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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

U.S. Forces in Middle East on Highest Alert Status in Response to Terrorism Threat

Aired June 22, 2001 - 20:00   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.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Tonight, a terror threat has U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf on their highest state of alert, and there's a worldwide caution for Americans abroad.

A court appearance for the Texas woman accused of killing her five children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the most horrendous thing that I have ever seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: They were 10 years old when they lured a 2-year-old from his mother, tortured him and killed him. Now, they are 18 and they are being set free. Shock and outrage in England. We'll have a report.

And where's Chandra Levy? The search for answers continues. I'll speak with Washington's assistant police chief, Terrance Gainer.

Good evening. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting tonight from Washington.

It's been almost exactly five years since the Khobar Towers truck bombing in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 U.S. airmen and injured hundreds more. It's been less than a year since a small boat loaded with explosives pulled up to the side of the USS Cole in a port in Yemen, killing 17 U.S. sailors and injuring 39 others. Today, operating under the assumption better safe than sorry, the U.S. government took dramatic steps to avoid yet another terrorist attack.

CNN national security correspondent David Ensor has our top story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. ships have been ordered out of Persian Gulf ports, exercises off the USS Boxer curtailed in Jordan, and American forces are at the highest state of alert because of information U.S. intelligence has suggesting an imminent threat of terrorist attack against Americans. Officials say they have no information on where it might take place.

The threat comes, officials say, from the Al-Qaeda group, headed by indicted terrorist Osama bin Laden, who lives under government protection in Afghanistan. Officials say the information came from two different sources, which set off alarm bells. Last week, a recruiting and fund raising tape for the Al-Qaeda group made its way to a Kuwaiti newspaper, in which bin Laden said, quote: "Your brothers in Palestine are waiting for to you hit hard on America and Israel." The tape includes pictures of the USS Cole after being hit by a terrorist bomb.

(on camera): Besides moves to improve the security of U.S. military in the region, the U.S. embassy in Bahrain will not be open as usual on Saturday, officials say, and additional steps have also been taken to improve the security of U.S. personnel and facilities around the world.

(voice-over): The threat of terrorism, already high, was increased, officials say, by the announcement Thursday of U.S. indictments of 13 Saudis and one Lebanese in the Khobar Towers bombing that killed 19 Americans five years ago in Saudi Arabia.

(on camera): U.S. officials say the period of the highest danger of terrorism is most likely be the next few days, including Monday, the fifth anniversary of the bombing of Khobar Towers.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Spanish officials say they've arrested the leader of a cell linked to alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. The Algerian national was seized today in Alicante in southeast Spain. Spanish officials say he's on the most-wanted lists of Western intelligence agencies. FBI officials say the man has ties to bin Laden, but is not a top lieutenant.

Now following up on the tragic story out of Houston. The mother accused of killing her five children had her first court appearance today. Let's go live to Houston and CNN correspondent Ed Lavandera. Ed, tell us what's going on.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're standing at the downtown Houston detention facility where Andrea Yates is siting in jail tonight. But earlier today, she made a court appearance just a few blocks from here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Wearing a bright orange jail uniform, Andrea Yates was escorted into a Houston courtroom for a hearing that lasted just three minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ms. Yates, you understand what it is you're charged with, ma'am? LAVANDERA: The charge is capital murder, which means if she's conflicted, she could spend life in prison or face the death penalty. Prosecutors have not said whether they will pursue the death penalty at trial.

JOE OWMBY, HARRIS COUNTY PROSECUTOR: The death penalty in a way it's applied in Texas depends on the crime, the individual and the combination of all that and justice, and I can't say that the crime alone is the determining factor.

LAVANDERA: One factor that could come into play is whether the father of the five dead children asks prosecutors to spare his wife's life. But some criminal defense attorneys say it could become a political issue when it comes time to make that decision.

RANDY SCHAFFER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The wild card that plays into all of this is you have five dead kids, and you have a prosecutor's office who could legitimately make the argument, if we don't seek the death penalty for someone who's killed five people, how can we rationally seek it for someone who's killed only one.

LAVANDERA: Meanwhile, prosecutors have now taken the lead in the criminal investigation.

KAYLYNN WILLIFORD, HARRIS COUNTY PROSECUTOR: The homicide officers have been investigating the case, and we're in the process of receiving information from them, so we can go through all the evidence and determine exactly what we have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: Now, Andrea Yates is not scheduled to make another court appearance until July 24. That would be the formal arraignment hearing. Meanwhile today, family members announced that they have made funeral arrangements for the five children. We understand that the funerals will be held Wednesday morning at a Houston church, and that would be the next time we will hear from the family -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ed, I know you just covered a news conference there in Houston. Give us the headlines, what happened?

