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The Lead with Jake Tapper
New Phase of Terrorism?; Terror Raids in Europe; Source: Up to 20 Terror Cells Ready to Strike; Obama, Cameron United Against Terror
Aired January 16, 2015 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: According to police, the terrorists were just hours away from striking, but is the countdown to the next attack already running out?
I'm Jake Tapper. This is THE LEAD.
The world lead. Last week, it was France, this week Belgium. Next week? Your guess is as good as mine. Security forces across Europe racing to root out any terrorist cells, a barrage of arrests and raids in Belgium, France, the U.K., as officials there say the clock is ticking until more terrorists attack.
As Europe raises its alert level, new details that the Belgians were not the only ones watching this alleged terror cell. The U.S. had been snooping on them, too, for weeks.
And the national lead. While Europe responds, the U.S. braces, as the homeland security chief says today we are in a new phase of terrorism. So what is he doing and what is the administration doing and what is Congress doing to try to stop the next blast or siege or some other disaster on American soil?
Good afternoon. I'm Jake Tapper. Welcome to THE LEAD.
We are going to begin today with our world lead. As many as 20 terrorist cells and anywhere from 120 to 180 accused terrorists could be ready to strike at any moment, according to a Western intelligence source.
But while these alleged terrorists move in the shadows, today in France, Germany, Belgium, counterterrorism agencies swept in on suspected jihadi units, already operational inside their borders, they say. In Britain, London police at Stansted Airport detained an 18- year-old girl on suspicion of terrorism offenses, this as in France, Germany and potentially even Ireland police executed terror arrests of some kind or another.
The breadth of this terror crackdown and the speed of these developments is just startling, all of it triggered by that dramatic raid in Belgium. Security forces blitzing that alleged terror cell that was just hours, hours away from carrying out a plot to kill police, according to one Belgian federal prosecutor.
That raid was one of 12 in a series of coordinated strikes across that country by law enforcement. Just hours ago here in Washington, D.C., President Obama spoke about this growing and global terror threat.
Standing beside him, British Prime Minister David Cameron, who responded frankly sharply to questions about the attacks and pinned all the blame for them on what he called a perverted form of Islam, in his words, a poisonous radical death cult.
Let's go right to CNN justice correspondent Pamela Brown. She's live in Paris.
Pamela, these raids by law enforcement coming at a rapid clip. Belgian authorities had these cells under surveillance, they say, but you have learned that the Paris attacks triggered all these operations sooner than expected.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Jake. I was just speaking to a Western official with direct knowledge.
He says while not directly related, what happened in Paris and Belgium, I'm being told that the Paris attacks precipitated the Belgian raids. What we're learning here is that counterterrorism officials are on edge that sleeper terror cells in Europe, those who have returned from fighting overseas, will be activated and emboldened to act in the wake of the Paris attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN (voice-over): Belgian law authorities say that terror suspects were on the verge of launching an attack to murder police officers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were plans to assassinate policemen in the street or at the police building.
BROWN: Authorities arrested 17 people and killed two in the raids. Sources say the Belgian suspects were fighters returning from Syria, working under the direction of ISIS.
On Friday, two were picked up trying to cross from France into Italy, according to a Belgian prosecutor. And, in Berlin, authorities arrested two men in their early 40s for connections to the terrorist cell.
And in Paris, 12 more people taken into custody, suspected of helping Amedy Coulibaly, who attacked the kosher grocery store last week. Jean-Louis Bruguiere was the top terrorist judge in France for more than 25 years. He helped convict Cherif Kouachi in 2005, the younger of the two brothers who launched the Paris terror attacks. He says the number of likely terrorists in France is on the rise.
JEAN-LOUIS BRUGUIERE, FORMER FRENCH TERRORIST JUDGE: We have to face now (INAUDIBLE) a large scale of new jihadists who have been very radicalized, and very quickly by Internet, by social networks.
