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Attack in Kenya; Abducted Boy Reunited With Father

Aired September 23, 2013 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And we continue on hour two. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Topping the hour, 62 people dead, five Americans among the 175 people wounded and the situation isn't over yet. Watch this with me. We're talking about what's happening here ongoing this hour in Kenya, an active hostage situation in this upscale shopping mall in Nairobi

President Obama speaking about the attack moments ago and his conversation with the Kenyan president. Here he was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I had the opportunity to speak with President Kenyatta directly about the terrible tragedy that's happened in Nairobi. And we're providing all the cooperation that we can as we deal with this situation that has captivated the world. I want to express personally my condolences to not only to President Kenyatta, who lost some family members in the attack, but to the Kenyan people.

We stand with them against this terrible outrage that's occurred. We will provide them with whatever law enforcement support that is necessary. And we are confident that Kenya, which has been a pillar of stability in Eastern Africa, will rebuild.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: The president moments ago. We can tell you that three days now after the al Qaeda-linked militants stormed this Westgate Mall, the FBI is looking into claims Americans are among the Al-Shabab terrorists still holding hostages inside this mall.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Witnesses say bodies lay scattered across this mall. Some people ran. Others barricaded themselves inside the various shops. Just hours after Kenyan authorities said their forces were in control, our own reporter who was just outside the mall continued to hear gunshots, and one incident, as you're about to see, scrambled as heavy gunfire rang out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's more gunfire. Was that more gunfire? Can we have the helmets? Where is the helmet?

Come here. It's a gunman. These are the gunmen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is everyone OK? Helmets, helmets. They are saying come inside. What do we do?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: It's 10:00 p.m. in Nairobi.

Arwa Damon, our senior international correspondent, standing there where Zain Verjee was today.

Arwa, we know that authorities say they have killed three terrorists. They say they're in control. You're there on the ground. Tell me the sense you have about the situation right now.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's almost eerily quiet. We're here at this community center that's just around the corner from the Westgate Mall that's been set up as something of a triage area and it's also an area where people looking for missing loved ones can come and try to get some information.

There have been groups of volunteers from here that have been going out, trying to access the mall itself to bring out some of the bodies. They have had varying success in that. The Kenyan authorities are now saying that they do have control over the building, meaning that they are present on all of the floors, but there are still some gunmen who are inside there, who are still at large.

What we don't know, however, is the fate of the 10 remaining hostages. The last we heard from the government here was that there were still 10 people who were in captivity, but that was late last night. We have not had any sort of official update on what their situation today may be, very concerning given what you saw there, the heavy gunfire earlier in the day and also what seems to be an explosion that caused huge plumes of thick smoke to billow from the area of the Westgate Mall for hours earlier in the day, Brooke.

BALDWIN: What we do know is you spent your day, you were talking, I know, Arwa, to a number of victims, including a woman still looking for her husband. What did they share with you?

DAMON: Can you just imagine the last time that this woman spoke to her husband, and they have been married for 24 years, was around half- an-hour before the attack took place on Saturday. She immediately went to the scene, was among the crowds searching, hoping to get a glimpse of him, and she has heard absolutely nothing since then.

Of course, she's kept trying to call his cell phone. Now her calls are not even going through. We also spoke to two survivors, a couple. They're both radio presenters and actually their radio station had organized a children's cooking competition that took place on the roof of the Westgate Mall when this attack broke out.

You can just imagine the trauma, what it must have been like for these children. They say the gunmen stormed to the rooftop, threw a grenade, it would seem deliberately, into a corner, where a lot of children, their parents, other adults who there were hunkered down and then they began indiscriminately spraying gunfire at people.

They were barely able to escape. The wife was clutching her 8-month- old baby. She had a bullet graze her head, blood pouring down her face, her child drenched in her own blood. She said she didn't know if at that point the baby was dead or alive. That's when her husband took a thank difficult decision and stood up and began reciting verses from the Koran.

The gunman asked him if he was a Muslim. When he said yes, they managed to escape the scene and now are really trying to deal with the storm of emotions they're going through, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I cannot imagine. Arwa Damon, we will stay in close contact with you hopefully as you're getting updates. As we mentioned now, this is the eve -- the evening of day three.

