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American Morning: Wake Up Call

U.S. Citizen Linked to Al Qaeda Killed; U.S. Confirms Al-Awlaki Is Dead

Aired September 30, 2011 - 05:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello.

Let's start this morning with breaking news. It's pretty big. We have just learned that an American citizen linked to al Qaeda has been killed.

An official statement from the Yemen Defense Ministry confirmed that Anwar al-Awlaki is dead.

Let's talk to Mohammed Jamjoom. He is live on the phone from Istanbul.

Tell us about this. I mean, this is the man who has radicalized the underwear bomber, you know, on that Detroit flight. He also inspired Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter.

Tell us what you know, Mohammed?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): This is a figure -- he's a U.S. citizen and a Yemeni citizen who, amongst jihadists, is extremely popular. One of the reasons for that is because he speaks fluent English, because he's seen as somebody who can recruit far and wide in the organization.

He's a Yemeni citizen. He's been hiding in Yemen in the province called Shabwa, according to government officials there for several years. He's a popular figure in Yemen as well. But he's so popular, in fact, that many people thought that after Osama bin Laden was killed, that he might ascend the hierarchy of al Qaeda and he might be the next leader.

He's a very charismatic figure considered by jihadists. He's somebody who is Internet savvy. He is putting his statements (ph) on the Internet and getting more devotees that way. He's speaking a different language than a previous generation of al Qaeda members of al Qaeda leaders, able to bring a lot more members into the fold. And just a few months ago, just a few days after Osama bin Laden was killed, a drone strike targeted Anwar al-Awlaki in Shabwa province in Yemen.

U.S. officials at the time and Yemeni officials confirmed that Anwar al-Awlaki narrowly escaped that attack. And then he went back into hiding. He's been a target there for awhile now. The Yemeni tried to get him in absentia last year. They gave him a guilty verdict. They send him to prison, but they could never find him.

But this is something also that's not really so much of a coincidence. The timing, since the president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has come back to the country. President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen has always said that he is the number one ally of the U.S. and Western countries when it comes to fighting al Qaeda.

So, if this really is true, there have been other reports in the past that Anwar al-Awlaki was killed and he wasn't. But if this is true, this is something that's certainly going to bolster the standing of Ali Abdullah Saleh, going to enable him to say to the West, look, I shouldn't step aside. There's a resurgent and emboldened al Qaeda in Yemen and you need me here as the figurehead to be able to fight this organization. I come back just a few days later and we're able to kill Anwar al-Awlaki.

So, it's something that's certainly going to bolster Ali Abdullah Saleh with his allies and the way he's perceived as somebody who is able to fight al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Fascinating stuff. I know you're continuing to do some reporting on this. We'll let you go. Mohammed Jamjoom reporting live for us on the death -- the supposed death of Anwar al Awlaki, supposedly, Yemeni, the Yemeni governments saying that al-Awlaki has been killed, along with some of his followers. We're not exactly sure how, but if indeed this man is dead, that would be big for the United States since he's inspirational in the al Qaeda movement.

In other news this morning, if you're a fan of bank fees, and I know you are, you're going to love this. Starting early next year, Bank of America plans to charge 5 bucks a month for using your debit card. It won't matter whether you use your debit card once or a bunch of times per month. The fee will not apply to ATM withdrawals.

This comes as a new rule goes into effect that reduces fees bank may charge retailers for debit card transactions.

The man who finally called 911 for Michael Jackson's house on the day he died says Conrad Murray put him on cleanup patrol before paramedics arrived. Here's Jackson's director of logistics talking about Murray's instructions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He reached over and grabbed a handful of vials and then he reached out to me and said, "Here, put these in a bag."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That man went on to tell jurors about the moment he found out two of Jackson's children were watching their dying father.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were right behind me. And Paris screamed out, daddy. Dr. Conrad Murray said, don't let -- don't let them see their dad like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Today, we're expecting to hear testimony from paramedics.

Lawyers for Amanda Knox told jurors that their only option is to clear their client of guilt and overturn her conviction in the 2009 murder of her roommate. They've used their final arguments to counter portrayals of Knox as the femme fatale. They claimed DNA evidence was contaminated and that Knox was not allowed a translator once she was arrested. But, today, the prosecution gets its rebuttal.

