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New Anti-Terror Raids Across France; Belgium Issues International Warrant for Terror Suspect; French Senator Says Bomber Had Fake Syrian Passport; Paris Attacks Dominate Start of G-20 Summit; New Details on Paris Terrorist; Chaos Erupted in Paris as Mourners Mistook Fireworks for Gunshots; Paris Soccer Fans Talk of Carnage, Fear; Paris Mourners Fill Notre Dame for Service. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired November 16, 2015 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:18] MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. France lashing out at ISIS in Syria and clamping down hard on suspected terrorists at home.

AMARA WALKER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It's all a response to Friday's deadly attacks in Paris on Sunday. French warplanes struck the ISIS stronghold city of Raqqa in northern Syria. A dozen aircraft took off from bases in Jordan and the UAE.

HOLMES: The simultaneous attacks hitting an ISIS command center, a recruiting facility and a training base, according to the French, and in the last few hours, police conducting a series of anti-terror raids in multiple French cities.

WALKER: Throughout Europe, authorities are trying to track down at least one terror attacks. Suspect who remains at large this hour as well as others who may have been involved in the Paris attacks. Now one of the cities targeted in the French anti-terror raids is Toulouse. And French media report that three people were arrested there. But that raid was not connected to the Paris attacks.

HOLMES: Meanwhile, an international manhunt is on for Belgium born French national Salah Abdeslam. A source close to the investigation tells CNN French police questioned Abdeslam a few hours after the attacks but then let him go. Now they suspect he was involved in the terror plot.

WALKER: Let's bring in Fred Pleitgen for the very latest on the anti- terror raids. He's joining us now live from Paris there.

Fred, if you can start with those raids and what we've learned about them.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Amara. And of course, they are going on throughout various parts of France and if that one in Toulouse is indeed a very important one. And now the French authorities are saying they are not directly linked to the terror attacks that happened here on Friday. However, we do have to keep in mind that of course at this point in time after those terror attacks, the French government put in place a state of emergency here and French media certainly believes that they are indeed connected to that state of emergency, which of course makes it easier for the authorities legally to conduct raids like that.

As you said, three people were reportedly arrested in that raid in Toulouse. Toulouse is a very interesting city in all of that. It's the district where this took place, Mirail, is one that has seen young people in the past try to go to Syria and join ISIS in Syria. It's also the place which was the home of Mohammed Mera, who was a gunman in 2012 who held up a neighborhood in Toulouse, starting a shootout. He was killed in that shootout which also involved AK-47 assault rifles similar like the ways to some of the attacks here in Paris were conducted, as well.

Now there were raids in other cities also including Jeumont which is on the border between France and Belgium. Of course, one of the things that Michael just mentioned was that the -- one of the suspects that's being sought, Salah Abdeslam, he was questioned and at that point in time, was on a road that leads to Belgium. So this town, Jeumont, is on the border with Belgium.

There was another raid in the town of Bobigny, which is just northeast of France. Apparently the police there are conducting a search warrant. It's unclear, however, what the results of those raids were. There were also raids in Grenoble as well, that's in the north of France, in Calais. So we're seeing this going on in various locations. Unclear to what extent it might be related to the attacks that happened in France but, of course, we do know that this massive manhunt for Salah Abdeslam is going on in France and of course in various other European countries, as well -- Amara.

HOLMES: And, Fred, it's important to point out that Muslims around the world from clerics to the faithful have been decrying these attacks and the ideology that sparked them. But something you've covered in your time in both Germany and elsewhere, the far right, will they be emboldened but what has happened?

PLEITGEN: Yes, certainly. I mean, that is one of the fears here and you know, we have to keep in mind that this is the second major attack that has happened here in France just in the past 10 months and if you look at the past couple of months, Michael, you have the attack that happened with "Charlie Hebdo." You have this attack. Of course at the same time you have this gigantic influx of refugees coming from places like Syria, places like Afghanistan, and that in it of itself has already boasted or boosted the far right especially in countries like France, to a certain extent also in Germany, though not as much as France.

