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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Hostage Situation Unfolding at Radisson Hotel in Mali; Investigation Into Paris Attacks Continues. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired November 20, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: But first, a hostage situation unfolding this morning at a Radisson Hotel in Mali. Witnesses report hearing automatic weapon fire. About 140 guests and 30 employees we're told are trapped inside that hotel. The hotel located in the capital city of Bamako. Again, we're watching this unfold here, a situation that has been rapidly deteriorating here. You've got the American embassy in Mali telling Americans to stay home, to stay inside. This is a hotel that is popular with travelers, with business people, with expatriates. CNN's David McKenzie is monitoring events live from Johannesburg this morning. What can you tell us about this hotel attack in Mali, David?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we can tell you is that this is an ongoing situation, very situation indeed, it seems. The US embassy, as you say is asking nationals to stay in put, in shelter, in place, and not to move around according to local media. According to the spokesman of the presidency in Mali, they are saying that the shooting is ongoing, thought we spoke to an eyewitness on the scene who said some 15 minutes or so ago there was a lull that has been going on since early this morning Mali time. At least 170 people, guests and of course people working that hotel according to the UN peacekeeping force there is are in fact currently in held under hostage by what the AFP says around two gunman. That's unverified reports from the AFP. Air France is now saying they have several employees they believe at the hotel. They are monitoring the situation, and Chinese state news agencies also say they have nationals there. This is a very international hotel catering towards international travelers, expats, and business people traveling though the capital of Mali. So certainly it's a very high valued target for terrorists in this instance. We believe of course this is a terror attack, and they've set up a perimeter and both French and UN and local forces we believe are under siege.

ROMANS: David, let's talk a little bit about the relationship between Mali and France. Because France in its terror attacks have been the story, center stage for the past week. Now we're not saying, we don't know if these are connected in any way, shape or form. But a friend heavily involved in its former colony in a fight against radicalization.

MCKENZIE: Well that's right. France has been very heavily involved for many years, and in fact involved some years ago in a direct military intervention, effectively saving the then-government from an invasion of Tuareg rebels and Islamic fundamentalist groups, including those associated with Al Qaeda in the Maghreb. Effectively they were going to march in and take the capital. And now the French intervened in the major military operation. They've since had needed that over to the UN. There is a tentative peace process going on, but one can believe that this was aimed at western interests to tell whether it has any link whatsoever to the horrific Paris attacks, but certainly comes with in that frame. There have been several attacks over the recent years, attacking western interests in the Maghreb in that region by Al Qaeda linked groups. This is an ongoing situation. They do say that there are a significant number of security forces on the ground, they've set up a perimeter, and again, US nationals in that country have been asked to shelter, lay low, monitor media including local media, and sort of wait this out. It's a very serious situation. At least French and Chinese nationals appear to be in the hotel right now.

ROMANS: One hundred and seventy guests and employees at the hotel. They are calling it a hostage situation, automatic gunfire, automatic gunfire heard. Anyone claiming responsibility, David?

MCKENZIE: No, not at all, and this is an ongoing situation that appeared to have started some hours ago, extremely early days here, and unclear how this is all unfolding. What we're hearing from the ground though is that it seems like they are held up at one of the high reaches of the hotel, maybe the seventh floor. There was a peach agreement meeting, according to a UN spokesman there earlier this week, so there would have been potentially diplomats and others in that hotel for those meetings. This will shatter of course the peace discussions in Mali, and you may remember that some years ago there was a very real threat that this could be a situation that the Tuareg and Islamic groups took over the entire country, and they were fought back effectively by France. So the conclusions are too early to draw, but the connections are certainly there.

ROMANS: David McKenzie, we know you've got to get back to the phones and start working your sources to find out more. We will continue to monitor from here as well. David McKenzie again on that ongoing hostage situation in Mali; 170 people in the Radisson Blu Hotel. You know John Berman, you know it's a brand name you are probably aware of if you are an international business traveler or have done any kind of foreign business because it is the kind of place where expatriates or business travelers and business leaders would be gathering, quite frankly, for meetings and to do work.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Christine, I should tell you I have my eye on French television right now. The situation in Mali is the only story being covered in France right now because if you wanted to attack French interests somewhere not inside this country, that Radisson hotel in Mali in Bamako would certainly be a site, because of the French military involvement in that country, with French travelers so often going to that country, and now it could be that there are French hostages inside that hotel among the 170 people being held captive there. We will get back to that ongoing developing situation in just a moment. There is breaking news here in Paris as well. The Paris prosecutor's office just informed us that there was a third suspect killed in that daring raid in the suburb of Saint-Denis the other night. So Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the presumed ringleader or planner of the attack, he was killed inside. Apparently a woman, his cousin, also killed, and now we learn there is a third body they have found. They do not yet have the identity there.

