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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Secret al Qaeda Videotapes Found; Has Abu Nidal's Reign of Terror Ended?; Does Amber Alert Help Missing Children?

Aired August 19, 2002 - 17:00   ET

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 on Tape," a CNN exclusive, secret videos with images of al Qaeda you've never seen before and terror capabilities you may never have imagined.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They clearly have a way to produce a predictably lethal chemical.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Another desert training school, this one in New Mexico. Federal agents want to know who was learning what about missiles, rockets, and warheads.

Before Osama bin Laden, there was Abu Nidal blamed for hundreds of deaths in some 20 countries. Has his reign of terror finally ended?

And Amber Alert, as authorities search for yet another missing girl, what could be bad about a system which quickly spreads the word about child abduction?

It's Monday, August 19, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Now from a hidden al Qaeda archive, pictures which had not even been seen by some of the best terrorism analysts we've consulted around the world. But in a series which will run at this time over the next five days, CNN's Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson will show you behind-the-scene images of al Qaeda's terror training and its deadly tactics.

Nic was taken to a secret location in Afghanistan to get the video. From what he was told it was from a private al Qaeda library. First, an important warning, some of the images on this tape are very graphic and difficult to watch. It is not recommended for children and some adults may not want to watch either, but we think it's important that this videotape be shown. Here now is Nic Robertson with part I of this special CNN Report "Terror on Tape."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The hardest to watch of all the tapes in what experts say is al Qaeda's video library, this one, apparent testing of a poison gas on dogs. Exactly who taped it and where may never be known. The dog tape, just one in a broad and deep range of carefully catalogued material contained in 64 tapes CNN obtained from a secret location in Afghanistan shortly after they'd been dug up from a hiding place in the desert.

We have shown the tapes to many experts including Rohan Gunaratna, a leading al Qaeda analyst, who in his consultation worked for western governments has interviewed al Qaeda members and viewed more than 200 of the terror group's previous tapes, but until now, none of these.

ROHAN GUNARATNA, AUTHOR, "INSIDE AL QAEDA": The collection has al Qaeda videos taken by al Qaeda of events. Whenever Osama bin Laden met with foreign journalists, he always had his own tape, his own cameraman and it is those tapes that are there because that itself shows that this is the al Qaeda library. This is not the library of someone else and this is the registry, the record room, of Osama bin Laden.

ROBERTSON: Perhaps most revealing about Osama bin Laden these never-before-seen pictures show in graphic detail the al Qaeda leader's personal security arrangements. All this material and much more discovered in an Afghan house said to have been used by the al Qaeda leader. A video archive spanning more than a decade, giving new insight to al Qaeda's planning, tactics, and mindset.

GUNARATNA: Those videos are not for public consumption. They are only for the al Qaeda leadership, not even for their members. It is the al Qaeda memory. You have taken a part of the al Qaeda memory.

ROBERTSON: In the collection, a three-hour tape of how to make purified TNT from easy to get ingredients, sophistication in planning and explosive skills that scare government bomb experts. Terrorists in training, not the made-for-camera al Qaeda promos we've seen before that detailed demonstrations of how to kill, hijack, and ambush.

Experts we have talked with say no terrorist organization has ever put this much expertise on videotape before. No terror organization has ever disseminated its knowledge this way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: We'll get right back to our story but we want to warn you once again that the next part of this videotape is extremely graphic. Once again, it is not recommended for children and some adults may not want to watch as well. With that very much in mind, once again, here's Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): We begin with possibly the saddest and scariest tape of all, showing the death of three dogs. Calling out to each other to hurry, several individuals wearing Afghan-style sandals rush from the room.

As they leave, a white liquid, giving off a gas, slowly seeps from the left and we discover these men are executioners and this is a death chamber. We never find out their identity, but they laugh as they leave the dog to his fate. The video you're about to see is very disturbing and is not suitable for children. Some adults, too, may want to turn away.

Coalition intelligence sources, who have examined this tape, say this appears to be an al Qaeda lethal weapons experiment at its remote Afghan Durunta Camp. Those sources say no intelligence agency has seen this before, the experimentation by al Qaeda with poison gas.

Already the dog reacts, licking his lips, a sign of increased salivation, a sign say some of the experts we asked to examine the tapes of a nerve agent. John Gilbert is a chemical weapons specialist who advises the U.S. government.

