Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

U.S. Fleet in Persian Gulf Remains on High Alert

Aired June 23, 2001 - 09:02   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now more on our top story this morning, the terrorist threat against U.S. interests. A U.S. official says there was no specific target, but the threat triggered a quick response in the Persian Gulf. U.S. military ships of the Fifth Fleet have been ordered out to sea, and Pentagon sources say Marines pulled out of training in Jordan. The U.S. military is on its highest alert, Threatcon Delta, it is called.

And the U.S. State Department is also taking action.

For the latest, CNN's Major Garrett joins us from Crawford, Texas, where President Bush is spending the weekend at his ranch.

Hello, Major.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

Yes, the president is monitoring this situation from the Bush family ranch just outside of Crawford, Texas. Administration officials say he was briefed about the situation and approved of the heightened state of alert, which is affecting many military operations in the United States throughout the world, but particularly in the Persian Gulf.

As you said, the Fifth Fleet been put out to sea. Most of the ships were already out at sea, but those that were not were sent out to sea. Those Marine exercises in Jordan were in fact canceled, the hundreds of Marines sent off to the USS Boxer, again, out to sea.

U.S. security officials say that two separate indications from two different sources saying the same things, quote, "set off alarm bells" within the U.S. security apparatus. All of this may be related, may, U.S. intelligence officials say, be related to the indictments handed down this week against 14 individuals, 13 Saudis and one Lebanese, all linked to the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers that killed 19 U.S. airmen and injured hundreds of others.

The fifth anniversary of that bombing is on Monday, and U.S. intelligence officials do believe this heightened state of alert caused by these credible threats may be related to those indictments, all of this coming, they believe, from threats issued by the Osama bin Laden terrorist organization. They believe, those indictments say, that the Osama bin Laden organization was very deeply involved in that terrorist attack in 1996 at Khobar Towers -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Thank you very much. CNN's Major Garrett outside Crawford, Texas.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com