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First Photos of Boston Shootout; Suspects' Former Brother-in- Law Speaks; Memorial for MIT Cop; Escaped Boston Bombs and Texas Blast

Aired April 24, 2013 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from here in Boston -- several developments unfolding this morning.

Let's begin with Boylston Street. It has now reopened. The epicenter of the city's terror is back in business. Reopening to pedestrians not yet though for vehicles.

Insult to injury, the families of those wounded in the attack they are outraged. They're demanding that the terror suspect be moved from the same hospital where many of his alleged victims are recovering.

Next stop in the investigation Dagestan, U.S. officials arriving in the southern Russian Republic to interview the parents of the accused killers.

Meanwhile millions of people watched the last week's shootout between the Tsarnaev brothers and police from the safety of their homes, but one man was too close to the action because it was taking place right in his front yard.

Our chief Washington correspondent and the anchor CNN's "The Lead", Jake Tapper has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW KITZENBERG, WITNESSED WATERTOWN GUN BATTLE: Cars were stopped right in front of that pole from here. So it was roughly 75, 80 yards from here.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Andrew Kitzenberg normally tranquil suburban street erupted into a war zone. The 26- year-old had the presence of mind to start taking pictures with his iPhone and live tweeting the gun battle as the Tsarnaev brothers were allegedly pinned down by police. He walked us through what he experienced that night.

KITZENBERG: As soon as I saw the two shooters and saw that it was gunfire, I ran immediately up the stairs to my bedroom on the third floor. And I also got my camera right up against the windows and the glass, continuing to take -- to take photos of the shooters and what was happening right in front of my bedroom window. TAPPER (on camera): Describe what we're seeing here.

KITZENBERG: So this was the one of the first pictures I took. And it was -- I mean, it was the two shooters that were taking cover behind the black SUV and still engaging in gunfire and shooting down towards the Watertown officers.

TAPPER: Ok so that's the green sedans is where they had bomb, pipe bombs and explosives?

KITZENBERG: Yes they were bringing out in back packs so I assume that in those back packs were additional ammunition and explosives.

TAPPER: And they were both firing?

KITZENBERG: They were both firing yes.

TAPPER: What's going through your mind when you're taking these pictures? Did you know that these are the -- the brothers that were wanted?

KITZENBERG: Not initially.

TAPPER: So you thought it was separate?

KITZENBERG: I just wasn't thinking marathon. I didn't make a separation, I just -- it didn't come to my mind until they started using explosives and when they started using explosives that's when I knew it was something much more significant and I pretty much knew who I was looking at.

TAPPER: Were you worried for your life?

KITZENBERG: You know at that moment, taking pictures, I was more so in just a state of a shock and was terrified. But I guess not enough to stop -- or to get away from the windows. After that larger explosion and there was a smoke cloud in the street, one of the brothers ran towards the officers.

TAPPER: The older brother?

KITZENBERG: And he was running down the street and still engaging in gunfire. Run down the street as he got closer to the officers, he was taken down. And as that happened the second --

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: The younger brother yes.

KITZENBERG: The younger brother got back into the SUV and turned it around and then he started accelerating down the street.

TAPPER (voice over): Four and a half days later, adrenaline is still running high on this street. After all anything could have happened.

(on camera): What point did the bullet go through your roommates wall and into his chair?

KITZENBERG: I don't know. I didn't hear it coming. I took a picture kind of after the -- the gunfire had stopped.

TAPPER: A bullet was fired from that direction where the police were and it went through the second floor here through his calendar, through his desk chair and landed on the ground thankfully not hitting any person.

Jake Tapper, CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Also new this morning, a shocking new claims coming in from a man who was married to the sister of Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Who says he doesn't believe they acted alone and he echoed the concerns of other relatives as well who think that Tamerlan's descent into extremism was fuelled by a mysterious and influential figure named only "Misha", an Armenian friend of the older brother who coached him in his strict Muslim beliefs. Authorities have been looking to talk to this individual identified as "Misha".

Here is what the former brother-in-law had to say to me only a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELMIRZA KHOZHUGOV, FORMER BROTHER-IN-LAW OF THE BOMBERS: I've met Misha. Tamerlan introduced me to him. And well, it seemed to me that Misha has influence on Tamerlan because when I asked -- for the reasons why Tamerlan quit boxing, he said that Misha (inaudible) boxing is violent (inaudible). And also when Tamerlan quit music (inaudible).

BLITZER: And do you believe -- do you believe he inspired -- he inspired the older brother to become a radical Muslim? Is that what I hear you saying?

