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NASA Scrubs Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis; Al Qaeda Releases Videotape of Osama bin Laden with 9/11 Hijackers; Fugitive Ralph 'Bucky' Phillips Sighted Near Pennsylvania Golf Course
Aired September 08, 2006 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: That's good in terms of the weather here at Kennedy Space Center because later in the day you get these Florida thunderstorms to go through. And today, actually the weather looked good. So, you know, they're hoping that's going to be the case tomorrow, depending on this ecosensor problem.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Daniel Sieberg for us. Daniel, a lot of information here. Thank you, appreciate it.
Well the news keeps coming on a Friday morning for you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Get ready to spend the second hour in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins everybody.
HARRIS: And good morning I'm Tony Harris. Space shuttle "Atlantis" launch this hour, you just heard it, scrubbed just minutes ago. Another gauge goes on the fritz.
Osama bin Laden out of sight but in plain view. Just in time for the 9/11 anniversary and a different kind of 9/11 tape draws powerful complaints. A TV network may tweak its upcoming movie about the attacks.
COLLINS: An al Qaeda videotape filling TV screens just before the 9/11 anniversary. Haunting images of Osama bin Laden and the men who would carry out his day of terror. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson reports from Islamabad, Pakistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Osama bin Laden five years ago in a meeting planning the September 11th attacks, according to Al Jazeera. Once again, al Qaeda's network of choice for what appears to be an anniversary video release. For the first time we see bin Laden with 9/11 organizer and would be 20th hijacker Ramzi Binalsheibh. Mohammad Atta, bin Laden's military chief is also present for the meeting in what looks like eastern Afghanistan. Bin Laden asked for prayers for the men who will carry out the attack.
OSAMA BIN LADEN: And I strongly advise you to increase your prayers for them and beseech Allah the exalted in your prayer to grant them success, make firm their foothold and strengthen their hearts.
ROBERTSON: Also, messages recorded by two 9/11 hijackers Wail Al Shihri who helped crash American Airlines flight 11 into the north tower of the World Trade Center calls on Muslims to join al Qaeda's fight. Hamsi Al Gamdi one of the hijackers aboard United Airlines 175 that hit the south tower of the World Trade Center also appears. Al Qaeda has already released two such messages from other 9/11 hijackers. They're believed to have even more hidden somewhere. And it's their library of training material they seem to have plundered for the bulk of the rest of the release. Most of it new to air, but again the content old. Al Qaeda doing this type of training has been seen before. The video also reveals the partial decimation of bin Laden's inner circle over the past five years. Of the handful of recognizable leaders, Ramzi Binalsheibh was arrested in Kurachi, Pakistan a year after 9/11.
Indeed, President Bush announced only Wednesday Binalsheibh along with 13 top al Qaeda members was transferred from secret CIA detention to U.S. military custody in Guantanamo Bay. Mohammad Atta, al Qaeda military chief was killed in U.S. bombing in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks. The hijackers also obviously dead. Putting out old material it seems has its disadvantages, providing a yard stick of losses.
(on camera): The latest release suggests bin Laden wants to remind the world of his message and his danger. But it also raises serious questions about bin Laden. He hasn't been seen on camera in almost two years. His last video message was released in October 2004, just before the U.S. presidential elections. Since then, it's been audio releases only. If this anniversary is so important to him, why hasn't he appeared on camera? Nic Robertson, CNN, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Osama bin Laden's hatred for America was not something he inherited. In fact, his father had many close ties to the U.S. Mohammad bin Laden even built friendships here. Those friendships are clearly visible in photos never seen publicly until now. CNN's John Roberts has this exclusive look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The face of terror. Five years after 9/11 Osama bin Laden, still alive, still elusive, continues to haunt Americans. And continues to inspire many others to hate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What you have witnessed now is only the beginning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now is the time to decide where you want to spend eternity. In gardens of paradise or in the pits of hell?
ROBERTS: But bin Laden wasn't born a fanatic and he didn't always hate the west. In fact, he was the adoring son of this man, Mohammad bin Laden, a multimillionaire with surprising ties to the United States. Mohammad bin Laden rose from a menial laborer to head one of the largest and most successful construction companies in the Middle East. Those who know Osama say his father was his hero and model.
