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Your World Today

Alleged Would-Be Suicide Bomber Confesses on TV; Australia Terror Fears; Rice in Middle East; Teen Arrested in Pennsylvania Murders

Aired November 14, 2005 - 12:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Mission not accomplished. The chilling confession of a female suspect in the Jordan wedding blast.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Another woman on a mission. This one for peace in the Middle East.

VERJEE: And mission impossible, the secret underground video that aims to expose injustice in North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARRATOR: If they are caught filming, they will face prison or death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: It is 7:00 p.m. right now in Amman, Jordan; 12:00 p.m. noon in Washington.

Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee. Welcome to our viewers throughout the world and in the United States. This is CNN International, and this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

We're following two major stories this hour, both linked to global terrorism. In Jordan, a woman who authorities say came from Iraq to blow herself up makes a confession on television.

HOLMES: Extraordinary, too.

Also, in Australia, police say a nuclear reactor was a possible target for terrorists who were taken into custody just last week.

VERJEE: We want to begin in Jordan with words from an alleged terrorist. "My husband detonated his bomb, and I tried to detonate mine but failed," she says on television. Police swooped in on an Amman safe house after they were tipped by an al Qaeda claim on the Internet.

CNN's Brent Sadler joins us now live from Amman with more.

Brent, she was cool, calm, composed and showed no sign of remorse.

Brent, go ahead.

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, sorry. A little bit of communication problems there, Zain. Let me talk to you about the confession that was shown on Jordanian television.

This was a confession from 35-year-old Saijida al-Rishawi. Now, she came from Iraq, and she's now been catapulted from rural obscurity to international notoriety as a result of that confession she made in an ice-cold way on Jordanian television.

She gave horrifying details of how she and her husband, both aged about 35, selected a wedding party that was going on at the Radisson hotel. She said that at one end of the hotel her husband positioned himself, while she was at the other end of the banquet hall.

He managed to detonate himself with his explosives belt. But her own pack failed to go off, she told the camera.

Now, her vest of explosives -- we assumed it was made in Iraq, according to investigators at this stage -- was also packed with hundred of ball bearings that were supposed to have caused maximum casualties among the guests.

Zain.

VERJEE: Did she give any indication as to why she was involved in the attack?

SADLER: No, no details at this stage about that. Investigators are still questioning her. But what's really worrying is whether or not there is an Abu Musab al-Zarqawi network working in Jordan, how much support did the husband and wife team get? They're critical questions that need some answers.

But clearly, there was a support network that was able to pick her and her husband up at the border and bring them to the Jordanian capital to carry out that devastating attack at this hotel.

Zain.

VERJEE: And Brent, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected at any moment in Amman, Jordan, right?

SADLER: That's right. We understand she has touched down here in Jordan. The U.S. secretary of State is expected to arrive here very shortly to the Radisson hotel. She will be accompanied by top Jordanian officials. She will pay a visit inside the banquet room where those people lost their lives, including, Zain, the sickening twist of fate that resulted in the deaths of both fathers of the bride and groom.

VERJEE: CNN's Brent Sadler reporting. Thanks, Brent.

Michael. HOLMES: All right. Our email "Question of the Day" now. It is this: Does it make a difference if a suicide bomber is a man or a woman?

VERJEE: Weigh in on this. Tell us what you think. Email us, YWT@CNN.com. Just keep your answers quite -- your comments, rather, quite brief, and include your name and where you're writing us from. And we're going to try and include as much email on our show as possible.

HOLMES: Well, police in Australia say they have uncovered a possible terrorist plot on a nuclear reactor. This comes out of a number of arrests you may remember last week, arrests that led to evidence of stockpiling of bomb-making equipment.

Here's Joe O'Brien with the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE O'BRIEN, ABC NEWS, SYDNEY, REPORTER (voice over): A terrorist attack on the Lucas Heights nuclear facility in suburban Sydney has long been feared. Now police say they have evidence it's a possible target. They said three of eight men arrested and charged last week with a terrorist conspiracy were stopped by police in the vicinity of the plant in December. Police claim, when interviewed separately, all three persons gave different versions of the day's events.

