TV Channel 3 Thu Feb 13 21:46:17 2003
>> hxietxiet american cities, families, and businesses on alert and on edge because of terror threats. And nbc's investigation, hundreds of suspected al qaeda followers living in the U.S. What is known about the most dangerous dozen. "Countdown: Iraq" the eve of the weapons inspectors report. President bush tells the u.N. To show some backbone.
[Captioning made possible by U.S. Department of education and national broadcasting company]
>> good evening. There is a great deal going on tonight including some late-breaking developments in the shuttle investigation. But we'll begin here in great britain, because tonight the american people and the british share more than a common language. These two countries now have a case of the national jitters. In washington, d.C. The missile batteries remain in place close by the other familiar landmarks of the american capitol. While in london, the two major airports already under heavy security were under greater strain with three arrests in all, including a venezuelan man who had a hand grenade in his luggage.Ill no word on what he may have had in mind. In america the official alert level stayed the same, code orange. But the anxiety level seemed to jump from coast-to-coast, especially in the big cities. We begin with robert hager tonight.
>> As police patrolling the U.S. Capitol began carrying semiautomatic rifles, and the government warned key industries to watch for employees who might have been planted by terrorist groups, defense secretary rumsfeld had a warning.
>> Weave entered what may very well prove to be the most dangerous security environment the world's known.
>> Given all t tension, there were false alarms. At a high school in clayton, georgia, 1,700 students were evacuated after a device with a timer was found inside, turned out to be fake, a hoax. And as the busy dallas-fort worth airport, three concourses were emptied, flights delayed, after someone found an emergency door left open. And everywhere people race to buy duct tape and plastic. In maryland, nancy cadigan taped her window.
>> We have to do the other side and then get along the bottom and it should be sealed.
>> Her master bedroom will be the family's safe room.
>> Hopefully nothing will happen, but it gives me a sense of comfort.
>> Connecticut resident paul west wrapped his entire house. And virginia's debbie yamanaka had an energy plan with phone numbers to find one another. But some local officia urged caution. Like florida's domestic security chief steve lauer.
>> Do not take this in a sense that we're looking for you to we want you to throw up your hands and say the only way to protect ourselves is to run up in a room and hide. That's not the issue. The issue is there are certain things we can do, and this is one of them.
>> In new york similar caution from mayor bloomberg.
>> You cannot stop and let the terrorists win and go into a room and duct tape the doors and windows. As a matter of fact, if you do it, it's dangerous.
>> If you shut off all the outside air, you can suffocate.
>> Meantime federal officials say they have no plans to raise the threat level from the present orange and still have no specific information on threats or a method of attack. Tom?
>> Thanks very much, nbc's robert hager tonight. Now we have an nbc news exclusive investigation that has yielded some disturbing news. Nbc news has learned that the F.B.I. Now has identified almost a dozen men living in the united states believed to have been trained in bin laden's terrorist training camps in afghanistan. Here's nbc's senior investigative correspondent lisa myers.
>> Tom, federal sources say the men believed to have trained in the camps have been under surveillance for months. Now some f.B.I. Counter-terror officials are debating whether to move in and arrest them. Federal counter-terrorism officials tell nbc news that the number of al qaeda sympathizers in the u.S mostly militant muslims located in 30 american cities.
>> The question is, how many are hard-core versus soft-core or just sympathetic? That's the problem.
>> F.B.I. Sources say 20-40 militant muslims inside this country are believed to have strong al qaeda connections. Most troubling, F.B.I. Sources say, a dozen men believed to be in communication with al qaeda leaders overseas. Sources say these suspects are sprinkled across the country, some in major western cities, some in new york and new jersey, where investigators turned up talk of possible suicide also unsettling to authorities, informatiofrom inside some of america's most radical mosques. Nbc news has learned that one informant told federal authorities there's actually excitement within his mosque over the likelihood of another attack. And about true believers said to be arriving from malaysia, indonesia, and saudi arabia. Top counter-terror officials say they've worried about those new arrivals for months.
>> There has been movement of people to the united states from southeast asia that are linked to al qaeda.
>> So what is the F.B.I. Doing about those they know are here and believe to be a serious threat? Wiretapping phones, sometimes even letting suspects know the f.B.I. Is watching. An conducting aggressive surveillance. Still some agents are so concerned they've asked for permission to arrest many of the dozen believed to have trained in bin laden's camps. As one top official says, those camps were not "dude ranches." If you went there you supported terrorism and meant to do harm. Steve pomerantz, a former F.B.I. Counter-terror agent says it's a tough choice.
>> The strongest reason for continuing surveillance is to identify the full extent of the terrorist network, people unknown to you. The strongest reason for making an arrest is to stop an act of terrorism.
