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CNN Saturday Morning News

A look at recent events in Saudi Arabia

Aired June 19, 2004 - 09:00   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.


BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Drew Griffin. Good morning, and thank you for starting your day with us.

We're waiting for reaction at this hour on the latest developments in Saudi Arabia. It will come from U.S. Ambassador James Oberwetter. He'll arrive in Riyadh. We hope to bring that to you live as soon as it starts, of course.

Here's a look at what else is happening at this hour. Betty?

NGUYEN: A gun battle between police and terrorist suspects in Riyadh just hours after American hostage Paul Johnson is found beheaded. Saudi sources say al Qaeda's leader in Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin, was killed in that shootout, along with three other terrorists. Sources also say al-Muqrin's number two man was captured in the operation.

In Iraq, battles with insurgents for a fourth straight day. One U.S. soldier and at least six Iraqis are killed in clashes around the Bakuba, which is north of Baghdad. More than 50 Iraqis were wounded in the attacks.

Another American soldier was killed in an attack in Baghdad. And an Iraqi ministry of health official says 16 Iraqis were killed and eight wounded today in the Sunni triangle of Fallujah. Local residents blame the deaths on U.S. air strike.

In the face of a censure from the International Committee on Atomic Energy, Iran says it will decide in the coming days whether it will resume its uranium enrichment activities. A U.N. resolution strongly rebuked Tehran for not coming clean on its nuclear program, but the IAEA board stopped short of issuing any sanctions.

GRIFFIN: A group of top-ranking U.S. senators made an unannounced visit to Baghdad today. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Democrat Joe Biden, and Republican Lindsey Graham all among that delegation. They met with the interim prime minister, Ayed Alawi, expressing optimism about the impending handover of power. They also thanked U.S. troops in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS) SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: Thank you for the job you've done and the way you've done it. Secondly, how proud we are of that job, how much we want to continue to support your efforts in whatever role it may be. And finally, we want to make sure that you all come home as safely as possible.

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: I think a number of mistakes have been made up to this point. But I don't think that the ultimate security and success in Iraq is in, is still clearly within the grasp of the prime minister, his cabinet. And the prospect that's in place for elections culminating in December of '05 are real.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

GRIFFIN: And to that end, the senators are calling on the international community to do what it can to help Iraq by either forgiving debt or contributing troops to the effort.

Saudi sources say the chief suspect in the beheading of American hostage Paul Johnson has been killed in Saudi Arabia. Abdul Aziz al- Muqrin and three other terror suspects died in a gun battle with Saudi security forces as part of an ongoing operation. And al-Muqrin's number two man wounded and captured in what the Saudis call a massive operation there.

In the U.S., officials are condemning Johnson's killing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The murder of Paul shows the evil nature of the enemy we face. These are barbaric people. There's no justification whatsoever for his murder.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This horrendous act shows once again the nature of the enemy that we're facing in the war on terror. They have no shame, not a shred of decency, and no mercy, even for the innocent.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Mr. Paul Johnson this afternoon. A good man, a fellow citizen, who may well have been murdered today. All Americans can be certain of President Bush's resolve in this war. America will hunt down these killers, find them one by one, and destroy them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: The State Department urging Americans to leave Saudi Arabia. The head of the State Department, though, Secretary of State Colin Powell, says if the Americans do leave, the terrorists have won.

Looking back, three American civilians have been killed by terrorists in Saudi Arabia in less than two weeks. Robert Jacobs was the first, gunned down in Riyadh on June 8. Then Kenneth Scroggs was shot to death in the Saudi capital on June 12. That is the same day Paul Johnson was kidnapped. NGUYEN: A message posted on the Internet had this warning for Americans, "Whoever comes to our country, this will be their punishment."

Joining us now from Washington to talk about this is Ken Robinson, CNN's military intelligence analyst.

Good morning to you.

KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Good morning,

NGUYEN: There are a lot of warnings out this morning urging Americans to leave. Here's yet another one today issued by the U.S. State Department, which says, and I quote, "U.S. citizens in the Persian Gulf are under attack in that region, and more attacks will continue."

Now, this is a bit of a double-edged sword, because if Americans leave that area, then the terrorists essentially win.

ROBINSON: That's it. You've got it. The, that's the double challenge. On one hand, we are very key, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the government of Japan, and their expatriates are very key to the infrastructure of maintaining and sustaining a long- term production and improvement. And so, yes, it is very dangerous right now, and those United States expatriates should depart.

