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CNN Live At Daybreak

Officials Praise Capture of al Qaeda Operations Chief; Runaway Bride to Make Statement Today; No One Hurt in Small Explosion Outside British Consulate; Deli Owner Arranges Salami Drop for Troops

Aired May 05, 2005 - 05:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, HOST: And good morning to you. Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Now in the news, we are following a breaking story out of New York City this morning. The bomb squad is at the British consulate after an explosion shattered windows at the building. It happened just about two hours ago. No injuries or major damage reported. No word yet on a cause.

The blast comes on election day in Britain. We'll have a live report from the scene in a few minutes for you.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair cast his ballot about an hour ago in today's election. He is expected to win an unprecedented third term in office, despite anger over the Iraq war.

Suicide bombings and ambushes have left another 23 people dead in Iraq this morning. Army recruits, police and civilians are among those killed by insurgents.

And a military judge has thrown out the guilty plea of a key figure in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. The judge says he is not convinced Army Private Lynndie England knew that abusing Iraqi prisoners was illegal.

And the sound of sirens brings Israelis to a standstill as the nation observes a minute of silence for the six million Jews killed by Nazis during World War II. This is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Now to the forecast center now and check in with Chad. Good morning, Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Is the most wanted man in Iraq sick or wounded? According to this morning's "Washington Post," the military is looking into reports that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was at an Iraqi hospital last week. The hospital is in the insurgent-heavy town of Ramadi. That's west of Baghdad. Now earlier, military officials said al-Zarqawi left health information about himself on a laptop computer seized by U.S. forces. No word exactly on what that information is, but again, U.S. forces missed him in that hospital, if indeed he was there.

In the meantime, al Qaeda's No. 3 man is being questioned after his capture in Pakistan. They didn't miss him. Officials there say the arrest of Abu Farraj al-Libbi will help in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and it will result in information on the terror group's attack plans.

CNN's David Ensor has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. counterterrorism say intelligence gathered by the U.S. from human sources was, quote, "critical" in finding the hideout of Abu Farraj al-Libbi in Northwest Pakistan. The president gave the credit for a difficult, dangerous operation to Pakistan.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I applaud the Pakistani government and President Musharraf for acting on solid intelligence to bring this man to justice.

ENSOR: Al-Libbi was captured Monday after a gun battle, U.S. and Pakistani officials say, but word of it was kept quiet to allow time to round up other terrorists he might know about.

MOHAMMAD SADIQ, DCM, EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN: The announcement of his arrest was delayed, because an interrogation (ph) was going on. And I believe that there was some useful information obtained from him, which helped us in more arrests.

ENSOR: Al-Libbi was the No. 3 man in al Qaeda, under Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, in charge of operations since the capture of his predecessor, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, in 2003. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is now in CIA hands.

Administration officials are nothing less than thrilled at al- Libbi's capture.

STEVE HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: He was not only doing operations. He was a facilitator. He was into finance. He was into administration. This is a -- a real accomplishment.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: This guy was my No. 1 target. Bin Laden, of course, is much more important symbolically, but in terms of practical day-to-day operations, what al Qaeda is doing, how it threatens the United States, how it plans against targets in the United States, this is the guy you want.

ENSOR (on camera): Do you think he knows where Osama bin Laden is?

MCLAUGHLIN: If anyone knows where Osama bin Laden is, this is the man.

ENSOR (voice-over): Since al-Libbi is charged in Pakistan with masterminding two unsuccessful attempts to assassination President Pervez Musharraf, one of which killed 17 people, Pakistan may want to keep him. But officials stress that has not been decided yet.

SADIQ: He's a Libyan national. His wife is Libyan. He was found in Pakistan in Mardan. He's wanted in several countries. So we'll see what happens down the line.

ENSOR (on camera): As for Osama bin Laden, a former official says if al-Libbi knew where he was, then by now, bin Laden has moved.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The FBI's hiring practices are coming under fire. A Justice Department probe finds the bureau is hiring well-qualified intelligence analysts, but it's not hiring them fast enough. FBI Chief Robert Mueller says more analysts are on the way.

Investigators say one in three intelligence analysts spots were still open as of September 30, 2004. Also, 27 percent of analysts hired in the last five years say they are dissatisfied with their jobs.

