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Four Marines Killed In U.S. Shooting; FBI Treating Shooting As Terrorism Investigation; Former Classmate: Abdulazeez Was Always Smiling; New Footage Appears To Show Aftermath Of MH17 Crash; Greece Awaits Outcome Of German Vote; Gunman Identified As Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez; Gunman James Holmes Found Guilty Of Murder; Hammond, Netanyahu Spar Over Iran Deal; New Footage Appears To Show Aftermath Of MH17 Crash. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired July 16, 2015 - 03:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: A gunman targets and kills four Marines. We'll have details on the suspect, his weapons, and his background.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Berlin decides, the German parliament prepares to vote on Greece's bailout deal.

ALLEN: New compelling video shows the close-up of the aftermath of the MH17 crash in the Ukraine and it appears to show the moment rebels realized they shot down a commercial airplane. And we'll have that for you this hour.

HOWELL: Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN: And I'm Natalie Allen. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Our top story is from Chattanooga, Tennessee, we're following breaking news there. A tragedy the mayor calls a nightmare.

HOWELL: Shootings at two U.S. military installations in the city are now being investigated as possible acts of terror. Four Marines killed. At least three other people wounded after a gunman opened fire with an AK-47-style weapon, targeting these sites, a military recruitment office, and then a Navy Reserve Center all within 30 minutes. Police killed the suspect, 24-year-old Mohammed Abdulazeez.

ALLEN: He was born in Kuwait and had Jordanian citizenship, but he was a naturalized U.S. citizen and had recently traveled to the Middle East, but he was not in any of the U.S. data bases of any suspected terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED REINHOLD, FBI: We are checking every possible place that he could have resided, visited, where he shopped, where he went to school, who his friends were or if he worked out at a gym, every possible lead. So we have information that he has been in various locations and we will check each and every one of those. HOWELL: A yearbook entry from his school reads, quote, "My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?" CNN's Gary Tuchman went to the neighborhood where it is believed Abdulazeez spent most of his childhood and has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We can tell you that this is the house where he lived most of his life. We know that he graduated from college at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga campus in 2012, where he majored in electrical engineering. It is not clear if he had a job. He had a couple of internships after he went to school, but it's not clear if he had a job.

We also know he was a high school wrestler, an MMF, a mixed martial arts fighter. We're told by his high school wrestling coach that he was a very good person, that he would pray occasionally after some time off from wrestling to conduct his Muslim prayers, and was a great guy.

So everyone is quite stunned in this neighborhood. We talked to a gentleman, one of his neighbors, who lives two doors away, as far as he knew him since a little kid that he was a normal person. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN MCDANIEL, NEIGHBOR: Nothing has seemed wrong with him.

TUCHMAN: What kind of family does he have?

MCDANIEL: I have never found any kind of conflict with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: That same neighbor, Dean McDaniel told us that he has three children and that Abdulazeez has an older sister and a younger sister. His sisters used to babysit for his children and Abdulazeez, the gunman, would be in the house occasionally.

Dean McDaniel said he had good conversations with him. Thought he was a good kid and like all the neighbors here just couldn't believe the news when they heard that the little boy who used to live in that house is now a killer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: CNN's Gary Tuchman reporting. There were witnesses who said there were so many bullets they actually lost count.

ALLEN: A source tells Abdulazeez was carrying 30 round magazines, which helped him keep police back for some time. CNN's Victor Blackwell has more on how the attacks played out. He is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the aftermath of 24-year-old gunman, Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez's rampage. He targeted U.S. military personnel at two locations. This is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

BILL KILLIAN, U.S. ATTORNEY: This is a sad day for the United States. These service members served their country with pride and they have been the victims of these shootings.

BLACKWELL: Shortly before 11:00 a.m., Abdulazeez drove up to a military recruitment center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, pulled out a high-powered rifle and opened fire, according to witnesses.

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: I seen the guy in his car, a drop top, he had a rifle, and it was not simultaneously, but it was pow, pow. He was firing shots right here into the Air Force, Navy and Marines Office. I don't even know how many shots he fired but it was a lot.

[03:05:05] BLACKWELL: The suspect then headed to a nearby naval reserve center about seven miles away, there Abdulazeez opened fire, killing four Marines and wounding three others including a policeman and a military serviceman. He was engaged by authorities and is now deceased, ending a 30-minute long incident.

