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Terror Attacks in India

Aired November 29, 2008 - 23:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight: Three days of hell. Terror attacks not just committed but sustained -- and CNN reporters in the middle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Long hours and yelling...

(EXPLOSION)

SIDNER: OK. All right. Another loud bang you heard there. Now, if you...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The big questions tonight, who did it, and will they do it again.

This hour, you'll hear from CNN's Sara Sidner who was in the middle of the terror siege. Senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, in-depth on the investigation tonight. And CNN's Matthew Chance with the incredible survivor story. Also, Reza Sayah is in Islamabad, Pakistan with Pakistan's response. Also tonight, long-time CNN international producer, Tess Eastment, who has covered the region for a long time, she joins us.

Plus, another international crisis unfolding right now. Thousands of tourists stranded in Thailand, besieged by violent protesters. We're live at the center of it all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're savages. What they did this morning, they're savages. That's not right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The ugly side of Black Friday. A mad dash for bargains turns deadly. What makes people behave this way? We get the answers right now.

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM: Don Lemon.

LEMON: Good evening, everyone.

It is basically a cleanup operation now, but there are lots of unanswered questions surrounding those stunning and deadly attacks on nine different sites in Mumbai, India. We now know the death toll was high, and it could have been even worse, much worse. At least 183 people were killed. But authorities now think the terrorists were so well-armed that they planned to kill up to 5,000. Eighteen foreigners died, including at least five Americans. And just moments ago, we heard from American tourists happy to be back on U.S. soil.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARILYN ERNSTEEN, TERROR ATTACK SURVIVOR: They had turned off the TVs, and they shut off the phones. So we didn't know what was going on. Had we known they were terrorists, I would have been horrified.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Those people returning to the U.S. tonight in Chicago.

CNN's Sara Sidner spoke with some of those held hostage throughout this standoff. Sara joins us now from the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai.

Sara, we're hearing from survivors, but so many families are in mourning tonight.

SIDNER: Yes, it's true. You know, more than 180 people killed in this, foreigners and Indians alike. There are so many families in mourning, and we have to keep those people in our hearts and our minds.

We should mention this Mackoff family, because I have to say in talking to them myself while this was all going on, while you can hear gunfire, while you could hear blasts going off, they were incredibly brave, incredibly clear, incredibly focused on the purpose of staying alive and surviving all of this. And they were just an incredible family to talk to throughout all of this. Then their family members started contacting me from outside from in the United States. Family members from Washington, D.C., a woman named Shelley, who has been writing me e-mails and she was giving minute-to-minute updates on what was happening with Carol and her husband and her best friend and her sister-in-law.

What an incredible family to have survived all of this and come out, able to talk about it in such a clear mind and with such a clear perspective on this whole situation here. It has been a terrible, terrible time for the people of Mumbai and India, of course -- Don?

LEMON: CNN's Sara Sidner -- Sara, we appreciate that. Stand by. We're going to talk to you a little bit later on about being right in the middle of all that chaos. We saw that at the top of this broadcast.

At least five Americans are among those killed in the India attacks. They include Alan Scherr, a 58-year-old American from Virginia. He was with about 20 other members of a community called Synchronicity which promotes meditation. His 13-year-old daughter, Naomi, was also killed. Three others from the group were wounded.

Twenty-nine-year-old Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg was killed at the Jewish center. He held dual Israeli and American citizenship. He was born in Israel but moved to New York as a child. His wife, Rivka, also was killed. But their two-year-old son was smuggled out of the house to safety by a center employee.

We go now to the investigation where tonight CNN has learned a team of FBI agents has left the U.S. and is on its way to Mumbai. The questions: Who's behind these deadly attacks, and why?

Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, continues our coverage from the Jewish community center where five people died in the terrorist rampage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From a distance, police investigators can be seen sifting through the remains of Rabbi Holtzberg's house. They're under pressure to find out who killed him and his wife.

(on camera): There's been a misunderstanding, we don't want to go inside.

(voice-over): We're trying to figure out who could plan such a brutal attack.

(on camera): We don't want to go in.

(voice-over): A policeman relents, tells us what he can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is crucial evidence inside the building.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Have you found anything important yet inside the building?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, definitely. But at this point of time, nothing to be disclosed to the press.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): More than 180 people killed in the most audacious terror attack here ever. A handful of gunmen shot down the country's financial capital for days, and now, everyone wants to know who they were, and who was behind them.

