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CNN Saturday Morning News
A Look at Security Measures that Canceled Air France Flights
Aired December 27, 2003 - 07:18 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.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: OK, keeping the focus on the security situation both here and overseas, we're joined now by our security analyst, Kelly McCann, joining us today from Washington, D.C.
Good day, Kelly, thanks for being in here.
Let's talk a bit about that Air France, what is going on there. What is the security measures? What are they like at international airports? And how concerned should people in the U.S. be about what happened in Paris?
KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, interestingly, it sounds like there was 100 percent physical search, which would be a large increase in security. If you remember, not too long ago, there was a story that came out that basically was published by everyone. It said that terrorists had considered filling socks with explosives and wearing them around their neck.
That might be in, you know, in response to that, an actual physical hands-on check, which is a good thing.
But people have got to realize, Sean, as we said earlier, that this is going to be the condition as we go forward. There will be dynamic change in security as threat changes, Sean.
CALLEBS: And also, apparently interviewed somewhat extensively, at least 13 people, and reports that at least one pilot kind of walked away and didn't board the aircraft. That raises some read flags.
MCCANN: There's some noise out there about some people who are not can -- not really supportive of how early France let the information out. Now, the public line, obviously, is that we are engaged in this together, and there's a lot of cooperation. But there are some people who are a little bit annoyed that the word was passed as early as it was, which resulted in some no-shows, basically. It resulted in some passengers they wanted to question not appearing.
Also, this -- it's interesting that there's an interest now on air crews. That's never been the case before.
CALLEBS: All right, let's talk about air crews and flights here in the U.S. Are there marshals on all the flights here within the continental U.S.?
MCCANN: No, I don't believe that's the case. I think that the -- basically, the air marshals are used to surge as required based on the length of the flight, the payload, the number of passengers, and the destination cities. I think that they're basically saturating as they see fit based on the threat.
CALLEBS: OK, Kelly, let's get to the Baghdad. You spent some time there. You were there at a very momentous time in history. What's it like? How concerned do you think people should be about the ongoing effort by the coalition?
MCCANN: Well, the first thing that struck me, of course, was, there was only really one day of celebration. I mean, really, the day after Saddam had been captured, there wasn't a lot of follow-on celebrations, et cetera, that we saw.
But what you did see was incredibly long gas lines. There's been an influx of new vehicles so people can enjoy mobility in a new free Iraq, and the gas lines were incredible. Not so much a problem, Sean, because of the gas, but because of the gas distribution points.
CALLEBS: And the insurgents continue to attack gas sites. Today there were more attacks on these various areas where fuel is stored. And what about the information coming out of Karbala this morning? Very sketchy at this point, but apparently a somewhat extensive attack on the coalition headquarters in the southern part of the country.
MCCANN: There can be no denying that there are coordinated and sophisticated attacks. They have a significant intel support at the local level, the insurgents. But I think that the coalition and the contracting community is sharp as well. And again, we're seeing that dynamic kind of countermeasures and threat thing go on, where each person takes a move on the chess table in order to correspond with what his enemy's doing.
There is no doubt that their engagements, though, with RPGs, with IEDs, and with munitions that have been altered to suit the purpose, for instance, antipersonnel mines that are remotely detonated at head height, Sean.
CALLEBS: Yes, and IED is, once again, those improvised explosive things that go off on the side of the road and take out troops and whatnot.
Kelly McCann, thanks a lot for being in here. I want to hear more about your trip to Baghdad. Sounds like it was a simply an amazing time.
MCCANN: Thanks, Sean.
CALLEBS: Kelly McCann, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Flights>
Aired December 27, 2003 - 07:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: OK, keeping the focus on the security situation both here and overseas, we're joined now by our security analyst, Kelly McCann, joining us today from Washington, D.C.
Good day, Kelly, thanks for being in here.
Let's talk a bit about that Air France, what is going on there. What is the security measures? What are they like at international airports? And how concerned should people in the U.S. be about what happened in Paris?
KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, interestingly, it sounds like there was 100 percent physical search, which would be a large increase in security. If you remember, not too long ago, there was a story that came out that basically was published by everyone. It said that terrorists had considered filling socks with explosives and wearing them around their neck.
That might be in, you know, in response to that, an actual physical hands-on check, which is a good thing.
But people have got to realize, Sean, as we said earlier, that this is going to be the condition as we go forward. There will be dynamic change in security as threat changes, Sean.
CALLEBS: And also, apparently interviewed somewhat extensively, at least 13 people, and reports that at least one pilot kind of walked away and didn't board the aircraft. That raises some read flags.
MCCANN: There's some noise out there about some people who are not can -- not really supportive of how early France let the information out. Now, the public line, obviously, is that we are engaged in this together, and there's a lot of cooperation. But there are some people who are a little bit annoyed that the word was passed as early as it was, which resulted in some no-shows, basically. It resulted in some passengers they wanted to question not appearing.
Also, this -- it's interesting that there's an interest now on air crews. That's never been the case before.
CALLEBS: All right, let's talk about air crews and flights here in the U.S. Are there marshals on all the flights here within the continental U.S.?
MCCANN: No, I don't believe that's the case. I think that the -- basically, the air marshals are used to surge as required based on the length of the flight, the payload, the number of passengers, and the destination cities. I think that they're basically saturating as they see fit based on the threat.
CALLEBS: OK, Kelly, let's get to the Baghdad. You spent some time there. You were there at a very momentous time in history. What's it like? How concerned do you think people should be about the ongoing effort by the coalition?
MCCANN: Well, the first thing that struck me, of course, was, there was only really one day of celebration. I mean, really, the day after Saddam had been captured, there wasn't a lot of follow-on celebrations, et cetera, that we saw.
But what you did see was incredibly long gas lines. There's been an influx of new vehicles so people can enjoy mobility in a new free Iraq, and the gas lines were incredible. Not so much a problem, Sean, because of the gas, but because of the gas distribution points.
CALLEBS: And the insurgents continue to attack gas sites. Today there were more attacks on these various areas where fuel is stored. And what about the information coming out of Karbala this morning? Very sketchy at this point, but apparently a somewhat extensive attack on the coalition headquarters in the southern part of the country.
MCCANN: There can be no denying that there are coordinated and sophisticated attacks. They have a significant intel support at the local level, the insurgents. But I think that the coalition and the contracting community is sharp as well. And again, we're seeing that dynamic kind of countermeasures and threat thing go on, where each person takes a move on the chess table in order to correspond with what his enemy's doing.
There is no doubt that their engagements, though, with RPGs, with IEDs, and with munitions that have been altered to suit the purpose, for instance, antipersonnel mines that are remotely detonated at head height, Sean.
CALLEBS: Yes, and IED is, once again, those improvised explosive things that go off on the side of the road and take out troops and whatnot.
Kelly McCann, thanks a lot for being in here. I want to hear more about your trip to Baghdad. Sounds like it was a simply an amazing time.
MCCANN: Thanks, Sean.
CALLEBS: Kelly McCann, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Flights>