In the meantime, we're getting an exclusive, never-before-seen look inside the Italian prison where Knox is being held from the perspective of a rock band that plays for inmates. The band Hands of Time has struck up a friendship with Knox. You might have seen her there in the red shirt. She's actually letting lose.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEO ARIEL, "HANDS OF TIME" BAND LEADER: She's struggling. She knows. She knows she shouldn't be there. She's struggling with the fact she can't be with the people she loves and she can't do the things she loves to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And as I said, Knox and her former boyfriend will give their final statements on Monday before the jury deliberates a ruling.

A Massachusetts man officially has been charged for his alleged terror plot against Washington, D.C. Authorities say Rezwan Ferdaus plans to fill remote-controlled model airplanes like those with explosives and then attack the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol. Neighbors in his upper middle class neighborhood on his street about 30 minutes from Boston paint him as a young man who liked to keep to himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A loner. He would float up and down the street always with his head down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The 26-year-old was arrested after federal agents posing as al Qaeda members delivered what the suspect thought were explosives. He's now facing six terror-related charges. A detention hearing is on the schedule for Monday.

A mob attacked the U.S. ambassador in Syria. And this isn't the first time. What's described as an armed violent mob attacked Ambassador Robert Ford during a visit with an opposition leader. He was not hurt, but it is similar to a confrontation last month. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls the situation ugly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: This assault is clearly part of an ongoing campaign of intimidation aimed at not only American diplomats, but diplomats from other countries, foreign observers who are raising questions about what's going on inside Syria.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: An opposition group says at least 49 people have been killed in western Syria over the past two days in fighting between pro and antigovernment forces.

Nearly 40 current or former Boeing workers are now facing drug charges. They are accused of illegally selling, having, or trying to buy prescription drugs like OxyContin and Xanax at a plant near Philadelphia. This is a plant that makes aircraft used in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Boeing said it cooperated with the investigation, and the quality of the aircraft was not affected.

Now, let's head to Atlanta to check in with Rob.

Expecting any flight delays today, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, you know what, Carol? We got a pretty decent storm moving across the Great Lakes, big winds in Chicago and much of the western Great Lakes. So, that's going to be a problem.

Here's what it looks like. It's also going to be the one storm that kind of shakes up the weather pattern that's been causing the dreary and muggy and unsettled weather across the Northeast. It will replace it with a cooler and still some unsettled weather there. So, winds have been gusting over 30 miles an hour this morning in Chicago. So, that's where we expect certainly to see some delays, probably over an hour throughout the day today.

Same deal in Detroit and Cleveland, maybe a little more in the way of some rain. Less in the way of winds, but enough to cause some problems at the New York metro airports and some breezy conditions across Atlanta. Still another balmy day across the East Coast, but look at Chicago and Minneapolis, barely touching 60 in those spots. We'll see some lake effect showers over the weekend. Some of which might even mix with some snow at times across parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Meanwhile, it is still hurricane season. And Ophelia has strengthened not only to a hurricane, but a category two hurricane, with winds of 100 miles an hour, moving north-northwesterly. It's not going to affect the U.S. But it will pass by Bermuda. Tropical storm warnings are posted for that island.

It will make a run at our friends in Newfoundland Sunday night into Monday, likely as a morphed storm and actually a tropical storm. But it will have hurricane-force winds. So, this will be the second time this year that Newfoundland gets hit by a hurricane.

So far, we have been relatively lucky as far as not having a major strike with a major storm here. But we have our share. We're waiting for hurricane season to be done.

Speaking of the tropics, Carol, we'll have time hopefully, in the next half an hour to talk about a man who was caught smuggling humming birds in his pants and caught at airport security. We'll have pictures, too.

COSTELLO: Oh, great. I can't wait for that.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: See you then.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Rob. We needed to smile.

Of course, we're continuing to follow this breaking news on the death of an American citizen linked to al Qaeda. And official statement from the Yemeni Defense Ministry confirmed that Anwar al- Awlaki is dead. Some of his followers were also killed. No word on exactly how al-Awlaki and his followers were killed.

Anwar al-Awlaki is suspected in playing a key part in the failed underwear bomber incident, you know, the one that tried to bring that plane down over Detroit in 2009. This man is also suspected of encouraging Army Major Nidal Hasan to kill 13 fellow soldiers at Fort Hood back in 2009. He was named a global terrorist by the U.S. Treasury Department.

Once again, we have just learned that accused terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki is dead.

