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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Suicide Bombers Hit Israel For Second Straight Day; Charter Plane Security Deemed Too Lax; Balloonist Begins 5th Attempt to Circle Globe

Aired June 19, 2002 - 17:00   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: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, terror in the streets. Back to back suicide bombings. With Israel unleashing a powerful response, can the White House make a difference?

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: And the president is determined still to find a way to help the parties to find peace.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLITZER: Tracking terrorists at home -- when you're watching Fourth of July festivities, the FBI will be watching with you.

Terror in the skies -- will a small, private plane become the next flying bomb?

Could a forest service worker deliberately have set the Colorado fire?

Are police playing it straight in the case of a missing Utah girl?

It's Wednesday, June 19, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

The fury of terrorism at home and abroad tops our news today. We'll tell you how the top-secret National Security Agency intercepted two chilling warnings before September 11, but translated them too late.

And in a moment you'll hear how the FBI is stepping up security plans nationwide to keep you safe on the Fourth of July.

But we begin with the Middle East, where terror is now an everyday reality. Israel has been rocked by another deadly suicide bombing, and has launched a fierce counterstrike. Let's go straight to Jerusalem. That's where CNN senior international correspondent Sheila MacVicar is standing by. Sheila, give us all the latest details.

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Wolf. Well just five hours ago, just towards the end of the evening rush hour here, Israeli police say a suicide bomber got out of a car at this intersection and began to run towards a bus shelter where there were a number of people waiting to take a bus or hitchhike -- waiting to hitchhike a ride home.

They say a border policeman who was on guard here specifically to try to prevent against such an attack saw the bomber running, began to run after him. As he approached the bomber, the bomber detonated his device, deadly impact -- six Israelis are dead, say the police. The seventh who has been killed, obviously the suicide bomber, and more than 40 others are injured tonight, five of them in critical condition.

Wolf, they say that among those injured, obviously that border policeman who tried to stop the bomber and a number of children, a six-year old girl and at least two 18-month old children as well. Now, on the scene tonight we saw again Jerusalem's mayor, Ehud Olmert. I saw him just yesterday at the scene of yesterday's deadly blast, back on the scene again tonight, and he was talking about the impact that all of this is having on Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EHUD OLMERT, MAYOR JERUSALEM: The problem is the fact that Yasser Arafat is still around here and he's the one that condones, that supports, that finances and that orchestrates all of this. And if he will not be removed, terror will continue.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

MACVICAR: Now, Mr. Olmert was expressing an opinion that's frequently heard here in Israel, an opinion that has been made very clear to Israel's government. We know that Israel's government last night made a decision that it will go in and reoccupy parts of the West Bank. They started last night with Jenin.

They said in that same statement additional acts of terror would bring additional reoccupation. Now, also Israel's government made a decision yesterday that they would not now expel Mr. Arafat. That's clearly something that people like Mr. Olmert would like to see happen -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Sheila MacVicar on the scene in Jerusalem for us. Thank you very much.

And Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has issued a statement calling on all Palestinians to -- quote -- "completely stop attacks against Israelis." Arafat says Israel is using such attacks as a pretext to invade Palestinian territories. The statement issued in Arabic says - quote -- "We are condemning the attacks against Israeli civilians".

In a moment, we'll tell you about Israel's counterstrikes that are ongoing right now, and a tough new anti-terror policy. But first, the impact of the latest violence on the president's Middle East peace efforts.

For that let's go live to our senior White House correspondent John King -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the president at this hour convening what's called the principal's committee meeting. The secretary of state in the room; the vice president in the room; the national security adviser in the room. The discussion is just about when and how to go forward with the president's new Middle East framework.

Now White House officials insist the president has the policy pretty much set and the debate now is when is there a moment to get the Israelis and the Palestinians to focus on a vision for peace. The White House says because of these back to back bombings and the Israeli military response the president believes he must wait a day or so.

We are told he still hopes to go forward in the next several days, but I will tell you others who are in close consultation with this administration on this plan believe these back to back bombings have strengthened the hand of those within the administration who believe that Mr. Bush should be very careful about what he says about Palestinian statehood, very distant if you will, if he sets forth a vision of a provisional Palestinian state and that he must first demand political and security reforms within the Palestinian authority.

So again, the White House says the president is all but set with what he wants to say and the debate now is over when to say it, but some believe the changing situation on the ground could have an impact on the president's policy.