Police say the eight men arrested last week had been ordering chemicals and equipment from stores in western Sydney over the last five months to make explosives. A fact sheet handed to the court said 50 liters of hydrochloric acid and 200 liters of sulfuric acid had been ordered, and 16 liters of acetone seized. One chemical factory manager revealed today he alerted ASA (ph) after becoming suspicious when approached by a potential buyer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I spoke to the person concerned, and what alarmed me is that he couldn't give me any information.

O'BRIEN: PVC piping, plastic caps and duct tape were also listed among seized evidence which could be used to produce a bomb. Its alleged raids on the men's homes also found instructions for making the explosive TATP, terrorist videos, including Sheikh Osama's training course. And it's claimed one of the men, former actor Omar Baladjam, bought 900 rounds of ammunition last month.

(on camera): The summary of facts in this case also alleges that several of the men went on hunting trips in western New South Wales earlier this year, and that this was consistent with the usual modus operandi of terrorists before an attack.

(voice over): The (INAUDIBLE) cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika is identified in the court document as the group's spiritual leader. It's alleged one of the men told Benbrika he wanted to die, and Benbrika replied, "If we want to die for jihad, we have to have maximum damage. Maximum damage."

"Damage their buildings, everything. Damage their lives to show them. In this we'll have to be careful."

In court last week, the lawyer for one of the accused, Mirsad Mulahalilovic, said the case against his client was flimsy and the men were being held in extremely restrictive Guantanamo Bay-style conditions. They're to appear in court again next month.

Joe O'Brien, ABC News, Sydney.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Returning to the Middle East now, as we reported, Condoleezza Rice has just arrived in Amman, Jordan. The U.S. secretary of the State is rearranging her travel plans and extending her time in the region. She hopes to broker a deal between Israelis and Palestinians on easing restrictions on the Gaza border crossings with Egypt

Guy Raz reports for us now from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What was supposed to be a whistle-stop tour here in the region has turned into an extended visit. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was meant to be on her way to South Korea for an economic conference but chose to stay here in Jerusalem in an effort to break through an impasse between Israeli and Palestinian officials over whether to reopen a key border crossing between the Palestinians Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula.

Now, that border crossing known as the Rafa terminal is the key crossing point for Palestinians who live in Gaza, and the only access most Palestinians have to the outside world.

Now, that crossing point was manned by Israeli forces for 38 years. But when Israel withdrew its forces from Gaza, its soldiers and civilians, it essentially closed down that border crossing and it was sealed. Since that time, Israeli and Palestinian officials have been at loggerheads over how to reopen the border.

The Israeli government fears that without proper supervision, the Rafa transit point could become a crossing for armed militants and weapons smuggling. The Palestinians insist it's an issue of sovereignty.

The Bush administration would like to resolve this issue as soon as possible, believing that once this transit point is open, it will help to begin the process of reviving the economy in Gaza and could potentially prevent any further outbreaks of violence here in the region.

Guy Raz, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: After her meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, U.S. Secretary of State Rice attended a memorial service for the assassinated prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is addressing parliament in a special memorial session. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton also attended the service and honored the memory of his friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For those of us who were privileged to know and love him, whether we agreed or disagreed, we must remember why he fell, why he lived and how he died. And if this flame is to burn brightly forever and ever and ever, those of us who loved him must honor the beauty of his life and the enduring meaning of his sacrifice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: Rabin was killed on November 4, 1995. Monday's ceremony marked the anniversary according to the Jewish calendar.

HOLMES: All right. Don't go away. Still to come on YOUR WORLD TODAY...

VERJEE: The disturbing aftermath of Operation Steel Curtain in Iraq.

HOLMES: And clipping bird flu, bolstering flu trade and tackling terror -- no shortage of issues for APEC leaders. They're set to meet (ph) this weekend. We'll have a report.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Hello. And welcome back to CNN International and YOUR WORLD TODAY.

HOLMES: A full hour of international news right here for you. Let's carry on then.

The Iraqi vice president, Adil Abdul Mehdi, is in London, carrying out a visit there. He went to see the British prime minister, Tony Blair. In a joint news conference, Mr. Blair said Britain could start pulling its soldiers out of Iraq by next year.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, two civilian contractors have been killed in a roadside bombing in Baghdad. Two other workers were wounded. A fifth escaped unharmed when the device went off right near a Green Zone checkpoint. All five of them were employees of the U.S. security company Dyncorp.