NGUYEN: And if they don't leave, if they try to win this battle against the terrorists, who is going to protect Westerners in Saudi Arabia?

ROBINSON: Well, that's another double-edged sword. That's part of the objective of this foreign terrorist organization, al Qaeda. They, if they can get reaction on the part of government of Saudi Arabia to allow Western security forces in there, then they can point and say, Look, look how the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a puppet of the West. So the Saudis are really damned if they do and damned if they don't.

NGUYEN: But yesterday, the president said, "We will not be intimidated." So what is the U.S. doing?

ROBINSON: The U.S. is working very closely with the Saudis right now. That close cooperation has not been historically the way it has gone in terms of terrorism operations. But since the bombings in Riyadh's capital, the Saudis have realized that this terrorist threat has come home to threaten them, their kingdom, and the stability in their society. And so they're aggressively, as you saw, allegedly 15,000 law enforcement from the Saudi side on the streets beating the bushes, and they're the only ones who are going to be able to penetrate these groups, Saudi on Saudi.

NGUYEN: Ken, you mention the Saudis being aggressive. But yesterday Senator Frank Lautenberg from Paul Johnson's home town of New Jersey, or home state, I should say, said that the Saudi government is being too lax on this issue, they're not doing enough. Do you agree with that?

ROBINSON: I agree completely with the senator. They have been very lax historically for years. They have paid lip service to this issue, because it never threatened them personally. This is (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

NGUYEN: OK, Ken, I'm going to have to interrupt you quick, apologize for that. But James Oberwetter, the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, is speaking in Riyadh right now about the situation there. Let's take a listen.

(INTERRUPTED BY A LIVE EVENT)

GRIFFIN: That's U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Oberwetter wrapping up a news conference, speaking directly to the Saudi people in Riyadh.

NGUYEN: We want to bring now in CNN military intelligence analyst Ken Robinson, who have, who has been discussing with us about the situation in Saudi Arabia.

Ken, you've been listening to this news conference. Give us your thoughts. Mr. Oberwetter has said it's going to take some time for the comfort level in Saudi Arabia to return to normal. He's asking Saudi Arabians just to call in, report any terrorist activity, to help out in the search for terrorists. How long is it going to take, and is that enough?

ROBINSON: It's a step, it's a first step. The -- I've lived in Saudi Arabia many times in my career, and the -- it's always been a very safe place to live. It's a very unforgiving place in terms of their reaction to those in the West. However, with the case of this kidnapping of Paul Johnson, we did see a lot of Islamic voices, a lot of religious leaders and a lot of citizens of prominence, start to speak out to the terrorists.

And there is -- are reports of cooperation among citizens, and that's the only way these groups are ever going to be rooted out. So it's certainly a first step.

NGUYEN: All right, Ken, last question, we are almost out of time. Let's talk about the killing of Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin. This is a huge step for Saudi forces, but is it enough? Because do you expect others will rise up and take his place?

ROBINSON: Well, remember that the killing of al-Hajj by the Saudi police caused al-Muqrin to replace him. And so certainly, we should suspect that someone will replace al-Muqrin, because these are zero-sum gain people, this foreign terrorist organization, and they're not going away simply because 10 people have been killed or captured.

NGUYEN: CNN military intelligence analyst Ken Robinson, thank you.

Drew? GRIFFIN: "Stay quiet, and you'll be OK." That's what passengers on American flight 11 heard from one of the hijackers, believed to be Mohammed Atta.

In an extraordinary television event, audiotapes from the hijacked planes were played this week on Capitol Hill, and as part of hearings of the commission investigating September 11. In case you missed that unprecedented moment in television, we're going to bring you again this morning that transcript, highlights from the final report of the September 11 commission today coming up next on CNN. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: It was the other major news this week, the culmination of the 9/11 commission report proving to be the most dramatic and heart-wrenching so far, culminating in a painful and undeniable conclusion, U.S. air defenses were wholly unprepared for the terrorist plan of attack.

Here is that drama from the inside, as it unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILIP ZELIKOW, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: FAA centers often receive information and make operational decisions independent of one another. On 9/11, the four hijacked aircraft were monitored mainly by four of these FAA route traffic control centers based in Boston, New York, Cleveland, and Indianapolis. Each center thus had part of the knowledge of what was going on across the system.

But it is important to remember that what Boston Center knew was not necessarily known by the centers in New York, Cleveland, or Indianapolis.