JOHN GILBERT, SCIENCE APPLICATIONS INTL. CORP.: Well the first impression I had is that it's a test or a demonstration of a very powerful and quick-acting chemical that behaves like a nerve agent such as Sarin, which was used in the Tokyo subway terrorist attacks in the 1990s.

ROBERTSON: Watching the tapes with Gilbert, David Kay, formerly a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq for whom the tape raises the specter of weapons of mass destruction.

DAVID KAY, FMR. UNSCOM WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Well, it's a powerful segment of tape, first of all. The emotional response to seeing it is there. The second one is horror. Here again is another group that has managed to open the door to serious WMD capability. I'm above a reasonable doubt convinced this is a nerve agent that they developed, either improvised one or they may have developed actually Sarin in some form to use.

ROBERTSON: Al Qaeda documents examined by CNN last fall in the bombed out ruins of Durunta Camp showed chemical formulas for Sarin. Other documents connect al Qaeda's Durunta Camp, a series of mud and stone buildings not unlike this room to chemical testing.

KAY: You're looking at the classic symptoms that the dog demonstrates. For example, he loses certain muscles control, his eyes as they react, the way his nostrils react, and then the gradual loss of voluntary muscles, and the final, the racking loss of diaphragm lung capacity as he dies is the normal progression of a nerve agent.

ROBERTSON: We also asked chemical and biological weapons specialist Jonathan Tucker from the Monterey Institute to examine the tape. He too says he is shocked by what he sees but he cautions that for him the dog's symptoms indicate not a nerve agent but a form of cyanide.

JONATHAN TUCKER, MONTEREY INSTITUTE OF INTL. STUDIES: We saw visible fumes from the material that you probably would not see from a nerve agent but is consistent with production of crude hydrogen cyanide gas by mixing cyanide crystals and acid. We saw a flask that had some white material in it that is suggestive of powdered cyanide, and I think what we have here is a very crude binary weapon that terrorists could - would be attractive to terrorists because it's extremely low tech and also very safe to use.

ROBERTSON: Dr. Frederick Sidell, another of the dozen experts consulted by CNN, says evaluation of the chemical is difficult.

DR. FREDERICK SIDELL (RET.), U.S. ARMY INST. OF CHEMICAL DEFENSE: The most common chemical agent is something called mustard, which is a blister agent and it's certainly not that. It could be a nerve agent or cyanide but they characteristically, the effects come on sooner if this was vapor.

Those dogs appeared to be conscious until the end, which they aren't with nerve agent and cyanide. Those two don't cause selective paralysis of the hind quarters as that agent did. So, we can almost say that it wasn't those either, so I don't know what it is.

ROBERTSON: On this tape, more experiments, and close-ups cataloguing symptoms of death. The metal boxes in the corner manufactured in the Afghan style give an additional indication the experiments took place inside Afghanistan. The implication of the rudimentary laboratory test is unmistakable for our experts.

GILBERT: The implication is that al Qaeda or another terrorist group could create a number of different way of attacking people, you know for example in an enclosed area such as an airport lobby or in a theater or a train or a bus. Another is that it could be used against individuals selectively who are targeted for assassination.

ROBERTSON (on camera): How significant do you think the discovery of this tape is?

GILBERT: I think it's probably extremely significant, if not profound. I know there's been a lot of speculation about the state of technology and how far they may have advanced toward having a using chemical weapon. The fact that they were able to repeat tests or demonstrations on this tape indicates that they clearly have a way to produce a predictably lethal chemical.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Until now, intelligence agencies have had only fragmentary information to help build their picture of al Qaeda's chemical threat. Satellite images of Durunta Camp show dead dogs, according to coalition intelligence sources.

In the 11th volume of al Qaeda's encyclopedia of jihad obtained by CNN, detailed timings of how long it takes to kill a rabbit with cyanide, and recent testimony in Federal Court about activities at the Durunta Camp by Ahmed Hessam a man trained by al Qaeda and who pled guilty in 2001 to attempting to bomb Los Angeles Airport. This is an excerpt of that testimony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Q: You watched as your chief put a dog in the box, correct?

A: Yes, we were all present there.