The Front National here in France has been gaining ground, and that is certainly something that is of major concern. Whether or not that's going to lead to any anti-Muslim backlash, it already has in a small way but whether or not on the political scene that's also going to be the case is something that we're going to wait and see. But it certainly is a danger that is out there -- Michael.

[01:05:05] WALKER: And if you could talk about this, as well, I mean, I would imagine there is also a concern for anti-immigrant backlash, anti-refugee backlash, considering the fact that a fake Syrian passport was found on one of the attackers and it turns out that this attacker arrived in Greece with the refugees to get to Europe.

PLEITGEN: In Greece on the island of Leros and then apparently went through Serbia and was also a process there, as well. This is a very good point that you make, Amara. It's certainly something that if you look at local French media, if you look at some of the authorities, it is something that they're fearing, that there could be anti-refugee backlash. Of course, some of the boosts, some of the gains that far right parties, not just in France but in other countries, as well. If you look at recent elections, for instance, in Austria, if you look at the popularity ratings for right-wing parties in Germany, as well but especially in France with Marine Le Pen and the Front National, part of that in it of itself was already due to the refugee crisis that's going on and there certainly are people who fear that with this information coming out that apparently one of the attackers might have come through that refugee route via Greece and then via eastern Europe, that that could lead to anti-refugee sentiment.

Of course that is something that people do believe is a concern because while France is not the country that's taking in the most refugees, that would be Germany by far, there is still a considerable amount of people coming through here. If you look at, for instance, the situation up in Calais, if you look at the situation in some of the refugee shelters in other parts of the countries here, it's something that has caused some concern in the past. And now with this information coming out, there are people who fear that this could lead to anti-refugee backlash here in France.

HOLMES: And Fred, it is just after 7:00 where you are in the morning so quite possibly not much reaction yet but with the air raids in Raqqa and these targets being hit by French warplanes, is that likely something that's going to be well-received in France?

PLEITGEN: Well, I think there is going to be a mixed feeling here in France. I think by and large people of course are going to receive this quite well and think that this is or believe that this is the right thing to do. Certainly many people here have thought that there would be a very strong response after the French president said that he would pull no punches and that there would be a very strong response to these air raids.

You're right, I mean, at this point in time there is not very much reaction. We're waiting for the morning papers to come out at this point in time, not many people around but certainly people were demanding a very strong response from this. Some of the people that we've been talking to on the streets here in Paris since this has taken place has said the authorities here need to do something. Now on the one hand, that pertains to their own security.

That pertains to the security services here keeping a lid on people who might be radicalized but of course now also some people were demanding a very strong reaction, especially after the fact that ISIS claimed responsibility for these attacks and the French government itself also said that it believes ISIS is behind these attacks and we're getting information that three of the attackers seem to have had -- seem to have been inside Syria and possibly had contact with ISIS there as well -- Michael. HOLMES: Yes. Indeed, Fred.

WALKER: Yes. Of course, many people wondering what the implications might be of Francois Hollande declaring this an act of war.

HOLMES: Yes.

WALKER: Frederik Pleitgen, great having you there. Thanks so much.

HOLMES: Thanks, Fred.

Now earlier we spoke with CNN military analyst, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling about the French airstrikes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: This was a handover of a target set more than likely from the what's called the ATO, the air tasking order. So when France came in and said they wanted to conduct these attacks, these target packages were already in folders as they're called and I'm sure the Central Command handed them over to the French fighters to attack for the symbolism of France being back in the fight.

But there's much more to it than that. This is a strategically symbolic attack. Bring in another coalition member into this fight even though France has already hit targets in Syria as recently as the 10th of November but it shows an uptick potentially in more people wanting -- more nations wanting to contribute to this fight.

HOLMES: In terms of the battlefield, Mark, you know, you got ISIS under pressure in Ramadi, in Sinjar, the Kurds aren't all that far from Raqqa itself, do you see this as an expansion of what happened in Paris, a deliberate expansion of the battle field, if you like, which actually does tie in with their notion of a caliphate to take the fight to countries not yet Muslim ruled?