VERJEE: In the western part of Iraq, the U.S. military says 37 insurgents were killed in the latest attack on suspected al Qaeda operations near the Syrian border. A week after the launch of Operation Steel Curtain, U.S. Marines are facing a different battle.

CNN producer Arwa Damon is embedded with the Marines and filed this report. We really want to warn you, though, some of the images in the story could be disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): His was body number 17 to be to be pulled from the rubble, 7-year-old Abdullah Saddam Rakam (ph).

SHAHIR ABDULLAH MOHAMMAD, UNCLE (through translator): There was a family in the house and there was firing. A fight was in the area and the air strike happened and hit the house.

DAMON: It's the face of collateral damage, civilians caught in the crossfire. Now with the fighting over, the citizens and the armed forces must face each other and build trust to rebuild the city. It's perhaps the toughest part of the fight.

About 500 of Husayba's men demonstrate in front of the U.S. Marine base. Their demands: the restoration of basic services, the release of detainees and help in burying their dead. It's the second part of the battle, the reconstruction that follows the fighting.

CAPT. RICHARD PITCHFORD, U.S. MARINE CORPS: We're praying for this, and it becomes a different problem and it's changing gears for us. But it's really a much -- potentially more rewarding, because we can start to see the positive effects.

DAMON: But it may be some time in coming. Many are still raw with emotion and anger.

KARIM AYAJ, HUSAYBA RESIDENT (through translator): If there were a couple of terrorists in this city, is it right to bring down the roofs on innocent people's heads? On women and children? Is this democracy? Is this freedom?

DAMON: Some slightly more optimistic.

TAMIL EL-KUNAYSI, HUSAYBA RESIDENT: If water and power came back, the city would be better. If the bulldozers came and cars could move, then it would get better. The city will improve. People will have the impression that the marines are here to help the city and not against the city.

DAMON: A makeshift city council puts forward their demands to the marine commander.

SHEIK MAHMOUD AL THAIR, COUNCIL SPOKESMAN (through translator): Now we're going break up the demo, because they promised us that we would be able to get in food rations and doctors, and they would open the streets.

DAMON: And the Marines asked for something in return.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I asked for two things. One was your patience and I understand that it will take a while to get things back to normal in the city. It could take a long time. The other thing I asked from them is that they can help us with the security environment. I told them that couldn't help them unless the bad people stayed out of the city.

DAMON: Lines of communication now open. The opportunity to rebuild Husayba brick by brick, a challenge, but not an impossibility -- a small window of chance to turn this city around.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Husayba, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: To Afghanistan now, where a NATO peacekeeper has been killed in what authorities believe was a suicide bombing. A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, says two others were wounded in the blast which took place in Kabul on Monday. Police and ISAF officials are investigating. So far, they have not released the nationalities of the casualties.

VERJEE: Despite curfews and a ban on large gatherings, France remains in a state of emergency. President Jacques Chirac is set to make his first presidential address on Monday after 18 straight nights of rioting. The violence has eased somewhat, but more cars and buildings were set on fire overnight.

The French cabinet approved a bill extending the state of emergency for three months. It goes to the national assembly for approval.

HOLMES: Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin has shuffled his cabinet in an attempt to improve the country's military. Mr. Putin gave the defense minister, Sergey Ivanov, the additional post of deputy prime minister. He also named his chief of staff to become first deputy prime minister. The future of the current deputy prime minister, Alexsander Zhukov, was left unclear. The president also replaced two of his envoys to the Russian regions.

Well, a look of what is topping the news in the United States is up next for our viewers in the U.S.

VERJEE: And the rest of us are going to get a report on financial markets, including a look at the world's largest retailer, whose rising sales still fell short of expectations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen at the CNN Center in Atlanta. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes. But first, a check on the stories making headlines in the U.S. today.

A manhunt is under way for a Pennsylvania teenager accused of killing his girlfriend's parents then fleeing with her. Fourteen-year- old Kara Beth Borden's parents were found shot inside their home. Lancaster County is in the state's Amish country, which is about 60 miles from Philadelphia. Now, David Ludwig was last seen in his parents' red Volkswagen Jetta with Pennsylvania license plate EHH 0994. Investigators believe Kara Beth may have been taken against her will. Police in Warwick Township are asking anyone with information on the teenager's whereabouts to call them. And that number -- we're going to put it up for you -- 717-626-3162.

