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Ringleader of Paris Attacks Confirmed Dead; New ISIS Video Vows Attack on New York City. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired November 19, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:12] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And we do have breaking news this hour. The ringleader of the Paris terror attacks is dead.

Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. I'd like to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. Let's head now to Paris and Anderson Cooper.

Hi, Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol. Right now Paris embraces the news that Abdelhamid Abaaoud is confirmed dead. Fingerprinted a short time ago proving that he was killed in one of yesterday's raids just outside the city. We're going to break down what his death means to a city scarred by the attacks and this terrorist group already naming New York as a future target.

CNN's Nic Robertson has been digging on Abaaoud and his background. And our Clarissa Ward is in Saint-Denis, a suburb where the raids unfolded. Let's go to Clarissa first.

Clarissa, obviously a huge victory for French intelligence, for French police, who have clearly been wanting this man who's also wanted in Belgium as well.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. It's certainly a victory for French authorities and for French officials. And talking to people here on the ground, Anderson, there is a palpable sense of relief. Certainly that raid yesterday went on for seven hours. There were grenades, there was gunfire, there were explosions. More than 5,000 bullets fired at the people who were inside that apartment. So there is definitely a sense of relief here.

But at the same time it's really interesting. You talk to some residents. They say that they don't believe that he was killed. They say that they don't believe the authorities anymore. And what you really get a sense of is that there is a breakdown of communication between authorities and between the residents of this neighborhood. There are many different types of people. Many different religions and races living here, Anderson. But this is known as one of Paris's tougher neighborhoods.

And one gets the sense that some residents feel that radicalism here is a very real problem. And they are not convinced that even with the death of the ringleader Abaaoud, that that is going to stop. That this problem is going to stop -- Anderson.

COOPER: Our Nic Robertson who is also joining us from the bureau.

Nic, I mean, the fact that this guy who was wanted by Belgian intelligence, who has been on the radar certainly of the French for a long time because he allegedly had been involved in past attempts as well, most notably the attempt on that train where a potential killer -- terrorist was subdued by American military personnel. The fact that he was able to get back into Europe from Syria where he had been at one point is extraordinary.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It is. And I think it's very interesting when we kind of break down and analyze what happened, in the past five days that over the past few days a lot of us got the information that there was a possibility that Abaaoud could have connected with these attacks. The newspapers, the television screens here in France have been absolutely full with his image.

This would be a huge benefit to police and intelligence officials here because to have in everyone's minds the picture of the man who was potentially a ringleader, somehow involved in this, would mean that if he was back here in Paris -- and now we clearly know this, the intelligence authorities had wind of that -- it would mean that his movements would become more limited, that he would potentially be spotted out on the streets. I think that is an interesting part of how you look at the last few days that his image has been out there a lot.

And very interested, listening to what Clarissa is saying about Saint- Denis, I was there last night as well, we get a very different feeling down on the Saint-Denis here. I've been down there to ask a few people their reaction to the killing of Abaaoud. One man I spoke to told me that he hadn't heard about it yet. He said that he was pleased. He had a sense of relief about it. Another lady I spoke to was a little more cautious. She had heard. She was -- felt it was a -- this was good.

But everyone I talked to on the street just now has told me here in the central Paris, at least, that they think the government has to do a lot more. They are not safe. The government needs to continue to dig and continue to work away. They feel a real sense that there could be other terror cells out there.

But the sort of acceptance among the middle class population that we -- I talked to here just now that this is real, that the government information is correct, that does very much highlight that divide between essentially rich middle class and more impoverished Saint- Denis with a higher immigrant population -- Anderson.

[09:05:03] COOPER: Yes. Well, Clarissa, is it clear at this point how authorities were led to that specific location? I know Jim Sciutto yesterday was reporting about the cell phones. We're going to talk to Jim shortly. But do we know how long they had that apartment under surveillance for? WARD: Well, we know that it was about three days ago that French

authorities got a tip off that Abaaoud was actually here in France and not indeed in Syria or Iraq as they had previously thought. And then they were reportedly able to confirm that using cell phones as Jim Sciutto has been reporting, also bank statements, and they were led to the apartment of Abaaoud's cousin. That was the 26-year-old woman who actually blew herself up during the course of the raid.