HERTLING: Well, it was an easy thing to do truthfully, Michael. When I first heard that this was a reaction by the French Air Force I said OK, that is exactly one of the things that they need to do but there are several other things that need to be happening. You know, the president -- our president said the other day that the fight was now contained in Syria and Iraq with ISIS and those of us in the military understood what that meant.

[01:10:06] That meant that they have not had the freedom of movement that they did have earlier in the year, that the maneuver forces of ISIS have seemed to be contained a little bit and constrained from offensive maneuver and they've gone more on the defensive but the very fact that they're -- that ISIS is conducting operations in Lebanon, in Sinai and in France now gives an indication that they might be shifting some of their focus on external targets as well as trying to establish the caliphate within Syria and Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Now CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is standing by live in Brussels with the very latest from there.

And Ivan, there have been several raids that were carried out in Belgium and particularly a suburb named Molenbeek. Just help us understand the Belgium connection here.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It does appear that at least some of the militants behind these attacks in Paris operated out of Belgium and appear to have coordinated some logistics from here, as well. At least two of the attackers who were killed in the attacks in Paris are from Brussels and in particular a neighborhood here called Molenbeek that you just mentioned has been named.

Salah Abdeslam, the man who has this international arrest warrant issued by not only the French authorities but also the Belgian authorities. He is from -- born here in Brussels. His brother was arrested in this neighborhood of Molenbeek and a second brother of his was killed in the attack in Paris.

Now Belgian authorities say that at least two cars that were found in Paris believed to have been used in the attack, they were also rented here in Brussels area last week and then another car driven by the person who rented those two cars was discovered here again in Brussels in that neighborhood of Molenbeek in the 24, 36 hours after the Paris attacks.

So, again, distinct links between the terrible attacks in Paris and Brussels and in particular this neighborhood of Molenbeek, which has previously been an area of disturbing jihadi activity, an area where a homegrown group called Sharia for Belgium was operating in the past accused of recruiting militants to fight in Syria and recently determined by a court here to be a terrorist organization -- Amara and Michael.

WALKER: Ivan Watson with a view from Belgium. Appreciate that, Ivan. Thank you.

HOLMES: Well, the first suicide bomber who detonated explosives at the Stade de France was carrying a counterfeit Syrian passport. That from a French senator who was briefed by the Interior Ministry.

WALKER: Now the senator added that the bomber was also carrying a document from Greek authorities registering him for refugee status. European officials suspect terrorists may be blending into crowds of migrants to enter areas targeted by their organizations.

Our Arwa Damon explains how this particular attacker made it to France.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Michael, that Syrian passport found on the scene that is believed to have been doctored or faked. It was traced back to an individual who crossed through this very island, the island of Leros, one of the many transit points for migrants and refugees making that very dangerous crossing from Turkey to Greece and then onwards to Europe.

According to Greek authorities, this individual crossed through here on October 3rd, with around 200 other individuals. He was then also traced back to having transited through Serbia on October 7th. Of course a lot of questions are being raised a little bit about the process. When refugees and migrants arrived at these various different locations in Greece, they are processed and this means that they are fingerprinted and whether or not they have identification, this registration process will take place.

If they don't have any sort of identification, they are interrogated. They do have someone who asks them questions so that they can vet as best to their ability that this person's identity, that they are who in fact they claim to be. But if their fingerprints are not located in a preexisting database, there is no way to have any sort of red flag be raised at this stage in the process and this is, of course, why so many have been and continue to be so concerned about the fact that ISIS, ISIS sympathizers, other extremists might be exploiting and capitalizing on this refugee route to try to reach Europe.

Refugees we have been speaking to here, Michael, have really been expressing their horror and their dismay on what happened in Paris.

