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29 Injured in Manhattan Explosion; Interview with Governor Andrew Cuomo; Man Shot Dead After Stabbing Nine People in Minnesota; Investigators Find Similarities in New York and New Jersey Bombs; Aired 1-2p ET

Aired September 18, 2016 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:00] TAPPER: Fredricka Whitfield is going to pick up our live coverage of this tumultuous day right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in New York. We're following two major stories breaking today. The powerful Manhattan blast that injured 29 people last night, an attack that Mayor Bill de Blasio says was intentional, and multiple people stabbed at a mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota. ISIS now claiming it was a soldier of Islamic State who carried out the attack before he was killed.

We have team coverage on both of these stories. CNN's Jessica Schneider is in New York and our Nick Valencia is following the developments in Minnesota where a news conference is expected to begin at any moment now.

But, Jessica, let me begin with you. What is the latest on this investigation unfolding?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Fredricka, the police commissioner, the mayor and other public officials just held a press conference. It just wrapped up. And what Commissioner O'Neill said is that they have gotten a lot of video from this area. He referenced two specific crime scenes, the first one right here at West 23rd Street where that explosion went off at 8:30 last night. Commissioner O'Neill saying that it does in fact look indicative of an explosive device, an IED.

Also getting video from the other crime scene at West 27th Street where investigators found that unexploded pressure cooker. Now what we're learning from our showers is a lot of that video is surveillance video. It's a bit grainy and a big hard to discern so we're not getting anything necessarily from that, but one thing that they have seen from the surveillance video is an individual who is in the vicinity of the explosion last night, police and investigators now trying to discern whether or not that individual somehow connected to this explosion.

Now also speaking at the press conference was the assistant director of the FBI field office here in New York and Bill Sweeney said that the evidence collection here at this scene would take at least another four to five hours. They still have to go into those residences and buildings that were substantially damaged by this big explosion that injured 29 people. Those 29 people, though, now have been treated and released from the hospital.

Also at the press conference, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, he doubled down on his comments that have come under fire. He talked last night about the fact that this was an intentional act, but he backed away from saying it was terrorism. In fact he said last night at this point it was not connected to terrorism. Here's what he had to say today defending those comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: We're going to be very careful and patient to get to the full truth here. We are not going to jump to conclusions. We're not going to offer you easy answers. We're going to make sure we have all the facts.

We know there was a bombing. That much we do know. We know it's a very serious incident but we have a lot more work do to be able to say what kind of motivation was behind this, was it a political motivation, a personal motivation, what was it, we do not know that yet. That work must go on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: And the mayor and the police commissioner saying that this investigation will be thorough, they will take their time. Now the components of the IED that exploded right here on West 23rd as well as that pressure cooker now being analyzed by the bomb squad both here in New York and also the FBI lab down in Quantico, Virginia.

Now it was interesting, one interesting note that came out from this press conference, after that explosion right here on West 23rd Street, it turns out that retired NYPD officers who are now New York state troopers, they went on a foot patrol, essentially, they walked around this area, looking for a secondary device and that is exactly why and how they found that unexploded pressure cooker up on West 27th Street just four blocks from where that explosion happened -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so I'm wondering, Jessica, was there some marker, something about the exploded device or the remnants of it that led investigators to believe that there might be a secondary one and then, lo and behold, to locate one?

SCHNEIDER: Well, you know, Fredricka, Commissioner O'Neill indicated that this is a protocol. When a device like this goes off, when there is an explosion in the area, it is protocol for these officers to do a check, to look for any secondary devices. That is exactly how they came upon this unexploded pressure cooker and that's what led to that massive response here after that explosion. So they didn't indicate anything in particular but indicating perhaps that it is protocol to look for these secondary devices which they did find.

WHITFIELD: Now what about the perimeter, what is being blocked off? People live and work there and this is an area that is usually very popular and often there are people walking all times of the day. What about now?

[13:05:06] SCHNEIDER: Yes, a very busy area. Of course all of Manhattan busy, but this is a very frequented area, very populated area. So what is happening right now is you can see behind me, West 23rd Street is blocked off between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue. Police say that also the cross streets between 14th Street and 27th Street, those cross streets are also blocked off. This is a huge investigation scene, this is a huge crime scene. Commissioner O'Neill pointing to two distinct crime scenes right here at West 23rd and at West 27th. So still a lot of traffic being blocked off.

