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Taped Voice Denies Involvement in Najaf Attack

Aired September 01, 2003 - 12:59   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: First this hour, I didn't do it. That's the message on a new audiotape said to be from Saddam Hussein. The voice on the tape denies responsibility for Friday's bombing outside a mosque in the holy city of Najaf and accuses American officials of falsely blaming Saddam supporters.
The tape was aired by the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera. The CIA is checking the tape to see whether it really is Saddam's voice. Tests should be completed in a day or two.

The FBI is now on the case, helping Iraqi police investigating the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) bombing. A number of suspects are in police custody and are being questioned in connection with the attack.

CNN's Rym Brahimi now is in Baghdad. She joins me with the latest. Rym?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, hello.

Well, indeed, though we don't have the way of verifying independently that that tape was, indeed, the voice of the former Iraqi president, but as you say, the message is clear, I didn't do it. He's saying that he was actually falsely accused. He says the invading forces, the occupying invaders, as he calls them, have launched accusations against Saddam loyalists without any proof.

He also calls on the great people of Iraq not to believe what they hear from the occupying invaders, as he calls them, and says that Saddam Hussein is not only the leader of some -- a minority of Iraqis, but the leader, says the speaker, of all Iraqis, Kurds, Shi'as, Sunnis, Muslims, and non-Muslims, clearly seizing on the maybe confusion that was created by this investigation and by this bombing to be seen as some sort of rallying or unifying force in Iraq at the time being.

Now, one coalition authority spokesman says that Saddam Hussein was not in control of the country, and basically that it wasn't up to -- basically, he didn't have a say in what happened.

What is happening now in Najaf is, as you know, the investigation continues. The governor of Najaf says five people have been detained. They are all Iraqis, he says, all of them linked to the former -- formerly ruling Ba'ath party regime. He also says that the FBI is now going to help the Iraqi police with the investigation. Well, the mourning continues. It's the second day of mourning for the deaths of 83 people, including a religious and political leader, that died in the blast on Friday in front of one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest sites. The mourning was taken to the city of Kalbala (ph). It then goes on to the city of Najaf.

In Najaf, however, policemen apparently -- an Iraqi police officer told CNN that a car was found containing several explosives. That's all the details we have for now, but we will bring you up to date as soon as we get more, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Rym Brahimi, live from Baghdad, thank you.

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 September 1, 2003 - 12:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: First this hour, I didn't do it. That's the message on a new audiotape said to be from Saddam Hussein. The voice on the tape denies responsibility for Friday's bombing outside a mosque in the holy city of Najaf and accuses American officials of falsely blaming Saddam supporters.
The tape was aired by the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera. The CIA is checking the tape to see whether it really is Saddam's voice. Tests should be completed in a day or two.

The FBI is now on the case, helping Iraqi police investigating the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) bombing. A number of suspects are in police custody and are being questioned in connection with the attack.

CNN's Rym Brahimi now is in Baghdad. She joins me with the latest. Rym?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, hello.

Well, indeed, though we don't have the way of verifying independently that that tape was, indeed, the voice of the former Iraqi president, but as you say, the message is clear, I didn't do it. He's saying that he was actually falsely accused. He says the invading forces, the occupying invaders, as he calls them, have launched accusations against Saddam loyalists without any proof.

He also calls on the great people of Iraq not to believe what they hear from the occupying invaders, as he calls them, and says that Saddam Hussein is not only the leader of some -- a minority of Iraqis, but the leader, says the speaker, of all Iraqis, Kurds, Shi'as, Sunnis, Muslims, and non-Muslims, clearly seizing on the maybe confusion that was created by this investigation and by this bombing to be seen as some sort of rallying or unifying force in Iraq at the time being.

Now, one coalition authority spokesman says that Saddam Hussein was not in control of the country, and basically that it wasn't up to -- basically, he didn't have a say in what happened.

What is happening now in Najaf is, as you know, the investigation continues. The governor of Najaf says five people have been detained. They are all Iraqis, he says, all of them linked to the former -- formerly ruling Ba'ath party regime. He also says that the FBI is now going to help the Iraqi police with the investigation. Well, the mourning continues. It's the second day of mourning for the deaths of 83 people, including a religious and political leader, that died in the blast on Friday in front of one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest sites. The mourning was taken to the city of Kalbala (ph). It then goes on to the city of Najaf.

In Najaf, however, policemen apparently -- an Iraqi police officer told CNN that a car was found containing several explosives. That's all the details we have for now, but we will bring you up to date as soon as we get more, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Rym Brahimi, live from Baghdad, thank you.

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