[01:15:07] They say that they do not, absolutely do not support this kind of violence. In fact, it's this kind of violence that drove the vast majority of them from their homes and there is of course an understandable amount of anxiety amongst them because they do realize that they have a long journey ahead of them and they do realize that the blowback from this kind of violence could mean that Europe will also turn against them potentially not be as welcoming toward refugees, making the whole integration process even harder. And if that rift grows even wider than it already is, Michael, well, that could play straight into ISIS' hands.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And our thanks to Arwa Damon there reporting from Leros in Greece.

Meanwhile, coming up on the program, Obama and Putin.

WALKER: Yes, two staunch adversaries meeting under a cloud of terrorism on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit. Much more on the attacks next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone.

The G-20 Summit opened on Sunday in the shadow of course, of the bloodshed in Paris. And the terror attacks are dominating the agenda at this economic meeting of world leaders.

[01:20:11] WALKER: They held a minute of silence to start the two-day meeting in the resort city of Antalya, Turkey. U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin were seen talking on the sidelines in what looked like a deep and serious conversation.

Senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta is traveling with President Obama and has more now from Turkey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Here at the G-20 all of the talk is about ISIS. The White House says it agrees with the president of France that the Paris attacks were an act of war and President Obama vowed to redouble U.S. efforts to defeat ISIS here at the G-20 but the question is just how far Mr. Obama is willing to go.

Top White House officials are not indicating any new ISIS strategy and aides continue to say U.S. troops are not going to be part of the solution, but the White House says it will be intensifying the anti- ISIS campaign.

BEN RHODES, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We have to do more of that, and we're going to be able to do that, for instance, with the special operations contingent that will be going to Syria to help facilitate those operations. So we are in an effort to intensify those elements of the strategy that are yielding progress, even as we have to constantly evaluate how the threat is changing and what more needs be done to deal with the threat.

ACOSTA (voice-over): And President Obama could potentially have a new partner in the battle against ISIS and Russia's Vladimir Putin during an intense 35-minute meeting in front of the cameras. The two presidents agreed to a political transition process in Syria where ISIS has exploited the bloody civil war there. The White House is calling the president's chat with Putin, quote, "constructive".

That is significant as the White House has spent years butting heads with Putin as well as accusing Russia in the last few weeks of intervening in Syria solely on behalf of its leader Bashar al-Assad.

(On camera): Now the Obama administration is praising Moscow's strikes against ISIS and there are also new questions about the Syrian refugee crisis after French officials determined that one of the Paris bombers posed as a migrant fleeing the country. The Obama administration says those refugees must still be vetted and welcomed.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Antalya, Turkey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: And make sure to stay tuned to CNN NEWSROOM. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will speak at the G-20 Summit in about an hour and a half from now and we will have it for you live when it happens.

HOLMES: Now earlier we spoke with Josh Rogin about the meeting on the sidelines between the U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Rogin is a CNN political analyst and columnist for Bloomberg View.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: In the wake of the Paris attacks, there's a new pressure on all sides to push forward for a political agreement that can lead to a peace process to solve this Syrian civil war. There is a recognition that unless something is done to move past the violence, there will always be enough strife that will get -- that will leave an opportunity for ISIS to recruit, to have a place to launch attacks and to fill the vacuum left by the lack of stable state.

Now the day after the attacks on Saturday, Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov led talks in Vienna where they agreed to what you just said, Syrian-led transition process, and that is exactly what Presidents Obama and Putin were discussing today in Turkey. The agreement amounts to agreement over process. They have set up a timeline for how to move forward. It does not amount to an agreement over the end state.

There is no agreement and this was made clear in Vienna on what will be the position of Assad, whether or not he can have a role in that transitional government and who will set up that transitional the government and the elections that are to follow.

Those are the key questions. So while some progress is being made, you can be sure that large gaps still remain between the U.S. and Russian positions and that is what the two leaders are trying to get at in that little private meeting they had at the reception.

HOLMES: And that key unanswered question has always been, OK, Assad goes, who is then? I mean, that -- and that's always been the question, hasn't it? Assad might be a bad guy but we've seen what happens when dictators are thrown out a little too early.

