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Remains of 9/11 Hijackers Have Been Found
Aired February 27, 2003 - 14:56 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: On a day when New York is celebrating finalized plans to rebuild the World Trade Center Towers, New York medical examiners have identified the remains of two of the 9/11 hijackers.
Our Jamie Colby is live in New York with more on the story.
JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good afternoon. It had become important to the families of the 9/11 victims not to have any unidentified remains of their loved ones commingled with the remains of the hijackers in the event that those unidentified remains were made part of a World Trade Center memorial. The positive identification, and more importantly, the separation of those remains by the New York City medical examiner of the two hijackers is according to New York Governor Pataki something that the families of the World Trade Center attack victims deserve.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: I think it's important that the remains that are relocated to ground zero are the remains of the heroes who died and not of those evil murderers. And I'm pleased that the medical examiner has been able to identify some of their remains so they can go rot in hell, not as part of our tribute to the heroes we lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLBY: The identification also represents a critical finding for the FBI according to Dr. Lawrence Kobelinski. He is a noted forensic scientist and professor of forensic at New York's John J. College of Criminal Justice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE KOBILINSKY: The fact that we're now able to make a match of these individuals, these hijackers is very significant. Because this is the first time that we can actually absolutely identify them as the hijackers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLBY: The matched data could also, Daryn, be used to help further the overall investigation into Al Qaeda terrorist activities by creating a DNA trail involving these two hijackers.
KAGAN: Very interesting. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOBILINSKY: Now we have their genetics and we can actually use this information to follow them. Where have they been in the past? Perhaps we can hook them up to other individuals. Where have they been? Who have they been in touch with? Who have they touched? Who have they been in contact with? In fact, perhaps the FBI now needs to establish a database.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLBY: And the goal of DNA testing, Daryn, remains to matched cells as quickly and accurately as possible. Technology is advancing at a rapid pace. In particular, the doctor is testing equipment in his lab that will allow scientists and investigators to go to crime scenes with the equipment and make matches in as little as ten minutes. In addition, some technology that's being used in England right now, called low impact numbers technology of DNA testing is allowing accurate verification of IDs in as little as the 10 minutes, but also with a single-cell match. That is a very small amount of DNA, smaller than anything that we here in the United States are able to use. The Dr. Kobilinsky says the future could hold the FBI perhaps using that technology -- Daryn.
KAGAN: It will be fascinating to track.
Jamie Colby, in New York, thank you so much. A ton of questions but we are out of time for this hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: On a day when New York is celebrating finalized plans to rebuild the World Trade Center Towers, New York medical examiners have identified the remains of two of the 9/11 hijackers.>
Aired February 27, 2003 - 14:56 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: On a day when New York is celebrating finalized plans to rebuild the World Trade Center Towers, New York medical examiners have identified the remains of two of the 9/11 hijackers.
Our Jamie Colby is live in New York with more on the story.
JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good afternoon. It had become important to the families of the 9/11 victims not to have any unidentified remains of their loved ones commingled with the remains of the hijackers in the event that those unidentified remains were made part of a World Trade Center memorial. The positive identification, and more importantly, the separation of those remains by the New York City medical examiner of the two hijackers is according to New York Governor Pataki something that the families of the World Trade Center attack victims deserve.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: I think it's important that the remains that are relocated to ground zero are the remains of the heroes who died and not of those evil murderers. And I'm pleased that the medical examiner has been able to identify some of their remains so they can go rot in hell, not as part of our tribute to the heroes we lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLBY: The identification also represents a critical finding for the FBI according to Dr. Lawrence Kobelinski. He is a noted forensic scientist and professor of forensic at New York's John J. College of Criminal Justice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE KOBILINSKY: The fact that we're now able to make a match of these individuals, these hijackers is very significant. Because this is the first time that we can actually absolutely identify them as the hijackers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLBY: The matched data could also, Daryn, be used to help further the overall investigation into Al Qaeda terrorist activities by creating a DNA trail involving these two hijackers.
KAGAN: Very interesting. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOBILINSKY: Now we have their genetics and we can actually use this information to follow them. Where have they been in the past? Perhaps we can hook them up to other individuals. Where have they been? Who have they been in touch with? Who have they touched? Who have they been in contact with? In fact, perhaps the FBI now needs to establish a database.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLBY: And the goal of DNA testing, Daryn, remains to matched cells as quickly and accurately as possible. Technology is advancing at a rapid pace. In particular, the doctor is testing equipment in his lab that will allow scientists and investigators to go to crime scenes with the equipment and make matches in as little as ten minutes. In addition, some technology that's being used in England right now, called low impact numbers technology of DNA testing is allowing accurate verification of IDs in as little as the 10 minutes, but also with a single-cell match. That is a very small amount of DNA, smaller than anything that we here in the United States are able to use. The Dr. Kobilinsky says the future could hold the FBI perhaps using that technology -- Daryn.
KAGAN: It will be fascinating to track.
Jamie Colby, in New York, thank you so much. A ton of questions but we are out of time for this hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: On a day when New York is celebrating finalized plans to rebuild the World Trade Center Towers, New York medical examiners have identified the remains of two of the 9/11 hijackers.>
