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CNN Sunday Morning

Egypt in Crisis

Aired January 30, 2011 - 08:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Peaceful protests are taking place in Egypt now under the watchful eye of an ever-increasing military presence. This follows deadly clashes between protesters and police.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN ANCHOR: But fear is replacing hope on the streets of Egypt. Residents are arming themselves with sticks and even swords. Not taking up arms against the government instead trying to fend off escaped prisoners and looters.

KAYE: Tourists in the center of the storm. The U.S. is now moving to get Americans out of Egypt. Other countries are also following suit.

It is early and we're on it. From CNN Center, this is CNN. It's January 30th. Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.

MANN: And I'm Jonathan Mann from CNN International, welcoming viewers worldwide to our coverage of "Egypt in Crisis."

KAYE: And we'll take you live to the streets of Cairo in just a moment. But, first, here are some new developments this morning.

Banks and businesses are closed today as a precaution. It's the beginning of the workweek in Egypt. There's a notable lack of security in major cities. Police have been largely replaced by the army.

But in many neighborhoods, it's up to residents to protect themselves from looters looking to take advantage of the chaos. More than a thousand prisoners are on the loose near the capital, Cairo. There are reports of as many as three prison breaks so far.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is taking a closer look at security operations. State TV reports that Mubarak visited a military center in Cairo to check up on that situation.

Egypt is cracking down on media in the country. They've pulled the plug on the Arabic network Al Jazeera.

And, finally, the U.S. State Department is offering flights for American citizens in Egypt who are trying desperately to get out. But so far, no mandatory evacuations. Those flights are expected to start tomorrow. Other countries like Turkey and Saudi Arabia are doing the same thing.

MANN: We've seen the increased army presence on the streets of Cairo, but that hasn't stopped protesters for the most part.

Our Ivan Watson is keeping an eye on the situation in Cairo this morning.

Ivan, what are you seeing right now?

Ivan Watson, you're on the air with us. Can you hear us? And can you tell us what you're seeing, Ivan?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jon. We're watching a crowd of some demonstrators at a perimeter that's been established by the Egyptian army right outside the headquarters of state television --

MANN: We're having some transmission problems. Ivan, I don't know if you can still hear us -- but for those of you who are watching, we've been bedeviled by this all through our coverage.

But the situation is fluid and Egypt is a tough, tough place to have contact with right now. There have been cell phone disruptions. There have been Internet disruptions. Some of those are imposed by the government.

Our satellite signal has been dicey. I'm not sure even why.

Ivan Watson, are you hearing us now? Because we're hearing you a little bit.

No. Ivan Watson is not hearing us.

But we are looking at these pictures. I take these are live pictures. Day six as the protesters continue to gather and the situation remains extremely fluid.

The protesters say they want change, but as we've been reporting, other people are taking advantage of the chaos. A group of thugs stormed a museum in Cairo's main square, ripping the heads off mummies and tossing relics onto the ground. The museum in question is in fact where the relics of King Tut are kept.

Museum officials say that, in fact, nothing is missing but the message really is clear. Nothing is off limits. And we've been telling you about those inmates on the loose.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer talked with the Egyptian ambassador to the U.S. after the first break to get his take on the security situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: How does ha happen? A thousand prisoners escape from a prison outside of Cairo and are now running amuck?

SAMEH SHOURKY, EGYPTIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Well, certainly disturbing news. It's a demonstration of the degree of chaos and lack of security that has emanated from these events. BLITZER: What happened to the police?

SHOURKY: It is unclear to what extent the police forces are still undertaking their responsibilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: The situation is fluid, but at last count, there are at least two if not three prisons that have seen their prisoners go free. We just heard a short time ago from CNN's Fred Pleitgen who saw a gun battle or heard a gun battle -- I guess he was saying -- underway, at one of the places he visited.

Well, in all of this, the lack of police presence is glaring. Looters have moved in where the police have left. Here's what we saw last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The people tell us that guys like this -- guys on the motorcycles, those are usually the ones who are doing the looting. Now, we've seen some who passed by here carrying real samurai swords on their motorcycles. And every time these motorcycles passed, obviously, the guys here from the community watch, thy come out and threaten them and tell them, don't stop here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: Samurai swords, no joke. Last hour, we talked to an American stuck in the ancient city of Luxor in the southern part of Egypt. I think we've got some pictures here.

