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CNN Live Today
Senator Kerry Speaks in D.C. at Unity Conference; In Albany, New York, Federal Agents, City Police Launch Overnight Raid on Downtown Mosque
Aired August 05, 2004 - 10:05 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go from there to another part of Washington, D.C. and President Bush's challenger, Senator John Kerry speaking today at something called the Unity Conference. This is a gathering of minority journalists from all over the country. Senator Kerry is taking questions. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... law enforcement, jurisdictional difficulties right now in the dealings with many of the tribal jurisdictions, and we need to work those through, particularly in the Southwest. I'm prepared to do that.
Some of the funds clearly ought to go directly. Some of them need to be used in coordination. And there are some coordinated efforts, but what we have to do, fundamentally, is a better job of coordinating, and that hasn't been taking place. So you've actually had resistance to mutual interest in border issues and others.
I think we have to recognize that the Native American community, which has not been recognized, has as much desire, has as much interest and is as prepared and is as capable and always has protected America with as much zeal as any other community, and we ought to trust it and provide the funding necessary as a separate jurisdiction where that coordination is not absolutely necessary.
(APPLAUSE)
QUESTION: If there is a clear line in the minds of many of the voters who are straddling the fence right now, it is on the issue of terror.
The question is, how would you lead as a president in the age of terror?
Specifically, what would you have done if you had been caught in a Florida newsroom -- or, I'm sorry, a Florida classroom on September 11, 2001? Would you, given the power of hindsight, have taken the nation to war, as President Bush has said he would, given hindsight?
And lastly, what would you do to get the nation out of Iraq, specifically?
KERRY: Great question. And I appreciate...
(APPLAUSE)
I'm going to take a minute on this question, because it's one of the most important questions facing the nation, obviously.
First of all, had I been reading to children and had my top aide whispered in my ear, "America is under attack," I would have told those kids very politely and nicely that the president of the United States had something that he needed to attend to...
(APPLAUSE)
... and I would have attended to it.
(APPLAUSE)
Secondly -- and this is important, ladies and gentlemen, because Americans want to know that the person they choose as president has all of the skills and the ability, all of the mental toughness, all of the gut instinct necessary to be a strong commander in chief. I'm asking you to trust our nation, our history, the world, your families in my hands, and I understand that. It's a big ask, and it's a tough judgment you have to make. But I believe, in this case, there is a very clear choice.
I come to the job of commander in chief with the rare, gratefully, but important experience of having fought in a war. And the war that I fought in was a war where we saw America lose its support for the war, where the soldiers came back having had to do what our soldiers are doing today, carry an M-16 in another country, try to tell the difference between friend and foe.
I know what it's like to go out at night on patrol and you don't know what's around the next corner.
KERRY: I know what it's like to write home to your family and tell them, "Hey, everything's OK," even though in your gut you're scared stiff and you don't know if it is OK.
And I believe we need a commander in chief who understands the test before you send young people to war. You got to be able to look parents in the eyes if they lose their son or daughter and say to them, "I tried to do everything in my power to avoid this, but we had no choice as a nation, as a people, because of the challenge to our country, to our fundamental values from a threat that was real and imminent."
I believe in my heart of hearts and in my gut that this president fails that test in Iraq. And I know this because I, personally, and others were deeply involved in the effort with other countries to bring them to the table. I met with the Security Council of the United Nations in the week preceding the vote in the Senate.
I voted to hold Saddam Hussein accountable, because, had I been president, I would have wanted that authority, because that was the way to enforce the U.N. resolutions and be tough with the prospect of his development of weapons of mass destruction. But the president said he would go to war as a last resort. The president said he would exhaust the remedies of the U.N. The president said he would build a legitimate international coalition.
And here we are, several years later, having made an end-run around the United Nations, alienated our allies, put our soldiers at greater risk than they needed to be, asked the American people to pay almost $200 billion, because we didn't have the patience, we didn't have the maturity to exhaust the remedies available to us and truly build that coalition and understand the nature of the threat.
My friends, I believe there is a firm conviction with which I approach defending our country. And that is that the United States of America, through all of our history, has set up a standard: The United States doesn't go to war because we want to; we only go to war because we have to. And that's the standard that I will apply to the presidency.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, might we have wound up going to war with Saddam Hussein? You bet we might have -- after we exhausted those remedies and found that he wasn't complying and so on and so forth. But not in a way that provides -- you know, 90 percent of the casualties are American, and almost all of the cost.