ROGIN: Exactly. And it is the Russian and Iranian position, by the way, that Assad must stay until the Syrian people through elections choose a new leadership if they decide to choose a new leadership. Of course the problem with that, and this is John Kerry's position but also shared by allies like the Saudis and the Turks, is that as long as Assad is there, there can be no peace in Syria. The war will continue.

HOLMES: The other big issue is how the heck do you have an election in Syria?

ROGIN: Exactly. Exactly. So what the opposition says is very clear. They do have an extensive plan to choose a set of opposition leaders that would then stand on the opposite side of the table from the Assad regime for negotiations and then an election. The problem is that those opposition groups are not cohesive. It's a big problem and the international community does not feel that they have a partner to work with.

[01:25:00] So there is a sequencing problem here. The Russians and the Iranians and -- would prefer to have peace talks go forward first and opposition chosen later. The opposition says if they're not at the seat -- don't have a seat at the table up front, then whatever peace process gets initiated won't be sustainable and won't have the support of the fighting groups on the ground. It's a tricky problem that remains unsolved as we head into these negotiations.

HOLMES: And third, you know, we've heard ISIS saying, basically claiming, you know, that Baghdadi ordered or I heard Iraqis saying that Baghdadi ordered what happened in Paris. I mean, how do you read that? We do see ISIS under pressure in various parts of Iraq and Syria on the ground. The Kurds aren't that far from Raqqa. And in fact, you've got perhaps imminent assault on Ramadi. We saw it happened in Sinjar. Do you think that they are trying to export the front lines?

ROGIN: There is no doubt that ISIS leadership in Syria and Iraq is both trying to consolidate territory and trying to both export and inspire attacks abroad. It's an all of the above approach. They move into a face where they are able to do more beyond the borders of their so-called caliphate but it's always been their goal to pursue both of these strategies.

Now the U.S. can and its allies can increase the pressure on the ISIS strongholds and we are seeing evidence of that now but there's a recognition amongst all Western capitals that there is no way to defeat the Islamic State simply through airstrikes or pressure on ISIS strongholds in Iraq and Syria. It will take a more comprehensive solution including a political element and including a resolution of the Syria crisis to eventually drain the swamp, to eventually come to an end state where ISIS won't be able to perpetrate this type of violence both inside the region and abroad.

There is no path to get to that end state and that's what everyone is wrestling with at this moment.

WALKER: Now a U.S. official tells CNN that the U.S. and its allies will share access to some of their most sensitive intelligence on ISIS in Syria with France in the wake of the Paris attack.

HOLMES: Well, new details are surfacing about one of the gunmen at the site of the deadliest Paris attack.

WALKER: The latest on that just ahead. Also, the city of light tries to look past all the darkness.

HOLMES: What the attacks mean for France going forward.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:58] WALKER: Welcome back everyone. We want to bring you some developing news that is just in. Authorities in Paris have new information on one of the terrorists that participated in Friday's deadly attacks in Paris. He is being identified as Delal Adzeek (ph), seen here in this photo. He was a resident of Belgium.

HOLMES: He was killed outside the Stade de France while carrying out an attack there. This is the football stadium. Several sources say Adzeek (ph) was just 19 or perhaps 20 years old. It is thought that he fought in Syria. WALKER: It is striking to see just how young he is.

HOLMES: Radicalized recently, too.

WALKER: Exactly.

Paris is still on edge days after the terror attacks that killed 129 people. Authorities are taking bold steps to fight back.

HOLMES: Just over the last few hours, police carried out a series of anti-terror raids across France, including raids in Toulouse and Calais. Earlier on Sunday, French war planes struck an ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria.

WALKER: The attack targeted an ISIS command center, recruiting center and training base. 12 airplanes flew the mission flying out of bases in Jordan and the UAE.

We are also learning more about one of the men behind the deadly shooting at the Bataclan Theater.