We don't know how long exactly they were surveilling the apartment for but certainly to residents around here they said it came as a big shock. One neighborhood local told us that he knew that there was a lot of drug dealing that actually went on in that building but they were certainly surprised to hear that more sinister activities of a terrorist nature would have been taking place there -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right. Clarissa Ward, appreciate that reporting. Also Nic Robertson.

I want to bring in CNN's chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, who's joining me here, and CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen.

As we said, you were saying yesterday about the cell phones which may have led them to this apartment. But certainly this is a huge win for French intelligence. But as Nic was saying, and I think a lot of people here feel, the threat is not over. I mean, this guy can be very easily replaced by somebody else.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: He can be replaced and keep in mind there is still a missing attacker from Friday's attacks, right? At least one.

COOPER: One or two.

SCIUTTO: One or possibly two. So there is a very direct threat connected to these attacks who's still out right there now and they consider armed, dangerous probably even has explosives as well. That said, this was good police work. It was very urgent. I'm told that the surveillance on that apartment started within just 24 hours before the raid took place. So this is -- you know, this is just in time police work now. They get that phone call that led them there, a phone communication. They double check it with bank records, et cetera. They go there and they act.

You know, it's interesting. We talked a lot about, is this a new normal? Is this a new time? We see so many demonstrations of that now? One, the laws are new. You have this state of emergency extended, gives police enormous powers to in effect arrest first and ask questions later. The way police are operating now. Much more aggressive. They're not waiting. They move in. They assume that an attack might be imminent when they are going on to these places.

But finally, and I know Clarissa and Nic had spoken to this as well, just the sense around Paris that people are settling in for what is going to be a long fight, a long war here in Paris. Here in France. COOPER: And I think everybody feels that here. I mean, people you

talk to on the streets, in cafes, wherever you go, they all do have that sense, Peter Bergen, that this is -- this is not just a one-off. This is something which France, which many countries in Europe, and the United States, is going to be engaged with for a very long time.

I'm wondering your thoughts, Peter, on hearing about the death of this ringleader -- I'm going to frankly just stop using his name now that he's dead. Let's hope history doesn't remember this killer's name. But this ringleader, how important do you think is it that he's now out of the picture, Peter?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, tactically it's important but strategically it may not be that big a deal. I mean, Anderson, go back to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the founder of Al Qaeda in Iraq, the forerunner of ISIS. His death actually was then followed by rising violence in Iraq. It was only when the entire network of Al Qaeda in Iraq was largely dismantled that the group was essentially out of business for several years.

So with the death of this individual there is still an enterprise investigation as the FBI calls it which is to take down the entire network. Where did the money come from? Who was the bomb maker, but it's just not clear if the perpetrators in the attack made the bombs or someone else which would have required some skill? Who was, you know, the overall commander in Syria? I mean, there is much of the network that is still out there that has to be pursued.

COOPER: Peter, how much of a network like this is personality dependent? Is dependent on, you know, this ringleader, his contacts? Because we know according to a Belgian official that he actually served time in jail and/or prison with the eighth terrorist, that there is an arrest warrant out for who is still out there.

BERGEN: I think in these large scale attacks it is -- there is usually one guy who is the guy. Think about 9/11. Mohamed Atta was the ringleader, although he had 18 conspirators, but he was clearly the guy in charge. Think of the first attack on the World Trade Center in New York, Ramzi Yousef was clearly the ringleader, you know, and without the ringleader the plot looks different.

[09:10:04] But that said, you know, in each of these plots, all the plots we're discussing, there were many conspirators and recruiting that kind of number of conspirators requires a much larger organization. And the organization unfortunately appears to be, you know, very, very vibrant right now.

COOPER: And Jim, we should point out that Saleh Abdeslam, the guy -- so-called eighth terrorist, who there is this arrest warrant for, as far as authorities believe, I mean, last they were tracking him he had been apprehended on his way to Belgium. He was let go on a routine traffic stop with two other people in the vehicle. Those two people were arrested in Belgium over the weekend and later released. So the assumption is that he is in Belgium but we can't say for sure.

