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Train Crash in New York; Jordan Executes Two in Retaliation Against ISIS; Plane Crash in Taiwan Caught on Video; NTSB Investigators Arrive at Train Crash Site

Aired February 04, 2015 - 11:00   ET

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

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Jordan striking back, executing two terrorists linked to ISIS after the terror group burned alive a Jordanian pilot. Jordan now vowing further retaliation.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Absolutely terrifying video, a plane falling out of the sky, it is caught on camera. How did this deadly crash happen? How is it that there are any survivors?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People were pulling the windows off trying to get out through the emergency windows, screaming and yelling. It was just total panic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a painful reminder to all of us how precious life is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

A deadly train crash during the evening rush in New York leaves six dead. We're live on the scene.

Those stories and more coming up at this hour.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan.

BERMAN: And I'm John Berman. Our breaking news this morning, a dramatic turn in the battle against ISIS, what some are really calling a defining moment.

At dawn, the kingdom of Jordan executed two jihadis, a female would-be suicide bomber -- you can see her right there and an aide to the deceased leader of the al Qaeda in Iraq's -- you know, part of al Qaeda, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

They were hanged in retaliation for the horrifying killing of a Jordanian pilot by ISIS militants.

BOLDUAN: Moath al-Kasasbeh was burned alive while locked in a cage. His grisly killing sent a wave of outrage across Jordan and really around the world. King Abdullah of Jordan will be visiting the pilot's family today.

Our Atika Shubert is joining us from Amman, Jordan, with much more. Atika, there were protests all through the night really, calling for revenge, on the ground in Jordan. What are you hearing? What have you been hearing today?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That grief and anger you can still very much feel on the streets here. People are just really stunned and horrified by this murder.

And we've seen spontaneous gatherings throughout the day in support of King Abdullah as he arrived earlier today but also prayers for the pilot and his family. And there we heard people saying is were killers, murderers, and describing Moath al-Kasasbeh as a hero and martyr.

But what can be done next? His family has spoken out and said that the execution of those two terror convicts in jail here earlier this morning is simply not enough. Take a listen to what his family said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAWDAT AL-KASASBEH, BROTHER OF PILOT KILLED BY ISIS (via translator): Now I call on all Jordanians to be in one rank and one person united, fearing for the land of our beloved country. We lived in Jordan, and we will protect Jordan, and we will die in Jordan.

If God wills the Arab army, the colleagues of Moath will take revenge for Moath al-Kasasbeh.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUBERT: May be too far away to hear but right now we can hear church bells ringing at different churches in Amman, and they are ringing in prayer service for al-Kasasbeh and his family. There have been prayers throughout the day, Islamic prayers, but also now Christian prayers.

And it really is solidarity from across different communities here in Jordan. And the message all seems to be the same. They support Jordan's government to take even more military action against ISIS.

BOLDUAN: Atika, thank you so much, Atika Shubert on the ground for us in Amman, Jordan.

Coming up, we're going to take a closer look at how this brutal murder and the anger that it's created will now be impacting the fight against ISIS. No one wants to see something like that.

I felt the need to watch it for our viewers, and I'll tell you I get goose bumps even thinking about it. It is the most horrific thing I've ever seen, and you see a lot in this business.

BERMAN: CNN is not showing it because it is nothing less than ISIS propaganda and something people don't need to see.

We have some unbelievable footage to show you of a plane crash that had dozens of people on board. This happened in Taiwan. The plane lurches between buildings -- you can see it right there -- falls into a river after it clips a taxi. Just amazing to see that.

Amazingly, there are survivors and emergency crews are still searching for additional possible survivors in the water right now.

David McKenzie joins us with the latest.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. Certainly quite incredible that there were survivors, some 15 survivors, they say. Unfortunately now, the death toll has risen to 25 people confirmed dead.

The civil aviation authority in Taiwan, they've pulled that fuselage out of that river and pushed most of it to the bank while they continue to pull out what might be survivors but unfortunately probably more likely just bodies from that plane.

