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Anwar al-Awlaki Possibly Behind Paris Attacks; The Hunt for the Terrorist's Widow; Alleged Plotter to Appear in Court Today

Aired January 16, 2015 - 10:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me.

We want to take you now to Yemen -- home to the branch of al Qaeda that claimed responsibility for those deadly Paris attacks. One of the group's leaders saying the incident was years in the making and masterminded by U.S. born cleric, Anwar al Awlaki. He's alleged to have met with one of the Paris gunmen. We're getting new details about the trip one of the Kouachi brothers made to Yemen.

CNN is the only major news network in that country. I want to bring in now senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh. What have you found out -- Nick?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, much of the focus of the investigation is not really when Said Kouachi and most likely too his younger brother Cherif, were actually in Yemen. We know there were a number of trips particularly focused on 2011 when Cherif is essentially thought to have used his brother's passport to come into Yemen perhaps legally and of course, the focus is did they meet Anwar al Awlaki, the U.S. citizen killed by a drone in that same year who is said to be the operational planner by al Qaeda in Yemen's lengthy statement.

We're learn today from an interior ministry official speaking to CNN that in fact in their data base of immigration here they believe that the first trip, the first record they have of Said Kouachi coming to Yemen is in August 2009. That is significant because it does mean it's possible that he was the roommate of the man known as Underwear Bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab who tried to blow up a plane to Detroit in Christmas in 2009.

They could potentially have roomed. That's been alleged here by witnesses. And the official -- the interior ministry official goes on to say they believe there were two or three subsequent trips after that lengthy one going on potentially as long as 2012.

Now that doesn't really tell you other information received but it's new detail and it starts to paint a picture really here giving a sense of the exact dates in which the elder Kouachi brother was in country and now the focus is when did the younger come here and most importantly who did they meet and what did they do, what did they bring back with them from here to France -- Carol? COSTELLO: All right. Nick Paton Walsh reporting live from Yemen --

thanks for that interesting information.

I want to talk more about that information with former CIA operative and CNN intelligence analyst Bob Baer. Bob -- thanks for being with me.

ROBERT BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Carol -- good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

So what do you make of that? One of the Kouachi brothers was in Yemen in August of 2009, which says he probably roomed with the Underwear Bomber, right. And then there were two or three subsequent trips. Nick Paton Walsh said that painted a picture. What does it paint for you?

BAER: I think Nick is right. I think what we're seeing here is -- this was more of an organized attack. It wasn't homegrown. The more evidence we see the larger number of cells that come into play. The connections with Belgium and Spain all tell me that this was an organized plot. And you know, we go on about lone wolves and rest of it, I don't think this was. It was probably funded out of Yemen.

These guys were sent there to get training and guidance. Make sure that they were thoroughly vetted and the rest of it. This looks like an organized attack with more evidence we see.

COSTELLO: Remember back in September when President Obama outlined his strategy against ISIS and used Yemen as a success story in terms of how the U.S. fights terrorism? Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us while supporting partners on the front lines is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Were there successes in Yemen?

BAER: Well, no. I mean, I don't think you could ever characterize it honestly as a success. Yes, that we did hit some targets. Yes, we did assassinate al Awlaki. Fine -- but that's not enough to stop a movement like this. The only thing that can stop violent jihad is a strong central government, for instance in Saudi Arabia where locals crush these movements.

At any place there's problems is where there's a failed state. Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Mali -- you can go down the list -- Nigeria, of course. And without a strong central government there's nothing the United States can do and there's nothing we can say. We just can't describe these places as successes. Even Pakistan is not a success of course. COSTELLO: Wow. So, can you kind of help us explain exactly what's

happening so in Belgium there were those raids -- right? And they found guns there and they found pretty heavy weaponry, explosives they found. They say there are like 180 cells operating within Europe. Are those all connected to al Qaeda, ISIS, Yemen -- where?

BAER: I really have a problem with those names. I just call it violent jihad. I know there is a competition between these groups but it doesn't really matter. They are at war with the West, with the United States. And they will fight us where they can. These North African immigrant populations in Belgium, high unemployment, there's absolutely no hope for these people and what they're doing is they're simply, you know, getting on the Internet and seeing this conflict in the Middle East. They are showing up there. They are getting battle training and they're coming back home.

And as I've said for a long time, as long as these wars go on in the Middle East, as long as there are political black spots on the map, there's going to be blowback in Europe. And I would assume one day in the United States. We're much better off than the Europeans because we're able to assimilate our immigrant populations much better.

COSTELLO: Bob Baer, thanks for your insight. I appreciate it.

Still to come, one woman could know how this attack was carried against France. We're talking about this woman who has possibly fled to Syria. Why can't they track her down? Is she out of reach? We'll talk about that next.

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COSTELLO: Against the backdrop of those terror raids in Belgium, the hunt for Hayat Boumedienne continues. She's the partner of the gunman involved in the kosher market attack and authorities are staging a massive search to find Boumedienne who is believed to have fled to Syria.

