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British Police Search Homes of Some Suspects Tied to Alleged Terror Plot; Travel Restrictions; Was it al Qaeda?

Aired August 11, 2006 - 08:59   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heathrow is slowly but surely returning to normal.

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SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Some good news for travelers. A move away from controlled chaos to business as usual, sort of, at least at Heathrow.

Plus, this...

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People put their purses and their laptops, and they told us that we couldn't take anything but our passports and our wallets. That's it. No keys, no -- no electronic devices, nothing.

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O'BRIEN: Well, now you're flying the restricted skies. Passengers are getting used to the increased security at airports coast to coast this morning.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And was it al Qaeda? A look at how the alleged plot might be connected to the terror group.

That's ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: Good morning. It's Friday, August 11th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

HARRIS: And good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien.

O'BRIEN: Let's begin with what we know about this alleged plot this morning.

There is new word now that the plot came in from a tipster in the British Muslim community. Some of the suspects in this case are British citizens of Pakistani descent.

The terror threat in Britain still critical. Airports there and in the U.S., though, starting to return to normal. There are fewer big delays as travelers are starting to get used to the new security measures.

The Bank of England has frozen the assets of 19 of the 24 terror suspects. They're also releasing their names. The suspects range in age from 17 to the mid-30s.

HARRIS: So let's go live now to Britain for more on this case. Just three hours ago police searched the homes of some of the suspects in a London suburb where nine of the suspects lived.

CNN's John Vause joins us from outside one of the suspect's homes.

John, good morning.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

In fact, we're outside the mosque here, the main mosque here at Wathamstow. Friday prayers have just finished. As you can see, there's quite a crowd gathered here. This certainly is no ordinary Friday prayers. Police are on guard outside the mosque, and just across the road outside the home of one of the main suspects of this alleged terror plot.

Now, earlier today, a few hours ago, more police arrived. They removed bags of evidence.

I had a look inside one of those bags. It appeared to be just VHS videotapes, as well as DVDs of movies; documents, both printed and handwritten documents, as well. It also appears that they removed a vacuum cleaner from this home, as well.

As you mentioned nine of the suspects coming from Wathamstow. That information coming from a list which was issued overnight by the Bank of England, which has frozen the assets of 19 of the 24 people who have been detained in connection to the terror plot. Also, another five of those suspects coming from not far from this area, also from another London suburb known as High Wycombe, and also from Birmingham, Britain's second largest city.

Also, in those locations, the search is ongoing. Police and detectives taking away computers, as well as other documents, looking for evidence and also looking for any clues as to who else may have been involved in what is this, an alleged terror plot -- Tony.

HARRIS: John Vause with the latest on this continuing investigation for us.

John, appreciate it. Thank you.

O'BRIEN: The fallout from the investigation, of course, new travel restrictions at airports in the U.K. and here in this country.

How are the airlines handling all the changes? We're on both sides of the pond for you this morning.

CNN's Adrian Finighan live at Heathrow. AMERICAN MORNING'S Bob Franken at Washington Dulles International Airport. CNN's Kareen Wynter following developments form Los Angeles International Airport.

Adrian, why don't you begin for us?

Good morning.

ADRIAN FINIGHAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you from London's Heathrow airport.

Things pretty much as normal, actually. You wouldn't suspect that anything had happened yesterday judging by the amount of traffic that's -- that's passing by on the main runways here just behind me. That's not to say that we're without our problems.

Passengers still experiencing lengthy lines as they arrive here this morning but, having heard the news, many of them are coming prepared. They are not bringing hand luggage into the airport with them on the whole. Those that are, are being sidelined by airport staff, the situation has been explained to them, they're being invited to repack their bags and get rid of those items that they can't take.

British Airways has been particularly badly hit. Around 40 percent of its short haul and domestic flights have had to be canceled. Six flights to the states didn't leave here this morning either.

That's the way it is here in London for the moment. Let's find out what it's like now in Washington, D.C.

CNN's Bob Franken is at Dulles -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Adrian, on the gateway airports in the United States, particularly on the East Coast, the TSA people will tell you there's an ebb and flow in passengers. Right now we're in a definite ebb.

This afternoon, as the international traffic heats up, we're going to probably see the long lines again, but what we've also seen is that people have adjusted. Not only the people who come out to the airport with their luggage -- they're now fully aware for the most part that they can't carry any sort of liquid on the plane, any sort of grease, anything like that -- also the TSA people seem to have gotten this to a science. So the very long lines seem to be moving quite well, at least that's the situation right now on this side of the country.