KHOZHUGOV: I'm not sure if he inspired or taught him to be radical Islamist, but he surely did have influence and did teach him things that would make Tamerlan, you know, go away from the people and go more into the religion and maybe, maybe that's possible that he suggested to him some radical ideas, but I wouldn't say that -- I mean, I didn't witness him making him radical or you know, I didn't witness him say things to this. I just know that Tamerlan told me that he quit boxing and music because Misha was, you know, teaching him that it's not good in Islam to do those things.

BLITZER: What was Misha's last name -- what was Misha's last name? Do you know his full name? Misha?

KHOZHUGOV: No, I don't -- I don't know his full name. I only met him twice and we just shook hands and Tamerlan told me this is Misha my friend. He is an Armenian who converted to Islam and he lived in the U.S. for a while now. That's pretty much it. I heard them speak to each other, but I didn't listen to Misha's words too much because, you know, I don't really like talking about religion so much.

BLITZER: Did you ever suspect that Misha was connected directly to any terror groups?

KHOZHUGOV: I didn't suspect even him or Tamerlan being connected to terror groups or terror -- having terrorist ideas, but I know that they had a lot of conversations about just, you know, Islam and how Islam is being attacked from the outside -- you know from the Western countries and how Islam is under pressure, but I never heard them speak of, you know, doing -- doing -- having terrorist attacks ideas.

BLITZER: When did you notice a change in Tamerlan? When did he -- when did you see him becoming more -- more religious, more devout, if you will?

KHOZHUGOV: It was when he was 22, 21, 22. He just graduated from high school and he didn't get into college right away. So he was having I guess difficulties finding himself and at some point he started being interested in not just religion and not just Islam, but he also read other philosophers and read Confucius. He read Gandhi. But eventually of course he came out closer to Islam because that's his background. That's what his family believes. And I guess that is why Islam was his choice.

At first but then yes he -- he started changing. He started changing towards being somewhat radical, yes. He would always support ideas of, you know, being -- good Muslim, you know pray five times a day. And you know he was going to mosque regularly, start doing it when he was about 22, 23, maybe. He would always protect -- try to protect many conversation. He would try to protect his ideas and defend Islam and maybe even sometimes defend, you know, people in other countries like, I guess, Afghanistan. That yes they were invaded for no reason or something like that.

BLITZER: Elmirza tell us about the younger Brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 19-year-old who is now in a hospital here in Boston. What was he like?

KHOZHUGOV: He was a really calm guy. To me, he was the little brother of my friend. And he was -- there was never a suspicion that he would be doing something wrong or -- he seemed really smart. He was getting good grades at school, and he would always listen to his parents, not like Tamerlan who would occasionally stand up and state his own ideas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: My interview with the former brother-in-law of, the two Boston bombing suspects. We spoke just a little while ago. He's in al Madi, the capital of Kazakhstan. Elmirza Khozhugov, 26-years-old the same age as the older brother who died in the shootout with police. More of that interview coming up later.

Meanwhile the MIT police officer gunned down Thursday night is being remembered this afternoon by the staff, the students, the students he swore to protect, and police who are coming in from all over the country. Another special guest will be there to pay tribute to this officer, Sean Collier. We'll take a quick break. We'll update you on what's going on right after this.

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BLITZER: In a little more than an hour from now, the Vice President Joe Biden, he will join the MIT campus in honoring the police officer Sean Collier at a memorial service. Collier was killed Thursday night. He was shot several times. It was the first of several incidents that evening. Police believe that were related to the suspected bombers. Since that shooting MIT students and staff have created a makeshift memorial on the campus.

Our White House correspondent Dan Lothian is continuing our team coverage of what's going on. He's joining us now with more. So the Vice President will be here, his wife Dr. Jill Biden will be here as well. This will be a pretty moving ceremony honoring this 26-year-old police officer -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It really will be wolf. It is a difficult time for all those in the Boston area dealing with the aftermath of the bombings. And now the vice president heading to that region to take part in this memorial service, a very public affair we're told by a senior administration official that the Vice President will be delivering remarks during the noon service that will be paying tribute to someone they say who did what he could to help other people.

There was a private funeral for Officer Collier yesterday, but this is again a more public affair. Some 10,000 people not only those from the MIT community, but we're told law enforcement officials from across the country. The idea today is really to shine a spotlight on a young man who, by all accounts, he was involved in much more than law enforcement.

He was involved with the ambulance service on campus we're told with causes off campus. Helping out organizations that were fighting cancer, so someone who everyone has something good to say about today; getting the spotlight shined on his life and all of the causes that he supported -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And Sean Collier, Dan, also will be remembered by MIT with a medal in his honor. Tell our viewers what that's all about.

