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CNN Live Sunday
Investigation Into Monday's Attacks in Riyadh Continues
Aired May 18, 2003 - 16:09 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: Growing proof of an al Qaeda link to terror attacks last Monday against Americans in Saudi Arabia. CNN's Sheila MacVicar in Riyadh now with the latest on the investigation. She joins us by phone. Hello to you, Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi. At a news conference here in the Saudi capital just a few hours ago, a Saudi interior minister said that they have four people in custody who he said had some knowledge of the attacks before they took place. He would not specify what kind of knowledge. He would not say if they had involved somehow in logistics or in planning, and he said it seemed clear from the evidence gathered so far on these four men that they had clear links to al Qaeda.
Now, there's been a great deal of speculation on the part of various intelligence agencies and counter-terrorism experts that is these attacks did bear the hallmarks of al Qaeda. They were clearly very well planned, well organized, and the coordination of those attacks all are things that we have seen in the past from attacks linked by investigators to al Qaeda.
Now, in addition to that, the Saudi interior minister said that three of the nine bombers who died in those attacks have been identified as being amongst the 19 wanted men publicly announced by the Saudis a week or ten days before the attacks took place. Those men were wanted in connection with a large cache of weapons and explosives discovered in a house very close to one of the compounds that was later attacked.
The Saudis say they don't yet have any identification on the other six men. They say that that will take some considerable period of time and certainly if DNA evidence has to be used in that identification, it may take quite a long time. In other information coming from the Saudi capital today, it is now clear that the Saudi authorities are convinced that not all of those who participated in the attacks were killed by them. That there is an unknown number of attackers who got away and who are still on the loose. There is, of course, a manhunt under way. But one that so far is not been very successful -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Sheila MacVicar live by phone for us from Riyadh tonight. Thank you, Sheila.
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 May 18, 2003 - 16:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Growing proof of an al Qaeda link to terror attacks last Monday against Americans in Saudi Arabia. CNN's Sheila MacVicar in Riyadh now with the latest on the investigation. She joins us by phone. Hello to you, Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi. At a news conference here in the Saudi capital just a few hours ago, a Saudi interior minister said that they have four people in custody who he said had some knowledge of the attacks before they took place. He would not specify what kind of knowledge. He would not say if they had involved somehow in logistics or in planning, and he said it seemed clear from the evidence gathered so far on these four men that they had clear links to al Qaeda.
Now, there's been a great deal of speculation on the part of various intelligence agencies and counter-terrorism experts that is these attacks did bear the hallmarks of al Qaeda. They were clearly very well planned, well organized, and the coordination of those attacks all are things that we have seen in the past from attacks linked by investigators to al Qaeda.
Now, in addition to that, the Saudi interior minister said that three of the nine bombers who died in those attacks have been identified as being amongst the 19 wanted men publicly announced by the Saudis a week or ten days before the attacks took place. Those men were wanted in connection with a large cache of weapons and explosives discovered in a house very close to one of the compounds that was later attacked.
The Saudis say they don't yet have any identification on the other six men. They say that that will take some considerable period of time and certainly if DNA evidence has to be used in that identification, it may take quite a long time. In other information coming from the Saudi capital today, it is now clear that the Saudi authorities are convinced that not all of those who participated in the attacks were killed by them. That there is an unknown number of attackers who got away and who are still on the loose. There is, of course, a manhunt under way. But one that so far is not been very successful -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Sheila MacVicar live by phone for us from Riyadh tonight. Thank you, Sheila.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