CHIEF FRED FLETCHER, CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT: What we do know is somebody brutally and brazenly attacked members of our armed services.

BLACKWELL: Tonight, authorities are doing a thorough forensic examination of the suspect's car, hoping to find any evidence or clues it might hold. It is believed he acted alone.

FBI and ATF are actively investigating and have declared it a federal crime scene. A former recruit is devastated to see the aftermath.

MATHEW SOURGEON, FORMER RECRUIT: That door with bullet holes all over it was the door that I walked through in 2009 to join the military and it hurts me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: And you know, one of the things that both the media and investigators are hoping to find in situations like this is video, possibly surveillance video.

Well, we've learned from the property manager at the Lee Highway location, where that recruitment center is, that there is one surveillance camera that points to the parking lot right next to the recruitment center.

And we're told that the FBI has been in contact to try to get that video. That is if video was recorded. No confirmation that it was. Back to you.

ALLEN: Well, we've heard from several people. You just heard one a few moments ago who knew Abdulazeez, including a former classmate who told our Amara Walker she would never expect him to do something like that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN WAGNER, FORMER CLASSMATE OF ABDULAZEEZ (via telephone): He always had a smile on his face. He never seemed like the type of kid that would do something you know this heinous.

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is incredible. A popular, witty kid, as many of the people who had ever known him and described him to be, which doesn't fit the profile of a mass killer.

Let me ask you about this yearbook photo that we have from 2008, of Mohammad Abdulazeez, and there is a quote next to it, next to his photo. And it says quote, "My name causes national security alerts. What does yours do?"

And apparently to give this some context, this is a quote from Hijabman, that's who he says where the quote came from and Hijabman is somebody who blogs about struggles as a first generation American Muslim.

I'm assuming Abdulazeez chose this quote to go along with his yearbook photo. Do you know why he chose that?

WAGNER: More of a joke than anything else. He you know -- as people have said before, he was a devout Muslim, but he was not radicalized. He was not anything. It is just it kind of goes along with a southern kid growing up in the south that having a name like Mohammad Abdulazeez.

You know, obviously it elicits some attention. He has never gotten any negative attention as far as I knew. He was just making it a little joke. It was a funny at that time and now it is more morbidly ironic than anything else.

WALKER: And Kagan, can you elaborate on that just a little bit. You said he got attention about his name growing up there in the south. Did he ever talk about what it was like being Muslim in the south in the United States? And did he talk to you about any struggles he may have had?

WAGNER: Not really, like I said. It was just the name. He always fit in well. You know, he never got any negative attention, but you know being Muslim in the south is kind of difficult. But he never had that sort of issue. If anything, he was more making light of it. He was more like -- like yes, I'm this. But yes, it's not all I am sort of thing, if that makes any sense.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: Whatever his reasons, now four families are without their loved ones. Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, explains how the military will help them through this unbearable time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. Marine Corps continuing to reach out to all of the family members of the fallen. And indeed, they are the fallen because this procedure for assisting families is the same procedure as if these Marines fell on the battlefield of Afghanistan or Iraq.

They are going to have family liaisons with them, Marines with them to help them through the next many hours and days of everything that they will be going through in the time ahead to grieve for their loved ones.

You know, the Marines are a small family. There is only tens of thousands of them and a lot of them know each other. So this is being felt very deeply across the force.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[03:10:03] HOWELL: That was our Barbara Starr reporting there. As the FBI investigation is just getting under way at this point, they do not believe that Abdulazeez had any known ties to international terror groups.

ALLEN: But as CNN's Brian Todd reports it is clear that the two military centers had very little security.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're learning new details now about the two centers that were targeted in this attack. The first place hit was a military recruiting center in a strip mall, which is shared by all four branches of the U.S. military.

That store front was riddled with bullets. You can see the images there. No one was killed there. But now, on the second place that was attacked about seven miles away, this was what was known as an Operational Support Center run by the U.S. Navy.

It provides training and readiness support for the Navy and Marine, mostly for reservists. All four Marines killed were at that facility. Now on the security of this place, a Navy official we spoke to said these facilities typically have gates and barriers.

And it's clear from these images this place had a fence from the gunman's car -- from images of the gunman's car we can see that it appears the gunman may have possibly breached that fence with his car.

This Navy official could not tell us if the security cameras, if there are security cameras at this facility. The official is also not sure if this place had armed security personnel at the time of the attack.