This morning in Tennessee, students returned to Campbell County Comprehensive High School, the scene of last Tuesday's deadly shooting spree. A 15-year-old student is charged in the killing of a school administrator. The principal and assistant principal were also shot, and they remain hospitalized.

Well, the National Weather Service says some of those tornadoes that whipped through Iowa over the weekend were bearing winds of up to 150 miles an hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god! That's it! Get over here!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Goodness. Amateur photographer Jeremiah Nance captured these terrifying sights and sounds as an Oz-like twister sliced a path through the small town of Woodward. Today, dazed victims are still trying to salvage what's left of their belongings. The Red Cross is now in the area, arranging temporary housing and serving meals.

Let's talk about those twisters.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, Miami-Dade County fire crews are getting control of a fire at a liquid asphalt facility in Medley, Florida. Look at these pictures. You see the flames are finally out. There are no reports of injuries. That's the good news. Fire officials say tanks at the facility caught fire. This is tape of that fire. You see the flames there, sending thick, black smoke billowing into the air. A foam truck was dispatched from the Miami-Dade Airport to suppress those flames.

The former members of the 9/11 Commission issued a progress report today on intelligence reforms. This is their third report. Members who regrouped as the 9/11 Public Discourse Project recommended many of the changes the government is making. Now, today's report card focused on nuclear weapons. The panel says the U.S. isn't moving fast enough to safeguard nuclear material from terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TOM KEAN, FMR. CHAIRMAN, 9/11 COMMISSION: We have no greater fear than a terrorist who is inside the United States with a nuclear weapon. The consequences of such an attack would be catastrophic for our people, for our economy, for our liberties, and probably for our way of life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Democratic commission member Richard Ben-Veniste slammed the government over what he called prisoner abuse. He says it brings shame and revulsion to many Americans.

Well, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on whether newspapers and magazines can be withheld from unruly Pennsylvania inmates. It's a case already considered by Samuel Alito, President Bush's nominee for the Supreme Court. Advocates claim the policy compromises the prisoners' rights to free speech, and an appellate panel agreed. As a federal appeals court judge, Alito dissented and voted to uphold the policy.

Well, President Bush is en route to Asia for an eight-day tour. The president and Laura Bush left Washington last hour. The highlight of the trip is the annual summit of Pacific Rim leaders. The APEC Summit, as it's called, is expected to focus on bird flu prevention and trade.

Besides the summit in South Korea, Mr. Bush will also visit Japan, China and Mongolia. His first stop, though, a speech to U.S. troops at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. That is later today.

And what makes a person choose to become a suicide bomber? An in- depth discussion at the top of the hour on "LIVE FROM."

Meantime, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International. I'm Zain Verjee.

HOLMES: And I'm Michael Holmes. Want to update you now on the top stories that we're following today.

An Iraqi woman in Jordanian custody, accused of planning to be the fourth suicide bomber in the Amman attacks, she confessed her alleged role in the hotel bombings on Jordanian television. She also displayed her disabled explosives belt. Fifty-seven people were killed in the blasts at three hotels on Wednesday.

VERJEE: Australian police say they may have headed off a possible plot to attack the country's only nuclear reactor. Authorities say three of the 18 terrorism suspects arrested in last week's raids were questioned by police near the Sydney reactor last year. Police say they underwent jihad training in camps in the outback northwest of Sydney.

HOLMES: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has rearranged her travel plans to extend her stay in the Middle East. She plans to help broker an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians. Rice says a deal on easing restrictions on the border crossings between Gaza and Egypt was "in sight."

She later attended a memorial for the assassinated Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin. His death 10 years ago -- was 10 years ago on the Jewish calendar.

VERJEE: U.S. President George W. Bush is on his way to Asia to tackle issues of trade, North Korean nuclear talks, as well as bird flu with other leaders from the region.

Andrea Koppel joins us now live from the White House with a preview. Andrea, what are sort of the expectations of this trip?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, before the president left, White House aides made a point of lowering expectations that President Bush would be returning to Washington with any deals in hand. As you mentioned, he's got a pretty wide agenda. All of the issues important in Japan.

They're going to see North Korea and other security issues on the agenda. Mr. Bush is going to meet with one of his closet allies there, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. And he's expected to urge Mr. Koizumi to use his strong electoral mandate to push forward with economic reforms that have been promised there.

