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CNN Live At Daybreak

More Arrests in London's Terror Probe

Aired July 28, 2005 - 05:30   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you.

Thank you for waking up with us.

Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.

Coming up in the next 30 minutes, more arrests this morning in London's terror probe. We'll have the latest for you.

And teens and technology -- are they hardwired to go together?

But first, now in the news, the military says one of its helicopters made a hard landing in Afghanistan because of brownout conditions. No one was hurt. It happened near the border city of Spin Boldak, as crew members were trying to put troops into place.

Pakistani police have arrested another man in connection with the murder of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl. Four men have now been convicted for the 2002 slaying. One was sentenced to death. The others got life in prison.

The shuttle Discovery crew is preparing to dock at the International Space Station. That's due to happen less than two hours from now. NASA says it won't send up any more space shuttles until engineers solve the recurring problem of falling debris. As you know, pieces flew off Discovery during lift-off.

To the Forecast Center now and Chad -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: There are new developments this morning in the investigation of those terrorist attacks in London. Police have arrested nine men in London. Add it up -- 16 arrests over two days.

So does this mean the investigation is going well or not?

Simon Sole is the managing director of Exclusive Analysis, a company that studies terrorism, war and civil unrest.

He joins us now from London.

Good morning.

SIMON SOLE, EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, let's start with that very question.

These 16 arrests, does that mean the investigation is going well?

SOLE: Well, clearly it's making progress and I think, yes, one has to say it's gone well. The more significant fact is they've actually caught one of the bombers themselves. The nine arrests this morning are more likely peripheral associates. But nevertheless, it all represents progress in the investigation.

COSTELLO: So this alleged bomber was in his own apartment, Yasin Hassan Omar.

You would have thought that he would try to escape the country, maybe?

SOLE: Well, I think it's fair to say that this is not from what we call the top tier of al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is a word we think really has a diminished meaning. These are a group of Sunni extremists. They are relatively new to this process and therefore very inexperienced at what they're trying to do. And they've made quite a number of mistakes and that's why one of them has been arrested.

COSTELLO: Another of the bombers, Muktar Said Ibrahim, was Omar's roommate.

What does that tell you about this band of bombers?

SOLE: Well, I mean professional terrorists take great care to separate themselves, you know, from each other, so that it's not possible to conduct what you might term sort of chains of arrests, where you find one person and that leads you to another, to another, to another. And these people did not have that structure in place and that accounts partly for why the investigations are going rather well.

COSTELLO: The other interesting part of this is both men were British citizens. In fact, Omar received a $550 monthly housing subsidiary from the government. You would think they would be assimilated into British society and not turn into extremists.

SOLE: Well, yes, of course, that's proved not to be the case. I think it's fair to make a fairly general point about the difference between British national identity and U.S. national identity. It's quite hard to say what British national identity is and stands for, and therefore it's a rather harder thing to buy into. It seems to me in the United States, that you could say what the U.S. national identity is.

But because it's more diffuse in Britain, I think that makes assimilation harder and palpably, it's been less well achieved here than probably it has in the United States.

COSTELLO: Omar was of Somalia descent. Can you tell us about this connection to Africa?

SOLE: Well, Somalia has been described, in our view, not accurately as a sort of lawless place. Actually, what's happened in Somalia, according to our assessment, is that you have -- the place is run by a number of clans who fight each other. And therefore there's a little bit of a difference between general anarchy and a situation where clans are fighting each other.

So obviously it is possible that within these clans, there are Islamic extremists. And, of course, you know, there have been substantial associations with the Sunni extremist network from Somalia.

But I think it's not right to characterize Somalia as just plain lawlessness and anarchy. There is actually a clan-based structure there. But that, nevertheless, represents a danger to, you know, to U.K. and to the U.S. for people coming from there.

COSTELLO: OK, just to button this up, from what you know of these bombers from the July 21st incident, do you think that they have any connection at all to al Qaeda? And do you think there's any connection to the July 7th bombers?

SOLE: I think there has been a credible connection established with the July 7th bombers. For us at Exclusive Analysis, al Qaeda is a very big word that describes a pre-9/11 capability and that core capability has been dismantled.

There is still a Sunni extremist network which is poorly or not at all connected with the old bin Laden network. And therefore I am resistant to describing this as al Qaeda, because I think it conjures up a capability that's not there.