CNN's Brian Todd is in Washington this morning. Good morning, Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning -- Carol. We have critical new information this morning on Hayat Boumedienne's whereabouts, her timeline, her actions in those critical days before the "Charlie Hebdo" attack. The hunt for Boumedienne as you mentioned is now focused on Syria where it's gotten a lot tougher.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: She maybe the only person close to the Paris attack plot still alive and now the hunt for Hayat Boumedienne is intensifying.

RON HOSKO, FORMER FBI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Right now she looks like the key player in this story. She's alive as far as we know and her information is vital to cracking this thing open.

TODD: Boumedienne's movements and her transactions are now coming into clearer focus. Prosecutors say a Belgian man arrested for arms trafficking recently bought a car from Boumedienne. Inside his residence, documents that refer to the same type of gun used in Paris by Amedy Coulibaly, Boumedienne's boyfriend. That's according to Belgian media.

A source close to Spain's security services tells CNN Coulibaly and Boumedienne drove from France to Madrid on December 31. The source says Coulibaly stayed there until January 2, five days before the "Charlie Hebdo" attack then drove back to France. Boumedienne flew that same day from Madrid to Istanbul according to security sources in Turkish media.

The man with her in this surveillance video in Istanbul when she arrived, a Turkish official identifies him as 23-year-old Masi Bellucin from Paris. The newspaper "Le Monde" says he may be connected to a separate jihadist cell.

Turkish officials tell us Cell phone pings show Boumedienne slipped into Syria by January 8th the day before Coulibaly's hostage standoff in the kosher market.

JEAN PAUL REY, FORMER FRENCH SECURITY SERVICES OFFICER: I think we'll never see them. They will stay in Syria in the Sham -- Islamic state and maybe it will be back but I think she prepared the exit for a long time.

TODD: Coulibaly had pledged his support for ISIS but his lawyer has said the girlfriend was the more radical one. She may be under ISIS protection.

REY: She's an asset for ISIS. She's a very good asset. She's known. She -- I was to say in French -- she's jolie, you know. She speaks French. Maybe she can give advice for new targets.

TODD: If she's with ISIS, it will be much harder to find her and capture her alive but a U.S. official says law enforcement agencies from Turkey, France and the U.S. are working together to track her.

HOSKO: Intelligence there will be all sources. It will be collection of electronic emanations. It will be satellite coverage and it will certainly be human intelligence which is critical.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Ron Hosko, that former FBI assistant director says that Western law enforcement and intelligence agencies will also tap into another network here. He says they're going to try to interrogate Western jihadists traveling into and out of Syria to see if any of them have seen or spoken to Hayat Boumedienne -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Brian Todd reporting live from Washington. Many thanks.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, the FBI says his plan to attack the capital was ready to go. Now this U.S. Terror suspect is just hours away from his first appearance in federal court. We'll take you there next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In a matter of hours, Ohio terror suspect Christopher Lee Cornell will stand before a judge for the first time in federal court. The 20-year-old has been on the FBI's radar for months. Agents claim Cornell was writing alarming posts on social media about violent jihad. On Wednesday he was arrested before his alleged plot could have been put into action.

Cameras will not be allowed inside the Cincinnati courtroom this afternoon but our Alexandra Field is covering this for us. Good morning.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. We are expecting Chris Cornell to arrive here at the federal courthouse in Cincinnati sometime in the next couple of hours. He'll appear before the judge at 1:30 for his scheduled detention hearing.

We know that inside the courtroom, his parents are planning to be here. They have not spoken to their son since his arrest but they are speaking out in defense of him.

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FIELD (voice-over): Christopher Cornell was a high school wrestling star. His parents say they once had hopes for a bright future but he didn't seem to find his path after high school.

JOHN CORNELL, FATHER OF TERROR SUSPECT: Breaks my heart. He had so much potential. He could have got a scholarship.

FIELD: Recently there was reason to be hopeful again.

ANGEL CARMEN, MOTHER OF TERROR SUSPECT: His attitude changed. He became a lot happier. He said that's great. He felt calm and he felt that peace which absolved him with the gods, became just happy-go- lucky.

FIELD: He grew out his beard and adapted Islam. After reading a lot about it and his parents saw signs it's believed really taking hold.

He would come in at prayer time. To say his prayers --

FIELD: At the same time, the FBI says he was planning a deadly attack. On Wednesday, agents raided the family's Cincinnati home seizing a book Cornell had written in and a computer. Online authorities say he told an FBI informant he wanted to commit violent jihad.

Over several months investigators monitored the plot as it was taking shape. Authorities say pipe bombs would be placed in the Capitol and people would be shot as they fled the scene.

CORNELL: I don't know. I don't think Chris ever wanted to hurt anyone.

FIELD: Then why say it? And why walk into the gun shop?

