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Homeland Dept.: Possible Strikes Planned Against U.S. Targets

Aired May 02, 2003 - 13:54   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 little piece of news for you -- tracking the war on terrorism and homeland security. This has a little twist to it, but an advisory coming from the Department of Homeland Security, which extends far beyond the homeland. Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is here to explain it all.
Hello Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles. This advisory just went out within the past couple of hours to state and local governments and also to the aviation community from the Department of Homeland Security. It asks them to be especially vigilant because of information that was received within the last 24 hours by the Terrorism Threat Integration Center. According to people who have read this communication, it cites "recent reliable information that al Qaeda was in the late stages of planning an aerial suicide attack against the U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan."

It goes on to say that this plot is similar to one last year, to fly an explosive-laden aircraft into a U.S. warship in the Persian Gulf, and that it demonstrates al Qaeda's continuing fixation with using explosive-laden small aircraft.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security emphasizes to me that there is no specific and credible threat, that there is any threat to general aviation or any use of general aviation by terrorists within this country. This is something specific to Karachi, Pakistan.

But they are asking those in aviation here to be especially vigilant, particularly those connected with general aviation. They are asking them to increase verification of baggage and cargo that is being loaded on board, to pay particular attention to unknown pilots and unknown clients which may approach them, to pay attention to aircraft that may have received unusual modifications.

So, once again, this going out to the Airline Owners and Pilots Association and other sectors of the airline community as well as to state and local governments, just this afternoon.

Miles?

O'BRIEN: Well, Jeanne, as a member of the Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association myself, I'd be scratching my head a little bit when I read this e-mail, because it would take an awful lot to get my plane to Karachi. MESERVE: Yeah, and that's confusing to me, too. And I have to ask you - I asked an official of the Department of Homeland Security, why are you sending it out to aviation people here when the threat appears to be in Karachi, Pakistan? He said this is part of an ongoing process the Department of Homeland Security is undertaking, to send out weekly bulletins to specific sectors, along the lines of what the FBI does every week.

Earlier this week, they sent out something relating to aircraft and nuclear power plants. That was not based on any specific and credible information, I've been told, but simply was a reminder to be vigilant. The way the Department of Homeland Security is describing this to me, this is something similar. However, they are specifically citing here some intelligence which has come in to their threat and integration center. So, different, but the same, I'd say, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Jeanne Meserve. Our vigilance extends throughout the globe, I guess. Thank you very much.

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




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Aired May 2, 2003 - 13:54   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 little piece of news for you -- tracking the war on terrorism and homeland security. This has a little twist to it, but an advisory coming from the Department of Homeland Security, which extends far beyond the homeland. Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is here to explain it all.
Hello Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles. This advisory just went out within the past couple of hours to state and local governments and also to the aviation community from the Department of Homeland Security. It asks them to be especially vigilant because of information that was received within the last 24 hours by the Terrorism Threat Integration Center. According to people who have read this communication, it cites "recent reliable information that al Qaeda was in the late stages of planning an aerial suicide attack against the U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan."

It goes on to say that this plot is similar to one last year, to fly an explosive-laden aircraft into a U.S. warship in the Persian Gulf, and that it demonstrates al Qaeda's continuing fixation with using explosive-laden small aircraft.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security emphasizes to me that there is no specific and credible threat, that there is any threat to general aviation or any use of general aviation by terrorists within this country. This is something specific to Karachi, Pakistan.

But they are asking those in aviation here to be especially vigilant, particularly those connected with general aviation. They are asking them to increase verification of baggage and cargo that is being loaded on board, to pay particular attention to unknown pilots and unknown clients which may approach them, to pay attention to aircraft that may have received unusual modifications.

So, once again, this going out to the Airline Owners and Pilots Association and other sectors of the airline community as well as to state and local governments, just this afternoon.

Miles?

O'BRIEN: Well, Jeanne, as a member of the Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association myself, I'd be scratching my head a little bit when I read this e-mail, because it would take an awful lot to get my plane to Karachi. MESERVE: Yeah, and that's confusing to me, too. And I have to ask you - I asked an official of the Department of Homeland Security, why are you sending it out to aviation people here when the threat appears to be in Karachi, Pakistan? He said this is part of an ongoing process the Department of Homeland Security is undertaking, to send out weekly bulletins to specific sectors, along the lines of what the FBI does every week.

Earlier this week, they sent out something relating to aircraft and nuclear power plants. That was not based on any specific and credible information, I've been told, but simply was a reminder to be vigilant. The way the Department of Homeland Security is describing this to me, this is something similar. However, they are specifically citing here some intelligence which has come in to their threat and integration center. So, different, but the same, I'd say, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Jeanne Meserve. Our vigilance extends throughout the globe, I guess. Thank you very much.

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




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