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CNN Live Today

Miami Terror Indictment

Aired June 23, 2006 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: OK. Two news conferences expected to begin any minute. We have a Chicago, which has the Sears Tower, which was the target of this alleged terror plot where seven men were arrested, and we have the U.S. attorney's office out of South Florida. We will be dipping into both and bringing you the latest on this developing story.
Meanwhile, while we wait for those news conferences to begin, let's update you on our top story.

We're learning more this morning about what officials are calling a homegrown terrorist plot. We expect to hear, as I was mentioning, from the U.S. attorney in Miami, as well as the Chicago office of emergency management.

Officials say the suspects plotted to blow up targets in those two cities and pledged an oath al Qaeda. Seven people are now in custody. Law enforcement sources describe them as radical Muslims. Some of the suspects are expected in court later today. The sears tower in Chicago and the Miami FBI office was said to be the targets of the alleged plot. However, we're told no weapons or bomb-making materials were found.

Now let's focus on Boston. The city's famous harbor is vital for trade, but it can also be an easy mark for terrorists.

CNN's Randi Kaye investigates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the mayor of Boston, this is a floating time bomb. An LNG tanker, 30 million gallons of liquefied natural gas in its belly, winding its way through the Boston Harbor, past the airport, past the historic north end, up the mystic river, past waterfront neighborhoods alongside Bunker Hill. If terrorists should attack a tanker like this and blow it up, a recent federal report warns a fireball could reach out a third of a mile in every direction.

(on camera): How many people do you think live within a third of a mile?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rough number, 100,000 people.

KAYE: You think those neighborhoods would be wiped out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A good possibility, a good possibility they could be wiped out.

KAYE: That's a frightening thought.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a Very frightening thought.

KAYE: The Coast Guard surrounds each arriving tanker with gunboats. It has armed personnel aboard the ship, helicopters overhead, police watching for snipers on shore. If this departing tanker were not empty, no sailboat, no other vessel would be allowed this close.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If there's a threat to our assets, deadly use of force is authorized.

KAYE: In a way Coast Guard Captain James McDonald (ph) is the man in charge of the fate of the city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very, very unlikely that any incident would be successful. And frankly, that's what we're all about, is preventing bad things from happening in the first place.

KAYE (on camera): The natural gas tanker industry feels safe because in its history of nearly half a century, never has it had a disaster. Of course, nothing like the San Francisco Earthquake and fire had ever happened before, nor the drowning of the city of New Orleans, or the attack that brought down the World Trade Center.

(voice-over): Almost once a week an LNG tanker will glide through the hashgor on its way to the terminal on Mystic River in Everett (ph). That's one way New England stays warm in the winter. The ships pass as close to the Boston skyline as this. They go right by the north end, home of Paul Revere, charming old streets, gleaming new waterfront condos. No other city in America has an LNG terminal in its midst.

Right across the river is Jenny's Pizza Shop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God forbid something would happen, we're in the front row. So I might not be around to know what happens.

KAYE: Thirteen year-old customer Cameron Harrington.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the thing blows up, most likely we're all dead.

KAYE: A department of energy study last winter described a worst-case scenario, of a city with a narrow harbor, with national landmarks, and people all around.

(on camera): This area they're describing sounds a lot like Boston.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's Boston to a 'T.'

KAYE (voice-over): Paint a picture for me if you can of what you think we would see here in the Boston area, in the waterfront area, if, indeed, there was a successful attack on one of these tankers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would happen is a cloud would rise and, you know, move across downtown Boston. It would engulf the area. Buildings would catch on fire. People have try to flee. You would have chaos in the city. It would be just chaotic situation. And you know, the fire department doesn't have the equipment to prevent this. No one has the equipment to prevent it.

KAYE: The nearby airport has one fire boat. The city has another. And there are water canyons on the tugs. That's all. The only real plan for disaster is prevention. Each tanker does have a double hull and a double skin on the containers holding the LNG. The Coast Guard inspects each tanker before it leaves for the United States. It boards the vessel five miles outside the harbor. Cameras like these watch the ship move into port. Airplanes are diverted away from it. This bridge is closed to traffic whenever a tanker passes underneath to keep anyone from dropping a bomb off it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we've done to address the issue of risk associated with LNG movements means that we can move LNG safely and securely.