CORNELL: I believe he was coerced.

FIELD: FBI agents arrested Cornell Wednesday after he bought two semiautomatic rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition at the Pointblank Gun Shop and Range in Cincinnati.

JOHN DEAN, POINT-BLANK GUN STORE AND RANGE: We had the forewarning that he was going to come in but then also they greased the skids a little bit so that things would go smoothly as part of the sale.

FIELD: Asked to help authorities in the sting, John Dean sold Cornell exactly what he asked for.

DEAN: I'm getting a lot of thumbs up today.

FIELD: How did he strike you? Did he know what he was talking about?

DEAN: He did. He struck me as someone who had done some research but hadn't actually had a lot of hands-on experience with a gun.

FIELD: Cornell had never fired a gun according to his parents. They say he never talked to them about ISIS and he showed no signs of anger or violence. They say he spent much of his time alone. Did he have friends?

CORNELL: He had friends up until about a year ago. I think when he grew his hair out and grew his beard.

FIELD: On the day of his arrest, Cornell left a note with his parents saying he was going to live with a friend who would get him some work. Their son now behind bars but his parents believe he'll come home one day.

CARMEN: I feel that it wasn't him. It wasn't him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (on camera): So Carol, Christopher Cornell has been staying at the Butler County Jail. He'll arrive here at the (INAUDIBLE) courthouse, of course, with police. And even though that hearing is still a couple hours away, we are seeing a stepped up police presence at the courthouse this morning. We have seen some officers patrolling on foot. We have also seen some officers with canines out here sniffing, always happier looking for explosives when you're talk about a high profile case like this one.

They are trying to do everything they can to make certain that this courthouse is secure in advance of a high-profile appearance.

COSTELLO: All right. We'll check back. Alexandra Field, reporting live from Cincinnati.

We'll have more news ahead including coverage of the terror attacks in Europe and concerns about terror cells in France and Belgium. I'll be right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. This just in to CNN. NASA and NOAA say last year was the warmest on record ever. The global average temperature over land and water for 2014 was the highest among all years since record keeping began in 1880. The temperature was up 1.5 degrees over the 20th century average. That beat the previous record warm years in 2005 and 2010. December set a record, too. The combined global temperature was the highest on record.

I want to take a moment this Friday to have a little fun. A pizza delivery guy's tip is causing quite the uproar. But as Jeanne Moos reports, he may end up making a bundle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Pizza delivery man versus used car lot employees -- who would you trust? Instead of the delivery guy getting fired, the Internet got fired up. "Shame on you all for how you treated that pizza delivery man."

It all started when Jared Tahmzi (ph) from Palace Pizza delivered an order to F & R Auto Sales in Westport, Massachusetts.

So Follow the math. The total pizza bill was $42. The used car employees chipped in and gave Jared the delivery guy a total of $50 bucks. Two 20s and two 5s which means $7 leftover. Jared leaves with a 50. There's disagreement about whether he said anything about keeping the change before he took off.

The car lot people complained to Palace Pizza's manager and Jared comes back to return the seven bucks recorded by a camera in the car lot office.

Pizza delivery guy: It just doesn't make sense why you would hand me a bill that you were just going to have me drive back to you give back anyway.

MOOS: The man behind the desk explained he gave Jared all of the money the group had collected and expected to get back the correct change.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The manager apologized once for you. Do you want him to apologize again for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got your $7 back so the world is right now.

MOOS: Oh, no it wasn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out the door before I put my foot in your ass.

MOOS: Someone posted the video. It went viral -- the insults flew.

"Scumming nasty people. F&R Auto Sales was bombarded with. terrible reviews. "Do you or someone you know want to be treated like crap? This is your go-to place."

The comments got so bad the car lot called police. By Thursday afternoon, the owner of F & R auto sales had publicly apologized for the actions that led to this embarrassing video. The owner offers an unspecified cash donation to the delivery man. He says the man in the blue shirt was not actually an employee and that the female employee has been fired. But will all that counteract the video?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and the manager on the phone. I want that (EXPLETIVE DELETED) job.

MOOS: Supporters of the delivery guy even set up a Go Fund Me account for Jared that raised thousands, much of it in donations of $7, the amount of the non-tip. Wrote one supporter, "Once I messed with a pizza guy, haven't sold a car since." Taking on the delivery man turned out to be biting off a lot more than a car lot could chew.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

COSTELLO: Go Jared. That's awesome.

Thanks so much for joining me today I'm Carol Costello.

"@ THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA" starts now.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN HOST: Good morning to you. I'm Michaela Pereira in New York.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: And I'm John Berman live in Paris.

We have breaking news. New terror threats spreading across Europe; authorities now scrambling to identify jihadists before they strike again. An intelligence source tells CNN that the threat appears to involve up to 20 cells with as many as 180 people ready to launch attacks. France, Germany, Belgium and also the Netherlands. We're told that the Belgian threat was imminent.