BLITZER: John, correct me if I'm wrong, the argument that those urging the president to delay or hold off on this speech is this, that if the president were to issue this call for an interim or provisional Palestinian state now, it would be seen as an effect, rewarding terrorism?

KING: That is exactly right, and make no mistake about it, the president's speech will talk about Palestinian statehood. Mr. Bush has made clear for months that must be the end goal of the negotiations. The question is if you look for provisional statehood now or anything at all that could be interpreted as a reward to Mr. Arafat, some will say you are rewarding terrorism.

On this very day Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, saying -- Mr. Arafat, you just mentioned his statement, the White House press secretary saying they don't want words, they want deeds and actions on the ground and Wolf, quickly I want to make this point, the stakes go well beyond the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Mr. Bush just finished a meeting with top generals to discuss military options about Iraq. Remember Arab support would be critical if the president gets to that issue next.

BLITZER: John King at the White House. Once again thank you very much. Israel is wasting no time retaliating for these back-to- back bombings, and is already implementing a tough new policy on the ground. For that let's go live once again to Jerusalem. That's where Christiane Amanpour is standing by for the Israeli military response - Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Israel has already said that it would reoccupy Palestinian territory bit by bit in response to every future suicide bombing and it will hold that territory until suicide bombs stop.

Now, in response to today, Israel sent in helicopter gunships to the Gaza Strip area, four Apaches launched several missiles at about three targets in that Gaza Strip area and we are told by sources inside there that targets included metal working shops, which the Israelis have often said are really fronts for weapons making and bomb making shops.

We understand that about a dozen Palestinians were slightly injured in those attacks. We have no particular details from Israel on exactly the nature of those targets that they were going after -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Christiane, how opposed is the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon to what is expected here in Washington to emerge very, very soon, a call for an interim or provisional Palestinian state?

AMANPOUR: Well Wolf, very opposed. As you know, the Israeli prime minister has said many times and reiterated again yesterday at the scene of the latest bombing that this was no time to declare any kind of Palestinian state, provisional or not. However, anticipating that there may be a declaration of a provisional state, what they are desperately hoping and trying to influence is that the Bush administration does not put any fixed mechanism or any fixed timetable on the call for a Palestinian state.

Palestinians for their part say that if such a state is called for they want fixed mechanisms and a fixed timetable for such a state to be implemented.

BLITZER: Christiane Amanpour for us in Jerusalem. Thank you as well.

And here is your chance to weigh in on this very important story. Our Web question of the day is this:

"Do you think the creation of a Palestinian state will bring an end to suicide bombings?"

Go to my Web page, cnn.com/wolf. That's where you can vote. While you're there, let me know what you're thinking. Send me your comments. I'll read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. And that's also, by the way, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/Wolf.

Here in the United States Congress continues its investigation into intelligence gathering before the September 11 attacks. CNN national security correspondent David Ensor has the latest on some chilling developments on that front -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the -- on September 10, the day before the attacks of September 11, the National Security Agency, which is the eavesdropping intelligence agency of the United States, overheard two -- intercepted two conversations, two separate conversations in which there were clues to what was going to happen the next day. And congressional sources and other sources have told CNN exactly what that language was. I'm going to read it to you.

In the first phrase someone talking on the phone, someone from al Qaeda said, "the match begins tomorrow." And in another interception by the NSA, another individual said on a call on September 10th "tomorrow is zero day." Now neither of these intercepts were translated or absorbed by the NSA until September 12, the day after the tragic events.

The -- General Michael Hayden, who's the head of the NSA, was closely questioned about this in the hearings yesterday. There were closed hearings, as you know, going on on the Hill. He said that the sheer volume of intelligence that's gathered by NSA is so large that not even all of the relevant information, important information can be translated simultaneously or on the same day.

And U.S. intelligence officials say even if they'd had this information, there's no specifics, no when, where and who, no actionable intelligence -- Wolf.

BLITZER: David Ensor, thank you very much and stand by because we're going to have you back shortly with some other developments in the U.S. war against terrorism.