From there, Mr. Bush heads to South Korea, which is home to 37,000 American troops and is also considered to be a very close strategic ally. Here, too, resolving the North Korean nuclear impasse that's going to be on the agenda. As well, the avian influenza, specifically a new initiative to basically figure out how the world's largest regional economic nations, certainly in the Asia-Pacific region can respond to the threat posed by the H5N1 virus. At least 60 people, all in Asia, died since the disease re-emerged back in 2003.

Now, in China, White House aides say the talks between Mr. Bush and President Hu Jintao will move beyond terrorism. That's really been the theme of this relationship ever since the 9/11 terror attacks. And they're going to move on to economic issues. Certainly as Mr. Bush looks forward to the mid-term elections in 2006, the economic issues are going to be extremely important as Republicans try to keep the seats that they have on Capitol Hill.

In particular, Mr. Bush is going to be pushing China to open its market more widely to include American business interests and also to make good on a promise that the President Hu Jintao had made over the summer to devalue China's currency, which make Chinese goods incredibly cheap when they're sold here in the United States.

Finally, President Bush is going to wrap up his trip in Mongolia. He's the first sitting U.S. president to travel there, Zain. There are going to be a couple of things on the agenda there, but most important for Mongolia is going to be a free trade agreement they'll get. No word as yet as to whether Mr. Bush is going to get the same gift that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld got when he visited recently. And that a Mongolian pony.

VERJEE: He left it there, right? Obviously.

KOPPEL: He certainly did. He certainly did.

VERJEE: Andrea, just explain to viewers about the U.S./Mongolia relationship. A lot of people might be going, OK, you know, Japan, China, South Korea -- Mongolia?

KOPPEL: It's a lovely country. I've been there. Mongolia is actually the fourteenth largest contributor of -- troops to the U.S. effort in Iraq, and that means basically 150 Mongolians are there. Not a large number, but certainly significant.

It's also an important country for a variety of reasons. Since the end of the Cold War, Mongolia threw off the yoke of communist oppression, and it's become a democracy. So President Bush looking again to make an example of a country like Mongolia that good things come to those who move in the right direction, as far as the U.S. is concerned.

Zain.

VERJEE: Andrea Koppel, one of the few journalists who traveled to Mongolia, reporting to us today from the White House. Thank you, Andrea.

Michael.

HOLMES: All right, ahead of the APEC summit, street protesters have taken to the streets of the South Korean capital. Thousands joining a demonstration organized by labor unions. Protesters carried signs that read "No Bush Visit" and "No APEC." They also demanded a revision of domestic labor laws to improve conditions for temporary workers.

VERJEE: The United States says new evidence contradicts Iran's claim that its nuclear program is peaceful. But the bush administration may have a hard time convincing skeptics, following U.S. claims on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities.

Elaine Quijano has more for us now from the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the Bush administration aggressively defends against Democrats' charges that it manipulated pre-war Iraq intelligence...

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is deeply irresponsible to re-write the history of how that war began.

QUIJANO: ... The "New York Times" reports the U.S. is quietly working to convince its allies that Iran is aiming to develop nuclear weapons.

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-KS), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I think that should be real concern to every American, and for that matter, everybody in the world.

QUIJANO: According to the report, in July, U.S. officials presented documents they said came from a stolen laptop computer to officials with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. American officials, the article says, won't go into detail about where the laptop came from, citing the need to protect their source. Those officials will reportedly only say they obtained it in mid-2004 from a longtime contact in Iran. The computer documents reportedly included simulations and accounts of experiments all presented as proof of Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions. CNN contacted the CIA which declined to comment. One senior U.S. official confirmed the Vienna briefing but would not give more detail due to its classified nature.

And a senior European diplomat said the U.S. has been showing its European allies photos and evidence being described as Iran pursuing a compact nuclear warhead. The objective, to give a, quote, "big warning," about Iran's suspected weaponization program.

DAVID ALBRIGHT, FORMER U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We don't know was this information developed by people in the ballistic missile program who wanted to study how do you put a nuclear warhead on a missile? Or were they just ordered to do it by higher-ups as part of a step-by- step nuclear weapons program? We just don't know the answer.

