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Turkish Cleric Denies Involvement with Coup Attempt; French Official Suspect Radicalized "Rapidly"; Donald Trump Introduces Mike Pence as His VP. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired July 17, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:16] MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to CNN's continuing coverage of two major stories. I'm Max foster in Nice, a city still reeling from Thursday's deadly terror attack.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And I'm Becky Anderson in Paris, bringing you news and analysis on Friday's failed military coup in Turkey. This is a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM.

(MUSIC)

ANDERSON: Well, we are continuing to track developments in Turkey after a failed coup attempt left nearly 200 people dead. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is demanding that the U.S. arrest or extradite Cleric Fethullah Gulen. Mr. Erdogan blames Gulen for the coup. Gulen lives in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and denies any involvement.

This as Turkey closed the air base around Incirlik air base. The U.S. launches anti-ISIS operations from that facility. The fallout hitting Turkey's military. Officials say nearly 3,000 military personnel have been detained.

For more on the situation in Turkey, here's CNN's Ian Lee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A bloody 24 hours of chaos and bloodshed in Turkey. It started with elements of the military declared it had taken control of the country, and imposed martial law.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appealed to his supporters on Facetime to take to the streets and fight for democracy. They heeded that call. Social media showed protesters squaring off against tanks and armored vehicles.

Turkish forces loyal to Erdogan rushed the coup but not before isolated heavy fighting. Gunshots reported at the presidential complex in Ankara and helicopters reportedly opened fire at the national intelligence headquarters.

The coup's soldiers eventually abandoned their weapons. FIKRI ISIK, TURKISH DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): Right now,

there's no place that is not under our control. At this point, and at this time, there are no risk spots. There are no places that are not under our control. So, yes, the coup is blocked.

LEE (on camera): Retribution has begun. At least 2,800 soldiers of various ranks have been arrested and 2,700 members of the judiciary removed. The prime minister vowing they will pay a heavy price.

(voice-over): Now, public enemy number one, this man. Fethullah Gulen, an influential cleric in exile in the United States. Erdogan accuses him of being the puppet master of the attempted overthrow.

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): I call on the United States and President Barack Obama. Dear Mr. President, I told you this before, either arrest Fethullah Gulen or return him to Turkey.

LEE: Gulen denies responsibility, claiming anyone could have been behind it.

And in a rare show of unity, in a country where politics can be divisive and deadly, Turkey's various political parties united to denounce the coup. That unity, not likely to last. Opposition figures worry the coup gave Erdogan a gift, an excuse to consolidate power while galvanizing his supporters, and cracking down on dissent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Ian Lee joining us now from Istanbul where it is just after 11:00 in the morning.

Erdogan not mincing his words, arrest Gulen, or send him back. Is that likely to happen, Ian, do you think at this point? What's the sense in Turkey?

LEE: Well, I'm having some difficulty hearing you, but I think you were asking about the situation, as well as this crackdown that people have been talking about. And that really, they're worried about this escalating. A purge, if you will, of people who have dissented with Erdogan. And in the past he's targeted journalists, university professors, rights activists, as well as dissident politicians, and they're afraid that people who aren't associated with this coup, people who are in civil society, could be arrested and brought in in the aftermath of this.

Erdogan himself, when he arrived at the airport here in Istanbul, said that it was a gift from God making a reference about how the people were able to go out into the streets, and work with the police stop this coup.

[04:05:01] And now, he does seem to be more emboldened in the aftermath. And that does have a lot of people worried.

When it comes to Fethullah Gulen, he is pushing for an extradition, or arrest of him. But the United States has said multiple times that they want to see the evidence, that they're not just going to hand him over. There's a process, and they want this process to go forward, if Turkey wants. But, it's not going to be so quickly as the Turks would hope.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Ian.

Well, things have calmed down in Turkey for the time being. But even the failed coup could have major implications. The country's political future, and its relations, of course, its key allies, not least the U.S.

Cyril Vanier joins me now. He's an anchor and international correspondent for France 24.

If Washington had one relatively solid, democratically elected ally in what is a roiling Middle East, like him or not, it was Erdogan. Where does this whole episode, do you think, leave the country and its president?

CYRIL VANIER, ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT, FRANCE 24: Well, undeniably, it leaves Turkey a weaker country, because it's got a weaker military now. We've seen the coup d'etat, even though it was failed, and even though it was just an attempted coup d'etat has revealed intentions and level of dissent within the Turkish military.

