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Car Bomb Rocks Hotel in Pakistan; North Carolina Building Collapses

Aired June 09, 2009 - 15:00   ET

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

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: That place was bombed about a year ago, partially destroyed, 11 people dead, as many as 50 people perhaps wounded, many more perhaps.

They're -- they are still trying to put the figures down on this. Some of the video that's going to be coming on this, by the way, is unedited. So, bear with us. The -- the pictures still coming in.

We have got crews working the story. We have got sources there. Our international folks are going to provide us with some people to talk to there. And, of course, we have got our own CNN reporters, CNN International reporters, that are also going to be joining us.

By the way, that looks like a car bomb. A car bomb is what it's being called by the inspector there.

All right, here's another story we are going to be following during this hour. You see Dr. Tiller's accused killer? There he is. That's anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder, accused of gunning down Dr. George Tiller while he was an usher in church. Roeder claims it is a victory for the unborn, of course, because Dr. Tiller performed late-term abortions.

Exclusive interview with him, Ted Rowlands is going to have that for you during this hour.

And then a man shot by a Muslim convert, that's the other square right there. We are going to have the very latest on that situation. We're expecting at any moment -- go ahead and pull that out if you can, Dan. Pull that shot out. There it is. See that right there? We are expecting Private Quinton Ezeagwula. He is the soldier who was shot at that recruitment center at Arkansas last week.

He's going to be coming out and he's going to be talking. And that's why I have David Mattingly standing by with me here, who is going to be taking us through this in any minute.

David, as you know, has been spearheading CNN's coverage of this story. He was following this story for us from Arkansas.

In the meantime -- what did you say, Angie? Is that news conference starting. The Raleigh news conference starting right now.

This is Sergeant Joe Bins (ph). He has been talking several times today. All right, let's go ahead and pick that up.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those were all minor injuries, walking wounded, as we call them, that were transported after.

That left 100 people that were taken to the Garner Senior Center by bus after that. One thing I wanted to offer, also, one of our early responders on the scene actually was our director, Dr. Brent Myers (ph), who was there very early on and has a couple of words about what type of things happened when he first arrived.

Dr. Myers?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good afternoon.

As you are aware, at about 11:30 this morning, the Raleigh-Wake Communications Center was notified of a potential building collapse with explosion at this address. Based on that initial dispatch information, we dispatched 10 ambulances. A district chief, an advanced practice paramedic, members from the Office of Medical Affairs from downtown all responded based on the initial dispatch.

When we arrived, we did find a scene that was somewhat chaotic. There three very severely injured patients with burns who were transported immediately to Chapel Hill. There were two that had suffered a combination of burn and traumatic injuries transported who were transported to Wake Med.

And then the remainder were transported in a disperse manner across all the hospitals of our region. I can clarify that the 18 patients who were screened later were evenly divided among local hospitals. We sent six to Wake Med in Raleigh, six to Duke Raleigh and six to Rex, so that those -- the burden on each hospital then would be more equally distributed.

I will be available after this to take any questions that you may have or any individual injuries, if you would like them on that time.

QUESTION: Based on the injuries, Doctor, is there any sense of what may have gone wrong in terms (OFF-MIKE) the explosion?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir, there was no specific pattern to these injuries. They were consistent with an explosion, but they can be no more specific than that.

QUESTION: Chemical burns, chemical inhalation, nothing...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very, very difficult to say. We know that there was ammonia released. And we -- we did encounter some minor respiratory illnesses in some of the patients that would be consistent with that. But that's as far as we can speculate at this point.

QUESTION: Can you tell us what went right in terms of your response? Did everything go as you had trained? Because, obviously, you train for these.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, thank you much. We -- we do train for these. We have a protocol, actually a blast injury response protocol. And we followed that protocol down to the letter. So, it worked well for us. We were able to move these patients off the scene, the most severely injured in a rapid manner. And then the -- the screen of the 118 should not be underemphasized, because one of the issues in these events is, the hospitals receive patients by private vehicle. They receive them by ambulance.

And it becomes very chaotic at the hospital. And we are able to control that here on the scene, screen them here, and then transport them in a controlled manner.