And there is more trouble for the FBI, this time involving a suspected killer. The bureau says its mistakes on some fingerprint tests allowed a man to go free, a man who is now a suspect in several killings. Jeremy Jones was jailed three times in the past in Georgia on minor offenses. He was using an assumed name at the time. Local police sent his prints to the FBI, but the FBI failed to find out the man's true identity. Jones is now back in custody.

Be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

In other news across America this morning, fear on the freeway in Los Angeles. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the twelfth freeway shooting this year. A tractor trailer rig was hit yesterday. A single bullet hole was found on the driver's side of the trailer behind a cab. The driver was not hurt.

Jury deliberations resumed this morning in the case of the Ohio highway shooter. Twenty-nine-year-old Charles McCoy Jr. is accused of a dozen shootings last year and the year before, including one death. McCoy has pleaded innocent by reason of insanity.

And annoyed that the movie you went to see did not start on time? Go to Loew's, says the theater chain. "The New York Times" reports Lowe's will begin publicizing the true starting times for movies. It's usually 10 to 15 minutes, after the trailers and the commercials run.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, thousands of salamis are on their way to Iraq, but why? That story is still ahead.

Plus, my one-on-one with Grammy nominated artist and now author Jill Scott.

We'll also take you live to the British consul in New York very soon, we promise. But first, just a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: Just to bring you up to date on what we know about the breaking news happening in Manhattan this morning. You're looking at a live picture from overhead of the British consulate. It's at Third Avenue and 50th.

There were two small explosions there of some kind. We don't know what caused those explosions right now. We've seen the police going over this silver SUV that was parked near the British consulate. We don't know why. Some of the windows in that car shattered by these explosions and also knocked out by the bomb squad as they searched the car. Don't know if that car had anything to do with these explosions in front of the British consulate.

They were rather small explosions. They shattered some windows on the building. It's a 21 story building, by the way.

There were some people inside. That's what NYPD's Sergeant Myers (ph) told us earlier. Nobody inside the building was hurt. He does not know if that building was evacuated. And right now, we just don't know how serious this is.

We have correspondents on the way to the scene, and when we get more information, we'll pass it along to you. But for right now, all we know are two small explosions occurred outside of the British embassy. Nobody was hurt.

And the odd thing about this, I would guess, is that the British elections are today, and Tony Blair is expected to win a third term. Don't know if that's connected, either. When we get more information on this, of course we'll pass it along to you.

Let's talk about the runaway bride now. Jennifer Wilbanks' attorney and pastor will come together this afternoon to make a statement. The former bride is not expected to speak. Her lawyer says she's far too upset. CNN's Fredricka Whitfield has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Still in seclusion at a woodsy lake view home in Gainesville, Georgia, runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks is said to be collecting her thoughts, preparing a statement of remorse...

LYDIA SARTAIN, JENNIFER WILBANKS' ATTORNEY: She is very apologetic.

WHITFIELD: ... to be delivered by her attorney, Lydia Sartain...

SARTAIN: She is very sincere.

WHITFIELD: ... at the Wilbanks family church.

SARTAIN: She's been under an awful lot of pressure. That was what drove her away to start with. And really, she just has not been really physically or emotionally able to speak on her behalf. I mean, she can't even get through a complete conversation with me.

WHITFIELD: Emotionally fragile, says Sartain, Wilbanks won't likely make a public appearance any time soon.

SARTAIN: Jennifer, I think, is really just taking this really, virtually one hour at a time, certainly a day at a time. She has suffered.

WHITFIELD: And so have the Georgia communities, residents say, that searched three days for the missing bride, who later revealed she skipped town before her planned big wedding because of cold feet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She took off without considering anybody, her family included, and she caused a great deal of, you know, trouble and pain to this community.

WHITFIELD: Fiance John Mason says he forgives her. Few others here do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She should face some type of a penalty.

WHITFIELD: The futile search cost Duluth, Georgia, $60,000. Mayor Shirley Lasseter on who should pay.

MAYOR SHIRLEY LASSETER, DULUTH, GEORGIA: I do believe there needs to be some type of financial retribution for the overtime hours that were spent. And I think that it would be very healthy for her and good if there were some community service hours.

WHITFIELD (on camera): Wilbanks' attorney says her client wants to avoid criminal charges, praying her planned statement of apology here will be enough to heal everyone's pain.

Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Gainesville, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And stay right here. We will carry the statement by Jennifer Wilbanks for you live at 4 p.m. Eastern.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: All right. As promised, more on that breaking news out of New York City this morning. We'd like to welcome our international viewers, as well. There's been two small explosions in front of the British consulate. That's at Third Avenue and 50th streets. CNN's Jason Carroll is now on -- actually, he's near the scene. He's two blocks away.

Jason, what are you seeing? What can you tell us?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've actually been able to move closer to the scene. I'm right actually at 51st and Third Avenue, where the British consulate is located. Here's what I can tell you about what happened.

It was about at 3:50 in the morning when there was a small explosion. That's how police are describing it, a small explosion in front of the British consulate. Apparently, there was some sort of improvised explosive device that was located inside a planter that's in front of the consulate.

We are told that it was a novelty type of grenade. In other words, a fake grenade. Inside that grenade there was black powder and some sort of a fuse. There was one small explosive, we are now being told, that blew out about one foot of concrete in front of the British consulate. That flew into a window on the first floor. That is basically the only damage that we're being told that was experienced out there against one of the windows here at the British consulate.

As you can imagine, there are a number of police and fire who are out here. They have the area cordoned off. They are not letting traffic through at this time. Rush hour about to get underway here in Manhattan in New York City. They've got investigators out here at the scene.

But they are letting media and press close enough to the building, which seems to suggest they feel as though the rest of the area is clear. We are awaiting an update from police, which should happen at any moment -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I think I'm looking at the front of the building here, Jason. And you probably can't see the video I'm looking at, but I can see a row of concrete planters there.

CARROLL: Right.

COSTELLO: And I suppose those were put there to protect the building. Is that right?

CARROLL: You're absolutely correct, Carol. As we know, in many buildings here in Manhattan, they've put those concrete devices in front, so if anyone was driving some sort of a truck or car, with you know, an explosion inside, they would not be able to -- or an explosive inside, they would not be able to drive into the building.

But it just so happens that this time, whoever planted the explosive device planted it inside one of those planters located in front of the building. COSTELLO: Well, that's interesting. It must have been a very small thing. There were just a number of odd things that you just told us about this explosion. It was a fake grenade, and inside that fake grenade they put real explosive powder.

CARROLL: Correct. Black explosive -- black powder, it was described as, described as with some sort of a fuse. And when speaking to this police force (ph) who was out here when I was talking to him about what was going on, you know, he said, well, we can only imagine it may have something to do, obviously, with today's elections going on over in -- and obviously with the prime minister. Hopefully we're going to get some more information about that.

I'd also asked if there was any sort of note, had anyone called in claiming responsibility for what happened out here. So far that has not happened.

COSTELLO: I understand from Sergeant Myers (ph), and we interviewed him a little earlier this morning. He said there were people inside the building. I was wondering if you knew this, if the consul general, Sir Philip Thomas, lives inside that building or not.

CARROLL: We'll see (ph). We're actually trying to find that out. I would imagine that there was security inside the building. We did run into one security guard located down the block who only heard the explosion.

I did ask police if there were any injuries. I was told that there were no injuries as a result of this very small explosion. Again, that's how they're describing it. But we've only been out here for a little while, but we're definitely on the search for those who may have been inside the building at the time.

COSTELLO: Did you ask the police officers there if there were any threats previous to this, as it might apply to the British consulate?

CARROLL: I did. And in fact, he was -- he was unaware of any. That's not to say that -- that some of those threats had not been called in. But this particular source was unaware of any previous threats leading up to this particular incident.

But again, things are still developing out here. You know how these things are. It's a very fluid situation. GCPI (ph), that is the organization that is responsible for giving us information, police information when things like this happen. They are going to send a representative down, and perhaps, you know, within the coming minutes or so we'll be able to get some more answers to some of your questions there.

COSTELLO: And Jason, we keep seeing police officers and the bomb squad going over this silver SUV parked nearby. Don't know if the windows were shattered by the bomb squad or shattered by the blast. Do you know anything about this vehicle?

CARROLL: Well, there are a few vehicles that are out in front that I was told they're going to be checking into. That is one of several. We don't know at this point if that vehicle is in any way related to what happened out here. I think what's going to happen is they're going to go through and check everything, every vehicle that's parked near here, fine tooth comb.