It's 10 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 12 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

Just a couple weeks ago, we reported that Netflix lost nearly 1 million customers. Now, its stock has taken quite a hit.

So, let's head to Hong Kong and check in with Christie Lu Stout.

Wow, people are mad at Netflix. Everybody is -- even investors.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, very mad. And other issues as well. Shares of Netflix, it fell some 11 percent at the NASDAQ, hitting its lowest price in a year. The stock has fallen more than 60 percent from its all time high on July the 13th. It's all thanks to the customer backlash over a video service price hike.

Netflix is also facing stiff competition from Amazon, which unveiled its tablet, the Kindle Fire, earlier this week. The Fire is designed to work with Amazon's own video service.

And you have Microsoft -- Microsoft also plans to offer video streaming through Xbox live.

So, Carol, all of this is adding up to that downward pressure we're seeing on Netflix.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about tweets and how they are sort of like mood rings. You know, the mood rings of the '70s.

STOUT: I like that. I was going to say this is more like a focus group. Mood rings, I like that comparison a lot more.

Researchers at Cornell University, they studied the mood of 2.4 million people on Twitter. They read through 509 million tweets and they learn that people tend to wake up in a good mood, which worsens during the day, and picks up from dinner time to bedtime. So, I mean, no big headline there.

But the researchers -- they also launched a Web site called timeu.se where you can explore more behavioral results from this massive Twitter data set. For instance, we're playing around in the newsroom and we found that there was a spike in mentions of CNN on Thursday nights on Twitter. Don't know why, but the data is there. Check it out. And researchers are calling it a game changer for behavioral research.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: Thursday nights? Really?

STOUT: Yes. Go figure. Timeu.se, you can go on there, play around with it. You can add different terms like CNN, breakfast, @CarolCostello, @CarolCNN, whatever it is and see during the time of the day or days of the week, you get a spike in mentions on Twitter. It's fun.

COSTELLO: That's amazing. I love it. I'm going to do it after the show.

Thank you, Kristie Lu Stout, live from Hong Kong for us.

Yes, The Onion is hilarious, unless you work for the Capitol police in Washington. In 90 seconds, we'll tell you about the oniony tweet that left a really bad taste in their mouths.

It's 14 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Sixteen minutes past the hour. Good morning to you.

Late night comedians take gabs at Obama. What else is new? Here's your punchline.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

JAY LENO, COMEDIAN: We had a big fundraiser in West Hollywood. President Obama was heckled by a protester who called him the antichrist. The man was briefly detained and then released without being charged, and then later offered his own show on FOX News. That was interesting.

JIMMY KIMMEL, COMEDIAN: The president is doing whatever he can to appeal to voters now. He held an event at the White House yesterday called El Presidente Obama Que Responde.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are laws in the books that I have to enforce.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. You can change the laws. You are el presidente.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll tell you what's true!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jose?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jose!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jose!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jose!

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I survived your brutal attempt to murder me. It was a miracle. Obamacare, it's a beautiful plan.

CONAN O'BRIEN, COMEDIAN: In a speech yesterday, Michele Bachmann, you know, she was giving a speech, and she told students that it's OK to settle for cake batter if the local yogurt shop is out of cookies and cream.

Yes. It was in response to the question, can you give us a food-based metaphor that explains your marriage?

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

COSTELLO: Oh, ouch!

Time now for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS, live from Washington.

That was a low blow. So let's turn the corner, shall we?

We could learn more about the fiscal health of the presidential campaigns this weekend. Please fill us in.

TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS POTUS: Well, today is the end of the quarter obviously. The 15th of October is when the numbers are due to the Federal Elections Commission.

But the game, Carol, as you well know is how to position this and how to spin it. There will be numbers coming out. "Boston Globe" reporting this morning that Mitt Romney's campaign will collect between $11 million and $13 million in this quarter, down from the $18 million in the first quarter.

We're looking at $5 million from the Ron Paul campaign.

Rick Perry's campaign is not providing projections, but the expectation is they'll hit that $10 million goal. Of course, he has made for the entire quarter.

The key is when the announcements are made and also how much they get compared to what they thought they would get. Pretty much everyone, even the presidential campaign, though, pretty soft this quarter, partly the economy, partly the debate in Washington over the debt ceiling being raised. The president couldn't get out of the town.

