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Analysis on FBI Warning of Spectacular Events

Aired November 15, 2002 - 14:17   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.


MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: The national threat level remains at elevated at this hour. Despite the latest warnings from the FBI, the bureau says al Qaeda may be planning spectacular attacks inside the United States. That bulletin has gone out to law enforcement agencies, but is law enforcement taking any new action?
Our security analyst Mike Brooks has many years experience in law enforcement. He joins us now.

Mike, Good to have you with us.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Good to be here, Marty.

SAVIDGE: You know, I saw this this morning, the first thing that grabbed my attention, it does worry me, but what do you do?

BROOKS: I think they use spectacular events. You know, many times here in the United States, we tend to get complacent. Talking to the FBI sources at FBI headquarters, they telling me this is more of a vigilance alert than anything else. Local law enforcement, you know, they're our front line against the war on terror. People sometimes forget that because there's so much focus on the Homeland Security Department and in the FBI, CIA, DIA. But the local law enforcement are the front lines, they're ones out there every single day, the eyes and ears of law enforcement around the world.

But here in the United States, they have to remain vigilant and they are. You look at cities like Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, all of the major cities. There are cops out there every single day responding to suspicious packages, bomb threats, these are all, you know, possible terrorist attacks, but I think sometimes we need to get poked with a stick here in the United States. Because if something doesn't happen six months to a year down the road, after a major event, sometimes we tend to get complacent.

And I think they're looking at this more as a vigilance alert anything else. Especially, in light of what's been going on over cease, in the Philippines, you know, and the U.S. diplomat killed in Amman, Jordan, especially in Bali. And now also Mir Aimal Kasi yesterday was executed. We recall back in November of 1997, four oil workers were killed after Kasi was found guilty, and he was eligible for the death penalty. So I think all of this and the bin Laden tape all kind of plays in to this using of spectacular events in this informational bulletin.

SAVIDGE: Well, Mike, let me -- before you get on a roll again, let me read you a couple of lines that grab my attention: "Al Qaeda may favor spectacular attacks that meet several criteria, high symbolic value, mass casualties, severe damage to the U.S. economy and maximum psychological trauma." If you're a police officer trying to figure out where that means, where do you look? What does that mean, really?

BROOKS: It could be anywhere, Marty, from New York City, Washington, D.C., to Oklahoma City to Wichita, Kansas. It could be anywhere at all. All of these different things and especially as -- and it goes on to talk about still, the main targets of the infrastructure protection where this bulletin was put out, the national infrastructure protection center. It says still, the main targets are still aviation, petroleum, nuclear sectors, and as well as significant as national landmarks, national icons. We go back to September 11 and what is the World Trade Center? We're talking about the economy, world icons, same kind of thing. So it could happen anywhere, from the smallest city in the United States to the largest city in the United States.

SAVIDGE: We're not talking about the one specific target? There is not one that seems to cover all that criteria? This would seem to imply a series of attacks or coordinated attacks.

BROOKS: Right, and again, this is not specific. If it were specific, they would raise the threat level. But we're still at yellow, at elevated. It hasn't gone up to orange, high. We did go up to high just recently, but then it was put back down to elevated again.

SAVIDGE: But that's a good point. If it's designed to catch our attention, why not raise the level of warning?

BROOKS: Well, I think that they have information about what's going on overseas, but I think what's worrying law enforcement right now, there is not much chatter, as they call it, here in the United States right now. They have some people they're looking at, there in pocket. There hasn't been a lot of communications from those people or to those people from outside sources. And that's why law enforcement's a little concerned. It's been awful quiet here in the United States. But it's been very busy overseas.

SAVIDGE: You're coming into a period that has been traditional time of terrorist attacks, the holiday period here at home.

BROOKS: That's right, and we're coming up here on Thanksgiving very shortly, Christmas the New Year's celebration. And again, I think this is more of a vigilance alert than anything else, Marty. And that's what the people at FBI headquarters were trying to get the message out with using the spectacular events. I think if they'd have put another bulletin out, like they usually do, and say we're looking at possible terrorist attacks, people say yeah, as Americans usually do, get a little complacent and say this is another bulletin coming from the FBI, from Homeland Security. But with this using the words spectacular events, I think that kind of going to get the attention a little bit more.

SAVIDGE: Well, it caught mine. Mike Brooks, security analyst, thanks very much for talking about it. We appreciate it.