KAYE: That's not enough for the Mayor Menino (ph) who wants the tankers unloaded out at sea, away from the city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why can't we offload it outside the harbor and bring it in in a pipeline? In a pipeline, that the way it should be happening.

KAYE: Until then, what could be done in the face of an attack? evacuation suggests that federal report.

(on camera): Tell me how on earth you could evacuate in a fire like this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you put an evacuation into plan when an LNG tank has hit? How long do you have to evacuate the city? A matter of minutes? Can you move 100,000 people out of not just Boston, Chelsea, Everett, east Boston in a matter of minutes? I dare tell you, I don't believe so.

KAYE (voice-over): Back at Jenny's Pizza, no one has ever talked to Butch Gordon about any city escape plan.

His own plan?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Run like hell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Well, that's one plan. That's Randi Kaye reporting. Thank you, Randi.

Once again, another developing story, this one out of the White House. The one Democratic member of the Bush administration Norm Mineta, deciding that it's time to move on. Our Carol Lin has more details on that -- Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Daryn, he is the only Democratic member, as you mentioned, of the Bush administration. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta announcing today that he is going to resign effective in just a couple of weeks. A 10-term Congressman, and this announcement was just made from the White House. This is what White House spokesperson Tony Snow had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Why did the transportation secretary resign?

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRES SECY.: Because he wanted to. No, it's -- he was not being pushed out. There's no -- as a matter of fact, the president and vice president and others were happy with him, and they suggested that -- he put in five-and-a-half years. That's a long time.

QUESTION: I have to follow-up on this. Do you know anything about some sort of peace agreement being assembled by Iraq granting amnesty...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: ... Miami to the U.S. attorney's office in Miami with more details on the indictments of seven individuals there.

R. ALEXANDER ACOSTA, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR MIAMI: Good afternoon.

Earlier today, Attorney General Gonzales announced the arrest and the indictment of seven South Florida men on terrorism-related charges. Our four-count indictment charges these men with conspiracy to provide material support to Al Qaida, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to maliciously damage and destroy by means of explosives the Sears Tower in Chicago and the FBI field office building here in Miami, and conspiracy to levy war against the United States.

As Attorney General Gonzales explained, we believe that these defendants sought the support of Al Qaida, to, in their own words, "wage jihad and war against the United States" to, quote, "kill all the devils that we can." They hoped that their attacks would be, in their own words, quote, "just as good or greater than 9/11."

At the request of the attorney general, I'm here with the members of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force, whose men and whose women investigated this matter and executed these arrests.

We're here to take a few minutes to provide some details regarding this operation, to reassure the South Florida community that there is and has not been any immediate threat, and to thank the several agencies who partnered with us in this effort.

The facts I'm about to describe are those alleged in our court filings and those discussed earlier by the attorney general. The defendants are innocent until proven guilty.

The defendants in this group -- this group of seven defendants was led by Narseal Batiste, also known as Brother Naz. They met at a building in Miami-Dade County that Batiste referred to as the embassy.

Their intent was to wage violent jihad against the United States. Their stated objective was to form and to train an army of soldiers to wage this war, with the initial objective being the destruction of the Sears Tower in Chicago.

To gain funding, assistance and support for this effort, Batiste sought to meet foreign nationals associated with terrorist movements. Unbeknownst to Batiste, a person he approached alerted these individuals here with me today, the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Over the next several months, Batiste and other defendants took several steps to accomplish their objective. Earlier this year, Batiste requested Al Qaida training for himself and for his men. A month later, Batiste swore the bay'ah, the oath of loyalty, to Al Qaida.

Subsequently, each of the remaining six defendants individually stood and also took the bay'ah swearing loyalty to Al Qaida.

Later, following a discussion of a plot to bomb FBI buildings, several defendants took reconnaissance photographs of the Miami federal courthouse complex in which we're speaking today, the FBI building in North Miami Beach, and other government buildings.

Yesterday, a grand jury here in Miami returned the indictment. The defendants were arrested a few hours later. They're scheduled to make their initial appearance in Miami federal court today at 12:30.