But he did say quote, "you cannot just walk into these places." He said these buildings are usually marked with signage. Now, on the other place as far as the security details of this other place, this military recruiting center not nearly as secured.

A spokesman for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command says these are often store front facilities. Sometimes they're in malls. He says there are no barriers, no gates, he says according to U.S. army policy weapons are not prohibited on those premises.

You can see there, there is a sign there that says no weapons allowed. Now, a conservative group which supports military members, which is called Move America Forward, this group has been calling for more security at these recruiting centers for many years. And here's what the army recruiting spokesman, Brian Lepley, had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN LEPLEY, U.S. ARMY RECRUITING COMMAND (via telephone): Army Recruiting Center is the army in the community. If young men and women want to come and talk to us we need a nice open area for them to come and do that. We need a welcoming area. You know, barricades and barriers built like a fortress is not really an inviting atmosphere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Brian Lepley does say that following this incident, there will be an after action review on security at recruiting centers and we are going to see if this policy changes. Now, there is a history of attacks at recruitment centers like this one.

In 2009, a man named Abdul Hakim Mohammad opened fire outside a military recruiting center in Little Rock, Arkansas, killing one soldier and wounding another. He pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence.

In 2008, a bomb was placed in front of a U.S. Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Times Square in the heart of Manhattan. No one was injured when that bomb went off. That case was not solved.

There was surveillance video of the bomber riding a bicycle approaching the recruiting center, just to give you an idea of how open these centers are.

Also in 2010, there was a series of drive-by shootings often in the middle of the night at military recruiting centers near Washington, D.C., no one was hurt in those incidents.

A Marine Corps reservist was arrested for that and sentenced to 25 years in prison, just giving you some kind of an idea of how open and accessible these recruiting centers are. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: We turn now to another story and we have stunning new video that appears to show the aftermath of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash in Eastern Ukraine one year ago today. It was obtained by News Corp in Australia.

HOWELL: The pro-Russian separatists filmed this as they realized that the downed plane was actually a commercial jetliner. You hear several men including someone thought to be a unit commander speaking Russian and Ukrainian, and you can see others rummaging through the belongings of passengers. Here is a part of that footage.

(VIDEO CLIP)

[03:15:03] ALLEN: CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the video. Here is Australia foreign minister's reaction to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIE BISHOP, AUSTRALIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: It is disgusting to watch that video footage. I can't verify the authenticity of it. But it is certainly consistent with the advice that we were told, 12 months ago, that Flight MH17 had been shot down by a missile in Eastern Ukraine.

And that the pro-Russian separatists were involved. This footage is very disturbing and coming as it does exactly 12 months to the day, just adds to the inconsolable grief that the family and friends of the victims aboard that flight must be feeling today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: News Corps Australia, the company who released that video, has turned it over to investigators.

ALLEN: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Coming up, we head to Europe where Germany's parliament will vote on Greece's bailout deal. We'll have a live report.

HOWELL: Plus the mood was cordial, the words were fiery as Israel's prime minister and Britain's foreign secretary went at it over the Iran nuclear deal. We'll have more on the intense debate as CNN NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:20:17]

ALLEN: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. If you are just joining us, we want to bring you the latest on our top story in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. That's where a lone gunman launched an assault on two military facilities. Four American marines were killed. They still have not been identified. Three other people wounded, the shooter shot and killed by local police.

HOWELL: The gunman is identified as 24-year-old Mohammad Abdulazeez. Law enforcement officials tell CNN that he was born in Kuwait and had Jordanian citizenship, but was a naturalized U.S. citizen.

A friend says he visited the Middle East several years ago, but officials say his name never appeared on any terror watch lists. They found nothing to tie him to any international terrorist groups.

ALLEN: German lawmakers get their say on the Greek bailout with a parliamentary vote expected just hours from now. Germany is expected to approve the program like Finland has already. HOWELL: On Thursday, Greece's parliament passed new reforms required to receive the bailout and to help rescue that country's economy.

ALLEN: CNN is covering multiple angles of the story across Europe. Elinda Labropoulou is gauging reaction from Athens, Greece for us. Senior international correspondent, Frederick Pleitgen joins us live from the German capital. First to you, Fred, debate begins in the next hour in Germany's parliament, will they vote yes?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's almost certain that they'll vote yes, Natalie, especially because most of the opposition factions in German parliament are actually in favor of this new proposal to start negotiations about another bailout deal for Greece.