That's Regina Fraser on the left, along with Pat Johnson. They are on the PBS travel show "Grannies on Safari." It's safe to say they have never seen a safari quite like this one. They're leading a group that's touring temple complexes and monuments.

Ms. Frasier was in Cairo earlier. She says the trip has been tense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REGINA FRASER, CO-HOST, PBS'S "GRANNIES ON SAFARI" (via telephone): I didn't know that they were putting together flights to leave on Monday. I think that's really been one of the problems that we've had recently is maybe not getting to the information or getting the information that we need.

I'm just going to tell you briefly that I contacted the embassy here two, three days ago and no one answered, no one answered. No answered, the phones just kept ringing.

An then today, I contacted the embassy and I got someone. And I was so happy. The person said -- I said, we want to find out information. She said, hold on. And I got a recording that said please go to www.government -- you know, the government Web site. And I thought, there is no Internet here!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: Fair enough. Those flights she was making reference to begin Monday. They're being organized by the State Department but Ms. Fraser says her group is reluctant to return to Cairo to fly out.

KAYE: Delta Airlines has indefinitely suspended flights to and from Egypt. American Airlines and British Airways are allowing customers to change some flights at no charge. Several countries are planning to evacuate their citizens. And as we told you earlier, the U.S. State Department will begin offering Americans flights out of Egypt beginning tomorrow.

People all around the world are paying attention to the troubles in Egypt and they're showing support for protesters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Down, down with Mubarak!

CROWD: Down, down with Mubarak!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Down, down with Mubarak!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: Up next, the streets of London and Istanbul and San Francisco look a little bit like the turmoil in Cairo.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MANN: Welcome back.

We're entering day six of the civil unrest that's rattling Egypt. The anti-government protests are growing beyond Egypt's own borders, happening all over the place, in fact. One of the first shows of solidarity was in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday. More than 100 protesters turning out of (INAUDIBLE) mosque. Both Turkey and Egypt we know are predominantly Muslim countries with secular governments.

Considerably larger and noisier demonstrations Saturday in London as protesters in both Arabic and English slammed the Mubarak regime.

And check out this iReport from Geneva, Switzerland, a nation famous for its neutrality. All sizable turnout of like-minded protesters.

KAYE: We're seeing similar rallies of support here in the United States, a number of events coast to coast yesterday. We're told more are planned today. One of the largest so far may have been Saturday's demonstration in front of U.N. headquarters in New York City. An estimated 1,000 people showed up, all voicing the call for change.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS) KAYE: It was a pretty big turnout in the nation's capital yesterday for a similar rally. And we're seeing more Americans taking issues with current U.S. foreign policy toward Egypt.

CNN's Don Lemon has more on that angle from a rally yesterday in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWD: Down, down with injustice! Down, down with injustice!

ARNY SOEJOEDI, PROTESTER: We've got to help out the people. They need justice.

MUSTAFA MAZHER, PROTESTER: If there's no sort of democracy that we're promoting here, that's in the Middle East and it's not represented over there, we're not doing our job here. We're supporting a government over there that's been in power for 30 years.

SEAN PHILLIPS, PROTESTER: I don't think that the Egyptian people will be free until they take down Mubarak.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) said "U.S. 'aid' equals tear gas." What does that mean?

AHMED NAZEEM, PROTESTER: Yes. This is the military, they are giving to Egypt. They are supporting that corrupted regime by giving them money and these weapons to be used against the Egyptian people. And we want the U.S. to stop supporting these dictatorships and give the opportunity to the Egyptians to elect the leaders.

LEMON: This sign says Americans should be aware of that?

SAMI ALMALFOUH, PROTESTER: Of course. Yes. They should know that their money is not being used building democracy. It's been used to oppress the people. It's quite the opposite of what's the purpose of the U.S. funds. It goes for a different message, sends a different message.

The U.S. aid for the military today to Egypt is $1.3 billion. The economic aid is $250 million only. So, if you compare that to that, that's the point -- that's the point of this sign, is that we want aid, of course, to build infrastructure and build -- kind of let the people, you know, live a normal life and have a real democracy.

SAMEH ABDELAZIZ, PROTEST ORGANIZER: We're not here to try to talk to Mubarak's government. We gave up on this a long time ago. We're here to talk to our government, the American government, to ask them to stay true to our American principles of democracy and freedom by standing beside the Egyptian people that are dying in the little towns and villages over there.

SHERYFALI MOUSA, PROTESTER: President Mubarak has been there for 30 years. We want him out.