LAVANDERA: Well, within the last hour, actually since about 4:00 Central time, the family of Andrea Yates, her mother and two brothers showed up, and then a short time afterward, Andrea Yates' husband, Russell Yates, showed up with his brother, and they were -- spent about 30 minutes -- or actually, 30 to 45 minutes inside this detention facility. All of them were able to meet with Andrea Yates, and afterward the attorney who's been hired for Andrea Yates came out and spoke as to what exactly happened inside this building.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE PARNHAM, YATES DEFENSE ATTORNEY: All I can tell you is the family is extremely supportive. Rusty, the husband, the members of her family, her mother, her brothers who are here, and we will get through this with their assistance. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: George Parnham was hired on for Andrea Yates, to be her attorney today. He's a high-profile attorney here in the city of Houston. Now, he was not the attorney that was appointed by the court. If you have been following the developments throughout the day, this morning a court-appointed attorney was assigned to Andrea Yates because she had told the court that she didn't have enough money to hire an attorney.

But we understand that Mr. Parnham has taken on the case now. I asked him earlier if he was working pro bono, if he was being paid for his work, and he said that the family would much rather keep that personal for right now, so not exactly clear as to how he got signed on to this case at this time -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ed Lavandera, once again, joining us from the scene in Houston, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, in Britain today, another horrible tragedy is being relieved. In 1993, a pair of 10-year-olds lured 2-year-old James Bulger from his mother in a Liverpool shopping center. They tortured him, beat him and killed him. Now 18, they've been granted parole and new identities. CNN's Sheila MacVicar reports from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the two boys were on trial eight years ago as 10-year-old children, the crowd outside the Liverpool courthouse howled and threatened death. Eight years have not changed many minds. So next week, when Robert Thompson and John Venables leave their secure accommodation, they will leave behind their names.

HARRY FLETCHER, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PROBATION OFFICERS: The new identities have been prepared for obvious reasons, because sections of the community here want to punish them, want to get them.

MACVICAR: New passports, driver's licenses, bank cards -- a whole new history that British authorities hope will enable the two to disappear, known only to their families and their probation officers. Security experts say these new identities will have to have been very carefully thought out.

MICHAEL BLUESTONE, BERKELY SECURITY BUREAU: People these days want to check these things out. Employers don't just take for granted the fact that you are producing a certificate, and they may well want to make a phone call and speak to someone, or even write to someone. Now, the question is, has all of this been thought through as well?

FLETCHER: We're not talking about two sophisticated individuals here. They are almost going to have to adopt the demeanor of an undercover agent in order to kind of keep the whole thing secure. In my view, it's going to be extremely difficult.

MACVICAR: Difficult and, experts say, very stressful. What happens if they drink too much in a pub, fall in love with someone they want to confide in, run into someone who recognizes them? All risks that could lead to exposure and danger.

BLUESTONE: They are going to be in a real pressure cooker, because you know, living their lives as new people, with new identities, is going to create huge stress on a day-to-day basis.

MACVICAR: Walking down the street, trying to be anonymous, trying not to feel hunted, trying to live a perfectly ordinary life while concealing a perfectly horrifying secret. When they leave their prisons, there will be no spotlights, no photographs, no images beyond these pictures: Robert Thompson, John Venables, child killers, age 10.

Sheila MacVicar, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: She vanished suddenly nearly two months ago. Where is Chandra Levy? Her congressman friend hires a new lawyer and offers to answer more questions. Is the investigation at a standstill? I'll ask Washington's assistant police chief, Terrance Gainer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Seven weeks after her disappearance, there's no sign of Chandra Levy. Congressman Gary Condit, who through a spokesman says he was a good friend of the young intern, but not romantically involved, has met with her mother and offered to meet again with police. And now lawyers are stepping into the case. Let's go live once again to CNN national correspondent Bob Franken -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, things are so complicated in Washington, so unique, that even in something like a missing persons case all the people who are involved have to hire a prominent lawyer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Susan and Robert Levy have returned to their Modesto, California home. Left behind, the still unanswered questions about their daughter, Chandra Levy, who disappeared more than seven weeks ago. And an investigation that is becoming a battle of Washington lawyers. Congressman Gary Condit retained prominent D. C. Attorney Abbe Lowell two weeks ago. Lowell is well-connected, and experienced with high profile cases. He was most recently in the public eye as counsel to House Judiciary Committee Democrats during impeachment proceedings against President Clinton.

