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CNN Live Sunday

Woman Confesses to Role in Hotel Bombings in Jordan; Syrian- born Film Producer Moustapha Akkad Laid To Rest

Aired November 13, 2005 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE SUNDAY: ...Rice arrives in Jerusalem saying a Palestinian state would enhance the security of Israel. Rice is urging the Israelis and Palestinians to help accelerate change in the Middle East.
And Syrian-born film producer Moustapha Akkad is laid to rest in his homeland. Akkad and his daughter were among the victims of the suicide bombings in Amman, Jordan. In Hollywood, Akkad produced the well-known "Halloween" horror films.

Here's what's ahead this hour. CNN's Brent Sadler is standing by live in Amman, Jordan, where there's been a dramatic televised confession in last week's hotel attacks. We'll also take you to the Midwest in this country for an up close look at the aftermath of a deadly tornado in Iowa.

And later, we'll discuss the ethics of eugenics as science offers parents greater opportunities to custom design their babies.

We begin this hour with a chilling account of cold-blooded mass murder. A woman identified as the wife of a suicide bomber, whose own bomb apparently failed to detonate, confessed today on Jordanian television about her role in last Wednesday's attacks on three hotels in Amman, Jordan. Here's CNN's Brent Sadler with the latest details. Brent?

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this indeed, was a chilling televised confession, which the authorities here will give some closure to those suffering as a result of the triple suicide bombing attack. Now this woman, at 35-year-old Iraqi was part of a four- person team that was sent to Jordan from neighboring Iraq. She showed off the explosives that failed to detonate. She said that she had gone to the Radisson Hotel where there was a wedding party. Her husband detonated himself.

She tried to blow up herself. That failed. So she said she ran away from the death and destruction at that hotel with other men, women and children. Indeed it was a shocking confession by this 34- year-old Iraqi, and many, many Jordanians are outraged about that and want to see her receive the severest of punishments when she goes to court having now made this confession.

Now earlier this evening here in the Jordanian capital, former U.S. President Bill Clinton toured one of the blast sites, the hotel, in fact, with his wife Senator Hillary Clinton and he said that the suicide bombing against that wedding party inside the hotel was the result of twisted logic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: It is hard to explain unless you understand what is at the core of the ideology of these people, and we have to fight it. But more than anything else, we wanted to be here because we care very much about the people of Jordan and the friendship that we have shared and we are grieving with you for this loss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SADLER: In all, some 14 Iraqis were picked up after the bomb attacks. The authorities here now dealing with a new tactic by the al Qaeda terror network. That's what officials are saying. They are the group that was behind it. New tactics by sending bombers across the border and a new tactic using a woman to commit or try to commit one of those bomb explosions. The first time there have been suicide attacks here in the Jordanian kingdom. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Brent, it was common knowledge that even before this attack, Abu Musab al Zarqawi still had quite a bit of support in his hometown there in Jordan. Post this attack, is there any sense as to whether his support has in any way diminished and secondly, whether Jordanian authorities will be descending upon his hometown to find any of these sympathizers that he may still have?

SADLER: I think those that support the ideology of the Zarqawi network will not be deterred by the results of the carnage created by that triple bombing. In terms of what's happening within the kingdom itself, there is an attempt by the king to try to change hearts and minds here, particularly towards U.S. policy vis-a-vis the Israelis and Palestinians and of course what's happening inside Iraq, to stabilize Jordan's neighbor. But this is really a tough sell in this country which historically has shown because many Jordanians of course are of Palestinian origin, have shown real opposition towards not only this king's policies, but the policies of his late father, King Hussein as well. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Brent Sadler, thanks so much.

We'll delve more into such a televised confession. Joining us now from Boston, Mike Ritz. He's a former U.S. Army interrogator. Thanks so much for being with us, Mike.

MIKE RITZ, FORMER U.S. ARMY INTERROGATOR: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: For starters, you've got this woman on this televised confession. As you examine it, does it look like her confession comes under duress or willingness to participate?