(CHANTING) (END VIDEOTAPE)

MANN: That was a protest here in Atlanta. Let's talk about where the protests in Egypt are headed. What could be next for the Middle East power?

KAYE: We're joined by Jon Alterman, director and senior fellow of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Good morning, Jon

I want to get your take on President Mubarak. We've heard reports that he has been out today, checking on security forces. What do you say about his future? Is he finished?

JON ALTERMAN, CSIS, DIR. MIDDLE EAST PROGRAMS: Well, I think -- I can't imagine he's going to be the president of Egypt in 12 months. Will he be the president of Egypt in a week? Honestly, my sense is yes.

And the whole question is: so what does the transition look like? He's been extremely reluctant to even talk about transition. I remember living in Egypt in the early 1990s when Bill Clinton was elected and George H.W. Bush lost, the Egyptian looked and said, wow, a president can lose an election. Wouldn't that be neat?

And, now, all these years later, Egyptians are still looking at the same president. There is a deep impatience. I think, at core the demonstrations are about the impatience that Mubarak seems to never want to leave and the whole question now is: how will that process work?

MANN: Well, I'm curious Jon Alterman -- it's Jon Mann in Atlanta -- about who will follow him? You know, sometimes when a dictator is toppled, it's not the people who take power. It's the ruthless people who seize it.

What's going to emerge if there's a power vacuum in Egypt? Could everyone we're seeing out on the streets be sorry for what comes next?

ALTERMAN: Well, it's very unclear how this process is going to work. I think Mubarak's goal would be to have some sort of orderly transition. I think his desire would be not to have a transition. He's been reluctant to go down the line.

But I think the way that his colleagues, the way other Arab leaders have to talk is, OK, there has to be a transition, can there be an orderly transition that doesn't lead to a vacuum?

We saw what happened with the Iranian revolution in 1979. It started as a much more broadly based revolution turned into a hard- core Islamic revolution and an un-democratic revolution in the end. I think that's what people are worried about.

The fact is, nobody can control what's happening and certainly not what most of the demonstrators want. I think most of the demonstrators simply want Mubarak to go and for Egypt to be Egypt.

KAYE: And we're now in day six of the protests there. A lot of people looking at these pictures and seeing people in the streets and saying, how long is this going to continue? How long can Egypt handle this?

So, I guess my question is: what, if anything, can the United States do to sort of try and move this forward more quickly?

ALTERMAN: You know, I don't think the United States has very many tools. Honestly, either to influence demonstrators or to influence the Mubarak government. Hosni Mubarak is looking at possibly his entire life's work crumbling before his eyes. It's hard to rise above the wind noise on that.

I think the demonstrators don't really trust the United States to say United States is alive with Mubarak. I don't think that the U.S. has a tremendous amount of influence. I think the key issue here is how does the public react to what is emerging as anarchy or chaos in the streets. The word I kept hearing when I listened to Mubarak's speech in Arabic two nights ago, over and over and over was foda (ph), chaos, chaos, chaos.

And to the extent that the Egyptian public believes that the alternative is some sort of orderly transition that the president will help manage or chaos, I think the bet of the regime is that people will go for an orderly transition to, my mind, the importance of nominating Omar Suleiman as the vice president is to provide the option. There is chaos or there is something orderly and the bet is that the Egyptian public will opt for something orderly over chaos.

MANN: Jon Alterman, I'm going to ask you to stay with us.

Our Ivan Watson, of course, is watching developments on the streets, quite literally in Cairo.

We've seen a share chaos. Ivan, what's going on now?

WATSON: Well, Jon, we've had several hundred demonstrators that have come here right in front at the headquarters of Egyptian state television. They are lining up after having chanted 10 to 15 minutes anti-Mubarak chants like "We want freedom, we don't want thieves." And they are now lining up and it appears about to conduct Islamic prayers here, which we've seen throughout the days of these demonstrations -- people praying directly in the streets. And in some cases, the soldiers that are trying to maintain some kind of stability here are joining in as well.

There is a helicopter overhead. And If you can still hear me, Jon, I think it's fair to say that some of the euphoria that we were hearing from the demonstrators yesterday has been lost today. We are hearing much more arguing in the streets between the people that are gathering around.

I think that the (AUDIO BREAK) that we have seen where ordinary citizens have had to go out with even kitchen knives to defend their shops and homes and businesses that that has perhaps dispelled some of the --

MANN: Once again, a measure of the satellite problems that we are having as we try to report the story.

