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Terrorist Pledged Allegiance to ISIS; Vigils Held Around World. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired June 13, 2016 - 09:30   ET

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


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[09:31:30] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, Carol. I'm Erin Burnett.

We are live in Orlando with the continuing coverage of the deadly nightclub shooting. The deadliest terror attack in the United States since 9/11. And their story is so quickly developing this hour.

We are learning now that the shooter tried to buy military grade body armor from a local store in recent weeks. Now this is according to a U.S. official briefed on the investigators. And, of course, it's a crucial detail on many levels. It suggests to investigators he may have been plotting the attack for quite some time, longer than his family had intimated when they had suggested earlier perhaps that he had only been planning it for a week or two when he saw two gay men kissing. It also suggested that he wanted to survive the attack because he was buying body armor.

Also this morning, police revising the death toll from the attack. The gunmen murdered 49 people, not 50 as was first reported. His was the 50th death. All but one of the victims now identified. Their next of kin are being notified before we are able to share the names of the slain with you.

We are also learning that the shooter died in a gunfight outside the nightclub. Now, here's what we're learning on the details of this. That he actually had crawled through a hole that police had made for hostages to escape. As you know, for about three hours there was a hostage situation. When they broke through, those hostages were able to run out. he climbed through a hole. That is when that final gunfight ensued.

And we are learning more details about his travels. Saudi Arabia confirming to CNN that the killer briefly visited the kingdom, briefly in 2011 and 2012, also visited the United Arab Emirates. Now, that was before ISIS was formally formed and there is no evidence of any suspicious activity at this time on those trips. Those visits also -- this is crucial on the timeline -- coming before the FBI questioned Omar Mateen for possible ties to terrorism, which, of course, Carol, they did twice in 2013 and 2014 before closing those cases. COSTELLO: Oh, you're right, Erin, the tragedy in Orlando sparking so

many questions, but yielding very few answers about the shooter's motives or Omar Mateen's actions. Were they inspired by ISIS or was he mentally unstable and motivated by hatred for gays and lesbians?

So, let's talk about this. With me now is Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, CNN military analyst. Also with me, Paul Cruickshank, CNN terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen, who is a CNN national security analyst and author of "United States of Jihad," and Art Roderick, CNN law enforcement analyst.

Welcome to all of you and thank you so much for being here.

Paul, I want to start with you. ISIS is not claiming responsibility for this attack, but it is praising Omar Mateen for being, quote, one of the caliphate soldiers in America. What, if anything, does that tell you?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: It tells you that ISIS is absolutely delighted that an attack has got through in the United States by somebody who has pledged allegiance to them, pledged allegiance to their leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Now, the senior leadership of ISIS, just a couple of weeks ago, called for a surge in terrorism in the United States during the month of Ramadan. They're telling their followers in the United States, you'll be rewarded ten times more in the afterlife if you launch terrorist attacks during Ramadan. They feel that that clarion call they put out just a couple of weeks ago has been answered. They're not saying that they had any advanced knowledge of this plot, but they are embracing this shooter as one of their own, calling him a soldier of the caliphate. No evidence so far that this individual was communicating with ISIS, though in previous plots in the United States we have seen ISIS operatives use encrypted online apps to essentially groom Americans for attacks in the United States.

[09:35:32] COSTELLO: So, Peter, we know that this shooter went to Saudi Arabia. We don't know why. We believe he went there to worship and he came back. He visited Saudi Arabia and the UAE. What should we read into that?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I mean probably nothing. I mean the fact is, is that, you know, millions of people every year go to Saudi Arabia, either for the Hajj, which is the main pilgrimage, or for Umrah, which is a lesser pilgrimage. So, you know, I mean, pretty much every Muslim who can afford it does this. So I wouldn't read anything into it until we know more, if there's anything more to be said about this.

COSTELLO: It's just -- it's just so confusing because, you know, some people say this is an out and out terrorist attack. And I'll pose this to you, Paul because, Paul and Peter, I know that you study this in depth. So in your mind, Paul, was this an ISIS-inspired attack or was this a mentally ill person latching on to ISIS?