We know there's going to be a witch-hunt. We know there are going to be purges. But the military is central to what Turkey does. Both its fight against the Kurdish guerrilla, its fight against the Islamic state group. I mean, any talk of pushing into northern Syria, because that was on the cards, that's off the table now.

So, a weaker military, but paradoxically, potentially a stronger president. He has been trying to increase his power, turn Turkey into a presidential system to suit his agenda for years now. And this actually may increase his power base as people now perceive him to be a stalwart against military encroachment on civilian and political life in Turkey.

ANDERSON: So if we've been a fly on the wall in the situation in Washington yesterday, and we know that there was a meeting, what do we consider may have been being debated at this point?

VANIER: Well, Washington has a simple calculus. They need Turkey as a very strong ally in the fight against the Islamic State group, and in the general context of the Syrian civil war. So, logistically and operationally they need Turkey.

You mentioned Incirlik air base. This is where they have warplanes stationed. They have refueling planes. Just to give you a sense of how important it is to the U.S. war effort, that's about a third of the refueling capabilities stationed in Incirlik. Right now, they're grounded. So, short-term that is a problem for the U.S.

ANDERSON: This has been a relationship anyway made more difficult by the fact that the U.S. has been relying on Iraqi Kurds to help in the fight against ISIS in both Iraq and in Syria, of course, which has angered the Turkish president. He has quite a lot of leverage at the moment, hasn't he?

VANIER: President Erdogan has leverage and he's never been afraid to use it. You've mentioned, of course, the complicated, interconnected situation that you have in Iran --

ANDERSON: Yes, multilayered, yes.

VANIER: The Kurds themselves, by the way, not a homogenous bloc and Erdogan, as you alluded to, he knows how to use that and pull those levers in order to suit his agenda. It's not the only lever he has. He knows we mentioned Incirlik air base. So Turkey is a conduit, essentially for the U.S. to wage its war against Iraq and Syria, especially the air operations.

And President Erdogan is going to make full use of that leverage that he has. That he brings to the bargaining stable.

ANDERSON: Cyril Vanier joining me throughout the morning this morning. Do stay with us. Another hour or so to go.

For the time being from here on Turkey, that's it. Let's get you over to Max in Nice where he has the latest in the aftermath of Thursday's terrible terror attack.

Max?

FOSTER: Yes, thank you.

We just learned that two more arrests here in Nice connected with Thursday's terror attack. The prosecutor's office saying a man and woman detained on Sunday morning. That brings the total people arrested to seven. That includes the suspect's ex-wife, as well. Also getting more information about the man who killed 84 people zigzagging a truck through the crowds.

The French interior minister says the 31-year-old Tunisian suspect became radicalized very quickly and a source tells CNN that authorities are looking into a possible connection between the suspect, and an associate of a jihadist recruiter. ISIS claiming they inspired the attack. The site of Thursday's terror attack also reopening, so the promenade is busy once again.

Will Ripley is with me.

You've been on the promenade. You've been following the investigation. What can we read into the fact there have been a total of seven arrests now?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So five men in custody and two women. One of them the attacker's estranged wife, which is not a surprise. We've seen that in the past. They question the wife or partner immediately because this is somebody closest to this individual. But we don't know a whole lot about the four men.

[04:10:01] So, the estranged wife arrested on Friday. The four men arrested overnight into Saturday. We don't know if they're friends, if they're associates, what their connection might be and we also don't have much information at all yet besides the gender of the man and woman arrested this morning here.

But when you look at the number of people they're now taking in. Again, here in France, being brought in for questioning doesn't necessarily mean there will be charges and that's important to point out. It doesn't mean that these people are going to be indicted on any sort of terror investigation. But they are brought in involuntarily and held for a period of time as investigators try to determine what connection, if any, they had.

And then you look at the fact that they're talking -- they're looking at phone records. Maybe a potential conversation or some sort of communication with a known terror suspect who is recruiting jihadists here in Nice and has gone to Syria, as many French jihadists followed this individual to Syria.

But again, you look at the profile of the attacker. He didn't have a beard. He ate pork. He was a heavy drinker. He went to the gym, not the mosque.

