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American Morning

A Global Terror Alert After a Bold Jailbreak in Yemen; Muslim Protests Turning to Riots Now

Aired February 06, 2006 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Miles O'Brien.
Good to have you with us. Hello.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi. I'm Zain Verjee, in for Soledad.

O'BRIEN: A global terror alert after a bold jailbreak in Yemen. Thirteen convicted al Qaeda terrorists are on the loose, one of them linked to the bombing of a U.S. warship.

VERJEE: Protests turning to riots now. Muslims angered at offensive cartoons attacking Danish consulates. Now it's Muslims against Christians.

O'BRIEN: Wiretaps without a warrant. Are they legal? Today, the White House will answer to the Senate on this.

VERJEE: Showing a new face to the world. Our first look at the world's only face-transplant recipient.

O'BRIEN: And the men of steel are super. A sweet Super Bowl victory for a coach under fire, a veteran making his final homestand, and the youngest quarterback ever to win it all.

There are fears this morning several terrorists could be back at work. Our Security Watch focusing on 13 of 23 inmates who escaped from a Yemeni prison. Those 13 are members of al Qaeda. A global alert is out now. CNN's Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon. She was just in Yemen not too long ago.

Good morning, Barbara.

Fill us in.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles. Well, Interpol has issued an urgent global security alert for all 23 men who escaped from a Yemeni prison late last week. Thirteen of them are said to be al Qaeda terrorists. The lookout for these men is now on. They all escaped from a secure prison in Yemen. They apparently, according to reports, tunneled out of the prison. One of them is of great concern. This man, we have a picture -- his name is Jamal Badawi -- he is said to have been heavily involved in the attack on the warship USS Cole back in 2000.

Now a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the unfolding situation in Yemen tells CNN that security forces are now fanning out across the country. There is a nationwide manhunt on inside of Yemen for these men on the streets of the capital city of Sanaa. We have some pictures to show you of the city that was shot when we were there. Security forces are on the streets. They are looking for these people. But this is, in fact, a major embarrassment for the Yemen government. Since the attack on the Cole back in 2000, they have been trying to convince the Bush administration and the world that their country is safe, that they had broken the back of the al Qaeda network that masterminded the Cole attack.

Now that policy, that all being called into question, these men are on the loose. They have not been captured -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Barbara, in Yemen, they're saying this is an internal issue and think it's a highly likely they are still in Yemen. What are you your thoughts?

STARR: Well, Yemen is very embarrassed on the international security stage about this matter, and so they are saying they hope they will be able to capture these men inside their borders, inside their country.

According to all reports, they are cooperating with Interpol to some extent, but they are definitely trying right now to round them up still inside the country.

But, Miles, that may be a very difficult situation in Yemen. The government simply does not control the entire country. The northern part of the country is under control of tribes and other elements, and if these men headed north, they may simply disappear. It may be very difficult to find them -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: So thank you very much. Appreciate it, Barbara Starr.

How big a threat are these men? And just how friendly is the country of Yemen to the U.S. as it fights the war on terror. We'll ask a couple of experts a little later.

And continuing our Security Watch, the only person charged in the U.S. in connection with the 9/11 terror attacks could face the death penalty. Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy charges. Officials say he attended an al Qaeda training camp and received money from the same group that funded 9/11. The penalty phase in his trial begins this morning in Virginia. We'll cover it for you -- Zain.

VERJEE: Miles, the Senate and the White House are about to bump heads over spying on Americans without a warrant. Senate hearings begin in about two and a half hours from now. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will testify that it is all perfectly legal.

Suzanne Malveaux joins us now live from the White House.

Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Zain. Well, of course it's the attorney general's turn this time to be in the hot seat. But President Bush, the White House have been aggressively defending this controversial domestic spying program, or as they like to call "the terrorist surveillance program." They are also, of course, keeping a very close eye on the potential political fallout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will take the hot seat Monday to defend the administration's controversial domestic surveillance program. And the most important question facing him, says the Republican in charge of those hearings.

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER, CHAIRMAN, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Why the administration did not go to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court and tell them about the program.

MALVEAUX: A 1978 law requires the president to do so, to get a warrant before listening in on Americans communications overseas.