QUESTION: But some people were going to the hospital later. (OFF-MIKE) later in the day?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are, and there are always after these events, there are individuals after the excitement of the event is over, they recognize they have symptoms. They have an adrenaline rush at the beginning and don't -- they see others more ill than they, so they don't go at that point. Once it comes down, this -- pretty standard for this kind of thing to happen.

SANCHEZ: All right, we're going to switch. We have got two breaking stories, as aforementioned, developing at the same time. You are going to hearing now for the very first time from Quinton Ezeagwula. He's the soldier shot at the recruitment center in Arkansas last week by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, used to be Carlos Bledsoe, is now a Muslim convert.

Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... at the university recruiting station. Thank you for your understanding.

At this time, Mrs. Ezeagwula would like to make a statement.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First, I would like to thank the Long family for inviting us into their home and their life at such a tragic time. And I would like to thank all the people who have supported us and showed concern for my son and my family. And it's -- I can't mention everyone's name, but you are appreciated in our family. And I thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this time, we will take your questions.

QUESTION: Well, Quinton, I think the first thing everybody wants to know is, how are you? And how are your injuries? And how is your recovery doing?

PRIVATE QUINTON EZEAGWULA, U.S. ARMY: I am doing fine, sir.

QUESTION: Can you tell us exactly where your injuries occurred and and -- how -- and how they are right now?

EZEAGWULA: Can you repeat the question, sir?

QUESTION: Can you tell us where exactly your injuries are and how you are right now?

EZEAGWULA: I got -- oh, I got -- I got shot in my back, and then I got grazed in my head and in my -- rear, sir.

QUESTION: I'm sorry. Did you say you were grazed on the head and the wrist as well?

EZEAGWULA: My back, my head and my rear.

QUESTION: Rear. OK. I'm sorry.

QUESTION: And how are you feeling today?

EZEAGWULA: Well, I feel OK, sir.

QUESTION: Still looks like you're a little sore there on the bottom (OFF-MIKE)

EZEAGWULA: Yes, sir.

QUESTION: After all of this has happened, what are your plans? Do you plan to stick with the Army?

EZEAGWULA: Yes, ma'am. I like defending this country, ma'am.

QUESTION: How are you feeling emotionally? What -- what has the (OFF-MIKE) been like for (OFF-MIKE)

EZEAGWULA: No comment, ma'am.

QUESTION: Are you -- do you know if there are any things that -- that can be done to prevent a tragedy like this happening in other places?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are looking at our security posture at our -- at recruiting stations. But, obviously, we can't make any comments specifically about what we are planing to do.

QUESTION: Do you have any message? I know your mom said she appreciated all the support. Do you have any message for folks who have been saying prayers, thinking about you? Do you have a message for those people?

EZEAGWULA: I just want to thank them, ma'am. I really appreciate what they have done for my family and Private Long's family. Thank you.

QUESTION: Were you set to deploy somewhere soon before the -- the shooting? Or...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, he was not. He was just en route to Schofield Barracks reception battalion, where he would have been assigned to an engineer battalion there. And it is impossible to say whether or not he would have deployed. He hadn't actually been assigned a duty station yet.

QUESTION: How long did you know Private Long? And what kind of person was he from the time that you knew him?

EZEAGWULA: Well, I have been knowing him for like -- almost like two weeks now. And he was a very nice person.

QUESTION: Quinton, what were you guys talking about when you guys were standing outside there before (OFF-MIKE)

EZEAGWULA: About our trips away from Arkansas. He told me he had been to Georgia. And I just came from Missouri. And he told me he was supposed to be leaving today. I was supposed to leave on a Sunday.

QUESTION: What was your reaction? What was going through your head when things started to go crazy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We won't be able to comment on that, sir.

QUESTION: OK.

Are you going to quit smoking?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He told his mother he had stopped smoking. See how God will reveal it to you?

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mom, obviously, this was in the news big- time Monday. When did you first become aware that Quinton was involved in the situation, and what was your first reaction?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought they was calling about my other son, Sean (ph), out at school. And then, when Sergeant Bruno (ph), he was like, an accident happened.