Also this morning more breaking news Abdelhamid Abaaoud spotted on surveillance footage inside a subway station not long after, pretty much during the ongoing attacks last Friday night. They have footage of him from inside this subway station. They are analyzing it right now. What was he doing during those attacks? That, a key question.

Also this morning, still presumed to be on the loose Salah Abdeslam last seen on the road headed toward Belgium. A series of raids in Belgium over the last 24 hours leading to the detention of nine people right now. Are they connected somehow to these attacks? I want to go to Ivan Watson who is in Belgium with the very latest. Good morning, Ivan.

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. People are on edge. There was a bomb scare in the town of Namur, about an hour's drive southeast of Brussels where the main courthouse was ordered to be evacuated there by police. School stopped as well. Fortunately, police have since announced that everything is back to normal. There have not been any explosives found there. With that taking place as ministers of the interior and just as all the European Union countries have gathered here in Brussels, the capital of the European Union for an extraordinary discussion to discuss new measures to try to battle the threat of terrorism in the European Union. They are discussing ways to try to strengthen the external borders of the EU. Of course in the wake of the Paris attacks people stunned to learn that some suspects who are wanted here in Belgium with international arrest warrants had somehow snuck, smuggled their way back into Europe from Syria without authorities knowing until that terrible night when they themselves started attacking civilians and blowing themselves up in Paris.

In addition to that, we're still waiting for results from a series of raids, John, on Thursday here in Brussels where Belgian police detained at least nine people. They were looking for links to the Paris attacks. They were also looking at the family and entourage of one of the suicide bombers in Paris, a man named Bilal Hadfi. It is worth noting he is one of those people who was facing an international arrest warrant, was believed to have been in Syria since early 2015. He blew himself up in Paris just last week. John.

BERMAN: All right, Ivan Watson for us with the situation, the ongoing situation in Belgium. Let's bring it back here to Paris where there are new developments just over the last several minutes. Again, news that there was a third suspected terrorist killed in the raid in the suburb of Saint-Denis the other night. News we are getting that surveillance footage from inside a subway station spotted the suspected planner of the attacks who was killed in that raid I was just talking about, Abdelhamid Abaaoud. Footage of him about the time the Bataclan attack was going on. What was he doing there? I want to bring in our senior international correspondent, Frederik Pleitgen, who is covering the situation here in Paris with all the very latest developments. Fred. FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, certainly a lot of new developments that have come in here over the last couple of hours. That surveillance video that spotted Abaaoud certainly is something that is raising a lot of eyebrows. Now that metro station that he was spotted at is actually very close to where police found one of the getaway cars on Saturday. It's near Montreuil which is on the outskirts of Paris. And remember, this is the black Seat Leon, and in that car there were three AK-47 assault rifles that police officers found when they broke into the windows of those cars and then later towed the car away. So Abaaoud seen at that metro station shortly afterwards, as you said, the raid at the Bataclan at that point in time was still going on, and if you recall, shortly after the attacks in which that car was used some footage came out of that car and it appeared as though there was at least more than one person inside the vehicle, and at that point in time people were beginning to speculate whether Abaaoud may have been on the scenes. Now one way or another afterwards he did make his way obviously to that apartment in Saint- Denis where he was later confronted by the police. So at that point in time it appears as though the only one that we know of who is still on the run is Salah Abdeslam. He is the one who was shortly detained by police officers on a road that leads to Belgium. Right now, however, the authorities are also looking into whether or not he might have gone to the Netherlands, because he did have some affiliation with the Netherlands in the past, John.

BERMAN: All right, Frederik Pleitgen for us covering the situation here in Paris. There is an alarming situation happening right now in the West African nation of Mali. Gunman storming a hotel there, 170 people now being held hostage inside. This is a hotel with a lot of western travelers, a lot of western tourists. One hundred and seventy people being held hostage as we speak. Much more right after the break.

