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President Bush Expected to Speak About Terrorist Arrest
Aired August 14, 2003 - 15:12 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.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: You're looking here at Air Force One landing at Miramar Naval Air Station in southern California.
The president in California today part for politics, to raise money, but also at this naval air station to thank U.S. troops and their families for service in Afghanistan and Iraq, for their service in what the president calls the ongoing global war on terrorism.
Today the president will celebrate what the administration says it a breakthrough arrest in that war on terrorism. A key official in al Qaeda, a key operative in Southeast Asia by the name of Hambali in U.S. custody, we are told, for the past several days now. The White House announcing this arrest just a short time ago.
Our Suzanne Malveaux is traveling with the president, joins us now live from Miramar Naval Air Station - Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, that's right, Air Force One touched down just moments ago here at the Miramar Air Station, and we expect that he's going to be addressing the troops here in about 15 minutes or so. He is going to talk about that major arrest made from al Qaeda leader. The individual, Hambali.
He was notified of this, we are told, yesterday through a secure videoconference link by his intelligence team, his national security team. A White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, letting us know just how important this was, actually made the announcement aboard Air Force One on the way over here. He gave some details about it.
He said that Hambali was arrested in Southeast Asia just this week, that he is now in U.S. custody. He says that he was chief of Jemaah Islamiya. He was working with senior al Qaeda, he was a senior planner for Southeast Asia region.
Also we're getting information from a senior administration official who gives us more details about just how significant this arrest is. This administration official telling us that Hambali was linked to the Bali bombings. Also, the church bombings in the Philippines and Indonesia in 2000. Also talked about that he believes that he's a major player in the J.W. Marriott bombing that occurred in Jakarta.
Senior administration official also says that he has additional roles, that he facilitated a January 2000 meeting in Malaysia with two of the 9/11 hijackers. Also information coming from senior al Qaeda detainees, as well as other sources, telling him that it was his task to recruit additional hijackers after the 9/11 attacks. He also had a close association with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other senior al Qaeda members and that most recently, he was in Pakistan. He was provided with some money for another major attack. All of this a very significant development.
We expect that the president, we are told that the president will actually talk about this when he goes before some 15,000 troops and their families to thank them for their service -- John.
KING: Suzanne, any explanation from the White House at all as to why they have had this man in arrest for a couple of days? We presume the president was told yesterday, and the White House telling us just today as the president flew from Crawford, Texas, to southern California. Any details at all on why they believe it was important to delay making that information public?
MALVEAUX: Well, John, of course they want to make sure that they have all those details straight. And as you know, one of the things that they're very careful about is giving away information too quickly that may jeopardize, perhaps, other operations that are ongoing, information that they might tip off to other al Qaeda, other operations that are in progress.
This is something that they wanted to make sure that they released in a timely fashion, but at the same time, did not risk lives, those who are in those operations who are going after other senior al Qaeda members.
KING: Suzanne Malveaux at the Miramar Naval Air Station in southern California. We will check back with you momentarily as we await the president's speech and his own comments on the significant arrest. We will bring that to you live.
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 August 14, 2003 - 15:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: You're looking here at Air Force One landing at Miramar Naval Air Station in southern California.
The president in California today part for politics, to raise money, but also at this naval air station to thank U.S. troops and their families for service in Afghanistan and Iraq, for their service in what the president calls the ongoing global war on terrorism.
Today the president will celebrate what the administration says it a breakthrough arrest in that war on terrorism. A key official in al Qaeda, a key operative in Southeast Asia by the name of Hambali in U.S. custody, we are told, for the past several days now. The White House announcing this arrest just a short time ago.
Our Suzanne Malveaux is traveling with the president, joins us now live from Miramar Naval Air Station - Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, that's right, Air Force One touched down just moments ago here at the Miramar Air Station, and we expect that he's going to be addressing the troops here in about 15 minutes or so. He is going to talk about that major arrest made from al Qaeda leader. The individual, Hambali.
He was notified of this, we are told, yesterday through a secure videoconference link by his intelligence team, his national security team. A White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, letting us know just how important this was, actually made the announcement aboard Air Force One on the way over here. He gave some details about it.
He said that Hambali was arrested in Southeast Asia just this week, that he is now in U.S. custody. He says that he was chief of Jemaah Islamiya. He was working with senior al Qaeda, he was a senior planner for Southeast Asia region.
Also we're getting information from a senior administration official who gives us more details about just how significant this arrest is. This administration official telling us that Hambali was linked to the Bali bombings. Also, the church bombings in the Philippines and Indonesia in 2000. Also talked about that he believes that he's a major player in the J.W. Marriott bombing that occurred in Jakarta.
Senior administration official also says that he has additional roles, that he facilitated a January 2000 meeting in Malaysia with two of the 9/11 hijackers. Also information coming from senior al Qaeda detainees, as well as other sources, telling him that it was his task to recruit additional hijackers after the 9/11 attacks. He also had a close association with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other senior al Qaeda members and that most recently, he was in Pakistan. He was provided with some money for another major attack. All of this a very significant development.
We expect that the president, we are told that the president will actually talk about this when he goes before some 15,000 troops and their families to thank them for their service -- John.
KING: Suzanne, any explanation from the White House at all as to why they have had this man in arrest for a couple of days? We presume the president was told yesterday, and the White House telling us just today as the president flew from Crawford, Texas, to southern California. Any details at all on why they believe it was important to delay making that information public?
MALVEAUX: Well, John, of course they want to make sure that they have all those details straight. And as you know, one of the things that they're very careful about is giving away information too quickly that may jeopardize, perhaps, other operations that are ongoing, information that they might tip off to other al Qaeda, other operations that are in progress.
This is something that they wanted to make sure that they released in a timely fashion, but at the same time, did not risk lives, those who are in those operations who are going after other senior al Qaeda members.
KING: Suzanne Malveaux at the Miramar Naval Air Station in southern California. We will check back with you momentarily as we await the president's speech and his own comments on the significant arrest. We will bring that to you live.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