But I will tell you this, Governor Cuomo is here just a few hours ago, also Mayor de Blasio, surveying the subway system because of course the lines run right through here. They say they're optimistic that the line running through this area will be up and running in time for commuters tomorrow. Of course as they say in all instances, they want people in New York City to continue living their lives and not be threatened or deterred in what they're doing by this incident.

WHITFIELD: And of course the poring over of the surveillance tape is going to be key and we heard during that press conference that some cameras are still rolling so even that kind of information will be folded into this investigation.

Did you get any more detail about that?

SCHNEIDER: Yes, you know, they're really looking for witnesses. They're looking for more people to talk to. In fact overnight, they made an appeal on Twitter asking people to come forward if they have information, if they have video. Video perhaps being key.

I talked about the fact that there is surveillance video, a lot of businesses, restaurants, a lot of people in this area. So they have some of that surveillance video. But what we're hearing from sources is some of it is a bit grainy, a bit difficult to discern. So they want people who may have anymore video to come forward and hand it over to them and also they want to talk to witnesses. So, you know, we're at the very early stages of this investigation, you know, it happening just a little more I guess than 12 or 16 hours ago.

So there is a lot of work to be done and they say they'll have these streets closed off for at least another four or five hours -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jessica Schneider, thank you so much there in little Manhattan, the Chelsea area of Manhattan.

So just moments ago, we did hear that Andrew Cuomo did have his statements earlier today. Well, he's on the phone with me right now.

Governor -- actually, you're live. There you are. Now I see you. Sorry about that. All right, good to see you, Governor Andrew Cuomo.

OK, so earlier you said there is no reason to believe there is a further threat, you know, to New York City, but you want to err on the side of caution by launching 1,000 state police. What are the methods of their policing that you're hoping will maintain safety here in New York?

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: Well, Fredricka, first, thanks for having me on. The basic point is this was a frightening experience for many New Yorkers. We went through 9/11 obviously. 1993 we had a bombing at the World Trade Center. So you watch the TV news almost on weekly basis and you see terrorist activities. So this is a frightening experience. We want to say to New Yorkers there is no reason to panic, there's no reason to have your life disrupted. That's exactly what they are trying to do.

And we're not going to let them do it. And we're going to go about our business and you should feel good that you have the best police agencies on the globe here in New York. And just to -- out of an abundance of caution, to err on the side of caution, we now have state police and National Guard at the airports, bus terminals, et cetera, as part of our normal protocol and we're going to increase it by about 1,000 people just to make sure that there is no continuation.

And frankly so New Yorkers feel that their government is doing everything they can. And we go about our business on Monday morning. We have a nice Sunday today and then tomorrow morning we go back to work.

WHITFIELD: And Governor, earlier today you said this is obviously an act of terrorism, but then you hear different language coming from the city of New York, the mayor saying while this act was intentional, the city is not quite ready to call this an act of terrorism. What is behind this kind of conflicting language and someone leaving an explosive device many people in the city are arguing doesn't that terrorize a city? Isn't that terrorism?

CUOMO: Yes. Well, it's just -- frankly it's semantics. The mayor and I viewed the site together. We have the same information, the same observation. And the same conclusions. And everything else is just semantics. This was -- there were two devices that were planted, one exploded, one didn't.

[13:10:06] They did tremendous damage. It was an intentional bombing. It was not accidental. It was criminal. It was violent. There was no apparent link at this time to any international terrorist organization. No international terrorist organization has taken credit for it and there was no apparent political purpose. There was also no target besides the general populous. And that's -- you don't get to set off a bomb in New York or any city in this country without -- to try to frighten people, cause terror, period.

And that -- you call that terrorism until it's linked to an organization or not, that's just semantics. All the facts are the same. And our message is very simple. We are going to find who did this and we will bring them to justice. As I mentioned before, the FBI, New York Police Department, the state police, Department of Homeland Security, they're all working hand in glove. You put them together, you're dealing with the best police forces on the globe, I believe.

We will find who did this, we'll bring them to justice and in the meantime we're not going to let them win. We're going to go about our business.