I'm talking about, I was contacted immediately, you know, about 20 minutes after -- or less -- after it had happened, no hesitation. I really would like to commend the army for everything that they have done, as far as my son is being concerned. And I feel -- I feel very good about him staying in the army and wanting to represent the United States.

I mean, I think that's a wonderful thing, because most people would probably feel bitter or angry. But he is not. He don't feel that way. And I'm glad. And -- I'm -- I'm, you know -- I'm just happy that he wants to continue. And the people that I have met in the military made me feel very secure about my son being in their care. And I couldn't ask for a better person, other than God, himself.

QUESTION: Have you felt angry or bitter about what has happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, because we -- we are Christians. And we believe that, when something tragic happens, God will turn it around, where it will be something good out of it. And it has.

It is showing that America -- if something happens to an American, that America is going to step up to the plate and take whatever necessary steps need to be taken to protect their Americans. And it's about time for it to be shown that way to other people in the world, that you just can't do us any kind of way anymore and think it is OK.

QUESTION: Quinton, what is the prognosis? When do you think you will be fully recovered? And what are your plans? What do you hope to do now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will be attached to my company for the immediate future while he continues his recovery and then he will PCSed to Schofield Barracks, just at a later date. But he will basically continue on the path that he was already on, with just a short delay here in Arkansas.

QUESTION: What was -- what was the reason that you enlisted in the first plays? Tell us what brought on that decision.

EZEAGWULA: I just wanted to help my family out. So, I thought it was a good way. And then, when I got in it, it -- I actually like learned to love the Army.

QUESTION: Private, obviously, the men and women who put on the uniform, they do face risks. They sometimes have to go to battle and to war zones. Did you ever expect you would be at risk here in the U.S.?

EZEAGWULA: No -- no comment.

QUESTION: There had been a report by another news organization that, when the shooting happened, that you felt like you were able to get out because you played dead. Is that what happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We won't be able to comment on the specifics of the incident, ma'am. I'm sorry.

QUESTION: Well, I suppose the most disconcerting thing to everybody that they have learned about this is that the -- the man arrested for this grew up in a not-too-dissimilar situation as your son, two hours away from here in Memphis, a young man not much older than your son.

What's your reaction to who actually -- who actually may have done this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can answer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't have any ill feelings about the young man. I just pray, you know, that justice be served and that, you know, whatever the outcome may be for that young man, it just be fair. That's all I can say about him.

SANCHEZ: David Mattingly has been spearheading our coverage on this from Arkansas.

We have been watching this -- this unbelievable news conference. For the very first time, the military is allowing him to speak. Quinton Ezeagwula is the way I think they pronounced it now. I know it's a difficult name. We have had several different pronunciations.

David, the thing -- the thing about this story is, a couple of things that take this story and give it more import, one is the fact that they are two U.S. soldiers. They were on that recruiting program where it allows them to come back before going overseas...

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Yes.

SANCHEZ: ... and they were apparently shot and killed or allegedly shot -- one of them was shot and killed. The other one was injured by Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, a guy who used to be Carlos Bledsoe, who apparently went to Yemen and is now a Muslim convert. How important is that to this story?

MATTINGLY: It's incredibly important to this story. It goes completely to the motivation of why this might have happened.

I spoke to Muhammad's attorney last week. And he tells me that his client converted while he was in college in Nashville. This was in 2006. That's when he changed his name to Mohammed. And then in 2007, he went to Yemen with the idea of teaching children how to speak English and at the same time learning Arabic while he was there.

SANCHEZ: What's his beef with U.S. soldiers?

MATTINGLY: His attorney says, while he was there, he encountered a lot of victims of war and came to believe -- that is what he says -- he came to believe that the U.S. military was responsible for harming Muslim women and children. We don't know why. We don't know how.

His attorney says he was incarcerated for two months while in Yemen. He overstayed his visa. He had been there too long. The authorities picked him up, put him in -- in behind bars for two months. And his attorney says, during those two months that -- his attorney says he was brainwashed, he was beaten, all sorts of things happened to him there, and he came out a radical.