CRUICKSHANK: Carol, I think you have to say at this hour that it was an ISIS-inspired attack because as the attack got underway, he had the presence of mind to actually call 911 and make it a clearly overtly political act, an act of terrorism. This wasn't just somebody in some spontaneous murderous rage. But at that same time, we've seen in previous cases in the United States, notably the Chattanooga, Tennessee, shooting last July, an intersection between mental health issues and radicalization. And sometimes when people have these mental health issues, there can be a shallower leap from radical thought to radical action. So there has, indeed, been this intersection in numerous cases on both sides of the Atlantic. But that doesn't mean it's not terrorism.

COSTELLO: OK. So, Peter, Hillary Clinton on "New Day" said she's happy to use the term radical Islam, but that we have to be careful. Is that the right terminology to use in this case?

BERGEN: Well, there's been a debate about semantics that I don't think is particularly useful. I mean clearly this has something to do with the militant reading of Islam.

But just to return to the mental health issue, you know, this guy clearly had -- you know, we've been reporting now on CNN that he went out and bought military -- tried to buy military grade armor. You know, this shows careful planning. This is not somebody who's in the grip of some severe mental illness. And, you know, none of us are psychiatrists who are on the air talking about this and none of us have diagnosed this guy. But I can tell you, I've looked at something like 300 cases of terrorism in the United States and the incidents of serious mental illness is actually much lower among these terrorists than it is in the general population, which kind of makes sense because to carry out a terrorist attack by -- or serious plot, by definition if you had some kind of serious mental illness, it would be problematic. It's not to say that there aren't people who carried out terrorist attacks with mental problems, but actually they're very much in the minority.

COSTELLO: OK. So now I'm going to get into like how can you possibly stop an attack like this? And, Art, I'll pose this question to you. So Omar Mateen was previously on the FBI's radar. We know that. But they ended an investigation because it was, quote, "inconclusive." This shooter then went on to obtain a job as a security guard with a license to carry firearms.

ART RODERICK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, these -- obviously there's no connection here. I mean there should have been some sharing of information. But when you -- when you look at the FBI investigation, they interviewed him three different times at least or at least two different times. They found no connection there. It was inconclusive. So, the investigation ended at that point. I mean they obviously still had him on the list because they came out right away with his name and said, oh, he has -- he's been our radar. But it never rose to the level where they were actually going to do something.

COSTELLO: Well, tell us what that level is.

RODERICK: Well, it's a very difficult level to come to. I can tell you that -- that, you know, you've heard Director Comey talk about at least 800 active cases going on in the U.S. of individuals that do have ties to terrorism. Now, when you take that group of 800 and you -- you look at all the connections with each one of those 800 individuals, if you've got five or six connections, you're talking thousands of people. And it's almost impossible for the FBI to take a look at thousands of people and monitor them in a way they should be monitored.

COSTELLO: So does the level have to be, he tried to travel to Syria, or he had direct communication with someone within ISIS, or --

[09:40:07] RODERICK: That -- that is -- would be a triggering event, absolutely. And then if they -- if they do an overt event here, you know, the connection was never made between the weapons purchases and, you know, the FBI investigations because, you know, you have a right to bear arms. You don't have a -- you know, that once the investigation is clued, that's it, he's free, he's done.

COSTELLO: Not charged with any crime.

RODERICK: He's not charged with any crime, exactly.

COSTELLO: (INAUDIBLE). So it's perfectly legal for him to buy weapons?

RODERICK: Right. Exactly.

COSTELLO: Which he did.

OK, general, I'm going to get to you, and I'm going to talk about how to stop it from a military angle.

So, Donald Trump released this statement -- oh, OK, the shooter's father is speaking now, so let's all listen to that.

SEDDIQUE MIR MATEEN, ORLANDO GUNMAN'S FATHER: What my son did and -- and we are all -- my family is completely -- we are shocked. We can't believe what did he do. And I want to take this message out. I don't allow nobody to do any kind of crime or terrorist act inside the United States. And I don't allow it.

