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U.S. Officials: Saudi Concerns, Suspicions Well Founded
Aired November 10, 2003 - 14:04 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: U.S. officials are telling CNN's the Saudi concerns and suspicions are well founded. CNN national security correspondent David Ensor has been working the phones in Washington, has more on that. Hello, David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles. I'm afraid that's exactly right. U.S. officials are saying they have intelligence suggesting there maybe additional attacks in coming days. A senior State Department official told CNN's Elise Lavit (ph) there that this is not over yet and that they believe that there may be al Qaeda personnel in Saudi Arabia who are now in the process of going operational.
Now, they are also saying that they believe that they believe this is al Qaeda. There is some evidence, they are saying, since the strikes over the weekend that they were, indeed, conducted by that group. And, of course, there had been intelligence before the fact that suggested al Qaeda was trying to do something in Saudi Arabia.
They are also pointing out that this latest attack, Miles, comes after most of the U.S. troops, a great bulk of them, have left Saudi Arabia. So they are saying clearly this attack is about attacking the monarchy, about attacking the leadership in Saudi Arabia. And not so much about foreign troops being in Saudi Arabia.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this. On Friday we recorded the news that there was similar intelligence that things had gone operational. And as a result, U.S. missions were closed in the capital and on two coastal cities. Does that imply the intelligence gathering is better now than it has been, perhaps, and there might be more acuity, if you will, as to what lies ahead?
ENSOR: Well, you know, we got the same thing this time we had back in May. Back in May a couple of days before the attack then against a foreigners' compound, U.S. intelligence was getting evidence and telling us about it that there might be something about to happen in Saudi Arabia.
So in a general sense they have got very good intelligence. But specific evidence about the timing and place of an attack, they didn't have either time. So that's got to be a concern. Cooperation with the Saudis is clearly much improved since May, though, I'm told.
O'BRIEN: And would you say that's for real right now, that the U.S. and Saudi cooperation -- that was a lot of discussion about the Saudis not willing to necessarily cooperate as an investigative field level. ENSOR: Well, the feeling now is that the Saudis get it, that they understand this is an attack against their stability and not just against the United States and the West. Cooperation we're told is much improved. It can always get better.
One other thing that people are pointing out is that they think these attacks could backfire on al Qaeda. Here you see a lot of innocent Arab civilians being killed in these attacks, a lot of Lebanese children being attacked and killed. That is not going to play well and it is playing on the Arab television stations in that part of the world -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: And you have to wonder if Mecca were targeted how that might even further backlash.
ENSOR: Indeed. Indeed. It really could be a bad idea for al Qaeda. Still, as you know, the Saudis have put an additional 4,600 troops in that city to try to make sure nothing happens there during Ramadan.
O'BRIEN: CNN's David Ensor, 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
Aired November 10, 2003 - 14:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. officials are telling CNN's the Saudi concerns and suspicions are well founded. CNN national security correspondent David Ensor has been working the phones in Washington, has more on that. Hello, David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles. I'm afraid that's exactly right. U.S. officials are saying they have intelligence suggesting there maybe additional attacks in coming days. A senior State Department official told CNN's Elise Lavit (ph) there that this is not over yet and that they believe that there may be al Qaeda personnel in Saudi Arabia who are now in the process of going operational.
Now, they are also saying that they believe that they believe this is al Qaeda. There is some evidence, they are saying, since the strikes over the weekend that they were, indeed, conducted by that group. And, of course, there had been intelligence before the fact that suggested al Qaeda was trying to do something in Saudi Arabia.
They are also pointing out that this latest attack, Miles, comes after most of the U.S. troops, a great bulk of them, have left Saudi Arabia. So they are saying clearly this attack is about attacking the monarchy, about attacking the leadership in Saudi Arabia. And not so much about foreign troops being in Saudi Arabia.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this. On Friday we recorded the news that there was similar intelligence that things had gone operational. And as a result, U.S. missions were closed in the capital and on two coastal cities. Does that imply the intelligence gathering is better now than it has been, perhaps, and there might be more acuity, if you will, as to what lies ahead?
ENSOR: Well, you know, we got the same thing this time we had back in May. Back in May a couple of days before the attack then against a foreigners' compound, U.S. intelligence was getting evidence and telling us about it that there might be something about to happen in Saudi Arabia.
So in a general sense they have got very good intelligence. But specific evidence about the timing and place of an attack, they didn't have either time. So that's got to be a concern. Cooperation with the Saudis is clearly much improved since May, though, I'm told.
O'BRIEN: And would you say that's for real right now, that the U.S. and Saudi cooperation -- that was a lot of discussion about the Saudis not willing to necessarily cooperate as an investigative field level. ENSOR: Well, the feeling now is that the Saudis get it, that they understand this is an attack against their stability and not just against the United States and the West. Cooperation we're told is much improved. It can always get better.
One other thing that people are pointing out is that they think these attacks could backfire on al Qaeda. Here you see a lot of innocent Arab civilians being killed in these attacks, a lot of Lebanese children being attacked and killed. That is not going to play well and it is playing on the Arab television stations in that part of the world -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: And you have to wonder if Mecca were targeted how that might even further backlash.
ENSOR: Indeed. Indeed. It really could be a bad idea for al Qaeda. Still, as you know, the Saudis have put an additional 4,600 troops in that city to try to make sure nothing happens there during Ramadan.
O'BRIEN: CNN's David Ensor, 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
