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CNN Live At Daybreak
Lot of Questions Being Raised About Report Claiming Some Documents on How to Make a Nuclear Weapon Found in Al Qaeda Safehouse
Aired November 15, 2001 - 07:40 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: And we're back at about 44 minutes after the hour. There are a lot of questions being raised this morning about a report in "The Times of London" claiming some documents on how to make a nuclear weapon have been found in an al Qaeda safehouse.
Former U.N. chief weapons inspector, Richard Butler, now with the Council on Foreign Relations is here with his insights. Good morning.
RICHARD BUTLER, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Good morning Paula.
ZAHN: What do you make of these reports?
BUTLER: I think they've got a high degree of veracity and they are deeply disturbing, really.
ZAHN: Why is this report so believable?
(CROSSTALK)
BUTLER: They've found documents in an al Qaeda house, a house in which Osama bin Laden himself apparently had spent some time. They attempted to burn the documents, but thank God not succeeded. So they were able to be read. They're in several languages included some in English and (INAUDIBLE) - before I say this, I want to remind people that Osama bin Laden has said in public that he considers it - quote - "his religious duty" - unquote - to acquire nuclear weapons.
And then you put next to that the threat of last week, that we have nuclear weapons ...
ZAHN: Sure.
BUTLER: ... and we will use them - OK. What do the documents tell us? They tell us that they have been trying to make a magisoki (ph) type bomb - that is a bomb that is enclosed with cutanium (ph) at its core and creates a massive explosion.
We also learned that Pakistani scientists who are religious fundamentalists, have crossed the border and tried to help them. That's terrible news. The one (INAUDIBLE) I suppose, if I can put it this way, is that we don't see evidence that they've acquired a suitcase bomb - one that has already been made and may be (INAUDIBLE) from the former Soviet Union, which is as I've said to you before, has worried me greatly.
But here is documentary evidence that these people are trying to make a magisoki type bomb ...
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: Now is that bomb considered a sophisticated bomb or is the ...
BUTLER: Well ...
ZAHN: ... delivery system that determines the sophistication of the (INAUDIBLE) weapon.
BUTLER: Great question. Were they to succeed, it would be terrible. But the magisoki bomb had a nickname and that was fat man, because it was so big. That's why it was carried in a bomber, in an aircraft. So if they're working on something like that, they probably wouldn't be able to make it small enough to put on a missile warhead. It would be hard to deliver.
ZAHN: Before we let you go, another report, this one coming from the BBC saying that Mullah Omar, one of the religious leaders, has said in an interview that a plan for the destruction of America is proceeding.
BUTLER: Well again, this is very disturbing. We must bear in mind that these people make this, you know, preposterous statements, but we can't turn a blind eye to them and if you were to ask yourself, Paula, destroy the United States - I ask you ...
ZAHN: But what does that mean?
BUTLER: ... by what other means could he be suggesting than nuclear weapons. So that's why I say finding these documents, getting this detail, putting it together with the statements from the al Qaeda group, it's a good find, but it's deeply disturbing. It means that nuclear weapons may well be in the picture.
ZAHN: What a way to end the week.
BUTLER: I know. I know. It's bad news.
ZAHN: Ambassador Butler, we will ...
BUTLER: OK.
ZAHN: ... continue to follow this very closely and interesting that both reports have come out of ...
BUTLER: Indeed it is.
ZAHN: ... (INAUDIBLE) sources.
BUTLER: Indeed it is.
ZAHN: Thank you.
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