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American Morning

U.S. Officials Confirm Abu Zubair Al-Haili in Custody in Morocco

Aired June 19, 2002 - 08:01   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's get up front this morning now. More on the man that U.S. officials are calling a key senior al Qaeda operative. The man known as "The Bear" taken into custody in Morocco.

Kelli Arena now with more on the new information. Officials say that this man was well plugged in. They list him very high in the list of al Qaeda leaders.

Here's Kelli in D.C.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. officials confirm that Abu Zubair al-Haili is in custody in Morocco. Sources tell CNN U.S. investigators have access to the information he is providing, but have not spoken with him directly. One official describes Zubair, nicknamed "The Bear" because of his large size, as a senior al Qaeda member with a very close relationship to Abu Zubaydah. Zubaydah is considered to be the highest ranking al Qaeda operative in custody.

Zubair is said to be well plugged in, with a wealth of information. One official says, "He knows quite a bit, including where many al Qaeda terrorist cells are located." The official says that information could be useful in preventing future terrorist attacks.

Zubair is also said to have played a pivotal role in recruiting new members and bringing them to Afghanistan for training. The officials we spoke to did not offer details on how much information, if any, Zubair is providing.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

HEMMER: Certainly more follow-up from this story throughout the day.

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