So, it will be fun to watch as the numbers come out throughout the day, Carol.

COSTELLO: Michele Bachmann's numbers, let's talk about that. We heard Ed Rollins say that her campaign was just about broke. She isn't releasing fundraising numbers for a couple more weeks. I mean, is that an even more ominous sign?

FARLEY: That's a pretty good observation I think and I think you're on target there because I think that it's probably not -- they will come out on the 15th, which is when they are required to. On the other hand, maybe they have some good news at some point. Maybe they are just lowering expectations for us and they are saying, trying to look weak and yet will come out looking strong. But that's what the spin is all about, I guess, Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes.

Let's talk about The Onion. Most people love The Onion. But capital police certainly weren't laughing at a joke tweet about armed congressmen holding children hostage. It was supposedly this alleged plot to attack the Capitol and Capitol police took it seriously.

FARLEY: Well, of course. And The Onion is hilarious. Let's face it. But number one, it was a tweet, which means that it gets forwarded by a lot of people, and sometimes those things get truncated, which means it raises questions.

And if the Capitol police are getting questions either from reporters or from the public at large, I think it indicates that there may have been a problem, and I am just as much enjoying the snark of The Onion as anybody else. But given the recent arrest of somebody who was thinking of trying to attack the Capitol and you saw what happened when the earthquake hit and people all of a sudden flashed back to 2001 and 9/11, I don't know, for me, it's just a little over the top.

The Onion can keep making fun of political pundits like me and have all the fun they want, but at least it doesn't disrupt the safety in D.C., because the Capitol police wind up having to deal with rumors instead of what they do. That's just my take.

COSTELLO: I think you're on to something there.

Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS -- thank you as always for joining us.

FARLEY: Have a great weekend.

COSTELLO: You, too, Tim. Thank you.

We are continuing to follow this breaking news. We have word from the Yemeni government that Anwar al-Awlaki, a terrorist linked to the al Qaeda movement, is dead. This is the man who inspired Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter. He also inspired the underwear bomber, you know, the guy who tried to bring down the plane in Detroit on Christmas day a couple years ago.

If this is true, this is big news because Anwar al-Awlaki was supposedly responsible for radicalizing people. He could even do it online. He was a very charismatic figure.

Again, we don't know how he was killed but we are following this story.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be back with more.

It's 21 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Twenty-four minutes past the hour.

Once again, we have just learned that accused terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed supposedly in Yemen. The Yemeni government is telling us this. This guy is the inspirational voice for al Qaeda.

We have our Pentagon reporter, Barbara Starr, on the phone right now.

I know it's tough to get information, Barbara. But what do you know?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, what we're really looking for is the confirmation of the report from the Yemeni government that this has happened. And it will be key to whether it is the Yemeni forces or U.S. forces that carried out this attack, if true. It is really important to know that U.S. Special Forces have been in and out of Yemen for some time.

We know there was a contingent there recently working on training and counterterrorism assistance, if you will, with the Yemenis. We don't know if the U.S. troops were involved, but there were U.S. troops there recently. Multiple military sources have told us that.

And I think, as you said, one of the key things about Awlaki is his involvement with al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Qaeda in Yemen. They in recent years have proved to be the one terrorist group that has essentially could reach out and touch inside the United States through the underwear bomber incident, the Times Square incident, whether it was inspired by al-Awlaki or actually carried out at his orders, still it was this extraordinary influence that he carried in recent years with these very small attack attempts, but yet attack attempts that could reach out and touch inside the United States for one of the few times since 9/11 when these individual attackers really made an effort to do something in this country -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Right. We're still trying to get information. Barbara Starr, reporting live from the Pentagon. We're going to take a break. We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. It is Friday, September 30th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York this morning. It's just about 30 minutes past the hour.

Let's start with our breaking news this morning. We have just learned that an American citizen linked to al Qaeda has been killed. An official statement from the Yemeni Defense Ministry confirmed that Anwar al-Awlaki is dead.

Let's talk with Mohammed Jamjoom. He is live on the phone from Istanbul.

What more can you tell us about this killing, this supposed killing, Mohammed?

VOICE OF MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, we don't yet have a lot of details from the Yemenis. There is a statement saying that he was killed. This is huge news. Anwar al-Awlaki has been a fugitive on the run from Yemeni officials and U.S. officials for many years now. He's a very charismatic figure in Yemen.