Now we're going to head out west to Los Angeles International Airport and Kareen Wynter.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bob, I have to say, to echo a little bit of what you said just a few seconds ago, one thing that was quite evident here at LAX yesterday was the level of chaos and confusion. And I have to say, it's a lot more organized today as we give you a look, a snapshot of the long lines that are still here, but still people arriving early.

They are well aware of the new bans, the restrictions placed on liquids and gels inside carry-ons. So it's a little bit of what we're seeing now.

Now, this extra manpower not just in the form of police officers, but also National Guard troops called in by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to help bolster security, help with the screening process. They will not be armed. However, they will be strategically placed at gates to help with the screening process.

That's the latest here.

Soledad, we'll send it back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right, Kareen. Thank you very much -- Tony.

HARRIS: Looking now at the alleged plot leaves many seeing the distinct markings of an al Qaeda operation.

CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena joins us live from Atlanta this morning.

And Kelli, one of the questions I have for you, where -- where are these suspects?

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, Britain obviously has announced that they have 24 suspects in custody, and there were seven more arrests in Pakistan. Now, U.S. officials say that there are still some people at large, and there are some reports out there, Tony, that investigators are looking for five more individuals.

Well, my sources tell me to stay away from numbers, that this is an ongoing investigation, and that new leads keep coming in. And so that number of people that they are looking for will fluctuate.

HARRIS: And Kelli, what about the ringleader? Is that person still at large?

ARENA: Well, government officials in both the U.K. and U.S. say that all of the primary players are in custody. There is one alleged al Qaeda operative, Matur Rahman (ph). Officials describe him as an explosives expert in Pakistan. He is, we're told, still at large.

Now, he allegedly met with two of the suspects from Britain in Pakistan. Officials don't know the extent of his alleged involvement. That's something that is still something that they are trying to figure out in the investigation. But he is someone who may be key.

We'll see.

HARRIS: OK. And tell us more about this -- this connection to Pakistan.

ARENA: All right. Well, a lot -- here's what we know.

As I just mentioned, the two suspects allegedly traveled to Pakistan, met with Rahman (ph).

HARRIS: Yes.

ARENA: Those two also received money by wire transfer from Pakistan once they were back in Britain. And there are also seven people allegedly involved in the plot, as you know, in Pakistan. So, all of this, of course, very curious...

HARRIS: Sure.

ARENA: ... because that, of course, leads us to a possible al Qaeda connection.

HARRIS: Well, is there?

ARENA: Well, you know, that Pakistan connection certainly suggests some involvement. The alleged plot also has some very typical al Qaeda trademarks. We talked about this yesterday.

HARRIS: Sure.

ARENA: It resembles past al Qaeda plots, the obsession with airplanes. But the real question, Tony, is, what does al Qaeda mean anymore?

You know, experts suggest that this is a movement more than it's an organization. And when it comes to intelligence officials, interestingly, you know, they sometimes say that there's an al Qaeda connection. Now, this is even if the person turns out to be a member of another terror group, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jemaah Islamiyah. It's only because those groups often work in conjunction with al Qaeda, they have a longstanding history of relationships.

So, saying that someone could be al Qaeda-related means something that's very different now than it did five years ago.

HARRIS: Very good.

CNN's justice correspondent, Kelli Arena, for us in Atlanta.

Kelli, appreciate it. Thank you.

ARENA: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Let's turn to the Middle East crisis now.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is going to travel to the United Nations in New York City today to push for a vote that could potentially end the conflict. The visit comes as Israeli warplanes pound new targets in southern Lebanon. You can see on this new videotape that's coming into us, smoke is rising. This is Tyre, and there's clearly been an explosion or numerous explosions there.

Let's get right to CNN's Karl Penhaul. He's in Tyre for us.

Hey, Karl. Good morning.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, throughout the morning there have been renewed strikes by Israeli warplanes and artillery. At one stage, as well, some of the Israeli warships were pounding targets about three miles, four miles to the south of where we are now.

Additionally, we did see a barrage of Hezbollah rockets going out. Difficult to tell whether they were Katyusha or some of the longer-range rockets, but talking to one Lebanese intelligence official he did say that he believed that Hezbollah militia were moving some of the longer-range rockets in closer to Tyre and that could explain why the Israeli attacks are so heavily focused on this area right now.

Once again, as well, the United Nations troops have found themselves in the firing line. It's main base down the coast a little bit at Nakura (ph) came under fire last night and took a hit from a Hezbollah Katyusha rocket. That according to a United Nations press statement. In that attack, one United Nations soldier, a Frenchman, was slightly wounded, according to the statement.

