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American Morning

Terrorist Alert Issued at Weapons Depot

Aired September 06, 2002 - 08:02   ET

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

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A terrorist alert is issued at a U.S. chemical weapons depot in Utah after a military patrol spotted an unidentified man trespassing near that facility. Operations expected to return to normal later today, after a sweep of the area last night failed to locate the intruder.
What's happening in Utah?

Here's Frank Buckley this morning live with us now -- Frank, good morning.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

A very tense day here in the desert in Utah after this intruder was spotted inside the perimeter here at the Desert Chemical Depot. Officials here sounded a terrorist alert. That resulted in roadblocks in the area, schools, students at area schools were told to stay indoors while the search for the intruder continued.

This is the world's largest stockpile of chemical weapons and agents. Tons of mustard and blister agents, nerve agents are stored and destroyed here.

Base officials took the trespass very seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. PETER COOPER, DEPOT COMMANDER: We had our military patrols from the Utah National Guard see an individual who was dressed in black. We responded to that individual. He ran away from us. We lost sight of him. And so we spent all day looking for him and we swept the facility and cleared the facility. And so we're ready to go back to normal operations now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Colonel Cooper tells us that none of the chemical or nerve agents were compromised in any way. This intruder never got inside the inner perimeter, where the security is much more severe, he tells us, and there is no indication, he says, that this was the work of a terrorist or any terrorist organization -- Bill.

HEMMER: Frank, thanks.

Frank Buckley in Tooele, Utah this morning.

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