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ROMANS: We are following breaking news this morning from Bamako, the capital of Mali. Two gunman storming a Radisson Blu hotel, taking 170 guests and employees hostage. Witnesses report hearing automatic weapons fire. The US embassy in Mali tweeting a warning to all of its staffers and Americans in the area. The American embassy saying they should shelter in place, stay home, do not go out. Just three months ago suspected Islamic extremists killed 13 people including five UN workers at a hotel in central Mali. The owner of a restaurant next door to the Radisson Blu is on the phone with me right now. (Amim Treia) thank you so much for joining us. I know it's a scary, dangerous situation there. Tell me what you heard this morning at the Radisson.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, Christine. First of all, we heard around 7 AM that two gunmen came in the front of the hotel and shot all the security (inaudible). We heard that two of the security guards passed away. And then the two terrorists got into the hotel and shot people or they may have just sporadic shot there. Around 8:00 we heard huge explosions coming from inside the hotel. After that we have seen people removed from the hotel. Two of them were (inaudible) direction. They were in the gym inside the hotel. They managed to get away from the hotel, from a small door in back of the hotel. That's all we heard. Then we got new information that the terrorists were in the hotel and they got 170 people there as hostage.

ROMANS: And we are hearing that same information, 170 people held by two gunmen right now, Amim. Thirty of those people are considered employees of the hotel. T he rest are there either for meetings or they are staying at the hotel too. You think that the security guards killed by the terrorists on their way into the hotel and those people being held in a hostage situation now.

Are you hearing any more automatic gunfire? Have you heard any more explosions?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes around 8:00 we heard one explosion coming form the hotel. We don't know if it's from the outside or the inside of the hotel, but we are about 300 meters away from the hotel. I can say that was a huge explosion.

ROMANS: Tell me what security is like in general. I mean, this is a place, the Radisson Blu, if you are an international business traveler, if you are a peacekeeper, if you are a diplomat, and you are working or visiting Mali, this is a name you would know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, Radisson Blu is a well known hotel. All the business (moguls) go there for their stay.

ROMANS: If terrorists wanted to strike western interests, that would be the location, is what I'm saying. You know, I mean, there is a peace conference underway I'm told.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know really. I can say that the zone (inaudible) 2000. It's a quiet place usually. It's not a crime scene or there are no problems.

ROMANS: (Amim Treia), the restaurant owner next door to the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako. Thank you so much, sir. And again check in with us again if you hear any more developments there. Again, the US embassy telling Americans in the capital city there to stay home, to stay indoors. We know there is an ongoing hostage situation at the Radisson Blu, 170 people now being held by two gunmen, and you can hear from our witness there, (Amim), saying there are likely fatalities of the security guards at the front gates of that hotel. We'll be right back.

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CHRISTINE ROMANS: Breaking news from Bamako, the capital of Mali. Two gunmen storming a Radisson hotel, taking 170 guests and employees hostage. We are hearing now confirmed three fatalities, two Malian and one French dead in this attack so far. Witnesses report hearing automatic weapons fire. The US embassy in Mali warning all of its staffers, warning Americans in the areas to shelter in place. Just three months ago suspected Islamic extremists killed 13 people including five UN workers at a hotel in central Mali. We are monitoring this situation. We are going to bring you updates throughout the morning. And again, three fatalities, John Berman. Two Malian, one French. And we now there are dozens and dozens more, more than 150 other people in that hotel right now, locked in by these we think two gunmen.

We just spoke to a restaurant owner, John, right next to that hotel who heard the initial gunfire, heard an explosion a little bit later, and who said that the security guards were fired on and were killed as those gunmen went into that hotel, John.

BERMAN: Yes, Christine, it's interesting, I'm here in Paris obviously covering the terror attacks here that were one week ago, but on French television right now, the only story being covered, and I'm gazing off to look at it right now, and it's being covered wall to wall, is the attacks in Mali. We just learned at least three people killed right now, two from Mali, one French national. This is important because France is heavily involved in that country. The French military involved in that country over the last several years. If you wanted to attack French interests outside of France, Mali would be one country where you could do that, and the Radisson hotel there, specifically a location to do that. I was just speaking to some people here who have spent time in that hotel. It's a hotel known for housing business travelers, a hotel known for housing diplomats, a hotel known for traveling foreigners, particularly in the business and diplomatic community who will go to that city in Mali in Bamako.

So the French here who are so badly bruised by what happened here, are now watching their interest in some cases being attacked outside the borders as well. Christine.

ROMANS: All right. so interesting as well because we don't know if there is a connection between this event and what happened where you are John a week ago, and we don't have anyone yet claiming responsibility, but again, the ties, the French ties in Mali and the French terror ties, the fight in Mali is something that has been going on for many, many years. All right, we'll be right back.

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