(on camera): How long will the process of investigation takes here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be long.

ROBERTSON: A long time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A long time.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): We are looking for answers now and go next door.

(INAUDIBLE)

ROBERTSON: Prashant Rathi's tiny apartment overlooks the rabbi's house. From what he saw, he says the gunmen never planned to negotiate. They killed Rabbi Holtzberg soon after storming into his house, and then ripped his body with explosives.

(on camera): The rabbi who was in here, they booby trapped his body with a bomb.

PRASHANT RATHI, WITNESS: Yes, with a bomb.

ROBERTSON: On the rabbi's body.

RATHI: Yes, because I was here.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): His neighbor, Sanjay, says he was there, too, close enough to hear the gunmen talking in a north Indian Hindi dialect.

SANJAY BHASME, WITNESS: One hundred one percent is not a Indian (INAUDIBLE) Pakistan.

ROBERTSON: He blames Pakistanis for the attack.

BHASME: It is Pakistani people.

ROBERTSON (on camera): You think the Pakistanis are behind this?

BHASME: Yes, everyone knows. You know, India and Pakistan always get in fights. And this terrorism is obviously comes from that way.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): India's foreign minister has said the same. The two nuclear nations have long held grievances over Kashmir, a disputed province in the north. Pakistani officials categorically deny any involvement. And so far, India has offered no proof of a government role.

Another top Indian official says one of the gunmen captured is a Pakistani national. And government investigators are offering up more evidence. A mobile phone belonging to one of the gunmen detailing, investigators say, calls made to Pakistan during the attack. Also, a global positioning device tracking a sea route.

Increasingly, investigators, according to our sister network CNN- IBN, believe at least some of the gunmen came by boat and have shown a captain killed on his fishing vessel they say the gunmen hijacked.

(on camera): The fishermen here say they saw one group of gunmen land their boat here, come up the causeway, and then get off into the busy traffic in the city that Wednesday night.

(voice-over): In the few photographs taken of the gunmen that night, they all look young. The complexity of their attack points the sophistication and training, the claim of responsibility by the almost unknown Deccan Mujahedeen group is taken by officials to be intentionally misleading.

(on camera): When the gunmen got into the city, investigators are indicating they split up into teams of two. It was when they arrived at the hotels right, the Oberoi here, and began asking for British and American passport holders. They gave the strongest clue to their motivations and it (ph) appears as a part of the anti-western al Qaeda message.

(voice-over): Until now, terror attacks in India have claimed close to 4,000 lives in the past four years, have been blamed on home- grown radicals, sometimes with Pakistani or Bangladeshi support -- the vast majority of targeted Indians. The last big attack in Mumbai, a sophisticated multiple bombing of the rail network in 2006, killing more than 180 people, was blamed on Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani Kashmiri terror group allied with al Qaeda and the Indian Mujahedeen group.

The last significant attack by gunmen was on India's parliament in 2001. Indian officials blamed that, too, on Lashkar-e-Taiba and another al Qaeda allied Kashmiri group, Jaish-e-Muhammad. In the past attacks, Let and JeM haven't claimed responsibility. However, that's unlikely to stop investigators here looking instead in their direction again.

It's going to take investigators weeks to pull together all the evidence, months to follow up on all their leads. But if after all that responsibility does seem to lie with Pakistan, it would seem almost inevitable that tensions between these two nuclear-armed neighbors will rise.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Mumbai, India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, India says the terror investigation is already threatening to renew tensions with its rival, Pakistan. Our Reza Sayah is in Islamabad. He'll join us with that right after the break.

Also, this tonight. Scared physically, and scarred emotionally as well. Survivors of the Mumbai attacks have devastating stories to tell. We'll hear from them.

Also, we want to know from you tonight. What's on your mind about these attacks, or anything that's on your mind? Make sure you logon to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or iReport and tell us what you're thinking. We'll get your responses on the air.

This just in to the CNN NEWSROOM: We're hearing that President- elect Barack Obama is planning to officially nominate at least three key members of its national security team in an event in Chicago on Monday. And according to our Ed Henry, that includes Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state. Again, Ed says that is according to two Democratic officials. The officials say Barack Obama is also expected to finally confirm he is keeping Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his current post, and naming retired Marine General Jim Jones as his national security adviser at the White House.