And as the overall fight continues, the Fourth of July will be no holiday for the FBI. CNN Justice Department Kelli Arena reports agents will be at fireworks displays and other celebrations on business, not pleasure.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: The symbolism of the Fourth of July holiday is perhaps more poignant this year than any other, and one of the reasons the nation's security forces are on high alert.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

SCOTT FEAR, U.S. PARK POLICE: We just want to make sure everyone knows when they come out for the celebration on the Fourth of July, and this year is the 226th anniversary of our country's freedom, that they're going to see higher security, and we want them to feel comfortable and safe.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ARENA: There is no specific intelligence from any source about a terrorist attack on July 4. But the holiday has been mentioned in general in interviews with al Qaeda detainees, many being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. FBI field offices around the country have been asked to submit staffing and response plans to headquarters this week. Federal and local law enforcement have been planning for the holiday for weeks, gathering information about celebrations and high profile events.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obviously what's going on in the Middle East has everybody a little bit nervous. There's no information that we're in any particular danger on this July 4th, or for the concert activities, but I really think we have to be prepared for whatever might happen.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ARENA: Sources say special areas of concern are festivities in the vicinity of subways that could be the target of a biological or chemical attack. And in Washington, D.C., flyers are once again being distributed urging metro riders to report unusual items or behavior, and to be familiar with their surroundings.

Also in the nation's capital, already watched by multiple security cameras, discussions are focused on checkpoints, magnetometers and fences.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

FEAR: It could be snow fences. It could be chain-link fences. We're not sure. The plans are still being worked on.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

ARENA: And, of course, intelligence gathering continues. FBI agents are putting together a so-called control file so that if there is any pattern in information gathered around the country, agents will be able to connect the dots, and that is something the FBI has been criticized for not doing in the past - Wolf.

BLITZER: Our Justice correspondent Kelli Arena. Thank you very much.

And another hurdle has been cleared on the way to the trial of John Walker Lindh. A judge says lawyers have reached broad agreement on how classified documents will be handled, and he expects to issue an order next week. Walker Lindh is scheduled to go on trial in late August on charges he conspired to kill fellow Americans as a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan.

A North Carolina jury is deliberating today in a terrorism trial that could have an impact on the Walker Lindh trial.

Tight security in Charlotte, as two brothers accused of being members of a Hezbollah cell are brought to court in an armored car, one of them facing unprecedented charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean this has never been prosecuted before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Mohammad (ph) and Chawki Hammoud (ph) are charged with a conspiracy, including immigration fraud, cigarette smuggling, money laundering, and sending money to the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which the U.S. government has designated as a terrorist organization. In his closing argument, federal prosecutor Ken Bell (ph) cited one letter seized from the Hammouds (ph) as proof of the conspiracy.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The one letter really does describe what we charge in conspiracy, the one about working after the meetings, raising money, sending it to Hezbollah and Lebanon with one of the brothers.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLITZER: Mohammad Hammoud's (ph) attorney said his client admitted to immigration fraud and cigarette smuggling, but denied being anything more than a Hezbollah sympathizer. Mohammad Hammoud (ph) faces two additional charges, for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, in this case, Hezbollah.

It's the first time that charge has been prosecuted and the next person to face it will be the so-called American Taliban, John Walker Lindh.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

DEKE FALLS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I would definitely say that this is a groundbreaking case. It is an important case, and if the government is successful, I'm sure they'll probably use it as a guideline in the future.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BLITZER: Chawki Hammoud's (ph) lawyer raised the specter of the wartime internment of Japanese Americans to the jury, and questioned whether his client could get a fair trial post 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

JIM MCLOUGHLIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think there is a risk, if you are Middle Eastern, that you will not get the benefit of the doubt on that issue.

BLITZER: Neither of the Hammouds (ph) is charged with planning or carrying out terrorist acts. Still, under the new federal law, Mohammad Hammoud (ph) could face life in prison if convicted on all counts.

Now, as promised, we go back to CNN national security correspondent David Ensor. He has an update on where things stand in the search for al Qaeda leaders.

ENSOR: According to U.S. officials and other sources, this is the state of play in terms of top al Qaeda leaders. Three leaders have been captured that we know of. At the top of the list, Abu Zubaydah, taken after a shoot-out in Pakistan, he was al Qaeda's operations chief. For months now, the U.S. has been holding and interrogating him in an undisclosed country.

Now, we know of Abu Zubayr al Haili, nicknamed "The Bear" because of his large girth, arrested a couple of weeks ago in Morocco, officials say. After their defeat in Afghanistan at Tora Bora, many al Qaeda personnel scattered to various countries. Officials say Abu Zubayr may know where some of them went, and what false identities they are using.

