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Blast Targets Military Recruitment Center in Times Square; Family of Autistic Child Wins Lawsuit Over Vaccines; Florida, Michigan Lawmakers Lobby to Seat Delegates at DNC Convention; Last World War I Veteran Honored; Shooter Opens Fire in Jerusalem Rabbinical Seminary

Aired March 06, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Childhood vaccines and autism. A link has been rumored, investigated, debated now for decades, and today, a court case that adds new fuel to the controversy.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And then there's the case of the overdue plane inspections. Whistle-blowers say jets that should have been inspected or grounded kept flying instead, and the FAA didn't stop them.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live at the CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta.

KEILAR: I'm Brianna Keilar, in today for Kyra Phillips.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Let's get you now to some video that we just got in from New York City. You can see there a blast on the right side of your screen. Or actually, pardon me, I think that was actually some lights from all those lights there in Times Square, but shortly you will see a blast on the right side of your screen. There you -- there it goes, the smoke.

So, early this morning there was a small explosion at the Times Square military recruitment center. Police releasing this first surveillance video. This is from a private security camera, according to the Associated Press.

And it showed, before that explosion, a cyclist who rode up to this recruiting station there in Times Square, and about three minutes later an explosion that you just saw occurred.

We're going to go now to Deb Feyerick. She is in New York. She has been following this story.

Deb, what can you tell us?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here's what we can tell you. Here's what police know, based on looking at a lot of surveillance video that was in the entire Times Square area. What they do is they see a man on a bicycle. He approaches at about 3:39 this morning, puts his bicycle up against that building, that military recruiting facility, and after a few minutes gets back on his bicycle and rides away. They believe then the blast occurs just moments later.

It was a loud blast. It woke people in nearby hotels. People said that they heard it as high as the 23rd and 44th floor. Nobody was injured in this particular blast. And truthfully, there wasn't even all that much damage. The front door of the military recruitment center, it was destroyed and there was a hole in the main window, but there was -- there were no injuries in all of this.

And, again, that's one of the things that police are looking at. If this is someone who really wanted to hurt people in that area, given it is such a busy, busy area, he certainly could have done that, or she could have done it -- they don't know whether it's a man or a woman -- could have planted that explosive device at a different time of day, even as commuters were making their way to work.

And just to describe, as you're looking at that video, just to describe where you are. That is in the middle of Times Square, the crossroads there. Millions of people every New Year's Eve gather to watch the ball drop. A lot of people have been in that area. The ABC studios are there. MTV is there. The Naked Cowboy is there. So, that's the area we're talking about. Even Toys "R" Us, that whole area just there.

There's no motive as to why this person did this, why he planted that explosive device. Police say that it came in sort of a military artillery container, the kind that you can pick up at any Army/Navy store. They are sending that box down to Quantico to test for the explosives to see whether, in fact, the device may be similar to devices that were used in an attack back in October against the Mexican consulate and one two years ago against the British consulate. So, they want to see if there is any connection there.

You can see, there's a lot of smoke. The blast was loud. But, again, no injuries and no significant damage. Still, the Pentagon is putting all of its military recruiting centers across the country on alert that this one was particularly targeted.

You can see the little arrow there, and that appears to be perhaps the person that they're looking for. That may be the man on the bicycle that they're referring to. That's why the arrow is there.

But, again, it was done middle of the night. The person was wearing a hooded shirt or sweatshirt or jacket. And one witness who had gone out to buy a newspaper said that he noticed this person because of the fact they were on the bike, and they were riding erratically.

So, again, all that being evaluated and investigated right now -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Yes, and even thought -- even though there were no injuries, we did hear from Police Commissioner Kelly that this explosion was enough to possibly have caused injury or even death, so obviously, they're treating this very serious.

And, Deb, thanks so much for your insight there. Deb Feyerick for us in New York.

LEMON: Approximately one in every 150 children in this country is diagnosed with autism, a frightening prospect for parents. Government health officials say they don't know what causes it, but parents, including those of Hannah Poling, blame a combination of childhood shots.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRY POLING, HANNAH'S MOTHER: I wanted to know why my -- my daughter, who had been completely normal until getting nine vaccines in one day, was suddenly no longer there. No longer verbal. No longer responding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the government's decided Hannah's family deserves some compensation here. Joining us now, our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.

You just got back from the family's news conference. So what did they say? We watched part of it, but it went on longer. What did they say in this news conference?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They laid out in great detail exactly what they say happened with Hannah. And these are the details.

They said, as you just heard from Mrs. Poling, that she was a perfectly healthy child, until about 19 months old. She talked. She played with her older brothers. She had lots and lots of different words, made animal noises, but then she got vaccines.

