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CNN Saturday Morning News
British Airways Cancels Flights Amid Security Concerns
Aired January 31, 2004 - 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We do want to turn to a troubling question facing people here in the U.S. and abroad. Are enemies planning to once again use airliners as weapons?
JEFF FLOCK, CNN ANCHOR: Indeed. British Airways today has canceled three flights during -- as a result of security concerns. This comes just a day after new intelligence reports suggested that terrorists may use commercial aircraft to launch attacks in the U.S.
Among the planes mentioned in the report was flight 223 from London to Washington, which has been grounded for both Sunday and Monday's flights. That's the one that had been canceled over the holidays as well.
Now, for more on this, we are joined on the phone by ITN correspondent Emma Murphy in London. Now, Emma, get it straight for us. They're canceling the flights for tomorrow. Have the flights for today gone off, if you know?
EMMA MURPHY, ITN CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Yes, the flights for today are due to take off as scheduled. It is the flights on Sunday and Monday that are going to be affected. That's the BA 223 flight from London to Washington and also the Miami-bound flight, which is BA 207.
Now, this information is coming through in the last half an hour. Obviously, this BA 223 flight is a controversial flight. It's the flight that was canceled and delayed on a number of occasions earlier in the year, so there are obviously very serious security fears over this, the canceled flight, once again, especially in the light of the intelligence that's coming out of the U.S. this morning.
FLOCK: Have you got any sense there on the ground in London as to what that intelligence might be?
MURPHY: No. The government are being very cagey on exactly what this intelligence is. What we're being told in a statement from the Department of Transport is that aviation security is kept under review at all times, and they have recently had information received that has led them, in discussions with British Airways, to decide to cancel these flights.
They're not willing to go into whether it's a specific threat, i.e., they're searching for somebody who they believe may be aboard the flights, as was rumored last time, or whether it's a fear of hijacking or some other similar terrorist acts.
FLOCK: Refresh our recollection with regard to the earlier cancellations, the one over the holidays, those flights that were canceled. Did there turn out to be anything, or did they give you any background, did they give us any background as to why those flights were canceled?
MURPHY: No. We didn't get that much information on exactly what had gone on there. Obviously, there was an awful lot of speculation. One of the things that was discussed quite a lot over the whole situation was whether or not there was a known terrorist traveling in some form of disguise, using different identities, and they were attempting to board that flight.
There was a great deal of surveillance of the passengers on board those flights and assessments of their background and their security threats.
Now, that was one feeling at the time. There was also consideration given to the fact that there may be an attempt to smuggle some kind of arms on board. But really, we never were told exactly why that flight was canceled.
It is very much common practice here, as with you, that the intelligence information is kept very close to the chests of the government, and they're not willing to divulge as much information as they may have, partly because they don't want to give away to the terrorists just how much they know or how much they don't know.
FLOCK: I understand. Emma Murphy, appreciate that there. Obviously, a lot we don't know. We do know, though, three flights canceled. We'll let you know when we have more.
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 January 31, 2004 - 09:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We do want to turn to a troubling question facing people here in the U.S. and abroad. Are enemies planning to once again use airliners as weapons?
JEFF FLOCK, CNN ANCHOR: Indeed. British Airways today has canceled three flights during -- as a result of security concerns. This comes just a day after new intelligence reports suggested that terrorists may use commercial aircraft to launch attacks in the U.S.
Among the planes mentioned in the report was flight 223 from London to Washington, which has been grounded for both Sunday and Monday's flights. That's the one that had been canceled over the holidays as well.
Now, for more on this, we are joined on the phone by ITN correspondent Emma Murphy in London. Now, Emma, get it straight for us. They're canceling the flights for tomorrow. Have the flights for today gone off, if you know?
EMMA MURPHY, ITN CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Yes, the flights for today are due to take off as scheduled. It is the flights on Sunday and Monday that are going to be affected. That's the BA 223 flight from London to Washington and also the Miami-bound flight, which is BA 207.
Now, this information is coming through in the last half an hour. Obviously, this BA 223 flight is a controversial flight. It's the flight that was canceled and delayed on a number of occasions earlier in the year, so there are obviously very serious security fears over this, the canceled flight, once again, especially in the light of the intelligence that's coming out of the U.S. this morning.
FLOCK: Have you got any sense there on the ground in London as to what that intelligence might be?
MURPHY: No. The government are being very cagey on exactly what this intelligence is. What we're being told in a statement from the Department of Transport is that aviation security is kept under review at all times, and they have recently had information received that has led them, in discussions with British Airways, to decide to cancel these flights.
They're not willing to go into whether it's a specific threat, i.e., they're searching for somebody who they believe may be aboard the flights, as was rumored last time, or whether it's a fear of hijacking or some other similar terrorist acts.
FLOCK: Refresh our recollection with regard to the earlier cancellations, the one over the holidays, those flights that were canceled. Did there turn out to be anything, or did they give you any background, did they give us any background as to why those flights were canceled?
MURPHY: No. We didn't get that much information on exactly what had gone on there. Obviously, there was an awful lot of speculation. One of the things that was discussed quite a lot over the whole situation was whether or not there was a known terrorist traveling in some form of disguise, using different identities, and they were attempting to board that flight.
There was a great deal of surveillance of the passengers on board those flights and assessments of their background and their security threats.
Now, that was one feeling at the time. There was also consideration given to the fact that there may be an attempt to smuggle some kind of arms on board. But really, we never were told exactly why that flight was canceled.
It is very much common practice here, as with you, that the intelligence information is kept very close to the chests of the government, and they're not willing to divulge as much information as they may have, partly because they don't want to give away to the terrorists just how much they know or how much they don't know.
FLOCK: I understand. Emma Murphy, appreciate that there. Obviously, a lot we don't know. We do know, though, three flights canceled. We'll let you know when we have more.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