Q: Your chief put cyanide in the box, is that correct?

A: Yes.

Q: He added sulfuric acid to the cyanide, is that correct?

A: Yes.

Q: And the dog shortly thereafter died from that experiment correct?

A: Correct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Al Qaeda expert Rohan Gunaratna interviewed an al Qaeda member who said he'd been involved in al Qaeda's chemical weapons program. Do we know where they did that?

GUNARATNA: No, we do not know but it is very likely that it was in the Durunta complex or a safe house near that complex.

ROBERTSON (on camera): The tapes CNN obtained are disturbing, but at the same time they are hugely informative about al Qaeda's current threat. They add much detail like the Egyptian accents of the men testing the chemicals on the dogs, in keeping with information that al Qaeda's chemical weapons chief Abu Kebar (ph) preferred to work with Egyptians. Still, the tapes hide as much as they reveal.

KAY: Only in one instance do you actually see the liquid which appears to be either poured or pumped out going out. You don't see it the rest of the time so you really don't know at what level they are in terms of weaponizing it. There are a lot more questions this tape leaves than answers unfortunately, but all the questions are really bad questions.

ROBERTSON: Questions, however, that if answered could help thwart the threat.

GILBERT: If the actual locations where those demonstrations were conducted can be found, there might be some residual material available that could be analyzed and might show definitively which chemicals were used.

ROBERTSON: Among those who evaluate terrorist groups, the equation of threat equals ability times intent. What is clear is that the al Qaeda equation now totals much more than it did before.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And a senior U.S. official says the al Qaeda videotapes amount of "disturbing visual confirmation of things the United States has long suspected." The official says the tapes show al Qaeda's "sophistication and urgent desire to develop weapons of mass destruction. One senior official suggested Osama bin Laden has gone beyond the point of just desiring such weapons, saying this: "This tape is unquestionable documentation that he has some capability." And the White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer had this reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: These tapes are just another troubling sign of the type of enemy we face, an enemy who would be willing to use these types of means to practice killing animals for the purpose of killing people. And it's just one more troublesome sign about the type of enemy we face and why it's so important for us to pursue this war on terror so people who do these things will not be successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And one more important note, CNN is sharing the videotapes with appropriate authorities in the interest of the safety and well-being of people worldwide.

There's a lot more to al Qaeda's video library. In a moment, what this treasure of fate tell us about Osama bin Laden. Plus, shoulder-launched missiles and high powered explosives, the Feds move in on a heavily-armed training school here in the United States. And beware of the serial killer, back to school at LSU means heightened security. Find out what's being done to protect the students.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. You've seen the harrowing images from an extensive archive of al Qaeda videotapes. CNN's Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson obtained dozens of the tapes after a 17-hour drive to a secret location in a remote part of Afghanistan. He joins us now live from the CNN Center in Atlanta. Nic, obviously great work, but what do these tapes tell us new that we didn't know before about Osama bin Laden?

ROBERTSON: Well, they certainly tell us how he was shaping al Qaeda organization, how he was trying to focus the training towards operating in an urban environment, and it certainly shows how detailed his security was, how -- the high levels that he went to to protect his own security.

So it gives us insight not only into how he protected himself but into how he was shaping al Qaeda to take their battle out to Europe, out to the United States.

BLITZER: You studied this region. You spend an enormous amount of time in Afghanistan. You know these people. When you first saw these videotapes, what went through your mind?

ROBERTSON: The first thing I thought was this is material I haven't seen. I felt sure that other people hadn't seen it. I was concerned about how I would bring it back so that our analysts and experts could look at it. It had the most profound effect on me the following day when I'd seen the tests being done on the dogs. The next day I saw a dog and that's where it really impacted me. But I was very, very aware that I had something here that hadn't been seen before that we needed to get analysts to look at it and fully explain what exactly were we seeing happen to the dogs. What were the chemical tests we saw being done later and what was going on in the training, for example, and that's what we've been able to do.

BLITZER: And we're going to have more of your exclusive reports on this program, and indeed on CNN throughout the week. Give us a little preview. What do we expect to see in tomorrow's installment?

ROBERTSON: Tomorrow is a videotape never before seen of the day when Osama bin Laden announces his jihad, his war against the United States and the western world. It was videotaped. He had the videotape in his collection, in the al Qaeda collection. It shows his security detail.

