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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Terror In France: 84 Killed, No Claim Of Responsibility; French President: Can't Deny This Is Terror; Witness: "It Was Complete Chaos". Aired 5:30-6a ET.

Aired July 15, 2016 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:31:20] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Terror in France. Eighty-four people killed, dozens wounded. An armed driver shoots a pedestrian, then runs them over, dozens and dozens and dozens run over in a crowded celebration. Who did it? Did he act alone? We have new information breaking this morning. Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Alison Kosik. It's 30 minutes past the hour, and we welcome all of our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world. Breaking news now -- a new death toll in the French terror attack. AFP is reporting that at least 84 people were killed in this horrific attack. 18 more people in critical condition after this terror attack in Southern France on Bastille Day. And armed terrorist drove a large truck, shooting at pedestrians, then mowing them down on a main boulevard through Nice. Police quickly took action, shooting the gunman dead. This cell phone video you're about to hear purportedly capturing the sound of the terrifying scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(screaming) (gunshots)

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Investigators are trying to figure out whether the I.D. that they found of a 31-year-old French-Tunisian man, the I.D. found in the truck cab, whether it matches the body of the driver. Also in the truck, officers found several fake rifles and fake grenades along with one real handgun. This as French President Francois Hollande declares the attack an act of terrorism and extends a state of emergency for the entire country. Witnesses in Nice describe a truly gruesome scene.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard a lot of loud noises and people were screaming and so to the west, a big moving truck was driving on the promenade just barreling over people and hitting and running people over. So the crime scene itself you have to picture is -- I'm bad estimating distance, but it's a couple of miles long, easily. As soon as the truck went out of view, we heard a barrage of gunfire and it sounded like a shooting range. And I was trying to make sense out of that as well because I couldn't see what was happening. I wondered, is that fireworks? But it was definitely was not fireworks. And you heard screaming and then you just see masses of people fleeing, like running away. And within a few moments of the gunfire, everything went very quiet, like very eerily quiet, and then you started hearing like wailing and screaming and crying of people seeing victims on the ground and family members finding their loved ones dead, and there are bodies everywhere.

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KOSIK: All right, let's go live now to Nice. That's where CNN's Will Ripley is standing by live. Will, what's the latest?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest here is that police have the entire area, a massive crime scene, blocked off with barricades around the city, and we have heard through police scanners at those barricades that some of the injured are still being transported to hospital. At least 18 people are in critical condition right now. The number of people who died still remains at 84 at this moment. We have never seen something quite like this with a truck being used as a weapon against a large crowd of people in this way. The French President Francois Hollande is expected to arrive here in Nice later today. He addressed the nation overnight, has been in constant communication with advisers throughout the night and early morning hours, and he has extended a three-day period of mourning.

[05:35:06] And also, France's state of emergency, due to expire later this month, has now been extended for an additional three months, which gives the anti-terror investigators more freedom to conduct investigations, launch raids, and things like that. France is asking, like much of the world, why do they continue to be targeted? Why three major attacks in the last 16 months? And the answer appears to be, as they take a lead in the coalition to fight the terror group ISIS, they are more vulnerable, more accessible than some more desirable targets like the United States and the U.K., which is on an island, it's more difficult to get to, whereas here in France, there is freedom of movement. The French people here on this promenade, des Anglais, in Nice, a seaside destination, enjoying their holiday, Bastille Day. Even though people have been told to be vigilant, and people are vigilant when they're out in public gatherings, nobody saw this coming right after a fireworks display on a national holiday here in France. So once again, France being forced to live with this new reality, being what terrorists might consider the epicenter of Europe with the secular values that they despise. This country may be targeted even more, Alison, and that is what people here in France are coming to grips with right now.

BERMAN: All right, Will, stick around. I want to bring in Cedric Leighton, Colonel Cedric Leighton, CNN military analyst, he joins us from Washington right now. And Colonel, where Will is standing, obviously, in Nice, that prominent tourist location -- an international city with people of all races and creeds and religions, they live there. And the symbolism of the day, Bastille Day, liberty, fraternity, equality -- talk to me about just the sheer symbolism of this attack.

COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, John, the symbolism of Bastille Day, of course, is very significant because everything that France stands for, like you said, liberty, equality, and fraternity, all of those ideas and ideals are really represented by that one holiday. And it is really a way in which the enlightenment from the 18th century has moved its way forward into the modern day. And ISIS and similar terrorists groups really cannot stand it when people are celebrating holidays of this type. They are completely antithetical to ISIS's beliefs, and that is one of the reasons why these are such attractive targets, these events are such attractive targets for groups like ISIS.

KOSIK: You know, Cedric, one question that many people are asking is, look -- France has been under this state of emergency, basically a state of war, since those horrific attacks in November. And in fact, the French President was going to lift this state of emergency next week. Now he's not going to do that, he's extending it. But many are asking, why, at this event, weren't officials on more high alert? Did they let their guard down? What went wrong here?

LEIGHTON: Well Alison, that's always the question that authorities are going to have to ask themselves in a situation like this. A friend of mine is in Nice right now and he just told me that the police presence was very high in Nice, and it was very clear that they were looking for different kinds of activities, but they just did not anticipate that it would be something like this, that a truck would be used as a weapon. And it's that kind of thinking that we really have to work on within government institutions like the police, to make very sure that we can anticipate that they're going to do something that is unusual or something that is unexpected, and it's really, really hard to predict that kind of a behavior pattern because it is not a pattern.

BERMAN: Will Ripley in Nice -- no claim of responsibility yet. No sense if there were accomplices yet. No exact identification of the driver yet, although I get the sense that could be coming soon. What is the state of the investigation where you are right now?

RIPLEY: And John, you know from previous attacks that sometimes it does take a while before is there a claim of responsibility. And what this proves, if this is a lone-wolf scenario, as the United States saw in Orlando, just within the last month or so, a lone wolf is capable. Somebody who is a homegrown jihadist, very capable of inflicting increasingly large amounts of people who are killed. And that is what is so frightening, because just -- this is a familiar story that the French investigators are dealing with. This is a man, the suspect that they are zeroing in on, who apparently had a record of petty crime and yet was not under any suspicion for terrorist activity. So wasn't on any sort of watch list, wasn't being closely monitored, was able to possibly rent this truck, which people might use for a number of different reasons.

[05:39:44] Now, all of this changes as investigators try to figure out what was involved in planning this attack. Who inspired this attack? They will searching internet, computer records, phone records, travel records to see if there were any trips to Syria or other places, but it could very well be, and we've seen this before, somebody who was able to come up with this concept, come up with a new way to create mass carnage, and now, once again, changing the game. These types of events will never be the same.

KOSIK: Colonel Leighton, walk us through now what is happening as far as the investigation goes, beyond the scene where Will is standing.

LEIGHTON: So where Will is standing, that is going to be exactly where they start the investigation. They're going to do all of the forensics, the ballistic tests. They're going to make sure that they understand exactly what this gentleman did. They are also then going to take a look at things like his cell phone records. They're going to determine whom he was in contact with and exactly what kinds of things he was doing in the days before this attack. So his pattern of life, his pattern of behavior, is going to show us a lot of different things that, whether or not he was truly a lone wolf, if he had any logistical support, whether or not he worked for a trucking company, for example. How did he have access to that truck? And was he able to -- did he have permission to drive that vehicle? So these are the kinds of things they're going to look at.

They're also going to look at his, not only domestic associations within France, but also his foreign associations. Was this attack directed in some way from Raqqah in Syria, perhaps, or was it directed by someone else, or was it something that was truly just a spur of the moment activity that became this horrific attack? So there are a lot of different areas that they're going to focus on. One is that forensic piece. The other is exactly what that pattern of life is that this person had.