But the big question is, what is Angela Merkel's faction going to do? Now what usually happens in cases like this, the parliament does a dry run one day before the actual vote, which is what happened yesterday, and it was interesting because 48 members of Angela Merkel's conservative faction voted no on the starting additional negotiations.

Now, that is not really very many. She has about 300 members of parliament that are of the conservative wing so it shouldn't concern her too much. However, of course, it is something where we can feel that especially among the conservatives in German parliament. This measure is still very much an issue.

So we do expect that the parliament is going to vote yes on this. Anything else would be a huge surprise, but it is certainly something that is quite concerning to the governing coalition here.

ALLEN: Yes, and many thinking this is critical vote for Angela Merkel's authority. We'll wait and see how it comes out. Frederik Pleitgen for us there, thank you. Now to George.

HOWELL: And now, let's turn to Elinda Labropoulou who is standing by in Greece. Elinda, good to have you with us. The banks may be getting some breathing room. How are people reacting to the fact that banks could open next week?

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: Well, they see this as a first step to return to stability. Even if the banks do reopen, it would be with limited services and the controls would remain in place for a long time.

All the same, the bridge loan agreement is being discussed. The details are being ironed out. Now, the whole prospects of the banks opening, the ELA, the liquidity assistance from the European Central Bank is being raised.

You know, it is all first signs that after voting these very difficult measures and the whole deal through parliament that Greece could be on the return to a stability path so certainly a sign of relief for Greece.

HOWELL: Elinda Labropoulou joining us live there in Greece. Elinda, thank you so much and we'll stay in touch.

Now, family and friends are fearing the worst for a Japanese journalist who is believed to be missing in the country of Syria. He has not been seen or heard from in the last three weeks.

ALLEN: A close friend tells CNN he planned to report from the war- torn country and is now likely in the hands of ISIS. Japanese officials say they have no information on his whereabouts. He was friends with Kenji Goto who was killed by ISIS earlier this year.

HOWELL: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. As the news continues, we're continuing our coverage of the shooting at two U.S. military centers. More on what we know about that shooter and his past.

ALLEN: Plus, today marks one year since the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 disaster in Ukraine and the world is coming together to remember the victims of the tragedy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. This is CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell.

ALLEN: And I'm Natalie Allen. Checking the headlines for you, four U.S. Marines were killed and at least four others wounded when a gunman opened fire at two U.S. military installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Thursday. The alleged gunman, Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, was killed by police. A terrorism task force is investigating, but officials say the shooter's motive is still unclear.

HOWELL: Just hours from now, Germany's parliament is expected to vote on lending Greece more money as part of their bailout deal. Finland has already adopted a similar measure. On Thursday, Greece's parliament adopted new austerity driven-reforms. They were required to receive the bailout and to help that country's economy.

ALLEN: ISIS claims responsibility for an attack on this Egyptian Navy ship off the Sinai Coast. The militant group released these pictures saying its forces fired a guided missile at the ship causing it to explode. CNN can't confirm it, but Egypt says one of their boats was attacked. It says there were no casualties though.

HOWELL: Law enforcement officials tell CNN the suspected gunman in Friday's shooting rampage in Tennessee was born in Kuwait, had a Jordanian passport, but was a naturalized U.S. citizen. Still, his name never appeared on any terror watch lists. We're learning more about his past as both a high school and college student.

ALLEN: A friend says he coached Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez in mixed martial arts and that he seemed like a hard working young man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT SCHRAEDER, FORMER MMA COACH: I mean, he seemed like the all- American kid, never loud, never boisterous, never got out of line, hard worker. You know, seemed to enjoy the training and got along with everybody.

[17:30:05] He was a smart kid. He was in high school at the time and I believe he went on from there to get an engineering degree at UTC, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Joining us now is CNN law enforcement analyst, Harry Houck, with us in New York. Harry, thank you so much for being with us. Again, this happened in Chattanooga at a military recruiting station, as well as a Navy depot. These are soft targets, what can be done to protect these soft targets?

HARRY HOUCK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, the military has to take a real good look at this right now and what they will probably do from here on out will have some type of guard or military police. Have somebody armed at this location. In the event that something like that happened that they can protect themselves and that they can fire back.