They said that when he was 19 months old she was given five vaccinations against nine different diseases all at one time, which is what you do in the pediatrician's office. She said almost immediately she got a fever. She was screaming. She was arching her back. She did not respond to her own mother. She was completely inconsolable.

And then they said that over the next six months she showed signs of autism. And she also had no growth. She wasn't getting taller. She wasn't getting heavier. And they said that it was very clear to them that, based on this experience, that Hannah wasn't born with autism; she developed it.

And this lawsuit in the so-called vaccine court did find that vaccines, quote, "significantly aggravated" an underlying condition that Hannah already had. This is very important. An underlying condition. She had a mitochondrial disorder, which is a disorder within the cells that you wouldn't even necessarily know about until you tested for it.

The government is still standing their ground. And you see Hannah right there with her parents and some other folks. The government is still standing their ground. The Department of Health and Human Services have issued a statement saying vaccines do not cause autism, plain and simple.

LEMON: Underlying condition that you wouldn't know.

COHEN: Not necessarily.

LEMON: I know this hits home for you. You've got a daughter about the same age. You have two children. It sounds very scary here, and for parents who are listening like you, did they give any advice on how to possibly avoid the situation? Because obviously if they're filing a lawsuit, they've researching it a lot.

COHEN: I asked them. I said, "If you had another child, would you vaccinate that child?"

But I expected them to say, "Are you crazy? Of course, we wouldn't." That was not what they said. What they said was, "You know what? We would vaccinate another child. We might not give them every vaccination that they're supposed to get, but we would pick and choose and we would vaccinate them."

So I thought it was interesting. They're not rejecting vaccinations. They're just wondering if children need to get quite so many.

And it's really important to say here, the vaccines that Hannah got, they have thimerosol in them, which is a preservative.

LEMON: Right.

COHEN: Which a lot of people blame for autism. They're out of almost all vaccines right now. That's really an important point.

LEMON: Yes. And it's a very common preservative. It used to be in...

COHEN: All sorts of things.

LEMON: Contact lens solution and that kind of thing.

OK, so nearly 5,000 families are filing suit here. What does this mean, this case mean for those 5,000 families?

COHEN: It's unclear, but it doesn't necessarily mean a whole lot for those other families. And the reason is that Hannah is a little bit different. She has this mitochondrial disorder, so the court could say it wasn't just the vaccines. It was kind of the vaccines plus this cell-level disorder that she has.

Most of those other 5,000 families, that's not their situation. So it will be interesting to see what the court does with those other cases.

LEMON: Very interesting. And it's, I mean, of great concern to parents.

COHEN: Oh, sure. LEMON: Great concern, yes. OK. Thank you very much for that, Elizabeth.

And we want to tell you that CNN's Larry King will bring you an exclusive interview with the family of the injured child. Don't miss "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight. It's at 9:00 p.m., 6:00 Pacific.

And CNN is committed to bringing you special programming leading up to World Autism Day. That's on April 2. We'll report on the latest medical insights, treatments and intervention, and family services for those living with autism. Again, that's coming up April 2, right here on CNN.

KEILAR: They are still sorting out the Texas caucuses. Michigan and Florida are still trying to make their voices heard. One thing is for sure: the Democratic presidential race is far from over.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are turning their attention to Wyoming and Mississippi and making plans for the big prize of Pennsylvania. The presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, is back on the trail, preaching unity and girding for the showdown in November.

Two days after the so-called Texas two-step, the vote counting is under way again. Sixty-seven delegates are at stake in the post- primary caucuses, but final results are not expected until tomorrow, and that's at the very earliest.

Now, with 41 percent of the precincts counted, here's where things stand. Barack Obama has -- let's see, we have 56 percent for the Texas caucuses; 44 percent for Hillary Clinton. And as you probably know, Clinton, she won the Texas primary with 51 percent to Obama's 48 percent. So, of course, the primary and the caucus that we're talking about here.

Punished now for moving up their primaries, Florida and Michigan, don't count, at least for now, in the battle for Democratic delegates, but that could change. With concern about voters in both states being disenfranchised, there is a growing talk of a do-over. And lawmakers from both states are getting involved.

CNN's Kate Baldwin joins us now from Capitol Hill.

Hi, Kate.

KATE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Brianna.

Well, the meeting happened last night, but they're definitely still talking about it today. Now, the Democratic House members are trying -- from Michigan and Florida, of course, are trying to resolve this dispute with the Democratic National Committee on whether or not the states' delegates will be counted at the convention this -- this summer.

But new today, we're hearing from participants that the delegations -- delegations recognized that they have sufficiently different issues to address with the DNC, and so they will likely be pursuing solutions separately, not jointly, as originally thought.

Now, of course, the big question is, redo the primary or count the votes from the previous primary?