It shows people in the room who have been very, very close to the al Qaeda leadership who we haven't seen before. It gives insight, one of those members who was translating our press conference that day, turns up later on other videotapes as a military trainer. These are people who were obviously very important to al Qaeda and we've never seen their faces before.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson, our intrepid, fearless reporter, thanks for joining us. We'll see you back here tomorrow. And for continuing coverage please be sure to watch "NEWSNIGHT" with Aaron Brown tonight 10:00 p.m. Eastern, his special guest Judith Miller of the New York Times, an expert on chemical weapons who's also viewed these videotapes.

And here's your chance to weigh in on this very important story. Our web question of the day is this: In light of the al Qaeda videotapes acquired by CNN, do you see the group as more of a threat? Go to my web page cnn.com/wolf. That's where you can vote.

While you're there, send me your comments. We'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf. We also, by the way, have a special link for you to the special report that we have on TERROR ON TAPE.

In other news we're watching right now, federal agents are combing through an explosives training school in New Mexico. The Canadian who runs it, David Hudak, was arrested last week on a number of charges including possessing more than 2,000 illegal missiles. CNN's Ed Lavandera is joining us now from Roswell in New Mexico -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf. What you see behind me is the gate here to the entrance of High Energy Access Tools, and you might see the airplanes in the background. Basically what this ground is, is an old air industrial park.

There's actually an old Air Force base, but part of this land is leased by this company, High Energy Access Tools and the gentleman you mentioned, David Hudak, who actually has a training ground here just where you see those trees. There's a little bunker over there and that's where we understand the ATF agents and the U.S. Customs agents have been working and they anticipate to be working the rest of the week here.

We understand what they had discovered when they arrested David Hudak on Thursday was some 1,000 pounds of missiles and about 2,300 missiles they estimate and they expect to find many more. The authorities say that at this point they also have information that leads them to believe that they were -- what was going on here was the school was training -- the school official here also says it was a counterterrorism military unit from a U.S. allied country that was training here over the last couple of weeks.

The company here says that everything has been on the up-and-up and they're confident that as this investigation proceeds forward that all of this information will come to light.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK FISH, SECURITY DIRECTOR HEAT: We believe that their initial question is going to come to show that we're actually in compliance. We believe that we are. And once that's all cleared up, then the rest of those will all go away. At least that's what we hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Now federal authorities say that at this point there is no evidence to suggest that either David Hudak or the students who were studying here, the counterterrorism measures, have any connection to any kind of terrorism anywhere in the world, Wolf back to you.

BLITZER: Ed Lavandera, he's on the scene for us, thanks very much. A college campus on high alert; students at LSU head back to school with a serial killer lurking nearby. Plus, Amber Alert will it really help missing kids in the long run? Police say absolutely. Meet one man who says think twice about all the publicity.

And protecting the U.S. Capitol, a lesson learned from veterans of terror, but first our Weekend Snapshot. Flash floods and landslides buried mountain villages in southwest China killing at least 29 people. More rain is expected over the next few days.

Floodwaters have ebbed in the Czech Republic and while the Prague Zoo lost dozens of animals, there's some good news too. This hippopotamus feared dead turned up alive and well, although ill tempered after its ordeal. An escaped sea lion was recaptured 150 miles away in Germany.

The aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy returned to its home port of Florida after six months of service in the war on terrorism. Pilots from the Kennedy flew more than 2,500 missions over Afghanistan.

Another Ali won the right to call herself the greatest. Mohammed Ali's daughter, Laila, won the IBA super middleweight championship by knocking out her opponent, as her proud father watched.

And in a sign of changing attitudes, the New York Times announced it will start publishing announcements of gay and lesbian unions. The wedding section will be renamed "Wedding Celebrations" to reflect the new policy. And that's our Weekend Snapshot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, back to school at Louisiana State and a serial killer still on the loose, find out how students are protecting themselves right now, but first, a look at some other stories making news.

Russian news agencies are reporting more than 80 soldiers were killed when their giant transport helicopter crashed in rebel Chechnya. There are conflicting reports right now on the cause of the crash. Russia's defense ministry says the chopper had to make an emergency landing when one of its engines caught fire, but there are also reports it was fired on by Chechen rebels.