HOWELL: Harry, at this point we don't know a lot about this suspect except to say that we know he was a devout Muslim. We know also that he got a degree in education here in the United States, an engineering degree. How will investigators determine, you know, within that time line what led to this point to essentially make him snap?

HOUCK: Right, well, they have executed search warrants in his house. They have his telephone records. They have his internet records. If he is going to any Jihadi sites on the internet we'll be able to find out about them.

They're going to be talking to his friends, regular telephone calls are going to be checked out, and we are going to find out if it was not the internet that had radicalized him, maybe it is somebody else who lives around where he is that might have somehow, you know, radicalized him also.

HOWELL: It is important to point out however that we don't know whether Mohammad Abdulazeez might have been inspired by a group like ISIS. We do know that there is a campaign certainly on the internet to reach out to young men and women and try to radicalize them.

We're still waiting to determine, you know, find out what the investigation reveals here. But you know, when it comes to an event like this, the training, the planning that went into it, do you think that there was a great deal of that?

HOUCK: Well, of course it had to be. It was the last day of Ramadan. There were military installations. He had to find military installations. He had to buy a weapon and probably practice shooting because the shooting that I saw that he did at the recruitment center was pretty damn good. He actually hit his target and didn't hit anything else outside of that recruiting center than that building itself.

HOWELL: And the simple fact that this happened, you know, do you suspect that over the next several days we'll see these military outposts like the recruiting center, like the depot, will we see more security around there? We know we're seeing it in New York already.

HOUCK: Right, exactly, the police commissioner had ordered the recruiting stations to be protected. So we're seeing that, and you are seeing that all over the country now and we also see the military taking steps to protect the military bases also.

HOWELL: Harry Houck, thank you so much for your time and insight on what happened.

HOUCK: Thank you.

HOWELL: Now to the U.S. state of Colorado where a jury has found James Holmes guilty of multiple counts of murder.

ALLEN: Holmes killed 12 people when he opened fire inside a crowded movie theater in 2012. CNN's Ana Cabrera was in the courtroom for the verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The jury of nine women and three men deliberated for about 12-1/2 hours before returning a guilty verdict, guilty on all 165 charges including first degree murder as well as attempted murder charges.

A jury did not buy the defense's claim that James Holmes was insane at the time he opened fire inside that packed movie theater, almost three years ago killing 12 people and injuring 70 others.

Now, the jury sat through 11-1/2 weeks of testimony. They heard from more than 250 witnesses including dozens of victims and college professors as well as mental health experts.

They also considered thousands of pieces of evidence before returning a verdict. It was the moment that victims' loved ones and survivors had been waiting for, for years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As soon as we heard the first guilty, we knew the dominos were all going to fall. It was just what we needed to hear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're very happy this animal, this monster will never see the light of day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Now, because Holmes was found guilty this all moves into a sentencing phase, which we're told could take about another month. The prosecution has indicated it will push for the death penalty. Ana Cabrera, CNN, Centennial, Colorado.

(END VIDEOTAPE) ALLEN: Now, to the Iran nuclear deal, a U.S. official says the United States is offering Israel consultations on supporting its defense after Israel condemned the agreement with Iran. And U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter travels to Israel next week to help smooth Israel's concerns.

Just how much the west and Israel disagree on the nuclear agreement was on stark display in Jerusalem on Thursday. CNN's Erin McLaughlin shows us the tense standoff between Israel's prime minister and Britain's foreign secretary.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[03:35:13] ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, contrast between these two world leaders could not be more stark. On the one hand, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who calls the Iran nuclear deal a historic mistake and on the other, British foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, who says the deal is a victory for diplomacy.

Both leaders meeting in the same room on Thursday before the world's media and it was a tense exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIP HAMMOND, BRITAIN FOREIGN SECRETARY: We look forward to cooperating with you in ensuring that we can successfully implement this agreement and then continue to work to prevent Iranian destabilization in the region. Thank you.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Do you want another bounce at the ball --

HAMMOND: I know we're going to have another go at it --

NETANYAHU: No, no, on the contrary for us, what we'll get is more terrorism, more aggression, more subversion, rather than the opposite. Would you like to continue?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, Secretary Hammond is the highest ranking official from the P5+1 to visit Israel since the nuclear deal was announced. On Wednesday, he spoke before British parliament saying that there was no deal that Israel would have accepted in that media opportunity.