I spoke to a...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: Radicalized enough to want to take it out on these two soldiers, who were innocent of anything that ever happened to him. MATTINGLY: Radicalized, according to the attorney, while he was in prison there on this visa violation. I spoke to Yemeni officials at the -- at the embassy in Washington. They say that really doesn't make a lot of sense. He was only behind bars for two months.

And everything they understand about radicalization, it takes years, not a matter of months.

SANCHEZ: Fascinating information. Obviously, like any good reporter, you have been working on this story. You were there in Arkansas spearheading our stuff.

One final thing that I was taken by. I heard the military official there say, we are beefing up security at other recruitment stations.

What do you know. What can you share with us?

MATTINGLY: Well, a lot of these recruitment stations are like in shopping malls. There is not a whole lot of security, extra security, that you can do.

This was essentially a drive-by shooting.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

MATTINGLY: The shooter allegedly drove up, stepped out with a gun, fired off quite a few rounds, and then sped off. I mean, there is not a whole lot you can do to prevent things like that from happening.

SANCHEZ: But it -- but it's cause for alarm, isn't it? I mean, if there's people out there who really are mad at the United States and specifically at their soldiers, this is something we haven't seen before.

And I know we can't spend too much time on it, because this is only this one incident, although our Pentagon -- our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence told me last week that they are seeing a rise in anti-military attacks, U.S. soldiers, nothing to this degree, but they are concerned that this is the kind of thing they might be seeing in the future.

MATTINGLY: And I spoke to a recruiting officer. He says, their training is something that prepares them for being attacked any time anywhere. Normally, they don't expect this to be at a shopping mall in Little Rock, Arkansas. But that's where it happened this time.

SANCHEZ: Wow. So much news.

Hey, David, thanks so much. Appreciate the information. Great stuff, by the way, stuff that we didn't really know about.

SANCHEZ: If we could, let's go to the shot now back at the ConAgra plant. This is that situation just outside of Raleigh- Durham, North Carolina. Take a look at some of the pictures that we have been getting coming out of that plant throughout the course of the day. This is the big, breaking story. We cut away from that news conference. Why in the world is that man walking on top of the roof of a building that had just partially collapsed? It is in explicable, one of the many questions that we are going to be asking as we take you through this still developing story, two people possibly still in the building, unaccounted for.

We are all over it. We will bring it to you in just a little bit. Stay with us. We will be coming back in just a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right. Nic Robertson standing by.

Now, we have been telling you about this story that's taking place over in Pakistan. It's in Peshawar, a hotel. Do we have those pictures?

All right, let's go ahead and go to that. These are the very latest pictures. Some of this is unedited, by the way. And I want to take you through this.

But, before we go to Nic, let me give you -- let me give you the lowdown on this. It's -- according to the inspector there, it is confirmed now that it is a car bomb that has exploded in downtown Peshawar. Wait until you talk to Nic. Nic has been to this hotel. And he's going to share with you what was next to this hotel, which is extremely curious. I will let him tell you about that.

It is the Pearl Continental hotel. So far, as -- from what we understand -- and this number could possibly have changed by now, but we're going to be bringing it to you and making the adjustments as we go -- 11 people are dead, 50 people are wounded when this explosion occurred.

You can see from the streets what's going on there as well, as security officials and some of the ambulance officials and police arrive. You can see cars on the streets smashed that weren't even in the garage of the hotel, according to the reports that I have been reading so far.

Now, this has happened in the Northwest Province. Think about that for a minute. Why is the Northwest Province important? Northwest Province of Pakistan is where we have seen a lot of civilian deaths since the Taliban offensive began in the Swat Valley. That's important.

Let's go to Nic Robertson now.

Nic, I was just mentioning to our viewers as we pick up your voice here that you actually have been in this hotel. And I heard you sharing earlier that this is close to where the authorities would be that would be trying to stop something like this, right? NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You are absolutely right, Rick. I mean, right next door is the police commissioner's house. It's where he leaves. It's where he does his work from. Right behind it is a big golf course.