RITZ: No, I think she's probably very willing. You know, when people go through these traumatic situations, they really do want to talk to someone and if you can find that right interrogator to sit in front of her and be her confessor, I'm sure that it wouldn't take much prodding. If you empathize with her situation and try to see where she's coming from and establish some rapport, it doesn't surprise me at all that she would start talking.

WHITFIELD: Then can you go as for as trying to examine whether she's exhibiting any real relief that her story is that the detonator didn't work, that her explosive belt didn't work. As a result, is she willing and I guess forthright with information to give these interrogators or Jordanian authorities any information in which to find out how this plot started in the first place?

RITZ: Well, I think that if you look at her confession, you can see a number of areas where she tried to distance herself from the confession. And she doesn't really own up to what she actually did or attempted to do. She tries to -- she says my husband did this. My husband did that. I think she says I accompanied my husband. My husband organized everything. I don't know anything else. Husband put the explosive belt on me. She's trying to distance herself from the actual act. She knows certainly that she is guilty of doing something, but she's trying to make it a little bit more acceptable by throwing that responsibility in another direction, rather than owning up to it.

WHITFIELD: Well, distance herself so that perhaps the judicial process there, they would be more lenient on her or distance herself so she wouldn't have to reveal any more information that she wants to?

RITZ: It could be a combination of both, I would think. You know, it's -- in these situations, there is a tendency -- it's unique that we have a female in this case, because there is a tendency in a woman to want to socialize, want to discuss what occurred. There's a tendency to externalize stress and there's actually a hormone that sort of creates that scenario. And I think that we can take advantage of that if we have someone that can relate to her situation. Now don't forget her brother was al Zarqawi's right hand man. So there is intent here. There's motive here most likely. She's probably not just a pawn in this game.

WHITFIELD: And I spoke, in fact, with another analyst earlier on, who said that she likely, this woman likely had to have proven to al Zarqawi or someone else in the group that she was a worthy candidate to try to carry this out. That she was trustworthy. Do you agree with that assessment?

RITZ: Oh, absolutely. And I think we'll find much more is going to come out of this. And we're going to get a lot of insight into how this all took place. As long as we continue to empathize with her situation, to show her that, you know, should we be in a similar situation, perhaps we would have acted out in a similar fashion and make her believe that, then I think she'll confide in us quite well.

WHITFIELD: And obviously, interrogators would try to get more information, such as names, how far back this plan may have gone. We only saw a portion of the televised statement. At what point do you believe the interrogators tried to get that kind of information? At the beginning of their interrogation of her trying to get names, details or do they wait to get this kind of docile explanation and then later try to get more? RITZ: Well, interrogation is a chess match, so it's going to depend on how she's reacting, how she's behaving, if she's being defiant. If she's being cooperative, we're going to continue to ask these questions and continue to get as much information as quickly as we possibly can while we've kind of caught her in this extreme stressful situation. The longer that she becomes more comfortable, then the more she's going to try to resist.

WHITFIELD: Mike Ritz, former U.S. Army interrogator, thanks so much for joining us from Boston.

RITZ: Thanks for having me Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: In the overall war on terrorism, Pakistan is confident it has seriously disrupted terrorist activities in that country. President Pervez Musharraf, who has survived several recent assassination attempts himself, spoke about Pakistan's anti-terrorism efforts earlier today on CNN's "Late Edition."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PAKISTAN: I think the assassination attempt on me, we certainly are winning. We have put them on the run. And we have broken their organizational ability here within Pakistan. Therefore, I am reasonably sure and very sure that as far as I personally am concerned, I would say that I am more secure. I feel more secure. One has to take security measures also, but within Pakistan, we have really succeeded against the terrorists.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Musharraf, a strong ally of the U.S., disputes allegations that terrorists have safe havens in the mountains bordering Afghanistan. He said Pakistan's military and intelligence are focusing on neutralizing terrorist activities all over the country, including in the mountains.