Now, I spoke with Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, just minutes ago, and he said that he sent a letter specifically to the chair of the DNC, Howard Dean, to say either take the votes from Florida or pay for another election. Listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: You just simply cannot stiff-arm two major states, one of whom did everything by the letter, and it was a Republican legislature and a Republican governor that moved the date forward, not the Florida Democrats. And so we've got to find a solution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, earlier today, Howard Dean simply said that funding another election simply isn't an option because they went in knowing the rules, and there are consequences. Listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIR: We've got to focus our resources on winning, and Frankly on John McCain, who yesterday promised to do -- give us another four more years of George Bush in Iraq and the economy and so forth.

So, our job now is to elect a president of the United States, and we're not going to have the resources to run a primary in Michigan or Florida. So, we hope they can comply with the rules, but they're going to have to figure out how to pay for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, Senator Nelson did add, when I spoke with him, that if they don't find a solution, they don't come up with some solution with the DNC, then the party is, in his words, headed for a train wreck at the convention -- Brianna.

KEILAR: This is a sticky situation, indeed. Kate Baldwin for us there on Capitol Hill.

And all the latest campaign news available right at your fingertips. Just go to CNNpolitics.com. Let me repeat that: CNNpolitics.com. Plus, analysis from the best political team on television. That and more at CNNpolitics.com.

LEMON: Well, he's the toast of the nation's capital. The last- known surviving American veteran from World War I gets a hero's welcome in Washington. We'll tell you more about 107-year-old Frank Buckles.

KEILAR: In Alabama, shock and sadness at Auburn University after the death of a freshman. We'll have the latest on this case that police are investigating as a murder.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, this just in to the CNN NEWSROOM, looking at the wires here, some breaking news happening in Jerusalem. And this is according to the Associated Press.

Two terrorists, we're told, infiltrated a rabbinical seminary at the entrance of Jerusalem and opened fire after nightfall on Thursday there. That's according to police. But also Israeli media reporting at least four people have been killed. Israeli media saying four people have been killed.

And, again, according to the Associated Press, two terrorists have infiltrated a rabbinical seminary at the entrance of Jerusalem and opened fire after nightfall. That's according to police there. Ambulances, of course, raced to the scene from around the city.

We're going to have more details just as soon as we get it. But again, according to Israeli media, at least four people have been killed in this. We'll work on getting an update for you.

KEILAR: It is 16 after the hour, and here are three of the other stories that we are working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Investigators say Southwest Airlines flew thousands of passengers on planes that should have been grounded for safety reasons. Congressional documents obtained by CNN show 117 planes were flown in violation of mandatory safety checks.

And government health officials say childhood vaccines made a Georgia's girl underlying disorder worse and ultimately led to symptoms similar to autism. They're conceding the girl's family is entitled to compensation.

A government lawyer insists that the case does not amount to a concession that vaccines cause autism.

And Green Bay Packers star Brett Favre making it official. He says he is done with football. It's been a great career, he said, but it's over. And he was rather tearful. A kind of touching farewell.

LEMON: It was a very emotional press conference.

KEILAR: Kind of made me get a little...

LEMON: Verklempt (ph).

KEILAR: Yes, verklempt. Exactly.

LEMON: Yes. He has had a very storied career, a long career. And it's tough for a lot of people to see him go.

KEILAR: Yes.

LEMON: All right. Well, they called it the war to end all wars. We called it World War I. Thousands of Americans fought and died; thousands more came home. Now, there's a single known survivor.

And CNN's Jamie McIntyre joins us live from the Pentagon to tell us about the events honoring Corporal Frank Buckles, 107 years old.

We saw him just a few minutes here, Jamie, in the CNN NEWSROOM. And what a beautiful portrait, too.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It was a very moving ceremony here at the Pentagon as the Pentagon took possession of, actually, a series of nine photographic portraits of the last of the last, the survivors of World War I taken by photographer David DeJonge over the last decade or so.

And on hand, as you said, was one of the last known survivors, perhaps the last. I believe there might be one other, as well, still holding on to life at this point in their life.

But Frank Buckles was on hand to -- for the unveiling of his portrait. He is 107 now. He lives in West Virginia. He lied about his age and joined the military at age 16 and went on a troop ship and served in World War I as an ambulance driver.

Interestingly enough, he was a civilian during World War II and, in the Philippines when Pearl Harbor was bombed, he was captured and held prisoner of war and ate all of his meals out of a single tin cup for months. And he still has that cup.

Today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in accepting these photographs and honoring the memory of World War I veterans, said that that war is slipping into history and that a lot of Americans don't remember how important and momentous it was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SECRETARY ROBERT GATES, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE: The conflicts scarred the soul of Europe and consumed the flower of her youth.

