Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Target: Terrorism: More Specifics Connecting Bin Laden to Attacks

Aired October 04, 2001 - 11:32   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.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: We are also tracking the latest in the investigation. For that, I want to bring in our national correspondent, Eileen O'Connor.

Eileen, as we listen to the attorney general and the FBI director make their case, it seems odd that it is from overseas, from the prime minister of Britain, from the secretary general of the NATO alliance, we tend to hear actually more specifics about the evidence linking these strikes to Osama bin Laden. Why is that?

EILEEN O'CONNOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is seen very much as strategy to increase the credibility. One of the things that we've done is basically give diplomatic cables to our closest allies, like Britain, Australia, Japan, France, Germany. In that way, those leaders -- you heard the NATO leader the other day. Now, today, you hear Tony Blair -- they're the ones talking about the case against Osama bin Laden. And they are the ones saying there is a strong case that's been made against Osama bin Laden, that it is he who was behind these attacks of September 11th.

The -- Tony Blair also able to go a little bit further today in his statements, not just that this is a case against bin Laden, but also as the Taliban as an accomplice, saying that the Taliban, saying there is proof that Taliban has in fact helped to fund military operations, that bin Laden in turn helps fund the Taliban. He said, therefore, that if the Taliban does not hand over bin Laden, and they are perhaps caught in the cross fire of any attack against bin Laden, well then, so be it. There is evidence they are an accomplice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The closeness of bin Laden's relationship with the Taliban is also plain. He provides them with troops, arms and money to fight the Northern Alliance. He is closely involved with their military training, planning and operations. He has representatives in their military command structure. Forces under the control of bin Laden have fought alongside the Taliban in a civil war in Afghanistan. For its part, the Taliban regime has provided bin Laden with a safe haven in which to operate, and allowed him to establish terrorist training camps.

(END VIDEO CLIP) O'CONNOR: Now, also, John, this case is still -- it's one that's brought together basically from testimony that we've had in previous court cases, affidavits, witnesses, testimony. But there is also some intelligence, and it seems by the case presented by Tony Blair, that it is within the intelligence, which even is not given publicly anywhere, that the very strong link is made back to bin Laden. They're saying that there is direct evidence linking these September 11th attacks back to Osama bin Laden, but that they are not releasing.

KING: Any new physical evidence at all being released by investigators here in the United States.

O'CONNOR: Interestingly, today, for the first time, the FBI went on the record in Portland, Mane, and they released some more surveillance photos that were taken of Mohamed Atta and his accomplice who went with him in Portland, Maine on the connector flight, a commuter flight. You can see there the two of them, Alomari (ph) and Atta them, going through airport security, taking pictures at a Wal- Mart. Now this very much in accordance with things that have been said in the manual by Al Qaeda.

All of these people, the suspected hijackers, lived very quietly. They were under the radar scopes, so to speak. They moved around a lot. They often rented houses under different names. They used similar names. And all of this is also part of the case against bin Laden. Because what they are trying to say is the actions and the activities of the hijackers mirrored the activities of people that were associated with previous attacks associated with bin Laden, all of this a long line of evidence and trails, much of it circumstantial, but connected with his past acts.

KING: difficult path to follow.

Eileen O'Connor, thank you for your help in connecting the dots for us.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com