BROWN: Belgian authorities say no direct link between the Paris attacks and Belgian raids has emerged. The Belgian investigators charged a man suspected of dealing weapons illegally. That man turned himself in to police after the Paris attacks and claimed he met Coulibaly late last year.
The question now, when police search the man's property, did they discover any evidence of weapons sales to groups in Belgium?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BROWN: And here in Paris, we are being told that the 12 people that were taken into custody for questioning overnight were part of Coulibaly's entourage.
We are told they provided the logistical support, but, Jake, it's still unclear whether they were complicit in the Paris attacks. They could have unwittingly provided logistical support. That is what officials as we speak are trying to nail down. They are still in that 96-hour window of questioning the 12 people -- Jake.
TAPPER: Pamela Brown in Paris, thank you so much.
CNN senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen is live in Brussels, where the terror sweeps have been going on.
Fred, police presumably uncovering evidence hinting at this larger network, up to 180 terrorists, they say. Based on what they have found, the concrete evidence, has that triggered even more operations? Are they still ongoing?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the operations initially were ongoing for the better part of the night last night.
The latest that we have from the Justice Ministry here in Belgium is that, apparently, the situation as they say is at this point under control. However, the Belgians have also said that this is an ongoing threat. This is something that's going to be perpetually ongoing, also in light of the fact that Belgium simply has a very large problem with Islamic radicals.
One of the things that we keep saying, Jake, is that Belgium per capita is the country in Western Europe where the most people go to fight for organizations like ISIS in places like Syria. So while the authorities say, yes, at this point, they have busted up this cell, certainly they still have a lot on their hands. They believe that this threat is something that's ongoing.
The big question that many people have been asking here is whether or not the events that happened here were related, for instance, to the events that happened in Germany, where also people were arrested as well. It seems as though there is no connection that can be made at this point in time. However, the Belgians have said that, of course, in their operation which went on for a very long time, it simply became urgent yesterday.
It's not like it only started yesterday. They have been monitoring this group for a very long time. Of course they had a lot of interaction with other security services here in Europe as well, and certainly those security services also feed off each other, Jake. TAPPER: And, Fred, Belgium, the government has activated part of its
military, we are being told. How many soldiers specifically are they dispatching and how significant a development is that in Belgium?
PLEITGEN: It's a huge development, because Belgium in its constitution says that the army is not allowed to deploy inside the country, certainly not for combat missions, and now that is exactly what's happening.
At this point, they are deploying a platoon of soldiers, which doesn't sound much to begin with, but we have to keep in mind that this is a very small country, and the first of these soldiers are going to be deployed in Antwerp, which is an area that has a lot of diamond trade, but then also has a very large Jewish community.
In this area, that's exactly what these soldiers are going to be tasked to do. They are going to be tasked with protecting the Jewish area there, because, of course, right now, this society is very worried about possible backlash against the Jewish population. Also, of course, in light of that attack on the kosher market that happened in Paris last Friday, they certainly want to make sure that they protect these folks as good as they can.
One of the things that this has already led to, this whole situation here in Belgium, is that, today, on Friday, Jewish schools here in Brussels as well as Antwerp had to remain closed, Jake.
TAPPER: Frederik Pleitgen live in Brussels, thank you so much.
Let's go now to the Pentagon, where we have Barbara Starr.
Barbara, sources telling you that the U.S. government knew of these Belgian terror cells. How much did they know? Did they help at all in this operation?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Jake, what we are being told by officials from across several elements of the U.S. intelligence community is they knew they had information about the situation in Belgium and that they in fact had been monitoring, watching it even before the Paris attacks, sharing that critical intelligence that they had with the Belgians, the Belgians, of course, sharing back.
What U.S. officials won't say, quite interestingly, is how much they knew, exactly what they knew and when they knew it. And they tell us the reason for that is they have a good deal of concern in fact that there may be more plots in the works. They don't want to show their hand, just like the Belgians don't.
They don't want to let any potential future attackers know what they know inside the U.S. intelligence community. I think that's a really key point here. You know, people might say, well, of course everybody shares intelligence. They don't always.