SCIUTTO: That is, but as you know, you can move so easily around Europe. Just the distances are so short. He could be anywhere in Europe now or maybe further afield. But boy, doesn't that traffic stop become more important now as we move on. It was a close call.

Listen, it was luck that they stopped him frankly and bad luck that they let him go because they had no information he was involved at that time. But that is just a reminder. This is a big catch to have a killed Abaaoud but there are others out there.

COOPER: Yes. Jim Sciutto, Peter Bergen, good to have you on the program.

A lot of developments to tell you about just over the next two hours. I want to show you some chilling video that captures the terror attack on Friday. This video -- surveillance footage from inside a Paris cafe. And one woman -- it shows one woman's breathtaking escape from certain death. The terrorist came right above her to shoot her point- blank, to execute her, the gun jammed and he walked off. And she amazingly was able to get up and run away.

This comes from DailyMail.com. It is incredibly haunting. CNN's Chris Cuomo walks us through it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN CO-ANCHOR, NEW DAY: You can see glass window shattering as the gunman starts firing from outside. People running in to escape the bullets. Everyone diving out of the way and hiding behind walls desperately looking for cover.

The gunman showing no signs of mercy, coming right up to the edge of the cafe, aiming at a woman defenseless on the ground. But in one of the more miraculous moments, either the gun malfunctions or the gunman misfires and the woman gets up and runs away.

From another angle, you can see two employees ducking behind the bar as bullets start flying, one of them managing to flee down a flight of stairs as fear grips the cafe. The other helps a woman who had run inside after the siege began. People seen tossing chairs and tables out of the way to find safety as the attacks continue.

The glass and dust clouding the camera's view of the cafe. Terror rocking the city of Paris, bringing a lively Friday night to deadening silence.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Amazing escape for that woman. Can you imagine what that -- the terror of that man standing right over her trying to kill her point-blank.

In Belgium police launching a new wave of raids as the government is promising -- and we're showing, by the way, the French Interior minister who's speaking. We're monitoring what he's saying, we will bring you any news that he makes this hour.

The government of Belgium promising a new crackdown on Islamic jihadists. I want to go to our Ivan Watson who is standing by in Brussels with the latest.

Ivan, are there new raids now going on in Belgium?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They have been going on throughout the morning, at least a half dozen different locations searched, and the federal prosecutor's office here saying that they conducted three search warrants in relation with the Paris attacks in this morning's raids and detained two people in connection with those raids.

Now when I asked for reaction to the reported death of Belgium's most notorious jihadi, most notorious terrorist, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office said right now we're still looking for the missing fugitive, Saleh Abdeslam, another resident of belgium, at large with some real concerns about what he's capable of doing.

The vehicle he was traveling in from Paris after the Paris attacks ended up here back in Brussels in the aftermath but he is still very, very much at large. And when you try to talk to ordinary people about their reaction to this, well, one man said it doesn't really matter. One man gets killed, Abaaoud killed, 10 more will step forward to take his place. That is part of what Belgium is struggling with. The fact that a relatively small country, 11 million people, Anderson, and yet per capita, the biggest contributor to the ranks of the Islamic State from western Europe -- Anderson.

COOPER: Yes. And many people point to Belgium as the wink link in the chain of intelligence agencies and in terms of response to radical jihadists.

Ivan, we'll check in back with you. Let's listen in a little bit to the French Interior minister.

BERNARD CAZENEUVE, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (Through Translator): In the operation of Saint-Denis there was a target. It was reached. It was achieved.

[00:09:15]

This victim has died and put out of possibility of causing any harm and what we have to implement everything to fight and win against terrorism. That is the message that I will bring quite clearly to Brussels tomorrow, thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Some brief comments from France's interior minister, trying to give the latest on the investigation. Obviously the big news this morning, the death of the alleged ringleader of Friday's attack and potentially other attacks that authorities say were being planned from that apartment in Saint-Denis, where the raids took place early yesterday morning, raids on three locations, mostly on two apartments across the street from each other; eight people taken into custody, two people dead, one, a woman who blew herself up with an explosive device that was on her body, the other, now French authorities acknowledging early this morning, based on DNA testing from fingers, soles of feet, they say it is, in fact, the alleged ringleader who is dead.

Coming up, ISIS releases yet another video, vowing to strike New York City but officials, they say they will not live in fear nor should anybody else. We'll be right back.

