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American Morning
Officials Analyze Tape of al Qaeda Leader
Aired October 09, 2002 - 09:30 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 ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. officials are starting to analyze a new audiotape said to be an interview with Osama bin Laden's second in command. A voice expert says it sounds like Ayman al-Zawahiri. The voice on the tape warns of new terror attacks against the U.S. If confirmed, how important is the tape to intelligence officials?
Let's turn to our own Sheila MacVicar who has heard the tape. She joins us now, live from London, to explain.
Good morning -- Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, this tape may indeed be very important. One reason being is that for the first time we have a tape from senior al Qaeda officials which appears to offer clues as to when it was made. You'll remember that there was a tape, which we now know was in fact the voice of Osama bin Laden, issued last week. It had no clues, not a single hint, no reference to a contemporary event that would give intelligence officials any kind of clue as to when in fact that tape was made.
That's in contrast to this audiotape. It's not yet certain if it is the voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri. People who know him, who have met him in the past, say it certainly sounds like him and certainly sounds like the kinds of things he might have to say.
Amongst the things that he says in the tape. He warns of possibly new attacks against American targets and what he calls America's deputy, its allies. And he refers to things that have taken place in the recent past, Paula, perhaps giving intelligence analysts some very important clues.
ZAHN: Let's talk about what wasn't on this tape? There were no fresh video images of him, right?
MACVICAR: No. This tape was delivered, apparently, as an audiotape. And it's done in the form of a kind of a question and answer session with an unknown interviewer. That alone -- the fact that it's audio and not video -- may give -- again provide some intelligence analysts with some important clues. It may suggest that Ayman al-Zawahiri and the people he is with are under some kind of pressure that they don't feel very confident exposing themselves to a video camera.
It may even suggest perhaps that they somehow changed the way they look and they want to protect that new look and keep it out of the public eye. But again, if this is the voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri, he makes one important date reference, which he talks about the beginning of the end of the first year of the campaign on Afghanistan. Some people think that could be a reference to the events of 9/11. Others point to the first anniversary of the conflict beginning with Afghanistan and the Taliban earlier this week.
ZAHN: A lot to authenticate there. Sheila MacVicar, thanks for that report.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 9, 2002 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. officials are starting to analyze a new audiotape said to be an interview with Osama bin Laden's second in command. A voice expert says it sounds like Ayman al-Zawahiri. The voice on the tape warns of new terror attacks against the U.S. If confirmed, how important is the tape to intelligence officials?
Let's turn to our own Sheila MacVicar who has heard the tape. She joins us now, live from London, to explain.
Good morning -- Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, this tape may indeed be very important. One reason being is that for the first time we have a tape from senior al Qaeda officials which appears to offer clues as to when it was made. You'll remember that there was a tape, which we now know was in fact the voice of Osama bin Laden, issued last week. It had no clues, not a single hint, no reference to a contemporary event that would give intelligence officials any kind of clue as to when in fact that tape was made.
That's in contrast to this audiotape. It's not yet certain if it is the voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri. People who know him, who have met him in the past, say it certainly sounds like him and certainly sounds like the kinds of things he might have to say.
Amongst the things that he says in the tape. He warns of possibly new attacks against American targets and what he calls America's deputy, its allies. And he refers to things that have taken place in the recent past, Paula, perhaps giving intelligence analysts some very important clues.
ZAHN: Let's talk about what wasn't on this tape? There were no fresh video images of him, right?
MACVICAR: No. This tape was delivered, apparently, as an audiotape. And it's done in the form of a kind of a question and answer session with an unknown interviewer. That alone -- the fact that it's audio and not video -- may give -- again provide some intelligence analysts with some important clues. It may suggest that Ayman al-Zawahiri and the people he is with are under some kind of pressure that they don't feel very confident exposing themselves to a video camera.
It may even suggest perhaps that they somehow changed the way they look and they want to protect that new look and keep it out of the public eye. But again, if this is the voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri, he makes one important date reference, which he talks about the beginning of the end of the first year of the campaign on Afghanistan. Some people think that could be a reference to the events of 9/11. Others point to the first anniversary of the conflict beginning with Afghanistan and the Taliban earlier this week.
ZAHN: A lot to authenticate there. Sheila MacVicar, thanks for that report.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