We're learning more from some of the Americans who were inside the mall when the shooting began. Five Americans were among the wounded, including a woman from San Diego who said she is grateful to the people of Kenya for their help.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ELAINE DANG, VICTIM: I'm OK. I'm very grateful to be alive. I'm also very grateful for like the Kenyan people.

Everyone was so helpful and supportive. I don't want people thinking that something about Kenya -- like, I'm very prideful for the country. And I love Kenyans, even though I'm American.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BALDWIN: You heard her voice. We are also hearing from a North Carolina woman who described what she saw and heard in this chilling ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENDITA MALAKIA, WITNESS: We stood up and we started to turn, and then there was a second -- then we heard machine guns. And then we started to run, and there was a second explosion which knocked us on the ground. It was completely luck because we were on the ground floor, easily accessible. So, I think part of it was luck. We did a lot of praying in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Kenya's president says more than 175 people were wounded in that attack. And Al-Shabab is relatively unknown to a lot of Americans, but the group's influence inside the U.S. is a huge concern to law enforcement.

In fact, more than two dozen young men from the Minneapolis area have been recruited to join this militant group in recent years.

I want to bring in Abdirizak Bihi. He's a Somali community leader in Minneapolis.

Mr. Bihi, thank you so much for being with me today. And you have a personal story and really a stake in all this because it was your nephew who was recruited by Al-Shabab, later died. Sir, take me back to that time. What do you remember about him, changes in behavior when he was being recruited?

ABDIRIZAK BIHI, SOMALI COMMUNITY LEADER: Thank you for having me.

First of all, I would like to extend on behalf of the Somali-American community, to extend my condolences to the people of Kenya and the president of Kenya, President Uhuru. And we want to thank them for helping the Somali government to fight Al-Shabab and help liberate the most important region in the south of Somalia.

And that's my responsibility to convey those condolences to the victims. Yes, 2008, November, Election Day, we had (INAUDIBLE) missing our young men, and later on, we found out that my nephew and several others departed for Somalia. They were part of a group that was being radicalized, brainwashed, and then taken to Somalia to fight alongside with Al-Shabab.

BALDWIN: What were some of the signs, Mr. Bihi? Were you in contact with your nephew? Did you notice a change? What was going on with him at the time?

BIHI: We have not noticed anything unusual while he was here.

But when all those young men left, we gathered all the families together, and we had a discussion, looking back about their lives and what was different. We all agreed last three months of their lives here they were different. They were very quiet. They would stay up all night looking at the ceiling. They were very confused.

They were crying out loud to talk to someone. But they couldn't. So we look back now, we see all of those changes. We have seen them not playing sports, not engaging with their friends, neighbors, but being quiet, and spending most of their time at the mosque center.

BALDWIN: And I understand that you, noticing all this, and being astute, went to the mosque and because of all the time they were spending at the mosque, did you speak with the mosque leaders? Were they aware? Did they help you?

BIHI: No. As a matter of fact, that's the first place we went to, to find out if they are there or if the leadership knows anything about them.

No, they, as a matter of fact, said they would get back to us, but within two days, we have found them attacking us on Somali TV, calling us names, calling us people who have been hired and to lie about the mosque and the community. It took us four or five years before they admitted that all of the missing young men, dead or alive or indicted have been belonging to the mosque.

BALDWIN: I know you're working in the Minneapolis area with other community leaders to raise awareness of this happening.

Abdirizak Bihi, thank you so much for joining me today. I appreciate it.

BIHI: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And we're also hearing of very, very tight security today in New York. The terrorist operation in Kenya has, of course, just added another layer of concern for law enforcement in New York tasked with protecting these leaders from all around the world in town for the U.N. General Assembly.

President Obama is there now, along with other heads of state. And last hour, I talked to New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly about possible threats to these leaders, specifically from Al-Shabab.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: How much do you worry about its members striking U.S. soil, possibly in conjunction with what's happening in the building behind you this week?

RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Well, Al-Shabab has been on law enforcement's radar screens for quite a while. Most of their activities have been limited to Somalia, but, of course, our concern is that they can extend out of Somalia, and of course we have seen that in Kenya.

You know, there's a whole panoply of concerns that we have when the U.N. General Assembly comes in, but we have been doing this for many years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Commissioner Kelly told me he's expecting 120 heads of state in New York for the U.N. session.