BERMAN: Colonel Cedric Leighton and Will Ripley for us in Nice. Thanks so much, gentlemen.

We are getting new information about the terror attack in Nice. We're going to speak to a witness who saw it all, right after the break.

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BERMAN: Terror in Southern France. More than 80 people killed in Nice. Dozens more injured after a truck drove more than a mile down the promenade, mowing people down. Joining us now by phone is Andy McArdy (ph). He witnessed the carnage. He works at a nearby restaurant. Andy, thank you for being with us. So sorry that you had to witness this. What did you see?

ANDY MCARDY, WINTESS (via telephone): Well, it was just quite amazing. This truck -- I mean, it passed by so quickly. It was on the other side of the promenade where -- what they call a prom party. It's where they close the promenade for the July 14 celebration. They had just so many people on the other side. They have live bands playing on the stages, and the truck just -- there ahd just been a firework display and it was timed to happen just at the end of the firework display. So it disguised the sound of the bullets, because the truck drove at high speed along the promenade, but at the same time, was firing a machine gun into the crowd. And this is why so many people were dead within moments of him passing. I can still see the truck now. I'm looking out of the front windows here and a few meters from here is where the truck stopped. And last night, when I left, a couple of hours after the event, there were still bodies in the street. It was just unbelievable.

KOSIK: Andy, do you get the sense that there was enough security before this celebration started? I mean, what did it look like as far as, did you see a presence of officers? Was there maybe, was the street blocked there on the promenade?

MCARDY (via telephone): On the promenade yesterday, because it was the 14th of July, and because there was a parade -- there's a parade of policemen, firemen, Army, Navy -- they all parade around 6:30, 7:00 in the evening. And before that, you could see the Army guys walking around with machine guns, obviously at an increased level of security for that. And in the bay, in the bay in front of us, there were gun boats. They'd obviously heightened security, but it looks like they took the foot off the pedal at the wrong time, because it was only a couple of hours later when it all happened.

BERMAN: Given the set-up there, given how many people were there, thousands of people, given the fireworks, is it your sense from where you're standing that whoever did this had to have this well planned, had to know the series of events that were going to take place?

MCARDY (via telephone): He would only have to know how a typical July 14 prom party was. It's been identical for the last few years, so if he'd attended one last year, he would have known that the fireworks display is at 10:00. There would be lots of people that would have gone out of all the restaurants on our side, the street side, would have crossed over to where the fireworks display, to get a great view there on the promenade side. So I guess he must have had some amount of planning. But he wouldn't have had to do an awful lot of planning, because he just hit the weakest target, the soft underbelly of innocent people. Just incredible.

KOSIK: I understand that a lot of people, Andy, ran for cover inside the restaurant where you were.

MCARDY (via telephone): Correct. Yes, they ran inside. They didn't know where to go. They were looking for an exit. They thought maybe if they ran in here, they could find an exit out at the back. Unfortunately, the only exit took them into the lobby of the building itself which is an apartment block. And they had to stay there for a couple of hours. And people wouldn't even come out. They were just frightened, so frightened. And until the police physically went in and said, look, it's OK, you can start to move, and then the police escorted these people outside of the building and then told us to leave.

[05:50:01] BERMAN: Understandable why people would be frightened, Andy. I think the sense that a lot of people must have there is the same sense they have here, which is, again, again, this is the third mass attack in France in just 18 months. There have been other smaller attacks. How are you feeling there this morning?

MCARDY (via telephone): Well, it's like, you think it's never going to happen here. I mean, I didn't think it would happen in Nice. But then, we just had the Euro 2016 football, and I thought that if anything was going to happen, it was going to happen during that. And of course, nothing did happen. So maybe people just thought, well, relax a little bit, that's gone now. The threat is gone. And maybe they didn't think something -- this is such an innocent event. It's just -- that's why I think it shocked people so much. This just passed by for so many years without incident. And like you say, sadly, it's just another event that hit France, and what can you do? You can't change your life because of the events.

