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American Morning

Terror Plot Aimed at Some Tunnels in Manhattan; Victim of Hate?; "Pirates of the Caribbean" Sequel Opens Today

Aired July 07, 2006 - 09:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Our top story remains this morning word of a terror plot aimed at some tunnels in Manhattan, connecting Manhattan to New Jersey and perhaps surrounding burroughs. One suspect apparently in custody in Beirut. And there's word that al Qaeda in Iraq might have been a source of funding for the operation. There's also word there might be a half dozen suspects on the loose.
Joining me now is counterterrorism expert and CNN security expert Pat D'Amuro, formerly with FBI here in New York.

Pat, you've been on the phone nonstop since we last spoke. What are you finding out?

PAT D'AMURO, CNN SECURITY EXPERT: Well, we know that there was a threat to the tunnels in Lower Manhattan.

O'BRIEN: Lower Manhattan.

A'MURO: Lower Manhattan.

O'BRIEN: That's a little -- "The Daily News" is saying the Holland Tunnel. Other reports are saying unspecified. So now we're narrowing it down to two tunnels essentially, the Holland Tunnel and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, right?

A'MURO: Right, and there's the port tunnel that -- there's no specificity as to which tunnel. This is investigation that was very early on. It was in the planning stages. There's no known explosive material to be out there. There are possibly seven other individuals involved, none of them believed to be in the United States right now, although some of them have been in the United States in the past.

O'BRIEN: OK. We talked to Congressman Peter King a little while ago. I don't know if you had a chance to hear that, but he said he's been briefed on this for several months now. This investigation has been going on for quite sometime. And it was his concern this was out right now, because it might have been early, and it might make it difficult for them to close the loop on the other suspects. What are you hearing from your sources?

A'MURO: Well, obviously this is premature for this information to get out there. I don't blame the media for reporting it. I blame the person who leaked it who was supposed to keep this quiet. The reason it was in the early stages, there are no charges within the United States that I'm aware of for these individuals. One person in custody. The internal security force in Lebanon, the information directorate, the exact group of individuals that conducted this joint investigation with the FBI have done a tremendous job. This was uncovered by FBI New York, the Joint Terrorism Task Force here. So they've done an outstanding job uncovering this plot, but again, in the early, early stages.

O'BRIEN: All right, now I don't want to put you on the spot about international treaties here. You say the Lebanese authorities have been very cooperative. Is it likely this suspect, or if they have additional arrest, will they end up on U.S. soil to face justice here?

A'MURO: Well, we don't know that. That's going to be very difficult if they are Lebanese citizens of course to bring them back to stand trial here. But my sources are telling me that this was a joint investigation with the FBI and the information directorate.

You've got to remember this is country that when Syria pulled out, probably took about $24 billion from this country, so they're struggling for their survival. Over 15 bombings in the last year and a half.

O'BRIEN: Yes, the broad outlines of what I read about this makes no sense to me. You can't even drive a truck through the Holland Tunnel right now. You need a tremendous amount of explosives to pop a hole in this thing. It's actually two tunnels. It's in the mud. It's got steel and reinforced concrete.

And the whole notion of flooding the financial district, which actually makes no sense, unless Newton's Laws have been reversed. So it makes it sound like it's kind of an amateurish thing on the face of it.

A'MURO: Not necessarily. When we talk about information that leaks out, I'm not sure the information the Bureau has talked about, the flooding after a bombing, but we know that the tunnels have been a threat in the past. They've been threatened in the past by the Blink Shaikh, by al Qaeda, and we know that they want to come back to attack those areas that they weren't unsuccessful before.

So I believe the threats to the tunnel. Yes, they would be very difficult to pull off because of the light of the security forces that are there now and aware that they may try to drive a truck full of explosives through there. So there's much more improved security at those points.

O'BRIEN: And we should point out, that improved security existed yesterday before this daily news piece came out. Any time you drive through those tunnels you become aware of that.

A'MURO: That's correct.

O'BRIEN: Pat D'Amuro, thanks for helping us shed some light on this story.

A'MURO: My pleasure.

O'BRIEN: Appreciate it, as always. Pat is our security analyst, formerly with the FBI.

And stay tuned to CNN day and night for most reliable news about your security.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And while we are dealing with this latest threat, London is dealing with its own tragedy, one year ago today.