Let me make two final points.

First, today's indictment is against individuals. It is not against a particular group or a particular faith.

Second, we want to reassure the citizens and residents of South Florida that the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force monitored this group's activities throughout this investigation to ensure that there was no immediate danger to individuals or to buildings.

Although this group had the intent and took steps toward fulfilling their plan to destroy the Sears Tower and the Miami FBI building, they were never able to obtain the explosives or access needed to implement this plan.

Our mission, given to us by President Bush, is to prevent terrorism. The group of men and women here with us today are among those dedicated to this goal.

The South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force performed well its mission to prevent terrorism by identifying, disrupting and prosecuting this terrorist cell before it posed -- before it posed an immediate threat.

I want to thank each of the men and women of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force. In particular, I want to thank the city of Miami and the Miami-Dade Police Departments.

Our task force provides an example of how local, state and federal law enforcement can work together to make our community safer.

I also want to thank the assistant United States attorneys who are working on this matter, Bob Senior (ph), Jackie Arango (ph) and Richard Getshul (ph).

Thank you.

JONATHAN SOLOMON, FBI: Good morning.

Since 9/11, the FBI has often been asked, "Are there terrorist sleeper cells in the United States?"

The assumption has always been we must be concerned about foreign terrorists sneaking into our country to carry out plans similar to 9/11. However, threats can come from our own streets as well as from people who are sent from overseas.

Our presence here today attests to the fact that law enforcement agencies and the nation as a whole need to be alert to domestic threats.

These are individuals who are U.S. citizens or have lived in the United States most of their lives. Along the way, they develop a hatred of America and decide to act upon their distorted beliefs by devising plans that will cause harm. The FBI's highest priority is to identify and disrupt these threats before damage is done -- is exactly what we achieved in this investigation.

I'd like to make it clear that the indictment unsealed today is an indictment against individuals and individuals alone. It is not an indictment against any religion or segment of our community.

I'm here today representing the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force. Every agency that stands with me had an indispensable role in this investigation. Spontaneous and seamless cooperation among multiple federal, state and local law enforcement agencies was key to bringing the defendants to these charges.

The joint terrorism task force, or JTTF, is the heart of the FBI's terrorism prevention efforts. JTTFs are teams of investigators from every level of government who work shoulder-to-shoulder to prevent acts of terror.

These task forces are key force multipliers, pooling expertise from dozens of agencies, providing a coordinated response and ensuring swift collection and sharing of intelligence among our partners.

Forty-two agencies, represented by more than 160 personnel, constitute the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force. Our greatest weapon against terrorism is our partnerships, and in South Florida we're fortunate to have law enforcement agencies who are second to none.

On behalf of the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force, we would like to thank U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta and Assistant United States Attorneys Jacqueline Arango (ph) and Richard Getchul (ph) for their diligent work on this case.

We'd also like to commend and recognize the following law enforcement agencies who took part in this investigation: the City of Miami Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Miramar Police Department, Internal Revenue Service, Broward County Sheriff's Office, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Bureau of Prisons, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and the Hollywood Police Department.

Because of the extraordinary efforts from these agents and officers of the JTTF, South Florida and the nation are a much safer place.

Thank you.

QUESTION: Do you think that these guys really would have done this, or was it tough talk, or (inaudible) just doesn't matter?

ACOSTA: They certainly had the will; they were searching for the way is the bottom line. They had the intent. They had the desire. They took steps toward accomplishing their mission.

Our mission is to identify them, to disrupt them and to prosecute them before they're able to accomplish that mission. The men here with me today did precisely that: They prevented them from accomplishing their goal.

QUESTION: Alex, can you tell me a little bit more about who these guys are -- besides their names? What are their ages? Did they have jobs? What were they -- who are they?

ACOSTA: If you'd like, we can provide some details, to the extent appropriate, afterwards.

QUESTION: What was the catalyst for the arrest?

ACOSTA: I'm sorry?

QUESTION: Some people have already heard you say (inaudible) these are just a bunch of social misfits who couldn't organize a (inaudible). How would you respond to people who are thinking about them in that way?