KOSIK: All right, Andy McCardy, thanks so much for coming on the show and talking to us about what you saw. So sorry to hear that you had to witness this horrific act of terrorism.

BERMAN: Stay strong. Andy McArdy in Nice for us.

All right. That attack, it did rattle the entire nation, the third major attack there in less than 18 months. We're going to check in in Paris when we come back.

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[05:55:35] BERMAN: All right, this just in to CNN. A Texas father and son among the 84 people killed in the terror attack in Southern France in Nice. "The Austin American Statesman" reports that Sean Copeland, aged 51, and his son, Brodie (ph), age 11, were killed. Here's a statement. We're heartbroken and in shock over the loss of Brodie Copeland, an amazing son and brother who lit up our lives, and Sean Copeland, a wonderful husband and father. That's a family statement according to the paper. They also said they are so loved. Two Americans among the dead, at least, right now, 84 killed in total. I want to go to France. France24 reporter, Melissa Bell, joins us right now. Melissa, I just want to get a sense of the mood this morning in France.

MELISSA BELL, REPORTER, FRANCE24: Well, what you just confirmed sums it up here as well. There are the families of 84 people waking up this morning to the terrible news that their loved ones were among those who died. And throughout the night, this terrible thing to watch with people on social media tweeting, putting out messages to try and find out what had happened to their loved ones, those loved ones that they hadn't heard from since 10:30 pm French time last night, and the dreadful realization for so many of them that they lost their lives. According to the local hospital, more than 50 children have been admitted to that hospital in the wake of this attack. It gives you an idea of the human cost of what went on here in France last night. And France this morning is very much a country in shock. Of course, France itself, Paris itself, only really just getting over what happened eight months ago here. Those 13th of November attacks that killed 130 people, and the mood here in the French capital is one of great sadness this morning, that this sort of tragedy should have happened again on this sort of scale. Eighty-four people confirmed dead for the time being, but 18 people still, John, in a critical condition this morning.

BERMAN: All right, Melissa Bell for us in Paris this morning. Melissa, thanks so much again. The news from "The Austin American Statesmen" just in, two Americans among those dead, Sean Copeland, age 51, and his son Brodie, age 11. KOSIK: All together for a celebration just like 4th of July here.

BERMAN: Children killed. We understand there are many children in the hospital as well. What a horrific, horrific attack.

KOSIK: And as John just said, two Americans among the 84 people killed in the France terror attacks. NEW DAY starts now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We want to welcome viewers in the United States and around the world. This is NEW DAY and terror has struck France again. A man firing into a crowd, then plowing a truck through people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice. At least 84 are dead, and as you just heard, among them, two Americans in this mile-long rampage along the city's famed promenade.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: A horrifying scene captured on video by hundreds and hundreds of eyewitnesses as they ran for their lives. French President Francois Hollande condemning the attack, calling it clearly an act of terror. We have the global resources of CNN covering this breaking story this morning. Let's begin with our senior international correspondent, Clarissa Ward live in Nice. Good morning, Clarissa.

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy. Well behind me, you can see police have actually blocked off the Promenade des Anglais. It's one of the main tourist attractions here in the city of Nice which is beloved not just to so many French people, but to people of nationalities from all over the world. Last night, this area would have been packed with thousands of people who would have been gathering here to watch the fireworks to celebrate France's independence day, Bastille Day, and that is when the attack began. Take a look.

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(screaming)

WARD: A scene of horrifying carnage. Bodies strewn along Nice's famed seaside promenade. After this truck plows through a crowd of hundreds watching Bastille Day fireworks. A witness says the driver first started shooting into the crowd from inside the truck right after the fireworks ended.

DOMINIQUE MOLINA, WITNESS (via telephone): I wondered, is that fireworks? But it definitely was not fireworks. And you heard screaming and then you just see masses of people fleeing.

WARD: Another eyewitness capturing this video, the truck slowly approaching people on the promenade before the driver accelerates, hitting one after another.