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American Morning
Moroccan Airliner Diverted to Maine
Aired February 20, 2004 - 09:12 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: On another story, a Moroccan airliner has resumed its flight to Casablanca after being diverted to Maine by what appeared at first anyway to be a bomb threat. Now the FBI is investigating an alleged abduction connected to the incident. Jeff Flock is trying to sort through it, live in Chicago. Jeff, what do we know?
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, it's a bizarre and complicated story. And I'm probably going to make it worse, but let me try.
It does appear now -- what we can tell you is a headline, according to CNN's Justice Department correspondent Kelli Arena, this is not terrorism. We want to make that clear at the outset. But what has transpired here, that still is unclear.
I want to show you a picture of a 27-year-old man from Chicago, Zubiar Ghias. He is now on the ground in Bangor, Maine. According to -- this is a man who disappeared from Chicago on Valentine's Day, he is an investment banker from here in Chicago. According to a private investigator who was working with his family, Mr. Ghias called his family from the plane, that Morocco -- Air Morocco flight 201 this morning to say he had been kidnapped by al Qaeda, was given a false passport and forced to Morocco.
Now, the PI had been poking around in New York and found that Mr. Ghias had also charged on his credit card duct tape and flammable liquid there. He called a friend in the FBI, and that was apparently enough to bring the plane down.
That plane, as we said, sent on to Casablanca. But Mr. Ghias remains on the ground in Bangor where we also talked to an FBI agent there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES OSTERRIEDER, FBI: He basically told his family that he was forced onto the plane by some Arabic people of -- he basically said that his family was threatened, and commenced to tell us that he had been abducted sometime on Valentine's Day, actually.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLOCK: Perhaps, Bill, you can see in Mr. Osterrieder there a bit of incredulousness as he shared that information. Authorities -- both FBI authorities, Justice folks, as well as folks we talked to back here in Chicago still not clear on what went on. This private investigator says it appears to him that this man was actually abducted. Whether it was by al Qaeda or someone else posing to be that, he doesn't know. They're still checking on it. And we should report that Mr. Ghias remains talking to the FBI in Bangor, at last report. They say, according to FBI we talked to in Boston, he is not in custody and he is cooperating. Still a lot to learn on this one, Bill.
HEMMER: Indeed there is. Jeff, thanks. Jeff Flock in Chicago.
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 February 20, 2004 - 09:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: On another story, a Moroccan airliner has resumed its flight to Casablanca after being diverted to Maine by what appeared at first anyway to be a bomb threat. Now the FBI is investigating an alleged abduction connected to the incident. Jeff Flock is trying to sort through it, live in Chicago. Jeff, what do we know?
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, it's a bizarre and complicated story. And I'm probably going to make it worse, but let me try.
It does appear now -- what we can tell you is a headline, according to CNN's Justice Department correspondent Kelli Arena, this is not terrorism. We want to make that clear at the outset. But what has transpired here, that still is unclear.
I want to show you a picture of a 27-year-old man from Chicago, Zubiar Ghias. He is now on the ground in Bangor, Maine. According to -- this is a man who disappeared from Chicago on Valentine's Day, he is an investment banker from here in Chicago. According to a private investigator who was working with his family, Mr. Ghias called his family from the plane, that Morocco -- Air Morocco flight 201 this morning to say he had been kidnapped by al Qaeda, was given a false passport and forced to Morocco.
Now, the PI had been poking around in New York and found that Mr. Ghias had also charged on his credit card duct tape and flammable liquid there. He called a friend in the FBI, and that was apparently enough to bring the plane down.
That plane, as we said, sent on to Casablanca. But Mr. Ghias remains on the ground in Bangor where we also talked to an FBI agent there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES OSTERRIEDER, FBI: He basically told his family that he was forced onto the plane by some Arabic people of -- he basically said that his family was threatened, and commenced to tell us that he had been abducted sometime on Valentine's Day, actually.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLOCK: Perhaps, Bill, you can see in Mr. Osterrieder there a bit of incredulousness as he shared that information. Authorities -- both FBI authorities, Justice folks, as well as folks we talked to back here in Chicago still not clear on what went on. This private investigator says it appears to him that this man was actually abducted. Whether it was by al Qaeda or someone else posing to be that, he doesn't know. They're still checking on it. And we should report that Mr. Ghias remains talking to the FBI in Bangor, at last report. They say, according to FBI we talked to in Boston, he is not in custody and he is cooperating. Still a lot to learn on this one, Bill.
HEMMER: Indeed there is. Jeff, thanks. Jeff Flock in Chicago.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