Prime Minister Netanyahu had taken the opportunity to correct that saying that Israel wants a better deal, one in which sanctions are lifted on Iran after Iran changes its behavior.

So really, this was always going to be an interesting meeting surprising that it spilled onto a public forum. Secretary Hammond also saying that the P5+1 is now focused on implementing this agreement, but clearly this exchange illustrating that both sides also focused on getting their viewpoints across. Erin McLaughlin, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: One year later, mourners gather to remember the victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. As the investigation into who is responsible for downing that plane takes a new twist.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:16]

HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. One year after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shut down over the Eastern Ukraine, people across the world are gathering to remember the victims.

ALLEN: Mourners in Ukraine placed flowers on the steps of the Dutch embassy in Kieb, most of the 298 people on board the doomed jet were Dutch citizens. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott led a memorial service in remembrance of the 38 Australian passengers. And in the coming hours, there will be a commemoration ceremony in Amsterdam.

HOWELL: All but two of the victims' remains have been identified and those are likely to be found. Nick Paton Walsh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When 298 souls fell from the sky, they landed in the utter chaos of a war that rages, even now. As in the fields the bodies were slowly gruesomely gathered and made the long journey back to Holland, questions mounted and now a year later still remain.

The Dutch prosecutor tells CNN they want access to key cell phone mosques near this site to establish the whereabouts of, quote, "persons of interest" at the time of the attack.

And that the most likely scenario is that a BUK surface-to-air missile was fired at the plane from Eastern Ukraine. Now, a memorial stands with children's toys and a poem that begins, stop and pray, feel the minutes run.

Dutch police say they have recovered all the remains from here that they can. For the brother of Alex Ploeg, that is one of the hardest parts of the news. Alex's body will never be found although those of his wife, Edith, and his son, Robert, were.

His daughters, Sandra and Miriam didn't leave with them for a holiday in Kuala Lumpur, and still now don't want to talk. Instead, they have had to bury Alex without body, without closure.

PIET PLOEG, VICTIM'S BROTHER: If your brother comes back with the plane and the remains of victims you hope your brother will be there. It wasn't, but we didn't know that at that time. But you want to be there because you want to be -- hope that your brother will come home.

It's very difficult. I can't understand very well how it is possible that just two people are finished, blown away. I -- it's -- beyond me. I -- I can't understand it. WALSH: Incomprehension, too, from Russia. The backed Russian separatists that they say may be a war crime.

SERGEI LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We certainly deem not to accept it before the investigation is finished. Sadly, attempts at distorting facts and enforcing versions of what could have happened continue to exist.

WALSH: The Dutch prosecutors tell us they will be able to bring a prosecution. But arrest a suspect? Put them in jail? That is yet another tough question that has still no answer. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: And now, we have this stunning new video just released. It appears to show the aftermath of the Malaysia airlines flight, the crash, in Eastern Ukraine. But it was obtained by News Corps Australia, the media company says that pro-Russian separatists filmed this video and they realized the downed plane was actually a commercial jetliner.

CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the video but here is a portion of this footage.

(VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: For more on this new video, Kellie Morgan joins us live from Moscow.

[03:45:03] And Kellie, this video, if it's accurate seems to refute the scenarios that have been proffered by Russian authorities, doesn't it?

KELLIE MORGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, Natalie. I mean, it is harrowing video to see one year on from this tragedy. But you hear the rebels talking about two planes. The surprise expressed that this is a commercial airliner that these are foreigners.

You see the harrowing footage of some of the rebels going through the baggage, and looking at a luggage tag and identifying Australia. And even further than that you see the rebels discussing a black box, the urgency, let's find a black box.

And then the comment, who allowed them to take this corridor, who permitted them to fly through this area? So it does seem to support what the Dutch-led international investigation team is saying that the evidence points to.

That the MH-17 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile from separatist-held territory in Ukraine, and that is what was suggested happened 12 months ago. Rebels have always denied they have access to a missile that was capable of bringing down a plane.

And while Russia has expressed its sympathy, there are two scenarios emerging from this country, other possible scenarios as to what happened. One, that it was also shot down by a Ukraine jet, that message from the investigative committee that had its own probe.

Secondly, well, if it was a big missile it was fired by the Ukraine side so very compelling video, very harrowing this time of year, but certainly does seem to be very compelling -- Natalie.

