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Al Jazeera Correspondent Arrested in Spain
Aired September 05, 2003 - 14:05 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: One of Al Jazeera Television's most prominent reporters is off the air and in Spanish jail today, charged with getting a little too close to a story. The story being al Qaeda in general, Osama bin Laden in particular.
We get the particulars now from CNN's Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman.
Al, what do you know?
AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I can't hear you, so I didn't hear your question.
But I can tell you that a court official told CNN that indeed Tayseer Allouni was arrested. He's been in custody for several hours. He was arrested at his home in Grenada in southern Spain, charged with being a member of al Qaeda. Now, he, of course is one of the best journalists for the Al Jazeera network. He is the journalist to get the last know interview with Osama bin Laden back in October of 2001.
The court official told me, CNN, that they believe that Tayseer Allouni helped two other suspected al Qaeda operatives. Now that's important, because they're trying to build a case against him. Instead of saying he's a member of Al Qaeda, they are trying to lay out what he has actually done. They say he provided aid, or some sort of assistance, to a suspected Al Qaeda ring leader who is in jail in Spain, and has been for almost two years, and to another suspected al Qaeda operative who is also a fugitive in Afghanistan.
Now I also talked to Tayseer Allouni's wife Fati Hamed Layasi (ph) at her home in Grenada. She says that the arrest warrant was issued by Judge Balthazar Garthone (ph). He, of course, is the judge who's been leading the investigation into the al Qaeda operatives, into other potential Islamic terrorists in Spain since right after the 9/11 attacks. Fati Hamed says that her husband is a journalist, and he is certainly not a terrorist. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday. He may already be at the courthouse in Madrid. We don't have that detail. We know that the search at the house went on for about three hours according to his wife, and they seized computers and other materials which are now being analyzed.
Back to you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Al Goodman. I wish you could hear me. I have plenty of questions.
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 5, 2003 - 14:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: One of Al Jazeera Television's most prominent reporters is off the air and in Spanish jail today, charged with getting a little too close to a story. The story being al Qaeda in general, Osama bin Laden in particular.
We get the particulars now from CNN's Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman.
Al, what do you know?
AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I can't hear you, so I didn't hear your question.
But I can tell you that a court official told CNN that indeed Tayseer Allouni was arrested. He's been in custody for several hours. He was arrested at his home in Grenada in southern Spain, charged with being a member of al Qaeda. Now, he, of course is one of the best journalists for the Al Jazeera network. He is the journalist to get the last know interview with Osama bin Laden back in October of 2001.
The court official told me, CNN, that they believe that Tayseer Allouni helped two other suspected al Qaeda operatives. Now that's important, because they're trying to build a case against him. Instead of saying he's a member of Al Qaeda, they are trying to lay out what he has actually done. They say he provided aid, or some sort of assistance, to a suspected Al Qaeda ring leader who is in jail in Spain, and has been for almost two years, and to another suspected al Qaeda operative who is also a fugitive in Afghanistan.
Now I also talked to Tayseer Allouni's wife Fati Hamed Layasi (ph) at her home in Grenada. She says that the arrest warrant was issued by Judge Balthazar Garthone (ph). He, of course, is the judge who's been leading the investigation into the al Qaeda operatives, into other potential Islamic terrorists in Spain since right after the 9/11 attacks. Fati Hamed says that her husband is a journalist, and he is certainly not a terrorist. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday. He may already be at the courthouse in Madrid. We don't have that detail. We know that the search at the house went on for about three hours according to his wife, and they seized computers and other materials which are now being analyzed.
Back to you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Al Goodman. I wish you could hear me. I have plenty of questions.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