Jon Alterman, if you're still with us, we just heard from Ivan Watson, some of the protesters are getting ready to pray. As we think about what's ahead, we've spoken to people over and over again who say don't exaggerate the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood at a time like this.

And yet, when you talk about the power vacuum, you described, they are organized, they are entrenched, they have a clear political program, they have enormous credibility with the people of Egypt. We don't have to paint them as a bogeyman. We don't have to describe them as being identifying, but are they really in a position to extend their influence more quickly and more successfully than anyone else?

ALTERMAN: Certainly more than any other organized group. I think it's easy to overestimate how organized and disciplined they are. There are a lot of factional splits between the Muslim Brotherhood and a split between the older Brotherhood guys and the younger Brotherhood guys. The Internet has been a part of it.

I mean, Egypt is a complicated place and the Brotherhood is complicated. But the fact, the Mubarak government has consistently tried to discourage anybody from developing leadership, anybody from being sort of an attractive public figure in government. One of the problems that President Mubarak had when he said he's going to have a new cabinet is -- is there anybody in Egypt with credibility and government experience -- and the answer is not really.

The Brotherhood managed to establish credibility in part because they are not part of a government which has been losing credibility. It is hard to imagine any other organized force in the country that really could come in.

I think the scenario, as I would see it playing out, would be that you would have a broad coalition that would not sort of be able to get its act together and that gradually the Brotherhood would assert control. I don't think that's the most likely outcome, but it's certainly a possible outcome.

MANN: Jon Alterman, we're always grateful for your expertise -- thanks very much.

KAYE: Priceless artifacts painstakingly gathered over 5,000 years damaged and destroyed at Cairo's most respected museum. Well, now, the military is stepping in.

MANN: And it's what the protesters want, Hosni Mubarak out of power. We'll take a look at the president a country is turning against.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. Just about 25 minutes past the hour, more of our coverage on the crisis in Egypt now.

Police say Cairo's renowned Egyptian museum is now secure after being vandalized by would-be looters yesterday. But it raises concerns about the safety of other treasures collected from a civilization dating back more than 6,000 years.

Nadia Bilchik is back with us again to talk about this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Isn't it true, Randi, when you think about Egypt, you think the pyramids of Giza, you think about Tutankhamen. Who hasn't done a project at sometime of their school life --

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: I think I remember a class paper one at one point.

BILCHIK: I am sure. So, when one thinks about this beautiful museum that has the largest collection of pharaoh era antiquities in the entire world, 27 mummies, numerous rooms, what happened was the fire next door at the ruling party headquarters impacted the museum, which is in Tahrir Square, because people got over there. And only about nine people began to loot the museum, took the heads off two of the mummies.

But what's responsible is the response from the civilian population. They barricaded the museum.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: They helped protect it.

BILCHIK: Yes. And the curator of the museum does say about 10 antiquities have been damaged, nothing irreparable. But, you know, you're looking at a place where it is synonymous with these beautiful artifacts and treasures.

KAYE: Sure.

BILCHIK: And millions of visitors a year go to the Egyptian museums. But not only of concern is the museum. Security forces have also been sent to the pyramids of Giza.

Now, you've certainly been to the pyramids.

KAYE: I was there. And, boy, that would be just a terrible thing if any -- if those were damaged. I mean, I was there a few years ago.

But I remember very high security just being in Cairo even then. So, I can't imagine the situation is today. I mean, we had metal detectors in the hotel.

(CROSSTALK) KAYE: And going into the pyramids, there was high security, had to show your identification. You have to show your tickets at several points just to get inside. So, hopefully, looters certainly or anybody else would be able to get in there.

BILCHIK: Well, they really are protecting. And the great pyramid of Giza is considered one of the wonders of the ancient world, and they say the one wonder that is still pretty much beautiful of the ancient world.

So, it would be a pity. Also, the Coptic Christian Church and the churches around the country are also being protected. In 2010, there was a suicide bombing that killed over 21 Coptic Christians. So, there's great concern.

Also the Muhammad Ben Ali tomb.

So, anything of great importance or great reverence is being protected and under high security.

KAYE: Sure. There is so much history and so much to protect. If this were happening anywhere else, we probably wouldn't see -- we wouldn't be as worried I guess as we are.

BILCHIK: And let's hope Egypt emerges stable enough that we can all go back and visit the pyramids.

KAYE: I would like to go back myself. All right. Nadia, thank you.

Jon?