Bells chiming for the victims of the suicide attacks, 52 killed, 700 injured. A moment of silence observed all across the country just a couple of hours ago. In Queen Mary's Garden, near one of the stations that was attacked, they're building a big purple flower to mark the anniversary. Later survivors and family members of the victims will fill in the middle of that flower during a private ceremony.

Now to our own country in Texas and a shocking crime. A Hispanic teenager practically beaten to death. Two white teenagers known for racist views are charged for the beating. Many people there are convinced it's a hate crime. They wonder why it happened in their town.

Soledad talked to the victim's parent, a story you'll only see on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Does he have any idea what happened to him?

MS. GALVAN, BEATING VICTIM'S MOTHER: None.

S. O'BRIEN: And when you walked in to see what you saw.

MR. GALVAN, BEATING VICTIM'S FATHER: It was a shock. Can't believe somebody can do somebody like that.

MRS. GALVAN: Because he was so big and swollen. I mean, it was -- he was like four times the size. It was like what -- how do you beat someone like this.

MR. GALVAN: It was unbelievable. It was just unbelievable.

S. O'BRIEN: Did you think when you saw him as bad as he was that he might not survive this?

MR. GALVAN, BEATING VICTIM'S FATHER: Well, they told us that, you know, he was in bad shape. That he didn't think that, you know, that he was going to make it the first three days.

S. O'BRIEN: They didn't think he'd survive?

MRS. GALVAN: No. We understood he didn't. They had to revive him the first night.

S. O'BRIEN: Walk me through. I'll tell you what I read. I read that he was burned with cigarettes.

MR. GALVAN: Cigarettes. He had cigarette burns on his arms, his legs. They tried to carve a swastika sign on his chest.

S. O'BRIEN: A swastika.

MR. GALVAN: Yes. He had a big old slice there.

MRS. GALVAN: He was kicked with we believe...

MR. GALVAN: Steel-toed boots.

S. O'BRIEN: And they took a pipe or a I guess an umbrella stand.

MR. GALVAN: It was an umbrella.

S. O'BRIEN: From like a table.

MR. GALVAN: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: And he was sodomized so badly that it damaged his internal organs.

MR. GALVAN: Yes. You could say that.

S. O'BRIEN: He's 17 years old, played football, popular kid from the kids we talked to.

MRS. GALVAN: Very popular.

MR. GALVAN: He was very popular.

S. O'BRIEN: Everybody liked him, got along with everybody.

MR. GALVAN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: What's his personality like now?

MRS. GALVAN: Well, it's hard to say at this point because he's not able to speak. He's not able to do very much.

S. O'BRIEN: What was it like the first day he regained consciousness, and the first time he looked at you and said he recognized you as mom and dad.

MR. GALVAN: Well, it felt good.

S. O'BRIEN: What did he do?

MR. GALVAN: Well, wasn't much he could do, because he was all -- had tubes all...

MRS. GALVAN: He winked his eye, and I said, do you remember us? Do you know who I am? And he kind of like, yes, I know you. And he blew a kiss. I remember that. He just puckered up his lips, and I said, yes, he's all right. He's going to be OK. S. O'BRIEN: What a relief.

MRS. GALVAN: Uh-huh.

S. O'BRIEN: Was that a turning point for you? I mean, did you feel like, oh my gosh?

MRS. GALVAN: Yes, I ended up walking out because I was crying so hard. I didn't want to scare him.

S. O'BRIEN: At some point you're going to have to tell him what happened.

MRS. GALVAN: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: Have you thought about how you're going to do that? Or is it too early.

MR. GALVAN: Well, we're going to tell him -- we're going to wait until he's able to speak if possible. If we can wait that long, you know.

S. O'BRIEN: Why?

MR. GALVAN: I'm sure he's going to have a lot of questions to ask.

S. O'BRIEN: Do you worry about your son's future?

MR. GALVAN: Sure. Oh yes, he's not going to be able to do what he wanted to do. He told me he wanted to drive his first day of school this year, well, his senior year which is coming up. He's not going to be able to do that.

S. O'BRIEN: He'll still be in the hospital, I bet.

MR. GALVAN: He'll still be in the hospital.

MRS. GALVAN: Yes, he'll still be in the hospital.

MR. GALVAN: He wanted to finish out his senior year playing football. He's not going to be able to do that.

S. O'BRIEN: It's amazing he survived.

MRS. GALVAN: Yes, it is. He's a fighter, though. He's Always been like that.