He's considered very popular. And he's somebody who's very popular within the al Qaeda organization, because he speaks fluent English, because he's very internet savvy, because he was putting his (INAUDIBLE) on the internet, and was inspiring the whole new generation of the al Qaeda movement. Many people thought that he might be the leader in waiting of al Qaeda.

Once Osama Bin Laden had been killed, that he might as in the hierarchy and take away the leadership of that organization. That didn't happen. And a few days after Osama Bin Laden was killed, we heard from U.S. officials and Yemeni officials that a drone strike had targeted Anwar al-Awlaki, but he narrowly escaped that and was backed in hiding in Yemen.

The Yemeni officials have been trying to either capture or kill al-Awlaki for some time. U.S. officials have been trying to capture or kill Anwar al-Awlaki for some time. They don't want him out there. They consider him to be one of the most dangerous al Qaeda members there is, because he's such a popular figure and because he was able to really rally people to the cause and bring people to Yemen and inspire them in trying to launch attacks on the west -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And -- I just want Americans share this with Americans because al-Awlaki was suspected of playing a key part in the failed underwear bomber incident that tried to bring down a plane in Detroit in 2009. He's also suspected of encouraging army major, Nadal Hasan, to kill 13 fellow soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009.

So, that this guy may be dead is important for American security. How likely is it, Mohammed, that the United States played a role in al-Awlaki's death?

JAMJOOM: I would say it's likely. You probably won't hear that right away, but we know that U.S. drones, whether they're operated by the U.S. or whether it's intelligence sharing, that drone strikes have been basically planned by the U.S. in the past and trying to go after Anwar al-Awlaki.

The U.S., after Osama Bin Laden's death, confirmed that they were involved in the drone strike that went after al-Awlaki and narrowly missed him. There's been a lot of information sharing and intelligence sharing that's been in the U.S. and Yemen on Anwar al- Awlaki and trying to capture or kill him. So, I would say that it's more than likely that the U.S. played a role, but it probably will be a little while before the U.S. would confirm that -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And you were telling us something interesting before that the, you know, that the Yemeni leader had just come back to the country and this killing might be politically motivated.

JAMJOOM: Ali Abdullah Saleh, the president of Yemen, who has been recuperating after surviving an assassination attempt. He's been in Saudi Arabia for the past three months. He just returned to Yemen a few days ago. Ali Abdullah Saleh has been coming under increased international pressure to step aside, because there's a lot of anger directed at him in Yemen.

There's a huge anti-government protest movement there. And so, many allies of Yemen has been asking Saleh to step aside and to find a power transfer deal. That that's the best thing for Yemen. They don't want Yemen to be sort of destabilized. Ali Abdullah Saleh's argument has always been that the U.S. and other allies of Yemen will not be able (INAUDIBLE) after al Qaeda and Yemen without this help.

So, the timing, certainly, seems coincidental (ph). If Ali Abdullah Saleh, a few days after returning to Yemen, even while he's still be called upon by the U.S. and other powers to step aside, if he'd be able to say, look, I came back, and a few days later, we were able to kill the most wanted al Qaeda person out there right now, this would be a big victory for him.

And the countries that have been calling for him to step aside would have to modify that somewhat or at least that's how the Yemenis would perceive it. So, it would be a big victory for him. The timing certainly doesn't seem coincidental. And Ali Abdullah Saleh has, in the past few months, been making a lot of noise about going after al Qaeda, about trying to target Anwar al Awlaki, about cooperating with the U.S.

So, this is certainly something that would bolster his chances in the eyes of the international community to try to hold on to power a little bit longer in that country -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about al Qaeda itself, because after Osama Bin Laden's death, people pretty much thought al Qaeda was like weakened beyond repair, because there wasn't a leader to put into his place. And you mentioned that al Awlaki might have been that leader. That he might be dead, is this, once and for all, the death now for al Qaeda?

JAMJOOM: Well, I don't think it's the death now, but what you've seen in the past few months, at least according to analyst and ask -- when it comes to al Qaeda is that it is a weakened organization. One of the reasons they're weakened is because they're not as relevant anymore. In this Arab spring, the uprising that has taken root across the Middle East in that region, al Qaeda hasn't played a role.

They've sort of been forgotten. They haven't played any role in bringing down leaders or bringing government in this prodemocracy movement that has based in the root. That having been said so, in Yemen, al Qaeda and Arabian peninsula is still a very powerful organization. It's become to be the most threatening wing of the al Qaeda movement. It's an emboldened resurgent group.