Consider what the war meant for America. And for those who fought. Nearly five million young Americans donned a military uniform, and about half of them sailed across the Atlantic before the guns fell silent. During 18 months of fighting we suffered more deaths, over 116,000, than in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan combined.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Corporal Frank Buckles did meet with President Bush today, as part of the ceremonies honoring this commemoration.

But, again, everyone, including the photographer who took these pictures, said it was about remembering all of the almost five million Americans who suited up for that war back at World War I. And -- and the photographer, David DeJonge, said that he believes the war is slipping out of the history books.

You know, Don, maybe people don't remember, but altogether in World War I, over nine million soldiers died, and over 21 million were wounded. And I just point that out as we're about to approach the point in Iraq where some 4,000 U.S. Americans -- Americans will have died in that war. So, just look at the scale of what happened in World War I.

LEMON: Yes. And we're coming upon an anniversary, too, in Iraq, but it's always important to remember the people who fought for us, no matter which war it is. And it was an honor just even watching that ceremony today.

Jamie McIntyre, senior Pentagon correspondent, thank you.

KEILAR: We want to show you some new pictures coming in from the Middle East. According to the Associated Press, in Jerusalem, two terrorists infiltrated a rabbinical seminary at the entrance of Jerusalem. They opened fire after nightfall. This is according to police. And the infiltrators and two other people were killed, say police.

LEMON: That's the new video.

KEILAR: Associated Press -- Associated Press now reporting that at least seven people died in this event, this confrontation. Ambulances, you can see there on the scene, they raced around -- they raced from all around the city.

And this is, again, a rabbinical, outside of a rabbinical seminary, where according to the Associated Press, two terrorists were able to get inside. This is at the entrance of Jerusalem. And the AP reporting that those terrorists opened fire. This was after nightfall, in Jerusalem.

And, again, the latest number, according to the Associated Press, at least seven killed in this attack on a Jewish seminary. We're going to keep following this story. We're going to bring you any new video as it comes in here to the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: And CNN has confirmed in all of this, we know at least one shooter opened fire. And as you look at this horrific video, we've seen so many -- so much conflict in this region. But as you look at this video, we do know, as Brianna said, a number of people have been killed in all of this. And the numbers keep changing, obviously, until they get to the bottom of exactly how many people.

But we're saying at least seven people killed and that some reports are saying at least eight people killed. But what we know, according to the Associated Press, at least seven people killed in this attack on a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem.

And, again, CNN has confirmed that one shooter apparently opened fire. And this is new video. When we first told you about this story just a couple minutes ago, it had just unfolded, it just happened, and there was no video in. So, this is the latest developments and the latest video that's coming into the NEWSROOM.

KEILAR: And we also want to tell you that CNN's Atika Shubert on currently on her way to the scene. We're going to be hearing from her shortly. She's going to give us the latest information there on the ground.

But Jerusalem police saying that one of the two infiltrators had an explosive belt on his body. The spokesman for the Jerusalem police, according to the Associated Press, said that one or two -- one or two terrorists infiltrated the seminary, opened fire in all directions. And, again, the latest numbers coming from the Associated Press, at least seven people killed in this attack on a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem.

LEMON: We'll continue to follow. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, breaking news into the CNN NEWSROOM, the pictures that you're looking at are new into CNN, and they are coming out of Jerusalem. Israeli media calling this a terrorist attack on the Yeshiva School in Jerusalem.

Also, the Associated Press is reporting at least seven people have been killed in all of this. And also that it was one shooter who came in and opened fire.

Now, here's what -- the latest from the Associated Press and also from Israeli media. They're saying two terrorists infiltrated a rabbinical seminary at the entrance of Jerusalem and opened fire just after nightfall on Thursday, and they said that they were getting this from police.

The infiltrators and two other people were killed in all of this. And we're hearing from the Associated Press that at least seven people, they're saying, have been killed. Ambulances, of course, raced to the city and to the scene around this.

We're also being told that one of two terrorists was wearing possibly a belt, an explosives belt. That's according to witnesses. And, of course, now the students are being evacuated. People are being taken to hospital, the injured, and we're working on getting information.

Our international desk on top of this, of course, all of our resources there in the area working on this. And we'll get you new information just as soon as we get it.

KEILAR: Police in Alabama want to know who killed an Auburn University freshman, and who torched her car and whether the same person did both.

Our Rusty Dornin is keeping track of this. I mean, I have to say, this really, it's a very puzzling case.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's very disturbing when you hear the details of this, too, as well.

On Tuesday night, apparently, a call came in to police that a young woman was injured on the highway. When police arrived, they found 18-year-old Lauren Burk wandering on a highway with a gunshot wound. Twenty minutes later after that call, they found her car had been set on campus at Auburn University. The young girl later died at the hospital.