ABBE LOWELL, CONDIT'S ATTORNEY: I have been a friend of the Congressman's for some time. When he asked for my help I was glad to provide it.

FRANKEN: Congressman Condit has been forced to constantly deny he had a romantic relationship with 24-year-old Chandra Levy. Levy disappeared as she was preparing to leave Washington following the completion of an internship at the Bureau of Prisons. Chandra's parents have retained their own D. C. Superlawyer, Billy Martin, who represented Monica Lewinsky's mother.

WILLIAM MARTIN, LEVY FAMILY ATTORNEY: We remain optimistic that Chandra is alive.

FRANKEN: Both Martin and Lowell accompanied their clients, Susan Levy and Congressman Condit when they held a private meeting Thursday night. Martin then issued a written statement urging Condit to meet immediately with Washington police and "We would hope the congressman would commit to meet with all others working on this case including the FBI, and our own investigators."

Condit countered with his own statement, saying he has once again contacted D.C. police to arrange a second interview and added, "Hopefully it will occur sooner rather than later."

Sources say the interview may occur over the weekend. No response from Condit to the proposal to speak with the Levys' private investigator. (END VIDEOTAPE)

"And it seems there's only one thing that everybody can say with assurance and that is that Chandra Levy is still missing -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob, I know you know the story behind the story with the retaining of all of these high powered Washington attorneys. What's going on?

FRANKEN: Well, what's going on is, is that each side, and regrettably we can talk about this as adversarial sides -- the Levys and Congressman Condit -- each side believed that it was not getting it's story out there well enough, and so each decided that it needed somebody who could maneuver through the treacherous shoals of Washington. That's why these attorneys were hired,

BLITZER: Bob Franken, our man on scene. Thanks once again for joining us. And this Chandra Levy case is taking on a distinct Washington character. The point man for the Metropolitan D.C. Police is the number two man in the department. A former director of the Illinois State Police, he's also a lawyer and was chief legal counsel of Chicago's police department.

Joining me now is the executive assistant chief Terrance Gainer. Chief Gainer, thank you for joining us. When is that meeting going to take police, another meeting between police here in Washington and Congressman Condit?

ASSISTANT CHIEF TERRANCE GAINER, METROPOLITAN D.C. POLICE: Our staffs are working that out, but it will be sooner than later.

BLITZER: What's the problem? What's taking so long in setting the stage and getting this meeting off the ground?

GAINER: I don't think there's a problem. There's no sense of real urgency on our part. He's not under investigation. We just want to fulfill the picture of Chandra to see of we can get some more information as to where she might be. BLITZER: Well, what do you think he could possibly offer that he didn't offer in that first exchange?

GAINER: It's not unusual in a case like this to interview and reinterview people. We've done that with scores of individuals. As times goes on and we learn more about things and we want to go back and revisit some issues and clarify issues.

BLITZER: Is there -- there's been a lot of speculation. You want to get into Chandra Levy's state of mind before she disappeared. Is there a sense that Congressman Condit can help you understand perhaps better her state of mind?

GAINER: I think anybody who has had anything do with her, work with her, friends neighbors relatives can add to the mosaic that we are trying to put together about her, and again, that can be helpful to us.

BLITZER: As you know, her parents, the Levys are asking that this case no longer be a missing persons case, but a criminal case. Presumably to heighten the kind of level of investigation the D.C. police force would go through. Why not make it a criminal case as opposed to a missing persons case?

GAINER: The classification of the case is really a difference without distinction. We have seasoned homicide detectives working on this. We are working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We have good people working the case. All are our efforts are in it irrespective of what it's called.

BLITZER: So are you suggesting that whether it is a missing persons case or a criminal case, the same degree, the same effort is going into it right now, whatever it's labeled.

GAINER: Absolutely. We have anywhere from 2 to 50 people on it depending on what the workload is. So our interest is in finding her, not necessarily what someone is classifying the case as.

BLITZER: The fact there's so much media interest in this case, there are about 400 other missing persons cases in the District of Columbia since the beginning of this year. The media attention, the fact that a Congressman knows this woman, is that generating the kind of heightened investigation that the D.C. police force is involved in?

GAINER: It is not. Our detectives labor over every case. And it really requires more work on the part of Chief Ramsey and myself, but we are creating an atmosphere where our detectives can work hard and that's what they're doing.