That extraordinary moment in the morning in Taiwan when the plane dipped over the buildings and cart wheeled over a major highway, clipping a taxi, and then dumping into that river, very early yet to know what exactly happened but certainly shocked citizens in Taipei right now.

John and Kate?

BERMAN: Just stunning to see that.

BOLDUAN: Does not seem real.

BERMAN: No. And we're going to talk more about that later about how there could be survivors. We'll speak to Mary Schiavo, aviation expert.

David McKenzie, thanks so much for being with us.

Happening now, NTSB investigators have just arrived on the scene of the deadliest accident in the history of New York's metro north railroad line. Six people were killed when a commuter train collided with an SUV in Valhalla, which is about 20 miles north of New York City.

Officials say the gates at the crossing came down on top of a car, which had stopped on its tracks. The jeep's driver was killed along with five people on board the train, which burst into smoke and flames.

New York's governor Andrew Cuomo spoke about what the passengers went through. We don't have that sound bite from Andrew Cuomo, but you can imagine the horror of those on board.

They were evacuated, people were, through the rear of the train, the people in the front car simply many of them could not get out. We'll have a live report from the crash site in just a few minutes.

BOLDUAN: And more snow is coming to parts of the country already hampered by the nasty winter weather. Forecasters say another storm system is on the way to hit the Midwest and the Northeast. This of course is after the previous system hit, not only snarling traffic but also killing at least ten people.

Meanwhile, schools are reopening, and travelers are trying to get back on their way after thousands of flights were canceled earlier this week. Among the city's hardest hit, Boston. It set a new record for snowiest seven-day period ever with more than 40 inches.

BERMAN: But no snow, no cold, and yes, no team could keep the New England Patriots from glory. You are looking at live pictures right now from where the New England Patriots will be holding their Super Bowl victory parade.

It was delayed by a day, just a day. It will happen. It will wind through the streets of Boston right there. You can see the snow packed up on the banks there. It's hard to get rid of snow so people can have a place to stand.

BOLDUAN: One of the few streets that are clear right now in Boston probably.

BERMAN: Just a parade, no rally, they did not clear off in front of Government Center where they normally hold a victory rally because there's just too much work to get rid of that much snow. But they will have --

BOLDUAN: And the temperatures, right? It's freezing.

BERMAN: Damn cold.

BOLDUAN: That's the best way to say it.

BERMAN: Up next, seven minutes after the hour right now, turning outrage to action, the next step in the war against ISIS, a lot of people see this as a turning point.

BOLDUAN: And the deadliest train crash in the history of New York's busy metro north railway, we're going to take you to the scene, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back. Jordan is still coming to terms with horrifying death of their pilot by ISIS terrorists.

This is not the first time ISIS posted online a video of its killings, but what makes this one different is not only the horrific nature of the pilot's death but also the fact he was from a Middle Eastern nation taking part in the U.S.-led military fight against ISIS, and it appears ISIS is trying to send a message of sorts that this is the fate awaiting all of the countries involved if they continue that fight.

BERMAN: And new this morning, Jordan fights back, executing two convicted terrorists in retaliation, so what impact will that have? Let's bring in CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank and senior fellow of national security affairs at the Heritage Foundation, Peter Brookes. Gentlemen, thanks for being with us.

Paul, let's start with you. Let's start with the latest news here, the execution. Jordan executed two convicted terrorists.

What do you think reaction will be by ISIS, and what more now can and do you suspect Jordan will do?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: I think there's going to be a lot of anger from ISIS. Al-Rishawi was an ISIS icon. They could retaliate inside Jordan.