JAMAL KHALIFA, OSAMA BIN LADEN'S BROTHER-IN-LAW: Osama always talked about his father all the time. Osama really loves his father a lot and always he's trying to imitate him in his business and his work.
ROBERTS: The bin Laden name is everywhere in Saudi Arabia, thanks in no small part to Mohammad bin Laden's close connection to the Saudi royal family. But Osama's father also had close and lucrative ties to America and the west.
BRIAN FYFIELD-SHAYLER, OSAMA BIN LADEN'S ENGLISH TEACHER: Mohammad bin Laden, of course worked very closely with a number of western contractors. He had western staff, American pilots.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My father loved flying. Flying was his life.
ROBERTS: Terri, she asked us not to reveal her last name, spent part of her childhood in Saudi Arabia. In the mid 1960's her father, Tom Heacock, was the personal pilot of Mohammad bin Laden. An unusual assignment in an exotic location, so her dad took along a camera.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've had these slides at least 40 years. They've been in a closet. I just never really thought about it until I came across the special on CNN that said the "Footsteps of Bin Laden" and I just went, hey, I might have some pictures.
ROBERTS: Pictures seen here on television for the first time of Osama bin Laden's father Mohammad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shaikh Mohammad bin Laden was very gracious, very nice to us. My father thoroughly enjoyed working for Mohammad bin Laden.
ROBERTS: Osama bin Laden may be America's deadliest enemy but years ago his father showered Terri and her parents with affection and gifts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He gave us a marble table with brass legs that had the insignia of Saudi Arabia and a chess set. He gave me some gold bracelets.
ROBERTS: Terri's father took this picture inside a tent set up at one of Mohammad bin Laden's construction sites. Decades later, fond memories of the bin Laden name are poisoned by the events of 9/11.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a shock, surprise, all these years and people have known family, friends that my father was his father's private pilot. And its like, who would have ever thought, you know, who would have ever known.
ROBERTS: As she sifts through the photos, Terri's thoughts turn back to her childhood in Saudi Arabia, to an extraordinary time viewed through her father's lens. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of the pictures with him and Shaikh Mohammed bin Laden are interesting. They were interesting 40 years ago and they still are. It's a little piece of history, I believe. Shaikh Mohammad bin Laden trusted my father very much. He respected him and vice versa with my father. It was a very good trusting relationship.
ROBERTS: A trusting relationship between an American and a bin Laden, who would die when Osama was only 10 years old and who would never see his son become America's public enemy number one.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: This weekend, know your enemy, have a look at the man who brought terror to America. Watch "In the Footsteps of Bin Laden" a CNN PRESENTS investigation seen by more than 10 million Americans. Encore presentation Saturday and Sunday night 7:00 eastern.
"Atlantis", just into CNN, is a no-go. NASA announced just minutes ago it was postponing the shuttle launch.
COLLINS: They always like to have these wonderful launches on our air when they happen, but you know, I want to repeat, it is important to be safe obviously and sure. So we want to get to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Daniel Sieberg standing by and also Miles O'Brien. Miles?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello Heidi. Yeah, the scrub was really not much of a surprise once we heard about these fuel gauges, these engine cut-off sensors giving problems. This is kind of an echo from a little more than a year ago, July of 2005, the space shuttle "Discovery" in the returned to flight after the loss of "Columbia" had a similar set of problems. And NASA developed some fairly strict flight rules as to what would happen when these fuel gauges failed in a test, which is what happened early this morning. The gauges are at the bottom of the external fuel tank of the space shuttle "Atlantis." And they basically indicate one way or the other whether the liquid hydrogen is running out of the fuel tank. And what they did was in the course of the countdown as part of the test, they told the sensors, kind of fooled them into thinking that the tank was dry. Then they checked the sensors to see if they gave the right reading. Three of the sensors said yeah, the tank's dry.