Al Qaeda reportedly has singled out Britain's Queen Elizabeth for special condemnation. The London "Sunday Times" reports that al Qaeda has branded the queen as quote one of the severest enemies of Islam. The paper said the threat is contained in a 27-minute videotape in which al Qaeda claims responsibility for the July 7th subway and bus attacks in London that killed 56 people.

For the second straight weekend, tornadoes have struck the Midwest. Late Saturday afternoon, a line of violent storms crashed through central Iowa, spawning at least one twister. Dozens of homes were damaged and some were all but shredded. A witness describes what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I looked off to the southwest and I could see it coming across that field. That's when I told my wife, I said, OK, this is it. We've got to go to the basement now. Got holed up in a corner, hang on to some pipes that were overhead and rode it out. Destroyed pretty near the whole neighborhood. Right through here, all these houses are gone. My son lives right over across the street. You can see that house is no higher than 10 feet high.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In the town of Stratford in Iowa's Hamilton County, rescue workers found the body of a woman beneath the rubble of her home. Hers is the only death reported.

We'll check in with Dave Hennen (ph) to find out what the weather picture looks like overall for that region and everywhere else. Dave?

DAVE HENNEN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah Fredricka. Let's take you back in time. First of all, we want to show you the radar as the tornadoes moved through the area yesterday. This is north of Des Moines. There's Des Moines right there in Polk County. This on our timeline takes you through time yesterday afternoon. The strong thunderstorms move through Woodward. Here's the tornado that moved through the area, produced the tornado about 4:30 to 4:40 was when the damage was reported around Woodward. Hamilton County was where the death was reported as the line of storms moved through.

In Ames, Iowa, that's where they were gathering for the Iowa State football game. Let me show you a little different perspective. This is our Google earth. Here's the town of Woodward here as the tornado tracked pretty well (ph) tracked through much of the state of Iowa. Here's Ames right here and the football stadium right there on this side of town. And there was damage reported, particularly on the western side of town as that football game was about ready to kick off.

Here is a look, as well, at the radar right now. The front has swept through. It is much colder. I just checked the temperature in Des Moines, currently 52 degrees. Rather rare out Fredricka to see that many tornadoes, 22 tornadoes. That's the most we've seen in the month of November. That's in the entire Iowa history in the month of November. We saw a number of those yesterday. At least three to four tornadoes reported. Much quieter weather today and there's currently no severe weather reported anywhere across the U.S. That's the good news this afternoon. Back to you Fred.

WHITFIELD: That is, indeed. Thanks so much, Dave.

Critics take aim at president -- the president's speech rather on Friday, defending his decision to go to war in Iraq. The president's speech, proof of strength or a sign of weakness?

And just 16 years old and going to war, World War I, that is. We meet a veteran with quite a story to tell.

Also ahead, what made her decide to blow herself up? We'll try to get inside the mind of a suicide bomber straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Three more U.S. troops have lost their lives in Iraq. In a statement released today, the military announced that two U.S. Marines were killed yesterday by a bomb west of Baghdad. The statement also said that a soldier died in a vehicle accident in western Iraq. The number of Americans killed in the war is now 2,068.

President Bush delivered a vigorous defense on Friday of his decision to go to war in Iraq. His speech highlights the increasingly vocal criticism he's been hearing from his Democratic opponents. It also highlights the challenge of living up to his own political rhetoric. Here's CNN's John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The speech ran 50 minutes. The message the president is looking to sell, summarized behind him in just three words.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will never back down. We will never give in. We will never accept anything less than complete victory.

KING: Strategy for victory is a very different message than "mission accomplished." Mr. Bush's political problem is in many ways a tale of those two banners. Back in May 2003, Saddam Hussein's statue and government had fallen and Mr. Bush was in a position of strength.

BUSH: We have seen the turning of the tide.