CNN's international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, went to the Paris suburb where he lived.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): It's the moment the concert hall killers opened fire.

(GUNFIRE)

ROBERTSON: One of them a 29-year-old Ishmael Omar Mastafy (ph) identified by his fingerprints. As shocking as his attack is where he once lived, the beautiful Catholic cathedral city, Chartres, an hour outside of Paris, the town everyone in Paris is talking about now.

At a quiet mosque in its suburbs, they are shocked, too, to be associated with the killer.

(on camera): Did he come here? Did he pray here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

ROBERTSON: No, he didn't. Why has this mosque been linked with him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After Mr. Gorges.

ROBERTSON: The mayor?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mayor.

ROBERTSON: So the mayor has made this accusation that --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ROBERTSON: "Go find the mayor and ask him," he tells me. So I do.

Did you say that he attended the mosque here?

JEAN-PIERRE GORGES, MAYOR OF CHARTRES: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ROBERTSON: You said this?

GORGES: Yes.

ROBERTSON: Yes.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): "Yes," says the mayor. "Mastafy (ph) became radicalized at the mosque. There was an imam who converted people. But," he adds, "He left several years ago. Not the man you saw."

We are meeting in one of the pretty cafes.

GORGES: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ROBERTSON: "Yes. That is what could shock people," he tells me. We have someone that is radicalized in a town that is practically the capital in France of Catholicism."

Not far from where the cafe and the leafy lane where Mastafy (ph) lived, kids cruise by on scooters. It is comfortable. Middle class even.

(on camera): So how did he get radicalized here? We don't know, but neighbors tell us in a nearby street there was another jihadi living at the same time and that jihadi, they tell us, was killed in Syria about a year ago.

(voice-over): The major wonders if Mastafy (ph) went to Syria, too.

GORGES: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

"We know he went through Turkey," he said, "around 2013. But ISIS has this way of doing it. They send you for training to come back or to fight there."

(SHOUTING)

ROBERTSON: What frustrates the mayor is that authorities failed to stop Mastafy (ph).

The Paris prosecutor admits he was on their radar.

FRANCOIS MOLINS, PARIS PROSECUTOR (through translation): He was condemned eight times for ordinary offenses. The individual was never incarcerated. He had a file for radicalization but not with an association to a terrorist organization.

[01:35:08] ROBERTSON: Two days after the attack now, no photograph of Mastafy (ph) has emerged yet. His family, however, his three brothers and two sisters and mother and father, have been detained by the police but though they haven't been charged or arrested yet, perhaps they may have the answers everybody is looking for.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, the attacks have made an entire nation anxious as officials search for any information that can bring the people of France some peace of mind.

WALKER: For more on how France is reacting to the tragedy, let's bring in Mirren Gidda, a staff reporter from "Newsweek," and she's joining us now from Paris.

Mirren, appreciate your time.

I know you have spent time talking to the people. You visited the sites where these horrific attacks happened, including the Bataclan Theater. Tell me what struck you the most and what people have been telling you.

MIRREN GIDDA, STAFF REPORTER, NEWSWEEK: I think what struck me the most is that I think a level of calmness within the city, a level of quietness. At the sites of the Bataclan, people are leaving flowers and candles. But it is not quite like Paris after "Charlie Hebdo" where we saw the big march, people out on the streets. It has been a lot more subdued. And I think from speaking to people, there is a sense of resignation. Yesterday, I was in the city's historic Jewish quarters and a woman said to me, even though she is devastated and deeply upset, she thought an attack like this was on its way. Other Parisians tell me they are very angry with the French President Francois Hollande for intervening in Syria in the first place.

HOLMES: It was interesting because reading what you have been out doing, you also went to the Muslim section of town. We were saying earlier that Muslim clerics and the faithful decried this terrible act of terror. But Muslims must be worried about backlash.

GIDDA: Absolutely, they are. They are tired of saying this is not in my name and this is not Islam. When we went to the Paris suburb, a lot of Muslim migrants live, there was a feeling of tension and worry. A number of Muslims say they feel France has a problem with Islamophobia and they think that that's going to be compounded by what has happened on Friday.