Thousands of soldiers and volunteers are trying to reinforce levies in eastern Germany. As the Elbe River responsible for much of the flooding across Europe stabilizes, the high water is saturating the levies. Health authorities are worried about the aftermath. They say sewage and animal carcasses could cause disease.

Another major recall of tires installed on Ford SUVs. Continental is recalling more than half a million tires. The company says some of the tires installed on the Ford SUVs and light trucks suffer tread separation problems. The recall includes Continental's Track AW and General Grabber AW tires. The defective tires were made between March, 1999 and October, 2000.

Students are starting to return to Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge but the customary excitement of a new school year is tempered by concerns about a serial killer. CNN's Charles Molineaux is in Baton Rouge and he joins us now live, a lot of concern, nervous kids over there, Charles?

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes actually, we got temperatures in the midst 90's here in Baton Rouge, but a definite chill is very much in the air as the students wrap up their orientation today and parents drop their kids off to begin classes this school year. Police say that one man, a serial killer, is behind the still unsolved murders of three women in Baton Rouge the past year, including one LSU grad student just days after she finished her program.

Several students we've talked with say they are scared. They are changing their routines, avoiding jogging trails, not going out after dark without company. The LSU police are tightening up what they say was already tight campus security, but police are doing foot and bike patrols. The school has upgraded its card key system for dorms and set up a free emergency number for cell phones. Lighting on the campus is being reviewed and improved. The shrubbery has been cut back to eliminate potential hiding places. And the cops have held a parade of safety forums, recommending safety measures and what students can do to protect themselves -- simple things in some cases, like not blocking doors open for dormitories when they're supposed to be locked. And they've been talking with teachers, parents and students, on campus students, off campus students, international students, RAs and the school's 15 sororities, which are right in the middle of their fall rush. For some parents and students, that has been somewhat reassuring.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK EMMERT, CHANCELLOR, LSU: It's something that you got to deal with. And we're from New Orleans and that and you'll hear about things in New Orleans and the big cities and that. It's just -- you've got to be on your guard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE STUDENT: And I feel a little more confident, now. I bought the mace, you know, the pepper spray and everything. But it doesn't change anything about my feelings of coming to LSU, like I'm still really excited about coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINEAUX: And beyond mace and pepper spray, there's also education. The university seeing intense interest in its Rape Prevention Program. It's got more classes going on this fall than it normally does, actually, they're bigger, with more students in them. There's a waiting list while more classes still are set up, so a lot of concern there.

Earlier today, I talked with LSU's chancellor, who says that the campus cops are also working very closely, much more so than in the past with local police and sheriff's departments. He says even those these murders didn't happen on the LSU campus, the school is adamant about being involved and pro active.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMERT: We're part of this community in a very intrinsic fashion, you know. It's in large part a university town in many, many ways. So this is an assault on the whole fabric of the community. And it's a large, big extended family in one sense and you know it's something that we all take very personally. It's like an assault onto the family and so we're very shaken by it. But we're going to move forward and do all of the things we know how to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINEAUX: A task force having involving about 50, involving local police, local sheriff's deputies and the FBI, is now investigating these serial killings, but they are still unsolved as the students come in and the classes begin -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Let's hope they got solved soon. Charles Molineaux in Baton Rouge, at LSU, thank you very much. Authorities are reporting little progress in their search for a 9-year-old Virginia girl. Michael and Mary Short were found shot to death in their Bassett, Virginia home last week, and their daughter, Jennifer was missing. There still is no trace of the girl. Authorities have disclosed that phone lines to the home had been cut; a sign the crime was planned in advance.

We've heard a lot recently about the so-called Amber Alert System, which uses radio, television and even highway signs to spread the word about child abductions. While supporters credit the alerts for the safe recovery of dozens of children, critics say there are dangers. One of those critics is James Fox. He's a professor of criminology at Northeastern University in Boston. He joins us now live from Norwood, Massachusetts.

Professor, thanks for joining us.

PROF. JAMES FOX, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY: Thank you.

BLITZER: I read your article on the op-ed page of the "New York Times" Saturday, but tell viewers how -- why possibly could anyone be opposed to these Amber Alerts, which try to help police find these missing children within those first few critical hours?