>> That you believe may be imminent?
>> That you believe may be imminent.
>> Now as nervous as officials are about the men they know about who trained in the camps, an even bigger worry are those who trained there and are to this day unknown to the f.B.I. Tom?
>> Nbc's lisa myers in washington, thanks very much tonight. And at the united nations tomorrow, a critical meeting of the security council to hear the latest reports of the U.N. Weapons inspectors and to begin what should be the final phase of debate that is expected to be very heated, with deep divisions among the major players, especially france, germany, russia, great britain and the united states. As nbc's andrea mitchell reports tonight president bu and secretary of state colin powell today were already making the case for the U.S.
>> At a naval air station in florida, the president warned forces necessary to disarm saddam hussein, america will act decisively.
>> America will act victoriously with the world's greatest military. And the day before the security council showdown, he said the U.N. Needs to show backbone.
>> When you say something, does it mean anything? Free nations will not allow the united nations to fade into history as an ineffective irrelevant debating society.
>> The pressure is now on hans blix. Nbc news has learned the chief weapons inspector will report tomorrow that despite some iraqi cooperation, documents baghdad gave him last weekend do notunt for missing V.X. Nerve gas or biological weapons. The inspectors also want more information about iraq's missiles. And blix will say a second missile al-samoud, definitely violates the U.N. Limits. While iraq's tariq aziz sees no serious violation, colin powell immediately seized on the issue.
>> I think this is a serious matter and if that's what he confirms tomorrow in his presentation, it shows continued iraqi noncompliance.
>> Instead of the missiles' permitted 90-mile range, the al-samoud can hit a target as far off as 113 miles.
>> These missiles can go longer than the restricted limit. They should be destroyed.
>> At the U.N. Some officials are asking, should the u.S. Go
war over a few extra miles? Prompting a senior official to say sarcastically, what's a little more anthrax? What's a little more botulism? Tonight U.S. Officials are trying to decide how quickly to push for a second u.N. Resolution that could trigger war with iraq. Andrea mitchell, nbc news, at the united nations.
>> And when the U.N. Security council convenes tomorrow, britain's foreign minister will be in the room representing this country. Jack straw has been working closely with secretary of state colin powell defending what is increasingly an unpopular position in this country. When we met at the foreign ministry today i asked straw if he wanted a second resolution at the U.N. If there is to be a war.
>> People will be much more reassured if there is a second resolution. But we have to reserve our right to take that military action even without one.
>> Are you confident you can get a second resolution on the terms that you got the first one, which was a unanimous vote?
>> No. I think it will be hard work to get a second resolution, but i believe we should, and i believe the arguments will be there if we judge after the blix/elbaradei reports tomorrow that one is necessary.
>> Isn't it likely even after this weekend, even if hans blix comes back with a report that is strongly critical of saddam hussein, that there will have to be additional time for more inspections before military action could become necessary?
>> Well, there's going to be a further report from the inspectors at the end of the month on the 28th of february. But I'm not going to speculate about exact circumstances if we decide to put forward a second resolution and how long it's going to take.
>> If the case is so evident, why is it so hard to persuade the british people? 62% said they were not persuaded by colin powell's presentation. Roughly the same percent said that your case was weakened when it was disclosed that when you had the so-called dossier against saddam hussein you were using material that was 12 years old from a ph.D. Paper.
>> People are anxious about the prospect of military action. I understand that. The opinion polls will change day by day, week by week. So it has been a hard task. This is a hard issue for people here. We didn't suffer directly the terrible trauma of september 11. I think too there's an issue of people feeling their loyalties pulled between the united states and europe and with acting members of the european union. I'm in doubt that if and when military action has to be taken, the majority of the british people will be backing it.
>> Will we know a great deal more by the end of this weekend?
>> We'll know some more. But it depends on blix and elbaradei say.
>> Still ahead tonight from here in london, the british prime minister in big political trouble at home over his support for war with iraq.
>> Public opinion is against him and his own party is against him.
>> Tony blair under siege in great britain. If a war goes badly, will he be out of a job? And later, late-breaking news on what might have caused the loss of the shuttle columbia. And late-breaking news on what might have caused the s the shuttle c
>> Tonightew new n"" britain's prime minister tony blair, president bush's strongest ally in his campaign against saddam hussein, and early an enthusiastic supporter who has already committed 30,000 british troops to a possible w with iraq. And as a result, blair is in deep political trouble here, even within his own party. His approval rating has fallen to a stunning 30% in some polls. At st. Edmonds, in tony blair's own district, concern about war and a leader under political fire.
>> Let's pray for the government and mr. Blair at this very tense time.