My principle as a father, my principle as a U.S. citizen, I am against -- I've been, throughout my life, against terrorism, against injustice, against what anyone can do against United States, especially my homeland, USA.

So I am sorry again. And it is very sad news today for all American. And I am very, very mad. And I, as I said, if I did know a 1 percent that he is committing such a crime, my son, I would address it myself. I would have called the FBI. I would have called local law enforcement.

I don't know why he did what he did. I wasn't aware of it. And I always paid attention that he should get higher education and serve the United States of America. And I thank you all for coming in here. And I am very sorry and I am very upset that he did what he did inside the United States.

QUESTION: But you don't know why he did what he did?

MATEEN: I am not aware of at all. I wish -- I wish he was alive so I could ask him the same question that you have. And I cannot -- I cannot tell you. Why -- why he did do such act. This is against the principle of me and the whole family.

QUESTION: He talked about evidently some terrorist leanings like with Islam.

MATEEN: That, I -- I don't know. I don't know. And I -- I say whatever he said is his (ph) act (ph). That we are not aware of it. If -- even if he was my son, I don't approve of anyone doing such a thing against the homeland.

QUESTION: Do you know --

MATEEN: It's our home. This is my home. I think that's all I say. And I explain the whole thing. So I -- I am -- I am as sad as the rest of the country. And I hope -- I hope all of my American brothers and sisters, they heal faster and we make sure that this doesn't happen in the United States of America in the future.

QUESTION: Can you tell us what your last conversation with him was like?

MATEEN: I just -- he said -- we said hello and he went (ph) usual.

QUESTION: Just normal?

MATEEN: Nothing like -- normal like (INAUDIBLE) -- I didn't notice anything.

QUESTION: When was that last conversation?

MATEEN: The day before of the incident.

QUESTION: Saturday?

MATEEN: (INAUDIBLE). Yes.

QUESTION: Any idea why -- did he like to go -- live -- to go up to Orlando from time to time?

MATEEN: I wasn't aware of that, what he -- (INAUDIBLE). I heard from now and what he did. I wasn't aware of even 1 percent. Completely -- completely, as I said, I just want to take my message out.

QUESTION: OK.

MATEEN: As a father, it's painful. But I don't approve his act. Again, I repeat myself, that what he did was act of terrorist and he strike inside the house, which I -- is against my principle, against what I taught him. I wanted him to get more higher education to serve the community, but I -- and I thank you all for coming.

QUESTION: All right. Can you spell your name? MATEEN: Seddique Mateen.

QUESTION: S-a --

MATEEN: You have my name there. Thank you so much.

QUESTION: OK.

QUESTION: So how do you describe it to the person (INAUDIBLE)?

MATEEN: He was a good boy.

COSTELLO: All right, we're going to break away with this. That was the shooter's father telling everybody that he was sad and angry about what his son did.

Before we get into specifically what the father said, I want to draw your attention into what's happening behind me. You can see -- oh, did they just leave? There was police activity out there.

[09:45:04] General Hertling, what were they doing?

LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, you see -- you see the -- you see the ATF agents actually conducting what anyone in the military would recognize as a brass search. And that's part of the investigation team. They're looking for spent shell casings. Anything that may have been shot the night of the -- the event. That's what's taking so long inside the building, too. They have to account -- or try and find every single round, or every shell casing, or every bullet in not only the walls or on the street, but also in the victims, to reconstruct the crime scene to see where the shooter was and what he was doing.

COSTELLO: And this must be a very complicated crime scene for investigators, right?

HERTLING: Yes, I -- I would say so.

COSTELLO: Because of the type of weapons that were used.

HERTLING: Right. Absolutely.

RODERICK: And very large groups (INAUDIBLE). So --

COSTELLO: All right, I want to get into what this father said and I want to pose this question to you, Peter.

So, Mr. Trump said hundreds of migrants and their children have been implicated in terrorism in the United States. This father, of course, is a migrant. His son was born in the United States. Did what the father said bear that out at all in your mind?