ALLEN: Yes, it is and also developing, Kellie, a group of five countries has requested an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible once the final report on the crash investigation. What has the Russian President Putin had to say about that?

MORGAN: Well, Russia is opposed that that proposed tribunal and in a conversation with the Dutch leader yesterday, President Putin said that this was a premature and counterproductive tribunal.

He said that well, Russia's view is that you need to allow the international investigation led by the Netherlands to be completed first and then discuss what sort of a process happens then in terms of prosecuting and punishing those culprits who were going to be we hope, are going to be identified as a result of that probe.

The Dutch, as far as they're concerned is that we need this tribunal so that there is a balanced approach, and that the victims, the families of the victims get the justice that they so richly deserve.

ALLEN: They certainly do. And perhaps that video there will help get to the bottom of it once and for all. Kellie Morgan for us there live in Moscow. Thank you, Kelly. And we'll be right back with more news.

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[03:52:11]

HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. We continue to follow the breaking news out of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Authorities are trying to figure out a motive after a gunman opened fire on two military sites, killing four Marines there.

ALLEN: Authorities identified the suspect as 24-year-old Mohammad Abdulazeez. Sources tell us he was armed with an AK-47 style rifle, several other weapons and a lot of ammunition. Three other people were wounded in the shooting. A sailor went into surgery in serious condition and a terrorism task force, of course, is investigating.

HOWELL: Another part of the United States, big story we're following, the tornadoes that tore through the mid-western part of the U.S.

ALLEN: Derek Van Dam is here with that for us.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: There were actually eight tornadoes that occurred from Iowa into Northern Illinois. One of these we are focusing on, coming out of this Cameron and Monmouth, Illinois region.

We have some visuals out of this area where one is called a multiple vortices wedged tornado actually occurred. Notice there is a few different areas of the cloud reaching down towards the ground, that when we officially call that a tornado otherwise it would be (inaudible).

Look at the little vortices that are coming out. The little spiraling band of cloud cover reaching the ground. That is part of that multiple vortex signature that we look for. And often, this is the time when the tornado and the super cell thunderstorm will be the strongest, creating the most damage and the strongest of wind, as well.

Take a look at my graphics. You can see just the line of storms moving through Iowa and Northern Illinois. Again, eight tornadoes and several reports of wind damage coming out of the line of storms specifically across the Cameron and Monmouth region.

In fact, we highlighted the region where the vortex picked up the signature. Notice this little intake of air, the absence of radar imagery. That is where we look for what is called the vortex tornado signature.

Meteorologists look for this highly identifiable feature to spot where the tornadoes are and that continues to move eastward. That is all thanks to a departing storm system.

Now we'll focus our attention on the upper Midwest today with another round of severe weather possible. Damaging winds, possibility of a severe tornado, Sioux Falls, and Des Moines, Iowa, you could see significant severe weather.

Again we've also been tracking a typhoon in Japan, this system has dumped a significant amount of rain as it made landfall late Thursday evening across Central Japan. Wow, those are some impressive waves, obviously crashing over some of the breaker walls there.

There was over 700 millimeters of rainfall in a 48-hour period leading to mudslides. And well as you can imagine all sorts of flooding as well.

ALLEN: Derek, thank you. Appreciate it.

[03:55:09] Well, finally, German Chancellor Angela Merkel became one of the country's trending topics on Twitter after defending the Palestinian refugee, who kind of broke down on live television.

HOWELL: You did see part of that exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible).

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): I understand that yet sometimes politics is hard. When you stand in front of me and you are a very nice person, but you know in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon there are thousands and thousands of people. And if we say you can all come, and all come from Africa, we can't manage that. So we are in this dispute. And the only answer we can give is to avoid taking so much time until a decision on deportation is reached. But some will have to return. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Ms. Merkel explaining the policies there. That answer, though, caused the teenager to start weeping. Ms. Merkel went over to try to comfort her. Still, some critics saw that moment as coming off a bit cold. But it was a moment captured on tape that had a lot of people talking.

ALLEN: She doesn't look cold, she looks caring. But that will do it for us. Thank you for watching CNN coverage, I'm Natalie Allen.

HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. "EARLY START" is coming up for viewers here in the United States and for viewers everywhere else around the world, CNN NEWSROOM continues with Nina Dos Santos in London.

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