WHITFIELD: Do you think it --

CUOMO: We're going to live our lives. We'll take extra security measures to instill confidence, but they're not going to win, Fredricka. That's the point.

WHITFIELD: Is it your feeling the surveillance tape is going to -- and the cameras that are still rolling in that community that that's the information that's going to be critical in determining who did this, who left these devices and whose fingerprints might be on them?

CUOMO: You know, the -- I used to be in the federal government. We've gone through a number of these investigations. I prefer to wait to get the facts. The FBI is transporting everything to Quantico. They have one bomb that did not explode that has a cell phone, et cetera. They have remnants of the other bomb that did explode. They'll bring it to Quantico. They'll do an analysis.

You might get evidence from there, you might get evidence on the surveillance tape. You might get a tip. Someone may come forward and take credit for it. So there's a lot of possible avenues and it doesn't really help to speculate. If there is someone on the tape, that would be great. I know you can identify a person from a videotape, that would be great. But we're not sure where the information will come from. But we will get the information.

WHITFIELD: Purely a coincidence or do you believe there could potentially still be a link between Seaside Park, New Jersey, the devices found there, and what happened in Chelsea?

CUOMO: I spoke to Governor Christie this morning and it could be a coincidence. We don't have any reason to believe that it's not a coincidence. The devices in New Jersey were a different type than the devices in New York. The devices in New Jersey were pipe bombs essentially. But Governor Christie and I agreed that we'll pool our resources. We have people working together to see if there are any similarities. And again, the FBI has both -- remains of both bombs going down to Quantico to do an analysis and to see if they can find any commonalty. But it could be just a coincidence.

In New Jersey you had an apparent connection where there was supposed to be a military run, I believe, and there might have been a connection there. On the New York side, it's hard to find any connection. Those locations, any statement that people were trying to make besides just the explosion itself.

WHITFIELD: And is this a unified effort between New Jersey and New York and even New York City, especially when we've had an issue of a semantics as you put it, a difference of classifying what has unfolded here?

CUOMO: Yes. No, there is no difference in terms of classifying. Semantics and just what label do you want to use. We all agree on the same facts and circumstances and the same course of conduct. The -- Governor Christie, Mayor de Blasio and myself are all working together. The coordinate of mechanism includes the federal government and it's something called the joint terrorism -- Joint Task Force on Terrorism.

[13:15:03] And we're working together because you do have these two incidents between New Jersey and New York, and you're right, you know, we're not sure if it's a coincidence or if they're coordinated. But we normally coordinate, in this case we're taking special efforts to coordinate given the apparent coincidences.

WHITFIELD: Do you also feel or are you ruling out whether this could be a trial run?

CUOMO: Trial run meaning what?

WHITFIELD: Meaning whoever is responsible for this, that this is a test to see the response to leave behind an unexploded device.

CUOMO: Well, look, I believe the only way to be governor of New York is you have to assume every day that this state is a potential target for terrorist. Period. I mean, 9/11 taught us that, before 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed. My father was governor at the time, had his office in the World Trade Center. So in some ways 9/11 was the second attack on the World Trade Center.

So the only operating paradigm, Fredricka, is every day you are a potential terrorist attack -- for potential terrorist attack. You know, every day could being be the day. And that's how we operate anyway. You're on guard every day all the time. So trial balloon or not, we assume there are terrorist organizations, we assume there are lone wolves, we assume there are bad actors who would love to do damage in New York for many reasons. And we operate that way anyway every day.

So I don't know that it really makes a difference at the end of the day. We assume there are people who are trying to hurt New Yorkers to serve their purposes and we are ready all the time.

WHITFIELD: All right. Governor Andrew Cuomo, thank you so much to joining us. Appreciate it.

All right. Coming up, ISIS claiming a soldier of the Islamic State carried out stabbings at a Minnesota mall. We're waiting to hear from officials in Minnesota. You're looking at live pictures right now, that press conference soon to get under way. We'll take you there right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:22:11] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in New York. We're staying on top of two major stories unfolding this hour. Police combing through surveillance video and gathering clues as to who might be behind that powerful explosion in New York City last night. Officials are stressing no credible threat to New York, but have stepped up police and National Guard patrols around the city.