And then again earlier this morning, an armored personnel carrier belonging to the United Nations came under small arms fire by Hezbollah as it tried to move up the coast -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: So, Karl, then what is the situation in Tyre? Are you essentially cut off? That there's nothing that can get into you because the infrastructure is all destroyed and people, frankly, are afraid of being killed if they bring in any kind of relief?

PENHAUL: That is correct. Essentially, for the last four or five days, Tyre has been largely isolated from the rest of Lebanon. Access routes to the north, toward Beirut, have been cut once the bridge over the Litani River got blown up. But also, because of the presence of Israeli warplanes and that constant artillery fire, it's been very difficult for the humanitarian aid convoys to get any clearance to leave the city to head further south towards the border to take aid where it is most needed.

And even in the city of Tyre, the situation is becoming critical, according to the city mayor. He talked this morning, and he said that he estimates that those inside the city of Tyre only have food and water to last them for another 48 hours -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Oh, my goodness, 48 hours.

All right. Obviously, we're going to continue to watch this.

Karl Penhaul in Tyre for us.

Thanks, Karl.

Let's get right to Anthony Mills. He's in Beirut.

Anthony, what is the situation in Beirut?

ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, in Beirut the bombardments continue. Just a few hours ago another two explosions, at least, cracked across the city. That followed a night of heavy bombardment again of the southern suburbs.

That's the stronghold of Hezbollah that's been pounded throughout the course of this crisis. But there were also bombardments overnight in the north of Lebanon, where a bridge was hit.

Internal security forces telling us that 11 people were killed in that strike and 13 injured. That was a bridge close to the Lebanese- Syrian border.

Meanwhile, in Beirut, as well, flyers dropped on the capital again. There were flyers dropped yesterday and the day before, and today flyers dropped again. This time, the flyers in Arabic, saying that the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, is effectively not telling his people the truth, and there were a hundred names on that flyer of people Israel says it has killed, Hezbollah fighters it has killed -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Anthony Mills for us this morning. He's in Beirut.

Thanks, Anthony -- Tony.

HARRIS: And coming up, was this alleged plot coordinated with the five-year anniversary of 9/11 that is quickly approaching? And in the five years since that terrible (AUDIO GAP).

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TIM ROEMER, FMR. 9/11 COMMISSIONER: ... grades that you just rattled off are not the kind of grades we would want our children receiving, and certainly not the kind of grades that make our government safer and our citizens safer from a 9/11-type of attack.

Safer from who? Al Qaeda, translated into the base, is regrouping, re-energizing and releasing. They are regrouping on the Internet, experimenting with technologies. They are re-energizing in homegrown types of terrorist movements in Great Britain and getting some training in Pakistan. And they are releasing tapes where Osama bin Laden and Zawahiri have released 12 tapes. They are releasing tapes quicker than the rock group U2 just this year.

So that's a real threat. And then you talked about, what are we doing about it?

We made some incremental progress right initially after 9/11. We have not made enough progress since.

Twelve Ds, five Fs, two incompletes to our government on some of the most important issues, like protecting us from weapons of mass destruction, like reorganizing Congress so that they are better equipped to fight the hot war against jihadists, rather than the Cold War against the Soviet Union.

O'BRIEN: Some people would say it's not really a surprise that al Qaeda has turned to chemical explosives to try to bring down a plane. They've tried it before. It's kind of a little bit of an MO, if you will, by al Qaeda, try, try again.

So, what should be in place to stop that? I mean, is there anything that actually can sense parts of a bomb, a chemical explosive that are broken up and could be combined together? I mean, is that possible to even do?

ROEMER: Well, Bojinka comes to mind. And what we found in Bojinka was that al Qaeda is both tenacious and they are inventive. They are innovative.

They are tenacious. They keep going back after the same targets, like planes. They try to get into a cockpit with a suicide bomber. Then they try a shoe. Then they look back at Bojinka and see what a kind of a liquid explosive might work with new technology, new iterations on that technology with timers.

So we have to have people, Soledad, thinking about red-teaming. What are they going to do next? Not just putting our money into what did they do last time. And that's another issue for Congress and the Department of Homeland Security.

Instead of spending money in pork barrel pet project fashion, how do we get a Kevlar vest for a dog or an air-conditioned garbage truck? How do we have the strategy set forward so we're investing in, you know, the likely targets by al Qaeda, whether they be airlines, whether they be soft targets like trains like they hit in Europe, or whether they be the next kind of target that al Qaeda goes after, a shopping mall or some other kind of target?

O'BRIEN: You gave Pakistan a C plus back in December of 2005. Pakistan intelligence apparently was very helpful in helping crack this alleged terror plot.