Gonzales will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the president didn't need to. In his prepared remarks, obtained by CNN, Gonzales will tell lawmakers that the terrorist surveillance program is both "necessary and lawful," "an essential element of our military campaign against al Qaeda." He will say Mr. Bush had the constitutional and legal authority to carry out the administration's secret surveillance, in part from Congress' authorization to go to war after al Qaeda struck on September 11th.

SPECTER: I believe that contention is very strained and unrealistic. The authorization for the use of force doesn't say anything about electronic surveillance.

MALVEAUX: Gonzales will explain in greater detail why he believes using the FISA court system, which gives a 72-hour grace period for seeking a warrant, is still too slow in tracking al Qaeda.

GEN. MICHAEL HAYDEN, FMR. NSA DIR.: The emergency FISA process isn't (INAUDIBLE) can just do what they want and have a 72-hour hall pass.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And, Zain, of course, the White House calculation is that the American people will see this as the administration does. an issue of national security -- Zain.

VERJEE: Reporting from the White House, Suzanne Malveaux. Stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: The cartoon controversy growing. And for the first time, deaths are reported in violent protests over depictions of the prophet Muslim -- Muslim prophet Mohammed, I should say. Demonstrators in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul tried to break down the gates of the Danish mission today. Police drove them off. Outside Kabul, police fired on a crowd. Reports say two people were killed.

And in Beirut, on Sunday, thousands of Muslims burned the Danish mission there. Beirut bureau chief Brent Sadler is following this story for us this morning.

Brent, bring us up to date.

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Miles, over the weekend, a serious breakdown in law and order here. Thousands of protesters claiming that they were trying to restore the image of Islam, the prophet Muhammad and those cartoon they say damaged their religion, stormed a high-rise office complex. The Danish embassy was on the fourth floor. I can confirm, having just got back from the embassy there, that the offices of the Danish consulate were not themselves damaged. All the damage was confined to looting and ransacking in the lower floors -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Brent, this is really leading to a whole debate, a whole discussion of much deeper issues isn't it?

SADLER: It is, indeed. What many observers here now fear is what started out as a groundswell, if you like, of popular protest against what originally appeared in a obscure Danish newspaper and then reprinted in other parts of Europe, has now in some sense been hijacked by extremists.

Here in Beirut, for example, that's what political leaders are saying, that in effect, it was others, adjunct (ph) provacateur, those stirring up trouble, wishing to undermine the stability of Lebanon, got involved with that protest and with criminal gangs and looted and stripped the place. And if that kind of them happens elsewhere, is repeated, that is really not a good thing for the images of Islam and the attempts to repair the damage that Muslims claim that those cartoons have created -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Brent Sadler, thank you very much.

In just about 15 minutes, we'll ask a columnist for an Arab newspaper if crowds are overreacting to the controversy and what's really behind it. Plus, we'll talk to a columnist with "The Philadelphia Inquirer," which ran the cartoons.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: For Pittsburgh, this is the fifth Super Bowl. That puts them up there with the 49ers and the Cowboys, all-time great teams. And certainly this is a team, this is a team with soul. It's got Midwestern sensibilities.

VERJEE: One for the thumb.

O'BRIEN: Yes, one for the thumb. And there was a couple of things about this game. Andy is very upset about the calls.

That was a great run. You love how they had to jump over the pylon. They want to have that suspended-in-midair thing.

But check out this trick play. And there you have it. Very nicely done.

But here's the thing, there were a couple of controversial plays. Like, for example, there was a Pittsburgh touchdown. Did you see the one that was allowed?

VERJEE: Yes, I saw that.

O'BRIEN: It was a tough one. It sort of looked like it broke the plane, maybe, maybe it did not. And then of course the Seahawks lost a touchdown on another call. Andy is very upset about that.

And we didn't even ask which commercial you liked.

VERJEE: I liked the one where the guy fell through the roof. I like the chimps. I watched that.

I thought the Dove one, the heart strings, the young girls, the Cindy Lauper song, true colors, it was a little maybe too soppy for the Super Bowl. It wasn't that funny.

O'BRIEN: Stupidest one by far, the Gillette five-blade razor. Did you see that one?

VERJEE: I did not.

O'BRIEN: Not only is the commercial dumb, but five blades? My God!

VERJEE: We need to have more on the winners and the losers of the ads and see to what extent they may actually translate to product sales, whether that has any significant effect.