This other sensor said no, the tank's wet. Well that could in theory, if we had multiple failures like that, and the computers check more than one sensor, but that could in theory lead to a scenario where the sensors tell the engines and the computer that there's fuel when there isn't. And that would mean that the engines could run dry. If they run dry you have a catastrophic failure. So that's why this is serious business, that's why NASA was taking a hard look at it and ultimately they're deciding to drain the tank, fill it back up again, try tomorrow. And interestingly, tomorrow, Heidi, if they try it and they have the exact same failure in the exact same sensor, everything identical, they're good to fly because they know that's an isolated problem in one sensor. They'll tell the computer to ignore that sensor and off they'll go. COLLINS: I wonder what that does, though, brings up the question I'm sure of the competence level of the astronauts. I mean they have a very keen sense of these types of instruments and they know what they can look at and what they need to depend on. But I don't know. I would raise the question for me for sure.
HARRIS: What do you think Miles?
O'BRIEN: Well, you know, we're talking about the most complicated machine ever devised. You have a million parts and it's also frankly, it's a system that is in its 25 plus years old. I'm not saying that it's necessarily creaky and old but it's an old system, an old design and it's complicated. And so any time you try to get off the launchpad, you are up against some technological hurdles that are really hard to comprehend when you think about it. It really is rocket science. And so going through this countdown, you know, frankly, it's amazing that things can ever get off the launchpad. They had discounted a previous problem with a fuel cell, which is a power generating device used on orbit, basically decided they were ok to fly with that. But each of these decisions are just basically considering the risk of losing that, considering how much redundancy they have, also considering the risks of draining the fuel out, doing all the things you've got to do to reload and retry again. All of that gets factored in and they have rules that they pretty much stick by.
HARRIS: And Miles, as we bring Daniel Sieberg into the discussion here, Daniel, just wondering, so what happens now? Clearly the astronauts have gotten word of this, so what happens with the rest of their day, when do they get to move out, get back in the van and get on with the rest of their day?
SIEBERG: Well the crew will eventually start to get out of the orbiter. They were strapped in when this news came out. They were pretty much ready to go, less than an hour away from the scheduled launch time. They will eventually get out of the orbiter, come back down off the launchpad. Go back to where they can get some rest, maybe get some food and eventually get some sleep before they have to get up extremely early tomorrow morning, sometime shortly after midnight, I believe. They have to get up really early to prepare for all of this. And you know interestingly, this crew has trained longer than any other shuttle crew in history. More than four years. So they are really ready to go in this case. You know we've been out here for a couple of weeks following all of these things that have happened that have sort of been delaying this and getting in the way. A lightning strike, tropical storm Ernesto, a fuel cell problem, now this problem with the eco sensors and of course the astronauts are having to deal with all of this as well. But you know, they're pretty used to waiting at this point. So it's just another time for them to think about it and move on tomorrow.
COLLINS: Daniel, I didn't know they had prepared longer than anybody else. Why is that?
SIEBERG: Well, the -- sorry, say that again Heidi, I couldn't quite catch the last part of your question? COLLINS: You had mentioned that this crew has prepared for much longer than any of the other shuttle crews. Why is that?
SIEBERG: Right, right. Well they had actually prepared to go up shortly after "Columbia" had happened. They were scheduled to go up back in 2003. They were training and preparing for that. "Columbia" happened and this mission got pushed sort of out of the cycle, out of the flow. The whole point of this mission is to go up to the International Space Station, restart the assembly of that, it's sort of the back to business mission for NASA. And so it just got moved out of order in a sense. And during that time they've been training and preparing like they had been all along.
COLLINS: All right. So not for a specific reason, just because they keep getting delayed. All right, well, they are delayed once again. We appreciate Miles O'Brien in New York and Daniel Sieberg, our man on the ground covering all this from Cape Canaveral for us today. We'll stay on it. 11:15 tomorrow morning.
HARRIS: That's right, we'll be here. That's for sure.
