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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

United States on High Alert; Major Breakthrough in Case of Kidnapped Journalist

Aired February 12, 2002 - 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.
ANNOUNCER: Tonight on this special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, America on high alert for a possible terrorist attack as early as today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ASHCROFT, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL: I want to encourage all law enforcement officials and frankly, all Americans everywhere to be on the highest state of alert.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: We'll look at what's behind this latest warning. Plus, we'll speak with John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted," about how you can help.

A major breakthrough in the case of an American kidnapped in Pakistan. We'll talk with a journalist who survived years of captivity, former hostage Terry Anderson. Is freedom now near for reporter Daniel Pearl?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight from Washington. We welcome our international viewers to this special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Tonight, we're closely watching two major stories. The latest FBI alert, warning the American public of yet another possible terrorist attack, and optimistic signs that the kidnapped "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl can be a free man soon.

We begin with the new terror alert here in the United States. U.S. security forces around the world are on high alert, the move taken after the FBI today issued a warning of a possible terrorist attack on U.S. interests, perhaps as early as today. But the big question is whether and what kind of attack? CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another warning, another threat.

ASHCROFT: I want to encourage all law enforcement officials and frankly, all Americans everywhere to be on the highest state of alert in regard to these individuals.

FEYERICK: This time, names and a date some time around February 12. The FBI thinking an attack could take place in the United States or against U.S. interests in Yemen.

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTOR: So the fact that there is a date, February 12, isn't as important as the notion that the terrorists will act when they think time is right for them to act.

FEYERICK: On the FBI Web site, 13 pictures, a list of 17 men agents want to find. At the top of the list, the alleged point man, Fawaz Yahya Al-Rabeei. Al-Rabeei has more than a dozen known aliases, most different spellings or variations of his different. One that stands out, Farquan the Chechen. Al-Rabeei is about 22 years old. The FBI believes he's a Yemeni national born in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia is the country where 15 of the 19 suspected September hijackers came from. The attorney general says Al-Rabeei may have ties to the al Qaeda terror network. Officials say American forces are holding one of Al-Rabeei's brothers in custody in Afghanistan.

The FBI wants to find some of Al-Rabeei's friends who could be involved in the possible attack. What do they share in common? They're between 24 and 34 years old, almost all are from Yemen, with several born in Saudi Arabia. The FBI warns the men are considered extremely dangerous.

JAMES STEINBERG, FORMER DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Getting these names out, identifying individuals gives us at least a better chance of trying to interrupt some of the potential terrorist actions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK (on camera): As the day winds down, there's a small sigh of relief that maybe February 12 will end quietly. The president's spokesman says the country is much safer because these pictures are out at airports, train stations and bus stations. And even though the threat details are vague, by spreading the information officials believe it could disrupt a potential attack -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Deborah, do the law enforcement officials here in the United States or around the world have any idea where Al-Rabeei might be?

FEYERICK: No, they really don't. Not only that, they don't know whether he's alive or dead. There is information that he may not have entered the United States. However, the wild card is they did come in, but on a different name. So they're looking at that right now.

Clearly, now that they've got his brother in custody, they're hoping that some information as to his whereabouts may come to light.

BLITZER: Deborah Feyerick here in Washington, thanks for that report. And as Deborah just mentioned, the FBI believes an attack may be planned against U.S. attacks in Yemen. That's where we find our Brent Sadler.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The FBI alert was issued less than 24 hours after Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, met a top U.S. general here in the capital Sanaa. There was no reported discussion of the any imminent FBI announcement during these high level talks, but a warning about Fawaz Al-Rabeei was passed on to Yemeni intelligence and security services Monday, when the Yemeni leader was given assurances of U.S. willingness to intensify its cooperation in fighting terrors with Yemen.

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL CONTROL: We're going to help in every way we can because this is a problem for the war community, and so we're going to stay with it.

SADLER: Official government sources here say security around the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa has been on a high state of alert for some six weeks, in the light of two previous threat warning against the U.S. in Yemen.

The increased number of credible alerts though may reflect U.S. success in interrogating detainees being held by the U.S. in Cuba and in which Yemen will soon play an important role.

EDMUND J. HULL, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO YEMEN: The FBI will partner with Yemen investigators in terms of questioning of Yemeni detainees in Guantanamo not as a favor to Yemen, but because we believe Yemeni investigators will bring to that process insights and knowledge that will help us in the questioning.

SADLER: The latest security alert coincides with a Yemeni-led manhunt to capture two other al Qaeda suspects wanted in connection with the suicide bombing of the American destroyer, USS Cole in Aden some 16 months ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SADLER (on camera): Well, Yemen has said that it so far found no evidence of any present whereabouts of the wanted man, Fawaz Al- Rabeei, and they say they have no further information as a result of exhaustive searches of immigration records, both in the port of Aden and of course at the international airport here in Sanaa.