And we're also awaiting a news conference out of St. Cloud, Minnesota, where multiple people were stabbed at a shopping mall last night. ISIS claiming it was a, quote, soldier of the Islam State," end quote, who carried out that attack before he was killed by an off-duty officer.

CNN's Nick Valencia is following that story and joins us now live with more on this -- Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Fredricka. The online media wing of ISIS called Al Hayat now claiming responsibility for this individual who stabbed at least eight people at a mall in Minnesota on Saturday night. The online wing saying that this individual was a soldier of ISIS. And this follows a similar pattern by this online media wing, claiming responsibility for individuals who have been inspired by the terrorist network.

So far this individual who carried the attack on Saturday night in St. Cloud, Minnesota, has not officially been identified by police. We're expecting perhaps to hear more details at this press conference we're standing by for any moment, but what we do know so far about this individual who carried out the attack is that he has had at least three encounters with police in the past for minor traffic violations.

Here is what we know happened. Last night at about 8:00 p.m. this individual entered the Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud about 64 miles northwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was dressed in a private security uniform and he was mentioning Allah. He also, according to police, asked at least one person if they were Muslim before he carried out the stabbing.

It was earlier this afternoon that I spoke to Ashley Bayne, she was a witness and an employee at the mall. She described to me what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHLEY BAYNE, WITNESS: And all of a sudden chaos just broke out. There was a bunch of people running into the JCPenney mall entrance and they were just screaming that someone was going around the mall, stabling people, and that there was blood everywhere. And it was just honestly a really scary experience. I dropped everything in my hands and booked it back to my co-worker to notify her what was going on. I ran out a different exit out of our JCPenney which led straight to the parking lot and I just kind of jumped in my car and sped off as fast as I could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: That was Ashley Bayne, a witness to last night' attacks there in the mall. The stabbings took place at multiple locations, common areas, stores in that location. The mall remains closed today. It is according to police an active crime screen.

[13:25:02] At least eight perhaps nine people were injured, they're all expected to survive. They have suffered nonlife threatening injuries. One person does remain hospitalized. And Fred, it is worth noting, our audience I'm sure is curious, so far

there is no indication that this individual had any accomplices, also no indication that there is an apparent connection to the explosions that happened yesterday in New York as well as Seaside, New Jersey. We're standing by for that press conference. Hopefully we'll some get more details in just a little bit -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Right. And of course we heard the police chief earlier saying they're also looking into the -- a security agency to see if indeed he was working with any kind of security agency.

VALENCIA: That's right.

WHITFIELD: And we're going to hear all of that hopefully more details in that press conference upcoming. Thanks so much, Nick Valencia.

VALENCIA: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

And of course we're going to talk about all of this and the robust police presence now in New York. Mayor Bill de Blasio saying the show of force will be there, biggest ever as they pick up the pieces in the wake of last night's bombing.

We'll have more on the investigation and of course the work of the bomb squad next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:04] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in New York.

Two breaking news stories this hour. A bombing here in New York City and several people stabbed at a mall in Minnesota. We're waiting for a live presser to take place on that shopping mall stabbing incident and of course we'll bring that to you. There are the live pictures at St. Cloud, just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota. And when it happens, we'll take you there.

All right. So let's talk about all of this with our panel of experts. Matthew Horace, CNN law enforcement analyst and former ATF executive, Art Roderick, CNN law enforcement analyst and retired U.S. Marshal, Tom Fuentes, CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI assistant director, and Juliette Kayyem, CNN national security analyst.

All right. Good to see all of you. So let's talk about this Minnesota case first. We're still awaiting that press conference out of St. Cloud. The shopping mall terrorized by this suspect who was wearing a private security firm uniform, say police, and stabbed upwards of nine people before an off-duty police officer shot and killed him.

So I wonder, you know, Matthew, you first, how do they go about determining whether indeed he is a soldier of ISIS as ISIS has claimed this suspect to be? Because we still don't know the name of this suspect as yet. But how will investigators go about whether they are just claiming him because he did something that they approve of, ISIS, or whether indeed he was on a mission ordered by ISIS?

MATTHEW HORACE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Fred, as you know, early on in investigations, information is coming in fast and furiously. And as things evolve, things change very quickly. The FBI, one of the broadest intelligence networks in the world, they'll be checking social media, they'll be doing neighborhood canvasses, speaking to his family, trying to determine if he's a sympathizer, a supporter or maybe not involved at all. So early indication sometimes change. He may be, he may not be. They will determine it over the course of the next several days.