COLLINS: Well on to other topics now. Fact and fiction, members of the Clinton administration angry over that mix and mix-up, I should say, in the 9/11 miniseries. See the controversy ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And millions of us have them, but are dental fillings with mercury, safe? That seems like a debate we've been hearing about for years, right? Experts and the government aren't seeing eye to eye on the question. Details. We'll sort it all out in the NEWSROOM when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: In our daily dose today, a new look at an old dental debate. And I have been waiting for the answer to this question! A joint panel of medical experts has rejected an FDA report about the safety of fillings containing mercury. Remember there was a long discussion about this. That draft report declares the fillings, safe. While the experts say the fillings are safe for most people, they insist more research needs to be done on the effect of dental mercury on young children and pregnant women. The FDA has said patients with the fillings are exposed to mercury well below the level considered harmful.
Ok. To get your daily dose of health news online, you can go here to our website. You'll find the latest medical news, the health library and information on diet and fitness. That address, cnn.com/health.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Want to get this information to you now just as soon as it is coming into the CNN NEWSROOM here. Ralph "Buck" Phillips, there has been a sighting. These pictures coming to us from Carol, New York, our affiliate WGRZ. And here is the deal, the owner of a golf course, which is what you're looking at in western Pennsylvania, says police have told her that Ralph "Buck" Phillips is near the property and has fired several shots. This is the only information at this time that we have. Once again, a sighting of Ralph "Buck" Phillips and actually we are learning that there have possibly been some shots fired. We will be covering this story throughout the day as you might imagine. But this is a person who has now been written down on the FBI's most wanted list. Very recently as of today, and he is accused of shooting three state troopers, two of them in an ambush. A threat not just to law enforcement but, of course, anyone who might get in his way. We want to remind everyone as usual to be very, very careful if you are in that area. The second trooper died yesterday as a result of those injuries.
HARRIS: We'll continue to follow that story for you of course.
Still to come, the Taliban taking a page from Iraqi insurgents. Details on today's attack in Afghanistan. That's ahead on CNN.
COLLINS: Also, a brutal attack on a TV, see the story behind the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Maddis(ph) of XETV San Diego has been pursuing Assad San Sulimen for months. Following accusations by people Maddis interviewed that Sulimen was stealing identities to buy real estate.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: We'll have the story ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And Heidi, we continue to follow one of the largest manhunts ever in New York State, in history there. The search for Ralph "Buck" Phillips. He is a man being sought and has been sought since April when he escaped from a facility. Debra Feyerick is on the phone, she's in New York and she is following every development in this story. Debra, what's the latest here?
DEBRA FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, I'm now getting it from two federal sources, law enforcement sources that at about 2:00 this morning state and federal agents did locate Buck Phillips, he was driving a stolen vehicle. He was pursued and then he abandoned the car. At that point he ran into the woods. A federal agent followed him. What they did discover in that abandoned car was a backpack. In it, camouflage clothing, a U.S. marshal wanted poster as well as a hat and authorities believe it is the same hat that he was wearing in that wanted photo. Now, Buck Phillips ran into the woods, he then according to authorities, found another car, one they believe he may have planted in the woods. We are being told now that shots are being fired. They are in hot pursuit of him. He is very well skilled in terms of being in the woods. We are told that he has been able to throw off the scent dogs by going through streams and also throwing down pepper. But right now this is an active pursuit, they have identified him. They say that he is clean shaven and right now they are just trying to get him.
HARRIS: And Debra, just to sort of continue to tell the story of Buck Phillips. This is a man who knows this area very well, making this pursuit difficult because he knows the area as well as the people who are, if not better, than the people who are pursuing him.
FEYERICK: Absolutely. It is second nature to him, these woods, the entire area. But right now it does look because of all the different agencies that are involved in this pursuit, including U.S. marshals, including New York State troopers, that in fact -- and also ATF and FBI, it does look like they are getting close to him. But again, shots have been fired so we're just trying to discover exactly what is going on in that area right now.
HARRIS: And Debra, this is significant, the shots being fired, because the authorities believe they are pursuing a man who is heavily armed. Did I read somewhere that he may have in his possession as many as 40 firearms?
FEYERICK: I spoke to somebody close to the investigation a couple of days ago. He did rob a gun store and there were 40 guns taken from that store. I was told at that time that they were able to recover at least 30 of the guns but he still is in possession of other firearms and, according to one source, the firearms that he does have in his possession have been traced back to bullets that were fired at those New York State troopers.
HARRIS: Gotcha.