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[00:09:20]

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COOPER: And welcome back, we're live in Paris, we're continuing to follow the breaking news. Obviously a major victory for France, for French intelligence and police officials. The ringleader of the brutal terror attacks that stole the lives of more than 120 innocent people is now dead.

The prosecutor's office here in Paris confirming that the body of the ringleader was found in the rubble of a pre-dawn raid carried out on Wednesday. The body -- they have not said whether or not he blew himself up, whether he was shot to death or killed in blasts from law enforcement. But he is dead.

Joining me now is CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank.

Obviously, as we've been talking about, it is a good day for French police in the battle against those who committed these atrocities on Friday and may have been planning others, according to French officials. But the wider network, of course, is still out there.

What do we know about the network in Syria?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERROR ANALYST: We know there are still a significant number of others who are thought to be planning a wave of attacks against France, against Europe.

And they are a group, I'm told by officials, of about a half dozen French and Belgium ISIS recruits, who've moved up the hierarchy. They have a certain amount of status, who have been working together to launch these plots.

And what they have been trying to do is, from talent of fresh recruits coming in, giving them very, very quick training and then sending them back here to launch attacks with Kalashnikovs.

One of those key figures is Fabien Clain, who, in the ISIS claim for responsibility in French, it was actually his voice that they identified claiming responsibility for the attack, pointing toward his --

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: He's a French citizen. CRUICKSHANK: -- he's a French citizen, originally from Reunion. He moved when he was young to the southern area of France, Toulouse. He was very close friends with Mohammed Merah, the French radical, who launched those shootings against Jewish school kids in 2012, somebody with a long track record involved with terrorism, including a potential threat stream that he was involved with against the Bataclan here in Paris in 2009.

COOPER: Really? So he had previously wanted to strike at Bataclan?

CRUICKSHANK: Absolutely. And the same guy who wanted to strike the Bataclan claimed responsibility for this attack for ISIS, it's possible that he resuscitated the plans to attack the Bataclan in Syria. He's 10 years older than Abdelhamid Abaaoud. And the officials tell me that they believe they were working together. But because he's 10 years older, because he has this longer track record, Abaaoud would have looked up to him. So I think we need to look to Fabien Clain as being the potential supervisor, if you look, of this plot from the ISIS point of view. But there are others as well in part of this network. I can throw other names out there that I've been told by officials: Salim Benghalem being one of them, Sabrit Asseed (ph) being another one of them, a half-dozen individuals, still there in Raqqah, Syria, talent spotting these French-speaking Europeans to come back to launch attacks, a wave of attacks is what they fear they are planning.

COOPER: It is interesting that it's this group of French, of Belgian citizens who are there in Syria, who, as you say, are talent spotting, talent scouting; when new people come from France or Belgium or elsewhere who they think they may be liable to use, that they are quickly turning them around and trying to send them back.

CRUICKSHANK: And why they're doing it so quickly, one of the reasons they are doing it so quickly is these people are traveling through Turkey to try to get to Syria. If they are only in Syria for like a week or two, then the European security agencies are not going to suspect necessarily that they managed to get into Syria if they are only making two-week travel plans to Turkey. That's plausible as a holiday, right.

So it is very, very ingenious from ISIS that they are doing this now and that people go on holiday to Turkey, couple of week vacation, three-week vacation, slip very quickly across the Syrian border, get the training, come back through Turkey.

That was the M.O., by the way, with several of the plots that we've seen in the last month against France. And even in one case, they suspect with that train attack, that he may just have stayed in Turkey, actually been tasked with marching orders inside Turkey itself --

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: So he never even --

CRUICKSHANK: -- getting to Syria. And the same thing with the plot against the churches in April. But he met in various safe houses in Istanbul and in the southern part of Turkey with French ISIS operatives, including potentially people linked with Fabien Clain, told to go and launch these attacks.

COOPER: Wow. The network continues.

Paul Cruickshank, thank you very much.

We have a lot more to cover. I want to toss it back to Carol in New York -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN HOST: All right, thanks, Anderson.