By most account, only about 700 members, but they've been able to try to launch very spectacular and very sophisticated attacks against the U.S. and other countries in the past few years. It really shows the strength of the organization in Yemen. Yemen is an impoverished country. Many parts of it are bold (ph).

There are many parts of that country where they can hide very effectively from the authorities, and they can't be found. So, even though, the organization itself as a whole is much more diminished in stature than it was a few years ago, and many people say that it might be dying out, in Yemen, it's still resurgent.

And in the past few months, in the south of Yemen, entire towns have been taken over by al Qaeda as militant (ph), and that's really scared U.S. It scared Saudi Arabia (INAUDIBLE). It scared many other countries in the region.

And al Qaeda in Yemen is still a very big problem. It's something that world in unity, and allies of Yemen want to make sure it's taken care of. So, it is a big deal that there's still a lot more work to be done in Yemen when it comes to trying to snuff out al Qaeda and this organization -- Carol. COSTELLO: Mohammed Jamjoom, thank you so much. Let's head live to Washington now. Dan Lothian is on the phone. He's our White House reporter. Dan, good morning. The White House is certain to welcome this news that Anwar al-awlaki may be dead.

VOICE OF DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. In fact, a senior administration official confirming to me that, in fact, he is dead. That this was a key target for the U.S. In fact, President Obama is giving the order last year for capture or kill, by -- as we've been hearing a long ago, you know, by no means does this mean that it's the end of this threat from this group.

But no doubt, it is good news for this administration to be able to get a target like that, who had posed a threat to the U.S. within these connected threats against the U.S. Aa senior administration official confirming that, in fact, he is dead, and that officials are telling me they'll have more information coming shortly.

COSTELLO: How likely is it, Dan, that the United States had played a part in this death?

LOTHIAN: Well, it's unclear at this point. I mean, there's a story at least on this end that's still developing. And, you know, the U.S. has been very active in that region with drone strikes. There's been, at least, a couple of reports over the past year that U.S. drone strikes had killed him. And those reports turned out not to be correct.

So, it's unclear. At least, we've not confirmed yet that the U.S. operations there in Yemen air strikes were, in fact, what was responsible for his death. The senior administration official just confirming that the fact he is dead.

COSTELLO: How big a threat was this man as far as the White House was concerned?

LOTHIAN: Well, he was certainly considered a big threat. We're not talking about Osama Bin Laden, but certainly in the Arabian peninsula, he was considered a significant figure, and that's why President Obama had issued a capture and kill order. What's interesting is at the time his father wrote a letter to the president suggesting that his son, in fact, was not part of al Qaeda, but nonetheless, U.S. considering him a threat. And again, confirming this morning that, in fact, he is dead.

COSTELLO: Yes. And just to remind people, this al Awlaki is suspected to playing a key part in the failed underwear bomber incident and tried to bring down a plane over Detroit back in 2009. He's also suspected of encouraging army major, Nadal Hasan, to kill 13 fellow soldiers at Fort Hood back in 2009.

He was named a global terrorist by the U.S. treasury department. So, you can see, Dan, why the United States might welcome this news that this terrorist leader is dead. The interesting thing about this man is he was born in New Mexico. He's an American citizen. He was educated in part in the United States. He attended mosques within the United States. And I believe he left the country shortly after 9/11. And recently, he's been hiding out in the mountains of Yemen. So, there has been this all-out effort to try to find this man on the part of the Americans in cooperation with the Yemenis.

LOTHIAN: That's right. And I think you bring up a very good point that this was an unusual effort by U.S. to go after a U.S. citizen. In the past, some of the other targets were not U.S. citizens, and I think that's why this particular case, in addition to the fact that he was connected to these high profile terrorists, threats against the U.S., he was also a U.S. citizen.

So, that is correct. This was a safe target for the administration. It does present yet another achievement in the ongoing effort to go after terrorist who do post a threat in U.S. And again, we hope to get more information shortly about what role the U.S. played in getting him. In fact, were the U.S. drone attacks in that area responsible for his death as some reports have suggested.

COSTELLO: All right. Dan Lothian reporting live for us in Washington. Once again, we have just learned that accused terrorist, Anwar al Awlaki, is dead. That has been confirmed by U.S. officials. Don't know exactly how he died just yet, but we'll have more details as soon as they come into us. It's 41 minutes past the hour.

