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ISI Gives Journalists Look at Arrest Video
Aired March 10, 2003 - 14:25 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: There is no doubt that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is in custody, but there are differing details about who was there, and who should get most of the credit. Pakistan showed a video of Mohammed's capture today, and gave itself a huge pat on the back. CNN's Tom Mintier joining us via videophone from Islamabad with the latest.
Tom, are folks in Islamabad -- they have their nose out of a joint a little bit about how this was released to the world?
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's quite possible, Miles. We got a look inside the super-secretive Pakistani intelligence agency, the ISI today. We were invited for a first-ever briefing by ISI officials inside their headquarters. They called reporters from the international news media that are here in Islamabad to their headquarters today, provided us a briefing about an hour long of the organizational chart of al Qaeda, about the work they have done in arresting several of the top leaders of al Qaeda, and they showed us an extraordinary eight-minute videotape of the capture of Shaikh Mohammed.
Now, this videotape was made by two cameramen working for the ISI. We asked if we could get a copy of the tape, and we were laughed at at first and then they said they'd see about it.
On the tape, you see the agents from the ISI going into the building and making the arrest. You see the handcuffs being put on Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and you don't ever see his face in the video. We were saying why the video had been edited to prevent showing his face. He said, We have a lot more pictures, and we could have edited it in but we did not.
Again, very interesting that the ISI opened their doors to the media today. Extraordinary. It's never happened, according to Pakistani officials, where the ISI would brief journalists about anything -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Well, Tom, it is a little bit odd that they would let you in, show you the tape, and then not let you get a dub. Any insights as to why?
MINTIER: Well, when we first went in, they, of course, made us leave our cell phones at the door, and they also wanted us to leave our pens and notebooks on the table as well. We sort of stood up and said, How can we be journalists and not have pads -- and pens to write with, and take notes to make sure we got the story accurately? They relented and allowed us to bring our note pads and pens inside. I think they clearly wanted to take some credit for what was going on here. They were questioned about CIA agents or FBI agents being on the scene when the raid took place. They said it was an entirely Pakistani operation, that about 18 ISI agents were on the scene, and it was conducted solely by Pakistanis, that no foreign nationals, as they put it, were involved in this operation whatsoever.
They did admit that some electronic intelligence was provided to Pakistan by the United States, and in turn they allowed the United States to have access to the hard drive on a computer there, but most of the hard evidence of documents, they say, still remains in Pakistan.
O'BRIEN: Tom, is it possible that they were trying to show that they weren't exactly operating under the direct supervision or orders of U.S. authorities? In other words, show their independence?
MINTIER: I think it was clear that was a message they wanted to bring out. They talked about the interrogation of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, saying that for two days he would say nothing except to nod his head when asked his name. But they said on the third day, he started talking, saying that he met Osama bin Laden sometime in the month of December but wouldn't provide any details (AUDIO GAP) took place, who else was there, or what was discussed. (AUDIO GAP) he is talking to investigators as we speak.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Tom Mintier. We're going to let you go before we lose that videophone signal.
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 March 10, 2003 - 14:25 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: There is no doubt that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is in custody, but there are differing details about who was there, and who should get most of the credit. Pakistan showed a video of Mohammed's capture today, and gave itself a huge pat on the back. CNN's Tom Mintier joining us via videophone from Islamabad with the latest.
Tom, are folks in Islamabad -- they have their nose out of a joint a little bit about how this was released to the world?
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's quite possible, Miles. We got a look inside the super-secretive Pakistani intelligence agency, the ISI today. We were invited for a first-ever briefing by ISI officials inside their headquarters. They called reporters from the international news media that are here in Islamabad to their headquarters today, provided us a briefing about an hour long of the organizational chart of al Qaeda, about the work they have done in arresting several of the top leaders of al Qaeda, and they showed us an extraordinary eight-minute videotape of the capture of Shaikh Mohammed.
Now, this videotape was made by two cameramen working for the ISI. We asked if we could get a copy of the tape, and we were laughed at at first and then they said they'd see about it.
On the tape, you see the agents from the ISI going into the building and making the arrest. You see the handcuffs being put on Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and you don't ever see his face in the video. We were saying why the video had been edited to prevent showing his face. He said, We have a lot more pictures, and we could have edited it in but we did not.
Again, very interesting that the ISI opened their doors to the media today. Extraordinary. It's never happened, according to Pakistani officials, where the ISI would brief journalists about anything -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Well, Tom, it is a little bit odd that they would let you in, show you the tape, and then not let you get a dub. Any insights as to why?
MINTIER: Well, when we first went in, they, of course, made us leave our cell phones at the door, and they also wanted us to leave our pens and notebooks on the table as well. We sort of stood up and said, How can we be journalists and not have pads -- and pens to write with, and take notes to make sure we got the story accurately? They relented and allowed us to bring our note pads and pens inside. I think they clearly wanted to take some credit for what was going on here. They were questioned about CIA agents or FBI agents being on the scene when the raid took place. They said it was an entirely Pakistani operation, that about 18 ISI agents were on the scene, and it was conducted solely by Pakistanis, that no foreign nationals, as they put it, were involved in this operation whatsoever.
They did admit that some electronic intelligence was provided to Pakistan by the United States, and in turn they allowed the United States to have access to the hard drive on a computer there, but most of the hard evidence of documents, they say, still remains in Pakistan.
O'BRIEN: Tom, is it possible that they were trying to show that they weren't exactly operating under the direct supervision or orders of U.S. authorities? In other words, show their independence?
MINTIER: I think it was clear that was a message they wanted to bring out. They talked about the interrogation of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, saying that for two days he would say nothing except to nod his head when asked his name. But they said on the third day, he started talking, saying that he met Osama bin Laden sometime in the month of December but wouldn't provide any details (AUDIO GAP) took place, who else was there, or what was discussed. (AUDIO GAP) he is talking to investigators as we speak.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Tom Mintier. We're going to let you go before we lose that videophone signal.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
