FBI Interviews Libyans in U.S.
LEMON: Libyans living in the United States could soon be getting a knock on the door from the FBI, if they haven't already. Here is what a law enforcement official tells CNN, that the FBI is talking with Libyan nationals, specifically those here on visas. The officials describes it as an pro-active effort to seek out intel on possible revenge plots against Americans. So joining me now to discuss this and other developments inside Libya, CNN correspondent Rima Maktabi. Rima, the FBI director, Robert Mueller, spoke about it this morning. He was asked earlier about it, and here's what he had to say. Take a listen.</s>ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: In the extent that there are individuals previously affiliated with the Libyan government who happen to be in the United States, they may have been here representing Libya and various institutions and the like, and to the extent that they have renounced or denounced Gadhafi, are willing to be interviewed and to give us information as to what maybe happening in Libya, we will proceed with those interviews.</s>LEMON: OK, so, Rima, you lived in Libya for quite some time. My questions is, though, how will Libyans living in the U.S. react to the FBI questioning them?</s>RIMA MAKTABI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I lived all over the Middle East and I have spent so many years in many countries. If they have information, those Libyans will talk to the FBI because, as we know, many Libyans anyway fled the oppressive regime of Moammar Gadhafi over the past years. However, if some Libyans are really cooperating with the regime and planning any attacks, the FBI approaching them will probably make them think about it twice.</s>LEMON: When you think about Moammar Gadhafi, many people say he's unstable. What is -- he's unstable and not sure if he has his act together outside of Libya. So what is the likelihood that Moammar Gadhafi is planning some sort of attack anywhere in the west or in the U.S.? Is that likely?</s>MAKTABI: Let's recall Moammar Gadhafi's past and his regime's past. In the '80s, there were many bombs placed on aircrafts. We remember in 1988 and 1989 the Lockerbie case and other cases. Also, the explosion in the nightclub in Berlin, and Saudis accused the Gadhafi a few years ago of plotting an assassination attempt against Saudi King Abdullah. So the history doesn't have Gadhafi that the Americans and the westerners not accuse him of planning anything in the future.</s>LEMON: I have been talking about this a lot because I think it's very important, the role that women are playing in this uprising, and specifically this one, especially since Eman al-Obeidy rushed into that hotel in Libya with all the journalists there and made this emotional plea, saying that she had been raped and beaten at the hands of Moammar Gadhafi's henchman over a period of two days. On "AC360," they put the mom and her together on the telephone for -- they reunited them. It was very emotional. Listen and then we'll talk about it.</s>EMAN AL-OBEIDY, LIBYAN WOMAN ACCUSING GADHAFI'S SOLDIERS OF RAPE (translated text): Mom, they attacked me today they pulled their weapons and tried to kill me today.</s>AISHA AHMAD, EMAN'S MOTHER: Where are you staying? Where? Eman?</s>AL-OBEIDY: I am staying at my friend's house. My sister all her neighbors are armed and I couldn't.</s>LEMON: For a woman to make these sorts of claims, especially publicly in Libya, unheard of.</s>MAKTABI: In Libya and across the Arab world, this is really unprecedented. Why? Because in the Arab world, the societies are conservative. People don't talk about their private lives. And women, specifically, they don't talk about their boyfriends and their men and lives. They are harassed and sometimes attacked or raped and they don't mention this in public. So this woman's life is going to change forever.</s>LEMON: Very conservative in that respect and we see -- even saw women -- there are the women there -- in the video subduing her, putting a bag over her head, because the women don't want her to talk about that because it's embarrassing to them.</s>MAKTABI: It's embarrassing. And having watched this conversation yesterday between Eman and her mom, now Eman is hiding not only from the government, but also from the society itself because people will look at her differently. The Arab society is not ready to talk about such issues and Arab media didn't really give air time to Eman's case like international and American media, specifically</s>CNN. LEMON: But people there know about her, they know about these claims, right? They are able to get the news and somehow -- I don't know, on the internet they are aware of Eman?</s>MAKTABI: And Eman being courageous this way and CNN really focusing on this woman will help other women in the Middle East and the Arab world, specifically, to talk about such things even more. It will give them some protection. However, we're talking about really conservative minds and people who look differently at women who are raped or even abused.</s>LEMON: Very interesting. Thank you. Thank you so much.</s>MAKTABI: Thank you so much for having me.</s>LEMON: It's a pleasure. Rima Maktabi. A major announcement from TV personality Glenn Beck. We're told he is leaving his cable show, but not necessarily the FOX News channel. And what is behind this sudden breakup? We're going to talk. And we have some breaking news. A U.S. military plane has crashed. Details coming in now. We're back in 70 seconds.