MANN: Our CNN crews have been in the center of the storm from day one. Up next: we're back live at the streets of Cairo. Our special coverage of the "Crisis in Egypt" rolls on after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.

MANN: And I'm Jonathan Mann with CNN International. It is half past the hour and our coverage of "Egypt in Crisis" continues.

Here are some of the new developments happening this is morning. More than a thousand prisoners are on the loose near the capitol of Cairo. Our Fred Pleitgen reporting on what would be the third prison break in the area; third prison break, you can imagine, people are asking the army to come out and protect them from the criminals.

The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is taking a closer look at security operations. State TV reports that Mubarak visited a military center in Cairo to check up on the situation.

And finally the U.S. State Department offering flights for American citizens in Egypt who want to get out and encouraging them to think of doing just that. So far no mandatory evacuations, the flights are to start tomorrow. Other countries like Turkey and Saudi Arabia are doing the same.

Well, Cairo isn't the site of protest today Alexandra is also seeing crowds gathering along the Nile River.

Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is there for us right now. Nic, what are you seeing?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A huge crowd of about 5,000 people marching down the road a few moments ago demanding President Mubarak step down. This has been a consistent demand. But this is what they are asking for now.

But something different from the previous days; the crowd has all stopped in the last couple of minutes at a central square here. Men, women and children are all -- are all praying on the ground here, praying before they continue their demonstration.

This is the first time we've seen several thousand people, all bend down in prayer as part of the protests. The protests are becoming a little bit more organized. What we have seen as well as the protests gather around a mosque earlier on, the people there said that they were concerned that the army is providing security but may still be on the side of President Mubarak and may still yet move against the people here, Jon.

KAYE: Nic, it's Randi Kaye. I have a question about the -- the mood of the -- of the protesters today. Yesterday we saw them taking photos with the military tanks, taking photos with members of the military, a real sense of jubilation.

We heard that was a bit tempered (ph) down in Cairo this morning, Ivan Watson telling us that. What about there? Is there still a -- a sense of celebration even though Mubarak is still in charge?

ROBERTSON: I think there is a sense of trepidation about what happens next. There is a real feeling that momentous change is on the verge of happening, but they are not sure. There is concerns about how the state institutions, the interior ministry and the army are going to play the situation.

They -- they are wondering are they being tricked by the army? Are they being tricked into thinking the army is here to help and yet it's really here to reinforce President Mubarak's role? The demonstrations that we've seen here about the same numbers of people yesterday, but a sort of a -- a calmer, more reverential attitude at the moment.

But -- but again, once the people move off I'm sure we'll hear them chanting again at the -- at the tops of their voices as they have. And whenever you're out on the streets by the demonstrations here, every time people come up and so -- they say, tell the truth, tell what -- tell -- tell people what's happening in the rest of the world. Tell them that we want -- that we want change and that we won't stop until President Mubarak is -- is gone. So really there is this underlying concern about are they being -- is President Mubarak really going to be here to hold on? Is he going to use the army to do that? What will the army do?

So in terms of the relationship between the people on the streets and the army, it's perhaps not as warm as it was yesterday. It's still -- it's still good, but it's not perhaps as warm as it has been.

MANN: CNN's Nic Robertson, thousands on the streets in a Alexandria -- Randi.

KAYE: We're going to take you now to Cairo where Ian Lee is joining us by phone. Ian, yesterday when we spoke with you, you are in -- in -- well, Ian, are you there?

Well, we just lost him. I was going to say, Ian was actually caught up in that -- that shooting at the interior ministry yesterday. Spoke with us quite a bit about -- he -- he was telling us how he had witnessed two men shot. One had been was grazed in the head. That was a very violent situation there.

So we're hoping to talk a little bit more -- with -- about that with him and see what the situation is today. But we're trying to get him back on line with us --

(CROSS TALK)

MANN: Last -- last report we had in fact was that the military had moved in to replace the police who were defending the interior ministry. So the military really keeping a close watch on the situation, very present in some places, utterly absent in others.

But it's not just Egypt's own military -- Egypt's own authorities that are watching all of this unfold. As you can imagine, Egypt's neighbor, Israel, is keeping a close eye on all of this. We go live to Jerusalem next.

KAYE: Plus, Senator John McCain weighs in on the "Crisis in Egypt". Our special coverage continues right after a very quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out Mubarak. Get out of Egypt. We don't -- we -- we -- we don't need you. We don't -- we -- we -- we don't want you here in Egypt. Get out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, Mubarak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Just some of what we are seeing in the streets of Egypt.