ACOSTA: OK, now, these are individuals who took several steps toward their intent of destroying buildings. They sought supplies, including weapons and vehicles. They took reconnaissance photographs. Our mission -- all of our missions here is to identify and disrupt these cells before they acquire -- if at all possible -- the capability to implement their plan. I don't think anyone would want us to wait until they had acquired the capability to implement their plan.

Once we have sufficient evidence and once we have satisfied our law enforcement objectives, we are going to aggressively prosecute groups like this.

QUESTION: What response did they get from Al Qaida?

ACOSTA: Excuse me.

QUESTION: What was the catalyst for the arrest? The last time frame mentioned in the indictment was in May (inaudible)?

ACOSTA: We time the execution of takedowns in operations such as this based on law enforcement considerations.

Certainly, one question is: Do we have sufficient evidence to bring an indictment and to then obtain a conviction in court? Another question is: Have we carefully investigated the cell to ensure that we have identified all individuals who may pose a threat to our community or to our nation?

And sometimes that's a very difficult balance, because you want to go and disrupt cells like this before they acquire the capability to execute on their plans.

And those are the factors that are balanced in making the determination.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Was Al Qaida on its way to responding? What kind of feedback did they give?

ACOSTA: I'm sorry, I don't understand the question.

QUESTION: (inaudible) they asked for weapons, they asked for money. What sort of feedback did you find they got from Al Qaida?

ACOSTA: Well, let me be clear.

As I mentioned, the individuals and Batiste was seeking the help of Al Qaida. The Joint Terrorism Task Force was alerted to his desire. An individual who purposed to be a member of Al Qaida, but who was in fact not an actual member of Al Qaida, infiltrated the group.

And that individual is the one that received the request for uniforms, for weapons and for Al Qaida training.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) did he go to a warehouse?

ACOSTA: I really can't go into details.

QUESTION: Was he a law enforcement officer, or was this a person that was, perhaps, one of the more...

ACOSTA: This is an individual that was working with us.

QUESTION: Can you talk about whether or not they were actively recruiting, how they were doing that, was it in the neighborhood or beyond that?

Could you also talk about the actual training going on? What kinds?

ACOSTA: As the attorney general mentioned this morning, this individual recruited and sought to recruit individuals to form an army of soldiers with the intent of waging war against the United States.

QUESTION: How can we rule out possible political motivations behind this high-profile case? There have been several that have, kind of, fizzled in the aftermath of 9/11. Is this another, just before the mid-term elections?

ACOSTA: This is a case that has been investigated for several months. The timing was determined by the professionals here with me today.

This is precisely the kind of case that we should be investigating. These are precisely the types of groups that we should be dismantling and disrupting.

And we are going to continue to aggressively pursue any cell that expresses an intent to commit terrorist acts against the United States.

QUESTION: What did you find in the warehouse?

ACOSTA: We're not going to comment regarding what materials were found at the site.

ACOSTA: Well, let me be a little bit more clear. I can say that no explosives were found at the site, but we're not going to comment regarding any additional information.

QUESTION: Do you think you have all the members of the cell? With these seven, is this the totality of this group?

ACOSTA: The South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated this case very carefully. A lot of resources, as is evident here, have been expended in this matter.

We are confident that we have identified every individual that had the intent of posing a threat to the United States.

QUESTION: Why did they pick Miami?

ACOSTA: You know, I can say that they lived here in Miami. Beyond that, I really wouldn't want to speculate for you.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

ACOSTA: I'm sorry?

QUESTION: You mentioned $50,000.

ACOSTA: They were seeking financial assistance. That is all that was mentioned.

QUESTION: General Gonzales said that the new brand of terrorism, these cells with actually no connection with Al Qaida whatsoever. Can you talk about that?

And can you also talk about what's the history of terror-related groups having, you know, links to South Florida and this group behind you? Is it time now to turn the corner? Do you have a message for anybody thinking of setting up shop here in South Florida?

ACOSTA: Sure.

Well, first let me say Attorney General Gonzales is very concerned -- and rightly so -- about domestic terror cells; that we have to be very careful and we have to protect ourselves from enemies both here and abroad.