More news after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: So, one moment everything was normal, then, there was chaos. Survivors of the Mumbai attacks say they had no warning and only seconds to try to escape. Here's CNN's Matthew Chance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nearly four days of terror, plunging India's financial capital into chaos. Survivors tell harrowing stories of escape. The two hotels at the center of the attacks -- favorites of India's elite and foreigners alike.

PAUL ARCHER, BRITISH SURVIVOR: The bomb went off just outside my window. And after that, I started to panic a little bit. When I came out of the lobby, you saw the blood all over the floor.

VOICE OF GAUTAM PATEL, WITNESS: While I was in a conference call, I heard two large noises. And they sounded like thuds within the room. That's when we realized that there was something serious happening.

CHANCE: As groups of attackers stormed the hotels -- and battled Indian security forces, survivors couldn't make it out, stuck (ph) in their rooms, bolting doors, desperately hoping they'd be saved.

JAMIE BENSON, AUSTRALIAN SURVIVOR: We barricaded ourselves in there, put a bed against it to absorb any blasts coming out. And we just waited there for like 30, 34 hours or something like that.

CHANCE: For some, the rescue by the Indian security forces came too late. But many who did survive have praised the Indian army who took more than three days to bring the longest running siege in the Taj to an end.

VINKA CLEMMETT, SURVIVOR: We're grateful that we're out. We think that the Indian army were magnificent. We were in for 36 hours in our room. But strangely we felt quite -- you know, it was pretty shocking every time a bomb or an explosion went off, but we kind of felt at peace.

CHANCE: But it is peace in a city that, after such a horrific ordeal, may never feel quite the same.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: CNN's Matthew Chance joins us now from Mumbai.

And, Matthew, I have to ask you, we've been talking about the survivors in all of this. But do you have any new information on the investigation because we have been getting in some cases conflicting information? CHANCE: I mean, the authorities still haven't arrived to any conclusive, you know, kind of statement about who carried this out. But those, sometimes, very harrowing testaments that we just heard will be crucial in the next stage of this crisis, because investigators and police are still inside this hotel, the Taj, right behind us here, looking for clues, looking for any evidence that they're going to be able to use to piece together some kind of better picture of this group, which has called itself the Deccan Mujahedeen, which carried out not just this attack at the Taj Hotel, but other attacks -- eight other attacks, in fact, in a coordinated way across India's financial capital, Don.

LEMON: All right. CNN's Matthew Chance, stand by.

We will be speaking to Matthew a little bit later on as well. Meantime, we want to move on and talk about those long-standing tensions between India and Pakistan are already complicating the terror investigations. Veiled accusations coming from India demands proof for -- coming from Pakistan. CNN's Reza Sayah is in Islamabad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunshots and explosions in Mumbai are finally silenced. What may be heating up, a war of words between India and Pakistan. The Indian government with accusations that the Mumbai attackers had links to Pakistan. Pakistan's response? Show us the proof.

SHAH MEHMOOD QURESHI, PAKISTAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The Indian leadership has not blamed the government of Pakistan. Please be very clear on that. They are suspecting, at this stage, suspecting perhaps groups or organizations that could have presence here to this act.

SAYAH: The Pakistani government's demand for evidence was an abrupt change from what they had previously agreed to. On Friday, India's prime minister summoned Pakistan's intelligence chief to India to help with the investigation. Initially Pakistan agreed -- a decision that drew some criticism.

DR. AYESHA SIDDIQA, POLITICAL ANALYST: We shouldn't have just gotten up and said shot from the hip and said, "All right, we're going to send the DISI (ph).

NASEEM ZEHRA, POLITICAL ANALYST: What is this? We're being accused and you're deciding to send the ISI chief?

SAYAH: Early Saturday morning, Pakistan withdrew its offer to send its spy chief. The prime minister's office said the decision was in response to India's finger-pointing. Pakistan's president offered a more diplomatic explanation in an interview with CNN's sister station in India.

VOICE OF PRES. ASIF ALI ZARDARI, PAKISTAN: There was a miscommunique. We haven't (ph) yet announced the director would compromise there, because it's too early for the director generals to meet at the moment. Let the evidence come to light. Let the investigation take its course.