Let's go now to Ian Lee, he's in Cairo. He's actually at a rally there. Ian, can you describe the scene there for us?

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Randi, it's -- it's a lot like a music festival right now. People are chanting their anti-government slogans but more or less people are coming on the street talking. It's -- it's very jovial.

People are posing with the tanks. There -- there are new tanks on the street now. They look like M1A1 Abrams Tanks. The -- the older tanks seem to have pulled back or there are not as many of them.

There's people -- there's -- people are volunteering to clean up trash. I've talked to two volunteers. And they said, you know, we're proud of our country and we want to help clean up. I also -- I have also seen volunteer medical workers moving around, helping people who might have any problems. And then, if you go outside of Kafir Square you're seeing volunteers also direct the traffic, help provide for security.

So while they -- while the army is here as a show of force, the police -- the police may be gone but the people are picking up the slack of providing for basic services.

KAYE: We -- we've heard so much about citizens arming themselves to protect themselves and asking the military for help. Are -- are you hearing any of that from -- from the people there? And have you noticed if any of them are -- are carrying weapons or anything to protect themselves?

LEE: Well, definitely last night things were a bit tense. We were walking around a neighborhood and we noticed groups of men setting up checkpoints. Men from around the neighborhood setting up checkpoints around, you know, questioning people who are coming through. They did have bats, they have knives. Some had guns. We heard gunfire throughout the night.

But the -- the -- the checkpoints -- that men at the checkpoints said that was more -- that they were shooting in the air to kind of keep people alert from not falling asleep than shooting actually at people.

But -- you know, the one thing that really struck me yesterday while talking to these men is one of them asked me, he said, "Look at -- look at our group and tell me who is Muslim and who is Christian". And I told him that I couldn't tell and he said, "That's the point."

And I thought that really struck home right now at least in that neighborhood that people were united. It didn't matter who they were, where they from, this is their neighborhood and they were going to protect it and they were united.

KAYE: And have they given you any sense, the protestors there, how long they are going to continue protesting, how long they are willing to wait this out? I mean, they've -- they've -- they are demanding that Mubarak step down but how long will this continue?

LEE: You know, I don't -- I don't see this ending any time soon. The -- that definitely more people are coming out on the streets more often. Today is actually technically a work day and yet you are seeing a lot of people out on the streets. So I think that -- I -- I really can't see an end to this demonstration. I think these people are going to be on the street until something drastic happens.

KAYE: All right. Ian Lee for us at a rally that he's describing as a close -- similar to a music festival in -- in the streets of Cairo, Egypt -- for us. Ian, thank you.

MANN: As we watch all of this unfold, this is day six. You get a sense of how textured the situation is. Ben Wedeman in his neighborhood talking about the fear of looters; we heard from Frederik Pleitgen who was out near a prison where there had been a prison break and -- and an ominous -- ominous reports.

And then, as you say, a music festival where people are volunteering to clean up the trash.

KAYE: It -- it's -- it just seems to be changing from depending on every pocket that you go to around -- around Egypt, around Cairo. You get a different story.

MANN: The one thing all of this has in common it's all directed at Hosni Mubarak, the anti-government demonstrations threatening his regime. But some people are also afraid that those demonstrations and what will follow could jeopardize a long-standing peace in the region.

As we watch these images, they are watching them in Israel. Officials there treading lightly and saying very little about the insurrection in Egypt and how it could impact -- well, a peace with Egypt brokered back in 1979.

KAYE: CNN's Jerusalem bureau chief, Kevin Flower is live with the latest on that.

Kevin, what can you tell us in terms of Prime Minister Netanyahu on what's happening in Israel?

KEVIN FLOWER, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Randi, today a very cautious and calculated statement from the Israeli Prime Minister. And this is the first comment we've heard in the -- in the last number of days from this government regarding the momentous events taking place in Egypt.

And what he said, he told his cabinet that they were anxiously -- the government was anxiously watching events in Egypt and, quote, that "Our efforts are designed to continue and maintain stability and security in our region". He went on to say, that "I remind you that peace between Israel and Egypt has endured -- endured for over three decades and that his goal is to ensure that these relations continue."