(CROSSTALK)

VERJEE: Selling a product; 33 million people watching for the commercials, 145 million overall. So pretty good audience. Can't get one like that.

O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, a major deal for the Mickey Mouse network, and it will net Disney about $3 billion.

Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business."

VERJEE: The woman who got the first face transplant uses her new mouth, but what did she say in her first public appearance?

O'BRIEN: And some stars swear by it. Call it alternative medicine or holistic healing but there are some things you should know about nontraditional clinics before you put your life in their hands.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer is here to tell us about Disney's latest deal.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I am.

O'BRIEN: And other matters as well.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Because he's an eclectic guy. He does all kinds of business, not just that.

SERWER: Yes, football, everything.

O'BRIEN: You name it.

SERWER: Markets. We're going to talk about that, first of all. Markets sold off last week, Miles. Major indexes down. Over -- 1 percent or more, I think that would be the precise way to term that. Oil prices up last week.

O'BRIEN: In short, not a good week?

SERWER: Not a good week. Tensions in Iran, which tend to build, although futures are up this morning just a little bit.

Now Bob Iger, the new CEO of Walt Disney Company has been a very busy guy since taking over this company last fall. He made peace with dissident shareholders, he allowed for ABC shows to be sold on iTunes and iPods, and of course recently he bought Pixar.

And now it looks like another big deal is in the works. This according to "The Wall Street Journal," Disney should be selling its radio properties to a company called Citadel in the smaller radio business for $2.7 billion.

What it looks like is going on here, Miles, is that Iger is sort of clearing the decks to focus the company more on sort of its core businesses. The stock has not responded particularly, as you can see here.

And a final note on this story, Disney will be keeping Radio Disney in the ESPN networks, which is closer to their brand.

O'BRIEN: So this is not the Radio Disney that you...

SERWER: No, this is the ABC Radio properties.

O'BRIEN: ABC Radio properties strictly.

SERWER: That's right. And you know, If you talk to people in the media business, there's not a whole lot of synergy going on there. People at one point thought that you could have TV shows, and the radios and the parks, but there's really not that much togetherness there.

O'BRIEN: Synergy has turned out to be not all that it's cracked up to be.

SERWER: We've seen an heard that, firsthand experience.

O'BRIEN: We've synergized that, and moving on.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: All right.

And let's move on to Zain, shall.

VERJEE: Thanks, Miles.

Still to come, controversial cartoons are sparking violent demonstrations across the Muslim world. So why did one American newspaper decide to print them?

And later, what goes around, comes around. An amazing turn of events makes a fair of life savers even-steven.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Facing the world. We're getting our first-ever look today at a transplanted face, and we're hearing from the recipient as she meets with reporters.

Jim Bittermann is among them in Amiens, France. That's just north of France.

Jim, what can you tell us about her recovery?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, in fact, it was quite impressive, I must say, when she walked out today, she had clearly been through a surgical operation on her face, but, in fact, she looked pretty good, and she said she looked pretty good. She appeared before the cameras. Several hundred journalists waiting to see. That news conference is still going on. Basically, according to the doctors, her recovery was fairly rapid. She was able to eat within a week after her operation. She couldn't do that before for six months before she couldn't eat, because of dog bite on her face. She had problems eating anything other than liquids.

But now, after just a week after her surgery, back in November, she was able to eat. And now ten weeks afterwards, she is basically ready to go home. Here is what she had to say to reporters in her first -- the first speech we've heard from her since her operation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISABELLE DINOIRE, TRANSPLANT PATIENT (through translator): I can open my mouth and I can eat, and I can feel my lips and my nose. And, of course, I have to do a lot more exercises and work every week in order to reactivate the muscles, and I, of course, have to continue to take the immunosuppression treatment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMANN: Clearly able to speak fairly plainly. When she lifted a glass of water to take a drink, there was a barrage of photographs taken, because she was absolutely demonstrating to the press that she could drink and eat and use her mouth. Beforehand she was only able to open her mouth a fraction of an inch, so quite an improvement in her life style. Doctors say she's now ready to go home. What she faces once she goes home is another question. Psychiatrists will be seeing her regularly, twice a week, they say, until they are absolutely comfortable with the fact she is able to handle her recovery period -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Jim Bittermann, thanks -- Zain.