Controllers track airliners like the four aircraft hijacked on 9/11 primarily by watching the data from a signal emitted by the aircraft's transponder equipment. The four aircraft hijacked on 9/11, like all aircraft traveling above 10,000 feet, were required to emit a unique transponder signal while in flight.

On 9/11, the terrorists turned off the transponders on three of the four hijacked aircraft. With the transponder turned off, it may be possible, although more difficult, to track an aircraft by its primary radar returns.

On the morning of 9/11, the existing protocol was unsuited in every respect for what was about to happen. What ensued was the hurried attempt to create an improvised defense by officials who had never encountered or trained against the situation they faced.

JOHN AZZARELLO, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: At 8:00 on September 11, 2001, American Airlines flight 11 began its takeoff roll at Logan Airport in Boston. A Boeing 767, flight 11 was bound for Los Angeles with 81 passengers, 11 crew, and 24,000 gallons of jet fuel. By 8:09, it was being monitored by FAA's Boston's Center, located in New Hampshire. At 8:13, the controller instructed the flight to, quote, "Turn 20 degrees right," end quote, which the flight acknowledged. This was the last transmission to which the flight responded.

Sixteen seconds later, the controller instructed the flight to climb to 35,000 feet. When there was no response, the controller repeated the command seconds later and then tried repeatedly to raise the flight. He used the emergency frequency to try to reach the pilot. Though there was no response, he kept trying to contact the aircraft.

At 8:21, American 11 turned off its transponder, immediately degrading the available information about the aircraft. The controller told his supervisor that he thought something was seriously wrong with the plane. At this point, neither the controller nor his supervisor suspected a hijacking.

He became even more concerned as its route changed, moving into another sector's airspace. Controllers immediately began to move aircraft out of its path and searched from aircraft to aircraft in an effort to have another pilot contact American 11.

At 8:24:38, the following transmission came from American 11.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

AMERICAN 11: We have some planes. Just stay quiet, and you'll be OK. We are returning to the airport.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: The next transmission came seconds later.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

AMERICAN 11: Nobody move. Everything will be OK. If you try to make any moves, you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: At 8:28, Boston Center called the command center in Herndon, Virginia, to advise management that it believed American 11 had been hijacked and was heading towards New York Center's airspace.

By this point in time, American 11 had taken a dramatic turn to the south.

At 8:32, the command center passed word of a possible hijacking to the operations center at FAA headquarters. The duty officer replied that security personnel at headquarters had just begun discussing the hijack situation on a conference call with the New England regional office. The Herndon Command Center immediately established a teleconference between Boston, New York, and Cleveland centers, so that Boston Center could help the others understand what was happening.

At 8:34, the Boston Center controller received a third transmission from American 11.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

AMERICAN 11: Nobody move, please. We are going back to the airport. Don't try to make any stupid moves.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: At 8:37 and 52 seconds, Boston Center reached NEADS. This was the first notification received by the military at any level that American 11 had been hijacked.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

FAA: Hi, Boston Center, TMU, we have a problem here, we have a hijacked aircraft headed towards New York, and we need you guys to -- we need someone to scramble some F-16s or something up there, help us out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This -- is this real-world. or exercise?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, this is not an exercise, not a test.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: F-15 fighters were ordered scrambles at 8:46 from Otis Air Force Base, but NEADS did not know where to send the alert fighter aircraft.

Quote, "I don't know where I'm scrambling these guys to. I need a direction, a destination," end quote.

Because the hijackers had turned off the plane's transponder, NEADS personnel spent the next minutes searching their radarscopes for the elusive primary radar return.

American 11 impacted the World Trade Center's north tower at 8:46:40.

Shortly after 8:50, while NEADS personnel were still trying to locate American 11, word reached them that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.

Radar data showed the Otis fighters were airborne at 8:53. Lacking a target, they were vectored toward military-controlled airspace off the Long Island coast. To avoid New York-area air traffic, and uncertain about what to do, the fighters were brought down to military airspace to, quote, "hold as needed," end quote.

In summary, NEADS received notice of the hijacking nine minutes before it impacted the north tower. The nine minutes' notice was the most the military would receive that morning of any of the four hijackings. At 8:48, a New York Center manager provided the following report on a command center teleconference about American 11, including information that had been relayed by the airline.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MANAGER, NEW YORK CENTER: OK, this is New York Center. We're watching the airplane. I also had conversation with American Airlines, and they have told us that they believe that one of the stewardesses was stabbed, and that there are people in the cockpit that have control of the aircraft. And that's all the information they have right now.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: The New York Center controller and manager were unaware that American 11 had already crashed.

