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American Morning
Nation's Airports Tightening Security
Aired December 23, 2003 - 07:05 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. is pressuring airlines to bolster security because of the heightened alert, which comes during this busy travel season.
Jeff Flock, live for us at Chicago's O'Hare Airport this morning, following the situation there.
Hey -- Jeff. Good morning.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CHICAGO BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Indeed, we're beginning to get some more texture to the thinking behind the move to orange this morning. You know, you mentioned the numerous persons that had been stopped. Our homeland security reporting team has developed some more information about that.
A source that they talked to would not say the number of people who had been stopped, and would also not say whether they were stopped in the visa application process or while, in fact, they were traveling. They did say, however, that those persons were not stopped while traveling together. They also indicated that a handful of foreign flight crews have been stopped over the course of the last several weeks.
All of this pointing to apparent government security officials thinking of the possibility of a 9/11-style suicide attack involving aircraft, but involving aircraft that would originate outside the United States with flight crews that would originate from outside the United States.
This then leaves the U.S. government to ask foreign governments, particularly those of Canada and Mexico, to bolster their own airport security, as well as the bolstering of security here in the U.S. as well.
The bottom line on this, Soledad, is pretty much that this move to orange, a more significant and serious threat behind this move to orange than any of the four previous moves to orange. In fact, security officials are telling our homeland security reporting team that this is the most serious threat since the 9/11 attacks took place -- Soledad.
Jeff Flock for us at Chicago's O'Hare Airport this morning. Jeff, thanks.
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 December 23, 2003 - 07:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. is pressuring airlines to bolster security because of the heightened alert, which comes during this busy travel season.
Jeff Flock, live for us at Chicago's O'Hare Airport this morning, following the situation there.
Hey -- Jeff. Good morning.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CHICAGO BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Indeed, we're beginning to get some more texture to the thinking behind the move to orange this morning. You know, you mentioned the numerous persons that had been stopped. Our homeland security reporting team has developed some more information about that.
A source that they talked to would not say the number of people who had been stopped, and would also not say whether they were stopped in the visa application process or while, in fact, they were traveling. They did say, however, that those persons were not stopped while traveling together. They also indicated that a handful of foreign flight crews have been stopped over the course of the last several weeks.
All of this pointing to apparent government security officials thinking of the possibility of a 9/11-style suicide attack involving aircraft, but involving aircraft that would originate outside the United States with flight crews that would originate from outside the United States.
This then leaves the U.S. government to ask foreign governments, particularly those of Canada and Mexico, to bolster their own airport security, as well as the bolstering of security here in the U.S. as well.
The bottom line on this, Soledad, is pretty much that this move to orange, a more significant and serious threat behind this move to orange than any of the four previous moves to orange. In fact, security officials are telling our homeland security reporting team that this is the most serious threat since the 9/11 attacks took place -- Soledad.
Jeff Flock for us at Chicago's O'Hare Airport this morning. Jeff, thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