BLITZER: As you know, there was a case a couple of years ago of a young Washington attorney named Joyce Chang. She disappeared. She was missing. Eventually, unfortunately, tragically, her body was found in the Anacostia River here in Washington, D.C. Is there any similarity between these 2 cases as far as the D.C. police force is concerned? GAINER: There is not. We've looked closely at that. We knew, obviously a lot about that case but they are completely unrelated.

BLITZER: Chief Gainer it was good for you to join us. Thank you so much.

GAINER: Thank you.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And up next, Peru's president elect is headed to the United States this weekend. We'll hear what he has to say about American Lori Berenson, sentenced to 20 years in a Peruvian jail.

And a very a frustrating day for many United Airlines passengers. We'll tell you what caused so many of their problems.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Other stories we're covering tonight, Peru's president-elect Alejandro Toledo is traveling to the United States this weekend, where he'll likely face questions over the imprisonment of American Lori Berenson. The 31-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison Wednesday for collaborating with Peruvian rebels.

Her parents are holding out hope Toledo will pardon her. Toledo says he expects the case will be high on the agenda when he visits the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO TOLEDO, PERUVIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT: I share the sorrow with the parents, not only of her parents but of all the people. I'm very respectful of the independencies of the power of the judicial system, about which we have fought to be independent, needs to continue it's path. The executive branch cannot interfere with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Berenson says she believes she will eventually be vindicated. The United States and Mexico are joining forces to reduce the number of migrants killed while crossing the U.S. border. The plan calls for U.S. border patrol agents to use pepper spray instead of bullets. Other measures agreed upon, include strengthening campaigns to warn would-be migrants of the dangers of crossing, and beefing up reconnaissance flights to crackdown on people smugglers.

A major hailstorm in Denver is causing big problems for United Airlines. Golf-ball sized hail damaged more than 30 United planes, forcing the airline to delay or cancel dozens of flights for a second straight day.

Tonight on "The Leading Edge:" renting a vehicle and speeding could put you out hundreds of dollars. The rental car company Acme uses global positioning systems to track how fast drivers are going. In one case, a driver was fined $150 each time he went over the limit. He's suing, saying the technology is too intrusive.

Driving while talking on your hand-held cellular phone soon could be banned in New York. The state Senate has passed a measure which would make talking and driving illegal and punishable by a $100 fine. Several states are considering similar measures.

Drug and alcohol abusers not drawn to traditional therapy programs now have another option, the Internet. A Web site called getgoing.com offers treatment to anyone, anywhere. The 12-week program, backed by former drug policy director General Barry McCaffrey, allows clients to see, hear and talk to a real-time counselor.

BLITZER: Up next I'll open our mail bag. We've received more emotional responses to the killings of those five young children in Houston. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Time now to open our mailbag. Once again, many of you reacted to the drowning of those five little children in Houston. Cherel from Great Falls, Montana writes this: "You wonder what causes a mother to kill her children? I was 18 months old when my adopted mother tried to drown me. She wanted me dead because she loved her bottle and all the attention from men."

Eric from Nova Scotia writes," Wolf, if the father and everyone knew of her problems then they should never have left them alone with her. When people have this problem they can not stay with their kids alone."

But Monique, from Clovis, California, writes: "When and or if she recovers, she will suffer every day for the rest of her life possible unable to ever forgive herself. I don't see how anyone could want to put her in jail. What good would that do?"

Remember, I want to hear from you. Please e-mail me at wolf@cnn.com. And you can read my daily online column and sign up for my e-mail previewing our nightly programs by going to my Web site: cnn.com/wolf.

Please stay with CNN throughout the night. A tribute to Carroll O'Connor is on "LARRY KING LIVE" at the top of the hour. Up next, Greta Van Susteren. She's standing by to tell us what she has -- Greta.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST, CNN'S "THE POINT": Wolf, tonight we have two comedians an a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) slash author. They are going to help us look at what has happened in Washington last week and also the state of American society. Plus we're going to take a short stop and go out to Modesto, California. Talk to a reporter out there, tell us about a little bit about Congressman Condit and how he's looked at now in Modesto, California -- Wolf. BLITZER: Greta, sounds good. I'll see you Sunday on "LATE EDITION." Among my guests: Senator John McCain. That's Sunday at noon Eastern. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer on Capitol Hill. "THE POINT WITH GRETA VAN SUSTEREN" begins right now.

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