And the American taxpayer, just think of that $200 billion for the schools, for health care, for the things that we could be doing in America. The choice, it seems to me, is clear.
Now, what do we do to get out of there? What do we do to achieve our goals legitimately? Well, let me tell you.
Is there anybody sitting here in this room who doesn't believe that every Arab country in fact has a real and legitimate interest in not having a failed Iraq, in not having a civil war on its borders? But they're not at the table.
KERRY: Is there anybody here who believes that Europe, with its own Muslim populations and its own geopolitical issues, as well as its global responsibilities, doesn't have an interest in not having a failed Iraq and a civil war? But they're not really at the table.
And the fact that they're not, I believe, underscores dramatically the failure of diplomacy and statesmanship by this administration.
So here's what I will do; it's what I've always wanted to do, it's what I've proposed for months: We need to have an international conference in which we put these global issues on the table.
We need to be prepared to have a high commissioner who is responsible for the management, decision-making and helps in the transformation so it's not an American transformation.
We need to have a sharing of the decision-making and the responsibility, and we need to have a sharing of the reconstruction so that other people actually have an interest in coming to the table.
And I believe that what America needs now more than anything is a new president with new credibility, with a fresh start for America, to bring people to the table and to leverage appropriately our global interests in standing up for success in Iraq and for having a shared responsibility about how we respond to terror.
The United States of America should never have allowed itself to be isolated by Islamic extremists. We should be isolating extreme Islam. And that means reaching out to moderate clerics and mullahs and imams and conducting a foreign policy not just dependent on our military might, but a foreign policy that's dependent on the power of American ideas and ideals and principles and values.
Working with other countries, my friends, in my administration will not be the sign of weakness it is for these people. It will be a sign of strength. And I will make America stronger.
(APPLAUSE)
QUESTION: Senator, the Federal Communications Commission last year voted to allow media companies to further consolidate, allowing a single entity to gain greater control of television stations and newspapers in any given market.
QUESTION: The ruling, however, has been halted by a federal appeals court, which questioned the FCC's plan.
Critics complain that consolidation is concentrating too much power in one place, limiting diverse views and eliminating job opportunities. Media companies, however, argue that they need to operate in a free market with less regulations to compete and grow.
How do you propose to deal with this ongoing push for media consolidation?
KERRY: I'm against the ongoing push for media consolidation. I think it's contrary to...
(APPLAUSE)
It's contrary to the stronger interests of the country.
I understand the world has changed with cable and Internet and the numbers of outlets that we have. But notwithstanding that, the concentration of power still remains, I think, a very significant issue.
I was in favor of the rollback. I voted against the expansion.
KAGAN: We've been listening in to Senator John Kerry. He is speaking in Washington, D.C. before what's called the Unity Conference. This is a gathering of minority journalists here in the U.S. It takes place about once every four years. Senator Kerry speaks today. President Bush will address the same conference tomorrow. And we'll bring you those comments live as well. Meanwhile, let's get started. We have some breaking news out of Albany, New York we want to bring to you. That is where federal agents and city police launched an overnight raid on a downtown mosque. Federal law enforcement sources tell CNN that two men, the mosque's imam and founder are being held. Officials say they were implicated in a sting operation involving terrorism, money laundering and a shoulder-fired missile. Mosque members are voicing disbelief and decrying the raid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAISAL AHMAD, MOSQUE WORSHIPER: It's difficult on the Muslim community to have these types of investigations, especially in the middle of night, and to come and find their house of worship closed for prayers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The Justice Department is expected to release more details later today on that.
Our Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has been following the story for us. And she joins us from Washington with what she has learned in addition to what we just told you.
Jeanne, good morning.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, as you said, two men in custody this morning after an undercover FBI sting operation and those raids in Albany New York. One of the men, as you said, the imam of the Majid al Salaam Mosque in Albany, the other a member of the board of directors.