Also captured, Mohammed Heidar Zammar, a Syrian-born German citizen, arrested and interrogated in Morocco, another very noticeable man, also said to weigh about 300 pounds. He is now, officials say, in prison in Syria. He's not considered a top leader, but sources say he claims to have recruited Mohammed Atta, the ringleader of the hijackers of September 11.

Top of the list of dead is Mohammed Atef, the al Qaeda military chief until a U.S. bomb killed him in Afghanistan. Three al Qaeda leaders are at the top of the long list of those still at large. First, of course, Osama bin laden, and his right-hand man, Ayman al Zawahiri, the ideological chief and head of Egyptian Islamic Jihad.

Also high on the list, this man, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Knowledgeable sources put another five names high on their most-wanted list -- two Saudis, two Egyptians, and a Kuwaiti, Abu Gaith, who has sometimes acted as a spokesman for bin Laden.

Not on the leaders list, a man who has been getting attention for another reason -- Jose Padilla, the American citizen arrested at a Chicago airport and held as an enemy combatant, accused of plotting attacks in the U.S., including plans to use a so-called dirty bomb, a radiological weapon. But he's a small fish, officials say, who got so much attention only because his U.S. nationality could have helped him to do a lot of damage in this country.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

BLITZER: Police in Salt Lake City admit they're not telling all they know about the kidnapping of 14-year old Elizabeth Smart, but there are some pressing questions about what Elizabeth's 9-year old sister saw the night she vanished. We'll have a live report just ahead.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Charles Molineaux in Lake George, Colorado. The forest service worker accused of setting the biggest forest fire Colorado history could be facing new charges. This on another bad day for firefighters.

BLITZER: And is six the lucky number for a billionaire in a balloon? Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: As you can see, Colorado's largest-ever fire is still burning and still growing. And now, prosecutors are questioning the story of the forest service worker accused of starting that fire.

CNN's Charles Molineaux is joining us now from the southern command center in Lake George, Colorado with all the late breaking developments - Charles.

MOLINEAUX: Yes, I tell you what, Wolf, you can actually hear one of the firefighting helicopters overhead right here. We got a pretty heavy cloud of smoke coming over us and that, believe it not, is actually good news.

I'll get to that in a minute, but first the story of Terry Lynn Barton. She could be facing new state charges in connection with the starting of the 135 (sic) now acre Hayman fire, the biggest in Colorado state history. She is already facing federal charges and tomorrow officials with the state attorney general's office are going to be meeting with four district attorneys from the five counties in Colorado that are now burning because of this fire.

They are going to consider possible state charges against her. The most likely scenario, fourth degree arson knowingly or recklessly causing a fire that results in risk of harm to people or property. This is on top of three felony federal charges that she's already faces starting a fire, as well as destroying federal property and lying to investigators about it.

Now what she has said according to investigators is that she accidentally set this fire, burning up a letter from her estranged husband, but investigators have indicated that that is not what they're really believing happened. They're pretty close mouthed about it, but I talked to the chief investigator from the forest service about this and he says the language in the affidavit is knowingly and willingly set the fire. Read between the lines.

Now she's going to be in court for a federal hearing on whether or not she can be let out on bond. That is also coming up tomorrow. Prosecutors plan to ask that she be kept in jail without bond partially because they're expecting a very hostile environment in her home area, and the concern being that she may try to take off, and there certainly has been a lot of anger against her, but there are also people here who are very much standing behind her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN CRONIN, FRIEND OF TERRY BARTON: I've just known her for a few years and I don't believe intentionally -- she being a good mother, good person, good Forest Service employee -- that she would intentionally do anything what would damage the forest or the neighborhood or anybody else, or their property up here. I don't believe that about her at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MOLINEAUX: Right now the Hayman fire has burned 135,000 acres. We had another warm dry day today, but a cool front has moved through. That is what is actually blowing some of this haze over the southern base camp right now. That is not great conditions, but better conditions than they have seen in a couple of days on the fire lines - Wolf.

BLITZER: Charles Molineaux, thank you very much and we turn now to famed author Joseph Wambaugh, veteran crime writer, joining us from San Diego. His latest book, "Fire Lover", a true story, deals with an arson inspector who goes around setting fires.

Mr. Wambaugh, thanks so much for joining us. How rare is this notion that a firefighter in effect could become a fire starter?