KING: Two and a half years later, the insurgency is resilient. Public support for the war is wavering. Mr. Bush leading a Veterans Day rebuttal to critics who say the administration doesn't have a plan to back up its latest slogan.

BUSH: We're on the hunt. We're keeping pressure on the enemy.

KING: Just a year after he won re-election, Iraq is a credibility cloud over the president's second term. Fifty four percent of Americans now say the war was a mistake, up from 23 percent just after that May 2003 speech declaring major combat operations over. Fifty three percent of Americans now believe the administration deliberately misled the American people about Iraq's weapons programs, up from 31 percent back then. And just 49 percent of Americans in CNN polling describe Mr. Bush as honest and trustworthy, down from 65 percent just after Baghdad fell.

GLEN BOLGER, REPUBLICAN POLLSTER: If George W. Bush loses the perception that he is trustworthy and the strong leader, there's no question that's going to make his last three years as president much, much more difficult to get anything accomplished.

KING: Republicans on Capitol Hill are more and more breaking with the Republican White House and Democrats are relentless. This from Senator John Kerry, Mr. Bush's opponent last year. It's a dangerous day for our national security when an administration's word is no good. The White House calls that hypocrisy. The president in his speech noted Senator Kerry supported the war, even quoted him describing Saddam as a grave threat.

(on-camera); That flashback to last year's campaign is vivid proof of how the president's political standing his deteriorated. As one Republican strategist close to the White House put it, when you're still debating your opponent a year after the election, you are not debating from a position of strength. John King, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: He lied about his age to join the Navy. Why? He says it made him popular with the girls. Meet Lloyd Brown, 104 years old, and a World War I veteran.

Also coming up -- designing your baby from head to toe. Dream come true or ethical nightmare? ''

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

You have your to-do list. We have ours. Here's a quick look at some of the stories on the horizon for the week ahead. Monday, a hearing is scheduled for three suspects in the failed transit bombings in London back in July. The charges include attempted murder and conspiracy to use explosives. Also coming up, will Massachusetts lawmakers breathe some life into Governor Mitt Romney's death penalty bill? He wants capital punishment in what he calls quote, very rare circumstances, like terrorism or the murder of public servants. Massachusetts is one of a dozen states without the death penalty. Debate on the bill could begin next week.

And on a lighter note, Tuesday New York City goes a little bit country. The big apple hosts the country music awards. It's the first time the show has been done outside Nashville.

Queen Elizabeth II led today's remembrance Sunday events in London honoring Britain's war dead. The ceremony is held every year on the Sunday closest to November 11th, the anniversary of the end of World War I. Prime Minister Tony Blair and other political and religious leaders laid wreaths at the foot of the Senata (ph) monument near parliament.

Millions of American war veterans are still alive, but there are very few veterans of World War I still around. That war ended 87 years ago on the day now known as Veterans Day. John Hanrahan (ph) of CNN affiliate WTTG talked to one man who went to war when he was just 16 years old.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN HANRAHAN, WTTG CORRESPONDENT: The stars and stripes are flying every day in front of the modest Maryland home of military veteran Lloyd Brown. Even at 104 years of age, it's hard to imagine that Mr. Brown is a living, breathing veteran of World War I.

LLOYD BROWN: I lied about my age.

HANRAHAN: Lloyd Brown was one of hundreds of teenagers who found a way to get into uniform. He admits part of the motivation was to impress young women.

BROWN: Both army and navy were very popular with the young ladies.

HANRAHAN: So 16-year-old Lloyd Brown became part of a three-man gunnery crew aboard the battleship "USS New Hampshire."

BROWN: It was our job to look out for submarines.

HANRAHAN: And Lloyd Brown did see action in the closing year of World War I.

BROWN: We captured one submarine and brought it into Philadelphia. I was aboard the German submarine myself. I looked it over.

HANRAHAN: After the great war, Lloyd Brown was sent to music school and became a cellist for a navy band. Would you recommend the military to young people today?

BROWN: Yeah, the navy especially.

HANRAHAN: Why?