SAYAH: So far, India has yet to pass on any evidence.

(on camera): Instead of sending their intelligence chief to India, Pakistan has instead offered to send a representative of its top intelligence agency. After a cabinet meeting on Saturday, officials once again denied Pakistan was involved in the Mumbai attacks.

(voice-over): Analysts say neither India's accusations nor Pakistan's apparent indecisiveness bode well for what is a defining moment for these nuclear neighbors.

SIDDIQA: This is really a slippery slope.

ZEHRA: They're trying to be either smug or sly with each other is gone. The two countries and the two states must generally cooperate.

SAYAH: Cooperation that for now appears bogged down in decades- old mistrust.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Reza Sayah joins us from Islamabad.

Reza, the question here is: Is there any evidence, what is the evidence that Pakistan is responsible for this?

SAYAH: Well, there is no evidence that's been presented from the Indian government officially through the Pakistani government. And that's been the problem for the Pakistani government. They've made a very public effort with a number of press conferences to condemn these attacks, to express their sympathies. But they haven't, like the accusations from the Indian side, they keep saying show us the evidence first, and then make the accusations. It hasn't boded well for this very fragile relationship.

And it doesn't look good for Washington that needs Pakistan to focus on Afghanistan and the rising insurgency there, that here's the potential this relationship between Pakistan and India breaking down, which won't be good for Washington and its policy in this region.

LEMON: Reza Sayah, we appreciate that. Thank you very much.

Are you afraid another terror attack will happen on U.S. soil? Tell us what's on your mind tonight. Logon to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or iReport.com, and tell us what you're thinking. And you'll see your responses on the air.

All right. Who is in control here? Not the cops, definitely not the soldiers -- it's anti-government protesters. Happening right now in Thailand, a major crisis that threatens to throw the whole country into chaos. We take you inside another international crisis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: A country virtually under siege. We've been focusing on Mumbai, the terror attacks there, but there's another international crisis, and it's unfolding right now. This one is in Thailand.

Thailand where anti-government protesters have seized two major airports in Bangkok, stranding about 100,000 travelers. Earlier protesters charged the police checkpoint, sending dozens of officers fleeing. And they've been laying siege to the prime minister's compound since August.

All right. Let's get right to it now. Our international correspondent, Dan Rivers, is in Bangkok International Airport.

Dan, what is the latest on these protesters? Any signs of these people being let go?

DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (through phone): No. At the moment, we're standing at one of the checkpoints just near to where the clash was overnight. And if anything, they're fortifying their positions. They have razor wire put up. They have sharpened wooden sticks. They have fuels of Molotov cocktails. So, they're digging in and there is no sign that they're going to leave this airport.

LEMON: Dan, you have been at this airport, you've been covering this story, how are people reacting -- the people who are under siege from these protesters? Are they nervous? Are they taking it in stride? Are they calling for action by the government?

RIVERS: I think there's a lot of very frustrated tourists. We've spoken to a number. Some are trying to make alternative plans to get out of the country by going to some of the regional airports, the long bus journeys and boat journeys. The Spanish tourists, they were planning to hold a demonstration outside the Spanish embassy, and finally now the Spanish government is sending two military planes and a charter plane in to a military -- to a naval airport here to try to get their citizens out.

But as you said, there's about 100,000 tourists stuck here. So, this is a massive operation. The Thai government estimates it will cost $28 million to get everyone home. And then there's also about 50,000 Thais who are stuck outside of Thailand trying to get home.

LEMON: Our international correspondent, Dan Rivers, at the Bangkok International Airport. Dan, appreciate it.

Of course, we're going to continue our coverage of the terror attacks in Mumbai, India, and the ongoing aftermath. We talked about the violence there, but there's so much more to India than that. We'll take a deeper look at the complex country, and a diverse people.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, India is a complex country with complex people. And I want to bring in three people who have been inside India, deep inside. They've been covering it for a very long time. Tess Eastment is a producer here at CNN. I actually worked with her in India when I went there last year and spent a month with her. She has worked in India covering a wide range of stories there. Also joining us is Sara Sidner and Matthew Chance from the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai.

Welcome to Tess, and welcome back to you, Sara and Matthew. And I want to say that Tess has produced for both of them, not Matthew in India, but for Sara in India as well.