JOSEPH WAMBAUGH, AUTHOR: Well, it's often the case that it's a volunteer firefighter, someone who's drawn into it as an amateur so to speak because he has an obsessive interest in fire. It's very rare by the way that an arsonist organized or disorganized is a female. It's 95 percent of the cases, it's a m male.

BLITZER: So when you heard about these allegations now underway in Colorado, what went through your mind? You're an expert on this subject.

WAMBAUGH: Well, I've become something of an expert having written "Fire Lover", but first of all it seems to be the work of a disorganized fire setter. Probably an impulsive fire set, probably using materials that were available, there was no incendiary device involved.

The disorganized fire setter as opposed to the organized serial arsonist is often - is often a person who feels rejection, perhaps is having conflict in his or her life. Sometimes alcohol is involved and most importantly the disorganized fire setter probably didn't plan for the severity of the outcome.

BLITZER: You write in your book and I'll put it up on our screen and let our viewers read along with me this. The general public might think that by the time the suspect in a major investigation is arrested, the work of investigators ends, but in reality it gets more intense.

What do you mean by that?

WAMBAUGH: Well, in the case of John Leonard Ore (ph) about whom I wrote, he was a seasoned arson investigator and he wrote a novel called "Points of Origin", which too closely identifies him with a fire that had been deemed an accident where in four people died and that fire was a dead issue. No one even thought it was an arson.

And so they had to begin block-by-block cementing a case wherein they had to first of all determine that the fire was not an accident, that it was - that it was an incendiary device that set it by an arsonist. And that indeed took a number of years. John Ore (ph) was only convicted in 1998.

BLITZER: Joseph Wambaugh, thanks for joining us. Joseph Wambaugh, the author of a new book - the new book "Fire Lover", a true story. Thank you very much.

By most accounts, Elizabeth Smart's sister has crucial information about her disappearance, but is the nine-year old giving the police an accurate story about her sister's kidnapping? A live report from Salt Lake City just ahead.

And could private planes be the next weapon of choice for terrorists? That story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: As they continue the search for Elizabeth Smart and the man they believe kidnapped her, Salt Lake City police are trying to clear up a few things, such as what did Elizabeth's younger sister actually see? More on that from our man on the scene, CNN's Michael Okwu.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Day one, Salt Lake City police say Mary Catherine Smart, Elizabeth's 9-year-old sister and the only known witness to the abduction, was threatened by the suspect. This helps her explain why it took her two hours to tell her parents. Day 14, police announce it was Elizabeth who was threatened. The suspect wasn't even aware Mary Catherine saw him, now raising the question, why did she wait so long? Day 15, the answer.

RICK DINSE, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: She had originally heard the threat to her sister. When they left, she got up to leave to go tell her parents and saw the suspect again. Not knowing how long this suspect was in the house, she went back in fear.

OKWU: Law enforcement sources say the second time she saw him was in the hallway. Police say they wanted to clarify initial accounts, which were based on hearsay, hurried details from dispatchers. Investigators have formally interviewed Mary Catherine four times and have had discussions with her while riding around the neighborhood. They say her account on what happened that night has never changed. Her family says she often asks how she can help find her sister.

ED SMART, ELIZABETH'S FATHER: We pray for her and we feel the prayer of others who are out there, thousands, millions of people.

OKWU: To date, police have not identified a suspect, but they have identified 1,300 hard leads from all around the country. So far, they've followed up on 800 to 900 of them. There are still no plans to release any kind of composite sketch of a suspect. Police say they would still like to question Bret Michael Edmunds, who they say is not a suspect, but they have not ruled him out.

(END VIDEOTAPE) Investigators still believe that the person responsible for this may very well be somebody who knows the Smart family, and they have canvassed every house within a several-block radius of their home. At this point, the bottom line is still no suspect and still no Elizabeth. Wolf?

BLITZER: Michael Okwu, thank you very much. And this important programming note, the parents of Elizabeth Smart will join "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight. That's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 6:00 p.m. Pacific.

Shane Siwik, a Salt Lake City councilman, knows just how vital it is to respond immediately to a kidnapping. Just five nights ago, his young daughter, Isabelle, was abducted. But due to quick action by volunteer searchers, she was located, and a suspect was caught.

Joining us now is Shane and Isabelle Siwik. Thanks to all of you for joining us -- Mrs. Siwik, as well. Shane, first of all, tell us precisely what happened.

