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Heightened Security Alert Here in U.S.
Aired February 07, 2003 - 13:47 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We continue to follow the heightened security alert here in the U.S. being told now, being tied to threats of possible chemical attacks from overseas.
For more on this now, we go to our senior international correspondent Sheila MacVicar. She joins us from our London bureau.
Sheila, what can you tell us?
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, there have been reports of threats, and government officials have said they have thwarted plots throughout Europe, beginning in mid-December. There have been arrests, a series of arrests in Britain, which led to the discovery of an apartment, where authorities say they discovered that people have been making the toxin ricin. And a series of arrests also outside of Paris. CNN has learned that in those arrests, cyanide compounds were also found.
Just a few weeks ago, we saw a major sweep in Spain, barrels of chemicals found there. Senior Spanish government officials saying those chemicals, they believed, were to be used and prepared for chemical attacks elsewhere in Europe.
Today, when we were listening to Attorney General Ashcroft, as they were announcing the change in that threat level, moving it up to high, the security threat level to high, he didn't tell us very much about what kinds of attacks the homeland security group were fearing. He did say, of course, it came about as a result of specific intelligence.
He did offer one clue, though, when he talked about those arrests in London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: There are also indications bolstered by the recent arrests in London where chemical ricin was discovered. These indications demonstrate Al Qaeda's interest in carrying out chemical, biological and radiological attacks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACVICAR: Now, he did go on to say that of course they where aware Al Qaeda had what was called a very serious interest in chemical, biological and radiological weapons.
Now we know from investigators and intelligence sources here in Europe that they believe these groups in Britain, France and Spain are connected together, and that they are connected back to specific Al Qaeda trainers. Amongst them, a man named by Secretary of State Colin Powell at the United Nations at the Security Council when he spoke there the other day.
Now, intelligence sources throughout Europe have been talking for a long time about the possibility of more Al Qaeda attacks, about new threats from Al Qaeda and have been talking about their concerns that Al Qaeda might move towards a chemical or biological weapon.
Those are concerns that it appears have been borne out by the discoveries in Europe over the last two months, and concerns which it seems clear the attorney general and others in Washington share -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You're talking about possible chemical and biological attacks, but what about conventional attack, suicide bombings, other explosive type of events?
MACVICAR: Clearly, we've seen Al Qaeda or people linked to Al Qaeda carry out attacks like that in recent months. There has been the suicide bombing attack against a French tanker, the Lindbergh off the coast of Yemen. There of course the Bali bomb, suicide bombing attacks, driving people literally into a second and larger blast.
We had the suicide attacks, multiple bombs setting off, driving people literally into a second and larger blast. We had the suicide bombing attack in Mombasa against a resort hotel. The same time there was an apparent attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner using stinger missiles.
Now, the attorney general talked about what he called soft targets. He mentioned specifically apartment buildings and hotels in the United States, targets where there is not traditionally or typically a high level of security, suggesting there are concerns there, that that's the kind of target they might see.
PHILLIPS: Our Sheila MacVicar out of London, thanks so much, Sheila.
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 February 7, 2003 - 13:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We continue to follow the heightened security alert here in the U.S. being told now, being tied to threats of possible chemical attacks from overseas.
For more on this now, we go to our senior international correspondent Sheila MacVicar. She joins us from our London bureau.
Sheila, what can you tell us?
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, there have been reports of threats, and government officials have said they have thwarted plots throughout Europe, beginning in mid-December. There have been arrests, a series of arrests in Britain, which led to the discovery of an apartment, where authorities say they discovered that people have been making the toxin ricin. And a series of arrests also outside of Paris. CNN has learned that in those arrests, cyanide compounds were also found.
Just a few weeks ago, we saw a major sweep in Spain, barrels of chemicals found there. Senior Spanish government officials saying those chemicals, they believed, were to be used and prepared for chemical attacks elsewhere in Europe.
Today, when we were listening to Attorney General Ashcroft, as they were announcing the change in that threat level, moving it up to high, the security threat level to high, he didn't tell us very much about what kinds of attacks the homeland security group were fearing. He did say, of course, it came about as a result of specific intelligence.
He did offer one clue, though, when he talked about those arrests in London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: There are also indications bolstered by the recent arrests in London where chemical ricin was discovered. These indications demonstrate Al Qaeda's interest in carrying out chemical, biological and radiological attacks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACVICAR: Now, he did go on to say that of course they where aware Al Qaeda had what was called a very serious interest in chemical, biological and radiological weapons.
Now we know from investigators and intelligence sources here in Europe that they believe these groups in Britain, France and Spain are connected together, and that they are connected back to specific Al Qaeda trainers. Amongst them, a man named by Secretary of State Colin Powell at the United Nations at the Security Council when he spoke there the other day.
Now, intelligence sources throughout Europe have been talking for a long time about the possibility of more Al Qaeda attacks, about new threats from Al Qaeda and have been talking about their concerns that Al Qaeda might move towards a chemical or biological weapon.
Those are concerns that it appears have been borne out by the discoveries in Europe over the last two months, and concerns which it seems clear the attorney general and others in Washington share -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You're talking about possible chemical and biological attacks, but what about conventional attack, suicide bombings, other explosive type of events?
MACVICAR: Clearly, we've seen Al Qaeda or people linked to Al Qaeda carry out attacks like that in recent months. There has been the suicide bombing attack against a French tanker, the Lindbergh off the coast of Yemen. There of course the Bali bomb, suicide bombing attacks, driving people literally into a second and larger blast.
We had the suicide attacks, multiple bombs setting off, driving people literally into a second and larger blast. We had the suicide bombing attack in Mombasa against a resort hotel. The same time there was an apparent attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner using stinger missiles.
Now, the attorney general talked about what he called soft targets. He mentioned specifically apartment buildings and hotels in the United States, targets where there is not traditionally or typically a high level of security, suggesting there are concerns there, that that's the kind of target they might see.
PHILLIPS: Our Sheila MacVicar out of London, thanks so much, Sheila.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