University officials are saying there is some increased police presence, but they are saying there are no indications there's any additional danger to the campus or to students. Of course, meantime, her friends are shocked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was just one of those girls, you liked her almost instantly. Her smile alone made -- made the day better. For anyone to hate her, I can't imagine that. No one in their right mind would ever hate Lauren.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Her friends and sorority sisters did gather to mourn and organizing a prayer vigil. There will be a memorial service. She's actually from Georgia. She was only a freshman. So there will be a memorial service on Saturday afternoon.

The school is planning to have something on Monday. And the governor of Alabama, Governor Bob Riley, has offered a $10,000 reward in this case.

KEILAR: And coming up here in just a couple minutes we're expected -- a press conference on this. But you had mentioned before in break that there's a 911 call.

DORNIN: Well, the 911 call came in, when -- an alert saying there was a young girl on the highway. But they've been very tightlipped so far with any details. What, of course, people are going to want to know is, was that person on the 911, is that person a suspect?

KEILAR: Certainly hoping to get some answers. Again, that press conference about to start here in just a couple minutes. We will bring it to you here in the CNN NEWSROOM when we have it.

Rusty Dornin, thanks for sorting all of this out for us.

LEMON: All right, we're also following a developing story coming out of Jerusalem. I'm just checking the wires here. The latest from the wires, saying that, according to the Associated Press, at least seven people have been killed. Two gunmen, they said, infiltrated a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem and opened fire. The latest information says in a dining hall on Thursday night.

Israeli media said about 35 people were wounded, and a spokesman said one of the infiltrators was wearing an explosives belt. And now you're looking at live pictures, coming from the scene.

And shortly to be near that scene at our bureau there is Atika Shubert. She's on her way.

Atika, what new information can you give us?

VOICE OF ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the details that are still sketchy coming in. There's a lot of conflicting reports. What we know for sure from the police spokesman is that there was at least one shooter. He was killed at the scene. He opened fire. A number of people were injured. We don't know exactly how many.

Witnesses there are saying that a number of people had been killed. But, again, we do not know the exact numbers at this point. There are also reports, as you mentioned, that there was another shooter wearing an explosives belt. We're still trying to confirm that information.

But as you can imagine, it's been chaos at the scene. Ambulances are there. People are very panicked. There hasn't been an attack like this here in Jerusalem for quite a few years, Don.

LEMON: Yes. Now tell us about -- apparently this is the Yeshiva school. Atika, are you familiar with this school in this area?

SHUBERT: I'm not familiar with that particular area. There are a number of religious Yeshiva schools around here. They are very popular, both with local Israelis and with a lot of Jewish youth that come in from overseas. But, again, there hasn't been an attack like this for some time. So, this is going to be a shock for many Israelis here in Jerusalem.

LEMON: And -- Atika, stand by real quickly, because I want to -- anyone who may be watching or what have you or has any information about this, please send it to CNN.com. Go to our I-Report logo there, click on that and you can send a video and any information that you might have and also photographs.

So, Atika, getting back to you -- this hasn't happened in a number of years in Jerusalem. And it was thought, possibly, that at least the violence of this level may have in some way been under control, or at least a thing of the past.

SHUBERT: That's what many people had hoped. Of course, Jerusalem has been the target of a number of suicide bombings in the past, particularly in cafes, restaurants and buses. But this is the first time a shooting of this magnitude has happened here for some time, especially in a Yeshiva, in a school like this where students would have been taking religious study. So this is going to be really a shocking event for many people here.

LEMON: You -- not in a Yeshiva. There -- people go into restaurants and go into public areas, but usually places where children, are and into schools and to holy places, they usually try not -- not to do things like this.

As we look at this video that's coming in, this new video, and some of it live, we also have been having some live pictures here, Atika. Talk to us about the number of injured and what you're hearing again.

SHUBERT: Well we know that there were a number of people injured. We don't know exactly how many. People on the scene said that a number of people were also killed, but we don't know the exact numbers there. Police are still trying -- this is really a very new event. So they are still trying to get a grip on exactly the numbers.

And there are reports that there was more than one shooter. One shooter was killed. We don't know at this point what happened to the other shooter. So, this is still a very fluid situation that's happening.

LEMON: And, Atika, talk to us, because I know that you have experience in this region and also in these matters, covering them. What usually happens after this? Where do we go from here? Obviously, the investigation, but when it comes to figuring out who would do this, why would they target a Yeshiva? Talk to us about what happens next.

SHUBERT: Well the first thing that is going to happen is -- there are first responders there. The ambulances are there. Unfortunately, Israeli society has become very used to these kind of attacks. In the past there have been a number of bombing attacks and so, these sort of emergency personnel are very experienced, very well equipped to be on the scene and deal with those first, immediate juries and wounded.