SHANE SIWIK, FATHER OF KIDNAP VICTIM: Well, the kids were riding their bikes. And we live across from a park, and they got off their bikes, and the man lured them over to the park, and both kids went, my 6-year-old, Isabelle, and 7-year-old, Gabrielle (ph). And they -- he offered them money to go across to the park with him. And once they got across the park, Gabrielle ran back and told Mom, and Isabelle kept going with the man. And Mom went through the park and searched and couldn't find anybody, so went home and called 911. And within just -- before Mom was even off the phone, the police were there and we'd begun a search.

BLITZER: How long did it take for the search to become successful?

SIWIK: About 90 minutes is when she returned home. What we think happened, though, was that one of the volunteers that was searching came across a suspicious truck and confronted him and said, "We're looking for a lost little girl." And he then sped off and went over an island, a traffic island, went about 80 miles an hour down one of the streets. And she followed him and got the license plate number off of it.

BLITZER: And what happened to this individual, the suspect in this particular case?

SIWIK: He was arrested Monday night.

BLITZER: So he is in custody right now.

SIWIK: He is.

BLITZER: Shane, as far as you know, does anyone suspect he might have been involved in the Elizabeth Smart abduction?

SIWIK: You know, that's just something I don't -- I don't have any clue on. BLITZER: But in your particular case, what was really fortunate was the fact that everyone got out, and there were a lot of people that began an immediate search. Isn't that right?

SIWIK: Yeah. Fortunately, we didn't have to go to the media. The 10:00 o'clock news was just a few minutes from airing, and she had come -- we'd found her probably about 9:30, 9:45. But it was definitely the community and the immediate response. Thirty minutes more could have made all the difference. And we're just so fortunate and grateful for what happened and the result that we had.

BLITZER: Tell us how little Isabelle is doing right now.

SIWIK: She's doing better than Mom and Dad. She's doing fine.

BLITZER: Let's hear from Mom. How's Mom doing?

MRS. SIWIK: Oh, I still -- I'm still kind of in shock. And I wake up in the middle of the night and go and make sure they're in their beds. I want, you know, to make them safe -- make sure they're safe. You just -- it's something you never think will happen to you. And you know, everybody needs to be prepared. I think that my husband and I had talked about it before, and with Elizabeth, you know, missing we kind of went over what we would do. And I think I was more prepared, and it made me think what I needed -- what I needed to tell everybody. And I think I was more prepared because I had a plan. I knew what I was going to do.

BLITZER: And just before we let you go, tell us who that sweet little red-haired boy is that you're holding.

MRS. SIWIK: This is my son, Benjamin (ph). He's my youngest.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Benjamin's (ph) a good little kid. Thanks, Benjamin, being so polite. Thanks to all of you, the Siwiks, for telling us your very, very happy ending story and giving our viewers out there some very useful, practical advice for this day and age. Appreciate it very much. And give Isabelle, as I'm sure you will, a big hug and a kiss. Thank you very much.

SIWIK: We will. Thank you.

BLITZER: Private planes transport the rich and famous, but could they be used in a terrorist attack? When we return, security in the air. Just how vulnerable are those flights? And try, try, try again. We'll track Steve Fossett on his latest daredevil flight around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Despite the stepped-up security for airliners and their passengers, something many of you have, of course, experienced, no screening is required for private charter planes and their passengers. Does that leave a loophole for terrorists? CNN's Patty Davis has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Todd Klein and business colleagues have chartered a private jet to fly them to West Virginia. They say it's cheaper and safer.

TODD KLEIN, CHARTER AIR TRAVELER: I feel more secure, again, having some notion of who I'm traveling with -- specifically, the type of aircraft we're taking, the background of the company that's providing the travel service.

DAVIS: But while you see beefed-up security for commercial airline passengers...

SEN. HERB KOHL (D), WISCONSIN : There's no security in these private aircraft. None as of today. None.

DAVIS: That, critics such as Senator Herb Kohl say, is an invitation to terrorists, who could use the planes as missiles, much like the September 11 terror attacks. The Transportation Department will soon require passengers on the largest private charters, like 747s, to be screened, but not passengers on smaller charters, that despite a recent FBI warning that small planes could be used for terrorism.

JIM COYNE, NATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSN.: Why would a terrorist use a chartered airplane? It's little bit like asking why would a bank robber use a limousine to hold up a bank?