He asked the people in his government to show restraint and responsibility in terms of speaking publicly about this because of the sensitivity of everything that's going on. This -- this relationship between Israel and Egypt is crucial. It's a bedrock component of Israel's security, sort of posture in the region. And so there are a lot of fears about what's going on there and what could come next. And there are also, there's a lot of apprehension about what the American policy is going forward. We spoke to one former Israeli diplomat today. And this is what he told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELI AVIDOR, FORMER ISRAELI DIPLOMAT: But the American administration do not understand the cultural (INAUDIBLE) -- the latest declarations of President Obama and the administration in general put a lot of pressure on the regimes in the Middle East and I believe that although they come from the very positive standpoint of the universal values that we all support, but they create the total opposite effect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLOWER: Now, this is not what you're hearing from the Israeli government at this point. But you can rest assured that a lot of people within the Israeli government are probably sharing those exact same sentiments. Israel knows that the regime of Hosni Mubarak has been a dictatorial regime, an oppressive regime in many respects but it is the devil that they know, the devil that has maintained stability on Israel's southern border.

That is what Israel is most interested in maintaining at this point -- Randi.

KAYE: All right. Kevin Flower for us in Jerusalem. Thank you, Kevin.

MANN: We'll be back with more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MANN: Welcome back.

Many Egyptians say they want freedom. Well, a particular group of Egyptians seems to be free now; they are not the people you would expect and it is a troubling development.

KAYE: Fred Pleitgen is in Cairo for us. And Fred, last we spoke with you, you were outside of a prison there where possibly thousands of prisoners have escaped. What's the latest?

FREDERICK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, lots of prisoners seem to have escaped from the prison. We are actually north of Cairo in a place called Abu Zaaba which actually has one of the most notorious prisons in this entire country.

And what happened there yesterday -- we've learned from local people who lived around that -- is apparently the jail was basically busted into and all the inmates escaped from the jail. Also in the gun battle that ensued, it appears as though some prison wardens were killed also some of the prisoners obviously were killed as well. When we showed up on the scene there was still a gun battle going on.

And residents there told us that apparently after the actually prison break other looters came into the jail and started looting the arsenal of the jail and then got into gun battles amongst each other as well as the security forces. And so (INAUDIBLE) -- there's a couple of fighter jets actually are flying over the city -- but let me just finish there.

So there was a gun battle going on. People told us that there were actually still dead bodies inside the jail as this gun battle was going on. Now, of course, all the residents of the area -- and this is something that Ben Wedeman obviously echoed as all -- all the residents in that area are very afraid because on the one hand they have prison inmates who are on the loose in that area and on the other hand a lot of those prison inmates appear to be armed -- Randi.

KAYE: And so now it seems that we are at least -- we've seen now at least two or three prison breaks. How is this happening? Is it because the police have given up control and the military now seems to be monitoring the situation? Is there just a lack of security overall and is there any word on capturing these prisoners?

PLEITGEN: There -- well, there's some conspiracy theories out there of people who believe that these prison breaks are in some way being instigated by the government to try and create some sort of lawlessness. But on the face of what I saw in that area there simply is no law enforcement area -- law enforcement presence in the area that I was at.

When we went through here, leading up to that place we went by probably five or six police stations that had been abandoned, that had been burned and that were in the process of being looted or had already been looted. There are no police officers on the scene over there.

It appears as though some of the prison wardens at least in that one prison were still trying to put up a fight. However in most of the areas that we went through there was absolutely nothing. There was no military and of course also no police.

We have these fighter jets making passes over our office as well, I have to say. That's why it's so loud sometimes in the backdrop -- Randi.

KAYE: All right. Our Fred Pleitgen bringing us the latest despite those fighter jets, thank you Fred.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is doing the rounds to explain the U.S. position on Egypt. Secretary Clinton will be sitting down with our Candy Crowley on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION", that is coming your way at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

MANN: The demonstrations in Egypt have left a void in the country's security forces. We have been seeing that all through our days of reporting. Is the military really going to take over that role? We'll look at that next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: CNN's national security analyst Peter Bergen has been watching the protests in Egypt and how the country's security services and military have been reacting to the situation. He's in Washington this morning.

MANN: Peter, intriguing stuff. We are hearing reports from Egyptian television that Vice President Suleiman is meeting with the head of the military and the new interior minister to evaluate the situation. Earlier we heard about the president meeting with Suleiman and some of those figures. What's your take on this?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, you know, the military, of course, in Egyptian society plays an important role. Mubarak, of course, himself is a former military officer. The military is not tainted with the same abuses of the Egyptian population that the security services are tainted with.

