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CNN Saturday Morning News

FBI Joins Pakistani Investigators to Determine Cause of Bombing

Aired June 15, 2002 - 07:05   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to that deadly car bombing outside the U.S. consulate in Pakistan, 11 people were killed in that blast yesterday. The FBI has joined Pakistani investigators now, trying to determine who was behind that attack.

Our Chris Burns is covering the investigation and joins us now live from videophone from the Pakistani port city of Karachi.

Hello, Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Well, we're still here at the scene. We've been watching it all night. It has remained as it is. They've left the wreckage as it is, U.S. and Pakistani investigators, to allow them to watch, look, and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) pick through the wreckage, the mangled cars, the other wreckage that is left from this incredibly violent explosion that killed 10 people and injured 51.

They are hoping to find more clues, according to a U.S. diplomatic source here. The FBI is taking a lead in this investigation. They are sending more investigators and additional security here to the U.S. consulate here in Karachi, also concerns about security for other consulates in Pakistan and even the U.S. embassy in Islamabad.

Authorities, the U.S. authorities are trying to determine whether it will indeed open up on Monday, or they'll stay closed and try to consider more measures to beef up security amid these new threats, the threats from this unknown group, so far unknown, called Al Kanoun (ph), or The Law, saying that they've threatened more, more attacks on Pakistani sites and perhaps foreign sites, including U.S. sites.

So that is the concern among Pakistani and U.S. officials.

The investigation does go on. There's one question, though, was it a suicide attack, or was it perhaps something else? Right now there is one theory that is floating around that a U.S. source says perhaps has some validity, perhaps it was a driving school car with the male instructor inside, three women students inside, and the car was booby trapped to go off by remote control as it went by the embassy -- by the consulate.

So that is one theory that they are looking at, among others, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Chris, do you know if this Al Kanoun is connected at all to the al Qaeda network?

BURNS: Very murky, very difficult to say. The -- it is very difficult to say. This is in fact, because this is a group that has never been heard of before. If you look at the threat that was written out, that the claim of responsibility, it was handwritten on a faxed sheet of paper with no kind of letterhead or seal on it.

So it's very, very unclear exactly who these people are. Unfortunately, if they do carry out other threats, perhaps that might prove that they indeed exist. That, of course, is what authorities are hoping against hope against -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Our Chris Burns live from Karachi. Thanks, Chris.

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