They'll also check fire -- mail boxes, if there are any trash cans that are located in the area, just to see if anything else might be located in -- in those areas. This is all part of the routine of what they're going to do.

They've also sealed off five blocks of traffic around the area while they go through this process. No indications so far as how long that process will take.

COSTELLO: All right, Jason. I'm going to ask you one more time, in a nutshell, to tell us what happened, for viewers just joining DAYBREAK now.

CARROLL: Absolutely. It was at about 3:50 a.m. this morning. Police are telling us there was a small explosion outside the British consulate. They are described it as a small explosion. They say that a novelty type of grenade, in other words a fake grenade. This police source even said one person described it as a toy grenade. Was packed with black powder inside with a fuse.

There was one explosive. Initially, there were reports of two explosives. We are told that there was one explosion, and it's described as a small explosion. The force of that blew out a window on the first floor. Also blew off a one-foot chunk of concrete that landed into that -- into that glass pane.

There are no reports of any injuries at this point. We are told that there were some people inside the building at the time. But there are no reports of any injuries at this point.

A five-block area around where the British consulate is located, 51st and Third Avenue, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. That is the location of the British consulate. At this point, police, fire, a number of investigators are out here, combing through the area, trying to find out if there may be anything else here that they need to check into.

But again, they are letting press at 51st and Third Avenue, which seems to suggest that at least part of this area is clear. But a five-block area, at this point, is cordoned off, blocked off, the traffic.

We are awaiting an update from GCPI (ph). That is the -- that is the department within the police that has that information when things like this happen. We should expect an update very shortly.

COSTELLO: All right, Jason Carroll. We're going to get back to you throughout the morning here on DAYBREAK and I'm sure throughout the day on CNN. Again, Jason Carroll reporting from Third and 51st, near that British consulate where that explosion went off earlier this morning. We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with much more on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: What do you imagine that Americans serving in Iraq want from back home most of all? Well, you will not believe it, but a New Jersey deli owner, Michael Brummer, thinks he's hit it right on the tongue.

He joins -- he joins us now. Hi. I'm sorry, Michael. It just sounds funny, but it really is a nice gesture. Tell us what you're doing.

MICHAEL BRUMMER, CO-OWNER, HOBBY'S DELI: We are sending hard salamis to the 42nd Infantry Division based in Tikrit.

COSTELLO: And how are you doing that?

BRUMMER: We are taking donations from our customers, and we're hanging salamis in the -- in our restaurant and drying them and shipping them overseas. And we sent 2,000 just the other day.

COSTELLO: And you're calling it a salami drop. What exactly is that? You're not dropping salamis from the sky, are you?

BRUMMER: No. We do have T-shirts that show salamis dropping by parachutes. But no. It was actually coined by my fraternity brother, Michael Rothman, who is a reserve, who's a JAG in Iraq and kind of started the whole thing. I sent him a few, and I said, "You know, you guys are really enjoying it. What about sending it to the rest of the guys in your division?" And it just snowballed.

And he said, "Well, let's call it Operation Salami Drop." And just as a joke, I mean, as fraternity brothers do.

And I said, "Hey, great name." And it just took off. And when we deal with colonels and majors now and I have to talk to them, it's Operation Salami Drop. And it's just -- it's -- it's just snowballed.

COSTELLO: I can just hear it now. "General, we must talk about Operation Salami Drop right now."

BRUMMER: You know, I laugh when I get e-mails, when I get e- mails on Operation Salami Drop. But you know, I'll tell you, it's a great thing. People just want to do something for the -- for the troops. The 42nd is a bunch of reservists based pretty much out of New York and New Jersey, and I just want to do something for them. These guys are away from their families. They walk away from a job.

And if a little bit of salami and some mustard raises their day, then that's, you know, that's great for me. My father's a World War II veteran, and his -- his friends who sent him salamis when he was in Europe. So you know, he said how much he enjoyed it, so I know that these guys are going to really enjoy it.

COSTELLO: That's just fantastic.

BRUMMER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Well, thanks for sharing this, and I'm sure the guys over in Tikrit will be very happy to get your salamis.

BRUMMER: I know they will be.