So, interesting that we have this opportunity to talk here, Tess. And we worked together, a sad opportunity to say. But as a journalist, I have to ask you, because this story is so much in the news now, it's so tragic. Is it tough for you to get stories like this, an American audience interested in these stories as you did your work? How many years were you in India?

TESS EASTMENT, CNN PRODUCER: About 2 1/2 years.

LEMON: (INAUDIBLE)

EASTMENT: Yes.

LEMON: Was it tough for you as an American journalist to get an American audience interested in those stories?

EASTMENT: Not in the economic story in India. I think that was a really natural get. I mean, it's an incredibly hopeful story. It's an economy that's booming. People wanted to see what was happening there. There was American and western interests that were both using India's workforce at home, and then also establishing new corporations and multi-national corporations on the ground there.

And so, that story, I think, was a big symbol of hope, and is a symbol of hope and easy to get American interests.

LEMON: Yes.

EASTMENT: Now, I think that there's been a collection of small attacks that seem to be coordinated, terror attacks. Those were much less sophisticated. They were much smaller attacks than what we've seen now. This is a huge coordinated effort. And I think that this might finally be the attack, the incident that gets this side of the story on the map.

LEMON: And Sara and Matthew, you can jump in anytime with this. We want you to be part of this conversation. I have to ask you, Sara -- Matthew, I'll get to you in a second -- I have to ask you, there's always, you know, I worked there just, you know, just for a month covering stories and there was unrest there between different classes and the caste system. And people were killed all the time. There is unrest in India, but it doesn't rise to this level where you garner the attention of the world. Speak to me about that, Sara.

SIDNER: Yes, I think that one of the reasons why this has gotten the attention it has, number one, is the high death count. And also, the areas and the places that were targeted are familiar to people around the world. I mean, this hotel is sort of the "crown jewel" of Mumbai.

And so a lot of the places that were targeted, westerners are very familiar with, and people around the world are very familiar with. That may be one reason for that.

And for us, you know, here covering the story, I mean, we've covered about five different series of blasts across India. And sometimes we're a bit surprised when those stories don't get out, especially to the American audience. Or those stories don't seem to resonate with the American people when you're here covering this story. They touch you as a journalist as well.

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Matthew, I want to talk to you about the region.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN NEWS CORRESPNDENT: Sorry to interrupt there but it's a -- yeah?

LEMON: I want to talk to you about the region there.

(CROSSTAL)

LEMON: Because you've been talking about how volatile this region is and the different countries that border that region.

We have a bit of a delay here. So I'm going to continue.

I want you to talk about the region that this lies in, the different countries. You've got Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. And those are unstable countries when it comes to terrorism.

CHANCE: Yeah. I think that's certainly true. I certainly think in the mind of Islamic militants, that India is one of those culprit states, along with the United States, with Britain, with Western powers and the Middle East. India has its own insurgency, which has an Islamic root as well, in Kashmir. So I think in the minds of many Islamic militants, it is a corporate state. That's one of the reasons why India has been targeted, not just this time, but many times in the past.

I want to get back to the other point, though because I think one of the essential parts of why the U.S. audiences are so interested in a story like this, is because it speaks to them. It has resonance. There is a common humanity amongst the people in the states and people here when they see individuals suffering in this way. I think that's really crucial. That's what really opens people's eyes and gets them to actually listen to what's going on in a country like India, whereas normally they wouldn't be that interested.

LEMON: Tess, the interesting thing is that we were talking about this, why should Americans care about this? Because this has everything to do with the war on terror, and with terror actually spreading to our shores, because this has been happening there for years. Again, not much attention, at least we've been paying to it. You know, not necessarily blaming people, but that's just the way of the world.

TESS EASTMENT, CNN PRODUCER: You know, I think that the international focus is, in a sense, very much changing, and shifting to south Asia as a whole. You've got al Qaeda strengthening in Pakistan. You've got the Taliban fortifying in Afghanistan. And you have to remember, India is smack in the middle of this. It borders both of those countries.

And at the same time, it's one of the world's most populous democracies. So it has enormous responsibilities. But it's also a great ally to the West. That puts it in very sharp focus, I think, for the international audience.