Law enforcement and government sources say undercover FBI agents approached the two, asking them to launder money from the sale of shoulder-fired missiles to terrorists. The two men allegedly agreed to do so. The raid of the mosque and two homes in the Albany area began at about 11:00 last night, according to sources, and last until shortly before 6:00 this morning. It was conducted by the FBI, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and members of the local Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The mayor of Albany had this to say about the happenings there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY JENNINGS, MAYOR, ALBANY, NEW YORK: I can't get into any real detail here, gang, as far as questions. And I just want to confirm that this was a coordinated effort by the Albany Police Department, the New York State Police and FBI. It's been an ongoing investigation. And obviously, the results are good; this is something that we anticipated.
People shouldn't be concerned, because we've been on top of this for quite a while, and we're going to stay on top of it. It will be a continuing investigation. And we've accomplished what we wanted to accomplish here this morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: The two men are identified to CNN as Yasin Aref, the imam of the mosque. He is an Iraqi citizen with asylum status in the U.S. And Mohammed Musharraf Hosed, 49, a native of Bangladesh and a U.S. citizen, and described as a member of the mosque board of directors.
Alina Cho, a short time ago, had a long conversation with the wife of Aref. Her name Zaqwar (ph) Aref, she said that she was not aware of what her husband was accused of, that he did not come home last night. She assumed that he was at the mosque. She said she and their three children were taken to a local hotel by the FBI at about 2:00 in the morning and extensively questioned. She had just returned home.
The two men, we're told, were taken into custody without incident. And according to sources, they will likely face charges of lending material support to terrorists and money laundering. Sources say that this investigation has been under way for a long time, and it does not have any connection to the information recently seized in Pakistan, which led to the current threat warnings against certain financial targets in New York, New Jersey and here in Washington, D.C.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: And so, Jeanne, officials here in the states find themselves with the same challenges as the military in Iraq. When you're dealing with a house of worship, yet still wanting to go after somebody who might pose a threat.
MESERVE: Well, certainly they had search warrants in this case. They had the legal authority to enter that mosque. We are told that when they went in, they did seize documents from the mosque and possibly from the houses as well.
KAGAN: Jeanne Meserve in Washington, we'll be back with you later in the morning. Thank you.
Terrorism concerns are also rippling overseas in Britain shipping industry. A senior British Naval official is quoted as saying that al Qaeda and other terrorist groups could be planning attacks on the maritime trade. Admiral Alan West says that intelligence revealed those plans. Britain's Ministry of Defense says it is not aware of any such details.
And with more on that, we will get back to that in just a moment. First though, we're going to fit in a break. A lot more news coming up this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And now to some political perspective from across the pond. Our observant British reporter Richard Quest has been roaming the country covering this year's presidential election. First, let's take a peek at some of his observations. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Here in the Beeline Diner, it's been an excellent place to find out the views of Florida and tourists alike. What's interesting is that in an era where the story is voter apathy, here they are determined to take part. It's all about ducks. Go figure. And only the leading candidates in this election manage to get their ducks in a row.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: So I'm walking a cross the newsroom here in Atlanta, and who do I run into? Richard Quest.
So good to see you in person.
QUEST: Nice to be -- it's big here, isn't it?
KAGAN: It is big. This is the big house.
QUEST: The mother ship.
KAGAN: This is the mother ship. Make no mistake.
QUEST: Absolutely! Right!
KAGAN: Atlanta is the head of CNN.
QUEST: Atlana!
KAGAN: Absolutely.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: Now, you've been traveling, first you went up the East Coast.
QUEST: Yes! Well, what we've been basically doing for our international viewers is to try and get a perspective, get a feeling. You know, it's only once you leave the major metropolitan areas that you start to get an idea of what this election is all about. I've been in Florida. Next week I'm going to Seattle, and Portland, and the Pacific Northwest.
KAGAN: Lovely.
QUEST: Then it's down to Vegas, Phoenix and the Southwest. And then, during the Republicans, I'm off to Ohio: Canton, Cleveland, all those crucial battleground states in that part of the country.
KAGAN: A little suspect up until you got to Ohio. I'm thinking you're just going to the resort places.
QUEST: Ah! Well...
KAGAN: Nothing wrong with Ohio. We love Ohio. QUEST: Have you been to Ohio.
KAGAN: I have. I love Ohio. We have a lot of people who work here from Ohio.