WHITFIELD: And Juliette, from what we understand in our reporting, he went to various sections of the shopping mall and, you know, stabbed people before this off-duty officer then shot and killed him. What more will investigators be trying to comb through, what kind of information would they be able to ascertain from that shopping mall, the crime -- the scene of the crime?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: A lot less than I think what will be at his home. So that -- you know, because they're trying to get the ISIS connection. ISIS has claimed credit that they inspired him, so it's going to be social media at home, who he's talked to, who he's tried to communicate, either an open source or in back source information. The attack itself, you know, is not sophisticated. Unfortunately, I mean, these -- you know, a knife in a shopping mall, in a crowded shopping you're going to be able to get targets. And I think it's just a reminder to all of us, just whether these issues -- whether these attacks are related or not over the course of 24 hours, they have a commonalty which is our homeland security apparatus Tuesday is local police departments. And emergency managers and public health officials.

There is no counterterrorism or homeland security group out there waiting for something bad to happen. It's these first responders in places as sophisticated as New York and in places we've never heard of. Most of us in Minnesota.

WHITFIELD: And then, Tom, what do you want to hear out of that press conference from officials there in St. Cloud, Minnesota?

TOM FUENTES, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I think I'd like to hear that they have specific information about whether or not he was tied to other individuals, either by communication or social media as Juliette mentioned, and to see, is he a lone wolf, and try to figure out if there is any way to determine yet how long the radicalization period was if in fact he's radicalized. And, you know, at this point they may not fully know all that information yet. But those are among the questions especially, is he truly a lone wolf? And if he is, then there may not be a continuing threat. If he isn't, it's important to know, are there others out there that he's been in communication with or that may have separately been planning to do events like. WHITFIELD: And Art, while no one is linking all of these incidents

that have taken place in this weekend, we're talking about Minnesota, New Jersey with the devices found there, and then in the Chelsea section of Lower Manhattan. How do you see this, as purely coincidental or do you believe in some way there was a common thread or a connection between these incidents?

ART RODERICK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, first of all, if you take a step back and look at this, number one, law enforcement investigators do not believe in coincidences. OK. So that number one to me. What struck me right away is wow, we get three events occurring within 24 hours. Two of them are mass casualty events. The third one could have been a mass casualty event if the race had gone off on time. And by the grace of God, we have an off-duty police officer that was able to stop the first mass casualty event.

[13:35:02] You have this bomb going off in New York City, luckily nobody was killed there so we dodged a lot of bullets here so to say. And that to me when you take a step back and look at it, you've got the incident in Minnesota, multiple casualties, very similar to some of the attacks that have occurred in Israel when it comes to the stabbings, and somebody wearing some type of security uniform or a police uniform.

You've got him saying -- asking individuals, you know, are you Muslim. You have the attacks going on in -- possible attack in New Jersey and what happened in New York. Maybe not directly connected but there's got to be some connection. Why did these three events occur all within a 24-hour time period? Was there a call out by ISIS? Is this an inspired? Is it domestic? Is it lone wolf? I mean, when you put all it this together, there's just no -- to me, there's no coincidence that these three events occurred in a 24-hour time period.

WHITFIELD: OK. OK. Well, one of our CNN crime and justice producer is joining us now, Shimon Prokupecz, who's with us now, who has new information that now an investigation is under way to perhaps help substantiate whether there is indeed a connection between what happened in New Jersey, the devices found during that 5K Marine Corps run and what happened in Lower Manhattan in Chelsea -- Shimon.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE PRODUCER: Right. That's right. They have found some similarities in the cell phones that were used to perhaps detonate these devices. So that's what investigators are be looking at, as well as some clues. There is nothing to say that the incidents in New York and New Jersey are directly linked, but definitely they are looking at some of the similarities. Other than that, there really are no similarities.

WHITFIELD: So even though initially it was determined that these were pipe bombs, right? Or at least one pipe bomb in New Jersey in the Seaside Park area versus pressure cookers, or at least one intact pressure cooker in Chelsea in Manhattan?

