Pakistani Intelligence: Interrogation of Pakistani Computer Expert Had Led to at Least One of Arrests in Britain
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Eight-thirty here in New York. Good morning everybody. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. The arrest in Pakistan of two al Qaeda members providing the U.S. with some good intelligence work. Now there is word of possibly more arrests coming. The author of "Ghost Wars" -- Steve Coll, in a moment, great writer from "The Washington Post," knows a whole lot about this area. We'll talk to him in a moment about what they may know at this point.</s>HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We will. And also we'll get a story about some American teachers who are being sued by a school in Kuwait because they decided to leave that country for their own safety. We'll talk about that in a moment.</s>HEMMER: Also, at lunchtime, eating a sandwich at your computer while working -- a lot of people do it, but are they doing themselves a disservice?</s>COLLINS: No.</s>HEMMER: What do you think?</s>COLLINS: I think no.</s>HEMMER: When you're hungry, you eat, right?</s>COLLINS: That's right.</s>HEMMER: Sanjay has that in a couple of minutes here.</s>COLLINS: All right, very good. Moving on to the news now. Every day freedoms may be suffering from the effort to defend against terrorists. City officials in Washington, D.C. are complaining about new federal security measures. The Capitol Police have closed First Street, which runs in front of the Capitol Building and between congressional office buildings. The mayor says it's a danger to Washington residents.</s>ANTHONY WILLIAMS, MAYOR, WASHINGTON, D.C.: If you're a responder responding to an emergency, you've got your siren on, if traffic's backed up on both sides of the street, you're not getting where you're going, even with the siren going. So this is not -- it's a freedom issue that we're talking about, and an openness issue, but it can sometimes be a real safety issue.</s>COLLINS: Officials are thinking about restricting more traffic around the White House and the Treasury Department. D.C. representative Eleanor Holmes Norton says federal authorities need to find ways to keep the city safe and open at the same time. The thread of information that led to these latest security measures begins in Pakistan with the arrest of a suspected al Qaeda computer expert apparently triggered the capture of a bigger al Qaeda operative. And it now seems to have led to England, where a series of raids were conducted yesterday. Steve Coll is the managing editor of "The Washington Post." He's joining us now from there this morning. Steve, hello to you. Thanks so much for being with us. I want to begin with what we just learned from our correspondent, Jim Bolden out of London. He's telling us that Pakistani intelligence says that from the interrogation of that Pakistani computer expert by the name of Naeem Noor Khan led to at least one of the arrests -- there were 12 arrests -- in Britain. What do you know about this?</s>STEVE COLL, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, I don't know how direct that connection is, but it's certainly possible. What's clear is that this group of arrests in Pakistan is connected to a significant al Qaeda affiliated network. And there's every reason to believe from the material that's been describe from the seizures that this is a network with international reach. So if it does lead to Britain, that wouldn't be surprising. Clearly, there's also operations going on right now to try to disrupt whatever part of this network they can identify from the materials they've seized in Pakistan.</s>COLLINS: All right, well, there are also reports to talk about on the files, specifically of Khan's computer now containing information about Citigroup and Prudential and Wall Street. Anyway, to know whether or not those files had actually been updated? Because, as you know, there's been a lot of discussion about how old the information is.</s>COLL: Well, what's been described, of course, are fragments -- and without access to the full cache of classified information, it's impossible to be completely confident, but from what's been described, most of the files seem to have been accumulated, the ones in the computers have been accumulated before September 11. But as you know, when you use your own computer if you open up a file the computer marks that with a time stamp, and evidently at least some of these files have been opened more recently, perhaps as recently as earlier this year.</s>COLLINS: So, Steve, does that really give us any indication of whether or not this group was involved in planning current attacks?</s>COLL: That, per se, doesn't but this group includes very dangerous operatives who have been at large for six years, wanted for their role in the embassy bombings in Africa. According to reports we've received from Pakistan at least one of those detained was a nephew -- a blood relative of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. We know there are Mohammed-affiliated networks that include fugitives who are still at large who are thought to be planning attacks actively. To what extent these computer files are connected to those ongoing operations is just impossible to tell from the outside. But, certainly, this group of people who posses the computers were currently al Qaeda affiliated operatives and so therefore dangerous in that respect.</s>COLLINS: Yes, you actually say that there are several spokes pointing mostly to the west and then also to that Afghanistan border -- Afghanistan-Pakistan border, I should say. From these arrests now. Who do you think that these guys are communicating with along that border?</s>COLL: Well, if it's true, I think the most intriguing aspect of what we've been able to see about this cell is its connections to the old al Qaeda headquarters operations of the pre-9/11 days. That is possible connections to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, possible connections to the plot that unfolded in Africa in 1998, and that suggests that there may be people in this group who are connected to the al Qaeda leadership around bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri, who are thought to be up in this border area. And as with some other arrests in Pakistan it's at least conceivable that these threads can -- will lead back to the tribal areas where the search continues for bin Laden and his chief lieutenants.</s>COLLINS: Question would be -- quickly, Steve you know why have the Pakistanis made so many arrests? In fact, Pakistani information minister did tell CNN this very thing. "We may be in a position to get some good fish in the coming days." What does that say? Could there be more coming?</s>COLL: Well, there's been, you know, a pattern of these arrests now over three years where every so often -- often in urban areas like this one they break up a cell and that immediately leads down the spokes to new arrests. But so far it hasn't lead them to bin Laden or his chief lieutenants perhaps the Pakistanis are optimistic that this time it will be different.