VERJEE: Miles, protests are intensifying around the world involving those cartoons. First published in Denmark last year. They depict the prophet Muhammad as sacrilege to members of the Islamic faith. Perhaps for those of other faiths, this could seem quite strange. The reaction has been angry and real sense of outrage across the Arab and the Muslim world.

Trudy Rubin is a columnist with "The Philadelphia Inquirer," a newspaper that decided to run the cartoons. She joins us from Philadelphia.

Joining also from Beirut, in Lebanon, is Jihad Al-Khazen, a columnist with "Al-Hayat." That's an Arab-language newspaper published in London. Thanks so much for being with us, both of you.

Trudy, I'll start with you. Why did "The Philadelphia Inquirer" decide to run these cartoons?

TRUDY RUBIN, COLUMNIST, "PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER": First of all, the "Inquirer" didn't run the cartoons. The "Inquirer" ran a small drawing of one cartoon on an inside page, and then had a Web link to the cartoons, which I think many papers did.

So I'm not privy to the news decisions. I'm a columnist.

But I presume that it was done because this had become such enormous news story that the small drawing was run as an illustration to show what the controversy was about.

VERJEE: It was about the news value, right?

RUBIN: Right.

VERJEE: And the Inquirer included a note, and this is what it said. It said that it "intends no disrespect to the religious beliefs of any its readers, but when a use of religious imagery that many find offensive becomes a major news story, we believe it is important for readers to be able to judge the content of the image for themselves."

Not seen that way in much of the Arab world. Let's go to Beirut.

Jihad, explain to people who don't understand why there is so much outrage over these cartoons and what Arab columnists are saying.

JIHAD AL-KHAZEN, COLUMNIST, "AL-HAYAT": For 1500 years, all Muslims have been opposed to pictures of the prophet Muhammad, even his companions. It's just in the tradition. It's not in the Koran itself.

And for me as an Arab from the Middle East, I expected this kind of reaction, but I suppose that the newspaper in Denmark did not expect to provoke such violent reaction. The publisher of the cartoons and the demonstrations are both, for me, out of order.

VERJEE: Trudy Rubin, are they out of order?

RUBIN: I think the reaction is much more than...

VERJEE: Go ahead, Trudy.

RUBIN: Than one would have expected. It was a small Danish newspaper in a small country. I think some of the reaction has been stirred up. I saw that the Lebanese prime minister was implying, and another cabinet member saying openly that they thought this was being used for political purposes. I'm sure the Danish newspaper never expected this kind of reaction, and I think that it also boils down to a real cultural misunderstanding where in much of the Muslim world, they think that governments are behind what is in newspapers and that governments can censor newspapers, and this represents some kind of slam at Islam as a whole. It isn't. It was satire, maybe in very bad taste.

VERJEE: Jihad, is that what Arab columnists and editors are saying? There is the argument, as Trudy is raising, is that they see it essentially as part of a way to discredit Islam. And cartoons like this really fuel that perception, where many have argued that the war on terror is really a war on Islam? How do you see it?

AL-KHAZEN: It's really self-defeating. The publishing of the cartoon was uncalled for. The repetitions in many European countries, again, was like trying to provoke Muslims.

At the same time, the action of Muslims -- I came from London yesterday. As I was leaving for Beirut, you know, demonstrators were saying murder those who insult Islam, behead those who insult Islam. Now they are giving material to people who are opposed Muslims to say, look at the Muslims, they are terrorists and they what we have been saying about them all the time.

So the demonstrations were at the same time working against the Muslims. I appreciate the sensitiveness of the issue, but having lived in London for so many years, if there is open season, it's against Christianity, not Islam really in the west.

VERJEE: Jihad Khazen with the "Al-Hayat" newspaper, and Trudy and Rubin, a columnist for "The Philadelphia Inquirer," thanks so much both of you for joining us this morning -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come, holistic healing. A life-saving alternative or a dangerous false hope? Either way, it lures a lot of people facing a terminal diagnosis. Coretta Scott King among them. We'll get the facts.

And if someone saved your life, how could you possibly repay them? Well, there is one sure-fire way. We'll meet a woman who is alive today because of her good deed seven years ago. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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