He was violent against his wife and his children and his former mother-in-law and against other people he was jailed for a time. But this record of petty crime not anything that would have set off warning alarms or to anti-terror investigators who are literally monitoring hundreds of people in this country right now.

FOSTER: But ISIS is jumping on this, politicians are also jumping on it, that ISIS inspired or directed this attack that is an ISIS attack. But it's not that clear, is it?

LEE: And there's no denying the fact that ISIS benefits by people assuming that they are responsible for this attack. Especially as, you know, reports on the ground came in that they're losing ground, perhaps losing strategic value in Iraq and in Syria. But yet their propaganda, with this wide reach, if they can inspire lone wolves all over the world to find new and innovative ways.

I mean, they've been saying for six years, use a knife, use your car, use a gun, blow yourself up, build a bomb, anything that you can do.

And so, that message perhaps is resonating more frequently with people who might already have violent criminal tendencies. People who feel marginalized are looking for an outlet. They're looking for an outlet. And we've seen in this case, at least on the surface, this is not somebody who was a devout jihadist, judging by his behavior alone. That's the frightening part for investigators, because how do you police that ahead of time?

FOSTER: One thing -- one response we have had against ISIS is this sense of defiance that life is going to carry on here. And I know you are down at the promenade where it all happened as they reopened this.

LEE: They reopened it yesterday. From Friday night into Saturday, they were able to power wash off the pavement. But you can still see the places where there were people who had died. And, and people were bringing flowers to those spots last night.

But we were there all day, last night before we left. There was a woman who broke down in tears and she asked us not to walk on a particular spot and she laid down some flowers and she said somebody died here and she sat for 30 minutes writing a note, and then she put some candles, and she put some flowers, the whole time tears going down here face.

These are people who lived through something -- the survivors who lived through something that most of us, even though we've seen videos and we've heard accounts, you can't comprehend the horror, the horror of watching somebody who you love mowed down by a truck. And to see other people die, and to see children wandering around looking for their parents who didn't survive. And all of that happened on the promenade.

So even when you're there and you see tourists in their sunnies, in their swimsuits returning to the beach, trying to get back to normal life, it doesn't feel normal there. For those who lived through it I can't imagine it ever will.

FOSTER: It's horrendous.

Will, thank you very much indeed for your reporting there.

You're watching a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM with me Max Foster in Nice.

And, Becky is over there in Paris, as well. We're going to follow what's going on in Turkey.

And still ahead, a French member of parliament, as well here on Thursday where the truck driver began mowing people down. We'll speak with him about how he made it out alive.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Max.

We've already seen eight Turks flee to Greece and ask for asylum in the wake of this failed coup. I'm going to talk to a top Greek official about the instability in neighboring Turkey. That is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:15:35] PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi there. I'm Patrick Snell with your CNN "World Sport" headlines.

Sweden's Henrik Stenson will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the open golf championship in Scotland. The Scandinavian with a third round 68, to lead in 12 under par. The overnight leader Phil Mickelson's at 11 under after a 70. Stenson, who is seeking a first career major, has never before held a 54-hole lead at a grand slam event. The Swede would become the first Scandinavian to win a major title if he can hold on while Mickelson is chasing his second open victory having beaten Stenson into second place in 2013 at Muirfield. We're just under a month or so away from the start of the English

premier football season. It was the first under the new head coach Jose Mourinho. A good start for the Portuguese. The Red Devils beat Wigan 2-0. Great news, the return of Luke Shaw after a ten month injury layoff.

Meantime, Primier League champ Leicester City will go into the new campaign with the services of one of their key players from last season, in N'Golo Kante, signed a five-year contract with Chelsea for a fee around $40 million. The 25-year-old making 40 appearances for the fox last season. He was part of France's squad that just recently lost the euro 2016 final to Portugal.

That's a look at your headlines. I'm Patrick Snell.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson in Paris. Max is in Nice. Stay with us throughout the coming hours as we bring you continuing coverage of two major news events in Turkey and right here in France.

Chaos gave way to celebrations after the failed coup in Turkey. Government supporters marched through Ankara, more than 2,800 military personnel have been detained in the crackdown and nearly 3,000 judges have been suspended. Travelers stuck at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport now able to move on. The airport has resumed normal operations. U.S. and the U.K. both warn their citizens to take precautions when traveling in Turkey.