Let's talk about Florida. What really struck you about the folks that you met there?
QUEST: What struck me most was the -- this idea -- look, we hear all the time from pundits and analysts...
KAGAN: When you say we, do you mean overseas?
QUEST: I mean we, you, me, all of us.
KAGAN: The royal we?
(LAUGHTER)
QUEST: The royal we. We hear all the time that this is a close race.
KAGAN: Yes.
QUEST: Forty-eight to 46 to 49 percent. You place your money, you takes your choice. When you get out there, you realize just how close it is. That there's a very small number of voters that will ultimately decide this election. And when you put that into context of 100 million of you, who could potentially vote. And you suddenly realize it will only be a couple of hundred thousand that actually make the difference. Then it really becomes significance.
KAGAN: Well, and the importance of And for covering this not just for CNN, but CNN International all around the world, is the point that a few people here in the states will make decision that will affect many people all around the world.
QUEST: That's the key to it. People always say, and overseas people always say, why does all the networks; it doesn't matter whether it's this or the opposition, or any of the international networks, why do we spend so much time on the U.S. presidential election? More so, than ever before, Daryn, whoever gets the White House, leader of the free world affects what -- look, whoever gets the White House affects the mortgage that I pay in Britain.
KAGAN: Now how does that happen?
QUEST: Because if the U.S. economy is not doing well or is doing well, the interest rates over here affect the interest rates over there. They affect what the British government will do. They affect what the European Union is going to do. They affect the policies in the Middle East. It is the most single most important job in the world.
KAGAN: Fascinating. Your job's important, too. You said you're headed to the Northwest. QUEST: Pacific Northwest. If you see me on the way, buy me a coffee, a nice latte. I like it milky. Two sugars.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: The seafood is pretty good in that part of the country as well. Safe travels. You'll check in with us?
QUEST: I will be talking to you next week from Seattle.
KAGAN: Excellent. We will see you there. Richard Quest, safe travels. Thank you.
Well, testimony about a reputation for disobeying orders and sneaking out at night to be with her boyfriend. Day 3 of Lynndie England's Iraqi prison abuse hearing is under way right now. A live report just ahead.
Also an Iraqi delegation in America to study government instead gets a crash course in rudeness and crime. Their story is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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 5, 2004 - 10:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go from there to another part of Washington, D.C. and President Bush's challenger, Senator John Kerry speaking today at something called the Unity Conference. This is a gathering of minority journalists from all over the country. Senator Kerry is taking questions. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... law enforcement, jurisdictional difficulties right now in the dealings with many of the tribal jurisdictions, and we need to work those through, particularly in the Southwest. I'm prepared to do that.
Some of the funds clearly ought to go directly. Some of them need to be used in coordination. And there are some coordinated efforts, but what we have to do, fundamentally, is a better job of coordinating, and that hasn't been taking place. So you've actually had resistance to mutual interest in border issues and others.
I think we have to recognize that the Native American community, which has not been recognized, has as much desire, has as much interest and is as prepared and is as capable and always has protected America with as much zeal as any other community, and we ought to trust it and provide the funding necessary as a separate jurisdiction where that coordination is not absolutely necessary.
(APPLAUSE)
QUESTION: If there is a clear line in the minds of many of the voters who are straddling the fence right now, it is on the issue of terror.
The question is, how would you lead as a president in the age of terror?
Specifically, what would you have done if you had been caught in a Florida newsroom -- or, I'm sorry, a Florida classroom on September 11, 2001? Would you, given the power of hindsight, have taken the nation to war, as President Bush has said he would, given hindsight?
And lastly, what would you do to get the nation out of Iraq, specifically?
KERRY: Great question. And I appreciate...
(APPLAUSE)
I'm going to take a minute on this question, because it's one of the most important questions facing the nation, obviously.
First of all, had I been reading to children and had my top aide whispered in my ear, "America is under attack," I would have told those kids very politely and nicely that the president of the United States had something that he needed to attend to...
(APPLAUSE)
... and I would have attended to it.
(APPLAUSE)
Secondly -- and this is important, ladies and gentlemen, because Americans want to know that the person they choose as president has all of the skills and the ability, all of the mental toughness, all of the gut instinct necessary to be a strong commander in chief. I'm asking you to trust our nation, our history, the world, your families in my hands, and I understand that. It's a big ask, and it's a tough judgment you have to make. But I believe, in this case, there is a very clear choice.