COLLINS: So 30 of the 40 recovered, obviously 10 not known. Frightening to think about. Warren County, Pennsylvania, is what we're looking at now live in Carol, New York. This golf course, I'm not sure how much time you've had to check your sources on all of this. But we are hearing that there are 10 people locked in a clubhouse there. Want to find out about them in just a minute. First, though Deb, I want to bring in some sound from a witness who said that they heard some of these shots being fired. Let's take a listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was just down on my porch and the helicopters were flying around here. So all of a sudden I heard four shots right across up over the hill, in front of my house. Right in a row, four right in a row. And then -- then all -- then the helicopters have been flying around that spot ever since, for about 45 minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you been keeping your doors locked?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not worried? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I've been kind of watching in front of the house in case he or whoever it is comes out of the woods, you know, over here, I've been kind of keeping watch across the road.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Seems like a good time to remind everyone, this is a man on the FBI's 10 most wanted list. Might be a very good idea to stay safe, lock those doors if you are in that area. Once again, we are talking about Ralph "Buck" Phillips.
We have Deb Feyerick on the line.
Deb, I mentioned, if you're looking a the bottom of the screen, of if the viewers are, that this information came in from a golf course owner, that she had seen this individual, then there was reports of the shots fired, and then 10 people being locked in the golf course clubhouse, which is closed down obviously.
What do you know, if anything, at this point, Deb, about that situation?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know anything about the golf course. What I do know of is, in fact, because there are so many agents who are working on this they are really trying to choke this guy off, they are trying to prevent any sort of way out for him. So whether he's running in particular locations that he's familiar with, whether he's got other things planned. For example, the sources telling me that they think that he actually placed a four-wheeler in the woods so that he could use that as a secondary escape vehicle. Very unclear right now. Also it's unclear who's helping him, who may be helping him. So whether he's got a plan, he definitely knows that area.
Also those helicopters, I'm being told by sources, that when those helicopters get near him, and there's really a sense that he's able to sort of duck down under the underbrush to avoid any sort of protection.
HARRIS: And, Deb, Heidi mentioned just a moment ago that this is man who has been added to the FBI's 10 most wanted list. Let's remind everyone of the crimes that Ralph "Buck" Phillips stands accused of.
FEYERICK: Well, right now, his initial crime was simply escaping and eluding prosecution. And so right now he's got into the woods and then he killed a trooper, he's wounded two other troopers, and so now he's now wanted for murder and attempted murder. It's also the U.S. marshal's list that he's on in terms of (INAUDIBLE). So he's on a lot of wanted lists, and that's why there's such an effort to get this guy.
New York State troopers very intent, because obviously they've lost one of their own. So this is personal now.
HARRIS: And that -- you're right, one of their own, 32-year-old Joseph Longobardo, is that correct? FEYERICK: Correct.
HARRIS: And there was a sense -- I don't know what you're reporting has indicated to you on this. This is a sense that we've been getting, that this is a man who has been getting some kind of assistance from that community.
FEYERICK: Well, that's exactly right. That's what we are hearing. As a matter of fact, the person I talked to a couple days ago said that the guns were found in possession of someone very well known, very well known to Buck Phillips. So that guy right now also under questioning. But again, he is getting help. He grew up, he knows those woods, he knows that area, so that's also making it very challenging. But the good thing for law enforcement at this particular point is the fact that they at least are close. So now they've just got to go get him. The fact that shots were fired, it's unclear who is doing the shooting, whether it's law enforcement or whether he's shooting back, or whether he started shooting first, whether the law enforcement is returning fire. All that very unclear because of the area that he is at is very remote.
COLLINS: All right, Deb Feyerick, thanks so much for that report. We know that you are likely headed to the area to get more information on this. Just a reminder that authorities there in Carroll, New York are saying that they have located Ralph "Buck" Phillips, a man on the FBI's 10 most wanted list, and they are closing in. We will continue obviously to follow this story very, very closely, and bring you any information as it comes in to us.
HARRIS: OK, and we're also getting word that there will be a briefing from officials at NASA coming shortly. And when that happens, we will of course bring that to you live.