While the instability in Turkey will it impact neighboring countries?

The Greek labor minister George Katrougalos joins us now live via Skype from Athens to explore that question.

And the impact, sir, almost immediate in Greece with the emergency landing late yesterday in a helicopter of eight Turkish soldiers who are accused by the Turkish president of involvement in this attempted coup. Now, there are reports claiming that they are claiming asylum. Can you confirm that, and their appearance in court today? And whether their appeal will be granted?

GEORGE KATROUGALOS, GREEK LABOR MINISTER: Well, we must wait and see. But you know, asylum was provided to those fleeing. Not to want to be dictators. On the other hand, due process should be respected in a religious way, very, very scrupulously in this case, as in all other cases in our democracy. There are legal procedures that are going to be followed. And we're going to see.

[04:20:00] ANDERSON: President Erdogan is accusing these eight soldiers of being involved in this attempted overthrow. Have they conceded to that? Do they say that they were involved? Have they admitted that?

KATROUGALOS: No, no. They're denying any kind of involvement. They say that they were just trying to obey orders without knowing that there was a coup, and that they are afraid of their lives. So as you understand, these are matters that we examine, first by the administrative authorities that are -- that have provenance over asylum. And then if there is an appeal, by the court.

ANDERSON: So I know that you have a legal background. So just for our viewers' sake, just explain what it is that the courts will now need to consider? Because there will be international law that will come into play here

KATROUGALOS: Exactly. First of all, you must have in mind that we do not have a treaty, a bilateral treaty with Turkey on extradition. So, it's basically the Geneva Convention on asylum. This convention says that anybody that is fleeing because of fear of persecution, because of racial or political, religious reasons has a right to asylum. But, of course, this does not concern people that are involved in a coup against an elected government.

So, basically, the court and the administrative authorities should examine if they had an active involvement in the coup.

ANDERSON: Very briefly, sir, just how big an impact do you think this activity in Turkey could have on a country like your own, and others? I mean, given the migration issue that Europe has been dealing with for example, instability in that country potentially could spill over into others' borders, couldn't it?

KATROUGALOS: First of all, it's a good thing that we have avoided a dictatorship. Because you know, dictatorships tend to export their problems to neighbors. You remember the Falkland Islands.

On the other hand, we need a stable and also democratic Turkey because, you know, you can have stability in two ways, either by reinforcing democracy and strengthening rule of law, or progression. I hope that Turkey is going to follow the first way although we have some signs (INAUDIBLE).

ANDERSON: With that, we're going to leave it there. We very much appreciate you coming on this morning and giving us some analysis, which is incredibly important at this point as we consider the fallout from Turkey's failed military coup.

More later this hour. Let's get back to Max. He's in Nice with the latest on Thursday's deadly terror attacks there.

Max?

FOSTER: Thank you. We're hearing the French prosecutors' office saying authorities have arrested two more people connected to Thursday's terror attack in Nice. That brings the total of people detained to seven -- two women, five men -- and that includes the suspect's ex-wife and the French interior minister says the man behind that attack became radicalized very quickly as well.

Melissa Bell joins us now. She's an international affairs editor with France 24, joins us via Skype from Burgundy in France.

Still little information coming out but it does seem as though this momentum is building towards some sort of radicalization, but can we assume that there's a network if these arrests are taking place, Melissa?

MELISSA BELL, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS EDITOR, FRANCE 24: That will be a big question about these latest two arrests. The five people that you mention a moment ago, Max, were already in police custody. Among them, Mohamed Lahouaiej's estranged wife, the one from whom he was seeking divorce, one newly separated.

Those five people, there's been an extension of the amount of the detention by the police because, of course, they're providing crucial clues as to specific, as you mention, that question of when and the extent to which Mohamed Lahouaiej started talking or showing signs of this emerging radicalization. Those people in police custody over the weekend, those five -- one woman, the ex-wife, and four men that were beginning to get a picture of a man who did apparently become radicalized in a very short space of time, in the weeks leading up to this act.

The other two we know very little about. We know that it's a man and a woman. And the question over the coming hours will be to find out whether they are people close to Mohamed Bouhlel as the other five were or perhaps people who have been found as a result of search through his phone and computer, and whether they could constitute or be part of some wider network, perhaps to a group like the Islamic State organization.

