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CNN Live At Daybreak
Walker Heads to Court Early This Morning
Aired January 24, 2002 - 06:36 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: As we've been reporting, Taliban- American John Walker has his first appearance in federal court this morning.
CNN's Bill Prasad is outside the courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia.
Good morning Bill.
BILL PRASAD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Carol.
John Walker is home, but there was no homecoming. In Afghanistan, he fought for the Taliban. This morning in a courtroom, he'll begin a fight for his freedom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
He is a silhouette marked by a glow stick, wobbling in shackles. Twenty-year old John Walker arrived last night at a northern Virginia detention center. His parents haven't seen him since he left for Pakistan in late 2000, and it's unclear when they'll get to.
FRANK LINDH, WALKER'S FATHER: We're a little disappointed, but the guards did tell us that John was in good health, and we're very glad to hear that.
PRASAD: Walker was captured in December while fighting with the Taliban. He was one of about 80 Taliban soldiers who survived a bloody prison uprising near Mazar-e Sharif. Killed during combat was CIA agent Mike Spann. The White House is eager to see Walker punished.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: He will now get the justice he deserves, that he has been charged with something extraordinarily serious.
PRASAD: During today's U.S. District Court hearing, Walker will hear the charges. Four criminal counts that include conspiring to kill Americans abroad and supporting terrorist groups. Conviction could bring a life term. His attorneys say that Walker was denied legal representation while in military custody.
JAMES BROSNAHAN, FAMILY ATTORNEY: We're going to fight like hell to make sure that he gets fair treatment here. PRASAD: Security remains extraordinarily tight. Also being held here is Zacarias Moussaoui, charged with conspiracy in the September 11 attacks. Also incarcerated: About a dozen people arrested as part of the terrorism investigation.
JOHN HACKMAN, U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE: Well, we're trying to prepare for every kind of contingency that we could possibly be dealing with (ph).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PRASAD: ...hours, John Walker will face a judge and become part of the system, prosecutors say, he tried to destroy.
Bill Prasad, CNN, northern Virginia.
COSTELLO: Bill, explain to us more about the preliminary hearing. Will he simply hear the charges against him and not enter a plea?
PRASAD: Most likely he won't. It'll be very brief. Basically it's called an identity hearing. He goes in, he identifies himself, he hears the charges, then the judge will ask him if he has a lawyer, and indeed he does.
Then, in the next few hours or in the next few days he will have a bond hearing, and prosecutors say there's slim to no chance that he would be released.
COSTELLO: I don't know if you've heard this Bill, but we have heard that John Walker has left the detention center and is on his way to court. Do you see any activity out there?
PRASAD: As I'm looking around I do not see any activity, but keep in mind that I'm not at a vantage point where I would see him emerge.
COSTELLO: Can you see these pictures that we are looking at right now?
PRASAD: I'm afraid I can't.
COSTELLO: Oh darn. Anyway this is supposedly John Walker being transported to the federal courthouse there in Alexandria, Virginia under very tight security. I guess it's really unlikely that you will see him enter the courthouse. They'll probably take him in a back way where you can't see him, right Bill?
PRASAD: Most likely, you're correct. Security has been extremely tight. There are a number of suspects inside. A large number of police in the area, so people are being kept at a distance.
COSTELLO: I'm sure. Can you tell us again about his appearance? Is he likely to appear in an orange jumpsuit, and has his hair all been shaven? PRASAD: He has been shaven, and most likely he will appear in that jumpsuit. The proceedings will most likely go very quickly. Now his parents have been trying to see him before the hearing. It's unclear at this point whether they will get a chance to do that.
COSTELLO: I would suppose a lot of SWAT team members are hidden around the courthouse there while John Walker is being transported into the federal courthouse this morning. Any visible signs ...
PRASAD: There are a number of police both in and out of uniform throughout the area - very, very tight security, almost unprecedented.
COSTELLO: And his hearing is set to begin at 9:00 this morning. Why do you suppose they're transporting him so early?
PRASAD: They probably want to make sure security is in place and that everything is there to make sure it goes off very quickly.
COSTELLO: And very smoothly as well. Thank you. Bill Prasad reporting live for us outside the courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. When the hearing gets underway, of course, we will bring it to you to tell you what is happening. Thank you very much Bill.
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