"We will not live in fear." That's the message --

[00:09:25]

COSTELLO: -- from New York City's top police officer. After ISIS unveiled a new propaganda video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO (voice-over): You're looking at live pictures out of Times Square. Right now, looks as business as usual. Right? But this is after the terrorist group released a new video vowing to strike the city. We have made a decision not to show you that video because, frankly, that's exactly what the terrorists want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: New York city officials say New Yorkers should not be intimidated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL DE BLASIO, MAYOR OF NEW YORK: The people of New York City will not be intimidated. We understand it is the goal of terrorists to intimidate and disrupt our democratic society. We will not submit to their wishes.

BILL BRATTON, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: There is, as we have repeated frequently, no city in America that is better prepared to defend and protect against a terrorist attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Joining me now, CNN law enforcement analyst and former Navy SEAL, Jonathan Gilliam.

Welcome, Jonathan.

How seriously should we take this propaganda video?

It shows pictures of times Square and other landmarks in New York City.

How seriously should we take this?

JONATHAN GILLIAM, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: We should always take them seriously. But here's the deal with -- especially New York City and America in general is that we're always under a threat now. It is not as though these individuals that wish to do us harm turn their anger on and off. It's not as if they stop planning.

They are always looking for ins and a way to attack inside the United States. And New York City in particular.

Here is the thing that I didn't like about the news presser last night that they did. It was two things.

One, the police commissioner -- and I know he has a good heart -- but he comes on and says, don't worry, the NYPD will take care of you. I'm a big fan of the NYPD and I worked with him in the FBI and they are amazing law enforcement agency.

But they are not everywhere all the time. Awareness is the number one thing that is going to save people.

And then right there when he said that, it is almost like a false hope, that telling people that New York City is the safest city in the world. These individuals, their M.O., these people that use terrorism, they work in and around our vulnerabilities to get in and attack.

And it doesn't matter how strong this country is. It doesn't matter how strong the NYPD is. They are going to continue to try to manipulate and exploit our vulnerabilities. It is going to take awareness from people to spot that.

COSTELLO: I think that New Yorkers are aware. Because after 9/11, it just became a different world. I think New Yorkers expect something to happen. It is not like we're walking around, you know, living in fantasy land.

GILLIAM: No, but I will tell you this right here. This cell phone is the number one vulnerability that we have because our face is always in this. And you literally could have guys walking by people with guns and they would never know it because their faces are stuck in this cell phone. So I just suggest people take that down for a minute, every block or so and look around a little bit.

COSTELLO: So the attacks were carried out by a team of at least nine terrorists, including several who investigates believe traveled to join the Islamic State.

In general, speaking in general, that is not what we're exactly dealing with here in the United States because ISIS is targeting the mentally ill, people with family problems, who are criminals to carry out terror.

So is that easier for police or is it harder for police to deal with?

GILLIAM: Well, it becomes more difficult. And we've seen this in other locations. It is just that now they are branching out. And here's the real problem with what we're seeing.

This isn't just a family tree of a small group of people. What you saw in France is starting to blossom into the tree of the same group or family of terrorists that are in Syria and all those areas in the Middle East.

The problem is their tactics that they use over there do use women. They have used handicapped and children. And it is just that one of those few things that people just drop their guard and they don't look at.

So for law enforcement it becomes more difficult to suspect who could be doing this, because typically it was men. And now once they spread it out amongst people it is going to be very hard. At least before, you knew you could look at this age and this sex. But now everybody is a target.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: OK, final question. There is a lot of hysterical things being said out there right now.

GILLIAM: Sure.

COSTELLO: Many by politicians.

GILLIAM: Of course.

COSTELLO: Of course.

So tell me.

Should we be in hysterical state right now?

Should we be in full-blown panic in the United States over these attacks in Paris?

GILLIAM: The United States should be in a heightened sense of awareness. Panic is never good. And when you look at the attacks and when they happen and when we talk about active shooter situations, if people wait until things get bad to react, they are going to be reacting out of fear.

And that is what you see a lot in the United States right now, is people are going on with their daily lives because they are free. They have jobs. They are making a living. And politicians are moving forward to try to get elected. So they say certain things.

But I will tell you, the politician's job, one of the jobs is to settle the fears of the United States and to make sure that our national security is taken care of. And that is really what they should be doing instead of inciting people.