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CNN Live Sunday

Federal Investigators Converge on Murphy, North Carolina

Aired June 01, 2003 - 18:00   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.


ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Federal investigators are converging on Murphy, the small community where he was captured just yesterday. CNN's Gary Tuchman join us from Murphy, North Carolina. Good evening, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, hello to you. As we speak, one of the most wanted men in America remains in a small town jail in his home town of Murphy, North Carolina. This is the jail behind me, and you can see in front of the jail right now, two local police officers who are guarding over the jail facility where Eric Rudolph is right now. Those officers holding weapons. The security here is very tight because this is not known as a high-security facility. This is just a city jail lock-up.

The plan is to have Eric Rudolph transferred from here to Ashville, North Carolina, sometime between now and tomorrow morning, because tomorrow is his first federal court hearing. It's called a removal hearing. It will take place at 10:00 Eastern time.

In the woods right now, as we speak, federal officials from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, combing the area, looking for the possibility of any evidence, anything that will help decipher where Eric Rudolph has been the last five years.

Now, there is a lot of sensitivity here in this part of the country towards federal law enforcement. And the FBI is taking pains to reassure people here they will not be heavy-handed visitors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS SWECKER, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: There is a lot of work to do over the next few days. But we are trying not to become an occupational force here. I mean, we're trying to be very measured and very controlled about what we're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: We had a little more to that sound, but I'll tell you the rest of what he said. He said we want to be very careful, we want to make sure that nobody here is nervous about us being here, but we have a job to do. And it's interesting that he used the term "occupational force," a military term, but you can tell the federal authorities are trying to be very careful while they're here searching this area. It's anticipated that hundreds of people will ultimately be here today and tomorrow as they continue the search. We do want to tell you the plan is to get him out of here, Rudolph, sometime today or tomorrow. As we said, the removal hearing in Ashville will simply be a hearing where they verify officially his identification, and then he will be removed either to Atlanta -- to Birmingham, Georgia, Alabama where the bombs went off. Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Gary, I think you're right to pick up on that term, "occupational force." It's been quite startling. Never really heard a federal agent using that before. What about it? How is it turning out? You said there are 100 or 200 agents there. Do you see them around? Is it -- are they very (AUDIO GAP)?

TUCHMAN: ... Burger King, to McDonald's, to one of the stores downtown, you see them purchasing things, you see them eating, and you also see them walking into the woods. They are keeping reporters away, but you do see them at various parts of this small community, entering the woods with equipment, looking through the woods and seeing what they can find out about the past of Eric Rudolph.

COOPER: Do you get the sense -- and I know one is being very careful not to follow them too much, giving them the respect that they had asked for yesterday. But do you get the sense that they know what they are looking for, or they know where they are going? Because obviously no one -- apparently has known for five years where Eric Robert Rudolph is. All of a sudden now they're searching woods. It seems to indicate they have some word on where to look.

TUCHMAN: Well, that's a very interesting question, because federal authorities are keeping very quiet. As a matter of fact, they are telling the local authorities who did speak with us yesterday on camera not to talk anymore. So we don't know for sure if they're going into the woods because they've been told something by Eric Rudolph. We have been told that he has been pleasant inside and he has been respectful. We're not being told if he's been cooperative. So we're not sure at this point if they're going into the woods because they've been told something by Rudolph, or if they're going into the woods to see what they can find, because Rudolph isn't talking at all.

COOPER: And what sort of response have you been encountering from local people there? Do they seem angered -- I'm sure they're surprised, but do they seem angered by the presence of so many officers there?

TUCHMAN: Most of the reaction we see here is similar to what you'd see anywhere in the United States. Most people are very surprised that he has been captured. They're also very grateful, most people, that he's been captured. They think it's the right thing.

However, we have talked to some people who aren't so happy about it, some people here who distrust the federal government and are saying that perhaps he didn't do it, and that they're just getting him because they want somebody in jail.

Other people who've said we've known there was a $1 million reward. But one gentleman came up to us and said, we have known that reward has been offered, but I wouldn't have turned him in if I saw him for $10 million. And I asked him, why wouldn't you? And he said, because you don't turn in one of your own. And I said, well, what if one of the victims was a member of your family? And he said, well, one of the victims wasn't a member of my family.

