Coalition presser on attack

(26 Oct 2003) 1. Brigadier General Martin Dempsey walks to podium 2. Wide shot of presser 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Brigadier General Martin Dempsey, Commander of the 1st Armoured Division: "I think it required some reconnaissance, some rehearsal. It probably took some period of time to weld this apparatus together and probably it required a rehearsal to pull it in to position in the time that they believe they had to position it, so there's no question that it required some degree of preparation, probably lasting over a couple of months would be my estimation." Q: Could you tell us where undersecretary Wolfowitz was at the time and whether this was a direct assassination attempt? "I can't tell you where he was, again because I was not responsible for his personal security. You and I both know he was in the hotel, I don't know where. Do i think this was targetted at him? No I do not. And I go back to the earlier question - I think this device probably took a couple of months to prepare, (and) his travel itinerary certainly wasn't known at that point in time. I believe that this particular event was timed precisely to try to discredit the opening of the 14th of July bridge and the lifting of the curfew. And I think if you look back at some of the, what you might describe as some of the more sensational attacks, I think you'll see that it's usually the case that they follow some positive event in the lives of the Iraqi people, and this is another example of that. We take three steps forward and they try to pull us one step back and in fact it doesn't work." 4. Zoom in from wide shot to Dempsey STORYLINE: The American general responsible for security in Baghdad said on Sunday that said he believed the attack on the Al Rasheed hotel in Baghdad had been planned for a couple of months. "It probably took some period of time to weld this apparatus together," said Brigadier General Martin Dempsey, commander of the 1st Armoured Division. In a daring dawn strike from point-blank range, anti-American forces unleashed a barrage of rockets on Sunday against the Al Rasheed Hotel, killing one US soldier and injuring 15 other people. Dempsey also said that he didn't think that the attack was an assassination attempt on Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, who was in the hotel. Wolfowitz was not injured. Dempsey said he believed the event was timed precisely to try to discredit the opening of the 14th of July bridge and the lifting of the curfew. The heaviest damage was on what appeared to be the fifth and eighth floors of the modern, 18-story building. The attackers had boldly driven to the edge of a park just a half-kilometer (500 yards) southwest of the hotel, towing what looked like a portable, two-wheeled generator, Iraqi police said. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...