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American Morning
Terror in London
Aired November 18, 2002 - 09:32 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: As we've been telling you all morning long, weapons inspectors are on the ground in Baghdad, and the White House is saying, it will know very soon whether Saddam Hussein intends to cooperate. Earlier, I spoke with Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who was acting ambassador to Iraq during the Gulf War. He was the last U.S. Official to meet with the Iraqi president, and I asked him how American policy toward regime change complicates the effort of the inspectors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMB. JOSEPH WILSON, FMR. CHARGE D'AFFAIRS: I'm one of those who believes that if we pursue a regime change strategy in response to any transgression, that there will be no incentive for Saddam not to use every weapon in his arsenal. There will be no incentive for him not to try and drag Israel into a broader war that he can try and characterize as an Iraqi defense against a modern nation against a modern day Judeo-Christian crusade. It's our interest, it seems to me, to determine both the timing and the nature of whatever military conflict we contemplate. And that nature should be contingent upon our own strategic interests, which range, frankly, from Indonesia to Moratania (ph) in the Islamic world, and not on this knee-jerk idea that getting rid of Saddam is a panacea to all our problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: And there is some new information coming out of London this morning, the questions being asked about the level alert there. A judge has ordered three men held without bail accused of plotting a terrorist attack. One of the newspapers reported, that the men were actually planning to release nerve gas in London's subways. The government is refusing to deny or confirm the reports, but that doesn't appear to be easing the fears among commuters. Let's check in from Walt Rodgers, who joins us now, with reaction from the street's of London.
Good morning, Walt.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Paula.
It took more than you're usual courage and fortitude for London commuters to take the underground, the tube, the subway to work today because commuters here, Londoners, have were bombarded with newspaper headlines, warning of a terrorist plot, which has presumably been foiled with the arrest of the three men, but the plot would have been to spray cyanide gas or sarin nerve gas in the underground here and of course that is a terrifying prospect. It is not clear, however, how much of a plot there was. That did not, however, allay the fears of many people who rode the tube to work this morning. Their reactions were mixed with fear and fatalism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing I can do about it, is there? So I just take acceptance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought if it happens, it happens. Nothing we can do about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably the government doesn't know what the threat is. I think intelligence sources probably having trouble interpreting since much has happened in the states last year, unfortunately. So I'm sure there will be an attack.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm actually walking (UNINTELLIGIBLE) than I usually do, because I just want to get out of there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: Three North African Muslims have been remanded in custody here for another four weeks. They are charged under Britain's terrorism act, with possessing articles could be used for the preparation, instigation or commission of terrorism. Nothing much more specifics beyond that. In the context of everything that's happening, it has given Londoners quite a scare -- Paula.
ZAHN: We had a reporter on from "The Observer" in the last hour, who said his sources are telling him that this threat was much exaggerated, and they said, you know, the indications were, there seemed to be the broad outline of a plan that showed that they aspire to carry out this kind of attack, but nothing more. What are you hearing?
RODGERS: Well, that is the spin, the British government is trying to put on this now. You have to remember one thing, this investigation was under way for six months. These men have been under surveillance by MI-5, the British equivalent of the FBI, for six months. MI-5 wanted to continue the investigation. Tony Blair, the prime minister, was presented with what was gathered so far. He said, no, make the arrests. So they didn't want to take any chances here. As for the possible use of gas on the subway, that may or may not be exaggerated. One newspaper paper said one of the articles found in their possession was a book with descriptions on how to use chemical weapons.
ZAHN: I guess that would lead people to a lot of these opinions that we've heard this morning. Thanks so much, Walt Rodgers, appreciate it.
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 November 18, 2002 - 09:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: As we've been telling you all morning long, weapons inspectors are on the ground in Baghdad, and the White House is saying, it will know very soon whether Saddam Hussein intends to cooperate. Earlier, I spoke with Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who was acting ambassador to Iraq during the Gulf War. He was the last U.S. Official to meet with the Iraqi president, and I asked him how American policy toward regime change complicates the effort of the inspectors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMB. JOSEPH WILSON, FMR. CHARGE D'AFFAIRS: I'm one of those who believes that if we pursue a regime change strategy in response to any transgression, that there will be no incentive for Saddam not to use every weapon in his arsenal. There will be no incentive for him not to try and drag Israel into a broader war that he can try and characterize as an Iraqi defense against a modern nation against a modern day Judeo-Christian crusade. It's our interest, it seems to me, to determine both the timing and the nature of whatever military conflict we contemplate. And that nature should be contingent upon our own strategic interests, which range, frankly, from Indonesia to Moratania (ph) in the Islamic world, and not on this knee-jerk idea that getting rid of Saddam is a panacea to all our problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: And there is some new information coming out of London this morning, the questions being asked about the level alert there. A judge has ordered three men held without bail accused of plotting a terrorist attack. One of the newspapers reported, that the men were actually planning to release nerve gas in London's subways. The government is refusing to deny or confirm the reports, but that doesn't appear to be easing the fears among commuters. Let's check in from Walt Rodgers, who joins us now, with reaction from the street's of London.
Good morning, Walt.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Paula.
It took more than you're usual courage and fortitude for London commuters to take the underground, the tube, the subway to work today because commuters here, Londoners, have were bombarded with newspaper headlines, warning of a terrorist plot, which has presumably been foiled with the arrest of the three men, but the plot would have been to spray cyanide gas or sarin nerve gas in the underground here and of course that is a terrifying prospect. It is not clear, however, how much of a plot there was. That did not, however, allay the fears of many people who rode the tube to work this morning. Their reactions were mixed with fear and fatalism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing I can do about it, is there? So I just take acceptance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought if it happens, it happens. Nothing we can do about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably the government doesn't know what the threat is. I think intelligence sources probably having trouble interpreting since much has happened in the states last year, unfortunately. So I'm sure there will be an attack.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm actually walking (UNINTELLIGIBLE) than I usually do, because I just want to get out of there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: Three North African Muslims have been remanded in custody here for another four weeks. They are charged under Britain's terrorism act, with possessing articles could be used for the preparation, instigation or commission of terrorism. Nothing much more specifics beyond that. In the context of everything that's happening, it has given Londoners quite a scare -- Paula.
ZAHN: We had a reporter on from "The Observer" in the last hour, who said his sources are telling him that this threat was much exaggerated, and they said, you know, the indications were, there seemed to be the broad outline of a plan that showed that they aspire to carry out this kind of attack, but nothing more. What are you hearing?
RODGERS: Well, that is the spin, the British government is trying to put on this now. You have to remember one thing, this investigation was under way for six months. These men have been under surveillance by MI-5, the British equivalent of the FBI, for six months. MI-5 wanted to continue the investigation. Tony Blair, the prime minister, was presented with what was gathered so far. He said, no, make the arrests. So they didn't want to take any chances here. As for the possible use of gas on the subway, that may or may not be exaggerated. One newspaper paper said one of the articles found in their possession was a book with descriptions on how to use chemical weapons.
ZAHN: I guess that would lead people to a lot of these opinions that we've heard this morning. Thanks so much, Walt Rodgers, appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