LEMON: You talked about the number of people who live there in India. And the number of Muslims. It's one of the highest populations in the world. So one would think that we would have to focus on that region. Where do you see this story going? Do you see it spreading into China if this isn't taken care of, at least by NATO or some international intervention?

EASTMENT: No, I think China -- I think within Asia, it always felt to me that there was just a very distinct difference between south Asia and the rest of Asia. They feel almost like two different Asias. Even though there's Asian (ph) and these economic forums and groups that come together, it's a very different feel. So what happens in India, I don't think is automatically reflected in China and what happens there.

LEMON: Where do you see this story going? Because I know I've worked with you and respect your opinion on this, but where do you think this is going to go?

EASTMENT: I think there's going to be an investigation. We know that INTERPOL is sending their top brass. We know that the international community is really starting to push this investigation and work with Indian. They've been invited to do that.

I think they are going to really start providing some answers and real investigation, both to the Indian people, but also to the international community. And there's going to be a lot more pressure to do that now.

LEMON: Tess Eastman, Matthew Chance and Sara Siden (ph), we appreciate all of you joining us and helping our viewers understand this. And why this is important to the American people. Thanks to all of you.

Meantime, a luxury hotel turns into a death trap. You'll hear from the survivors of the Mumbai massacre in their own words tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The survivors of the Mumbai attacks have some amazing stories to tell. Here's what they have to say, in their own words tonight. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN EHRLICH, TERROR ATTACK SURVIVOR: The first bomb went off and I got out of bed and went to the window. As I got to the window, there was a huge cloud of gray smoke coming up from the road. And I knew something was up.

MARK ABELL, TERROR ATTACK SURVIVOR: The hotel shook with an immense blast. About three, four minutes later, there was another large blast. The whole building was shaking. I looked outside at the crowds running. There was chaos. Gunshots. And it all looked very nasty.

GAUTAM PATEL, TERROR ATTACK SURVIVOR: While I was on a conference call, I heard two large noises, and they sounded like thuds from within the room. And that's when we realized there was something serious happening. When I heard the two thuds, that's when I looked out of the window and to my left and I could see the Oberoi Hotel. There was a restaurant in the hotel that was in flames.

DEEPAK DATTA, TERROR ATTACK SURVIVOR: I heard heavy machine gunfire in the stairwell right where I was. So it looks like the commandos, were basically taking people out. Because two guys, they run up. No, two guys ran down from the hostages. So they ran away.

JAMIE BENSON, TERROR ATTACK SURVIVOR: We barricaded ourselves in there. Put a bed against it, that would absorb any blast coming out. And we just waited there for like 30, 34 hours or something like that.

PAUL ARCHER, TERROR ATTACK SURVIVOR: It just seemed like it was all surreal, it wasn't really happening. You can hear the bombs outside, but I bought a DVD. I was cleaning out the mini van. I was thinking, this is going to be over soon.

UNIDENTIFIED HOTEL GUEST, TERROR ATTACK SURVIVOR: We knew we couldn't get out through the normal exit. And we also saw a little bit of the fire coming out, you know, the ashes and things. We knew if we stayed there for long, we would be trapped. So some people inside the room decided to break the windows. And they pulled down the curtains, so that the fire would not come in to us inside. And we then, luckily enough, when we finished doing that, (INAUDIBEL), we could get right down. We came down the ladder. And the firemen saved us.

BRUCE SCOTT: TERROR ATTACK SURVIVOR: We heard some noise outside. We didn't see terrorists. But when I looked through I saw what looked like police. They were wearing armor, body armor. They had weapons. So I kind of tapped on the door and said, hello, I'm in here. I was afraid if I ran out in the hall they might think I was a bad guy. We were very careful about that. They came in. They checked our credentials. They looked at our passport. They made sure the room was clean. and they brought us out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We want to know what's on your mind tonight. We've been asking you that all evening. Here's some of them.

USIndian says, "It is very sad, and I am an Indian, and was watching this act of terror on CNN, I'm really concerned. It could happen anywhere."

Here's what Tadfly says. "I don't fear another U.S. attack. I do fear violence will spread to surrounding areas if attackers aren't quickly reined in."

Make sure to logon to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or ireport.com, tell us what you're thinking. We'll try to get some of your responses on the air.