What is then going to happen is the police will immediately start the investigation into this to find out who the attackers were, where they came from. This is likely already happening now, we just don't have the details exactly who they suspect may have done this.

LEMON: OK. Atika Shubert on her way to the bureau there in Jerusalem and also working on getting us new information.

Atika, I'm going to let you go so you can investigate and get some new information for us and then we're going to try to call you back on the phone, or either get you up live with a camera to give us the latest information that you have.

Meantime, we're following developing news happening in Jerusalem here. According to the "Associated Press," at least seven people killed in violence -- what the Israeli press is calling a terrorist act. We'll get more information. We'll update you on the other side of a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, new pictures just in to the CNN NEWSROOM. Violence in Jerusalem. Yeshiva a school -- Yeshiva school in Jerusalem attacked there. CNN has confirmed that one person opened fire. And then also, according to the "Associated Press," another person may have been wearing some sort of explosive belt.

The "Associated Press" reporting at least seven people killed and more have been injured in all of this. Our Atika Shubert has been speaking to us by phone, and she is -- was on her way there to the scene, and also to the bureau, to try to figure out exactly what's going on and to give us a sense of what's happening there.

But, again, this happened in the evening, Thursday evening, in Jerusalem, where they said two terrorists infiltrated a rabbinical seminary there at the entrance of Jerusalem and opened fire, we're told in a dining hall, injuring several people. The name of that school, the Yeshiva school, it's called, in Jerusalem.

Also, this new video, ambulances, of course, you can see are on the scene there. And pardon me as we're getting new information being told by producers in our ear. Just trying to figure out exactly what's going on. Of course, our international desk working on this as well as Atika Shubert, who is our correspondent in the region, as well as our producers in Jerusalem and Israel, trying to figure out exactly what is going on.

But, again, two gunmen apparently infiltrated this. Not exactly sure what precipitated this. And Atika -- according to Atika, this hasn't happened in quite a while and many had thought that violence like this, for the most part, had been over in the area. And, of course, great concern that someone would target a school, and especially a dining hall where many people and young people have been.

KEILAR: Yes, that's right. And Atika saying that this is going to be a big shock to a lot of the people living there in Jerusalem. And a big question on the minds of many folks: What are going to be the ramifications of this attack.?

But, again, a police spokesman telling CNN one shooter was killed at this Jewish seminary. The "Associated Press," again, reporting at least seven people killed. At this point, a number of people are injured. There's a lot of details that are still sorting themselves out at this point.

And CNN is working to confirm some of those numbers. But according to the "Associated Press," a Jerusalem police spokesperson said one of the infiltrators had an explosive belt on his body -- or the infiltrator, the infiltrator, I should say, as CNN has confirmed that there was one shooter, I believe.

LEMON: Yes, one shooter who opened fire there. And here's something else that CNN has confirmed. Again, at least one gunman opened fire at the school. But also, one shooter was dead according to the same person who confirmed that it was -- that one person had opened fire there, injuring several people.

Again, this all happening Thursday evening in Jerusalem, in a dining hall. And the media said about 35 people in all of this were wounded. So, it was apparently dinnertime. A gunman goes into a dining hall, opens fire, and then as Brianna -- as Brianna has been saying, according to one report, that there was someone with an explosive -- explosive belt as well. Not exactly sure if that played into it or if that person even existed. But that's according to some of the witnesses there on the scene. Jerusalem police say that they are -- obviously on the scene now and also rescuers are on the scene. But they are, again, saying that one of the infiltrators was wearing an explosive belt. So we're not exactly sure of the circumstances, how the injuries happened, if the injuries were -- were, again, from the gunman or if it was from someone who wore the explosives belt. So we're not exactly sure where the injuries are coming from now.

But we have someone joining us on the telephone who can give us a little bit of perspective about this. His name is Mickey Rosenfield. He's -- Rosenfeld -- he's with the Israeli police and he's an Israeli police spokesperson.

What can you tell us, sir?

VOICE OF MICKEY ROSENFELD, ISRAELI POLICE SPOKESMAN: I can confirm that approximately 45 minutes ago at least one terrorist entered the college itself, opening fire. The injuries, serious injuries of a number of people. We can confirm that a number of people have been killed inside the academy itself.

Police -- continuing to work inside the building to prevent and make sure that there isn't a second terrorist on the scene. And our S.W.A.T teams are working inside, slowly but cautiously in order to make sure that the building is empty of a second terrorist.

LEMON: OK. So -- are you still there?

ROSENFELD: Yes.