BROWN: Because you travel around different countries.

HANRAHAN: Lloyd Brown later became a career firefighter in Washington, D.C. He married twice and raised four children. What's the secret to living to 104?

BROWN: Stay away from any bad habits like drinking or something -- things like that.

HANRAHAN: Of course, Lloyd Brown did take up pipe smoking, oh, about 80 years ago. He still reads the newspaper and watches TV news and if you ask about the war in Iraq, this World War I veteran answers with a twinkle.

BROWN: What are we doing over there anyway?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Checking some of the other stories making news across America. Defending NASCAR champion Kurt Busch has been suspended for the last two races of the season. Nascar.com reports he was detained on suspicion of drunk driving and later charged with reckless driving near Phoenix. The local sheriff describes it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZ: This guy came to this county, insulted my deputies, called them wimps and everything else and he was driving recklessly in this county. If he wants to drive reckless or speed, he ought to do it on the racetrack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The pilot of this small plane is recovering after he crashed near Milwaukee while trying to land in a thunderstorm. The plane was tangled in utility wires for hours, knocking out power to the surrounding area.

Killer tornadoes are a fact of life, especially in the nation's midsection. But after yesterday's tornado in Iowa and the one last week in Indiana, among those examining the after effects, members of the National Weather Service. Here's CNN's Rob Marciano.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This is just amazing to me. This side of the street virtually no damage at all, just some insulation. And then this side of the street just completely wiped out.

RICK SHANKLIN: You get over here and you see very little damage. We're right at the edge of the tornado vortex.

MARCIANO: Rick Shanklin is a man devoted to chaos. When a storm hits, he goes in to investigate. Was it a twister? How big? How bad?

SHANKLIN: Number one is to get out and look at the characteristics of the tornado itself from start to finish and, secondly, is to get input from everyone that was in harm's way, how they got the warning, if they got the warning and then what action they took.

MARCIANO: It is forensic work, much like the crime scene investigators on the popular TV show. Here, the more you know about a storm, the better prepared you'll be for the next one.

SHANKLIN: Definitely it's an investigation process to get out here and determine, you know, exactly what went on and determine all the characteristics.

MARCIANO: It's a huge task investigating a deadly tornado with a path over 40 miles long. Satellites, radars, aerials and eyewitnesses all factor into the final report. But in the end, storm experts like Shanklin need to be on the ground to pick apart the evidence. So here's a home with a brick and concrete cinderblock foundation totally ripped apart. What does your trained eye see now when you look at the anatomy of this tornado?

SHANKLIN: Well, I see some things in the structure that gives some clues. The bottom plate here you can see that it is bolted down. That's obviously a good thing to have it connected well to the foundation. The next question would be the stud walls. How are they secured?

MARCIANO: Are the walls just nailed to the foundation? How are they fastened? How was the roof attached? Still, other questions.

SHANKLIN: Was the garage door open? MARCIANO: So let's dispel a myth right here. A lot of people think you should open your windows when a storm is coming. You are saying that's not a good idea.

SHANKLIN: That is not a good idea. The key thing is stay away from the windows.

MARCIANO: Glass shattered, brick pulverized and steel bent in towards the center of the twister. Are we closer to the core of the vortex now?

SHANKLIN: We are, a little bit more into the core. I'd say just in front of this house probably would be just about the center of the core of the vortex.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is absolutely incredible. Look at it come down.

MARCIANO: Tornadoes are ranked much like hurricanes. F0 is a very weak tornado and a 5 is very strong with winds around 300 miles an hour, causing catastrophic damage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rick, that's moving right at us. We've got to get out of here.

MARCIANO: So what kind of wind speed would bring that kind of damage?

SHANKLIN: From what we saw there, we're pretty confident that the winds would have been around 200 miles an hour.

MARCIANO: F3?

SHANKLIN: Upper end F3.

MARCIANO: It's likely the people who live here don't' really care what rating Rick gives this storm. But his investigative work

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