COSTELLO: Simon Sole, thank you for joining us live this morning.

We appreciate it.

Of course, London's Metropolitan Police commissioner Ian Blair is facing questions right now about homeland security issues. One pressing concern, the shooting last week of an innocent Brazilian man by British police. A police shooting of any kind is a rare event in the United Kingdom, where rarely 10 percent of officers are armed. But does that need to change in light of the recent terror attacks?

CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED TALK RADIO SHOW HOST: What do you think of the police's shoot-to-kill policy? Do you think it's justified? We'd like to hear your views.

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): British authorities have apologized for killing a Brazilian national they mistook for a terrorist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think the police are up against an incredible job.

UNIDENTIFIED TALK RADIO SHOW HOST: Gordon has just sent a text message from Sterling saying that, "What would have been wrong with using one of these stun gun things on the guy the police shot on Friday?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only way to stop them is to do exactly what was done on Friday.

VAN MARSH: The debate over whether more British police should carry guns to fight terrorism rages on the airwaves...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We mustn't lose sight of the value of a single human life.

VAN MARSH: ... to the streets of London...

UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

VAN MARSH: ... to Britain's highest office.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: They should take whatever measures are necessary to try to protect the public. And if you're dealing with someone who you think may be a suicide bomber, then obviously the important thing is that they're not able to set off the bomb.

VAN MARSH (on camera): Metropolitan Police say only about 2,000 officers are actually licensed to carry firearms. That's less than 10 percent of London's entire police force.

(voice-over): And there are fears that having more armed police will result in more shooting deaths of innocent civilians. One police rights advocate says that after the bombing attacks, every officer should have a gun.

NORMAN BRENNAN, DIRECTOR, PROTECT THE PROTECTORS: The unarmed British bobby has got to be assigned to the history books. A baton, a small canister of spray and handcuffs, I'm afraid, are not enough to protect us and, also, our British subjects.

MIKE GRANNATT, FORMER HEAD OF CIVIL CONTINGENCIES: The question that faces any democracy is this -- how do you protect people from a suicide bomber under the law with due consideration for human rights?

VAN MARSH: For the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian mistakenly shot eight times in a London underground, that question has no easy answer.

Alfonso Van Marsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: In Aruba, it's taking much longer than expected to find new evidence. We'll update you on the search for Natalee Holloway just ahead on DAYBREAK.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In Aruba, it's taking longer than expected to drain a pond near where missing American teenager Natalee Holloway was last seen. Searchers hope that by early this morning they'll have a clearer view of the bottom, at least. A lawyer for Holloway's family says a witness reported that he'd seen three young men near the pond on the night Holloway disappeared nearly two months ago. Two suspects in the case say they dropped off Holloway and the other suspect, a judge's son, near this pond.

In the meantime, Natalee Holloway's family can only wait, hope and pray. As we go "Beyond The Soundbite" this morning, Natalee's mother talks about keeping the faith, with some help.

Here's what she told Larry King.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE") BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE'S MOTHER: Each day is quite different. There has not been one day that's been the same since I've been here. And, you know, it -- what I say, I think about, I look at what I've been through and what I've not seen and what I've not heard, I mean I can't say it's just me, Larry. I mean the supporters that have been with me, they're going through the same thing that I am. And that is what's getting me through, is it's just incredible the support that they give me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You can see she's rather optimistic. She thanks there may be a break in the case this weekend. We'll keep you posted.

Your news, money, weather and sports.

It's 5:43 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

British police arrested nine men in South London this morning under the nation's Terrorism Act of 2000. The arrests are in addition to the three suspects still being sought in the failed July 21st bombings.

AFL-CIO John Sweeney is beginning a fourth term as head of the giant labor federation. His reelection in Chicago came on the heels of a pullout by two of the federation's biggest unions. Sweeney calls this a contentious and stressful time.

In money news, Japan is thinking about slapping tariffs on about 10 different steel products from the United States. A Japanese government spokesman says the move would counter subsidies the U.S. government pays to American companies under an anti-dumping program.

In culture, a new twist on an old story. Thousands of believers are flocking to a church in southern Italy to witness what others have claimed to see -- a Virgin Mary statue actually moving its legs. Some have brought their cell phone cameras to try and capture the event and hopefully it's the moving picture type.