[04:25:11] For now, the sources close to the investigation are allowing these very small details to emerge, among them, for instance, beyond that recent radicalization of Mohamed Bouhlel, the fact that in the week before his act, before his terror attack, he had emptied his bank account, he had sold his car, and he had been a number of times to the Promenade des Anglais to stake out the area that was to the scene of Thursday night's attack.

FOSTER: And we're getting conflicting sort of images of him. On the one hand, there's this very unstable character we're hearing about from French sources, and then you've got ISIS, the media wing, describing him as a soldier. They don't come together, do they?

So, why is ISIS claiming this when it could potentially look weak?

BELL: ISIS has in the past with someone that carried out an atrocity that is in line with what ISIS is calling for but not directly coordinated with it or through it, it could have chosen its communique of Saturday to salute what Mohamed Bouhlel had done, rather as a soldier of the caliphate. And those who know (INAUDIBLE) that suggests that there was some kind of active link between him and the group.

Of course, that is yet to be confirmed. But that is what the investigators will be wanting to look into.

Equally, we are talking about a man yes who was unstable, who drank during Ramadan, all this picture of a man who is not terribly religious emerging from those surrounding him, those who knew him, those who lived in the vicinity of this man and yet what he did is precisely in line with what ISIS has been calling for. There was this call that we've been talking about a great deal over the last few days in September 2014 by al-Adnani, a spokesman for the Islamic State group calling on people inside France to use any weapon they have to take on the French, including mowing them down with vehicles.

In May, this new call from al Adnani telling would-be jihadists not to come to Syria or Iraq but rather to take on the enemy in their own country and specifically, in France. Now, what Mohamed Bouhlel had done is exactly that. He's used a vehicle to cause maximum carnage on a national holiday, which was also part of the ISIS group's calls at the last few months.

So, yes, an unstable man who doesn't particularly fit the image, but a disenfranchised young man who has listened to is propaganda possibly around certainly carried out an attack exactly in line with what the group had been calling for.

FOSTER: OK, Melissa. Thank you very much indeed.

We're gradually building a picture of what happened and who carried it out. You're watching a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster in Nice.

ANDERSON: And I'm Becky Anderson and we've already seen eight Turks flee to Greece and ask for asylum in the wake of the failed coup.

Up next, I'm going to talk to a top Greek official about the instability in Turkey.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:31:44] ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Paris.

My colleague, Max, is in Nice. Stay with us throughout the hour as we bring you continuing coverage of two major news events in Turkey. And right here in France.

Well, chaos gave way to celebrations after the failed coup in Turkey. Government supporters marched through Ankara. More than 2,800 military personnel have been detained in the crackdown and nearly 3,000 judges have been suspended. Travelers stuck at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport now able to move on. The airport resumes normal operations to U.S. and U.K. both warn their citizens to take precautions when traveling in Turkey.

I want to bring in my next guest here. It's Fawaz Gerges, he's the author of "ISIS: The History", and chairman of contemporary of Middle East studies at the London School of Economics.

Fawaz, this country is no stranger to military overthrows. In the past, though, they were successful. This one, it seems, an abject failure. Where does this whole episode leave the country, Turkey, and those building policy with Turkey in capitals around the world?

FAWAZ GERGES, AUTHOR, "ISIS: A HISTORY": Well, I mean, Turkey is in turmoil, political turmoil. It's deeply divided. Even though the military coup, as you suggested, Becky, has failed abysmally - the lack of planning, leadership coup, no strategic vision. It was really failure on many counts.

But the reality is, there's a great deal of dissent inside Turkey. I mean, think of what President Erdogan has done in the last 48 hours. He has dismissed almost 3,000 justice and prosecutors. He's using the coup itself in order to purge dissidents from the military, and also crack down against the judiciary.

I mean, there is a great deal of anxiety in London, in Paris, in Washington. American Turkish relations are extremely strained. The Turks -- I mean, some leaders within the Turkish leadership have suggested that the Americans had a hand in the coup plot, and of course, the State Department has responded very angrily, and you have big stakes involved.

Turkey is a pivotal player in the U.S. coalition against ISIS and Syria and Iraq. It's a fundamental player in NATO, the second largest army after the United States.

So, the stakes are very high and obviously tensions are rising up between Turkey and the United States, in particular because Turkey would like the American Turkish base cleric Gulen to be brought back to Turkey and the Americans say give us evidence before we take a look at that.