DAVIS: Unlike commercial airlines...

BOB HAWTHORNE, MARTINAIR: I did hear you did want to book the flight for Friday.

DAVIS: ... charter operators such as Bob Hawthorne say they know their customers, mostly business executives, celebrities and politicians -- not the type to blow out planes.

HAWTHORNE: If I don't know who the customer is, then chances are I'm not going to take the flight at all.

DAVIS: Hawthorne is taking extra precautions on his own...

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: If you have any questions, just tap me on my shoulder. I'll be happy to assist you.

DAVIS: ... including authorizing his pilots to inspect bags and do pat-downs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Senator Kohl is proposing that passengers be screened on most private charter flights. At the very least, he says, charter companies should use portable wands to screen passengers. Not surprisingly, though, Wolf, the industry opposes that.

BLITZER: Patty, I understand there's some new developments in this very controversial issue, whether pilots should be allowed to carry guns in the cockpit.

DAVIS: A House subcommittee today passed a bill which puts guns in the hands of as many as 1,400 pilots in a two-year test program. House transportation leaders said that they do now have the votes to pass that bill in the House, but it is more shaky in the Senate, where key leaders are opposed. The Bush administration has weighed in against giving pilots lethal weapons - Wolf.

BLITZER: Patty Davis, who's all over all of these stories, thank you very much for joining us.

And let's check some other stories on today's "News Wire."

The singer Billy Joel has checked himself into a Connecticut hospital for treatment of substance abuse. His spokeswoman is not saying exactly what the problem is, only that it developed recently. Joel is expected to be there for about 10 days.

Busch Stadium in St. Louis is filling fast with flowers and memories of Jack Buck. For almost 50 years, he was the radio voice of the Cardinals. Jack Buck died yesterday. Tomorrow morning, his casket will lie in state at home plate. The city will then hold a public memorial service for this beloved figure.

And strap on your seat belt and prepare to take flight. We'll go live to mission control, where all eyes are on Steve Fossett as he tries again to circle the world in an air balloon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're watching the space shuttle Endeavour make another picture-perfect return to Earth. The shuttle landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California just a few hours ago, after NASA officials gave up on Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Bad weather there delayed the landing for the last two days. But it extended the U.S. space endurance record of two of the astronauts who've spent the last -- get this -- six months aboard the International Space Station.

For another adventurous aviator, so far, so good. Steve Fossett is more than half a day into his latest attempt to circumvent the earth in a balloon.

Tracking his every move, the mission control center at Washington University in St. Louis. With us now, its mission control director, Joe Ritchie. Joe, thanks so much for joining us. This is the sixth attempt. Why do you believe the sixth try will be a charm?

JOE RITCHIE, MISSION CONTROL DIR.: Well, Wolf, if you'd made as many dumb mistakes as we've made, you'd get pretty smart after a while. We think we just learned a lot about this business, and the things that have tripped us before, I think we've got pretty well cured. So -- I realistically think we've got a good shot this time. BLITZER: So what are you doing differently this time?

RITCHIE: Well, we've got a heater that actually works. We've got -- we've got an attack to the weather issues that I think is much more aggressive at steering through the problems. We've got duration in the balloon, which we didn't have before. This thing used to be done with balloons that had 14 days duration. We've got 30 days duration. So we've got -- we got our oxygen problems figured out, and the burners work a lot more reliably. Just all kinds of things that killed us before we've got fixed this time.

BLITZER: All right, we're going to show our viewers the flight pattern, where he's hoping to go on this mission. It looks like he's got a different -- a little bit different route, going, obviously, the southern hemisphere. Walk us through this projected route.

RITCHIE: Well, the projected route goes pretty much directly east across the Pacific, and then has to thread the needle between high and low pressure. So it takes a big -- a big ride north before getting -- crossing the Andes. And after that, you know, we've got a route projected, but anything that far out, I think, changes before you get there. But so far, the route from here to Chile looks real good, like we can do that in a week or less, which would be excellent time and a great -- a great jump start.

BLITZER: Now, we're expecting this to be an 18,000-mile -- let me repeat that -- 18,000-mile journey, this trip, assuming it's all very successful. I want to also put up in the screen to show our viewers, this balloon, the latest balloon, that he's got together. And as you can see, some of the aspects -- I don't know if you have access to what we're showing, the top tent, the main helium gas cell, the hot air cone -- once again, tell us, is this an updated state-of- the-art balloon, something better than the earlier five attempts?