>> These are the people who know blair best. But they have deep reservations.
>> The women are thinking of their sons and their husbands. And they're also thinking -- i'm thinking of the economy of the country. And all right, if war is justified, you take that as part of the package. But if war is not justified, we're going to be very, very poor.
>> The doubt here in his own district is shared across britain. 90% of the british now are against a war with iraq without a second u.N. Resolution. With increasing frequency, blair is asked, where to our country?
>> And another question is shouted at me, when do we stop? We stop when the threat to our security is properly and fully dealt with.
>> But the criticism doesn't let up. Even some of his own cabinet ministers have threatened to resign if there is a war. This for a prime minister who had been one of the most popular in british history.
>> The military are very unhappy about what is planned. The churches are against him, the roman catholic church, public opinion is against him, a substantial part of his own party is against him 6789. So, yes, his political career is very much in danger at the
>> it's not just the war. Britain's crime rate is up. It's healthcare system is deteriorating. But it often comes back to his ties to president bush.
>> He is seen by many people in this country as george w.'S poodle. And that is not a happy position far british prime minister to be in.
>> Blair has not backed down, however. Long-time students of the prime minister say that for him this is a moral as well as a political issue.
>> Sometimes the job of a prime minister is to say the things people don't want them to say but we believe are necessary to say, because the threat is real and if we don't deal with it then the consequences are our weakness will haunt future generations.
>> And setting everything else aside, tony blair is the only politician in the world to have been one of bill clinton's best political friends and to have played the same role with president george w. Bush. Now to my colleague brian williams.
>> Tom, thanks. It was a wild day on wall street today. The markets were down sharply most of the session but then in the last hour of trading a rally cut the largest of the losses.
>> Up next when we continue from new york and london tonight, new information about the last moments of the shuttle columbia. <
>> Tbrs brs breakisinioatioation. There is a major new finding about why columbia suffered catastrophic overheating on its descent through the earth's atmosphere. We go to nbc's dan molina at the houston space center.
>> Good evening, brian. We've known almost from the beginning that in the chain of events preceding the break-up of columbia, mission control recorded a very unusual rise in temperature in this area, the left wheel well of columbia. The question is, why did that temperature rise occur? Today the columbia accident investigating board said it may have been caused by sorm sort of breach of columbia's skin. Now, any shuttle reentering the atmosphere goes through a series of heat rises and creates what is called plasma, super-heated gas on the outside of the or bitter. That gas rises to about 2,500 degrees. Now the aluminum skin underneath the tiles would melt at about 900 degrees. So the question becomes was some of that aluminum skin exposed? A space created by the loss of only one tile would not be sufficient to melt the skin. They stayed away, however, from addressing the question of whether an area of larger loss of tile, something like two scare feet, would be sufficient to mel skin and cause the entry of that plasma, the super-heated gas inside the fuselage of columbia causing the catastrophe. Another matter of interest for several hours this morning was news from nasa that one indicator in mission control showed that the left landing gear was actually down, deployed. However i spoke a couple of hours ago with entry flight director roy cane about that very subject and mr. Cane said very firmly that there are two other sensors inside of mission control which said the landing gear was not deployed and that was not the cause of the accident. Also, brian, mr. Cane said firmly that if that landing gear had been down, deployed, that it would have very seriously affected the err dynamic qualities of the vehicle and thatdy nod happen. Brian?
>> -- And that did not happen. Brian?
>> Dan, thank you for that. An emotional scene in a texas courtroom today also in houston. A jury found clara harris guilty of murder for running her unfaithful husband over with her mercedes. Now the jury has to decide how to punish harris. She could get life in prison. At one point today after harris started crying in court, the judge dismissed the jury, told harris to regain her composure. When we come back, two perspectives tonight on this edgy day on both sides of the atlantic. ! E right y乂c?駿?
>> it is so striking to come directly from new york to london and to see the similar moods in these two cities. London, of course, has been through I.R.A. Bombings and the blitz during world war ii. Now the anxiety level is very high. This "daily telegraph" headline was the common theme in all of the papers today, a state of terror and confusion. So it's reached these shores as well. Brian williams in new york?
>> And, tom, what a strange day in this country with plastic sheeting and duct tape flying off store shelves and missile batteries out in the open. In ways they haven't been since families e-mailing each other, cancelling plans in ways they haven't since september 12 of 2001. With armored personnel carriers outside london's major airports, this special relationship between the two nations evidently continues. Tom?
>> And much more to come obviously. Tomorrow on the day of that critical u.N. Meeting, i'll be reporting to you from one of the world's key hot spots in all of this. That's ankara, turkey. For now, that's "nightly news" for this thursday. Good night from all of us at nbc news.
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