As you know, the shuttle launch scheduled for today, 11:40, 11:41 today was the original schedule. That's scrubbed because of a problem with this engine cut-off sensor. They will try again tomorrow. As you can see there at the bottom of the screen, the launch scheduled, rescheduled for 11:15 a.m., getting word that a briefing from NASA is coming shortly, and we'll bring that to you live, of course.
COLLINS: Also getting a little bit of word that superintendent of the New York police Wayne Bennett expected to speak to the media as well back on this other topic of Ralph "Buck" Phillips. So we will wait for that.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
HARRIS: So we continue to follow the developing events out of New York State as the manhunt, one of the largest ever, in New York State history, continues for Ralph "Buck" Phillips. A sighting today of Ralph "Buck" Phillips at the golf course, western Pennsylvania. We understand cthat shots were fired. We are continuing to get additional information on this story. We are expected an update, a bit of a briefing coming up shortly from officials in New York State, in Pennsylvania. When that happens we will bring that information to you live. We'll be right back. here in the "NEWSROOM" here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And Heidi, we've got some new pictures just into CNN of the search that's going on right now -- this is Carroll, New York -- for Ralph "Buck" Phillips, a fugitive on the run. And as you can see, there is action happening right now, because there is a report of a sighting of this man at the golf course in Pennsylvania. And, of course, of shots being fired. So as you can see, there is a huge law enforcement presence right now, trying to track down Ralph "Buck" Phillips.
Our law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks is on the line with us right now.
And, Mike, take a look at these pictures and give us a sense of what you see and if these pictures seem to indicate to you that they have a bit of a perimeter or are establishing something of a perimeter around Ralph "Buck" Phillips.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: That's what you're seeing, Tony, is a perimeter established as the members of the New York state police tactical teams, along other law enforcement agencies there in New York. They are not going to take any chances at all with Buck Phillips. He's -- as we know, it's believed responsible for at least three police officers being shot, one New York state trooper killed, within the last number of months. And they -- he has a propensity towards violence, and he's not afraid to shoot at the police.
COLLINS: You know, Mike, it seems like when they get this close and, certainly with the particular circumstances of this case and this fugitive, accused of killing one of their own, what becomes the risk when they get this close? Emotions running really high. I mean, what are we looking at when we see these guys?
BROOKS: Well, Heidi, I can tell you, as a former member of a tactical team, been involved in shootings, in manhunts for police killers, I can tell you myself from personal experience, you know, you're a professional, you try to let your personal feelings stay out of it. You have a job to do and that's to arrest this person, bring this person to justice. I mean, you keep everything -- you don't make it personal.
They've got a job to do. New York state police and the police officers up there are extremely, extremely professional. And they want to bring this man to justice, bring him before the court because of everything he has done or is alleged to have done. And that's what they want to do right now. They want to bring him in alive and -- but, you know, it's going to be all up to Buck Phillips whether or not that happens.
COLLINS: And that being said, Mike, shots have been fired. So they know potentially exactly what they're dealing with at this time. BROOKS: Well, they know that he's very well-armed. They know he's heavily armed. He has a violent criminal past. And so they are not going to take any -- they're not going to take, you know, any chances whatsoever. That's why we saw in the recent pictures coming into us from Carroll, New York, of a number of armored personnel carriers there. We see all the officers in tactical gear. They're not going to take any chances at all for their safety.
HARRIS: Hey, Mike, I'm just curious about how this actually plays out tactically. First, do you believe they have a visual on Phillips? And if they don't, how do they then tactically decide how to apply the squeeze, to close in on the circle?
BROOKS: Well, it's believed that he's at a golf course, Tony. And you know, they're trying to evaluate right now whether or not he is in the clubhouse, whether or not there is any other people in there. And that will play a lot into the tactical planning. But what you see -- we just saw moments ago -- was a perimeter that's set up. They will go ahead, set that perimeter up, develop an emergency assault plan, you know, should things just go to hell in a handbasket if you will, and they have to go in and make an emergency assault.
But they will go ahead, take their time, and they'll go ahead and deploy negotiators, also, in attempts to try and talk him into surrendering. It's a very, very tenuous time, especially when they first get someone surrounded in a situation like this. You know, they call it the initial stabilization and control phase of a situation. And you try to get things down, back down, to a level that you can operate.