Yemeni security officials also tell CNN that they say that they have -- quote -- "taken the necessary security precautions to protect the interests of not only Yemen, but those of its friends and allies, particularly," they say here, "the United States" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And Brent, talk about the cooperation that you said has developed between the governments of the United States and Yemen.

SADLER: Well, this is really very much a work in progress, Wolf. We're seeing a lot of extensions and ideas and cooperation between U.S. officials helping in the training, for example, of a Yemeni anti- terror units. We're expected to see greater development in that area soon. It's worth mentioning that President George W. Bush has recently asked Congress to allot some $2 million in military aid to Yemen.

Now, this is very symbolic. It's a small amount, but symbolic because cast back your mind some 10 years ago, and you remember that Yemen sided against the U.S. led coalition to drive Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from occupied Kuwait.

And also, another very important area of growing cooperation will be over the coming months the development of a Yemeni coast guard. There's a huge Yemeni coastline, some 1,600 miles, 2,400 kilometers, and that needs patrolling to prevent the movement of terrorist personnel or equipment, a very important area for U.S. strategic interests in the Bab el Mandeb Strait, a choke point if you like between Djibouti and the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. So we're going to see a lot more coming out of cooperation between Yemen and the United States in the coming months -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Brent Sadler reporting live from Yemen, thank you very much.

And this new warning comes as the United States is already on heightened alert, especially in Salt Lake City where the Winter Olympics are now in full swing. Although there is no specific threat directed at Salt Lake City or the Olympics, the government is taking no chances. Our Rusty Dornin is there with a look at how protecting events on the ground can mean taking to the air -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, obviously, the Olympics were considered a possible target for terrorists, hence, the incredible security here. And there's a reason they call this city now the most heavily guarded city on the face of the earth and it's tough to get security measures much stricter. On the ground, Olympic visitors seem relatively unfazed by the new security alert. Of course, passing through the metal detectors and all the surveillance cameras that are in place here, all vehicles are still going through inspections entering any of the Olympic venues, and that's on a 24- hour basis.

But there is also the 45-mile radius of air space that is closed to any kind of private and commercial aircraft. Now, outside Salt Lake City is Hill Air Force Base where there are about 48 F-16s that are stationed, the 388 Fighter Wing and they are under the wing right now of NORAD, which came into play right after the Olympics -- or right before the Olympics began. Now, they are conducting routine patrols and they would intercept any planes that would cause a threat to the Olympics or the surrounding venues.

There are also about a half a dozen, a little more of than a half a dozen of the F-16s that are ready to scramble at moment's notice, less than 15 minutes and hit the air if a threat should occur. But again, the folks out there are saying they have already been in the heightened security status long before the Olympics began. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. EDWARD THOMAS, NORAD: Obviously, the FBI alert is a reminder that it that it's a very real threat that we face in our air defense mission here at the Olympics. But has our posture changed? No, not really. We've got air defense forces supporting the Secret Service here. We were ready before the Olympics and we maintain that readiness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: And that they are doing. They are flying those combat patrols every day. They take their job seriously. They've only had three interceptions and they call those benign. There was threats involved -Wolf.

BLITZER: Rusty Dornin at Salt Lake City, thanks for that report.

And when a terror alert is issued, we know that police departments and other agencies are on the highest state of alert, but what can we as citizens do to help? A short time ago, I talked with John Walsh, the host of "America's Most Wanted," about this latest alert.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (on-camera): John Walsh, thanks for joining us. How effective is it for the FBI to get these faces, these names out there, involving this latest FBI alert?

JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Oh, it's absolutely crucial, Wolf, because this is how we catch these guys. If you remember about three weeks ago, the Justice Department released the martyr video, the four known guys and the unknown guy. We profiled them on "America's Most Wanted" Saturday night and the parents of one of those guys called up and said over our hot line that their son was mentally disturbed; he'd be a perfect candidate for bin Laden to brainwash. It's important to find out who these guys are and it's important to let the American public know what they look like.

BLITZER: You're going to be profiling these guys on your program Saturday night. What do you hope to achieve when you do that that?

WALSH: Well, people trust "America's Most Wanted." They can call our hotline, remain anonymous. I'll bet some of these guys are in the United States and they're probably planning the next wave. And now, we're going let people know who they are, what they look like and we're praying that someone will, you know, make that call, give us that tip and say, look, I didn't know he was my neighbor. This is where he is, and maybe we can prevent him from doing something terrible.

BLITZER: What makes you suspect that they may be -- at least some of them may be in the United States?