</s>COLLINS: Steve Coll, managing editor of "The Washington Post." Steve, thanks so much this morning. Appreciate it.</s>COLL: Glad to be with you. Thanks.</s>HEMMER: All right, about 23 minutes now before the hour. The woman at the center of the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal, Private First Class Lynndie England was in court yesterday for a hearing. That hearing was cut short after she left to consult with her doctor. Lynndie England is seven months pregnant and CNN's Bob Franken is there for us.</s>BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was just fun, an investigator says she told him, but now Private First Class Lynndie England who is late in her pregnancy, faces 19 charges, a potential 38 years of prison, for her alleged role in the treatment of inmates held in the hell hole that was Abu Ghraib Prison. Among the most notorious pictures that caused worldwide outrage is the one that shows England holding a detainee on a leash. She told investigators she did so at the behest of Corporal Charles Grainer, accused of being a leader of the prisoner mistreatment, and identified by her attorney as the father of England's baby. After attending the morning session, England failed to show up in the afternoon.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: During the lunch break, Pfc. England called her doctor and her doctor requested that she come in to see him and so that is why she was not present during this afternoon's hearing.</s>FRANKEN: But before she left, an investigator described sexually explicit pictures, which became the basis for several of the indecency charges against her. As he described them, she looked down at the table.</s>RICHARD HERNANDEZ, LYNNDIE ENGLAND'S ATTORNEY: She's as stressed as anyone else would be if you were a 20-year-old -- 21-year-old young lady who is facing 30 years for pictures -- intimate photographs that are -- you would see at Mardi Gras on spring break. But, not in this case. She's facing 30 years.</s>FRANKEN: But this controversy focuses on the pictures that show alleged mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners. Pictures that have become a major embarrassment to the United States. Bob Franken, CNN, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.</s>HEMMER: About 22 minutes before the hour. To Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center watching the other headlines for us. Good morning, Daryn.</s>DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning Bill. Let's begin here in the U.S. Mary Kay Letourneau has been ordered to stay away from her former child lover. Letourneau served 7 1/2 years for seducing a student who was 12 at the time. The relationship resulted in two children. Letourneau was released earlier today from prison in Washington State. She has to register as a sex offender and submit to state supervision. And two brothers, conjoined twins, will undergo a fifth and final surgery to be separated today. Two year old Carl and Clarence Aguirre went into surgery this morning at New York's Montefiore Medical Center. The delicate surgery should take about five hours. In Missouri, voters gave a big no to same-sex marriages. Missourians solidly endorsed a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. It's the first state vote since a Massachusetts court ruling allowed same-sex weddings last year. The decision was closely watched by national groups on both sides of the issue. And this political note as well, the schedule for the vote for change tour will be announced today. This musical tour will headline in battleground states such as Ohio, Michigan and Florida. It's going to feature the likes of R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen, and The Dixie Chicks. The concert series is presented by moveon.org and America Coming Together. It begins October 1st in Pennsylvania. Bill, you know I don't know about any political leanings but when Bruce Springsteen shows up...</s>HEMMER: Everybody is neutral.</s>KAGAN: You might -- well, you are, at least.</s>HEMMER: I want to tell you -- otherwise, anyway. Thank you Daryn.</s>COLLINS: Four American teachers who left Kuwait out of fear of terrorism are now being sued by their former school. Here now, Adrian Baschuk.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did you leave? I loved art because it's fun with you.</s>ADRIAN BASCHUK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laura Mace's art students still keep in touch despite her abrupt departure with no goodbye. Now, the Universal American School in Kuwait is serving her and three fellow American teachers with legal papers for breach of a two- year contract. Michael Hayes, a guidance counselor, secretly left in June 2002 because he says anti-American hatred after 9/11 and a possible Iraqi war made him vulnerable.</s>MICHAEL HAYES, GUIDANCE COUNSELOR: There were numerous military personnel that told us this is going to happen, we're just waiting for the phone call -- why would you hang around if you don't have to.</s>BASCHUK: Laura Mace's breaking point came in an October 13, 2002 "New York Times" article reporting that al Qaeda's targets, quote, included the Universal American School, attended mostly by Kuwaiti children but staffed by Americans.</s>LAURA MACE, ART TEACHER: al Qaeda is here, somewhere hiding in my shadows and I don't know what to do with it. That's what I couldn't deal with.</s>BASCHUK: One month later, she bought this plane ticket and secretly fled.</s>RACHEL THOMAS ROWLEY, ATTY., UNIVERSAL AMER. SCHOOL: The Universal American School administration who are American, discovered that they were missing, they went to their apartments and they were empty and these teachers showed no concern at all for their students. They just left.</s>BASCHUK: A year and a half later, the Kuwaiti-owned school filed a lawsuit halfway around the world.</s>HAYES: It's hard to imagine people with this level of vindictiveness.</s>BASCHUK: Their contract did have an out clause. In circumstances, quote, "Including, but not limited to, war, riot, strikes and Acts of God." But not specifically terrorism.</s>BETTY TSAMIS, TEACHER'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I believe that any reasonable person would have looked at those warnings and would have believed that their life was truly in danger.</s>BASCHUK: The school says the teachers never filed any formal complaints about threats and that this suit is being brought to recover costs incurred from finding replacement teachers. The case goes to trial here on January 24. Adrian Baschuk, CNN, Denver, Colorado.</s>COLLINS: The school is seeking what its attorney has called modest damages in excess of $20,000 for costs incurred from finding replacement teachers.</s>HEMMER: In a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING one company finding out its just good plain business to hire a football coach who cannot sing. Andy has that in "Minding Your Business" in a moment here.</s>COLLINS: Might be smart. Also ahead you might eat your lunch and save time at your desk as well but in the long run you're probably hurting yourself. We're paging Dr. Gupta on that. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.