LEMON: OK. You're saying this all happened 45 minutes ago. Someone walked in. You don't know if the injuries are from the gunshots or if they are from this person who was wearing the explosives belt?

ROSENFELD: I can confirm that one terrorist entered the building. I've just come out of the building and there's at least one terrorist who has been killed. And as I confirmed, a number of students have also been killed. I can't confirm the number at the moment.

But a large number of people who were also injured have been taken to the hospitals in and around Jerusalem. At the moment, our S.W.A.T. teams are still searching the building for the possibility of a second terrorist.

LEMON: If you -- sir, you're in the area. Why might someone target this particular school?

ROSENFELD: This is a large school with hundreds of students inside. As far as we're concerned, we'll be looking in and examining into how those terrorists entered and where they came in from (INAUDIBLE) or where they came in (INAUDIBLE) -- but as I said, our preliminary work at the moment is to make sure there are no more terrorists inside the building that could cause a danger to our -- (INAUDIBLE) just outside. LEMON: Yes. And -- you are there on the scene. You said you just left the building. You were inside the building, correct?

ROSENFELD: That's correct.

LEMON: Describe what's happening on the scene now. If you're out front, what are you seeing? Are people ...

ROSENFELD: At the moment -- at the moment the ambulance is waiting to take others to the hospital, if necessary. We know that more than 20 people have been already taken to the hospital. Huge police -- teams and units have surrounded the building. The area has been cordoned off and our S.W.A.T. teams are working inside, so actually room by room, in order to make sure there isn't another (AUDIO GAP) inside.

LEMON: OK. What time is it in Israel?

ROSENFELD: At the moment it's (AUDIO GAP)

LEMON: I'm sorry -- say again.

ROSENFELD: At the moment, it's 20 to 10:00.

LEMON: Twenty to 10:00 in Israel. OK. So thank you ...

ROSENFELD: Thank you very ...

LEMON: Sorry?

ROSENFELD: All right. Thank you very much.

LEMON: OK.

ROSENFELD: Bye-bye.

LEMON: Apparently he has to go there.

But, again, that is Mickey Rosenfeld, who is an Israeli police spokesperson. He is saying about 45 minutes ago -- and he is saying it is 20 to 10:00 -- so about 45 minutes ago people were inside of this dining hall and apparently someone walked in, at least he said, one terrorist, he's calling him, and then opened fire, he believes on several people -- on a number of people.

He's saying there are numerous injuries and a number of people have been killed. There are S.W.A.T. teams going back inside of the building now to check to make sure that there aren't any other gunmen inside of the building. The reports that we have, what CNN has confirmed, that at least one gunman went inside of this build, the Yeshiva school in Jerusalem, and opened fire. And then, according to witnesses and also Israeli media, there may have been a second infiltrator who was wearing an explosive belt.

But that part has not been confirmed. All of this happening in darkness there -- he said about 15 minutes to 10:00 there in Jerusalem. So, there you go. That's the very latest that we have. And as we look on the left side of your screen, those are live pictures, the chaos that's still ensuing after this incident. On the right side of your screen, you see the ambulances, and them carting -- and rescue workers carting away the injured, and possibly the killed, in all of this.

KEILAR: That's right. The "Associated Press" reporting, I believe, at this point at least seven people killed in all of this. But we just heard from Mr. Rosenfeld, the Israeli spokesperson that we just spoke with, he can't confirm the number of students who have been killed, but he did say there were a number of them.

He said a number of people are already heading to the hospital, at this point 20, perhaps more going to be on their way. And he said what's going on there on the ground at this moment is that you have teams who are cordoning off, creating a perimeter around this Yeshiva school, surrounding the building and then going inside, searching each room, room by room, to see if there is perhaps a second infiltrator. A terrorist is what the Israeli spokesperson called those infiltrators.

Just to give you a sense of what you're looking at here, where this is all taking place. This is at a Jewish seminary, a school where there are hundreds of students. And as we just heard a short time ago from our Atika Shubert who is there on the ground working her sources, trying to get us more information, an attack like this has not happened in Jerusalem for some time. This is going to be a shock for many Israelis living there. And a big question about whether there will be ramifications here in the immediate future.

LEMON: And we have been talking about this, what might have caused all of this. And we understand that there are celebrations -- we're being told by our international desk, that there are celebrations in Gaza over this. Now, we know that -- not sure if the two are related.

But if there are celebrations in Gaza, we know that there was an offensive last week that was launched in Gaza. Palestinian militants barraging southern Israeli rockets. More than 120 Palestinians were killed in that. And four Israelis were also known to have been killed in that offensive. But we're not exactly sure if that is connected.

But we are hearing from our international desk now that they're -- that they are celebrating in Gaza, because of the -- the -- the violence that has ensued here and also because of the deaths and because of the people who have been injured here.