There was a widely circulated videotape on the Internet some time back of Egyptian police officers sodomizing somebody who had been -- that they'd arrested for a minor traffic infraction. And that is all too typical of the way that the Egyptian police services operate.

So the Egyptian army is not tarred with that brush and has quite a lot of prestige. Egyptian males serve in the army routinely and so the fact that Mubarak is meeting with them is not surprising.

KAYE: And Peter, what is your take on the Muslim Brotherhood. If Mubarak does step down, if he does go away, what do you think the chances are that their role would be increased?

BERGEN: Well, that role is already pretty large. I mean they're in the interesting position Randi, where they are banned but tolerated. And so they do run candidates in elections, you know, as sort of independents. If there was a free and fair election in Egypt tomorrow, my guess is they would get about a third of the vote.

This is a responsible (ph) group, in my view. There are links to terrorism of decades in the past, they renounced violence, you know, in the '50s. And, you know, the kinds of people that it attracts -- and I have interviewed many of them -- are educated. They are doctors, they're lawyers. These are not, you know, kind of table- thumping revolutionaries. They could be part of -- they are obviously going to be part of Egypt's future because they are already part of the present.

KAYE: Are they truly pro democracy?

BERGEN: Yes, of course they are. I mean, in fact, they are much criticized by people like Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al Qaeda, for taking parts in elections. I mean these groups exist all around the Middle East, of course, and they do participate in elections. Sometimes they become the government. We saw that with Hamas in Gaza.

MANN: Let me jump in on that note because you brought up al Qaeda. I do know Zawahiri is one of the Egyptian figures in al Qaeda. Do groups like al Qaeda see an opening in a situation like this in failed states obviously? We're nervous about terror groups moving in.

Egypt is hardly that, but is there an opening now for some of the West's worst enemies there?

BERGEN: Jonathan, I very much doubt it. I mean Egypt -- Egyptians saw what happened when the Islamists like al Qaeda launched a terror campaign in the early '90s that killed literally 1,200 people, many of them policemen, many kids, tourists, you remember the Luxor massacre in 1997 where 56 tourists were stabbed to death by an Egyptian terrorist group.

That signaled the end of this group -- any kind of popular support they might have had evaporated. The government launched a very severe crackdown. Ayman al-Zawahiri himself, of course, spent three years in an Egyptian prison after Anwar Sadat's assassination.

Al Qaeda will opportunistically try and take advantage of this and I'm sure we'll see statements from Ayman al-Zawahiri and bin Laden sort of lauding aspects of this, but their involvement in Egyptian politics is zero and has been zero for a very, very long time.

MANN: CNN national security analyst, Peter Bergen. Thanks very much.

BERGEN: Thank you.

KAYE: Candy Crowley's "STATE OF THE UNION" after a short break plus more headlines from the crisis in Egypt coming your way next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: "STATE OF THE UNION with Candy Crowley is coming up at the top of the hour, but first a quick check of this morning headlines.

Let's get a look at the headlines out of Egypt. Protesters are gathering again today for a sixth straight day. They're calling for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. So far today, the protests have been peaceful. You might attribute that to a greater military presence in public places.

MANN: Looters are taking advantage of the chaos, breaking into homes, shops and banks; adding to the security nightmare, as many as three prison breaks. More than a thousand prisoners are now on the streets around Cairo from just one of those prisons.

The U.S. State Department is ready to give a ride to American citizens that want to get out of Egypt; the State Department planning flights out of the country starting Monday. So far though, there haven't been any mandatory evacuations. Delta Airlines though, for example, has suspended its flights in and out of Egypt.

KAYE: Egypt is cracking down on foreign media. Earlier today, they closed down the Cairo bureau of Arabic network, Al Jazeera and as of just a couple of hours ago, the channel can no longer be seen in Egypt.

But I guess those military planes are still continuing to fly over the streets of Cairo which we both found very interesting.

MANN: It's a bit of a mystery. There are a lot of questions to be answered from the U.S. State Department, and from the Pentagon, from the White House. What to do, who to support next. Hillary Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, of course, will be live with Candy Crowley on "STATE OF THE UNION" in an exclusive interview that's coming up very shortly.

KAYE: And right here, we will, of course continue to watch the latest developments. We have our correspondents throughout the region, throughout Egypt. We'll continue to check in with them throughout the day.

We thank you so much for joining us this morning. I'm Randi Kaye.

MANN: I'm Jonathan Mann. The news continues.