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American Morning

America's New War: Other Possible Targets Planned?

Aired September 19, 2001 - 09:12   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.
PAULA ZAUN, CNN ANCHOR: Now onto some of the latest information on the investigative front, as U.S. attorney -- excuse men, Attorney General John Ashcroft has announced that individual U.S. attorneys' offices will set up task force.

The FBI has said, again, that they had no early warning of the attacks. But there are indications that at least some agents were at least suspicious about the behavior of some of the individuals now tied to what might be a broader hijacking conspiracy.

For the very latest on this very broad investigation underway, let's check in with Kelli Arena now from D.C.

Hi, Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Paula.

Well, this investigation is indeed very fast moving as four thousand agents are conducting a virtually manhunt for possible associates of the hijackers, or people who may have information. That number of individuals now nearing 200.

So far there are more than 80 people in custody, either by the INS or as material witnesses. And the FBI has also filed the first criminal charges in its investigation. Agents have arrested three men in Detroit after they produced false ID documents. Authorities had been looking for another man when they were found.

The three were charged with identity fraud, misuse of visas, and conspiracy to commit those violations and are to appear in court Friday.

Over at the Justice Department, Attorney General John Ashcroft, for the first time, acknowledged that officials are looking into the possibility that there may have been plans to hijack even more planes, that plans for some reason may have been aborted. And members of the congressional intelligence committees were told in a classified briefing that there is information concerning more U.S. terrorist targets, though government source say there is no specific evidence about locations or dates.

And there's also the first hint of evidence of possible Iraqi involvement in the plot. A government official telling CNN that one of the hijackers, Mohammed Atta was seen meeting with an Iraqi intelligence official in Europe earlier this year. Now, that's a discovery that some experts say supports their suspicions of involvement beyond Osama bin Laden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZBIGNIEW BREZEZINSKI, FMR. NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: We're making too much out of one individual. I think we're over-personalizing a large-scale, complex, chain of cells which operate throughout world, many of them operate within the United States. And we shouldn't define the war, the campaign against terrorism, largely in terms of Osama bin Laden. I think that's sensationalizes it. It also trivializes it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: And finally, the attorney general announced the first of a series of planned changes in the wake of the attack. Aliens in the custody of the INS may now be held for longer periods of time before charges are brought. Now, that is time to give investigators to question them. Ashcroft is expected to present a comprehensive package of proposals to Congress sometime this week. And we are also told by justice officials that the attorney general and FBI Director Robert Mueller will be visiting the Pentagon crash site later on this morning, Paula.

ZAUN: All right, Kelli, I want to come back to a point you made earlier on -- about confirmation, that there were more U.S. targets. Is there anything else you can add to that? I know, obviously, the government is not going to confirm where these targets are, or were, and when those attacks might be scheduled for?

ARENA: Paula, all we know at this point is they have retrieved an enormous amount material and information from confiscated vehicles, from some homes that have been searched. They just say that their investigation has led them to some information suggesting that there were other terrorist targets, other hijackings as well, that were planned. But we get repeatedly told that there's no -- there's not enough specific and credible information that would lead us to any specific location or a date or, you know, a specific plan with people involved to do something. So a great level of concern here, and a good reason for extra security precautions on both here and in New York.

ZAUN: And realistically, what are these changes mean that Attorney General John Ashcroft has mentioned, where you'd have individual U.S. attorneys offices setting up a task force. Has there been lack of coordination at this point from state to state?

ARENA: I don't think so. I just think that what this does is help streamline the process. I mean, there has been a great deal of cooperation among law enforcement, but it's just that the way things were set up before this, it was very sort of fragmented. Not to say the communication was not working, but this does allow for a better streamlining of that information flow, which is so vital, because, as I said at the beginning, Paula, this investigation is moving so quickly, things are changing so rapidly as this manhunt continues and as information pours in from the public and through the investigation, so they did need to facilitate that process.

ZAUN: All right, Kelli, thanks so much for that update.

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