QUIJANO: Iran denies the allegations and has always insisted it wants nuclear technology for peaceful energy purposes. But the U.S. believes images like this tell a different story. This is believed to be an Iranian nuclear research center before inspectors were allowed access. And here, it's believed, is the image after inspectors were allowed in, buildings and topsoil gone.

Even critics of the Bush administration agree Iran poses a danger, but they say in light of Iraq, convincing others of that now may be more difficult.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: We had such unreliable intelligence, produced by this administration, it now has made it difficult for people to accept intelligence assessments at their face value. And that's very dangerous.

STEPHEN HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Obviously we need to do a better job of our intelligence, and that's why the reforms in response to the Silbermann-Robb Commission are so important. But it has not impaired our ability to pursue our policy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: Elaine Quijano reporting for us from the White House.

Michael.

HOLMES: Zain, another country facing controversy over its nuclear plans: North Korea. South Korea says there are new signs that Pyongyang might be serious about abandoning its nuclear weapons program. Seoul's unification minister has publicized proposals made by Pyongyang at disarmament talks that ended last week.

Some information now for you. Among the steps, Pyongyang says it would stop plans for nuclear tests. North Korea would also agree not transfer nuclear technology or materials or other nations, and the north would rejoin the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and abide by International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. Despite those proposals, North Korea has consistently insisted it won't make any move until the U.S. first offers concessions.

VERJEE: CNN has obtained some rare hidden camera video that essentially provides a disturbing look inside the secretive regime of North Korea's Kim Jong Il. The video was smuggled out of the country at great risk by dissidents, and it shows the public execution of several men.

Correspondent Frank Sesno has more. First, a warning. Some of the images are very graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK SESNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): North Korea, March, 2005, a crowd has been ordered to gather in an open field. A party official makes an announcement. Children have been brought to watch. The sentence is about to be passed. Three men are about to die. These people have committed the crime most damaging to North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il. They made contact with the outside world.

Three policemen step forward and raise their rifles. On the left, a prisoner is tied to a pole. This video was passed from person to person along a secret underground network, powerful evidence of public executions under the regime of Kim Jong Il.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And the piece you just saw there was an excerpt from a document air called "Undercover in the Secret State." Journalist Sarah MacDonald made that film. She spoke to us earlier about her experience in North Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH MACDONALD, DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: It is the most bizarre place. When I was asked to do the project, my only conscious thoughts of North Korea obviously were all around the nuclear issue and those six-party talks going on at the moment. When you actually get there, and we got to the border with China, we didn't need to or want to go inside North Korea, because the North Koreans, they corral journalists, they only allow you to see the images that they want you to present, whereas we had the real people inside, you know, bringing us real footage. And while the execution footage is horrific, it was the mundanity of some of the other pictures that they captured, getting on the train and seeing the guard beating up a woman for not having the right papers, just people waiting outside the train. Sometimes that mundanity is actually more shocking almost than the most shocking images of people being publicly executed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: This programming note for our international viewers, you can see the full report on North Korea later this week on CNN PRESENTS. Viewers in Asia can see the program on Thursday evening. It airs at 11:00 GMT. That's 19:00 Hong Kong, 20:00 in Seoul.

HOLMES: All right, up next for our viewers in the United States, an update on the top domestic story.

VERJEE: Also the rest of us are going to learn about a close encounter with a tornado. An amateur photograph captures the terrifying images of a twister touching down in the American Midwest. We're going to bring you more on that, here on CNN International.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: A warm welcome back to our viewers right around the world, including in the United States for an hour of international news.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: This just in. We do have some new information regarding a manhunt for a Pennsylvania teenager and her boyfriend. The boy is accused of murdering her parents. And what we know right now is that boyfriend, David Ludwig, is in police custody. We understand the circumstances surrounding this deal with the deaths of Kara Beth Borden's parents, who you see right there. They were killed yesterday inside their home, and it's believed that David Ludwig is responsible for that. David is an 18 year old. Kara is 14, and we are told by police that there's a relationship between the two, and there was a manhunt under way throughout yesterday, and throughout most of today.

We understand, at this hour, that Indiana State Police say they have captured a Pennsylvania man named David Ludwig, who you see there, wanted for the double homicide and abduction of a 14-year-old girl -- that 14-year-old girl being Kara Beth Borden.