BROOKS: It good to be here, Marty.

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






Aired November 15, 2002 - 14:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: The national threat level remains at elevated at this hour. Despite the latest warnings from the FBI, the bureau says al Qaeda may be planning spectacular attacks inside the United States. That bulletin has gone out to law enforcement agencies, but is law enforcement taking any new action?
Our security analyst Mike Brooks has many years experience in law enforcement. He joins us now.

Mike, Good to have you with us.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Good to be here, Marty.

SAVIDGE: You know, I saw this this morning, the first thing that grabbed my attention, it does worry me, but what do you do?

BROOKS: I think they use spectacular events. You know, many times here in the United States, we tend to get complacent. Talking to the FBI sources at FBI headquarters, they telling me this is more of a vigilance alert than anything else. Local law enforcement, you know, they're our front line against the war on terror. People sometimes forget that because there's so much focus on the Homeland Security Department and in the FBI, CIA, DIA. But the local law enforcement are the front lines, they're ones out there every single day, the eyes and ears of law enforcement around the world.

But here in the United States, they have to remain vigilant and they are. You look at cities like Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, all of the major cities. There are cops out there every single day responding to suspicious packages, bomb threats, these are all, you know, possible terrorist attacks, but I think sometimes we need to get poked with a stick here in the United States. Because if something doesn't happen six months to a year down the road, after a major event, sometimes we tend to get complacent.

And I think they're looking at this more as a vigilance alert anything else. Especially, in light of what's been going on over cease, in the Philippines, you know, and the U.S. diplomat killed in Amman, Jordan, especially in Bali. And now also Mir Aimal Kasi yesterday was executed. We recall back in November of 1997, four oil workers were killed after Kasi was found guilty, and he was eligible for the death penalty. So I think all of this and the bin Laden tape all kind of plays in to this using of spectacular events in this informational bulletin.

SAVIDGE: Well, Mike, let me -- before you get on a roll again, let me read you a couple of lines that grab my attention: "Al Qaeda may favor spectacular attacks that meet several criteria, high symbolic value, mass casualties, severe damage to the U.S. economy and maximum psychological trauma." If you're a police officer trying to figure out where that means, where do you look? What does that mean, really?

BROOKS: It could be anywhere, Marty, from New York City, Washington, D.C., to Oklahoma City to Wichita, Kansas. It could be anywhere at all. All of these different things and especially as -- and it goes on to talk about still, the main targets of the infrastructure protection where this bulletin was put out, the national infrastructure protection center. It says still, the main targets are still aviation, petroleum, nuclear sectors, and as well as significant as national landmarks, national icons. We go back to September 11 and what is the World Trade Center? We're talking about the economy, world icons, same kind of thing. So it could happen anywhere, from the smallest city in the United States to the largest city in the United States.

SAVIDGE: We're not talking about the one specific target? There is not one that seems to cover all that criteria? This would seem to imply a series of attacks or coordinated attacks.

BROOKS: Right, and again, this is not specific. If it were specific, they would raise the threat level. But we're still at yellow, at elevated. It hasn't gone up to orange, high. We did go up to high just recently, but then it was put back down to elevated again.

SAVIDGE: But that's a good point. If it's designed to catch our attention, why not raise the level of warning?

BROOKS: Well, I think that they have information about what's going on overseas, but I think what's worrying law enforcement right now, there is not much chatter, as they call it, here in the United States right now. They have some people they're looking at, there in pocket. There hasn't been a lot of communications from those people or to those people from outside sources. And that's why law enforcement's a little concerned. It's been awful quiet here in the United States. But it's been very busy overseas.

SAVIDGE: You're coming into a period that has been traditional time of terrorist attacks, the holiday period here at home.

BROOKS: That's right, and we're coming up here on Thanksgiving very shortly, Christmas the New Year's celebration. And again, I think this is more of a vigilance alert than anything else, Marty. And that's what the people at FBI headquarters were trying to get the message out with using the spectacular events. I think if they'd have put another bulletin out, like they usually do, and say we're looking at possible terrorist attacks, people say yeah, as Americans usually do, get a little complacent and say this is another bulletin coming from the FBI, from Homeland Security. But with this using the words spectacular events, I think that kind of going to get the attention a little bit more.

SAVIDGE: Well, it caught mine. Mike Brooks, security analyst, thanks very much for talking about it. We appreciate it.

BROOKS: It good to be here, Marty.

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