MR. GALVAN: Call him a miracle kid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The family has set up a trust fund to help offset the cost of their son's recovery. To contribute, you can visit any Bank of America and ask about the Galvan Family Trust.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, the men and women of the Space Shuttle Discovery. We'll take a closer look at how they made their mark this week and inspired all of us to keep reaching for the stars.

O'BRIEN: And also next, Hollywood piracy. A sneak peek at "The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNNY DEPP, ACTOR: But my first and only love is the sea.

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, ACTRESS: Meaning William Turner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: In this morning's "A.M. Pop," Captain Jack Sparrow is back to take another swipe at the British Navy. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" opens today, and it's set to make millions and millions and millions at the box office. But can it live up to its predecessor, "The Curse of the Black Pearl?" Its star Johnny Depp recently appeared on the cover of "Newsweek."

Joining us now, "Newsweek" arts and entertainment senior editor, Jeff Giles.

Wow, Johnny Depp on the cover of "Newsweek."

JEFF GILES, "NEWSWEEK" SENIOR EDITOR: He looked good, and we were glad to have him.

COSTELLO: He did look -- he always looks good, actually.

GILES: Yes, he looks nice.

COSTELLO: Even dressed up as a pirate. So you've seen the movie. So...

GILES: Well, the critics have been kind of tough on it. But I'll just say it's trying hard to be fun. And I didn't like it as much as the first one, but I just love seeing these characters again, particularly Depp as Jack Sparrow. Great character. Seeing Keira Knightley again, Orlando Bloom. I don't see how you can skip it if you liked the first one.

COSTELLO: Well, something you wrote about that was really interesting to me was, in the first movie, you were surprised by Johnny Depp's character and the way he played it. This time, there isn't that surprise attached to his character, so it doesn't -- it isn't quite as funny.

GILES: Right. Well, it's tough because you had no idea what he was going to do the first time and you'd never seen a pirate who looked a little drunk and a little gay and a little like Keith Richards. But the second time around, it's great to see him again. He's got a hilarious entrance in the movie -- into the movie, which I won't ruin for people. And they try everything they think of. I think one of the critics had been saying that they try so hard it goes a little bit over the top, which is true. But they're trying to give you your money's worth.

COSTELLO: Yes, and it costs a lot of money to go to the movies these days. Really, Johnny Depp is the main character in this sequel.

GILES: Absolutely. And the reason we put him on the cover is in this world of incredible celebrity and celebrity magazines, he's one of the only movie stars that nobody is sick of, that's made great choices, that's almost become a superstar by accident. Because he made the first "Pirates" because his kids like Disney movies, you know? So I think it's good to remember that talent counts for something when we obsess over movie stars.

COSTELLO: He made the decision to not become, like, a sex symbol. You know, like your stereotypical sex symbol.

GILES: I think he failed.

COSTELLO: Well, yes, he is a sex symbol, but he's a smart one.

GILES: Yes. And he made goofy choices. I mean, he plays all kinds of weird characters. He's almost never played a straightforward Brad Pitt leading man. Even Brad Pitt tries not to. But Depp really has made strange choices, and I think people love him for that.

COSTELLO: And he's just so very talented.

GILES: He's a great actor.

COSTELLO: I mean, he's just awesome.

GILES: Yes, and he's great to watch in this movie.

COSTELLO: You know, they're already working on like a part three. It's just like, is that too much? I know Keith Richards is supposed to be in the part, playing Johnny Depp's character's father.

GILES: He's playing his dad, right. Because I think Depp based the character a little bit on Keith Richards.

COSTELLO: A little bit?

GILES: Yes, yes. I think they shot this new one and part of the third one at the same time, like they shot "The Lord of the Rings" movies all at once, I think, just to save time and money. And they know that no matter what the critics say, this movie, you know, could easily break the "Spiderman" box office record this weekend. Even if it doesn't, it's going to make an enormous amount of money, as you said, and people are going to come up for the third one to see what happens.

COSTELLO: Well, see, I always wonder about a third one. Will that really ruin the franchise? I mean, will it ruin the movie? I always keep thinking back to the movie greats like "Gone with the Wind," if they would have made a part two and a part three and a part four.

GILES: Right.

COSTELLO: There's nothing left to wonder about.

GILES: Yes, it's true. You can always stop going. But I have a feeling people won't because, especially this summer, I think "Superman" is really good movie, but people haven't really warmed up to it. "Da Vinci Code" was kind of a letdown. There hasn't been a great, fun summer movie. And I think this is the closest I've seen to it.