COSTELLO: I know. Michael Brummer, a co-owner of Hoppy's Deli in Newark, joining us this morning. Thank you.

Short break now. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired May 5, 2005 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, HOST: And good morning to you. Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Now in the news, we are following a breaking story out of New York City this morning. The bomb squad is at the British consulate after an explosion shattered windows at the building. It happened just about two hours ago. No injuries or major damage reported. No word yet on a cause.

The blast comes on election day in Britain. We'll have a live report from the scene in a few minutes for you.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair cast his ballot about an hour ago in today's election. He is expected to win an unprecedented third term in office, despite anger over the Iraq war.

Suicide bombings and ambushes have left another 23 people dead in Iraq this morning. Army recruits, police and civilians are among those killed by insurgents.

And a military judge has thrown out the guilty plea of a key figure in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. The judge says he is not convinced Army Private Lynndie England knew that abusing Iraqi prisoners was illegal.

And the sound of sirens brings Israelis to a standstill as the nation observes a minute of silence for the six million Jews killed by Nazis during World War II. This is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Now to the forecast center now and check in with Chad. Good morning, Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Is the most wanted man in Iraq sick or wounded? According to this morning's "Washington Post," the military is looking into reports that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was at an Iraqi hospital last week. The hospital is in the insurgent-heavy town of Ramadi. That's west of Baghdad. Now earlier, military officials said al-Zarqawi left health information about himself on a laptop computer seized by U.S. forces. No word exactly on what that information is, but again, U.S. forces missed him in that hospital, if indeed he was there.

In the meantime, al Qaeda's No. 3 man is being questioned after his capture in Pakistan. They didn't miss him. Officials there say the arrest of Abu Farraj al-Libbi will help in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and it will result in information on the terror group's attack plans.

CNN's David Ensor has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. counterterrorism say intelligence gathered by the U.S. from human sources was, quote, "critical" in finding the hideout of Abu Farraj al-Libbi in Northwest Pakistan. The president gave the credit for a difficult, dangerous operation to Pakistan.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I applaud the Pakistani government and President Musharraf for acting on solid intelligence to bring this man to justice.

ENSOR: Al-Libbi was captured Monday after a gun battle, U.S. and Pakistani officials say, but word of it was kept quiet to allow time to round up other terrorists he might know about.

MOHAMMAD SADIQ, DCM, EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN: The announcement of his arrest was delayed, because an interrogation (ph) was going on. And I believe that there was some useful information obtained from him, which helped us in more arrests.

ENSOR: Al-Libbi was the No. 3 man in al Qaeda, under Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, in charge of operations since the capture of his predecessor, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, in 2003. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is now in CIA hands.

Administration officials are nothing less than thrilled at al- Libbi's capture.

STEVE HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: He was not only doing operations. He was a facilitator. He was into finance. He was into administration. This is a -- a real accomplishment.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: This guy was my No. 1 target. Bin Laden, of course, is much more important symbolically, but in terms of practical day-to-day operations, what al Qaeda is doing, how it threatens the United States, how it plans against targets in the United States, this is the guy you want.

ENSOR (on camera): Do you think he knows where Osama bin Laden is?

MCLAUGHLIN: If anyone knows where Osama bin Laden is, this is the man.

ENSOR (voice-over): Since al-Libbi is charged in Pakistan with masterminding two unsuccessful attempts to assassination President Pervez Musharraf, one of which killed 17 people, Pakistan may want to keep him. But officials stress that has not been decided yet.

SADIQ: He's a Libyan national. His wife is Libyan. He was found in Pakistan in Mardan. He's wanted in several countries. So we'll see what happens down the line.

ENSOR (on camera): As for Osama bin Laden, a former official says if al-Libbi knew where he was, then by now, bin Laden has moved.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The FBI's hiring practices are coming under fire. A Justice Department probe finds the bureau is hiring well-qualified intelligence analysts, but it's not hiring them fast enough. FBI Chief Robert Mueller says more analysts are on the way.

Investigators say one in three intelligence analysts spots were still open as of September 30, 2004. Also, 27 percent of analysts hired in the last five years say they are dissatisfied with their jobs.