Up to 2,000 Jordanians have traveled to Syria and Iraq to fight with these various jihadi groups, a lot of them fighting with ISIS. Up to 9,000 pro-jihadi extremists inside Jordan, there were demonstration this past summer in support of ISIS in a couple Jordanian towns, so there's a real concern that ISIS could retaliate inside the kingdom for these executions at dawn but also if Jordan steps up its air campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

BOLDUAN: And the question -- I want to get your take on as well, Peter, on what more do you expect Jordan to do, especially in light of the fact that we heard from the chairman of the Senate armed services committee, John McCain, earlier today.

And he says that he's hearing from Jordanians that they're frustrated, that they need more advanced weapon systems. They need more advanced weapons to take on the fight against is.

What do you think?

PETER BROOKES, NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Well, Jordan has a very capable military, perhaps the most capable in the Middle East, but it's not that big, and I don't think it can take on ISIS by itself.

We should welcome other -- Jordan and other Arab states coalescing together to take on ISIS, because I'm concerned we're not making progress we should be.

But one of the most important things is American leadership on this, diplomatic leadership bringing this coalition, making it stronger and also providing the military arms to our partners in dealing with this.

Like I said, this is going on for a while. I hate to be contrarian, Kate, but I'm not sure this is a game changer. There's a lot of words out there, a lot of rhetoric, but we've got to see some action to deal with this terrible threat.

BOLDUAN: Well, and to your point, and you say you want to see Arab nations coming together to fight ISIS, but we've seen an example just now of where that seems -- the opposite seems to be happening, "The New York Times" reporting that the United Arab Emirates has stopped, has suspended its air strikes against ISIS because of exactly this situation, because of the Jordanian pilot had been taken hostage.

BROOKES: And that's why I won't call this a game changer. I won't call this a game changer for that reason.

The other thing people forget about is how complicated this is. As they fight ISIS, the Arab states are looking over their shoulder at what Iran is doing in Iraq and Syria and the Syrian regime as well who are not friends with the Arab states.

So they're saying, if I'm fighting ISIS, am I helping Bashar Assad? Am I helping the Iranians? This has gotten out of hand, and I think the administration has let this go on without having a Syria policy.

We should be -- it shines a spotlight on the fact that we really don't have a good policy in place right now for dealing with Syria. And so this is very, very complicated and not easy stuff by any stretch of the imagination.

BERMAN: Paul, if we can, let's keep the focus on the Arab reaction right now and if you can make the counterargument to what Peter is saying there, because there are people who say this is a defining moment and game changer, to use an over-worn cliche right there. How does this change the situation, not just for the regimes, because they have came out and made forceful statements today from Saudi Arabia to Jordan to the UAE, but on the streets? You yourself say some 2,000 Jordanians are fighting for ISIS. How does this stop the flow of people into the organization?

CRUICKSHANK: Well, I mean, the pilot was from a prominent Sunni tribal family from the south, the tribes are very conservative. But they are mad with ISIS right now. So that could stop the flow of recruitment. I think that it really is a game changer. From the Jordanian perspective, we're seeing protests against ISIS in Jordan, we're seeing the head Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the center of learning for the Sunni-Islamic world, calling on ISIS fighters to be crucified. There's this real palpable anger across the Sunni-Arab world right now.

BERMAN: Is it because of how he was killed? Is it because of the burning? Look, no one should be surprised that ISIS is brutal. If they are surprised, they haven't been paying attention. But now because they set this man on fire, which admittedly is horrific, that's enough to change the game in parts of these communities?

CRUICKSHANK: These horrible images are being viewed right across the Middle East and they are causing absolute indignation that a Sunni would be killed by ISIS.

BOLDUAN: And put it in perspective, because cremation, burning a body is forbidden according to Islam.

CRUICKSHANK: Absolutely. The sort of main stream Islamic teaching absolutely prohibits anything like this. There is horror right across the Muslim world and these kind of key moments, which really do affect people, of course they've been killing thousands of others, including Sunnis in Iraq and Syria, but this is a big moment. This is being looked at by millions of people across the Middle East, and I think it could be a watershed moment. Obviously a lot of work has to be done. You know, there are some countries where the (INAUDIBLE) is very much lukewarm for this anti-ISIS coalition right now. For example, United Arab Emirates has suspended (INAUDIBLE). But I think that this will help the Obama administration make the case for extra Arab support for this mission.