The level of concern right now about militants returning from Syria who have interacted with ISIS there coming back to Europe, potentially even coming back to the United States, launching attacks, plotting and planning, it is a massive concern right now. And what is going on in Europe, officials say, only underscores the concern there, the concern here in the United States -- Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thanks so much.
As police continue to try to untangle this jihadist web, Belgian officials say it was a day or two at the most before the suspected cell struck. But just how many would-be terrorists are in Belgium? Is that country a new hub, a new hotbed of radical Islam? We will ask the former supreme allied commander of NATO, who lived in Brussels, what he thinks coming up next.
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TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD.
There could be as many as 20 terrorist sleeper cells just waiting to unleash destruction upon unsuspecting people in France or Belgium or the U.K., according to authorities. In the past 24 hours, we have seen a massive wave of police and counterterrorism raids across Europe, reportedly to snag alleged terrorists whom authorities say are about to launch attacks in Western countries.
Let's bring in former NATO supreme allied commander, Admiral James Stavridis. He's also the dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and the author of "The Accidental Admiral: A Sailor Takes Command at NATO."
Admiral, thanks so much for being here.
First of all, NATO is headquartered in Brussels. You lived there. Is it a hotbed of radical Islam more than other parts of Europe?
ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: I think it is, Jake. Just for the same reason that NATO is in Belgium, which is that it's centrally located. You border on France, on Germany, on the Netherlands, a short hop across the English Channel. It's a nexus, a hub.
And so, as a result, you see a great deal of radical Islamic preaching going on here as these jihadists come back, it's a very convenient centrally located place. During the four years I was a NATO commander, we saw steadily rising level of threat and I was briefed on that monthly.
You are seeing that come to fruition now. I am happy to see the Belgian security forces leaning forward, because that is necessary in that country.
TAPPER: You are still plugged into the military and intelligence communities. It seems as though from the experts and counterterrorism officials with whom we're speaking that this is just the beginning. Tony Blair basically told me that yesterday.
When people like that, when people in authority say this is just the beginning, what are we talking about -- attacks or disruptions of terror cells every week in the West, every couple of weeks?
STAVRIDIS: I think we are going to see a wave of this, Jake, and it is simply the result of a lot of tension that's been building in the system, a lot of financing that is going into it and frankly, the rise of this ungoverned state in Syria and Iraq which is permitting not only training but a great deal of cash to flow into the system.
So, our law enforcement officials need to lean forward. This is the time to be pressing the gas on these surveillance programs. It is also the time for cooperation. We are fighting a network of terrorists and we have to fight as though we were a network. That means full cooperation at every level.
TAPPER: Admiral, you just basically answered this question but I just want to have you elaborate a little bit. When we hear experts referring to these terror threats as if something has changed, is it is? Is that what's really changed and brought this to bear the way it is?
STAVRIDIS: I think there are two things at work here. One is the catalyst of ISIS, which has created a very inspirational brand, and then the second thing is a kind of terrible competition between al Qaeda and the Islamic State which I think you're seeing them each trying to top each other in these actions, and that results in them wanting to release the horses that have been kept in the barn. They've got the funding, they've got the inspirational activities under way from their perspective, and I think we are in for a rough ride over the next few months.
TAPPER: And at the same time this is going on, the Obama administration has been transferring more and more detainees from Guantanamo Bay to other countries. Given that the Pentagon acknowledges that a percentage, a minority, but still a percentage of these detainees do sometimes return to the, quote-unquote, "battlefield", do you have concerns about releasing these detainees?
STAVRIDIS: I have great concern about it, Jake. And let's just kind of do the numbers. At one time, we had 800 detainees. That was reduced and we got rid of all of the even marginal cases. We are down in the hundred or so range. These are seriously bad actors. I think releasing any of them, given our recidivism rate of probably 20 percent to 30 percent, is a real risk. This is not the moment to be doing that.
TAPPER: Admiral James Stavridis, thank you so much. We appreciate it as always.