WALSH: Well, they're very good at how they operate. And before 9-11, Americans didn't believe that these guys operated throughout the world. I've been profiling bin Laden since after the '93 World Trade towers. We knew that he functioned all the over the world, transferred money. These guys have 10 and 12 passports. They dress like westerners. Their mandate is to look like everybody else and function into society and that's why we're -- it's so important to show the pictures. They could be anywhere, but they certainly could be waiting in the United States right now for their next marching orders.

BLITZER: I spoke earlier with James Calstrom, former FBI deputy director, who says that law enforcement authorities around the country can't be on any higher state of alert than they already are on. What are they supposed to do right now?

WALSH: Well, they're supposed to be on that high alert. I mean I think everyone realized that we were not, you know, protected by these oceans in Mexico and Canada on September 11, that we could be the focus of a horrible terrorist attack and that we've had to change the way we live. They've been doing this in Israel for 27 years. They've been doing this in Paris, in London, and Northern Ireland and all over the world. We have to be on heightened alert. Life's never going to be the same since 9-11, and we have to be ready for anything.

BLITZER: Do you know anything specific about these individuals, including the ringleader, the suspected ringleader that the names and pictures were released the other night?

WALSH: Well, of course, the suspected ringleader goes by aliases, Farquan The Chechen. You know somebody may have seen him, you know, apply for a driver's license or rent car under that stupid name. We also know that he was a Saudi. A lot of the bombers that flew into the towers and into the Pentagon and into that field in Pittsburgh were Saudis. He's a Yemen -- citizen of Yemen. And we know a lot about them and we hope that we're going to find out more about them and hopefully somebody will say, you know what, I knew this guy under a different name. But they're very sophisticated; Wolf, and they know how to travel all over the world.

BLITZER: Bottom line, how worried should our viewers be right now, those Americans who are watching us?

WALSH: I don't believe in hysteria. I don't believe in panic. I believe in being alert. I believe in getting rid of the naivete and we did that on September 11. I think people now have to be observant, that the public is a tremendous resource.

On "America's Most Wanted," we have caught 695 guys in 30 countries that the cops couldn't catch because of people that watch the show. I believe the American public is a tremendous resource, keep their eyes open. If you feel that there's something going on or you feel something very suspicious, make that call. And if you don't want to call the police and you're afraid call 1-800-CRIMETV, "America's Most Wanted." We don't trace the calls. We'll turn the tip over to law enforcement.

But all Americans have got to be on the watch. It's all our battle now.

BLITZER: All right, John Walsh, we'll be watching "America's Most Wanted" Saturday night. Thanks as usual for joining us.

WALSH: Thank you, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: He's been held hostage for three weeks, but now a major break through raises hopes that kidnapped American journalist Daniel Pearl may soon be released. We'll go live to Karachi, Pakistan, when this special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS continues. Plus, insight from the man who survived a similar ordeal, former hostage, Terry Anderson.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. New developments in the search for kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl today. Pakistani police have arrested the man they believe is responsible for the abduction of "The Wall Street Journal" reporter. The suspect is talking, and what he has to say gives hope that an end to the ordeal is near. CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Karachi, Pakistan. He joins us now live with the latest -- Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, the British-born and educated Sheik Omar Saeed was arrested in midday Tuesday in the northeastern Pakistani city of Lahore. The police say he surrendered without a struggle and was found in a house in Lahore with his wife and young child.

Now, they have been describing, that is the Pakistani authorities have been describing Mr. Saeed as the ringleader of the group holding the U.S. journalist and of course, he was the subject of an intense nationwide manhunt. Now, according to senior police sources, the 28- year-old Islamic militant in the course of preliminary interrogations told them that Mr. Pearl is alive and is in Karachi. But despite this early revelation, a senior police officer in Karachi says that Saeed could be a hard nut to crack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My own professional assessment is that he is not an ordinary person. I'm afraid to hear from him. He is not an ordinary person. He's the one who is -- who is I would say highly educated and he is the one who is I would say maybe a hard nut to crack, so I don't think it will be very easy to break him straight away. It will take time, I feel, to -- before we can get all the details about Daniel from his interrogation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: Now, Saeed was transported from Lahore to Karachi late Tuesday evening. It is hoped that now that he is in Karachi he will help the investigators find the place where Mr. Pearl is being held. Now, just to give you a bit of background on Sheik Omar Saeed, he is no stranger to kidnappings. He was arrested in India in 1994 for involvement in the abduction of British and American tourists there. Five years later, he was released as part of a deal to end the hijacking of an Indian airlines flight diverted to Kandahar, Afghanistan, excuse me.

Now, also intelligence sources believe that Sheik Omar does have connections with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, and apparently, he wired funds to two of the hijackers involved in the September 11 attacks on the United States -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ben Wedeman in Karachi, thank you very much for that report.