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COSTELLO: Forty-four minutes past the hour. Good morning to you. We have breaking news this morning.

The al Qaeda terrorist, Anwar al-Awlaki, has been killed in Yemen, just about 140 kilometers east of the capital of Yemen. It was an operation supposedly carried out by the Yemeni government, although U.S. forces might have been involved. We just don't know that right now. But whatever it is, it is a victory in the fight against terrorists, especially al Qaeda throughout the world.

In other news this morning, the man who finally called 911 to Michael Jackson's house on the day he died says Dr. Conrad Murray put him on cleanup patrol before paramedics arrived. Murray is on trial for the involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death. CNNs Don Lemon has been following the court proceeding. He joins us live from Los Angeles. So, fill us in, Don.

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. You know, so much time was lost in this case. So much time was lost according to prosecutors. When Alberto Alvarez, who is the head of Michael Jackson's logistics or security, if you will, when he got to the front door, he says he saw Conrad Murray standing over the banister on the second floor looking at him, exasperated.

So, he runs upstairs. By the time he gets upstairs and he ushers the children away, they're all watching, and he gets into the room, instead of calling 911, he said Conrad Murray started this whole cleanup campaign before calling 911 and told him to start putting viles in a bag. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERTO ALVAREZ, DIR. OF LOGISTICS FOR MICHAEL JACKSON: He reached over and grabbed a handful of viles. And then, he reached out to me and said, here, put these in a bag.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And now -- it went on longer than that. He said now take this and put this in the plastic bag. Take this plastic bag and put it in the brown bag. Take this, put it in the blue bag. So, again, according to the prosecutors, they're going to say they were trying to clean up lost crucial moments. Finally, finally after almost 88 seconds, after almost 88 seconds, then the 911 call. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did anybody witness what happened?

ALVAREZ: No. Just the doctor, sir. The doctor is the only one here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. So the doctor is there?

ALVAREZ: What happened, sir?

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're on our way. We're on our way. I'll just pass this on to paramedics.

ALVAREZ: Thank you, sir. He's pumping the chest, but he's not responding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. OK. We're on our way. We'll be there shortly.

ALVAREZ: Thank you, sir. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Alvarez, was that your voice?

ALVAREZ: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was that difficult to hear?

ALVAREZ: It is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And that was just a snippet of that 911 call. That took a long time, too. When he called (ph) 911, they put him on hold and they transferred him and they had more conversation with him. So, again, a lot of time was lost here. And that's what the prosecution, Carol, is trying to drive home. Not only time was lost, but that Conrad Murray was trying to clean up evidence, Carol. COSTELLO: It's just so bizarre that it took so long to call 911. I know there was some testimony from the chef as well and the security man ran in and said, you know, there's something wrong with Michael Jackson, and she went back to cooking lunch. It's just such a strange story. The Jackson Family is in the courtroom hearing all this. How do they seem to be holding up?

LEMON: You took the words out of my mouth. Yes. There was a lot of time lost. And I don't know. Maybe, everyone was thinking like, oh, so you called or you called or, you know, this is your responsibility. I don't know. But I was sitting in front of the Jacksons this time yesterday in court, and as that 911 call came on, I turned and looked.

And, they were just sort of sitting there. And some of them had had their heads down. And they were looking at the mom to see if the mom needs tissues. And she said, I'm OK. I'm OK. But the 911 call was about two minutes long. And every time you hear like hold on, standby. I'm going to get someone and talking and talking.

You can hear them mumbling like, uh, like get there, you know? Even they are reliving it again, like I want someone to get there, but it was just pause after pause after pause. And then, finally, they came. But what prosecutors are saying is that they believe Michael Jackson was already dead and really didn't just have a chance.

COSTELLO: Unbelievable. Don Lemon, thanks always, reporting live from Los Angeles.

We're going to have more on our breaking news. The al Qaeda, inspirational voice, let's say, the man who was born in America and has been hiding out in the mounts of Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki is dead, killed in an operation led, apparently, by the Yemeni government. We'll have more on this story after a break. It's 49 minutes past the hour.