PROKUPECZ: Right. So they believe there was at least one pressure cooker which they found on 27th Street in Manhattan. The devices that they found in New Jersey are pipe bombs. And so yes, that's a difference. That is a significant difference. But what was used to detonate the pipe bomb they believe was a cell phone with like a sort of -- which was being used as a timer to sort -- to detonate it. So perhaps maybe like the alarm was used on the phone set to a certain time, and then it would have caused the explosion.

WHITFIELD: And Juliette, what's your to that kind of information from our reporters?

KAYYEM: I'm OK. How much longer? I'm waiting for the press conference.

WHITFIELD: All right, it looks like Juliette can't hear me. So what do you think, Matthew, based on what you're hearing from Shimon there?

MATTHEW HORACE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, it's been my experience that the devices and their complexity or not are really just the result of the imaginations of the person making the bomb so in some cases they may be a little more rudimentary, in some places maybe a little more complex. And you know, it all depends on the bomb-maker.

WHITFIELD: The commonality of a cell phone being used in this day and age particularly as it pertains to a bomb, whether it's a pipe bomb or whether it's a pressure cooker, fairly common? I mean --

HORACE: Well, the investigators are going to be looking to see how many commonalities they have between the two different devices, where they -- did they use the cell phones the same way, as an igniting factor or just trying to set the bombs off? Were they used as a timer? Were they a distraction? They'll be looking at everything in each device in its totality. Examining them, putting them into intel databases and try to determine the commonalities to see if the same person made these device.

WHITFIELD: Tom, what strikes you about that information coming from Shimon's reporting?

FUENTES: Well, I think the first question I would have is if you have phones involved as we think for detonating the first device and maybe attempting to detonate the second one which didn't go off, can they get into those phones? Are we going to run in to a telephone encryption in a big battle for the FBI to try to get information from those phones to determine what calls were made?

The other thing that they can be doing is that the device, if it was detonated by a phone, the 23rd Street device that exploded, the examination of telephone company records from the local cell towers to see if they can determine the precise time and possibly match that to a device, you know, match it to the cell phone information that may indicate a subscriber. But that will be a difficult task. It will require assistance from the phone company and, you know, we'll see how much cooperation they can get along those lines.

WHITFIELD: And Art, how does this potentially change the direction of an investigation of this caliber? RODERICK: I think that was the assumption that you have to go from,

from the very beginning. I mean, you have a checklist of reasons of why this might have occurred. International terrorism is up top, domestic terrorism is next, and you sort of eliminate these types of theories.

[13:40:02] I think Tom is correct, he's absolutely correct on these cell phone issue where they're probably using what they call burner phones. And to get the cell tower information is going to be key especially for the device that was still intact. What exactly is on that phone, where was it purchased, who purchased it, getting the video from that particular store of where that phone was purchased. So there's a lot of work to be done here but there's a ton of leads to follow up, not only the video at the actual scene and the video around the blocks but also the information they can get off those phones.

WHITFIELD: And Juliette, I know perhaps you can hear me now. Is this a potential turning point in the investigation and perhaps an indicator of a greater cooperation between New Jersey authorities, New York authorities if indeed a commonality is that cell phones may have been used as timers even though the devices themselves are different but perhaps that could indicate some kind of real corroboration here?

KAYYEM: Yes. I mean, as Tom certainly knows as he, you know, sort of led these efforts in a joint terrorism task forces, even though they're separated by geography, so you'll have one for New York and New Jersey, they're very much aligned. So in terms of the sharing of evidence and communication, I'm not so worried about that. But I have to say the phone connection while interesting would be what I would expect, right, from a bomb or a device that's going to be detonated from a far. I think the big question is, what's inside the devices is the same. And we have not gone and answer or we have not heard yet the second device which did not detonate, what was inside of it to --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And what do you mean by that? Explain what you mean by what would be inside.

KAYYEM: OK. What is the explosive material. And so that's what you can match. Right? Not just to each other, between New Jersey and New York, but also purchases. I men, the benefit of the New York device not going off besides of course the saving of lives is that there will be a lot of evidence on an undetonated device, IED, you know, call it what you want at this stage, that they can be tracked for purchases, purchase of the phone, purchase of the materials. And that's what's, you know, without saying it we know that that's -- without them confirming it, we know that's what the FBI is doing.