In sports, Kenny Rogers finally serving his suspension for the now infamous cameraman rough-ups. The Texas Rangers pitcher sat out last night's game after Commissioner Bud Selig denied his appeal. Rogers will miss another 19 games. He'll also still face assault charges over the attacks. So, big trouble for him still -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes. He deserves it.

COSTELLO: He odes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: If you're still getting the hang of e-mail, that's pretty pathetic. But if you are, ask your teenager for help. Chances are good any teen you know is wired and on fire. Details just ahead.

This is DAYBREAK for a Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I'm just checking on our "Web Clicks" this morning because, you know, we're always interested in seeing what you're interested in on cnn.com.

And this first one, I'm just reading now, the woman is upset. She bought the video game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas for her 14- year-old grandson.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: And she didn't know it contained hidden sexually explicit scenes. So guess what?

MYERS: She filed a lawsuit.

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: But guess what, Carol? When she bought it, it was rated M for mature audiences, 17 and older. She bought it for her 14-year- old and now she's upset because it has these animated sex scenes in it and now it's rated AO, adults only.

COSTELLO: Well, would she eventually...

MYERS: What does 17 and older mean? Doesn't 17 and older mean 17 and older?

COSTELLO: Yes, that's true, Chad. But according to this 85- year-old grandmother, it doesn't matter. She's suing.

MYERS: I am so sick of all the free publicity these guys are getting over this game.

COSTELLO: It's a disgusting game, though, Chad.

MYERS: Exactly.

COSTELLO: It's disgusting.

MYERS: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Whatever happened to PacMan and eating the little dots?

All right, this next story I really love.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Not because I hate my job, because, you know, I don't, I love my job. But this one, your job, signs you've stayed too long.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: And it's amazing so many people are clicking onto this particular story.

MYERS: It is. And the thing I thought about this, the author here at the bottom said to yourself, see your current job as a funding source for what you want to do next. I guess that's the way to keep your head in the game. Well, I'm not sure.

COSTELLO: I like these tips. These are signs that you don't like your job. You have a lot on your mind, not just work, and that means, you know, you have a lot of stress at work. So maybe it's time to get away. Things change, not to your advantage. So you get a new boss that comes in and then suddenly someone else is the favorite and you're sitting there doing nothing.

MYERS: Your boss takes you for granted.

COSTELLO: Isn't that always the case?

MYERS: I mean come on.

COSTELLO: Our boss should be serving us coffee.

Are you listening, John Klein?

MYERS: You pigeonhole yourself. Your mood ranges from angry to angrier and you feel like, heck.

COSTELLO: I feel like throwing this coffee cup right now.

MYERS: Hey, hey, hey! It's not a bad -- I don't even have one of those. COSTELLO: I'm just kidding. I'm kidding.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: Let's move along now, shall we?

Want to know what everyone else is reading this morning? Point and click your way to cnn.com/mostpopular. The top 10 stories on our Web site are right there for your eyes to see.

It is summertime. That means your kids are kicking back, right? Well, some truly wired teens are plugging into their favorite virtual space, the Internet.

Our technology correspondent, Daniel Sieberg, gives us the cyber buzz.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A group of kids enjoy a pickup game of basketball on a hot summer day in Atlanta. But chances are most of them spend more time tapping on a keyboard than shooting hoops.

(on camera): How many hours a day, honestly, do you guys spend on the computer?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, god, well, you know, summer, unless someone beats me out of the house, I'll end up just glued to it.

SIEBERG (voice-over): That supports a new survey by the non- profit Pew Internet and American Life Project, which says that 87 percent of U.S. kids aged 12-17 use the Internet via computer, cell phone or PDA. Just five years ago, a similar Pew survey found 73 percent of teens were online.

KIPLING GILLESPIE, STUDENT: Because the technology allows us to plug in. Because now that we have high speed DSL and cable Internet access, we're able to do everything much faster. So, it's much easier to do.

SIEBERG: We found some plugged in teens at -- no surprise here -- a computer camp, the I.D. Tech Camp, going on this summer in Atlanta. Here, teens and preteens learn everything from robotics to videogame creation. One thing most kids don't need a lesson in -- instant messaging.

(on camera): How many of you use Instant Message everyday? Just a show of hands.

