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Farouk Hijazi Captured

Aired April 25, 2003 - 15:01   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: A prize catch is what U.S. officials are saying about a capture of a former top Iraqi spy. They say Farouk Hijazi was taken into U.S. custody last night near the Syrian border. Hijazi ran the Saddam Hussein's secret police, the Mukhabarat and it is believed he took part in the '93 plot to kill former President George Bush during a visit to Kuwait. U.S. intelligence officials say Hijazi also had contact with the al Qaeda terrorist group and, perhaps, even Osama bin Laden himself.
Where Hijazi has been the past few weeks, unclear. Last week, a U.S. official said Hijazi went to Syria, even though the Syrians say they didn't let him in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: He is significant. We think he could be interesting.

We now have, I believe, 12 of the 55 most wanted officials in custody, as well as a number of other officials who were not on that original list of 55. Most are being apprehended with the help of ordinary Iraqis. I expect with the help of the Iraqi people, many more will be captured in the days ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Hijazi was not on the most wanted list. The question is, why not? Let's bring in our national security correspondent David Ensor. David, is he so important?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: He's very important, Judy, and he wasn't on the list because he wasn't in Iraq. He was the serving ambassador for Iraq to Tunisia. He was in Tunis and U.S. officials that say he traveled on a diplomatic passport recently to Damascus. That was why we heard last week from the Syrians -- I mean, from the U.S., complaining that the Syrians were sheltering the man. Now, the Syrians never acknowledged that. There was some denials, in fact, but yesterday, in the evening, Hijazi turned up right near the Syrian border inside Iraq. The logical conclusion is that the Syrians probably pushed him out in the direction of Iraq and into the arms of American forces.

WOODRUFF: David, what are you hearing that they hope to learn from him?

ENSOR: Well, he really could be very useful, if he's willing to talk. First of all, he's the man who is -- who reportedly met with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan or with senior al Qaeda personnel in Afghanistan in 1998. There are even reports he may have also done so in the early '90s in Sudan. So the terror connection, if there is one, a meaningful one, Farouk Hijazi will know the answer to that question. He's also suspected of having been involved in the attempted assassination, unsuccessful attempt, of President George Bush the elder back in 1993 in Kuwait. So they would like to know about that, and there are also some weapons of mass destruction questions he might have some answers on too. So he really could be helpful if he wants to.

WOODRUFF: David, you mentioned Syria. There was some report that Syria had been hiding him. What do you know about that? What's known about that?

ENSOR: All I know is that U.S. officials tell me that they know that he got on a commercial direct flight from the city of Tunis to the city of Damascus, and that as far as they knew, he landed in Damascus. After that, they don't know what happened. There were various comments from Syrian officials saying that he wasn't there, some suggestions that -- from U.S. officials in the last couple of days that they thought he was there, and that the Syrians were going to deal with the matter. Well, it looks like they did.

WOODRUFF: Sure does. All right, David Ensor, national security correspondent. Thanks, David.

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 April 25, 2003 - 15:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A prize catch is what U.S. officials are saying about a capture of a former top Iraqi spy. They say Farouk Hijazi was taken into U.S. custody last night near the Syrian border. Hijazi ran the Saddam Hussein's secret police, the Mukhabarat and it is believed he took part in the '93 plot to kill former President George Bush during a visit to Kuwait. U.S. intelligence officials say Hijazi also had contact with the al Qaeda terrorist group and, perhaps, even Osama bin Laden himself.
Where Hijazi has been the past few weeks, unclear. Last week, a U.S. official said Hijazi went to Syria, even though the Syrians say they didn't let him in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: He is significant. We think he could be interesting.

We now have, I believe, 12 of the 55 most wanted officials in custody, as well as a number of other officials who were not on that original list of 55. Most are being apprehended with the help of ordinary Iraqis. I expect with the help of the Iraqi people, many more will be captured in the days ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Hijazi was not on the most wanted list. The question is, why not? Let's bring in our national security correspondent David Ensor. David, is he so important?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: He's very important, Judy, and he wasn't on the list because he wasn't in Iraq. He was the serving ambassador for Iraq to Tunisia. He was in Tunis and U.S. officials that say he traveled on a diplomatic passport recently to Damascus. That was why we heard last week from the Syrians -- I mean, from the U.S., complaining that the Syrians were sheltering the man. Now, the Syrians never acknowledged that. There was some denials, in fact, but yesterday, in the evening, Hijazi turned up right near the Syrian border inside Iraq. The logical conclusion is that the Syrians probably pushed him out in the direction of Iraq and into the arms of American forces.

WOODRUFF: David, what are you hearing that they hope to learn from him?

ENSOR: Well, he really could be very useful, if he's willing to talk. First of all, he's the man who is -- who reportedly met with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan or with senior al Qaeda personnel in Afghanistan in 1998. There are even reports he may have also done so in the early '90s in Sudan. So the terror connection, if there is one, a meaningful one, Farouk Hijazi will know the answer to that question. He's also suspected of having been involved in the attempted assassination, unsuccessful attempt, of President George Bush the elder back in 1993 in Kuwait. So they would like to know about that, and there are also some weapons of mass destruction questions he might have some answers on too. So he really could be helpful if he wants to.

WOODRUFF: David, you mentioned Syria. There was some report that Syria had been hiding him. What do you know about that? What's known about that?

ENSOR: All I know is that U.S. officials tell me that they know that he got on a commercial direct flight from the city of Tunis to the city of Damascus, and that as far as they knew, he landed in Damascus. After that, they don't know what happened. There were various comments from Syrian officials saying that he wasn't there, some suggestions that -- from U.S. officials in the last couple of days that they thought he was there, and that the Syrians were going to deal with the matter. Well, it looks like they did.

WOODRUFF: Sure does. All right, David Ensor, national security correspondent. Thanks, David.

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