But again, emotions are probably running high on his part after the chase, in the officers who were chasing him. But again, you have to bring it to a level where you can attempt to negotiate with him, develop some kind of rapport, and bring this situation to a peaceful conclusion.
COLLINS: Yes, and Mike, you know, this is obviously a very experienced, experienced person who is -- knows his way around, eluding police. In fact, sources are telling our Deb Feyerick, who is covering this story, as well, that he has been positively I.D.ed, but he is clean shaven. He's gotten away from dogs that have been chasing him. He's apparently waded through streams, and has been throwing pepper in his tracks to kill the scent. Obviously, making it pretty tough, as quickly as this must be going down.
BROOKS: Well, you know, also, Heidi, they were talking -- we've heard interviews with family members and friends, you know, that they think the police are being too overzealous. But when you've got an alleged police killer who's been responsible for shooting three law enforcement officers, I don't think it's being overzealous at all. You know, they have a job to do and they're going to go ahead and bring him in. But it's almost -- he's almost become a folk hero, if you will, up in that area.
HARRIS: That's unfortunate, yes.
BROOKS: And I just don't see it.
HARRIS: Yes. That's our law enforcement analyst, Mike Brooks, on the line with us right now. Mike, thank you. And I know you'll continue to follow developments in this story. And you'll be joining Kyra Phillips in the NEWSROOM this afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. Mike, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
And now to something just in to the CNN NEWSROOM. Protecting the coalition in Afghanistan.
COLLINS: That's right. By securing the border with Pakistan. Pakistani troops are on the job. And now we want to give you an exclusive look into what's going into that effort.
CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): About half a mile, about half a kilometer in that direction, is the border with Afghanistan. We're at a Pakistani army frontier post. They have 28,000 soldiers in this area, north Waziristan.
The Pakistani government has been very keen to show us how they can patrol and secure this border so that Taliban can't get from Pakistan, move across the border into Afghanistan to strike the coalition troops. They've taken us on a helicopter tour of the border. They've shown us how mountainous it is. They've shown us there are many different border posts in the area.
This is typical of the border posts. It's quite an old building. They have a number of troops here who go out on nighttime patrols. The patrols here also go out during the day. On the hilltops, either side, they have observation posts. They have tracks, roads. They've built hundreds of miles of roads to help secure the border here in the past few years.
The Pakistani army has taken a number of casualties. Several hundred killed, in many cases by roadside bombs, in the past year, that have been planted by the Taliban and other insurgent elements in this particular area. But the government here says that the new deal is worked out where the tribes can work, can hold, that puts -- takes the army off some checkpoints, puts them in their bases, but allows the army to focus its strength along the border. And they say that's the most critical area.
They now have 97 of these border posts along the border, another 50 posts just behind those. The Pakistani military now say that Taliban cannot get across the border in vehicles. They say possibly, possibly, one or two may be able to get across on foot. But they feel that they have this border now very well secured, stopping large numbers of Taliban leaving Pakistan, going across the border into Afghanistan and striking at U.S. troops there.
Nic Robertson, CNN, on the Pakistan/Afghan border, north Waziristan. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And again this weekend, know your enemy. Get a look at the man who brought terror to America. Watch "In the Footsteps of bin Laden," a "CNN PRESENTS" investigation seen by more than ten million Americans. Encore presentation Saturday and Sunday night, 7:00 Eastern.
And we want to show you these quick pictures coming to us, Cape Canaveral. We see the space shuttle crew there. You'll see a few of them coming out of the orbiter. Because, in case you haven't heard, the shuttle launch has been scrubbed. Just too many details to -- not to overlook. A couple problems with fuel cells and ecosensors (ph), which determine how much fuel is in the tanks. They need to know that.
So they're going to call it quits for today, probably go to bed pretty soon, and get up very, very early, maybe even around midnight to try for that launch, which will be planned for 11:15 tomorrow morning Eastern time.
Going to get a briefing, hopefully, from NASA very shortly on that.
