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Ranks of Bin Laden's Lieutenants Starting to Shrink

Aired June 19, 2002 - 12:19   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: The ranks of Osama bin Laden's lieutenants are starting to shrink. Reports today say two more leaders within al Qaeda are being questioned overseas. The arrests add to a growing list of alleged terrorists either capture or dead.

More on that story now from CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor -- David, what can you tell us?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well Kyra, let's try to put these two arrests in context a little bit. Try to lay out for you the top leadership from al Qaeda. This with help from U.S. officials and other sources.

The most important person, of course, that has been captured from the al Qaeda leadership is Abu Zubaydah. We've heard that name a lot in the news lately. He's alleged to be helping the U.S. in various ways. He's also alleged to be uncooperative at times.

He was the chief operative -- the sort of operations chief of al Qaeda. He's an Egyptian; he's being held in an undisclosed location.

Now these other two men, Abu Zubair al Haili, his nickname is "The Bear." He is a Saudi citizen now being held in Morocco. He may be particularly useful. He is considered a top deputy of Zubaydah, and he is likely to know where some of the sleeper cells may be, where some of the al Qaeda people who escaped from Tora Bora may have gone, what false identities they may be using. So he could be a very, very useful "get," so to speak.

Mohammed Heidar Zammar, German, Syrian, dual nationality. He was arrested in Morocco, he is now in Syria. Both these two men are said to tip the scales at around 300 pounds. But where as Abu Zubair al Haili is a big fish, Zammar is a much smaller one.

On the list of dead, of course, one of the key men in al Qaeda, certainly a key man in the September 11th plot, Mohammed Atef, Egyptian. He was killed in Afghanistan by U.S. bombs.

But still at large, the list is unfortunately long. And, of course, it's headed by Osama bin Laden, who is of Saudi origin, although he's been stripped of his Saudi citizenship. Thought to be in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area, but no one really knows.

Aywan al Zawahiri, you saw him a moment ago there sitting next to bin Laden, the ideological chief of al Qaeda. He was the head of Islamic -- Egyptian Islamic Jihad. He is still at large.

And then there's Khalid Sheik Mohammed, a Kuwaiti citizen, although sometimes the Kuwaiti government says they're not so sure he is. Another key operative.

And then there is a whole list of others that I have been given by various sources who are said to be key individuals. One name there is on the screen. There are others -- here they are -- who are also considered top leaders of al Qaeda.

You'll notice that not on the list, Kyra, is the name of Jose Padilla, who has been in the news a lot lately. The Hispanic-American who has been arrested on arrival in Chicago and charged with plotting to try to use a dirty bomb or some other kind of attack against the United States. He's not on the list because he's not a big fish in al Qaeda, according to U.S. officials -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: David Ensor, thank you.

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