Here's what we know about capture so far, and we're still piecing together how this happened. But the Lititz Police chief there in Pennsylvania says that the two were spotted earlier this morning, around 9:00 this morning, at a truck stop. Let's listen to what the police chief had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF WILLIAM SEACE, LITITZ, PENN. POLICE: There has been a sighting this morning. Information got back to us. He was sighted on Interstate 80 in the area of Exit 173 in the Lock Haven Lamar (ph) area. He was positively identified. The girl has changed her facial expression -- or facial looks. She's wearing a ponytail, and she appeared to be crying.

The white male, Mr. Ludwig, has changed his appearance and now has cut his hair down to about one inch.

That's all the information we have at this time. And we'll get back to you as soon as other information develops. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: OK, so again, let's recap what we know so far. This information is just breaking to us here at CNN, that David Ludwig, the 18-year-old accused of shooting Kara Beth Borden's parents in Pennsylvania yesterday morning, has been captured. That's what we know so far.

But here's what we don't know. We don't know where 14-year-old Kara Beth Borden, who you see right there, is at this moment. Police have not told us exactly where the girl is.

We have on the phone for us with more insight what's happening, these new developments as they're occurring as we speak. CNN's Allan Chernoff is in Pennsylvania. Allan, what have you been able to learn so far?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we do know that the Indiana State Police are confirming to us that 18-year-old David Ludwig is in custody now. We don't yet have details about the whereabouts of his 14-year-old girlfriend Kara Borden.

As you know, police are saying that Mr. Ludwig did kill the parents of Kara Borden on Sunday morning. What ensued, a very dramatic situation. Let's quickly run through that. Mr. Ludwig, who had been dating Kara Borden, brought Kara home early Sunday morning. The parents of Kara summoned Mr. Ludwig back to the home to question him about keeping her out all night.

Ludwig arrived concealing a handgun, and he also had a duffel bag, according to police, filled with other arms. An argument ensued, and according the police, Mr. Ludwig shot the father, Michael, in the head, and then shot the mother, Karen.

NGUYEN: Allan, we're showing some live pictures right now. I just want to make our viewers aware of the situation that we're showing as you'll continue to tell us about what occurred. Before what we're seeing right now.

The guy there in the gray shirt right now that you see with his hands behind his back, we are being told that is David Ludwig, or at least perhaps may be David Ludwig, according to officials speaking with CNN. He is the 18-year-old who was captured today.

Let me ask you this, Allan, do you know where in Indiana he was captured?

CHERNOFF: No, we don't yet have that information. There were reporters out earlier today that the two had been spotted in central Pennsylvania, off of Interstate 80, that they had stopped in a Subway store, purchased sandwiches and moved on from then, and then just moments ago we learned from the Indiana State Police that Mr. Ludwig is now in custody.

NGUYEN: And these two have been missing since yesterday morning, when the shootings occurred. I know before I interrupted you to make our viewers aware of what's happening now in these live pictures that the man believed to be 18-year-old David Ludwig was put into that red car that you see in the middle of your screen.

Tell us about -- as you were talking about exactly what happened in the home of the Bordens yesterday, when two people were shot and killed? CHERNOFF: Yes, this all according to the police, and they were able to piece all this together because simply Kara's sister Katelyn, according to police, actually witnessed Mr. Ludwig killing of her father Michael. She then hid in the bathroom while Mr. Ludwig shot the mother. Each person, one bullet to the head. The father, Michael, the mother, Cathryn. And the brother, a 9-year-old, the 9- year-old brother David, also was home. Ludwig then, according to...

NGUYEN: Let me interrupt right now. Allan, pardon me for a second. We're looking at a picture that perhaps may be Kara Beth Borden. There is a news conference underway...

CHERNOFF: Well...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... worked on until it's found out from a detective to see where it's headed with it.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't even know that, if there was any type of incident involved with him. We're being told by Indiana State Police that they are OK, everything is fine, they are both in custody at this point in time.

QUESTION: What's your reaction...

QUESTION: Where in custody...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do not know.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's another thing we're working on with them, to get them back here.

QUESTION: Chief, what's your reaction to see the case end like this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are just happy for the young juvenile that they're coming back. We are saddened by the families that we want to make sure that some type of justice is done here. And I know that direct attorney Donald Totaro is going to see that that is indeed done.