ANDERSON: Yes, it wasn't just an ask. President Erdogan not mincing his words, arrest him or extradite him. Gulen himself denies any involvement in the plot to overthrow the government, the president in Turkey.

[04:35:04] He also suggests that President Erdogan himself may have orchestrated the whole affair.

Is there any evidence to back that up?

GERGES: No, Becky, I don't think so. You know, conspiracies abound in Turkey. You have some elements within the Turkish government who believe that the Americans had a hand in the coup. This tells you about the conspiratorial mind-set and Gulen himself said that he would not be surprised if president Erdogan and not staged a coup. I don't think either claim is correct.

What you have is a small faction with the military tried to topple the government. It failed dismally because of the lack of planning and strategic vision, and there are no leaders within the military. And I think also President Erdogan has turned the cleric, this powerful cleric, Gulen, who lives in the United States, into a kind of a straw man. They were best allies. Now, they are bitter enemies.

The reality is, Turkey, Becky, is deeply divided. Along ideological, social, and ethnic lines, and the reality is, is that President Erdogan has said that that the coup itself is a godsend opportunity in order to purge the military of dissidents and basically overhaul the political system and make sure that there are no rivals for his leadership in Turkey.

ANDERSON: Fawaz Gerges in London for your viewers. We will continue to bring your expert analysis in the latest developments on the situation in Turkey.

First, let's return to Max Foster who has new details on the latest terror attack to shock France.

FOSTER: Yes. We're learning more about the man behind that terror attack killing 84 people here in Nice. A phone number belonging to the attacker came up in a separate investigation into an associate of a jihadist recruiter. A source tells CNN authorities are now trying to determine what the connection was between the two men.

Isa Soares reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the face of the man who brought terror to the streets of Nice. Mohamed Bouhlel, a young, mall-time criminal, who French authorities say was not known to have any links to terrorism.

BERNARD CAZENUEVE, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): It seems that he became radicalized very quickly.

SOARES: ISIS has claimed the 31-year-old was one of their soldiers who heeded their call. But questions still remain as to whether he received a direct order by the terror group, or was simply inspired by their ideology.

Investigators are looking to answer that. They're digging deep into his life. Some neighbors in his apartment building describe him as a bit of a loner, quiet and even odd.

JASMINE CORMAN, SUSPECT'S NEIGHBOR (through translator): He never spoke. He didn't speak to anyone. He was always alone with his bike and he drank alcohol during Ramadan. I lived under a murderer.

SOARES (on camera): This is his apartment. As you can see here the door has been completely blown out. And if you look through the keyhole you can see the place has been thoroughly searched, cupboard doors open, drawers strewn to the floor.

(voice-over): From the outside, his life looked almost ordinary, a delivery driver with three children who according to one neighbor was never mean.

French media describe him as the man who loved bodybuilding and salsa dancing. But those closest to him paint a picture of a disturbed individual.

MOHAMED MONDHER LAHOUAIEJ BOUHLEL, SUSPECT'S FATHER (through translator): He was of a nervous disposition. He would become angry, he would shout, and he would break everything that was in front of him. SOARES: His instable character didn't go unnoticed or unpunished with

authorities coming face-to-face with him only two months ago.

JEAN-JACQUES URVOAS, FRENCH JUSTICE MINISTER (through translator): He was charged with armed assault. There was an altercation in a public road among two drivers and himself, which involved a wooden pallet which was thrown by him.

SOARES: Slowly a picture is emerging of Mohamed Bouhlel. It's up to authorities to determine now, whether his actions were driven by rage or radicalization.

Isa Soares, CNN, Nice, France.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And a source close to the investigation now telling CNN that the local associates of the Nice attacker taken for questioning told interrogators that the attackers started speaking supportively of ISIS just days before the attack.

We'll bring you more details on the investigation as it comes in. I'll be back in a few minutes with an eyewitness account of what took place here in Nice on Thursday.

First, we'll go to George at CNN headquarters in Atlanta for a look at the day's other headlines. Including all you need to know about Donald Trump's presidential running mate, as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:42:49] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. We will have more on the developing stories in Turkey and France in a moment.

First, a look at other stories we are following this hour. And this news just in to CNN: two people are dead after a shooting at a hospital. This happened in Titusville, Florida, on the state's east coast near Cape Canaveral.

