that progress is being made, but the links that are being formed here and the whole thing is being put together, we -- I just don't think we'll know for a very long time.

O'BRIEN: You mentioned they are weary; obviously a lot of commitment to getting some progress in all of this. Do you get the sense that they're still making a tremendous amount of progress or there are a lot of dead ends?

ARENA: Well, I do. I mean, there are links -- there have been several links made here right in the Maryland area just outside of Washington. As you know, we had three arrests made earlier today.

And that -- the task before them, though, is tremendous. I mean, trying to find nearly 200 people who changed their name from location to location by just the adding of an L or the dropping of an A has been a monumental task. And that is very difficult. And, of course, most of those people have already left the country. It is assumed that they have left the country. So this is like finding a needle in a haystack in some instances.

However, there have been many connections made between the so- called hostages that the FBI has identified to find out where they -- and also some of their associates. So for the short amount of time -- we're only talking a week here -- the progress has been very good.

O'BRIEN: Kelli Arena with an unprecedented look at the command center of the FBI -- thank you very much. We appreciate it.

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