I come to the job of commander in chief with the rare, gratefully, but important experience of having fought in a war. And the war that I fought in was a war where we saw America lose its support for the war, where the soldiers came back having had to do what our soldiers are doing today, carry an M-16 in another country, try to tell the difference between friend and foe.
I know what it's like to go out at night on patrol and you don't know what's around the next corner.
KERRY: I know what it's like to write home to your family and tell them, "Hey, everything's OK," even though in your gut you're scared stiff and you don't know if it is OK.
And I believe we need a commander in chief who understands the test before you send young people to war. You got to be able to look parents in the eyes if they lose their son or daughter and say to them, "I tried to do everything in my power to avoid this, but we had no choice as a nation, as a people, because of the challenge to our country, to our fundamental values from a threat that was real and imminent."
I believe in my heart of hearts and in my gut that this president fails that test in Iraq. And I know this because I, personally, and others were deeply involved in the effort with other countries to bring them to the table. I met with the Security Council of the United Nations in the week preceding the vote in the Senate.
I voted to hold Saddam Hussein accountable, because, had I been president, I would have wanted that authority, because that was the way to enforce the U.N. resolutions and be tough with the prospect of his development of weapons of mass destruction. But the president said he would go to war as a last resort. The president said he would exhaust the remedies of the U.N. The president said he would build a legitimate international coalition.
And here we are, several years later, having made an end-run around the United Nations, alienated our allies, put our soldiers at greater risk than they needed to be, asked the American people to pay almost $200 billion, because we didn't have the patience, we didn't have the maturity to exhaust the remedies available to us and truly build that coalition and understand the nature of the threat.
My friends, I believe there is a firm conviction with which I approach defending our country. And that is that the United States of America, through all of our history, has set up a standard: The United States doesn't go to war because we want to; we only go to war because we have to. And that's the standard that I will apply to the presidency.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, might we have wound up going to war with Saddam Hussein? You bet we might have -- after we exhausted those remedies and found that he wasn't complying and so on and so forth. But not in a way that provides -- you know, 90 percent of the casualties are American, and almost all of the cost.
And the American taxpayer, just think of that $200 billion for the schools, for health care, for the things that we could be doing in America. The choice, it seems to me, is clear.
Now, what do we do to get out of there? What do we do to achieve our goals legitimately? Well, let me tell you.
Is there anybody sitting here in this room who doesn't believe that every Arab country in fact has a real and legitimate interest in not having a failed Iraq, in not having a civil war on its borders? But they're not at the table.
KERRY: Is there anybody here who believes that Europe, with its own Muslim populations and its own geopolitical issues, as well as its global responsibilities, doesn't have an interest in not having a failed Iraq and a civil war? But they're not really at the table.
And the fact that they're not, I believe, underscores dramatically the failure of diplomacy and statesmanship by this administration.
So here's what I will do; it's what I've always wanted to do, it's what I've proposed for months: We need to have an international conference in which we put these global issues on the table.
We need to be prepared to have a high commissioner who is responsible for the management, decision-making and helps in the transformation so it's not an American transformation.
We need to have a sharing of the decision-making and the responsibility, and we need to have a sharing of the reconstruction so that other people actually have an interest in coming to the table.
And I believe that what America needs now more than anything is a new president with new credibility, with a fresh start for America, to bring people to the table and to leverage appropriately our global interests in standing up for success in Iraq and for having a shared responsibility about how we respond to terror.
The United States of America should never have allowed itself to be isolated by Islamic extremists. We should be isolating extreme Islam. And that means reaching out to moderate clerics and mullahs and imams and conducting a foreign policy not just dependent on our military might, but a foreign policy that's dependent on the power of American ideas and ideals and principles and values.
Working with other countries, my friends, in my administration will not be the sign of weakness it is for these people. It will be a sign of strength. And I will make America stronger.
(APPLAUSE)
QUESTION: Senator, the Federal Communications Commission last year voted to allow media companies to further consolidate, allowing a single entity to gain greater control of television stations and newspapers in any given market.
QUESTION: The ruling, however, has been halted by a federal appeals court, which questioned the FCC's plan.