BERGEN: Well, the father said that he had no idea what his son was up to. But, I mean, on the issue of what Donald Trump is suggesting, I mean he's saying we should ban Muslim immigration as -- or temporarily as a response to this. Well, you know, Omar Mateen was born in New York 29 years ago. So are we supposed to retrospectively ban all Muslim immigration going back decades? Major Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, was born in Arlington, Virginia, not far from this studio, and he was 40 at the time that he conducted the attack in Fort Hood in 2009. So are we expected to turn back the clock four and a half decades to a point -- you know, none of this makes any sense because what we're seeing -- and we've seen this with Omar Mateen, is that the people carrying out these attacks, all, every single lethal attack, Carol, in this country, jihadist terrorist attack, has been carried out by an American citizen or American permanent legal -- American legal permanent resident. Many of these people are born in the United States. So temporarily banning Muslim immigration is a nonsensical response to this.

What we need to do is try and, you know, find the people, either through intelligence, or through clerics or whatever, who may be so inclined and dissuade them or arrest them and all the other things that law enforcement and the community at large can do.

COSTELLO: All right, I'm going to have to leave it there. Thanks to all of my guests, General Mark Hertling, Paul Cruickshank, Peter Bergen and Art Roderick. Thanks again to you all.

We'll be right back.

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[09:51:49] BURNETT: The tragedy here in Orlando is affecting the United States. Of course, the worst terror attacks since September 11th, the worse mass shooting in American history. Around the world, sympathy for the victims and those who are suffering, vigils have been held in Paris, of course the scene of terror attacks last November, Australia and Brazil, literally around the world, and world leaders giving their condolences to the people of Orlando from as far away as Japan.

Here in the United States, vigils have been held in Miami, in Chicago, in Atlanta, in Seattle, in Colorado, even here in Orlando where, of course, in a sense they're waiting because they're still hoping against hope for more survivors. In New York, the spire at One World Trade Center was lit in rainbow colors in honor of the gay community that was hit in this horrible terror attack.

Our correspondent Rachel Crane is live at the Stonewall Inn in New York, which is credited with the beginning of the LGBT movement.

Rachel.

RACHEL CRANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Erin we're here at the historic Stonewall Inn. This, of course, being the unofficial birthplace of the modern gay rights movement. This bar, this location has become a rally point for the LGBT community whenever there is a significant milestone or horrific tragedy within the community. Last night was no different.

You can see behind me that there are flowers, there's candles, there's posters. Last night I was here, and, Erin, there were thousands of people here. It was a highly emotional scene. People were crying. They were kissing. The crowd, at one point, broke out into song singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Highly emotional. There was a lot of love in the air, but also a lot of frustration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY LAN, ATTENDED VIGIL: Fifty people killed, 53 wounded for no good reason, just really showed that, you know, how -- how much more concrete evidence do you need that we have not advanced as far as we'd like to think we have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CRANE: Now, this was just one of many vigils held across the country last night and more will be held this evening. Here at the Stonewall, a rally will be held at 7:00 p.m. Clearly this tragedy still very fresh in everybody's mind. The community needing to come together and mourn.

Erin.

BURNETT: All right, Rachel, thank you very much.

And, of course, the big developing news this hour, we are now learning that the shooter tried to buy body armor a couple of weeks before this shooting, indicating that there had been real planning. Big questions about if anyone knew, what more could have been done to stop this as the father of this shooter came out again and spoke and said that this was most certainly a terror attack.

[09:54:34] The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with myself and Carol Costello begins after this break.

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: And good morning and welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Carol Costello live from Orlando, Florida.

BURNETT: And I'm Erin Burnett, also in Orlando. Thank you all so much for joining us as our coverage continues.

New details and new questions in what is now the worst terror attack in the United States since September 11th, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, just a short time ago, Erin, a U.S. official telling us that the killer tried to buy body armor from a store in recent weeks. That may mean he was plotting the attack on the gay nightclub for some time.

[10:00:08] Also new this morning, we learned that all but one of the murder victims have been identified. Authorities are now wading through the grim task