At approximately 8:55, the controller in charge notified a New York Center manager that she believed United 175 had also been hijacked. The manager tried to notify the regional managers and was told that the managers were discussing a hijacked aircraft, presumably American 11, and refused to be disturbed.

At 8:58, the New York Center controller searching for United 175 told another New York controller, quote, "We might have a hijack over here, two of them," end quote.

Between 9:01 and 9:02, a manager from New York Center told the command center in Herndon...

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MANAGER, NEW YORK CENTER: We have several situations going on out here. It's escalating big, big time. And we need to get the military involved with this.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: Meanwhile, the manager from Boston Center reported that they had deciphered what they had heard in one of the first hijacker transmissions from American 11.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BOSTON CENTER: You still here?

NEW ENGLAND REGION: Yes, I am.

BOSTON CENTER: I'm going to reconfirm with -- with downstairs, but the -- as far as the tape, I seem to think that the guy said that "We have planes." Now, I don't know if it was because it was the accent, or if there's more than one, but I'm going to reconfirm that for you, and I'll get back to you real quick, OK?

NEW ENGLAND REGION: Appreciate it. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They have what?

BOSTON CENTER: Planes, as in plural. Sounds like we're talking to New York, that there's another one aimed at the World Trade Center.

NEW ENGLAND REGION: Another aircraft?

BOSTON CENTER: A second one just hit the Trade Center.

NEW ENGLAND REGION: OK. Yes, we got to get the -- we got to alert the military real quick on this.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: The first indication that the NORAD air defenders had of the second hijacked aircraft, United 175, came in a phone call from New York Center to NEADS at 9:03. The notice came in at about the time the plane was hitting the south tower.

At 9:08, the mission crew commander at NEADS learned of the second explosion at World Trade Center and decided against holding the fighters in military airspace away from Manhattan.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MISSION CREW COMMANDER, NEADS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I foresee that we probably need to (UNINTELLIGIBLE), we need to talk to FAA, we need to tell them, if this stuff's going to keep on going, we need to take those fighters, put them over Manhattan. That's the best thing, that's the best play right here. So coordinate with the FAA, tell them that there's more out there, but if we don't know, just get them over Manhattan. At least you got some kind of play.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

JOHN FARMER, 9/11 COMMISSION STAFF: At 8:54. American 77 began deviating from its flight plan, first with a slight turn toward the south. Two minutes later, it disappeared completely from Indianapolis radar.

The controller tracking American 77 told us he first noticed the aircraft turning to the southwest and then saw the data disappear.

By 9:25, FAA's Herndon Command Center and FAA headquarters knew the following. They knew two aircraft had crashed into the World Trade Center. They knew American 77 was lost. They knew that a hijacker on board American 11 had said, quote, "We have some planes," end quote.

Concerns over the safety other aircraft began to mount. A manager at the Herndon Command Center asked FAA headquarters if they wanted to order a, quote, "nationwide ground stop," end quote. While executives at FAA headquarters discussed it, the command center went ahead and ordered one anyway at 9:25.

NORAD did not know about the search for American 77. Instead, they heard once again about a plane that no longer existed, American 11.

At 9:21, NEADS received a report from the FAA.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

FAA: Military, Boston Center. Just had a report that American 11 is still in the air, and it's on its way towards -- heading towards Washington.

NEADS: OK, American 11 is still in the air?

FAA: Yes.

NEADS: On its way towards Washington?

FAA: That was another -- it was evidently another aircraft that hit the tower. That's the latest report we have.

NEADS: OK.

FAA: I'm going to try to confirm an ID for you. But I would assume he's somewhere over either New Jersey or somewhat further south.

NEADS: OK, so, American 11 isn't a hijack at all, then, right?

FAA: No, he is a hijack.

NEADS: He -- American 11 is a hijack?

FAA: Yes.

NEADS: And he's heading into Washington?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. This could be a third aircraft.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Turns out it was a third aircraft headed for the Pentagon, and a fourth one headed for a field in Pennsylvania.

Just a piece of the dramatic events in a terrible day in U.S. history, captured in testimony from the 9/11 commission report finalized this week.

Plenty more ahead on CNN this morning. At the top of the hour, it's "ON THE STORY." At 11:00 Eastern, it's another edition of "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS," followed at noon by "CNN LIVE SATURDAY," with the latest on the developing situations in Iraq and in Saudi Arabia.