Now to a possible hate crime that apparently shows the attackers are ignorant in more ways than one. Prabhjot Singh says at least a dozen people beat him, shouting -- quote -- "Get Osama," as they swarmed him. Here's the thing, Singh is not Muslim, but Sikh, a religion in which the men do not cut their hair, often wear it up in a turban, and the New York Police Department is now investigating this attack as a hate crime.

CNN's Margaret Conley spoke with the professor this afternoon.

And, Margaret, how is he doing?

MARGARET CONLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, doctors are saying he's an assistant professor at Columbia University. He's a practicing doctor, and he was walking on 110th Street and Lenox right here in New York right around the top of Central Park and that was just after 8:00 p.m. On Saturday. That's when he says he was suddenly attacked by over a dozen men.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRABHJOT SINGH, VICTIM: As we passed them, I heard get him, "Get him, Osama, and terrorist" and different orders and felt somebody grab my beard and hit me in the chin. I started running away from where all the bikes were. And I was punched a couple times while people were biking and then ultimately, stumbled and -- and they were on foot. Got punched a few times in the face in my lower jaw.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONLEY: He said he was targeted because of the way he looks. He suffered a fractured jaw and his body is bruised, but he was able to hold a press conference today and he said he's thankful to the three bystanders who helped him and he does plan to go to work tomorrow.

The NYPD, they say they're investigating this and it's ongoing. They're investigating it as a hate crime. They don't have any I.D.ed suspects just yet. This is not an isolated incident. Last year, there was a high-profile case where six people were killed in a mass shooting at a Sikh community in Wisconsin. These hate crimes, they trace back to 9/11.

The Sikh community, remember, this is the fifth largest religious community in the group. They say that first retaliation crime was days after 9/11. It was in Arizona and that was when a Sikh man was shot pumping gas in Arizona. So, Brooke, the Sikh community, they're fighting against what they say is unfair discrimination. They have just had enough.

BALDWIN: Margaret Conley, thank you.

BALDWIN: Just in to us here at CNN, the IRS official who oversaw the unit that targeted conservatives and other groups for several years is out. The agency tells CNN Lois Lerner officially retired today, but under federal privacy rules, the IRS cannot comment further on individual employee matters. Lerner been on administrative leave ever since this spring. More details as we get them.

Coming up, a baby taken 12 years ago, but his family never gave up hope and now this remarkable reunion story, all because of a small clue thousands of miles away. We have that for you.

Plus, this concert at a popular amusement park took a drastic turn. Seven teenagers rushed to the hospital apparently overdosing on this drug called 2C-P.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF MONTVILLE, AREA RESIDENT: I have never heard of this hallucinogenic drug, 2C-P or something like that? But, evidently, it raised hell last night here with these kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We're going to explain what this 2C-P is and take a look at some of the symptoms. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well, 12 years after a baby in Florida was allegedly abducted by his own grandmother, the baby's father finally getting the reunion he's waiting so very long for; 60-year-old Sandy Hatte was helping out her son by watching the baby while he was at work.

But when he returned home, Hatte and the baby were gone. It wasn't until last Wednesday, 12 years after the search began, the grandmother was arrested for alleged felony child abduction. Hatte is scheduled to be in court Wednesday to be assigned a public defender.

And John Zarrella, he is following this for us from Miami and what a story.

And 12 years later, how did they find this grandmother?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Brooke, this is just one of those amazing stories about a father's determination and about a lucky break.

What happened was this. When went to enroll the boy in school in Chillicothe, Missouri, earlier this year, a lot of the information she was giving didn't add up to school officials. They got suspicious. They called police. Police begin an investigation. And lo and behold, they find out that this boy was allegedly abducted some 12 years ago.

Now, and, of course, then Hatte is arrested and charged with the child abduction. Now, the boy's father wrote on his Facebook page just yesterday: "I just got the big one back from Sandy. She kidnapped him 12 years ago. She's in jail."

And, you know, the father and his family had been looking for the boy for quite some time. In fact, they got a tip that the grandmother was living in Missouri. They hired a private investigator. The private investigator finds a traffic violation that tracks the grandmother to Putnam County, Missouri.