WALKER: Also, fears of an anti-immigrant backlash. We were just talking about this with Frederik Pleitgen and his report. You know, one of the findings in this investigation is that there was a doctored Syrian passport found next to the body of one of the suicide bombers outside the football stadium, and it turns out that this suicide bomber journey that the refugees took from parts of the Middle East, Syria all the way to Greece. I understand you talked to some people who have recently arrived. What are they telling you? GIDDA: Yes. We spoke to some refugees the day before yesterday. You

know they are sad. They are worried France might consider closing its borders and worried that people can turn on them and say we can't take in any more refugees. And what was particularly interesting is that a number of men from Afghanistan said, you know, we have been fleeing war, conflict caused by the Taliban and we come here and it feels like a war zone.

But I also spoke to France's National, France's right wing party led by Marine Le Pen. She was saying, should his party get elected, and they are predicted to do very well in upcoming regional elections, he said they will not be taking in any more refugees. This party believes the borders need to be shut now and shut for good.

HOLMES: Do you get a sense of that on the streets, this emboldenment of the far right in Paris, which has been politically climbing up in popularity. When you talk to people there, do you get that sort of sentiment from them?

GIDDA: I haven't from the people that I have spoken to. Most people are staying calm and level headed and they are able to make the distinction between a minority group of extremists and the wider Muslim-oriented refugee population. But it must be noted very few people want to admit to holding extreme views. It's certainly the case, as you mentioned, that the Front National is doing very, very well in the polls. Marine Le Pen, a few hours after the attacks, really came out very strongly. She said Islamic extremism must be crushed and that is a view many Parisians will be sharing that Muslim extremism must be stopped now in this country.

[01:40:05] WALKER: In times like these, where it is quite emotional, there is a concern that there could be an overreaction as decisions made in these times need to be critically thought through.

Mirren Gidda, a staff reporter for "Newsweek" magazine, it was a great conversation. Thanks for doing that.

HOLMES: Great to chat with you, Mirren. Thanks.

GIDDA: Thank you.

HOLMES: All right. We are going to take a short break on the program. When we come back, French police officers surrounding a Paris memorial after fears of an attack on Sunday.

WALKER: We will have those details ahead.

Also, firsthand accounts from football fans that witnessed the attacks outside the stadium.

HOLMES: And how those events have changed them forever.

Stay with us. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Paris, a city on edge. You can see it there. There is a manhunt on with one or more perpetrators still at-large. Emotions, as you see, incredibly fragile and raw.

WALKER: That was evidence on this video on Sunday when fireworks were enough to strike fear. Chaos erupted as the memorial as mourners mistook the cracks for gunshots and police were called in to investigate.

HOLMES: Senior international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, was on the spot and here is her report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[01:44:42] CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: People were gathering here. It was a beautiful moment. It was somber and quiet. There were candles, people saying their prayers, paying their respects and remembering their dead. And then suddenly, in a flash, there was chaos. Women started to scream. The crowd started pushing down the street, running, abject panic and horror on their faces. We saw women clutching their children, crying. Another woman with a stroller desperately running for what she thought was her life.

Somebody said they heard gunshots and police fanned out across the area. They were heavily armed. They were shouting at people to take cover and get inside. It was clear from watching this whole thing play out that they were incredibly nervous, that they did not know what the situation was, that they are fully experiencing the sense of panic and fear in same way as all Parisians are.

And it was such juxtaposition as well from earlier conversations I had with Parisians who were telling me, you know what, Friday was a night of shock. Saturday was a day of mourning. But on Sunday, we felt determined to come out and take our lives back and take our culture back, to go to cafes and enjoy a concert and go to the theatre.

But very quickly you see how fragile that spirit of defiance is because it is tinged with a really serious sense of fear. Attackers possibly still on the loose. And there is a very real impression that as much as they want to get on with their ordinary lives, people understand that life in Paris has changed. It is not clear yet when and how it will return to normal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: You see those images and how scared they really are.

