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CNN Live At Daybreak

Nuclear Weapons Plants Are Vulnerable, Say Former, Current Workers

Aired January 24, 2002 - 05:20   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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Some current and former employees of the nation's nuclear weapons plants are likely to be interested in what Mr. Bush tells the mayors this morning.

CNN's Steve Young says there is some concern that those plants could be the target of suicide terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lawrence Livermore Lab in California, Rocky Flats in the Denver suburbs and the Los Alamos Lab in New Mexico -- because of security problems they're all potential targets for terrorists willing to die in order to cause nuclear carnage. This, according to whistle blowers who currently work at the weapons facilities, or used to. The threats serious, according to a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

REP. EDWARD MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: We have been able to identify the technical materials that are presently in the hands of al Qaeda and the clear intent of al Qaeda, if they could gain access to the plutonium and uranium necessary to construct nuclear weapons, that they would use them.

YOUNG: The Rocky Flats plant no longer makes weapons, but more than enough plutonium to fashion hundreds of nuclear weapons is still on hand. A program manager says a suicidal band of al Qaeda terrorists could kill the guards, obtain plutonium and set off the equivalent of a small nuclear weapons explosion.

He says, at one point, plutonium was stored in a room with gypsum walls and a single padlock. He says that Rocky Flats' vulnerability has been fixed, but there are others equally alarming he can't discuss.

A former member of Lawrence Livermore's SWAT team, who was fired, says guards wouldn't be able to cope with terrorists using biochemical weapons.

MATTHEW ZIPOLT, FORMER LAWRENCE LIVERMORE EMPLOYEE: Officers are not being afforded the proper equipment, training and safeguards to ensure success. YOUNG: The Department of Energy says the charges are based on old data and are false and misleading. It adds that, "Some try to create a climate of fear grossly disproportionate to the risks to the public.''

(on camera): Congressman Markey says an unclassified version of a report being prepared on security at DOE weapons facilities should be made available to the public.

Steve Young, CNN Financial News, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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