FOX: Well, it sounds like a good idea and it can be. The question is how do we implement it. The devil here is in the details. My concern is that it may be overused and indeed has in certain cases. And when it gets over used and we see those warnings all the time, we get apathetic and they have little effect.

I'm also concerned about misuse, when the wrong license plate number, for example, shows on the screen on a highway. What poor soul might be tracked down by a bunch of vigilantes who think he's the suspect when in fact it was just a mistake? These things worry me.

Sure, Congress is concerned about safety of their kids and we all are concerned, but this is not the way to go, right now, when we're in this panic state.

BLITZER: But even if there's these negative potential side effects from this Amber Alert System -- if in fact it saves, it rescues, a young child within the first few hours isn't it worth the risk that you're raising?

FOX: Well, it may have solved that case. Of course, there are lots of abductions that are solved without Amber Alert and we don't know for sure whether these 22 cases that have been attributed to Amber Alert may have been solved anyway. I'm not saying Amber Alert can't work, but we have to be very careful in how we design it. Too often, we design these programs without really thinking about it too much because we're too worried and alarmed about an epidemic. There's no epidemic of child abductions going on now.

I say we stay calm and cool and let's plan a system that will work. Personally, I'd like to see law enforcement involved more. Let's call it a Blue Alert. Law enforcement should be communicating with each other across state lines, across counties. But when we get the public involved, I worry about mistakes and what impact it can have on innocent people.

BLITZER: But even if you save just one little kid, isn't it worth it? That one life is so precious to the parents and the loved ones of everyone involved.

FOX: Sure, every life is precious and maybe Congress instead of looking at Amber Alert should think about bicycle helmets. Many more kids die each year because they all off the bicycle and hit their head than are grabbed off a bicycle by some attacker or abductor. Maybe they should think about smart guns so that kids will not shoot themselves when they're playing with the family firearm. There are a lot of ways we should be protecting children in this country. I'm not sure Amber Alert is on the top of the list.

BLITZER: Professor James Fox of Northeastern University. I suspect, Professor, you're going to get a lot of criticism. You're going to get a lot of angry mail, but we have to, unfortunately, leave it right there. Thanks for your...

FOX: Let's just say it's a -- we just have to do it the right way and not rush to implement something that may be faulty.

BLITZER: All right, that's a good point, a valid point. Thanks, Professor, for joining us.

And from the streets of Jerusalem to the streets of Washington, D.C., hard lessons on protecting the nation's capitol. Just how vulnerable is the heart of democracy? We'll hear from the man in charge. Plus, a fond farewell for a native son. The pope ends an emotional visit home, but first today's news quiz.

Pope John Paul II is the most traveled pope in history. Which of these countries has he not visited? Egypt, Greece, Syria, Vietnam? The answer coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. On heightened alert since September 11, the U.S. capitol has already withstood an anthrax attack. The concern now is about another type of terror threat, one that's been devastatingly successful in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): The U.S. Capitol, for centuries, known as "The People's House" for its open access. Since September 11, it's been more like a fortress. Tourists can no longer wander the halls of the capitol unaccompanied. Some of the more picturesque walkways and terraces outside have been sealed off. Pop-up barriers block suspicious cars and many trucks, from getting anywhere near the building. But Terrance Gainer, the new chief of the Capitol Hill police, is looking at future threats, including the potential for a suicide bomber to breach this ever-tightening security. Gainer will lead a delegation of Capitol Hill police to Israel in October to learn how to prevent and respond to suicide attacks.

They couldn't learn from a more experienced group. But, Israeli officials freely admit, even their vast firepower cannot completely counter suicide bombers. As Israeli military officers told "The Washington Post" over the weekend, these attackers have become the Palestinian version of the smart bomb. They are easy to hide and transport. They're cheap to produce. Militant groups seem to have an endless line of so-called volunteer "martyrs." And perhaps most ominous, they come with a brain. A resourceful suicide bomber can disguise himself and can walk inconspicuously through markets and restaurants and onto commuter buses.

Terrorist groups have even departed from traditional profiles and have begun recruiting women and older men to carry out attacks. It is that type of terror threat that has U.S. officials worried about some of their more vulnerable and precious institutions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Terrance Gainer is the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police. He joins us now live to discuss these concerns.