Thanks for joining us this morning. I'm Drew Griffin. I'll have a look at the top morning news stories after we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) 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 June 19, 2004 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Drew Griffin. Good morning, and thank you for starting your day with us.

We're waiting for reaction at this hour on the latest developments in Saudi Arabia. It will come from U.S. Ambassador James Oberwetter. He'll arrive in Riyadh. We hope to bring that to you live as soon as it starts, of course.

Here's a look at what else is happening at this hour. Betty?

NGUYEN: A gun battle between police and terrorist suspects in Riyadh just hours after American hostage Paul Johnson is found beheaded. Saudi sources say al Qaeda's leader in Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin, was killed in that shootout, along with three other terrorists. Sources also say al-Muqrin's number two man was captured in the operation.

In Iraq, battles with insurgents for a fourth straight day. One U.S. soldier and at least six Iraqis are killed in clashes around the Bakuba, which is north of Baghdad. More than 50 Iraqis were wounded in the attacks.

Another American soldier was killed in an attack in Baghdad. And an Iraqi ministry of health official says 16 Iraqis were killed and eight wounded today in the Sunni triangle of Fallujah. Local residents blame the deaths on U.S. air strike.

In the face of a censure from the International Committee on Atomic Energy, Iran says it will decide in the coming days whether it will resume its uranium enrichment activities. A U.N. resolution strongly rebuked Tehran for not coming clean on its nuclear program, but the IAEA board stopped short of issuing any sanctions.

GRIFFIN: A group of top-ranking U.S. senators made an unannounced visit to Baghdad today. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Democrat Joe Biden, and Republican Lindsey Graham all among that delegation. They met with the interim prime minister, Ayed Alawi, expressing optimism about the impending handover of power. They also thanked U.S. troops in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS) SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: Thank you for the job you've done and the way you've done it. Secondly, how proud we are of that job, how much we want to continue to support your efforts in whatever role it may be. And finally, we want to make sure that you all come home as safely as possible.

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: I think a number of mistakes have been made up to this point. But I don't think that the ultimate security and success in Iraq is in, is still clearly within the grasp of the prime minister, his cabinet. And the prospect that's in place for elections culminating in December of '05 are real.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

GRIFFIN: And to that end, the senators are calling on the international community to do what it can to help Iraq by either forgiving debt or contributing troops to the effort.

Saudi sources say the chief suspect in the beheading of American hostage Paul Johnson has been killed in Saudi Arabia. Abdul Aziz al- Muqrin and three other terror suspects died in a gun battle with Saudi security forces as part of an ongoing operation. And al-Muqrin's number two man wounded and captured in what the Saudis call a massive operation there.

In the U.S., officials are condemning Johnson's killing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The murder of Paul shows the evil nature of the enemy we face. These are barbaric people. There's no justification whatsoever for his murder.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This horrendous act shows once again the nature of the enemy that we're facing in the war on terror. They have no shame, not a shred of decency, and no mercy, even for the innocent.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Mr. Paul Johnson this afternoon. A good man, a fellow citizen, who may well have been murdered today. All Americans can be certain of President Bush's resolve in this war. America will hunt down these killers, find them one by one, and destroy them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: The State Department urging Americans to leave Saudi Arabia. The head of the State Department, though, Secretary of State Colin Powell, says if the Americans do leave, the terrorists have won.

Looking back, three American civilians have been killed by terrorists in Saudi Arabia in less than two weeks. Robert Jacobs was the first, gunned down in Riyadh on June 8. Then Kenneth Scroggs was shot to death in the Saudi capital on June 12. That is the same day Paul Johnson was kidnapped. NGUYEN: A message posted on the Internet had this warning for Americans, "Whoever comes to our country, this will be their punishment."

Joining us now from Washington to talk about this is Ken Robinson, CNN's military intelligence analyst.

Good morning to you.

KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Good morning,

NGUYEN: There are a lot of warnings out this morning urging Americans to leave. Here's yet another one today issued by the U.S. State Department, which says, and I quote, "U.S. citizens in the Persian Gulf are under attack in that region, and more attacks will continue."

Now, this is a bit of a double-edged sword, because if Americans leave that area, then the terrorists essentially win.

ROBINSON: That's it. You've got it. The, that's the double challenge. On one hand, we are very key, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the government of Japan, and their expatriates are very key to the infrastructure of maintaining and sustaining a long- term production and improvement. And so, yes, it is very dangerous right now, and those United States expatriates should depart.

NGUYEN: And if they don't leave, if they try to win this battle against the terrorists, who is going to protect Westerners in Saudi Arabia?