President Bush has said time and again that while we're safer today, we're not yet entirely safe from this new enemy that we face. The individuals here with me today represent over a dozen law enforcement agencies that are working together as part of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

And the message that should be sent loud and clear is: There are a lot of resources that are being expended to identify, to disrupt, to dismantle and to prosecute any cell that would seek to commit terrorist acts on the United States.

Now, we take that very aggressively. And we'll continue to do so.

Thank you very much.

KAGAN: So we've been listening into our second U.S. attorney's news conference in the last hour. First we heard from the attorney general himself, Alberto Gonzales. This is the office that spearheaded the investigation out of Miami. He wanted to make it clear that they were targeting individuals with these seven arrests and not a faith, because the individuals are described as radical Muslims.

He said for south Florida, important to know that there is no immediate threat to south Florida. And other details as well as this continues to unfold. We still expect to hear from Chicago, and we'll get to that. Also, FBI director Robert Mueller giving a news conference within the hour, as well.

Right now, a quick break here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The U.S. attorney's office in Miami just wrapped up a news conference on the alleged plot and what was happening in south Florida.

Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti joining us from Miami with more on what they had to say there -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we learned a few nor details than we did before, but again, each time authorities are emphasizing that in their view this was a group that was conspiring to be a part of al Qaeda and to conspire to provide material support to al Qaeda as a foreign terrorist organization. Likewise, to carry out, supposedly, terrorist acts, to explode, to blow up various buildings. And, as they put it, to wage war against the United States. Specifically they used terms like "kill all devils." And to carry out an attack as good or greater as the September 11th attacks.

This is part of what the U.S. attorney Alex Acosta had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: They certainly had the will. They were searching for the way. That's the bottom line. They had the intent. They had the desire. They took steps toward accomplishing their mission.

Our mission is to identify them, to disrupt them and to prosecute them before they're able to accomplish that mission. The men in here with me today did precisely that. They prevented them from accomplishing their goal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Let's give you a rundown of some of the specifics that are contained in this conspiracy indictment against these seven people. Going back to December of last year, according to the indictment, the alleged leader was introduced to someone -- turns out to be a government informant -- who they believed was an agent of al Qaeda, says the indictment. And he asked for, among other things, a -- he gave this al Qaeda representative a list, saying that he needed military boots. Gave them boot sizes. He says he needed them to equip his group with soldiers, boots for his soldiers.

He also asked for radios, binoculars, a bulletproof vest, firearms, including machine guns, vehicles. Asked for $50,000 in cash to fund a plot to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago. Then in February of this year they allegedly asked for training for at least five of these so-called soldiers to carry out what they say was a full ground war against the United States to, quote, "kill all the devils we can," to be just as good or greater, this plot, as the September 11th attacks. And they even at one point asked this al Qaeda representative to pick up a rental van for them so they could go out and take surveillance photos. We also learned, according to these charges, that they were provided a camera by the government informant, and then they used this camera to go out and take pictures of these possible targets, targets that included the FBI headquarters in the Miami area, as well as the Miami Police Department, the federal courthouse, a federal detention facility, among others. That these men allegedly swore an oath to al Qaeda, that they took trips to have meetings to discuss blowing up these building, including going to the Florida Keys. And that some of those things happened in March of this year.

And then moving forward to May, at that time they said they were experiencing some kind of delay, and yet they still wanted to continue, allegedly, their work with al Qaeda, and again swearing their allegiance to them.

Now, for some people -- remember some sources are describing this group as al Qaeda wannabes. Not according to the U.S. attorney here in Miami. To those who might downplay this, his response was, look, we believe that these people were willing and able and did, in fact, take some steps to acquire some equipment they said they would need to carry out these supposed attacks.

Why did they make these arrests now? Well, authorities explain that it was because they felt they had enough evidence to bring charges. Also because they felt they had identified all the participants of the group.

Finally, we wind up -- want to wind up with some new information from our CNN correspondent Drew Griffin, who spoke with some relatives of these suspects, including an ex-wife and other relatives. They claim that these people were not terrorists. They insist they were, instead, deeply religious members of kind of a blend of Muslim and Christianity, and that they worked as -- in the construction trade, some of these people, turning over all of their money to their family members. And they insist that they are not guilty of these charges -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Susan Candiotti, live in Miami. Thank you.

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