Chief, thanks so much for joining us. What do you hope to achieve by going to Israel with your delegation in October?

CHIEF TERRANCE GAINER, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE: Wolf, there's variety of things I think we can learn -- first is how to prevent these activities. So I'll be bringing some preventionists over there, our bomb technicians how to respond. And then, we also have to educate our own officers how to manage a scene. And I'd also like to talk with their intelligence type to see what the motivation is behind some of the suicide bombers.

BLITZER: Which raises, of course, the concern that you must have, that that kind of suicide bombing attack could affect Capitol Hill?

GAINER: Well, I think we have to realize that we're all vulnerable to that type of thing. There's absolutely no intelligence that indicates that's going to happen. But I think it would be prudent for us -- given that it has been successful, at least in Israel -- that we prepare ourselves for that.

BLITZER: Have you already started taking specific precautions to deal with that threat of individual suicide bombers?

GAINER: Actually, we have. When I was with the Metropolitan Police Department, Chief Ramsey and I and the Police Executive Research Forum hosted some of the Israelis police officials, met with them, had some of the bombs that the suicide bombers take. And we've drawn up from that some of the things that our officers can look for and how they might respond if they see someone they suspect of that.

BLITZER: Well, what is the specific, the best advice that you're giving Capitol Hill employees, staffers, members of Congress, if any advice right now? GAINER: Well, I think it goes along with the outgoing education we're down in this threat environment, to be aware of your surroundings and people you see. And if there is something suspicious -- on a hot day like today, someone's wearing a long or short coat that's buttoned up, then you should notify the police and we can take appropriate action.

BLITZER: Is there any reason at all to be suspicious -- you say there's no hard intelligence to raise this fear right now, but there's obviously -- just as an abundance of caution, is that why you're doing this?

GAINER: Very, very much so. I think some of the criticism of the law enforcement and the intelligence community before September 11 was why weren't we more prepared for the potential of a suicide plane bomber. So this is just a progression in that. We've taken a lot of precautions about cars and trucks and other vehicles. I do think we have to be at least sensitive to the possibility that it would strike a blow of terror if not injury to the United States if suicide bombers became prevalent here.

The good news is that what we know about Israel that's not often talked about and at least the "Washington Post" pointed out, that they prevent a lot of these and some 200 bombings were prevented last year. So I think they have a lot of things they do to prevent those and how to mitigate the damage.

BLITZER: Good luck on the trip, Chief Gainer.

GAINER: Thank you.

BLITZER: And good luck with the mission overall. Thanks for joining us.

New York City officials are pledging to tighten emergency procedures in the wake of the World Trade Center attacks. And Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the changes are what the heroes of September 11 would want city officials to do. A consulting company examined the initial response to the attacks. Among other things, it recommends better communication systems and improved deployment plans for the fire and police departments. Among the report's findings -- the fire department's radio network was spotty on September 11 and it was incompatible with the police network.

He was the mastermind of terror in the 1980s. Today, he was found shot to death in his Iraqi home. When we return, a look at the man blamed for grisly attacks in more than 20 countries. And Frankenfish on the defensive -- chemical warfare on an alien species.

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BLITZER: Welcome back. Abu Nidal, a name many equate with terror and death, is dead. The United States and other countries are welcoming the news. Nidal had been blamed for decades of terrorist attacks. According to a Palestinian newspaper, Abu Nidal was seriously ill and committed suicide. He reportedly died from a gunshot or several gunshots, but exact details of how he was shot are not yet known. CNN's Jim Clancy looks at his legacy of death and bloodshed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ruthless, vindictive, violence and bitter. Sabri l-Banna, who used the name, Abu Nidal, was all of those things and more. He was the sworn enemy of PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, who he accused of selling out the Palestinians by not supporting an all-out terror war against Israel and its allies. He found shelter with Arab leaders renowned for wanting to play the Palestinian card in Mid East politics, from Syrian president, Papa Salassad (ph) to Libya's Moammar Gadhafi and President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.

His attacks numbered more than 90. His operatives are blamed in the deaths of more than 300 people and the wounding of 600 others. His battleground, more than 20 countries on three continents.

