Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

America's New War: Mohamed Atta Could Have Been Money Organizer

Aired October 01, 2001 - 08:06   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now it's time to get more on one key aspect of the investigation, the money trail.

CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Washington with more on that.

Good morning, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

It now appears that Mohamed Atta, who police believe may have piloted -- authorities believe may have piloted one of the planes into the World Trade Center, may also have been the money organizer for the group here in the United States. A source close to the investigation tells us that Atta received over the past year about $100,000 from Pakistan, that money coming in to a couple of banks in Florida. And that in turn, sources say, Atta would use that money to buy money orders and doll out money, a few thousand dollars at a time, to some of the others involved in the plot. Now not only those names, the FBI says, but also additional names, according to sources, and of course, they're trying to track down those additional people -- Paula.

ZAHN: So, Susan, yesterday the attorney general made it quite clear that there is a clear -- in his words -- and present danger of even more attacks, and yesterday he wouldn't give much detail on that. Do you have any specifics on what he's talking about?

CANDIOTTI: Only that certainly this is something that our sources have been telling us for a few weeks now of course since the attacks that it is highly unlikely, according to the attorney general, that everyone associated with the attacks, anyone connected in any way has already been detained or has been arrested. As you know, no one has been directly linked to the attacks so far. And so the attorney general added to that that he believes that there -- that the threat of additional terrorist activity may indeed escalate as soon as the United States begins to actively respond to the attacks of September 11.

ZAHN: All right, Susan, thanks so much for that update.

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