Police say that they have a suspect in custody now, and that the scene is secure. Authorities are expected to hold a news conference in the coming hours. We will bring you the very latest information as we get that news here on CNN.

America's choice 2016, and the presumptive Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump, has made his pick, it's Indiana Governor Mike Pence. The two held their first rally in New York Saturday at campaign pushing back hard against rumors that Trump was second- guessing his choice.

Our Jim Acosta reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REPORTER: Governor Pence, how are you feeling right now?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tapped to be Donald Trump's running mate, Mike Pence was plunged into the 2016 election at a turbulent time. His announcement was leaked, and then postponed -- a jarring move Trump's aides said that was vital after the terror attack in Nice. But Pence projected calm.

MIKE PENCE, U.S. PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN VP NOMINEE: We love Indiana. We love our country. My family and I couldn't be more honored to have the opportunity to run with and serve with the next president of the United States.

ACOSTA: As Trump appeared to be ginning up some drama surrounding his selection.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I haven't made my final-final decision.

ACOSTA: Sources tell CNN the presumptive GOP nominee was wavering at the last minute, asking aides overnight whether he could pull back on the Pence pick. Those advisers, sources say, told him no.

But a top Trump adviser told CNN that was all just a rumor. And a campaign spokesman tweeted, "This is completely false. Zero truth to it."

By the morning it all seemed to go like clockwork. Trump tweeted his announcement. Pence tweeted back, he was honored to join the ticket. Aides to the Indiana governor filed the paperwork pulling him out of the race for election.

Even though Trump and Pence are said to be off to a good start as running mates, they do have their differences.

[04:45:05] Pence supported the Iraq war. Trump became a critic. As governor, Pence expanded health care coverage under Obamacare, a program Trump has savaged.

REPORTER: Governor, could we have a word?

ACOSTA: In picking Pence, Trump looked past New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who has become a trusted adviser in recent months. Sources tell CNN Christie made a last-ditch attempt to change Trump's mind yesterday as Pence was on his way to New York.

REPORTER: Governor, do you have electricity?

ACOSTA: But Trump was not only dealing with his vice presidential pick, he was responding to the attack in Nice, calling on the U.S. to declare war on ISIS.

TRUMP: I would. I would. This is war. If you look at it, this is war coming from all different parts. And frankly, it's war, and we're dealing with people without uniforms.

ACOSTA: Hillary Clinton told CNN, the U.S. should be more cautious. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Well, I think

it's clear, we are at war with these terrorist groups. And what they represent. It's a different kind of war. And we need to be smart about how we wage it, and win it.

ACOSTA: Clinton is also considering her vice presidential pick in announcing her upcoming convention speakers. President Obama, the first lady, Vice President Biden, and Bernie Sanders, while rolling out a web video slamming pence.

PENCE: I long for the day that Roe vs. Wade is sent to the ash heap of history.

ACOSTA (on camera): Next up for Trump and pence is when they fly off to Cleveland and the Republican national convention where they'll be officially declared the GOP ticket. Trump at this event here in New York tried to push back on any notion there will be a floor fight in Cleveland, saying the never Trump movement has been crushed.

Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Jim, thank you.

And, of course, be sure to stay with CNN for our special coverage of the Republican National Convention. It all begins on Monday and our Christiane Amanpour, Kate Bolduan and Hala Gorani will be live from Cleveland, Ohio.

A full week of special coverage of the developments, speeches and analysis as the Republicans pick their nominees only here on CNN.

We will have more coverage of the attempted coup in Turkey and the terror attack in Nice with my colleagues Becky Anderson and Max Foster live in France. You're watching CNN.

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SNELL: Hi there. I'm Patrick Snell with your "World Sport" headlines.

Sweden's Henrik Stenson will take a one-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the open golf championship in Scotland. The Scandinavian with a third round 68 to leave him at 12 under par. The overnight leader Phil Mickelson's 11 under after a 70. Stenson is seeking a first career major, has never before held a 54-hole lead at a grand slam event.

The sports world paying its moving tribute to those who lost their lives in Thursday's Nice terror attack with poignant scenes involving the French Davis Cup tennis team which is playing this weekend in the Czech Republic on Friday. Teams from both countries paying their respects in honor of the victims in the French Riviera City.