BERMAN: Interesting to see. Wonder if it's not just the U.S. making the case, but I wonder if countries like Jordan now are making the case to their neighbors, as well. Paul Cruickshank, Peter Brookes, thanks so much.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, guys.

Coming up for us, a deadly train crash in New York leaves six people dead. Dozens also injured. We'll take you to the scene, live images. So scary.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: Happening now, NTSB investigators just arrived at the site of a commuter train crash that claimed the lives of six people.

BOLDUAN: The train hit a jeep that appears that it was stuck on the tracks at the time just north of New York City. Five passengers and the driver died as a result of the crash and the ensuing fire. Listen to what one passenger said about the chaos onboard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC WELTE, PASSENGER: There was a passenger that ran past me. He had blood on his face and people were pulling the windows off trying to get out through the emergency windows. Screaming, yelling, it was just total panic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Along with the loss of life, this crash is causing a whole lot of trouble for people living on the second largest commuter railroad line in the country. As many as 45,000 riders take the Metro-North Railroad on an average weekday. About 14,000 of them board north of where that crash occurred.

BOLDUAN: This is the latest in a string of incidents involving the Metro-North. The last one look place in December of 2013 when a train in the Bronx sped through a curve and the resulting crash killing four passengers.

BERMAN: We want to bring in CNN's Deborah Feyerick who is live at the scene in Valhalla. Deb, what are you learning?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're learning that the NTSB has officially taken control of this scene. I don't know whether you can see this door just past me there. I think we have another camera angle, as well. You have investigators wearing Tyvek suits that are entering the train car to begin the forensic gathering of all different pieces of information that might help put together what happened. They earlier were at the head of the train, and you can see we were able to get a glimpse. There's some buses that are actually covering the front of the train, protecting it really, from people seeing it and the front of the train is burned out. You have a silver SUV that's still crumpled, mangled into the front of the train car there.

So right now, we know that the medical examiner is asking for dental records and DNA to identify some of those passengers who were on that first car. That is the car that took the heavy brunt of the impact. It caught fire actually after the SUV exploded and the third rail shot up from the tracks into that train car adding a surge of electricity and that's why that thick, black smoke that you see, that's what that apparently was caused by. Now, according to a county official, an eyewitness says that there had been an accident on a nearby parkway and so a lot of people were finding divergent ways to get back to their homes.

One woman, it appears, got caught on the tracks or inched her way onto the tracks, possibly thinking she had enough time and then all of a sudden the gates went down. She got out of the car and tried to lift the gate, but it was simply too late. She was able to get back into the car but the train came just moments after that. That's all something that NTSB investigators will be looking at, including they're going to be looking at the gates, the signals, the weather conditions, the tracks, all of that. But right now, they are here, they're on scene, and the official investigation has begun. Kate and John?

BOLDUAN: Deborah, real quick. Any word on how long they think the investigation is going to take? It sure looks like they have a lot to go through.

FEYERICK: They really do. You see a lot of members of the press here getting the shot of those investigators. They're going to be on the ground for five to seven days. It will take them about nine months to 12 months before they issue an official report. However, if there is an actual safety violation or something that they can do with respect to safety, then they'll immediately let the public know about that, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Deborah Feyerick on the scene for us. You can see investigators really getting their work underway as we speak. Deb, thanks so much.

BERMAN: Jordan vows it will not be intimidated by the brutality of ISIS, but at least one other member of the coalition has frozen its role. We have new details about what the battle plan might now be ahead.

BOLDUAN: An unbelievable video. Just look at this over and over again. Look at this. A plane, a passenger plane, crashing in Taiwan. There are some survivors. We're going to take a look at how that's possible next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)