ROBINSON: Well, that's another double-edged sword. That's part of the objective of this foreign terrorist organization, al Qaeda. They, if they can get reaction on the part of government of Saudi Arabia to allow Western security forces in there, then they can point and say, Look, look how the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a puppet of the West. So the Saudis are really damned if they do and damned if they don't.

NGUYEN: But yesterday, the president said, "We will not be intimidated." So what is the U.S. doing?

ROBINSON: The U.S. is working very closely with the Saudis right now. That close cooperation has not been historically the way it has gone in terms of terrorism operations. But since the bombings in Riyadh's capital, the Saudis have realized that this terrorist threat has come home to threaten them, their kingdom, and the stability in their society. And so they're aggressively, as you saw, allegedly 15,000 law enforcement from the Saudi side on the streets beating the bushes, and they're the only ones who are going to be able to penetrate these groups, Saudi on Saudi.

NGUYEN: Ken, you mention the Saudis being aggressive. But yesterday Senator Frank Lautenberg from Paul Johnson's home town of New Jersey, or home state, I should say, said that the Saudi government is being too lax on this issue, they're not doing enough. Do you agree with that?

ROBINSON: I agree completely with the senator. They have been very lax historically for years. They have paid lip service to this issue, because it never threatened them personally. This is (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

NGUYEN: OK, Ken, I'm going to have to interrupt you quick, apologize for that. But James Oberwetter, the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, is speaking in Riyadh right now about the situation there. Let's take a listen.

(INTERRUPTED BY A LIVE EVENT)

GRIFFIN: That's U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Oberwetter wrapping up a news conference, speaking directly to the Saudi people in Riyadh.

NGUYEN: We want to bring now in CNN military intelligence analyst Ken Robinson, who have, who has been discussing with us about the situation in Saudi Arabia.

Ken, you've been listening to this news conference. Give us your thoughts. Mr. Oberwetter has said it's going to take some time for the comfort level in Saudi Arabia to return to normal. He's asking Saudi Arabians just to call in, report any terrorist activity, to help out in the search for terrorists. How long is it going to take, and is that enough?

ROBINSON: It's a step, it's a first step. The -- I've lived in Saudi Arabia many times in my career, and the -- it's always been a very safe place to live. It's a very unforgiving place in terms of their reaction to those in the West. However, with the case of this kidnapping of Paul Johnson, we did see a lot of Islamic voices, a lot of religious leaders and a lot of citizens of prominence, start to speak out to the terrorists.

And there is -- are reports of cooperation among citizens, and that's the only way these groups are ever going to be rooted out. So it's certainly a first step.

NGUYEN: All right, Ken, last question, we are almost out of time. Let's talk about the killing of Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin. This is a huge step for Saudi forces, but is it enough? Because do you expect others will rise up and take his place?

ROBINSON: Well, remember that the killing of al-Hajj by the Saudi police caused al-Muqrin to replace him. And so certainly, we should suspect that someone will replace al-Muqrin, because these are zero-sum gain people, this foreign terrorist organization, and they're not going away simply because 10 people have been killed or captured.

NGUYEN: CNN military intelligence analyst Ken Robinson, thank you.

Drew? GRIFFIN: "Stay quiet, and you'll be OK." That's what passengers on American flight 11 heard from one of the hijackers, believed to be Mohammed Atta.

In an extraordinary television event, audiotapes from the hijacked planes were played this week on Capitol Hill, and as part of hearings of the commission investigating September 11. In case you missed that unprecedented moment in television, we're going to bring you again this morning that transcript, highlights from the final report of the September 11 commission today coming up next on CNN. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: It was the other major news this week, the culmination of the 9/11 commission report proving to be the most dramatic and heart-wrenching so far, culminating in a painful and undeniable conclusion, U.S. air defenses were wholly unprepared for the terrorist plan of attack.

Here is that drama from the inside, as it unfolded.

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PHILIP ZELIKOW, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: FAA centers often receive information and make operational decisions independent of one another. On 9/11, the four hijacked aircraft were monitored mainly by four of these FAA route traffic control centers based in Boston, New York, Cleveland, and Indianapolis. Each center thus had part of the knowledge of what was going on across the system.

But it is important to remember that what Boston Center knew was not necessarily known by the centers in New York, Cleveland, or Indianapolis.

Controllers track airliners like the four aircraft hijacked on 9/11 primarily by watching the data from a signal emitted by the aircraft's transponder equipment. The four aircraft hijacked on 9/11, like all aircraft traveling above 10,000 feet, were required to emit a unique transponder signal while in flight.