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COSTELLO: And welcome back. It's 51 minutes past the hour. We continue to follow breaking news this morning on the death of an American-born terrorist, terrorist linked to al Qaeda. Anwar al- Awlaki is his name. A senior Obama administration official is confirming to CNN that al-aWlaki is dead. Mohammed Jamjoom joins us live on the phone. We know a little bit more, at least about, where he was killed.

JAMJOOM: Well, that's right, Carol. We've just gotten a statement from the Yemeni embassy in Washington D.C. They sent us the location where Anwar al-Awlaki was targeted and killed in (INAUDIBLE). That's about 140 kilometers from the capital of Yemen from Sanaa. We're also told that the operation happen around 9:55 a.m. local time. That would have been around 3:00 a.m. eastern time in the United States.

Still, not a lot more details beyond that. We're still trying to find out if the U.S. played any role when it change to intelligence sharing, if this was a drone strike, is the calculation seems to be the same that it might be, how it happened and how they gathered the intelligence to find out exactly where he was, because before now, Anwar al-awlaki was widely believed to be in several province (ph), that's another province of Yemen.

That's a province that is special homeland, and it's a province that Yemeni government officials have repeatedly pointed to when they believed that Anwar al-awlaki was hiding -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And just to remind our viewers who this man is. He is responsible for the underwear bomber plot back in 2009 here in the United States in Detroit. He also inspired the Fort Hood shooter, you know, that shooting killed 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009 as well. dO we know what al-Awlaki's life was like in Yemen?

JAMJOOM: We don't know. We have ideas from journalists in Yemen who had spoken to him, but there's been a lot of rumors as well. You know, some people in Yemen claim that Anwar al-awlaki, you know, really wasn't in hiding in the province before he has been staying, that he was revered there as a hero.

But the government officials that we've spoken repeatedly said no, look, there's no way that he would be able to operate out in the open. They believe that he was facing the mountain cave somewhere, and that's why he was so hard to find. That being said though, you know, Yemen outside of the capital is a very rugged country. It's impoverished country.

And it's a country with a very weak central government. So, it's not a country that is very looking for government-backed forces whether U.S. or Yemen to find people that are on the run, especially if they're in provinces where there are tribes that support them. And many in Yemen believe that Anwar al-Awlaki was a figure who was revered by certain tribes.

He comes from a very powerful tribe. The al-Awlaki tribe in Yemen is an extremely powerful tribe. They have affiliations with the government. And so, it's just something that was very difficult to try to find out exactly where he was. It was very difficult to pinpoint. And for awhile, the Yemeni government was afraid to openly go after Anwar al-Awlaki because he was so popular and because he was such a revered figure.

The Yemeni government was always afraid, and they thought that they would lose a lot of ground support in Yemen if they were perceived as openly going after Anwar al-awlaki no matter how much the U.S. might have wanted to capture or kill him -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting. I know some of his followers were killed as well. That's according to the Yemeni government. How many followers did he have there? I know you spoke a little bit about this, but was it -- I mean, was it a large following?

JAMJOOM: Well, it's hard to know. He was certainly a popular figure in parts of Yemen, and he's certainly a popular figure when it comes to the al Qaeda organization. And he was certainly the most charismatic figure within the al Qaeda's organization. He was somebody who was so popular. In Yemen, they were afraid to go after him. They were afraid to be openly seen as acting on the part of the west and trying to capture or kill him.

They thought that it was a lot of popular support. As far as the actual numbers, it's hard to know. But, you know, in Yemen when you're talking about al Qaeda, even though it's the strongest link of the al Qaeda organizations, you're talking only about 700 people, and that's one of the most fascinating things when it comes to, you know, counterterrorism forces and officials in Yemen if even though the numbers aren't large, analysts say maybe 700, maybe 1,000 active al Qaeda members in Yemen, but it's a very reserved and emboldened group.

It's believe that learned from the states (ph) and other al Qaeda groups in the Middle East in the region, and they've been able to try to launch spectacular attacks and very sophisticated attacks from their base, you know, in the mountains of Yemen, and that would seem to be counterintuitive.

You wouldn't think that they would be able to do that and be that from that base in Yemen in such a rugged terrain, and yet, they've been able to do so, and that's why they've been targeted. That's why Anwar al-Awlaki has been targeted (INAUDIBLE) in the past few years -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mohammed, stay with us. We have to take a break, but we'll be back with more on this breaking news that Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed in Yemen. It's just about four minutes until the top of the hour.

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