Critics complain that consolidation is concentrating too much power in one place, limiting diverse views and eliminating job opportunities. Media companies, however, argue that they need to operate in a free market with less regulations to compete and grow.
How do you propose to deal with this ongoing push for media consolidation?
KERRY: I'm against the ongoing push for media consolidation. I think it's contrary to...
(APPLAUSE)
It's contrary to the stronger interests of the country.
I understand the world has changed with cable and Internet and the numbers of outlets that we have. But notwithstanding that, the concentration of power still remains, I think, a very significant issue.
I was in favor of the rollback. I voted against the expansion.
KAGAN: We've been listening in to Senator John Kerry. He is speaking in Washington, D.C. before what's called the Unity Conference. This is a gathering of minority journalists here in the U.S. It takes place about once every four years. Senator Kerry speaks today. President Bush will address the same conference tomorrow. And we'll bring you those comments live as well. Meanwhile, let's get started. We have some breaking news out of Albany, New York we want to bring to you. That is where federal agents and city police launched an overnight raid on a downtown mosque. Federal law enforcement sources tell CNN that two men, the mosque's imam and founder are being held. Officials say they were implicated in a sting operation involving terrorism, money laundering and a shoulder-fired missile. Mosque members are voicing disbelief and decrying the raid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAISAL AHMAD, MOSQUE WORSHIPER: It's difficult on the Muslim community to have these types of investigations, especially in the middle of night, and to come and find their house of worship closed for prayers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The Justice Department is expected to release more details later today on that.
Our Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has been following the story for us. And she joins us from Washington with what she has learned in addition to what we just told you.
Jeanne, good morning.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, as you said, two men in custody this morning after an undercover FBI sting operation and those raids in Albany New York. One of the men, as you said, the imam of the Majid al Salaam Mosque in Albany, the other a member of the board of directors.
Law enforcement and government sources say undercover FBI agents approached the two, asking them to launder money from the sale of shoulder-fired missiles to terrorists. The two men allegedly agreed to do so. The raid of the mosque and two homes in the Albany area began at about 11:00 last night, according to sources, and last until shortly before 6:00 this morning. It was conducted by the FBI, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and members of the local Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The mayor of Albany had this to say about the happenings there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY JENNINGS, MAYOR, ALBANY, NEW YORK: I can't get into any real detail here, gang, as far as questions. And I just want to confirm that this was a coordinated effort by the Albany Police Department, the New York State Police and FBI. It's been an ongoing investigation. And obviously, the results are good; this is something that we anticipated.
People shouldn't be concerned, because we've been on top of this for quite a while, and we're going to stay on top of it. It will be a continuing investigation. And we've accomplished what we wanted to accomplish here this morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: The two men are identified to CNN as Yasin Aref, the imam of the mosque. He is an Iraqi citizen with asylum status in the U.S. And Mohammed Musharraf Hosed, 49, a native of Bangladesh and a U.S. citizen, and described as a member of the mosque board of directors.
Alina Cho, a short time ago, had a long conversation with the wife of Aref. Her name Zaqwar (ph) Aref, she said that she was not aware of what her husband was accused of, that he did not come home last night. She assumed that he was at the mosque. She said she and their three children were taken to a local hotel by the FBI at about 2:00 in the morning and extensively questioned. She had just returned home.
The two men, we're told, were taken into custody without incident. And according to sources, they will likely face charges of lending material support to terrorists and money laundering. Sources say that this investigation has been under way for a long time, and it does not have any connection to the information recently seized in Pakistan, which led to the current threat warnings against certain financial targets in New York, New Jersey and here in Washington, D.C.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: And so, Jeanne, officials here in the states find themselves with the same challenges as the military in Iraq. When you're dealing with a house of worship, yet still wanting to go after somebody who might pose a threat.
MESERVE: Well, certainly they had search warrants in this case. They had the legal authority to enter that mosque. We are told that when they went in, they did seize documents from the mosque and possibly from the houses as well.
KAGAN: Jeanne Meserve in Washington, we'll be back with you later in the morning. Thank you.
Terrorism concerns are also rippling overseas in Britain shipping industry. A senior British Naval official is quoted as saying that al Qaeda and other terrorist groups could be planning attacks on the maritime trade. Admiral Alan West says that intelligence revealed those plans. Britain's Ministry of Defense says it is not aware of any such details.