Our Ben Wedeman is in Gaza. He's going to join us soon. Atika Shubert is in Jerusalem. She will join us soon as well. We're trying to get her live. She joined us just a couple times -- a couple minutes ago and gave us some information there.

Also, just a short time ago we had a gentleman who was a spokesperson for the police there, and he gave us the information which is the latest official word from police. All he would say was that a person walked in and opened fire and killed several people, injured a number of people. And -- they don't know exactly how many people were injured, how many people have been killed. It could be up to 35 people, maybe more, and that S.W.A.T. teams were going back into the building to try to double-check to make sure that there wasn't another gunman inside of this building.

KEILAR: That's right. And at this point, there's some question: Is there a second gunman? That's really a question as they're going into this building to see maybe if there's a second person. But at this point CNN confirming there is one shooter. We just heard from Israeli police that one shooter is dead.

So, we're going to continue to follow this story, bring you all of the details in this developing story right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Just want to get you the very latest on an attack in Jerusalem. The Israeli Ambulance Service saying that six have been killed in Jerusalem in an attack on a Jewish school.

Let's get you now to Kevin Flower. He is our Jerusalem bureau chief. And, Kevin, if you could just set the scene for us. I know that some of the details here are still sketchy. But walk us through what happened here as we know it right now.

VOICE OF KEVIN FLOWER, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Brianna, what we know is that, you know, mid-evening, somewhere between, you know, 7:00 and 8:00, that apparently one or two or maybe more gunmen entered a Yeshiva, which is a Jewish religious seminary of sorts. And according to witnesses, they were armed and started opening fire within -- it was inside some sort of dining hall in the Yeshiva. Now, there are also reports that one of the gunmen might have had some sort of explosive belt. But that is unconfirmed at this point.

And -- but we're hearing, which you just mentioned before, from the Israeli Ambulance Service, that six people have been killed in this shooting so far. Now, we've been hearing conflicting reports about those numbers from other sources, you know, unconfirmed, you know, up to 12. But the information is still very sketchy at this point.

As you can tell from the pictures at the scene, there are still, you know, many ambulances on site, a heavy police presence. The police indicated that one of the shooters had been -- had been killed either by police or by others. Indications that they are searching for, you know -- searching for a second gunman.

And, again, lots of different conflicting reports as to, you know, whether that person has been apprehended, killed, or is still free.

KEILAR: And, of course -- of course, nothing really happening in a vacuum here. We do know this happened as there have been a military offensive that Israel launched last week into Gaza. Israel withdrawing ground forces on Tuesday. What can you tell us about that?

FLOWER: Well, this comes -- this attack tonight comes in wake of a large-scale Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that began last week. In that offensive, Israeli troops moved into the northern Gaza Strip, and during that time, there were high Palestinian casualty rates, over 100 were killed, and according to Palestinian medical sources, half of those being civilians.

Now, we've had no claim of responsibility yet for the attack tonight, but it's -- it would seem certain that this is some sort of retaliatory strike by Palestinian militant groups for the -- for the Israeli military operations last week. And that have been ongoing for -- for the past couple of days, and is somewhat -- in a somewhat more limited role than they were late last week.

KEILAR: All right, Kevin Flower, our Jerusalem bureau chief, thank you for giving us some insight there.

We're going to be talking with Ben Wedeman. We're also going to be talking with Atika Shubert there in Jerusalem coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: We want to get you up to date on a story just coming in to us, details just coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM from Baghdad. There has been an explosion, a bombing, at least 50 people killed according to the "Associated Press." Two bombs went off within minutes of each other. All of this happening in a packed Baghdad shopping district. This happened Thursday evening, just a short time ago, in Iraq.

So, again, 53 dead at this point. More -- well more than 100 wounded. This happening in a busy shopping district in Baghdad, an explosion there. We're going to bring you more on this as it develops. We've got our very own Kyra Phillips live in Baghdad. We're going to go to her shortly.

But, first, we want to tell you about another story also developing in the Middle East.

LEMON: Yes, the latest information we're getting from this story in Jerusalem, according to Israeli Army Radio, they are reporting at least eight people have been killed at this shooting at a Jewish school, eight people killed in a shooting in a Jewish school.

This all happened probably about an hour ago, as a -- as witnesses say, one person walked in with a gun, opened fire, and then there was possibly another person with an explosive belt. Eight people killed in all of this.

Kevin Flower, who is our bureau chief there, joins us now by phone, our Jerusalem bureau chief, joins us now with the very latest. Are you getting an update for us, Kevin?

FLOWER: Yes, we are. In fact, we can confirm that Israeli Army Radio report, now the Ambulance Services are reporting indeed that eight people have been killed in that shooting.

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