And there is more trouble for the FBI, this time involving a suspected killer. The bureau says its mistakes on some fingerprint tests allowed a man to go free, a man who is now a suspect in several killings. Jeremy Jones was jailed three times in the past in Georgia on minor offenses. He was using an assumed name at the time. Local police sent his prints to the FBI, but the FBI failed to find out the man's true identity. Jones is now back in custody.

Be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

In other news across America this morning, fear on the freeway in Los Angeles. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the twelfth freeway shooting this year. A tractor trailer rig was hit yesterday. A single bullet hole was found on the driver's side of the trailer behind a cab. The driver was not hurt.

Jury deliberations resumed this morning in the case of the Ohio highway shooter. Twenty-nine-year-old Charles McCoy Jr. is accused of a dozen shootings last year and the year before, including one death. McCoy has pleaded innocent by reason of insanity.

And annoyed that the movie you went to see did not start on time? Go to Loew's, says the theater chain. "The New York Times" reports Lowe's will begin publicizing the true starting times for movies. It's usually 10 to 15 minutes, after the trailers and the commercials run.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, thousands of salamis are on their way to Iraq, but why? That story is still ahead.

Plus, my one-on-one with Grammy nominated artist and now author Jill Scott.

We'll also take you live to the British consul in New York very soon, we promise. But first, just a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: Just to bring you up to date on what we know about the breaking news happening in Manhattan this morning. You're looking at a live picture from overhead of the British consulate. It's at Third Avenue and 50th.

There were two small explosions there of some kind. We don't know what caused those explosions right now. We've seen the police going over this silver SUV that was parked near the British consulate. We don't know why. Some of the windows in that car shattered by these explosions and also knocked out by the bomb squad as they searched the car. Don't know if that car had anything to do with these explosions in front of the British consulate.

They were rather small explosions. They shattered some windows on the building. It's a 21 story building, by the way.

There were some people inside. That's what NYPD's Sergeant Myers (ph) told us earlier. Nobody inside the building was hurt. He does not know if that building was evacuated. And right now, we just don't know how serious this is.

We have correspondents on the way to the scene, and when we get more information, we'll pass it along to you. But for right now, all we know are two small explosions occurred outside of the British embassy. Nobody was hurt.

And the odd thing about this, I would guess, is that the British elections are today, and Tony Blair is expected to win a third term. Don't know if that's connected, either. When we get more information on this, of course we'll pass it along to you.

Let's talk about the runaway bride now. Jennifer Wilbanks' attorney and pastor will come together this afternoon to make a statement. The former bride is not expected to speak. Her lawyer says she's far too upset. CNN's Fredricka Whitfield has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Still in seclusion at a woodsy lake view home in Gainesville, Georgia, runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks is said to be collecting her thoughts, preparing a statement of remorse...

LYDIA SARTAIN, JENNIFER WILBANKS' ATTORNEY: She is very apologetic.

WHITFIELD: ... to be delivered by her attorney, Lydia Sartain...

SARTAIN: She is very sincere.

WHITFIELD: ... at the Wilbanks family church.

SARTAIN: She's been under an awful lot of pressure. That was what drove her away to start with. And really, she just has not been really physically or emotionally able to speak on her behalf. I mean, she can't even get through a complete conversation with me.

WHITFIELD: Emotionally fragile, says Sartain, Wilbanks won't likely make a public appearance any time soon.

SARTAIN: Jennifer, I think, is really just taking this really, virtually one hour at a time, certainly a day at a time. She has suffered.

WHITFIELD: And so have the Georgia communities, residents say, that searched three days for the missing bride, who later revealed she skipped town before her planned big wedding because of cold feet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She took off without considering anybody, her family included, and she caused a great deal of, you know, trouble and pain to this community.

WHITFIELD: Fiance John Mason says he forgives her. Few others here do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She should face some type of a penalty.

WHITFIELD: The futile search cost Duluth, Georgia, $60,000. Mayor Shirley Lasseter on who should pay.

MAYOR SHIRLEY LASSETER, DULUTH, GEORGIA: I do believe there needs to be some type of financial retribution for the overtime hours that were spent. And I think that it would be very healthy for her and good if there were some community service hours.

WHITFIELD (on camera): Wilbanks' attorney says her client wants to avoid criminal charges, praying her planned statement of apology here will be enough to heal everyone's pain.

Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Gainesville, Georgia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And stay right here. We will carry the statement by Jennifer Wilbanks for you live at 4 p.m. Eastern.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: All right. As promised, more on that breaking news out of New York City this morning. We'd like to welcome our international viewers, as well. There's been two small explosions in front of the British consulate. That's at Third Avenue and 50th streets. CNN's Jason Carroll is now on -- actually, he's near the scene. He's two blocks away.

Jason, what are you seeing? What can you tell us?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've actually been able to move closer to the scene. I'm right actually at 51st and Third Avenue, where the British consulate is located. Here's what I can tell you about what happened.

It was about at 3:50 in the morning when there was a small explosion. That's how police are describing it, a small explosion in front of the British consulate. Apparently, there was some sort of improvised explosive device that was located inside a planter that's in front of the consulate.

We are told that it was a novelty type of grenade. In other words, a fake grenade. Inside that grenade there was black powder and some sort of a fuse. There was one small explosive, we are now being told, that blew out about one foot of concrete in front of the British consulate. That flew into a window on the first floor. That is basically the only damage that we're being told that was experienced out there against one of the windows here at the British consulate.

As you can imagine, there are a number of police and fire who are out here. They have the area cordoned off. They are not letting traffic through at this time. Rush hour about to get underway here in Manhattan in New York City. They've got investigators out here at the scene.

But they are letting media and press close enough to the building, which seems to suggest they feel as though the rest of the area is clear. We are awaiting an update from police, which should happen at any moment -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I think I'm looking at the front of the building here, Jason. And you probably can't see the video I'm looking at, but I can see a row of concrete planters there.

CARROLL: Right.

COSTELLO: And I suppose those were put there to protect the building. Is that right?

CARROLL: You're absolutely correct, Carol. As we know, in many buildings here in Manhattan, they've put those concrete devices in front, so if anyone was driving some sort of a truck or car, with you know, an explosion inside, they would not be able to -- or an explosive inside, they would not be able to drive into the building.

But it just so happens that this time, whoever planted the explosive device planted it inside one of those planters located in front of the building. COSTELLO: Well, that's interesting. It must have been a very small thing. There were just a number of odd things that you just told us about this explosion. It was a fake grenade, and inside that fake grenade they put real explosive powder.

CARROLL: Correct. Black explosive -- black powder, it was described as, described as with some sort of a fuse. And when speaking to this police force (ph) who was out here when I was talking to him about what was going on, you know, he said, well, we can only imagine it may have something to do, obviously, with today's elections going on over in -- and obviously with the prime minister. Hopefully we're going to get some more information about that.

I'd also asked if there was any sort of note, had anyone called in claiming responsibility for what happened out here. So far that has not happened.

COSTELLO: I understand from Sergeant Myers (ph), and we interviewed him a little earlier this morning. He said there were people inside the building. I was wondering if you knew this, if the consul general, Sir Philip Thomas, lives inside that building or not.

CARROLL: We'll see (ph). We're actually trying to find that out. I would imagine that there was security inside the building. We did run into one security guard located down the block who only heard the explosion.

I did ask police if there were any injuries. I was told that there were no injuries as a result of this very small explosion. Again, that's how they're describing it. But we've only been out here for a little while, but we're definitely on the search for those who may have been inside the building at the time.

COSTELLO: Did you ask the police officers there if there were any threats previous to this, as it might apply to the British consulate?

CARROLL: I did. And in fact, he was -- he was unaware of any. That's not to say that -- that some of those threats had not been called in. But this particular source was unaware of any previous threats leading up to this particular incident.

But again, things are still developing out here. You know how these things are. It's a very fluid situation. GCPI (ph), that is the organization that is responsible for giving us information, police information when things like this happen. They are going to send a representative down, and perhaps, you know, within the coming minutes or so we'll be able to get some more answers to some of your questions there.

COSTELLO: And Jason, we keep seeing police officers and the bomb squad going over this silver SUV parked nearby. Don't know if the windows were shattered by the bomb squad or shattered by the blast. Do you know anything about this vehicle?

CARROLL: Well, there are a few vehicles that are out in front that I was told they're going to be checking into. That is one of several. We don't know at this point if that vehicle is in any way related to what happened out here. I think what's going to happen is they're going to go through and check everything, every vehicle that's parked near here, fine tooth comb.