LOTHIAN: That's right. In MIT is saying that they have set up a fund. And this fund will support the Collier medal. This is something that will be handed out, we're told, to individuals who sort of have his kind of values and support the kind of causes he has supported. So this is something that they want to establish so that looking back it will be more than just a tragedy that is at the center of his life but rather all the things that he stood for -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Dan Lothian, over at White House for us. Thanks very much. We'll, of course, have coverage of the MIT memorial service in honor of Sean Collier and the Vice President will be attending that as well. Just ahead here in the CNN NEWSROOM, we're going to introduce you to a man who survived the Boston terror attacks, but only days later became a witness to a massive explosion in Texas.

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BLITZER: We'll continue our special coverage from here in Boston in just a moment. But first we're waiting for some new pictures coming in from the blast site over at that fertilizer plant in Texas. The plant exploded last week. In a little more than an hour from now, reporters will be allowed inside that blast site. Earlier reports show the crater is nearly 150 feet and 10 feet deep.

One man certainly witnessed that massive explosion in Texas just days after surviving the Boston marathon bombings. Gary Tuchman has his incredible story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joe and Amy Berti look at this past week of disasters in Boston and West, Texas from a very different vantage point than others. So unique, it's hard to even contemplate. They also look back with a deep sense of gratitude.

JOE BERTI, RAN BOSTON MARATHON: We just feel blessed that we're both OK and we're able to be sitting here, talking to you today.

TUCHMAN: Joe Berti's story begins last Monday in Boston. The Austin, Texas resident was running his first marathon for a charity called Champions for Children. This picture of him was taken at the finish line. Just seconds after he crossed --

J. BERTI: Amy was 10 feet from the first explosion.

TUCHMAN: His wife, Amy, was so very close. But not injured.

AMY BERTI, SURVIVED BOMBING: That doesn't seem to make any sense when the person who was standing beside me in Boston was so maimed.

TUCHMAN: Meanwhile, Amy had no idea where her husband was and grew panicked when she couldn't reach him on his cell.

A. BERTI: For an hour, it was the worst hour of my life. I didn't know if he was dead or alive.

TUCHMAN: Amy went back to their hotel.

A. BERTI: All the way up the elevator, I thought dear Lord, just let him be there when I get there. And I opened the door to our hotel room and thank God, there he was.

TUCHMAN (on camera): Tell me how it felt when you saw her.

J. BERTI: That was incredible. We were both very happy that we had found each other. And I just thought, the not knowing was the worst thing and not getting any response. TUCHMAN: Joe and Amy flew back to Texas on Tuesday to reunite with their children. On the next day, Wednesday, Joe had a business trip, so he drove from Austin to Dallas. After a few hours there, he started heading back home. And to get back to Austin, you have to drive on the interstate through this town, the town of West Texas.

(voice-over): Joe was minutes away from the West fertilizer plant when he was stunned to see huge plumes of smoke. He pulled his car over.

J. BERTI: Right out in the middle of the black smoke came a giant explosion. I saw a fire ball and then I saw a giant cloud of smoke. It was so big and it was so loud. It shook my car when it was driving. I was worried about stuff falling out of the sky, so I kept looking up. And I heard something hit the top of my car. So I quickly jumped out and took a picture.

TUCHMAN (on camera): You must be thinking to yourself, "I just went through this on Monday."

J. BERTI: Yes, the first thought was I can't believe this. And what is it? You know, is it another terrorist attack? Is it a bomb? Is it -- what is it, this explosion? It was so massive.

TUCHMAN: I mean how old are you?

J. BERTI: Forty-three.

TUCHMAN: In 43 years, have you ever been near a bomb or an explosion before?

J. BERTI: No, I've never seen an explosion.

TUCHMAN: And then it happened twice in three days.

J. BERTI: Yes.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Joe got back in his car and, in a jittery voice, called his wife, Amy, back at home.

J. BERTI: I said, "You'll never believe this. But I've seen another explosion," and started to describe it to her. And her first reaction was "Just get home." She's like "Get home as quick as you can.

TUCHMAN: And that Joe did, returning home to a wife and children who want him to stick around for a while.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Austin, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Amazing story indeed.

We'll take a quick break. We'll be back in a moment with more of our special coverage.

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BLITZER: The Philadelphia Flyers are the latest team to offer a tribute to the city of Boston and the victims.

Philadelphia fans were Boston strong with their wallets. The money from the Flyers' 50/50 raffle usually benefits local charities, but last night, the One Fund Boston was the recipient. Philly.com reports more than $85,000 was taken in and half of that will go to Boston. Nice work from Philadelphia.

We have a link to some victim's personal funds pages and Boston charities. You can go to our Web site cnn.com/impact to see how you can help.

Thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Boston. I'll be back 5:00 Eastern with "THE SITUATION ROOM". The "CNN NEWSROOM" continues right after this with Anderson Cooper.

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