Coming up next, they stood side by side but not always on the same page. President Obama and the British prime minister today asked about combating violent extremism. They have different answers, coming up next.
Plus, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announcing brand new security measures at airports. Is there a specific threat leading to these new procedures? That's coming up.
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TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD.
The national lead now -- in a show of solidarity, President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron appeared in a joint news conference today, essentially underscoring the notion that an attack on one Western ally is an attack on freedom around the world. Obama and Cameron both lashed out at the terrorists behind the attack in France with the prime minister calling those behind it a death cult. They both also pledged to stamp out extremism but they didn't necessarily seem to be walking in step on how to accomplish that daunting task.
Jim Acosta is live at the White House.
Jim, what was the significance of these leaders appearing together in this way today?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, I think the significance is President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, they both vowed to continue the fight against terrorists who are spreading this fear across Europe, but if you listen closely, these two leaders who call themselves friends appear to have some friendly disagreements.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): Stepping out of critical national security meetings, President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke the same language but were not always on the same page on how to fight a growing threat.
After last week's attack in Paris and the raids on suspected terrorists in Belgium, the two leaders sounded tough.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This phenomenon of violent extremism, the ideology, the networks, the capacity to recruit young people, this has metastasized and it is widespread.
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We do face a very dangerous Islamic extremist terror threat in Europe, in America, across the world. And we have to incredibly vigilant in terms of that threat.
ACOSTA: But the president urged Europe not to overreact.
OBAMA: It's important for Europe not to simply respond with a hammer and law enforcement and military approaches to these problems.
ACOSTA: And then he tried to isolate the problem.
OBAMA: Our Muslim populations, they feel themselves to be Americans. There are parts of Europe in which that's not the case.
ACOSTA: Cameron's diagnosis? Much more urgent.
CAMERON: It needs countering this poisonous fanatical death cult of a narrative that is perverting the religion of Islam.
ACOSTA: Cameron is pushing the president to pressure U.S. high tech giants like Apple, Google and Facebook to give intelligence agencies on the hunt for terrorists, so-called "back doors" into encrypted communications. It's a move those companies are resisting, following the public outcry over government snooping following the leaks from national security contractor Edward Snowden.
The president sounded cool to Cameron's proposal.
OBAMA: We shouldn't feel as if because we have just seen such a horrific attack in Paris that, suddenly, everything should be going by the wayside.
ACOSTA: Another pressing for the two leaders, the upcoming March deadline to reach a framework of a deal with Iran, to contain its nuclear program. The president threatened to veto a bipartisan bill in Congress to impose new sanctions on Iran, warning the legislation could kill the nuclear talks.
OBAMA: My main message to Congress at this point is, just hold your fire. Nobody around the world least of all the Iranians, doubt my ability to get some additional sanctions passed should these negotiations fail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Now, it was a surprise that the president was not asked during this news conference whether he regretted not going to Paris for Sunday's march. We tried to ask as both leaders were stepping away from the podiums, Jake, but the president did not respond to our question.
TAPPER: Well, Jim, let me take the opportunity to ask you about a scene we saw out of France today that was interesting, to say the least. Secretary of state John Kerry brought with him to France, James Taylor to sing "You've Got a Friend"?
ACOSTA: There he was. That's right.
The White House did send Secretary of State John Kerry to Paris. This was a part of, you know, I think the White House trying to make up for the fact that they did not have somebody as they called a high profile enough at the march last Sunday, so Secretary of State Kerry was there. He said he wanted to give the people of France a hug. He had James Taylor, who apparently is a Kerry friend, along with him.
He played "You've Got a Friend", and it was #interesting. You know, I think it was probably a sentiment that went over pretty well over in France, but maybe not the hippest choice in the world. I don't know.
TAPPER: Je suis confused.
Jim Acosta, thank you so much.
ACOSTA: All right. TAPPER: In other national news, the homeland security secretary saying just hours ago additional enhanced airport security is on the way. What will that mean for airline passengers? What about other types of transportation, how are they being protected if at all? Is any of this necessary? That's next.
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