Listen to this story. Trampled and crushed, the holiday shopping season gets off to a violent and deadly start. A Wal-mart worker is killed in a crowd of customers. How could this have happened? We'll ask an expert, Gloria Morrow, straight ahead right here in the CNN "NEWSROOM."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You can call it retail therapy or whatever you want to. Millions of Americans are not intimidated by huge crowds or the ailing economy. Shoppers turned out in force yesterday to take advantage of deep discounts on Black Friday, the official start of the holiday shopping season. But experts predict some six million fewer shoppers will hit the stores over the weekend.

Long Island police may seek criminal charges after a Wal-mart worker was trampled to death in the predawn Black Friday shopping frenzy. This story is unbelievable.

Jackie Lucas with CNN affiliate News 12, Long Island, talked to the witnesses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMBERLY GIBBS, SHOPPER: They're savages. They're savages. What they did this morning, they're savages. That's not right.

JACKIE LUCAS, NEWS 12, LONG ISLAND: Kimberly Gibbs still couldn't get over what she witnessed. This is cell phone video of EMTs surrounding a store employee trying to save his life. He died after being trampled by hundreds of Black Friday shoppers, who pushed their way into this Wal-mart at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream.

TERRENCE HOWARD, SHOPPER: They had no control of the crowd. The guards couldn't stop the people from coming in.

Reporter1: As soon as employees unlocked the doors at 5:00 a.m., cops say the crowd of more than 2,000 people poured in. The shoppers physically broke down the doors to get inside, stampeding to the sales and knocking down the store employee, 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour of Jamaica, Queens. Police say hundreds of people ran over him as other employees tried to help. DET. LT. MICHAEL FLEMMING, NASSAU COUNTY POLICE: The first officers at the scene attempted to give first aid to this victim. And as they were giving first aid, those police officers were also jostled and pushed by this crowd of shoppers, rushing and forcing their way into the store.

Reporter1: Police also say a 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to the hospital, but she and the baby are OK. Five others suffered minor injuries.

Even after the tragedy, some people were still trying to shop in the store.

GIBBS: When they were saying that they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were like, yeah, I've been in line since yesterday morning. I thought everybody said it was fund to come out on Black Friday and shop. I was looking for fun, not for this.

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LEMON: Wal-mart released a statement about what happened Friday. Here's what they say. "We expected a large crowd this morning, and added additional internal security, additional third-party security, additional store associates, and we worked closely with the Nassau County police. We also erected barricades. Despite all our precautions, this unfortunate event occurred."

It is unfortunate. And it disturbing. And it leaves anyone asking, why? What makes people insensitive, inconsiderate, selfish and downright dangerous when it comes to this?

Dr. Gloria Morrow is a clinical psychologist. She is joining us tonight from Los Angeles.

Dr. Morrow, thank you very much. I'm sure you get a lot of these questions about why people do similar things like this. But I've got to ask you, what in the world are people thinking, for whatever it is, a television, a DVD player? What? It's not worth a human life. What are people thinking?

DR. GLORIA MORROW, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, I believe that people are in desperation right now. The economy and the holidays are here. So people are looking for the best bargains.

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LEMON: But doctor, these aren't necessities. This isn't rice. This isn't bread. It's not milk. It's not water. These are luxury items that we're talking about here.

MORROW: Yes. But, you know, our society has put so much value on these kinds of items, until people lose all decency and good sense to get in a line and to stay in a line for hours upon hours to get those items.

LEMON: Then what do we do? I'm not my brother's keeper, but what do you do in that situation, to -- I don't know if one person can stop a mob. I think it's -- is a group think?

MORROW: It is group think. I think once people are caught up in the adrenaline rush of rushing out to get what they come after, they have very little opportunity to think rationally about the fact that someone is pinned under them, or the potential for other people to be harmed. And, you know, with group think, everyone wants to try to please the group, so they all are acceptable.

LEMON: OK. So afterwards, you know a man is laying there on the ground. Here's what I don't get. I get everybody being excited. You want to get in there, do these door busters. Maybe we need to come out with a different name for it besides door buster. But you get in there and you realize someone is dead. Why do you still want to shop, Doctor? We came here to shop. we didn't come here for this. They want to shop anyway after a man's dead.

MORROW: You know, the brain is an interesting thing. Sometimes we will try to separate something that's so horrendous and horrible from our psyche, in order to cope with it. And I think people really did not want to deal with the fact that their behavior caused someone to lose their life.