COSTELLO: Jeff Giles from "Newsweek" magazine. Thanks for joining us.

GILES: Thanks for having me.

COSTELLO: I guess I have to rent the first one, because I haven't seen it.

GILES: Oh, you've got to.

COSTELLO: And then I'll go see this one. Thank you so much.

O'BRIEN: This just into CNN. We have independently confirmed a lot of what we have been telling you about, hanging it on the "Daily News" all this morning. This relates to our top story that the allegations of a plot to blow up a tunnel or tunnels in Manhattan -- according to sources we have here at CNN, Lebanese authorities, in coordination with U.S. law enforcement, have arrested a Lebanese al Qaeda operative who admitted plotting this the terror attack on New York City. His name is Amir Andalousli (ph). That's apparently a nom de plume, though -- nom de guerre, I should say. His real name is Asman Hahmoud (ph), a Beirut native.

And we had reports earlier from some of our sources that there may be additional suspects that are being sought. So we'll keep you posted on that. Once again, the plot to blow up tunnels in New York and an arrest in Beirut. Apparently, Lebanese authorities providing a lot of assistance to the FBI.

CNN "LIVE TODAY" is coming up next. Daryn Kagan, here with a preview. Hello, Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Miles.

And as we move into next hour, of course, "LIVE TODAY" will keep you up to date on the New York tunnel plot, this alleged plan to flood Manhattan's financial district like Katrina flooded New Orleans.

Also about an hour and ten minutes from now, we will look at a presidential news conference. The president live from Chicago today. We'll hear Mr. Bush this morning. Likely topics: North Korea and Iraq.

And what's the word? Would you rather be a himbo or a mouse potato? Why not Google and find out? The dictionary trying to stay hip with new words. I'll spell them out for you. Miles, I can tell you, you are no himbo, but a good chance you are a mouse potato.

O'BRIEN: Yes, but you might be a drama queen.

KAGAN: No, no. No!

O'BRIEN: No, you? What do you mean?

O'BRIEN: All right, thank you, Daryn.

Back with more in a moment.

COSTELLO: That was so good.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COSTELLO: Let's talk about this week's Making Their Marks segment, focuses on seven people who were part of July Fourth's biggest and impressive fireworks display. Being a shuttle astronaut takes nerves of steel, and with each flight we're constantly reminded that space travel is one amazing feat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Booster ignition and liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery returning...

COSTELLO (voice-over): Twenty-five year after the first shuttle launch, it's a sight that still inspires awe. And the men and women at the controls still inspire admiration and respect.

STEVEN LINDSEY, DISCOVERY COMMANDER: So it's probably the pushing the boundaries, the trying something that never been done before is probably what excited me, and flying is a big part of it.

COSTELLO: For mission Commander Steve Lindsay, pilot Mark Kelly, mission specialist Mike Fossom, Lisa Nowak, Stephanie Wilson, Piers Sellers and German Astronaut Thomas Reeder (ph) being part of this mission is a dream come true.

PIERS SELLERS, DISCOVERY MISSION SPECIALIST: We're in this process of stepping off the planets and going somewhere else. I find it personally very rewarding just to be a part of it.

COSTELLO: Still the crew understand the risks and the controversy surrounding the future of the shuttle program. The Columbia disaster is still fresh in everyone's mind.

LISA NOWAK, DISCOVERY MISSION SPECIALIST: I remember on that day sitting their with my son and we're both watching together everything that's happening, and he reached over and took my hand, and said, mom, I still want you to go.

COSTELLO: That seems to be the sentiment among the astronauts.

LINDSEY: I believe in the human space flight program. I believe what it'S achieved. Part of space is research and we try things, and maybe 999 of them fail, but the one thing that succeeds might be a new cancer medicine.

MARK KELLY, DISCOVERY PILOT: If we do have another accident in this program, it's not going to be due to the foam. Our goal is to fly these flights as safe as we possibly can.

COSTELLO: While some in America debate the merits of the program, those who know these astronauts react with nothing but pride.

TOM HALLIGAN, FRIEND OF MARK KELLY: Mark was the essential overachiever. You know, he set his goals, and he's always set the bar very high for himself.

COSTELLO: They also say that there's a greater lesson here, one for the next generation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you grow up, you can be whatever you want to be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: You can. You can reach for the stars.

And at 4:00 p.m. Eastern today, CNN's John King has a live interview with the Discovery crew in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

A quick break, and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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