They'll also check fire -- mail boxes, if there are any trash cans that are located in the area, just to see if anything else might be located in -- in those areas. This is all part of the routine of what they're going to do.

They've also sealed off five blocks of traffic around the area while they go through this process. No indications so far as how long that process will take.

COSTELLO: All right, Jason. I'm going to ask you one more time, in a nutshell, to tell us what happened, for viewers just joining DAYBREAK now.

CARROLL: Absolutely. It was at about 3:50 a.m. this morning. Police are telling us there was a small explosion outside the British consulate. They are described it as a small explosion. They say that a novelty type of grenade, in other words a fake grenade. This police source even said one person described it as a toy grenade. Was packed with black powder inside with a fuse.

There was one explosive. Initially, there were reports of two explosives. We are told that there was one explosion, and it's described as a small explosion. The force of that blew out a window on the first floor. Also blew off a one-foot chunk of concrete that landed into that -- into that glass pane.

There are no reports of any injuries at this point. We are told that there were some people inside the building at the time. But there are no reports of any injuries at this point.

A five-block area around where the British consulate is located, 51st and Third Avenue, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. That is the location of the British consulate. At this point, police, fire, a number of investigators are out here, combing through the area, trying to find out if there may be anything else here that they need to check into.

But again, they are letting press at 51st and Third Avenue, which seems to suggest that at least part of this area is clear. But a five-block area, at this point, is cordoned off, blocked off, the traffic.

We are awaiting an update from GCPI (ph). That is the -- that is the department within the police that has that information when things like this happen. We should expect an update very shortly.

COSTELLO: All right, Jason Carroll. We're going to get back to you throughout the morning here on DAYBREAK and I'm sure throughout the day on CNN. Again, Jason Carroll reporting from Third and 51st, near that British consulate where that explosion went off earlier this morning. We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with much more on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: What do you imagine that Americans serving in Iraq want from back home most of all? Well, you will not believe it, but a New Jersey deli owner, Michael Brummer, thinks he's hit it right on the tongue.

He joins -- he joins us now. Hi. I'm sorry, Michael. It just sounds funny, but it really is a nice gesture. Tell us what you're doing.

MICHAEL BRUMMER, CO-OWNER, HOBBY'S DELI: We are sending hard salamis to the 42nd Infantry Division based in Tikrit.

COSTELLO: And how are you doing that?

BRUMMER: We are taking donations from our customers, and we're hanging salamis in the -- in our restaurant and drying them and shipping them overseas. And we sent 2,000 just the other day.

COSTELLO: And you're calling it a salami drop. What exactly is that? You're not dropping salamis from the sky, are you?

BRUMMER: No. We do have T-shirts that show salamis dropping by parachutes. But no. It was actually coined by my fraternity brother, Michael Rothman, who is a reserve, who's a JAG in Iraq and kind of started the whole thing. I sent him a few, and I said, "You know, you guys are really enjoying it. What about sending it to the rest of the guys in your division?" And it just snowballed.

And he said, "Well, let's call it Operation Salami Drop." And just as a joke, I mean, as fraternity brothers do.

And I said, "Hey, great name." And it just took off. And when we deal with colonels and majors now and I have to talk to them, it's Operation Salami Drop. And it's just -- it's -- it's just snowballed.

COSTELLO: I can just hear it now. "General, we must talk about Operation Salami Drop right now."

BRUMMER: You know, I laugh when I get e-mails, when I get e- mails on Operation Salami Drop. But you know, I'll tell you, it's a great thing. People just want to do something for the -- for the troops. The 42nd is a bunch of reservists based pretty much out of New York and New Jersey, and I just want to do something for them. These guys are away from their families. They walk away from a job.

And if a little bit of salami and some mustard raises their day, then that's, you know, that's great for me. My father's a World War II veteran, and his -- his friends who sent him salamis when he was in Europe. So you know, he said how much he enjoyed it, so I know that these guys are going to really enjoy it.

COSTELLO: That's just fantastic.

BRUMMER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Well, thanks for sharing this, and I'm sure the guys over in Tikrit will be very happy to get your salamis.

BRUMMER: I know they will be.

COSTELLO: I know. Michael Brummer, a co-owner of Hoppy's Deli in Newark, joining us this morning. Thank you.

Short break now. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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