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American Morning
In Saudi Arabia, Manhunt Under Way for 19 Men
Aired May 08, 2003 - 09:09 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In Saudi Arabia now, a manhunt is under way for 19 men who are believed to have been planning a terrorist attack. The search was launched after authorities uncovered a cache of weapons and explosives in the Saudi capitol on Tuesday.
National security correspondent David Ensor is live now in Washington.
Hello to you, David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi.
Well, Saudi authorities are saying they foiled a plot for attacks in their country by these 19 suspected terrorists, and captured a quantity of weapons and explosives in the safehouse that they raided, but all 19 got away during a shootout. The Saudi government put their pictures on television, and is appealing to its public for help finding the 19, who are said to be 17 Saudis, one Yemeni, and one dual national, who is Kuwaiti and Canadian.
Some of the group are believed to me members of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization. In the gunfight at their safehouse apartment, the suspect's car was damaged, but they stole another car, and that's how they got away, according to Saudi officials.
U.S. officials praising the Saudi effort. One official saying any time 830 pounds of explosives are taken off the streets, that's a good thing, and they are hoping that the appeal for help making the pictures public, may help find at least some of these men.
But U.S. officials are saying that the standing State Department travel warning to Americans, advising them against travel to Saudi Arabia, was not based on concerns about this group of 19, that there is other threat information out there as well concerning potential threats to Americans or American targets in kingdom. So that travel warning still stands, despite the exposure of this group, and of course the 19 are still out there -- Heidi.
COLLINS: David, you know, we were just talking yesterday about the war on terror, and since it began, the fact that the top leadership has really been crippled, but not really knowing about the power of the lower leadership. Is this some sort of evidence that they have, Al Qaeda, reorganized?
ENSOR: You know, a lot of debate among U.S. intelligence officials about whether they've basically crippled Al Qaeda and it will never be able now to perform any major terrorist acts, or whether it's regrouping, whether it's its ability to find new leadership at that level and middle level, and whether we're going to see additional major acts of terrorism by Al Qaeda, but certainly the war against terrorism is not over, and U.S. officials are pleased to see the Saudis getting involved in way -- Heidi..
COLLINS: National security correspondent David Ensor. Thanks so much, David.
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 May 8, 2003 - 09:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In Saudi Arabia now, a manhunt is under way for 19 men who are believed to have been planning a terrorist attack. The search was launched after authorities uncovered a cache of weapons and explosives in the Saudi capitol on Tuesday.
National security correspondent David Ensor is live now in Washington.
Hello to you, David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi.
Well, Saudi authorities are saying they foiled a plot for attacks in their country by these 19 suspected terrorists, and captured a quantity of weapons and explosives in the safehouse that they raided, but all 19 got away during a shootout. The Saudi government put their pictures on television, and is appealing to its public for help finding the 19, who are said to be 17 Saudis, one Yemeni, and one dual national, who is Kuwaiti and Canadian.
Some of the group are believed to me members of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization. In the gunfight at their safehouse apartment, the suspect's car was damaged, but they stole another car, and that's how they got away, according to Saudi officials.
U.S. officials praising the Saudi effort. One official saying any time 830 pounds of explosives are taken off the streets, that's a good thing, and they are hoping that the appeal for help making the pictures public, may help find at least some of these men.
But U.S. officials are saying that the standing State Department travel warning to Americans, advising them against travel to Saudi Arabia, was not based on concerns about this group of 19, that there is other threat information out there as well concerning potential threats to Americans or American targets in kingdom. So that travel warning still stands, despite the exposure of this group, and of course the 19 are still out there -- Heidi.
COLLINS: David, you know, we were just talking yesterday about the war on terror, and since it began, the fact that the top leadership has really been crippled, but not really knowing about the power of the lower leadership. Is this some sort of evidence that they have, Al Qaeda, reorganized?
ENSOR: You know, a lot of debate among U.S. intelligence officials about whether they've basically crippled Al Qaeda and it will never be able now to perform any major terrorist acts, or whether it's regrouping, whether it's its ability to find new leadership at that level and middle level, and whether we're going to see additional major acts of terrorism by Al Qaeda, but certainly the war against terrorism is not over, and U.S. officials are pleased to see the Saudis getting involved in way -- Heidi..
COLLINS: National security correspondent David Ensor. Thanks so much, David.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