Would that make you raise their grade, B minus, A plus, A minus?

ROEMER: Well, you have two issues with Pakistan. You have both their cooperation with the British and with the Americans on intelligence sharing. That's one of the good success stories of yesterday. However, you have some cultural, political, economic, military issues with Pakistan, where Pakistan is where the Taliban and al Qaeda started.

There are schools and madrassas that are teaching the hatred of Jews and Americans and to kill Jews and Americans. We have problems there, Soledad. So I think it's something that we need to continue to work on in a balanced way.

We need to finish the job in Afghanistan. We need to capture Osama bin Laden. These are unfinished parts of the agenda.

Afghanistan is backsliding. We are sending more NATO troops there. We are running into more problems in the south. More sorties are going on there than maybe even in Iraq.

And we're having problems with the Tora Bora hills and trying to find Osama bin Laden and Zawahiri, who seem very confident these days releasing their tapes. And these are CNN studio quality tapes that they are putting out there these days, communicating with hundreds of millions of potential jihadists and trying to get them to sign up.

O'BRIEN: You mention more problems potentially than Iraq. That's a little bit of a quote than what you just said. So are you suggesting that maybe we should be withdrawing resources and money out of Iraq and putting it into capturing Osama bin Laden, and Afghanistan, and other things? I mean, at the end of the day, right, it comes down to X number of dollars can be spent in certain things.

Where do you put the money?

ROEMER: I don't think you can cut and run from Afghanistan. I think you really have to finish the job there. We started out well. We did some things innovatively there with Special Operations Forces and our CIA recruiting Muslim-Americans to help.

We did a great job there initially, and now we're seeing some backsliding and some lack of progress there. And I think it's very important to finish the job in Afghanistan.

It's very important that we don't put all our intelligence and military resources in Iraq and take our eye off the ball in other places in the world. And it's very important that we capture Osama bin Laden and we are not letting him release a tape every few months trying to motivate, inspire and recruit new jihadists.

O'BRIEN: Tim Roemer is a former 9/11 commissioner.

Always nice to see you. Thank you for talking with us.

ROEMER: Thanks, Soledad.

HARRIS: And still to come this morning, President Bush addresses that alleged plot to blow up planes. We'll tell you why two words of his have angered some Muslims.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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HARRIS: President Bush says the alleged terror plot targeting U.S.-bound flights from Britain is a stark reminder that America is at war with "Islamic fascists."

CNN Faith and Values Correspondent Delia Gallagher has more on the president's strong language.

And Delia, the reaction to it.

Good morning.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning to you, Tony.

Well, the president has gotten the attention of some members of the Muslim community by referring to those arrested yesterday in the foiled plot against the airlines as "Islamic fascists."

Here's what the president said.

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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.

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GALLAGHER: Fascism, of course, was a movement most closely associated with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who was a close ally of Hitler during World War II. It's an ideology which places the nation above all other loyalties, including religion, and fascism under Mussolini was responsible for racist laws, anti-Semitism, and executions.

Now, leaders in the Muslim community say there is nothing Islamic about fascism and called the president's remarks ill-advised and counterproductive.

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IBRAHIM HOOPER, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, CAIR: These kinds of terms, "Islamists," "Islamic fascists," "Islamic fascism," all of these kinds of terms are used quite loosely and they're never defined. And they are often applied to mainstream practicing Muslims who are not involved in any kind of violence or planning for violence.

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GALLAGHER: Now, Islamic leaders insist that they, too, are dedicated to the security of this country and they say that their faith should not be singled out in such a way.

HARRIS: So, Delia, what kind of blow-back reaction is the Muslim community worried about because of this kind of language?

GALLAGHER: Well, I think, you know, really since 9/11, Tony, they have been saying that there -- there are a number of things that they receive in terms of backlash both from verbal abuse to random acts of violence against individual Muslims and mosques. But the greater point here, I think, is they are saying the language leads to a certain perception of Islam as a religion which promotes violence.

And, you know, I think it's interesting -- there was a Pew poll in 2004 that nearly half of Americans believe Islam is a religion more than other religion that promotes violence. So, this is the kind of idea they are trying to argue against.

HARRIS: Yes.

Faith and Values Correspondent Delia Gallagher with us.

Delia, thanks. GALLAGHER: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, just how realistic is it that a terrorist could build a bomb, assemble it from different parts and put it together on a plane and then detonate it? We're going to talk this morning with a former bomb squad commander with the NYPD.

Then later, if you're headed to the airport, if you're a little confused about what to pack and what to leave behind, we'll tell you what to bring and what to ditch.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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