COOPER: Interesting. One of the victims, of course, was a police officer, another a 44-year-old mother and wife, Alice Hawthorne (ph). So interesting perspective. Gary Tuchman, appreciate you joining us this evening. 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






Aired June 1, 2003 - 18:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Federal investigators are converging on Murphy, the small community where he was captured just yesterday. CNN's Gary Tuchman join us from Murphy, North Carolina. Good evening, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, hello to you. As we speak, one of the most wanted men in America remains in a small town jail in his home town of Murphy, North Carolina. This is the jail behind me, and you can see in front of the jail right now, two local police officers who are guarding over the jail facility where Eric Rudolph is right now. Those officers holding weapons. The security here is very tight because this is not known as a high-security facility. This is just a city jail lock-up.

The plan is to have Eric Rudolph transferred from here to Ashville, North Carolina, sometime between now and tomorrow morning, because tomorrow is his first federal court hearing. It's called a removal hearing. It will take place at 10:00 Eastern time.

In the woods right now, as we speak, federal officials from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, combing the area, looking for the possibility of any evidence, anything that will help decipher where Eric Rudolph has been the last five years.

Now, there is a lot of sensitivity here in this part of the country towards federal law enforcement. And the FBI is taking pains to reassure people here they will not be heavy-handed visitors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS SWECKER, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: There is a lot of work to do over the next few days. But we are trying not to become an occupational force here. I mean, we're trying to be very measured and very controlled about what we're doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: We had a little more to that sound, but I'll tell you the rest of what he said. He said we want to be very careful, we want to make sure that nobody here is nervous about us being here, but we have a job to do. And it's interesting that he used the term "occupational force," a military term, but you can tell the federal authorities are trying to be very careful while they're here searching this area. It's anticipated that hundreds of people will ultimately be here today and tomorrow as they continue the search. We do want to tell you the plan is to get him out of here, Rudolph, sometime today or tomorrow. As we said, the removal hearing in Ashville will simply be a hearing where they verify officially his identification, and then he will be removed either to Atlanta -- to Birmingham, Georgia, Alabama where the bombs went off. Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Gary, I think you're right to pick up on that term, "occupational force." It's been quite startling. Never really heard a federal agent using that before. What about it? How is it turning out? You said there are 100 or 200 agents there. Do you see them around? Is it -- are they very (AUDIO GAP)?

TUCHMAN: ... Burger King, to McDonald's, to one of the stores downtown, you see them purchasing things, you see them eating, and you also see them walking into the woods. They are keeping reporters away, but you do see them at various parts of this small community, entering the woods with equipment, looking through the woods and seeing what they can find out about the past of Eric Rudolph.

COOPER: Do you get the sense -- and I know one is being very careful not to follow them too much, giving them the respect that they had asked for yesterday. But do you get the sense that they know what they are looking for, or they know where they are going? Because obviously no one -- apparently has known for five years where Eric Robert Rudolph is. All of a sudden now they're searching woods. It seems to indicate they have some word on where to look.

TUCHMAN: Well, that's a very interesting question, because federal authorities are keeping very quiet. As a matter of fact, they are telling the local authorities who did speak with us yesterday on camera not to talk anymore. So we don't know for sure if they're going into the woods because they've been told something by Eric Rudolph. We have been told that he has been pleasant inside and he has been respectful. We're not being told if he's been cooperative. So we're not sure at this point if they're going into the woods because they've been told something by Rudolph, or if they're going into the woods to see what they can find, because Rudolph isn't talking at all.

COOPER: And what sort of response have you been encountering from local people there? Do they seem angered -- I'm sure they're surprised, but do they seem angered by the presence of so many officers there?

TUCHMAN: Most of the reaction we see here is similar to what you'd see anywhere in the United States. Most people are very surprised that he has been captured. They're also very grateful, most people, that he's been captured. They think it's the right thing.

However, we have talked to some people who aren't so happy about it, some people here who distrust the federal government and are saying that perhaps he didn't do it, and that they're just getting him because they want somebody in jail.

Other people who've said we've known there was a $1 million reward. But one gentleman came up to us and said, we have known that reward has been offered, but I wouldn't have turned him in if I saw him for $10 million. And I asked him, why wouldn't you? And he said, because you don't turn in one of your own. And I said, well, what if one of the victims was a member of your family? And he said, well, one of the victims wasn't a member of my family.

COOPER: Interesting. One of the victims, of course, was a police officer, another a 44-year-old mother and wife, Alice Hawthorne (ph). So interesting perspective. Gary Tuchman, appreciate you joining us this evening. 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