On 9/11, the terrorists turned off the transponders on three of the four hijacked aircraft. With the transponder turned off, it may be possible, although more difficult, to track an aircraft by its primary radar returns.

On the morning of 9/11, the existing protocol was unsuited in every respect for what was about to happen. What ensued was the hurried attempt to create an improvised defense by officials who had never encountered or trained against the situation they faced.

JOHN AZZARELLO, 9/11 COMMISSION MEMBER: At 8:00 on September 11, 2001, American Airlines flight 11 began its takeoff roll at Logan Airport in Boston. A Boeing 767, flight 11 was bound for Los Angeles with 81 passengers, 11 crew, and 24,000 gallons of jet fuel. By 8:09, it was being monitored by FAA's Boston's Center, located in New Hampshire. At 8:13, the controller instructed the flight to, quote, "Turn 20 degrees right," end quote, which the flight acknowledged. This was the last transmission to which the flight responded.

Sixteen seconds later, the controller instructed the flight to climb to 35,000 feet. When there was no response, the controller repeated the command seconds later and then tried repeatedly to raise the flight. He used the emergency frequency to try to reach the pilot. Though there was no response, he kept trying to contact the aircraft.

At 8:21, American 11 turned off its transponder, immediately degrading the available information about the aircraft. The controller told his supervisor that he thought something was seriously wrong with the plane. At this point, neither the controller nor his supervisor suspected a hijacking.

He became even more concerned as its route changed, moving into another sector's airspace. Controllers immediately began to move aircraft out of its path and searched from aircraft to aircraft in an effort to have another pilot contact American 11.

At 8:24:38, the following transmission came from American 11.

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AMERICAN 11: We have some planes. Just stay quiet, and you'll be OK. We are returning to the airport.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: The next transmission came seconds later.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

AMERICAN 11: Nobody move. Everything will be OK. If you try to make any moves, you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: At 8:28, Boston Center called the command center in Herndon, Virginia, to advise management that it believed American 11 had been hijacked and was heading towards New York Center's airspace.

By this point in time, American 11 had taken a dramatic turn to the south.

At 8:32, the command center passed word of a possible hijacking to the operations center at FAA headquarters. The duty officer replied that security personnel at headquarters had just begun discussing the hijack situation on a conference call with the New England regional office. The Herndon Command Center immediately established a teleconference between Boston, New York, and Cleveland centers, so that Boston Center could help the others understand what was happening.

At 8:34, the Boston Center controller received a third transmission from American 11.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

AMERICAN 11: Nobody move, please. We are going back to the airport. Don't try to make any stupid moves.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: At 8:37 and 52 seconds, Boston Center reached NEADS. This was the first notification received by the military at any level that American 11 had been hijacked.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

FAA: Hi, Boston Center, TMU, we have a problem here, we have a hijacked aircraft headed towards New York, and we need you guys to -- we need someone to scramble some F-16s or something up there, help us out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This -- is this real-world. or exercise?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, this is not an exercise, not a test.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: F-15 fighters were ordered scrambles at 8:46 from Otis Air Force Base, but NEADS did not know where to send the alert fighter aircraft.

Quote, "I don't know where I'm scrambling these guys to. I need a direction, a destination," end quote.

Because the hijackers had turned off the plane's transponder, NEADS personnel spent the next minutes searching their radarscopes for the elusive primary radar return.

American 11 impacted the World Trade Center's north tower at 8:46:40.

Shortly after 8:50, while NEADS personnel were still trying to locate American 11, word reached them that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.

Radar data showed the Otis fighters were airborne at 8:53. Lacking a target, they were vectored toward military-controlled airspace off the Long Island coast. To avoid New York-area air traffic, and uncertain about what to do, the fighters were brought down to military airspace to, quote, "hold as needed," end quote.

In summary, NEADS received notice of the hijacking nine minutes before it impacted the north tower. The nine minutes' notice was the most the military would receive that morning of any of the four hijackings. At 8:48, a New York Center manager provided the following report on a command center teleconference about American 11, including information that had been relayed by the airline.

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MANAGER, NEW YORK CENTER: OK, this is New York Center. We're watching the airplane. I also had conversation with American Airlines, and they have told us that they believe that one of the stewardesses was stabbed, and that there are people in the cockpit that have control of the aircraft. And that's all the information they have right now.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: The New York Center controller and manager were unaware that American 11 had already crashed.

