Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Have Cargo Planes Been Targeted by al Qaeda?
Aired November 08, 2003 - 09:03 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.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: In other news for you this morning, have cargo planes here in the U.S. and abroad been targeted by al Qaeda? The Office of Homeland Security seems to think so.
CNN's Kathleen Koch join us now live from Alexandria, Virginia, with more on this new threat. Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Thomas.
Well, again, this is a threat that is really not new to people who have been concerned about aviation security since 9/11. Cargo planes that are flown by these major carriers like FedEx and UPS are enormous. They carry a lot of fuel, and they can do a lot of damage if they were hijacked and if they were turned into a missile.
But this advisory goes out when -- from both the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, going out to the air cargo industry, to state and local law enforcement, and warning them that al Qaeda might consider using cargo carriers as a weapon.
A senior U.S. official told CNN on Friday, that, yes, indeed, there has been chatter suggesting that al Qaeda terrorists might consider bringing in a cargo plane from outside the U.S. and then crashing it into some sort of strategic target, like a nuclear power plant. Though that official did caution that that information came from just a single source and is right now uncorroborated, but the advisory was issued out of an abundance of caution.
Back on October 1, three air cargo industry groups expressed their concern about such a threat. They asked for upgraded cargo measures, cargo security measures. They wanted better perimeter security at cargo facilities. They wanted random screening for anyone who has access to cargo ramps. They also wanted better security for unattended aircraft sitting on the ramps, and unattended cargo sitting on the ramps before they're loaded.
None of that has been done yet, though the Transportation Security Administration is in the process of drafting tighter security rules for air cargo.
A red flag was raised significantly in this area back in September, when that young New York man who was briefly jailed mailed himself from New York to his parents' home in Texas. And many said that that really pointed out how a terrorist could do just that sort of thing, mail themselves in a cargo crate, come out in the aircraft while it was in flight, and then perhaps take charge of that aircraft.
The homeland defense secretary, Tom Ridge, at that point back in September, was very concerned and said the top priority must to be prevent cargo planes from being turned into missiles, Thomas.
ROBERTS: And Kathleen, as we all know, we've seen planes, commercial planes, that is, turned into missiles. Have they talked about the potential of using these planes as bombs, loading them with explosives and then blowing them up over major cities?
KOCH: Certainly, that is indeed a possibility, because there is not much control or oversight or much knowledge or screening of what is sent as cargo in cargo planes. So indeed, beyond, above and beyond these planes being, say, hijacked, one could also pack them with some very lethal explosives and do a lot of damage, Thomas.
ROBERTS: Kathleen Koch live for us in Alexandria, Virginia. Kathleen, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 8, 2003 - 09:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: In other news for you this morning, have cargo planes here in the U.S. and abroad been targeted by al Qaeda? The Office of Homeland Security seems to think so.
CNN's Kathleen Koch join us now live from Alexandria, Virginia, with more on this new threat. Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Thomas.
Well, again, this is a threat that is really not new to people who have been concerned about aviation security since 9/11. Cargo planes that are flown by these major carriers like FedEx and UPS are enormous. They carry a lot of fuel, and they can do a lot of damage if they were hijacked and if they were turned into a missile.
But this advisory goes out when -- from both the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, going out to the air cargo industry, to state and local law enforcement, and warning them that al Qaeda might consider using cargo carriers as a weapon.
A senior U.S. official told CNN on Friday, that, yes, indeed, there has been chatter suggesting that al Qaeda terrorists might consider bringing in a cargo plane from outside the U.S. and then crashing it into some sort of strategic target, like a nuclear power plant. Though that official did caution that that information came from just a single source and is right now uncorroborated, but the advisory was issued out of an abundance of caution.
Back on October 1, three air cargo industry groups expressed their concern about such a threat. They asked for upgraded cargo measures, cargo security measures. They wanted better perimeter security at cargo facilities. They wanted random screening for anyone who has access to cargo ramps. They also wanted better security for unattended aircraft sitting on the ramps, and unattended cargo sitting on the ramps before they're loaded.
None of that has been done yet, though the Transportation Security Administration is in the process of drafting tighter security rules for air cargo.
A red flag was raised significantly in this area back in September, when that young New York man who was briefly jailed mailed himself from New York to his parents' home in Texas. And many said that that really pointed out how a terrorist could do just that sort of thing, mail themselves in a cargo crate, come out in the aircraft while it was in flight, and then perhaps take charge of that aircraft.
The homeland defense secretary, Tom Ridge, at that point back in September, was very concerned and said the top priority must to be prevent cargo planes from being turned into missiles, Thomas.
ROBERTS: And Kathleen, as we all know, we've seen planes, commercial planes, that is, turned into missiles. Have they talked about the potential of using these planes as bombs, loading them with explosives and then blowing them up over major cities?
KOCH: Certainly, that is indeed a possibility, because there is not much control or oversight or much knowledge or screening of what is sent as cargo in cargo planes. So indeed, beyond, above and beyond these planes being, say, hijacked, one could also pack them with some very lethal explosives and do a lot of damage, Thomas.
ROBERTS: Kathleen Koch live for us in Alexandria, Virginia. Kathleen, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