But by the time they got there, she was one step ahead of them. She had left Putnam County. She had gone to Iowa. She hangs out in Iowa for a time. Something happens there and that's when she ends up coming back to Missouri. Police in Missouri say they don't know why she came back, but that she had lived in Missouri on and off for several years. And of course, the good news is that those school officials were red-flagged and notified police so that they could get her.

BALDWIN: Now this 14-year-old son back with dad.

John Zarrella, thank you.

ZARRELLA: Sure.

BALDWIN: You know, when you think of the drugs that have been in the news recently, what do you have, bath salts, Molly, drugs that have made headlines because of their spike in use.

But now there's another one we're adding to a list. Seven teenagers at this concert at an amusement park overdoes. They were rushed to the hospital, overdosing. We will talk about this drug called 2C-P next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Senator Charles Schumer, New York, wants a stronger crackdown on party drugs and their ingredients after recently people have been dying from a substance called Molly. It's a powerful form of ecstasy.

Two people died from it at this electronic music festival in the New York City area back in early December.

Our New York affiliate WPIX reports that Senator Schumer wants more legislation that would focus more attention not just on drugs like Molly, but also on the chemicals used to make them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: So we need to give our DEA and our FDA greater power to ban the counterfeit analog drugs just like they ban the regular drugs.

I have had a campaign against these new illegal drugs. We have had some successes. We banned three bad drugs. We need to ban more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, now you have heard Molly. What about this one, 2C-P.

Our affiliate WTIC reports 2C-P turned a concert into a crisis scene story at a Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Connecticut. Police tell this TV station that several people collapsed during the electronic music fest.

Of seven people treated, four actually had to go to the hospital. One had no pulse when crews got to him. The drug is a hallucinogen, and police say it caused the teens' body heat to rise to dangerous levels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MONTVILLE: I have never hurt of this hallucinogenic drug. 2C-P or something like that, but evidently, it raised hell here last night with these kids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I'm going to turn to Bob Forrest, certified addiction specialist who's a head counselor on the show "Celebrity Rehab."

Bob, nice to see you back on here...

BOB FORREST, "CELEBRITY REHAB": Thanks for having me. BALDWIN: ... though reading about this stuff, this 2C-P, it is this powerful hallucinogenic. Is this a new drug? What is this exactly?

FORREST: Yes, it's a new version of LSD. It's long-acting. It's intense.

But this is an overall bigger picture problem in America. You have synthetic marijuanas created all the time, new versions in synthetic and changed versions of MDMA, which is what ecstasy is, and now it's LSD. And this drug is very unpredictable. Sometimes, the symptoms, you don't feel the effects of it for three to four hours. And then all of a sudden, they're so overwhelmingly intense you can't even cope.

If you're in an environment like this, you're just going to collapse. You know, one of the problems also that happens at these dance concerts is they're not drinking water and they're not hydrating and they're in this intense environment. It's just a recipe for disaster.

BALDWIN: I mean, I know that, you know, music festivals and drugs, this is not news, but it seems like we have been talking about this more in the news recently. Can you hear me?

(CROSSTALK)

FORREST: My ear has gone out, but I can just tell you...

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: OK. His ear is gone. As we work on his earpiece, let me make sure we get this statement in from this amusement park.

This is what they said. "We carefully scrutinized the history of the production firm and indications were the company had presented numerous similar incidents without incident."

And the production firm Tight Crew said on its Web page it has a zero tolerance drug policy. "Promoters can't keep all drugs out," but obviously there are issues surrounding this.

Do we have Bob Forrest? Is his ear working? Come again? No. OK. We're going to move on.

Coming up next, an eye-opening warning, dozens killed in deadly mall attack in Nairobi. One person thinks the attack may be -- quote -- "just a taste of things to come in the U.S." We're going to talk to him next, hear why he says this violence could soon be on U.S. soil.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Bottom of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

This unfolding terror attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, raising all kinds of questions about the next terror threat right here in the U.S. So, I want to talk about some potential lessons from Nairobi with Christopher Dickey. He's the Paris bureau chief and the Middle East editor for "Newsweek" and The Daily Beast.

So, Chris Dickey, it's wonderful to have you on.

Obviously, I read your piece this morning. And I just want to quote you from The Daily Beast. "Heightening the risk -- heightening the risk is the fact that al Qaeda affiliates under pressure today no longer feel compelled to carry out such massive, complicated operations as 9/11. They know they can command the world's attention with much smaller attacks."