And with more on that, we will get back to that in just a moment. First though, we're going to fit in a break. A lot more news coming up this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And now to some political perspective from across the pond. Our observant British reporter Richard Quest has been roaming the country covering this year's presidential election. First, let's take a peek at some of his observations. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Here in the Beeline Diner, it's been an excellent place to find out the views of Florida and tourists alike. What's interesting is that in an era where the story is voter apathy, here they are determined to take part. It's all about ducks. Go figure. And only the leading candidates in this election manage to get their ducks in a row.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: So I'm walking a cross the newsroom here in Atlanta, and who do I run into? Richard Quest.
So good to see you in person.
QUEST: Nice to be -- it's big here, isn't it?
KAGAN: It is big. This is the big house.
QUEST: The mother ship.
KAGAN: This is the mother ship. Make no mistake.
QUEST: Absolutely! Right!
KAGAN: Atlanta is the head of CNN.
QUEST: Atlana!
KAGAN: Absolutely.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: Now, you've been traveling, first you went up the East Coast.
QUEST: Yes! Well, what we've been basically doing for our international viewers is to try and get a perspective, get a feeling. You know, it's only once you leave the major metropolitan areas that you start to get an idea of what this election is all about. I've been in Florida. Next week I'm going to Seattle, and Portland, and the Pacific Northwest.
KAGAN: Lovely.
QUEST: Then it's down to Vegas, Phoenix and the Southwest. And then, during the Republicans, I'm off to Ohio: Canton, Cleveland, all those crucial battleground states in that part of the country.
KAGAN: A little suspect up until you got to Ohio. I'm thinking you're just going to the resort places.
QUEST: Ah! Well...
KAGAN: Nothing wrong with Ohio. We love Ohio. QUEST: Have you been to Ohio.
KAGAN: I have. I love Ohio. We have a lot of people who work here from Ohio.
Let's talk about Florida. What really struck you about the folks that you met there?
QUEST: What struck me most was the -- this idea -- look, we hear all the time from pundits and analysts...
KAGAN: When you say we, do you mean overseas?
QUEST: I mean we, you, me, all of us.
KAGAN: The royal we?
(LAUGHTER)
QUEST: The royal we. We hear all the time that this is a close race.
KAGAN: Yes.
QUEST: Forty-eight to 46 to 49 percent. You place your money, you takes your choice. When you get out there, you realize just how close it is. That there's a very small number of voters that will ultimately decide this election. And when you put that into context of 100 million of you, who could potentially vote. And you suddenly realize it will only be a couple of hundred thousand that actually make the difference. Then it really becomes significance.
KAGAN: Well, and the importance of And for covering this not just for CNN, but CNN International all around the world, is the point that a few people here in the states will make decision that will affect many people all around the world.
QUEST: That's the key to it. People always say, and overseas people always say, why does all the networks; it doesn't matter whether it's this or the opposition, or any of the international networks, why do we spend so much time on the U.S. presidential election? More so, than ever before, Daryn, whoever gets the White House, leader of the free world affects what -- look, whoever gets the White House affects the mortgage that I pay in Britain.
KAGAN: Now how does that happen?
QUEST: Because if the U.S. economy is not doing well or is doing well, the interest rates over here affect the interest rates over there. They affect what the British government will do. They affect what the European Union is going to do. They affect the policies in the Middle East. It is the most single most important job in the world.
KAGAN: Fascinating. Your job's important, too. You said you're headed to the Northwest. QUEST: Pacific Northwest. If you see me on the way, buy me a coffee, a nice latte. I like it milky. Two sugars.
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: The seafood is pretty good in that part of the country as well. Safe travels. You'll check in with us?
QUEST: I will be talking to you next week from Seattle.
KAGAN: Excellent. We will see you there. Richard Quest, safe travels. Thank you.
Well, testimony about a reputation for disobeying orders and sneaking out at night to be with her boyfriend. Day 3 of Lynndie England's Iraqi prison abuse hearing is under way right now. A live report just ahead.
Also an Iraqi delegation in America to study government instead gets a crash course in rudeness and crime. Their story is ahead.
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