(voice-over): The Pew survey says 75 percent of online teens use instant messaging and nearly one-third of all U.S. teens use I.M. every single day.

DARSHAN CHELLERAN, STUDENT: I almost always have it open, but I'm usually not chatting, except like maybe half an hour or one hour a day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

WILL MCCALL, STUDENT: I'm probably on at the minimum 30 minutes, but on usual during the school year, probably about three or four hours.

ABBEY LATTS, STUDENT: It's just a convenience.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

LATTS: You're already typing. You're already looking at the screen. So you can still talk to your friends without having to try and struggle with a phone like this, you know?

SIEBERG: Despite I.M.'s increasing popularity, e-mail is still the biggest reasons teens go online, followed by visits to entertainment Web sites, playing games and getting news. Instant messaging comes in fifth.

(on camera): What do you guys do, typically, on the Internet?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Play games.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Play games.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Comic games.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Watch "X-Files."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flash animation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The comics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, online comics.

SIEBERG: Do your parents know what you guys are up to online most of the time?

LATTS: Well, usually. I've learned how to delete my history pretty good but...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

SIEBERG (voice-over): Meaning she's savvy enough to know how to cover her digital tracks if she needs to. And the Pew survey says older girls like 17-year-old Abbey are driving much of the growth in teen Internet use. They're more likely to use e-mail and look for information on the Web. (on camera): The survey's authors do say that wired teens get outside for other activities on occasion, albeit with a little coaxing. And here at the camp, they are required to get away from the computers for at least an hour a day.

Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right, let's talk about the space shuttle program, because the fleet has been grounded...

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: ... because this piece of foam flew off the space shuttle as it took off into space and they cannot figure out why. They were supposed to have that problem solved.

MYERS: And in the past, Carol -- I was talking to Miles O'Brien about this -- he said that sometimes hundreds of little pieces would knick the shuttle on the way up. But little pieces. I mean that was the key word. The key word was little.

Should NASA fix this thing or scrap the space shuttle altogether?

And I've got one from Cheryl (ph) in St. Paul: "When so many kids in this country are going hungry, what are we doing? Why are we spending these exorbitant sums for space exploration in the first place?"

Others would disagree, but I -- when you think about starving kids, you might want to agree with that one.

"I was in high school when the Challenger blew up in '86," says Captain Hook. "Now NASA's risking their lives with this outdated equipment. Scrap it and use the technology that we have, the technology that we, the taxpayers, have already paid for."

"Scrap them. Having worked twice at NASA, I've seen the bureaucratic overruns and favoritism, avoidance of the truth, not to mention the squelching of creativity and the defocusing of the issues that require attention," says Joseph. "Let's start by scrapping some of the bureaucracy that's directing that and others in the space program and the technology."

And one more from REB: "I believe the space shuttle may still have a useful and valuable life. The earlier shuttle missions did not exhibit the recent failure problems. This is because NASA has not maintained its quality standards on contracted work, as it did in the early missions when the results were more in doubt" -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Well, I'm sure we're going to hear much more about the space shuttle in the minutes and hours to come.

MYERS: Yes. COSTELLO: An unlikely friendship -- North Korea's Kim Jong Il and a South Korean grandmother? In the next hour, the story is the dictator and the dissident.

But first, Cold Play singer Chris Martin tops the list that is tops with lots of moms. We'll tell you about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Entertainment headlines for you this morning.

Cold Play's Chris Martin has been named the sexiest male vegetarian. I'm sure he's really happy about that. PETA, or the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, pointed to his daughter's vegetarian birthday party as a great illustration of his meatless ways.

"American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood is also singled out by the group. She is named sexiest female vegetarian.

Model Kate Moss has won a libel suit against a British newspaper. "The Sunday Mirror" paper admits that its story that Moss fell into a cocaine induced coma, well, it was untrue. There's no word on exactly how much money Moss is getting, but her attorney calls it "a substantial amount."

Dennis Rodman's having some car trouble. He was ticketed for speeding through Colorado twice. Besides the two tickets, Rodman is also accused of stealing gas and a cowboy hat from a gas station. He's actually one of 100 drivers taking part in the celebrity studded Bullrun Rally Race. The race mimics those old cannonball run movies.

You can get more entertainment news every night on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." That's at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on "HEADLINE NEWS."

And, the next hour of DAYBREAK starts in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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