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American Morning
Ricin Suspects Believed Linked to Al Qaeda
Aired January 17, 2003 - 07:10 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 ANCHOR: The four men arrested when traces of the deadly poison, ricin, were found in London appeared in court a bit earlier today. U.S. intelligence now believes that group has links and ties to al Qaeda.
Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, now in D.C. with more on what we are learning here.
David -- good morning.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, as you say, some evidence of disturbing connections between recent events, evidence that the four who are being arraigned in a British court in connection with this ricin case today are connected with al Qaeda itself. But suggestions that they might be connected with Baghdad, officials saying that is very much not proven, no evidence of that.
Specifically what a senior U.S. official tells me is that there is evidence of a connection between the ricin gang in London and associates of a senior al Qaeda figure named Abu Mussab al Zarqawi. Now, Zarqawi has been on the run since 9/11, and is believed to have traveled through quite a number of countries. He is very much of interest to U.S. intelligence who believes that he is an important figure in al Qaeda.
He has also been connected by some evidence that is in U.S. intelligence hands to the killing in October of last year of an American diplomat in Amman. His name is Lawrence Foley. Zarqawi -- again, associates of Zarqawi thought to have been in contact with the people who committed that attack.
There is, however, no evidence, officials saying, of any kind of tie between the ricin gang and Ansar al-Islam, the group that is holding a small piece of northern Iraq. However, that piece of Iraq is a place that Zarqawi has traveled to. So, they are looking at that very closely.
Back to you -- Bill.
HEMMER: David, thank you -- David Ensor working that story for us in Washington.
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 January 17, 2003 - 07:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The four men arrested when traces of the deadly poison, ricin, were found in London appeared in court a bit earlier today. U.S. intelligence now believes that group has links and ties to al Qaeda.
Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, now in D.C. with more on what we are learning here.
David -- good morning.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, as you say, some evidence of disturbing connections between recent events, evidence that the four who are being arraigned in a British court in connection with this ricin case today are connected with al Qaeda itself. But suggestions that they might be connected with Baghdad, officials saying that is very much not proven, no evidence of that.
Specifically what a senior U.S. official tells me is that there is evidence of a connection between the ricin gang in London and associates of a senior al Qaeda figure named Abu Mussab al Zarqawi. Now, Zarqawi has been on the run since 9/11, and is believed to have traveled through quite a number of countries. He is very much of interest to U.S. intelligence who believes that he is an important figure in al Qaeda.
He has also been connected by some evidence that is in U.S. intelligence hands to the killing in October of last year of an American diplomat in Amman. His name is Lawrence Foley. Zarqawi -- again, associates of Zarqawi thought to have been in contact with the people who committed that attack.
There is, however, no evidence, officials saying, of any kind of tie between the ricin gang and Ansar al-Islam, the group that is holding a small piece of northern Iraq. However, that piece of Iraq is a place that Zarqawi has traveled to. So, they are looking at that very closely.
Back to you -- Bill.
HEMMER: David, thank you -- David Ensor working that story for us in Washington.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