LEMON: Yeah. I think we all need to reassess, the entire country, me included, everyone, about what we put priorities on.

MORROW: Yeah.

LEMON: Dr. Gloria Morrow, we really appreciate you joining us tonight from Los Angeles.

MORROW: Thank you for having me.

LEMON: Not quite so late there.

How do you offer a plea deal to an 8-year-old? That's what prosecutors in Arizona have done and we have the details for you.

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DAVID BRIAN, ESSEX, ENGLAND RESIDENT: My hero is my dad. My dad died three years ago. And, you know, I miss him very much, every day. But the lessons he taught me when he was alive and how I try and live my life now, I think, is testament to the fact that he is my one and only hero, really, and will always be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Who is your hero? Watch to see who you voted for on "CNN's Hero of the Year." And you can hear some amazing stories and be inspired by all ten "CNN Heroes." Anderson Cooper hosts "CNN Heroes, An All-star Tribute." You can catch it tomorrow night, 8:00 p.m. eastern, only here on CNN.

And tomorrow, it's all about travel and lots of headaches for folks trying to get home.

And our Jacqui Jeras is standing by with your forecast.

Jacqui, I guess it's the return from the holiday forecast.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. Millions of people are going to be out there, full of turkey, had a good time hopefully with the family. Now it's time to hit the road and get back to where you belong and unfortunately, it's going to be really difficult for a lot of you, thanks to the weather.

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LEMON: Oh, boy. At least we have a captive audience this hour of the night, because you know they're watching us on the airport network, right?

JERAS: Absolutely, as they sit there and wait and try to get to Atlanta.

LEMON: Guys, we're sorry. Sorry you're stuck there, but glad you're watching.

OK, Jacqui, I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you.

JERAS: OK.

LEMON: For one father, begging, well, it is a family affair. And we brought you the story of a man who took his sons with him while begging on the side of the road. It shocked you, but it also touched your heart. And we'll tell you how you can help.

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LEMON: Well, Mexico's crack down on drug cartels is getting some violent resistance. In gorilla fashion, 12 men with guns stormed a restaurant in Juarez, Mexico, near the El Paso, Texas border. Eight people died in the shootout, the latest of hundreds of deaths in that city plagued by drug violence.

Here is something you don't hear often. A prosecutor is offering a plea deal to an 8-year-old boy from Arizona, charged with murdering his father and another man. We've been following this story since it happened. Here's the latest. The prosecutor says he'll consider dropping all of the charges against the child, but with a condition. The deal depends on the outcome of the boy's mental health evaluation. Police say the 8-year-old confessed during an interrogation, which drew controversy once the video was released. But they have not yet released a motive in this case.

Last weekend, we told you the story of Robert Vassen (ph), a father who lost his job as a truck driver. To put food on the table, Vassen (ph) brought his two sons to a street corner in Phoenix, to -- quite frankly, to beg. A lot of you wrote and called, asking how to help Vassen (ph) and his children. Our Seattle affiliate, KOMO, has a story on their web site. Pay attention. If you are interested, we've had lots of calls and lots of emails. If you want to help them out, that's the web site address at the bottom of your screen. It is www.komonews.com.

And if you would like to help hungry people around the world, please visit our "Impact Your World" web page. You'll find more information on meds and foods for kids, as well as other hunger relief organizations where you can help out. That's CNN.com/impact.

And, of course, we love it when you help to call out our viewers or someone in need.

You're sounding off tonight, as well, lots of comments on our terror attacks. And we'll share them for you, next.

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LEMON: OK. We have been asking you for your thoughts, comment and I want to share some of your comments. And I want to share some of them with you here. I was just reading some of them.

CTguy2674, probably Connecticut guy, has to say. He says "I think it's possible another attack could happen in the U.S. Terrorists may try to test the new administration."

JodyMorrison says, "Not worried about attacks here."

Onesurvivor said it best. "Can't let the terrorists determine our behavior. If we do, they win."

And Leslie654, "Terrorists are made, not born. We need to elevate our -- or evaluate our policy toward the Middle East and India to solve the deeper issues at work here."

Keep your comments coming. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, I-report, and MySpace.com.

I'm Don Lemon in the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. I'll see you back here tomorrow night, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. eastern. Have a great evening.