If they can get ownership of who might have placed the New York device, then you can see if it's linked to the New Jersey device.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks to you all. Stick around. We're going to continue our conversation momentarily. We're also awaiting that press conference out of Minnesota -- St. Cloud, Minnesota, after a man is shot the dead, after stabbing at least eight people at a shopping mall. We hope to get details momentarily. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:46:51] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. This breaking news we're following. Investigators are now saying there are some similarities between New Jersey and New York devices.

CNN justice correspondent Evan Perez is covering this. Let's also bring back our panel. We've got a number of people here, Tom Fuentes, Art Roderick, Matthew Horace and Shimon Prokupecz.

So, Evan, to you first if you can give us an idea of what your new reporting is.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the things that obviously is raising some concerns among the investigators is the fact that they found cell phones that were used as the triggering devices for both the two bombs in New York as well as the three devices that were tied together -- that were attached together in the -- in Seaside Park, New Jersey.

Now as I think some of the panelists have been mentioning there is no conclusions that you make base on that is tons of bomb recipes online that you can find this as the triggering device. What I want to make clear is we're not saying that there is -- that there's any firm conclusions here or that this was --

WHITFIELD: All right. Evan, I'm sorry to interrupt you. We got to go straight to St. Cloud, Minnesota, that press conference is under way. Again, an off-duty police officer shooting dead someone who stabbed eight people in that mall last night. Let's listen in.

MAYOR DAVE KLEIS, ST. CLOUD, MINNESOTA: Evening, it actually reminds me of -- or it's something that I hear very often in 11 years that I've been mayor, I think I get asked this question often, what keeps you up at night. Well, what happened last night is what keeps me up at night. It was certainly a tragic situation that happened at Crossroads Mall. But I want to, first of all, thank the law enforcement response. Not only our St. Cloud PD but the departments some from throughout the area, the sheriff's office, the firefighters, emergency management folks, ambulance.

All of the response teams, all of our first responders who were exemplary in how quickly they were there and responded to the events that took place last night. And I'd also like to thank the response at Crossroads, the management at Crossroads, the staff, the folks in Target and the Macy's, and a number of folks that were also extremely helpful in their response last night.

Our thoughts and our prayers continue to be with the victims. The individuals that were attacked last night. I want to just give you an update from the previous conference -- the press conference that we held last night, since that night, there have been some changes. We had an additional individual who self-admitted at Long Prairie Hospital, so there were nine victims. Nine victims. And as of 7:00 this morning, there were three that were still in the hospital. No one with life -- any type of life-threatening injuries.

[13:50:05] But there are three of the nine that remained in the hospital. The other individuals have been released. Those victims -- without the names, but rain will give you, male, 22-year-old from Big Lake. Male, 24-year-old from Wilmer. Male, 53-year-old from Albany. Male, 45-year-old from St. Cloud. Male, 20-year-old from St. Cloud. Female, 15-year-old from Big Lake. Female, 50-year-old from Kimball. Male, 29-year-old from St. Cloud and a male, 31-year-old from Avon.

Our thoughts and prayers are with these victims but also all of the other individuals in the mall on a Saturday night. As you can imagine on a weekend the amount of people in the mall. Can't help but think of the families and the children that witnessed the horrific action.

But I also want to recognize the individual off-duty police officer who eliminated the threat and took down the suspect. That officer is from the Avon Police Department, Jason Faulkner. Jason Faulkner is a part-time police officer for Avon. He is the former chief of police of Albany. He was in the mall. And as somebody who has had an opportunity to witness the surveillance tape in Macy's, and witnessed what he did.

He clearly prevented additional injuries and potentially loss of life. His heroic actions are exemplary of having witnessed what he did as the suspect was lunging at him with a knife. Not only did he fire, the suspect went down. He came back up in three different occasions. He again protected others from being injured and potentially loss of life. Clearly a hero. Officer Faulkner was there at the right time at the right place.

The mall, Crossroads Shopping Center, it will be -- the crime scene has now -- the police have left. It will be -- it will remain closed today. Crossroads is expected to open for business as usual tomorrow. But it will be closed today.