And Terry Anderson is certainly a voice of experience in kidnappings. Anderson who covered Lebanon's civil war for the Associated Press was held hostage for nearly seven years in that country, and he's the honorary chairman of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Terry Anderson joins us now live from Athens, Ohio.

Terry, your thoughts now? Do you get a sense that this is a false optimism or that we may really be on the verge of Danny Pearl's freedom?

TERRY ANDERSON, FORMER KIDNAPPED JOURNALIST AND HONORARY CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: Well, this is the second time around for this kind of optimism. It's really a tough situation. We don't know where Danny is. We have to hope that the Pakistani police are going to be able to convince this Sheik that he has nothing more to gain, that this was -- that this whole thing was a mistake and that the best thing he can do is tell them where Danny sand help them to gain the release. We have to hope so.

I'm optimistic. The biggest problem we had before was finding out who was involved, now we know. So...

BLITZER: When you take a look at the strategy though in these perhaps final hours, what do you believe needs to be done to make sure it's a smooth release?

ANDERSON: Well, we're not in charge, Wolf. The Pakistani police are so we have to hope that they can handle this Sheik in a way that will result in Danny's release. I don't know what kind of strategy they can use on him. He does seem to be a tough nut. He's obviously a man who hasn't gotten the message of the last decade, which is that kidnapping Americans, particularly American journalists, for political purposes doesn't work. It's not a good tactic.

BLITZER: You were in his shoes for almost seven years. What do you think is going through his mind right now?

ANDERSON: Well, we have to hope that Danny has some access to the news. If he can hear what's going on, he knows that people are concerned, people are trying hard to help him, that his family is doing what they can, and that's gotten to the source of optimism and comfort to him. If he is cut off from the news, he is a very lonely man and probably a very scared one.

BLITZER: Remind our viewers why were you kidnapped to begin with?

ANDERSON: Well, it was the middle of the Lebanese civil war. The situation was chaotic. There was no authority, and the pro- Iranian militants decided that they could use us to try to gain the release of some of their colleagues who were in jail in Kuwait for terrorist acts.

They kidnapped a bunch of westerners. A number of them died in prison. Some of them were killed. And after seven years, they finally got the idea that it was not, as one of them told me on my release, a useful tactic. It didn't work.

BLITZER: What kind of advice do you have for journalists out there right now who are going in or who are in rather dangerous assignments?

ANDERSON: Well, the journalists who tend to end up in these kinds of places are usually pretty good at what they do. Organizations like CNN or the AP don't send second-raters to war zones. So I'm not sure that I have any advice I can give them. I think they pretty well know.

You don't take risks for the sake of taking risks. You don't do it for the thrill. You don't do it because you want to get your face on television. You do it because there is something there to be learned. You believe in your job. You believe strongly in what you're doing. And you believe strongly enough that you're willing to take calculated risks. I need to do this in order to get this information, the information is worth it. You don't just go out there where it's dangerous because it's fun. It's not fun. It's generally pretty depressing.

BLITZER: Terry Anderson, thanks for that very good advice. If young journalists out there, maybe some not so young are watching, I hope they heed what you had to say. I hope news executives heed what you had to say as well. Thank God, you're back here in the United States. Let's hope and pray that Danny Pearl will be freed very, very soon. Appreciate you're joining us.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

BLITZER: And when we come back, the latest on 17 students and a professor being held hostage right now at a university in Connecticut. We'll have a live report. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Topping our "News Alert", a hostage standoff continues at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Let's go live to CNN's Maria Hinojosa. She's standing by with details -- Maria.

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Wolf. Well, the latest we can report right now is that a total of 16 hostages have been released since 4:00 this afternoon. That means there are six hostages, students, and one professor still being held in the second floor of an administrative building here on the campus of Fairfield University.

What happened was at about 4:00 this afternoon, a young man, who we're told is a graduate of this university came into this classroom, in fact, it's called the Voices of Medieval Women class, a very popular class, a feminist class, in fact, walked in and started making demands. Now, police have not told us what those demands are, but we do know what those demands are not.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. GENE PALAZZOLO, FAIRFIELD POLICE: At least at this juncture, he has not made any terroristic threats. His agenda is far removed from that at this point. And he's been very calm and in a very subtle demeanor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HINOJOSA: We've been told by students that this young man apparently has a visual impairment, sometimes has a dog. They say he's a loner, but we don't have any reason right now, as to why he might have taken these hostages. Hostage negotiators are on sight here, as well as the FBI. The Fairfield Police are on top of the situation -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Maria Hinojosa in Fairfield, Connecticut, thanks for that report.

And that's all the time we have. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. THE POINT is next for our domestic viewers. Regular programming resumes for our international audience.

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