HARRIS: Hey, time to get a check on "YOUR WORLD TODAY," coming up at the top of the hour. There's Hala Gorani with a preview -- Hala.
COLLINS: Hi, Hala.
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Heidi and Tony.
Yes, indeed, at the top of the hour, we're going to take you to Afghanistan to Lebanon to China. We start in Afghanistan with the latest on that suicide attack in Kabul, near the U.S. embassy compound, that killed 13.
What you're seeing there are pictures of the Shebaa Farms border. We are going to take you there, as well. It's a tiny patch of land still being fought over. Disputed territory, a bone of contention, in the Middle East. It's technically Syrian, Israel occupies it, Lebanon is now claiming it. We'll take you there.
Also, both revered and reviled, Mao Zedong, it's the thirtieth anniversary of his death. We'll tell you why China is not officially commemorating the anniversary of the death of the man who founded it the People's Republic. That and more on "YOUR WORLD TODAY" at the top of the hour.
Join Jim Clancy and myself for that.
COLLINS: We will do that. All right, Hala, thank you so very much for that.
Coming up in just a little while, we're going to get a news conference out of New York. Not sure who will be speaking because this is state, federal and local authorities looking for Ralph "Buck" Phillips.
HARRIS: And also, we are standing by for a briefing from NASA. The shuttle launch scheduled for today, scrubbed, rescheduled for tomorrow 11:15 a.m. Eastern time.
When both of those briefings begin, we will of course bring both of them to you live. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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COLLINS: New video here of a developing story that we are working on here on CNN. New York pictures coming to us. You see all the law enforcement there, hot on the trail for Ralph "Buck" Phillips, accused of shooting three New York state troopers, one of them fatally. We are going to continue to follow this story. News conference coming soon from New York. We'll get that to you.
HARRIS: And no shuttle launch today. Scrubbed because of a problem with an engine cut-off sensor. The launch scheduled again for Atlantis 11:15 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow morning. Of course, we will bring that to you live with Betty Nguyen and her weekend team.
COLLINS: And for now, we're going to go straight over to Kyra Phillips, who is going to be following the rest of the story. Likely Ralph "Buck" Phillips coming up. Kyra, coming up at one.
PHILLIPS: Definitely going to follow that, but on a little bit of a lighter note, do you guys remember the story of the princess and the pea?
HARRIS: Absolutely not, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: I knew Heidi would say yes and Tony would say no. Tony, I'll tell you about it later.
But guess what, we've got a new twist to the tale. We found one about the princess and the pistol. It's captured on tape. Seventy- nine year-old Melvina Cook (ph) walked into a bank armed with a toy gun and a visor that read "Princess". What happened next, well, got her into a whole lot of trouble.
All right. On a much more serious note. As you know guys, Monday marks five years since the terrorist attacks in our country and even now there now there are still so many heroes from that day that we haven't even met. Well, later from the CNN NEWSROOM, we're going to meet former New York City cop Scott Strauss (ph) portrayed in the Oliver Stone movie "World Trade Center". Men and women trapped in the rubble are alive today thanks to his efforts.
All that and more coming up from the CNN NEWSROOM starting at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time.
HARRIS: Look at that picture. Kyra, Kyra. Thank you, Kyra, see you at one Eastern.
PHILLIPS: All right.
HARRIS: All right. Once again. A couple stories we're following throughout the day, obviously. First of all, one of the largest manhunts in New York state history.
Let's show you the pictures coming now live to us. This is Chautauqua county, that's in New York, upstate New York, very near Erie, if I'm correct on that. A lot of police activity going on right now as police continue to search, perhaps even closing in now on Ralph "Buck" Phillips, the man who shot two state troopers. Also shot and killed a third state trooper.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll come back with more. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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COLLINS: A quick update, this developing story about Ralph "Buck" Phillips, the FBI's ten most wanted list. Police closing in in New York. Accused of shooting three state troopers and killing one. We are on it for the rest of the day here.
HARRIS: And also, we're expecting a briefing any time now from NASA's officials talking about the scrubbing of the launch today. It is rescheduled for 11:!5 a.m. tomorrow morning.
COLLINS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is coming up next. Bye everybody, have a great day.
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