In December of 1985, Nidal's followers simultaneously attacked the Rome and Vienna airports in an effort to take hostages. Firefights broke out at check-in counters that produced a deadly crossfire. Sixteen people died, another 60 were wounded. The airport attacks were his most spectacular, but not his most deadly operation. Twice he attempted and failed to kill Yasser Arafat. He succeeded, however, in spilling the blood of dozens of Arafat supporters. His attacks on Jewish were mostly aimed at helpless civilians and schoolchildren. His Fatah Revolutionary Council seriously wounded Israel's ambassador to Britain in 1982 and succeeded in triggering the invasion of Lebanon that ultimately forced Arafat to abandon his Beirut stronghold.

While Arafat would go on to win even more Palestinian support and bargain with archenemy, Israel, and return home, Abu Nidal would grow less relevant, less respected and more isolated. For three decades, Abu Nidal struggled for the hearts and minds of millions of Palestinians, but his violent tactics against moderates within the PLO doomed those efforts. Abu Nidal tried to forge his image as a nationalist forced to become a terrorist. He came, in the end, to be seen by most Palestinians as terrorist posing as a nationalist.

Jim Clancy, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Bad days ahead for the Frankenfish. Biologists go after this alien species. Find out how they're doing it. Stay with us.

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BLITZER: Earlier we asked -- Which country has Pope John Paul II not visited during his papacy? The answer, the pope has traveled to more than 100 countries in the past 24 years, but has never been to Vietnam. Pope John Paul II bid farewell to his homeland today, after a four-day visit. The pope's trip to Poland centered on the city of Krakow, where he studied and became a priest. During his visit, the 82-year-old pontiff made clear that despite his health problems, he's not ready to end his papacy. John Paul suffers from symptoms of Parkinson's disease, plus hip and knee ailments.

Now, let's check come other stories on today's "News Wire." Maryland officials are hoping it's the beginning of the end for a notorious predator fish that threatens native fish species. Workers have applied a chemical cocktail to a pond infested with northern snakeheads. The fish is a native of China. Biologists will return in about a week to apply more poison.

And TV chef, Julia Child, is now an official part of America's heritage. Today, she opened an exhibit of her home kitchen at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History here in Washington. Child turned 90 last week. Her first TV series, "The French Chef," debuted 40 years ago. Congratulations to Julia Child.

Let's go to New York now and get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That, of course, begins right at the top of the hour. Jan Hopkins is filling in for Lou tonight -- Jan.

JAN HOPKINS, GUEST HOST, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Thanks, Wolf. Coming up on "MONEYLINE," we'll have extensive coverage of the huge archive of terrorist tapes obtained by CNN. It is a chilling look at al Qaeda training techniques. CNN's Nic Robertson will be here with details. We'll also be joined by CNN's terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen.

We'll look inside another training ground, the one in the United States. Federal agents are searching for missiles and explosives in a training school in New Mexico. We'll have a live report.

And a powerful rally on Wall Street. Stocks post a solid advance. We'll have complete market coverage. All of that and a lot more ahead. Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jan. Time is running out to weigh in on our "Question of The Day." In light of the al Qaeda videotapes acquired by CNN, do you see the group as more of a threat? Go to my Web page, CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote. The results, when we return.

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BLITZER: Now, here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of The Day." In light of the al Qaeda videotapes acquired by CNN, do you see the group as more of a threat? Look at the answers. Seventy percent of you say, "Yes." Thirty percent of you say, "No." This is not, remember, a scientific poll.

Time now to hear directly from you. Robert writes this -- "I am appalled and outraged by your "In-Depth Terror on Tape Gallery." You have four pictures of dogs being tortured in a gas chamber. It is disgusting and inhumane to focus on something like that."

Robert, thanks for your concerns. We take your concerns very seriously. These tapes are not easy to watch, as we've been saying, but they are important for all of us to see if we want to better understand the terror threat all of us face.

And we just have this in as well. Authorities in New York State say a five-month-old was killed this afternoon when a bear tried to drag her into the woods. Bystanders threw rocks at the bear and chased it. It happened in Sullivan County, in the Catskill Mountains. This is the first time in decades that black bear has killed a human in New York State. We'll continue to follow this sad story as well.

That's all the time we have today. Tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, more of our exclusive CNN reports. Nic Robertson brings you never-before-seen videotape of Osama bin Laden and his security force. Until then, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.

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