Thank you very much. We're going to have to get back to work, OK?

QUESTION: Can we get your name one more time, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Richard Garapoli (ph).

NGUYEN: All right. You've been listening to officials there talk about exactly what has happened. We're going to wait momentarily and see if we learn some more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: David Ludwig has been charged with two counts of criminal homicide, one count of kidnapping, one count of recklessly endangering another person. We have every reason to believe at this point in time, with the evidence through the course of the investigation, this was premeditated, deliberate, intentional. And as such, it would be, with the first-degree murder conviction, life in prison.

QUESTION: Are you considering charges against Kara?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, there's an ongoing investigation.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we do -- we will review the situation. We will determine whether any aggravating circumstances are present that would potentially justify capital punishment.

OK, thank you very much. We got a lot of work to do.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

DONALD TOTARO, SPOKESMAN: Yes, sir, it's Donald Totaro. T-O-T-A- R-O.

NGUYEN: And again, we are learning more just by the minute of what is occurring as we speak. On the right side of your screen, you're looking at the site where Kara Beth Borden and David Ludwig have been put into police custody. This manhunt has been under way since yesterday morning, when Kara's parents were found dead in their home, Michael and Cathryn Lee Borden. They were found shot dead in their home in the Warwick Township, which is about 60 miles west of Philadelphia. Happened around 8:00 a.m. yesterday morning.

And these two have been on the run since then. It's really not known the extent of the relationship between David Ludwig and Kara Beth Borden. But we have been told by officials that they were dating, there was a relationship between the two. The extent of that we don't know, except for the fact that it was told to us by officials that Ludwig took Kara Beth after the shooting, and they have been on the run since then.

Now, we understand that they were spotted today at a truck stop. And we don't know where this location is where you see all these officers. We understand it's -- it's obviously in Indiana, because Indiana state police said they have both of them in custody. But there are so many questions.

As you look in the middle of your screen right there, there is a young lady sitting in the vehicle. It has not been confirmed, but by looking at this picture, it appears that that may be Kara Beth Borden, the 14-year-old whose parents were shot yesterday. And David Ludwig is another gentleman that, if you look at a wider shot, which we saw earlier, is believed to be in another vehicle in the area.

We don't know how they were captured or exactly what they were doing or exactly where they were. But they were spotted at a truck stop earlier this morning, where a Subway shop worker did -- I'm told right now we need to go to CNN's Allan Chernoff for some more details about what we know and the circumstances surrounding this capture. Allan, have you learned anything new?

CHERNOFF: Well, beyond the fact that we know both are in custody now. Most of the detail we have actually concerns the events of yesterday. The account apparently from the sister of Kara, Katelyn, who witnessed her father being shot dead by Mr. Ludwig and then hid in the bathroom while her mother was shot. One bullet to the head of each person, according to Katelyn. This account given to the police. Right afterwards, Mr. Ludwig fled with Kara. He called for her. And they fled in the Volkswagen Jetta, which apparently was the vehicle that was located by the officers.

The sister, the 16-year-old sister and the 9-year-old brother of Kara, fled to neighbors' and a call (ph) went out to the police. Police later in the day stormed the house, but all they found were the bodies of the parents. And since then, of course, the manhunt has been under way and now, just moments ago, we learned that Mr. Ludwig and Kara Borden are in police custody.

NGUYEN: Allan, let me ask you this very quickly. Do we know the extent of their relationship? Because I know they're on -- on top of what we've been told by officials, they've also had some -- they've been exchanging emails and being on blog sites. Does that provide any clues as to the extent of the relationship?

CHERNOFF: Well, they've been reported to be boyfriend and girlfriend. And there are also some reports that they were both home- schooled and actually met through home-schooling. But beyond that, we don't know any great detail just yet about their relationship.

NGUYEN: Well, we're looking a picture right now, a live picture of a red vehicle. This could be that red Volkswagen Jetta, which is believed to Ludwig's parents. We had been placing the license plate up all morning long. It looks like it's rammed into a tree. It's also got some damage on the other side of it. So we don't know if there was a chase, we don't know the circumstances surrounding the capture. But the latest word is that Kara Beth Borden is alive. She and David Ludwig, her accused kidnapper, are in custody.

We're going to continue our coverage. LIVE FROM is coming up next with all the details.

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