RITCHIE: It's far better than the first three or four attempts. Finally, the whole problem is figuring out how to keep the temperature variations down, so that you don't balloon up in the day and drop into the ocean at night. And yes, for the last couple attempts, there have been design changes that keep the hot -- the helium much more at the same temperature, which means that you don't have to burn nearly as much fuel at night, and it almost doubles the duration.

BLITZER: OK. Tell us about the conditions that he has up there in the balloon. He's obviously traveling alone.

RITCHIE: Well, yes. They're lonely. At least they're warm now. The earlier attempts, the heater never worked, and he was freezing up there. And that alone would have kept him from finishing the flight. So yeah, it's lonely, but at least it's warm. And Steve has done 30- day 'round-the-world boating, or 30-day boating trips alone. So he's used to be being lonely. He's a -- he's a guy that does solitary, individual achievements, and so he's used to that.

BLITZER: But do you have good communications equipment up there, so he stays in constant touch with you at mission control? RITCHIE: Yes. It's all via email. For the first day, we've had very little communication, which is a good thing. In other words, it's been a very boring day, and he's actually gotten sleep the first day, which he's never done before. So you know, your bad news, perhaps, has been our good news. We'd like to -- we like to get a few boring days so he can get rested up. We're going to get -- have plenty of crises before this thing's done.

BLITZER: Does he have a -- does he have a phone up there? Is he going to be able to talk to us during the course of this mission?

RITCHIE: He has a phone. He virtually never uses it. He does almost everything by email. So about the only time he does that is when chase planes come up and circle around and talk to him.

BLITZER: OK. Joe Ritchie, good luck to you. Good luck to the adventurer up there, Steve Fossett. Hope everything works out well. We'll be tracking his mission, along with you, although I suspect you'll be tracking it much more closely than we will. Appreciate it very much, Joe Ritchie.

The Colorado wildfires touch off a twister of sorts. Wild weather in our "Picture of the Day" when we return. And only two minutes left for you to vote on our Question of the Day: Do you think the creation of a Palestinian state would bring an end to suicide bombings?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's go to New York now, get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE," that, of course, begins right at the top of the hour. Lou?

LOU DOBBS, HOST: Thank you very much, Wolf. Coming up next: President Bush's new Middle East initiative takes a back seat to more violence in Israel, the second suicide attack in Jerusalem in as many days. Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger is my guest tonight. These latest attacks add to an already anxious Wall Street. We'll have complete market coverage for you. And the Senate Banking Committee has voted to crack down on corporate America. I'll be talking with committee chairman Senator Paul Sarbanes tonight.

All of that and lot more. Please join us. Now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou. We always will join us.

And we want to just update our viewers on a breaking development -- a breaking news development. Following two days back-to-back suicide bombings against Israeli civilians in Jerusalem, we are now learning that the Israeli military is deploying troops, tanks, armored vehicles into Ramallah, the headquarters area where Yasser Arafat is, of course, based. No immediate comment from the Israeli military. We'll be following this breaking news story on "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE," of course, at the top of the hour. In the meantime, let's take a look at our "Picture of the Day," the awesome power of a mighty fire. CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has our "Show and Tell."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Thanks, Wolf.

Our "Picture of the Day" features a heat vortex that was generated from the Hayman fire in Colorado. The intense heat rising from the fire and mixing with the surrounding air caused the rotation. This vortex is a prime example how fires can generate their own micro- climates or weather systems. The temperature, humidity and wind in surrounding areas can all be affected. The vortex can also cause damage similar to waterspouts or dust devils.

This is Jacqui Jeras, CNN. Now back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jacqui.

Now here's your chance -- you've been weighing in on our Web question of the day. Earlier we asked this question: "Do you think the creation of a Palestinian state would bring an end to suicide bombings?" Look at this. Only 21 -- excuse me -- only 25 percent of you say yes, 75 percent of you -- most of you -- say no. Remember, this is not -- repeat, not -- a scientific poll.

And once again, we're following a breaking story in Ramallah, Israeli tanks, armored carriers going into that area following two days of Palestinian suicide bombings against Israelis. Much more on that coming up.

That's all the time, though, we have today. I'll be back tomorrow, 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONELINE" begins right now.

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