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CNN Sunday Morning

Accused Terrorists Arrested in India

Aired June 17, 2001 - 08:01   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.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, as we said, suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is back in the news. Three men linked to his organization have been rounded up by police in Delhi, India. They're accused of targeting U.S. embassies for bombing attacks.

And we get the details now from Kasra Naji, who is in New Delhi.

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KASRA NAJI CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police say the two had planned to blow up the U.S. embassy in New Delhi and also in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka using car bombs. They were picked up after the CIA tipped off the police here about the plot. After a court appearance, the two remain in custody.

S. RAMAKRISHNAN, INDIAN POLICE: We found that there was a meeting in some place between four people, the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) himself, the Israh Alesh (ph) and this (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of Osama bin Laden and another person who discussed about various matters, including the fact that the U.S. was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and that something should be done to harm them. The target was decided to be the U.S. embassy in Telagabrigin (ph), Delhi.

NAJI: The mastermind is said to be this man, Abdel Raouf Hawas (ph), a Sudanese national. Police found maps of the embassy in New Delhi at his home together with six kilos of RDX, an explosive, and a detonator. They planned to pack the explosives in a car and blow up the U.S. embassy on August the 15th, the independence day here. A copy of a letter sent to bin Laden was also found at Abdel Raouf Hawas' home, a letter he had written to bin Laden in Urdu language saying the preparations are complete for the work in New Delhi and in Dhaka.

Security at the U.S. embassy has been stepped up. A third person associated with bin Laden and the plot has also been arrested. Bin Laden has been indicted in New York for allegedly masterminding the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam where more than 200 people were killed.

Kasra Naji, CNN, New Delhi.

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