At approximately 8:55, the controller in charge notified a New York Center manager that she believed United 175 had also been hijacked. The manager tried to notify the regional managers and was told that the managers were discussing a hijacked aircraft, presumably American 11, and refused to be disturbed.

At 8:58, the New York Center controller searching for United 175 told another New York controller, quote, "We might have a hijack over here, two of them," end quote.

Between 9:01 and 9:02, a manager from New York Center told the command center in Herndon...

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MANAGER, NEW YORK CENTER: We have several situations going on out here. It's escalating big, big time. And we need to get the military involved with this.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: Meanwhile, the manager from Boston Center reported that they had deciphered what they had heard in one of the first hijacker transmissions from American 11.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BOSTON CENTER: You still here?

NEW ENGLAND REGION: Yes, I am.

BOSTON CENTER: I'm going to reconfirm with -- with downstairs, but the -- as far as the tape, I seem to think that the guy said that "We have planes." Now, I don't know if it was because it was the accent, or if there's more than one, but I'm going to reconfirm that for you, and I'll get back to you real quick, OK?

NEW ENGLAND REGION: Appreciate it. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They have what?

BOSTON CENTER: Planes, as in plural. Sounds like we're talking to New York, that there's another one aimed at the World Trade Center.

NEW ENGLAND REGION: Another aircraft?

BOSTON CENTER: A second one just hit the Trade Center.

NEW ENGLAND REGION: OK. Yes, we got to get the -- we got to alert the military real quick on this.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

AZZARELLO: The first indication that the NORAD air defenders had of the second hijacked aircraft, United 175, came in a phone call from New York Center to NEADS at 9:03. The notice came in at about the time the plane was hitting the south tower.

At 9:08, the mission crew commander at NEADS learned of the second explosion at World Trade Center and decided against holding the fighters in military airspace away from Manhattan.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MISSION CREW COMMANDER, NEADS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I foresee that we probably need to (UNINTELLIGIBLE), we need to talk to FAA, we need to tell them, if this stuff's going to keep on going, we need to take those fighters, put them over Manhattan. That's the best thing, that's the best play right here. So coordinate with the FAA, tell them that there's more out there, but if we don't know, just get them over Manhattan. At least you got some kind of play.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

JOHN FARMER, 9/11 COMMISSION STAFF: At 8:54. American 77 began deviating from its flight plan, first with a slight turn toward the south. Two minutes later, it disappeared completely from Indianapolis radar.

The controller tracking American 77 told us he first noticed the aircraft turning to the southwest and then saw the data disappear.

By 9:25, FAA's Herndon Command Center and FAA headquarters knew the following. They knew two aircraft had crashed into the World Trade Center. They knew American 77 was lost. They knew that a hijacker on board American 11 had said, quote, "We have some planes," end quote.

Concerns over the safety other aircraft began to mount. A manager at the Herndon Command Center asked FAA headquarters if they wanted to order a, quote, "nationwide ground stop," end quote. While executives at FAA headquarters discussed it, the command center went ahead and ordered one anyway at 9:25.

NORAD did not know about the search for American 77. Instead, they heard once again about a plane that no longer existed, American 11.

At 9:21, NEADS received a report from the FAA.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

FAA: Military, Boston Center. Just had a report that American 11 is still in the air, and it's on its way towards -- heading towards Washington.

NEADS: OK, American 11 is still in the air?

FAA: Yes.

NEADS: On its way towards Washington?

FAA: That was another -- it was evidently another aircraft that hit the tower. That's the latest report we have.

NEADS: OK.

FAA: I'm going to try to confirm an ID for you. But I would assume he's somewhere over either New Jersey or somewhat further south.

NEADS: OK, so, American 11 isn't a hijack at all, then, right?

FAA: No, he is a hijack.

NEADS: He -- American 11 is a hijack?

FAA: Yes.

NEADS: And he's heading into Washington?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. This could be a third aircraft.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Turns out it was a third aircraft headed for the Pentagon, and a fourth one headed for a field in Pennsylvania.

Just a piece of the dramatic events in a terrible day in U.S. history, captured in testimony from the 9/11 commission report finalized this week.

Plenty more ahead on CNN this morning. At the top of the hour, it's "ON THE STORY." At 11:00 Eastern, it's another edition of "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS," followed at noon by "CNN LIVE SATURDAY," with the latest on the developing situations in Iraq and in Saudi Arabia.

Thanks for joining us this morning. I'm Drew Griffin. I'll have a look at the top morning news stories after we come back.

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