HOLMES: Terrifying.

WALKER: Some of the soccer fans waiting to get inside the stadium are talking about the horror they witnessed. HOLMES: Our Atika Shubert reports on the carnage and the lingering

fear.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Stade de France has shut its gates but there are still grizzly reminders of the terror that struck here, sidewalks stained with blood, shattered windows, deep pot marks in the wall.

The first suicide bomber struck 15 minutes in the first half of the Germany/France exhibition match. The second and third detonated afterwards.

Investigators are looking at the sequence of events. According to the security guards in the area that we spoke with, one of the bombers tried to enter the stadium but was stopped by security.

(on camera): This is where we believe the second suicide bomber detonated, right in front of the entrance. I want you to take a look at this as well. We have been finding these all around the site. These are bolts. You can see that this is particularly mangled. According to the public prosecutor, these were packed into the suicide vest to cause maximum carnage.

(voice-over): It did not turn out the way the bombers wanted. One person walking by was killed and several others injured. Otherwise, the only others killed were the bombers themselves.

According to the Paris prosecutor, the explosives they used were poor quality but enough to scatter the bloody remains of the bombers dozens of meters away.

This man lives around the corner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just learned this blood, the killers (ph), the killer's (ph) blood, so I was feeling upset and feeling a little sad now.

SHUBERT: While forensic teams have swept the area there are still remnants of the attack. Onlookers have come to the scene not knowing they are walking over small pieces of the bombers remains. Others cannot forget what they saw.

"We saw body parts there," he tells us. "I did not want my son to see any of this. We were right in front of the stadium. We didn't think. We had no idea what was happening."

Kevin Toolga (ph) still has his tickets, but one of the bombs went off before he and his son went into the stadium. He said his son cannot sleep. And Kevin came to France as a Kurdish refugee seeking safety from war and says he might never take his son to another match.

He tells us, when my son realized the extent of what happened, he told me don't ever bring me to a game again. So, no, I don't think we can go. The blood can be washed away, but the fear that this may happen again

cannot.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Can't imagine explaining that to your children.

WALKER: Yeah.

HOLMES: Meanwhile, people coming together for a special Sunday mass. This is the famed Notre Dame Cathedral and they were there to remember the fallen.

[01:49:37] WALKER: We will have more from Paris when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back. Mourners filled the famous Notre Dame Cathedral on Sunday for a service to remember the victims of the Paris terror attacks.

WALKER: Ben Wedeman has more now on the service and how Parisians are choosing to honor those that lost their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BELLS TOLL)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bells of Notre Dame toll and toll and toll for the dead. The trauma of Friday night's multiple attacks still all too raw.

With soldiers on guard outside, a special service was held in this ancient cathedral --

(SINGING)

WEDEMAN: -- offering up prayers for the dead and prayers for the living.

(SINGING)

WEDEMAN: In the face of blind barbarism Cardinal Andre van Troitt (ph) told the congregation, there can be no crack in our foundation of out convictions but the city, in shock, will take time to recover.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Party for France, for Paris and the people of the world.

WEDEMAN: They are shocked but not subdued.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The ceremony was to say that we are here and we support the families and the sadness of the families. But we are not scared. WEDEMAN: The service was attended by many outside France, drawn by an

urge to express support.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to stand together and to show solidarity as well to show them they won't win. They won't win. They are cowards. They won't win.

[01:55:14] WEDEMAN: And brought together by a sense that far too many around the world are living through the same nightmare.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had friends that lived in Lebanon. I talked to them yesterday and they told me about the terrorist situation bomb there two or three days ago. I came here tonight to pray for all of the people that cannot survive the terrorism.

(SINGING)

WEDEMAN: Prays of home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALKER: We want to thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Amara Walker.

HOLMES: And I'm Michael Holmes.

CNN's coverage of the Paris attacks does continue after the break. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:13] HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Hala Gorani.