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Rumsfeld: No evidence of al Qaeda WMDs so far

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A search of possible stockpiles of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons inside Afghanistan has yielded intelligence indicating "an appetite for weapons of mass destruction" but so far little hard evidence al Qaeda possessed such weapons, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday.

Military personnel have searched 40 of more than 50 sites in Afghanistan, coming across "diagrams, materials, reports that things were asked for [and] discussed" suggesting al Qaeda interest in weapons of mass destruction, said Rumsfeld.

In one case, U.S. forces detected a "high radioactivity count" on al Qaeda warheads used in anti-tank rounds, a finding Rumsfeld said was probably caused by depleted uranium -- a hard, heavy metal used in some conventional armor-piercing weapons.

Rumsfeld said U.S. forces have also discovered canisters that "externally ... appear to be weapons of mass destruction," although he cautioned against a conclusive correlation until analysis was complete.

A U.S. Central Command spokesman said Wednesday two canisters found near Kabul and thought to contain deadly chemicals were empty, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, 30 new al Qaeda and Taliban detainees arrived Wednesday at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, bringing the total number of captives there to 80.

A U.S. Marine Corps general said the Afghan war prisoners were being treated humanely, even as some detainees have threatened to kill their American captors before leaving the Caribbean island. (Full story)

Justice Department officials will soon take another detainee, American Taliban fighter John Walker, into custody, a senior Defense Department official said.

The former California resident, now being held by U.S. military personnel on the USS Bataan in the north Arabian Sea, faces multiple charges including conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals abroad. (Full story)

VIDEO CNN's Bill Hemmer rides with the U.S. military on a daytime reconnaissance patrol in southern Afghanistan (January 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Four Americans who lost loved ones September 11 travel to Afghanistan to meet with victims of the war on terrorism. CNN's Michael Holmes reports (January 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   QUICKVOTE Should John Walker have been charged with treason? Yes No View Results    CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

Latest developments

• Authorities will not prosecute an Egyptian college student charged last Friday with lying to the FBI about his knowledge of aviation radios, one of which he allegedly had while staying in a hotel across from the World Trade Center on September 11. The government has informed the federal court in Manhattan that the case against Abdallah Higazy will be dismissed, a defense attorney said.

• A federal grand jury in Boston, Massachusetts, on Wednesday indicted suspected "shoe bomber" Richard Reid on seven additional charges, including attempted murder, placing an explosive device on an airplane and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. (Full story)

• Based on information taken from a computer found in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said they have circumstantial evidence suggesting Reid scouted potential targets for al Qaeda. (Full story)

• The head of the September 11th Fund, created by the United Way and New York Community Trust, urged people to stop contributing to the charity and instead to assist charities overshadowed since the terrorist attacks. The fund has collected more than $425 million, dispersing more than $163 million.

• Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta outlined Wednesday new guidelines to airlines for screening checked bags, calling for a multilayered system of security. Airlines face a Friday deadline set by Congress for putting procedures in place to screen all checked bags for explosives. (Full story)

• An advance team of U.S. troops is on the ground in the Philippines to plan for war games "with live targets," Philippine government officials said Wednesday. The U.S. troops will establish a counterterrorism training camp for Philippine soldiers on the southern island of Mindanao, across a narrow straight from the island base of an Islamic extremist group reported to have ties with al Qaeda. (Full story)

• In Afghanistan, a suspected al Qaeda financier identifying himself as a member of the Taliban Shura, a council of elders, has turned himself in to U.S. forces, a U.S. military official said Wednesday. During questioning, the man said that he has provided some money to various causes, said Cmdr. Frank Merriman, a U.S. Central Command spokesman. Other military sources said they believe the man is a leading financier of the al Qaeda terrorist network. (Full story)

• In a proposal made to the International Maritime Organization, the U.S. government has urged other countries to improve port security to prevent threats from ship-borne terrorists. The proposal advocates inspecting cargo containers before they leave port, conducting background checks on all seafarers and assessing the vulnerability of specific ports.

• British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday that the detainees at Guantanamo Bay should be treated humanely even though they are "dangerous" and have done "terrible things." He told the House of Commons that Britain will send a team to Cuba to visit three detainees who say they are British citizens. (Full story)

• The body of the seventh U.S. Marine killed in the crash of a refueling plane in Pakistan has been recovered, according to U.S. Central Command. The body was brought to the U.S. base in Kandahar and transferred to another plane to be sent to Ramstein, Germany. Six other bodies in last week's crash were found earlier, but not all the remains have been positively identified, including the final one recovered.

• The Senate office building that was shut down after an anthrax-laced letter was opened there is expected to reopen Friday following weeks of decontamination, according to a memo obtained by CNN. The Hart Senate Office Building was closed October 17, displacing some 50 senators and staff members.

• Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said Wednesday the United States needs to maintain a presence in Afghanistan for as long as needed and not abandon the war-ravaged nation. "While our effort began as a war against terrorism it continues now as an effort to rebuild this country... to restore the quality of life and the kind of government they have fought so hard to obtain," said Daschle, after he and a delegation of U.S. lawmakers met with Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai. (Full story)

• An advance group from Turkey's air force and army will leave this week for Afghanistan to join a growing group of international peacekeepers, paving the way for several hundred of their troops to follow, Turkish military sources said Wednesday.

• Two Indian immigrants who were arrested in Texas on September 11 with $5,000 in cash, box cutters and hair dye pleaded not guilty Wednesday in federal court in New York to credit card fraud charges. The men were on a flight from Newark, New Jersey, to San Antonio, Texas, at the time of the terrorist attacks and boarded a train after their plane was forced to land in St. Louis, Missouri.

• More than 200 people Wednesday protested Marriott's treatment of former employees of the chain's World Trade Center hotel. Marching in New York's Times Square, the protesters demanded the hotel chain offer new jobs to those former employees displaced by the September 11 attacks.

• The estimated number of dead in the September 11 World Trade Center attacks has fallen to 2,889, officials said Monday. The city Office of Emergency Management said 655 people are confirmed dead, 286 people are listed as missing with no death certificates issued, and 1,948 death certificates have been issued for victims whose remains have not yet been identified.