I want to again thank the responders. I also want to thank in a situation like this, you really understand what your community is made of. The strong support that I have heard and receive from phone calls and e-mails, and texts, and through social media. Not only from our community, but from all over the world.

The outpouring for support for this community. We're a strong community. We're a united community. And there is, in this individual's evil act, unjustifiable in any means, will not shake the resolve of this community. We have had tremendous outpouring, not only, as I mentioned, from throughout the world, but within our community. That support is very strong and clearly is evident in this community. The strength of this community.

I'm going to come up now to the podium chief of police for the city of St. Cloud, Blair Anderson. And as he comes up, again I can't say enough for the first responders in our community and beyond just the city of St. Cloud. Clearly are a great example of their profession and are extremely worthy of our admiration and respect. Chief Anderson. CHIEF WILLIAM BLAIR ANDERSON, ST. CLOUD MINNESOTA POLICE: Thank you,

sir. Good afternoon. I want to reiterate the mayor's sentiment. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families. And we certainly want to acknowledge all of our partners, our neighboring partner, our federal and state partners. At a time like this, you need your colleagues and your partners, and they were there for us and they still are.

I can tell you before I go back through the chronology, that from the first 911 call until the subject was eliminated, was approximately five minutes.

[13:55:07] And that's what we expect when something like this starts. We train to respond to these kinds of incidents swiftly and that's exactly what happened yesterday. But for that swift response, particularly the actions of Officer Faulkner, I agree with the mayor, that this could have been much, much worse. And no one being injured obviously is acceptable. But this could have been a lot worse, but for the swift response, not only from the men and women of St. Cloud Police Department, but all of our neighbors as well.

So I'll go over the chronology with you again in case some of you weren't available last evening. At approximately 8:00 or 8:15 last night, one individual entered the southeast side of the Crossroads Mall on Division Street and attacked nine people. We now know there were nine victims as the mayor said. One self-transported to a hospital outside of our jurisdiction.

Stabbed nine people. Was confronted by Officer Faulkner and I had the opportunity to view the video with the mayor and I couldn't agree more with his take on it. This is what we're trained to do. Unfortunately, none of us ever want to have to do that, but that's what we're here for. Our job is the public safety of all and Officer Faulkner's actions were swift and direct and in my opinion appropriate.

I don't think I have anything other to add other than between last night obviously and this morning, we've executed at least two search warrants at an address here in St. Cloud. We did discover the suspect's vehicle in the mall parking lot. That vehicle was cleared and impounded. In other words, there's no imminent threat. Either from that vehicle or right now there nothing that we have gleaned that would suggest to us that this is anything other than what it appears now.

Keep in mind and let me emphasize at this time, there's nothing to suggest anything differently than what you've been told, all right? But there are a lot of moving parts and this is a fluid situation and I can assure you, we will be transparent with you on any developments. So long as they don't compromise our investigation.

I'm going to turn it over to a special agent in charge, Rick Thornton. He is the SAC from the Minneapolis Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

RICHARD THORNTON, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, MINNESOTA DIVISION: Good afternoon. As Chief Anderson said, my name is Rick Thornton. I'm the special agent in charge for the FBI in Minnesota. I want to echo what the chief said in terms of this is a very fluid situation and will continue to evolve. The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force has been working side by side with the St. Cloud Police Department and other partners since last night, throughout the night and today.

We are currently investigating this as a potential act of terrorism. And I do say potential. There is -- there's a lot we don't know. We do not at this point in time know whether the subject was -- it was in contact with, connections with, was inspired by a foreign terrorist organization. That's what the investigation is attempting to ascertain at this point in time. That will involve all the things that you would expect. We'll look at his social media, we'll look at his electronic devices, we'll talk to associates. We will try to sort of peel back the onion and figure out what motivated this individual to commit the horrific act that he did last night.

And I also want to -- remiss in not echoing the mayor and the chief's sentiment of, you know, thoughts and prayers out to the nine individuals that were victimized and the other people that had to experience the trauma, even if they weren't physically injured.

That's -- again, that's our role at this point in time along with the St. Cloud PD is to -- again, is to figure out what happened and to ultimately, hopefully establish what the motivation was.

Thank you very much.

ANDERSON: We'll take a few questions you all and I will defer some of those to the lead investigator on this case, Lieutenant Laurie Ellery, so feel free if you have --