And it was the French taking the lead. Wimbledon's doubles champ digging deep to win in a five-set thriller. France have a 2-1 lead now in this best of five encounter.

What a Tour de France is moving for Britain's Mark Cavendish who won Saturday's 14th stage, his fourth victory at this year's race and his 30th overall. The 31-year-old team dimension data rider proving the quickest in a sprint finish which allowed him to end up clear of Alex Kristoff and Peter Sagan, the Slovakian. His fellow Chris Froome retaining the (INAUDIBLE).

[04:50:01] That's a look at your sports headlines. I'm Patrick Snell.

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FOSTER: Welcome back to CNN's continuing coverage of the terror attack here in Nice, France, and also the failed military coup in Turkey. I'm Max Foster.

ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson in Paris. Do stay with us as we bring you all the latest developments from these two major stories.

FOSTER: We're just learning a little bit more about the man behind Thursday's terror attack here in Nice. Detained associates of the suspect told interrogators that he started speaking supportively of ISIS just days before the attack.

This seems to support what the French interior minister said earlier that the 31-year-old Tunisian suspect became radicalized very quickly. We'll continue to bring you the latest on this as soon as we get it.

The French MP Christophe Premat was amongst those celebrating on Thursday night with his family when gunfire rang out. He joins us now.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Just describe the moment you first became aware that something unusual was happening.

CHRISTOPHE PREMAT, FRENCH PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Well, when I saw the crowds moving in different directions, and I just saw the expression on the faces of people just trying to escape, then I realized that there was something wrong. Not only the gunshots that you could hear. It was something more important and we had to move, and quickly. It was a traumatic experience, honestly.

FOSTER: What did you see? Did you see the vehicle or just the crowds?

PREMAT: (AUDIO GAP) panic stricken, they were just trying to run away, just going on to the tables of the restaurants, and you had a lot of (INAUDIBLE) on the floor. There was like a nightmare picture actually, when you think about that. And we had to hide inside a building with different people around so that there was just a very strange feeling when you think about the national day, and the celebration of the 14 of July in France.

So, it was supposed to be a very -- a day of joy, and it was an evening, a nightmare evening. So that was terrible. And I think about that matter, trying to see her and seek her children. She was frightened, I remember teenagers who wonder what happened, and so on, so it was horrific.

FOSTER: There's some criticism bubbling up that there should have been more security, that this could have been prevented somehow. We're learning that he seems to have been radicalized very quickly, indeed.

But, do you think someone involved in it, something could have been done about this?

PREMAT: Well, I saw what happened as a family father but I can react as well but I think we have the anti-terrorist station. So, yes, you could have -- the prime minister has been repeating that we cannot have zero risk. And we have to tell the truth to the population.

And as you say, this person, the killer, was not known from the anti- terror cells inside the security forces. So, he gets radicalized very quickly. You cannot just have a policeman for each citizen. Otherwise, it would turn into a mass surveillance society and we don't want that. It's exactly what the terrorists want us to do. (INAUDIBLE) mass surveillance society and then our freedom.

[04:55:01] I think it's a way of balance, both a security and freedom in our country. But, yes, maybe if there something that can be learned, how we can share more and more information in terms of intelligence services. But otherwise, it's very hard to -- just to get this kind of behavior that gets very quickly radicalized, because we didn't have any clues before what happened.

FOSTER: OK. Well, thank you very much, indeed, for joining us and sharing your experience, sharing your thoughts. It's going to be very hard for individuals, and the country of course to come to terms with.

But this new idea of a major threat, someone that can be radicalized quickly, is now something.

Becky, I think the world has got to now look at as though we had the lone wolf, the sort of coordinated attack, now we've got the quickly radicalized individual, it's so hard.

ANDERSON: Really hard.

All right. The coup attempt in Turkey is over but we've yet to see how it will all play out. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's leadership has never faced such a brazen challenge and the risk between secularist and Islamic schools of thought in the country looks larger than ever after promising to punish those responsible for the uprising.

Erdogan turning his attention to an Islamic cleric living in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. He says it was Fethullah Gulen who spearheaded the coup. But Gulen says he didn't have a thing to do with it.

Thanks for watching, I'm Becky Anderson in Paris.

FOSTER: I'm Max Foster in Nice. Do stay with CNN. More after this quick break.

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