That is the offices, the police, army officers' golf course in Peshawar. Just across the road, the main headquarters of the Frontier Corps. That's the Pakistani 80,000-strong force that essentially gives Pakistan security along its border with Afghanistan.

So, this is right in the heart of the capital, right on the main road, and right in the heart of the military and police establishment, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Pakistan really has got two fronts in this. They have obviously, as we all know, a conflict with India, where an India hotel there was an attack that resembled this somewhere, although it seemed much more serious, at least according to these preliminary reports.

It also has an offensive now with the Taliban and members of al Qaeda. Do we know or can you tell us or can you nail down that this is in response to one of those two and not the other?

ROBERTSON: You know what, Rick? Last year, in September, there was an attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. More than 50 people were killed. It was massive truck bomb that was involved in that attack.

This hotel in Peshawar, the Pearl Continental, it is part of that same Marriott group that has been targeted this time. The attack -- the attack last year was by the Taliban. No one we know has claimed this attack so far. But it looks like it is the Taliban. It looks like it's in response to the government crackdown on -- on their offensive in the Swat Valley against the Taliban and in other areas in Pakistan.

So, it has got the Taliban's hallmarks all over it, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Yes. As officials with Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms tell me when I ask them questions like the one I just asked you, there is a signature on each bomb, and this one seems to have the signature of the Taliban, according to what you're telling us.

Nic Robertson, my thanks to you. Keep us -- let -- let us know what is going on. We are going to be checking back with you.

We're also going to be checking back with sources there in Peshawar, as well, as we continue to follow the very latest there.

Back to that other picture now at the ConAgra plant. Those of you who have been watching CNN over the last several hours have been noticing some of these picks that we have had as we take you through this situation.

There was mention made -- you know what? I want to take you to a couple of different -- we have got shots here, one of smashed cars. That's 06141383. I don't know if that helps you. It's from WRAL, our affiliate there, where you actually see the cars that were smashed after this -- there it is. Look at this picture.

Look what's left of those cars. I mean, they -- the roof of the building came down and just packed them down, smashing those cars. That's the officials as they first arrived on the scene, just trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

You will see him there in a moment. He kneels down as if to look to see if there is anybody still left down there. There are 600 people who work in this facility, but, usually, only 100 at a time. The latest information we have is that 20 people have been transported.

And some of the injuries seem to be related to a -- an ammonia leak. All right, there you see the scene. All right, let's pick up -- let's pick up that ammonia leak, if we can. That's 06141322. Take a look at this picture, if you get that, Dan. Take -- take your time, but see if you can find that shot.

I want folks -- OK, yes, that's right. It begins with this. There is that wide shot of the facility. Look at that. That's from the building itself. And, originally, we were told that may be part of an ammonia leak.

We're taking you through this story. We're going to show you part of that news conference that we missed when we had to cut across to the other one. But this is the scene as it appears right now in North Carolina just outside of Raleigh-Durham.

We will obviously stay on top of this thing. We're going to be coming right back. Stay with us. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right. Before we do anything else, I want to get some of your opinions in this, because I know you have been watching carefully as we following these developing news stories.

First of all, let's go to the Twitter board, if we can, Robert.

Nocholla says: "I think those folks in Pakistan and Afghanistan will never change. Seems like fighting is their hobby. So, let them fight."

Different opinion, though, on MySpace. Let's go to MySpace, if we can, Robert. "I know how this tragedy can be avoided in the future. And President Obama made the first step in Cairo last week. Reaching out to Muslim world, and making friends, not enemies, will take the wind out of the Islamic radicals' sails."

All right, let's talk more about this explosion now, the one the ConAgra foods plants in Garner, North Carolina, outside of Raleigh.

Floyd Anderson's sister, Evelyn Anderson (ph), has worked at ConAgra for 15 years in the quality control department there. And I understand Floyd is joining me by phone.

You know, I can't get enough of watching this video of this guy sitting here on top of this building. And this video was taken, by the way, just moments after this collapse. Why in the world is he there before officials have secured the building, while firefighters were still on the outskirts, many of them too afraid to go in the building because they felt it was unsafe? And this guy is walking around the roof dangling on pipes.

Floyd?

FLOYD ANDERSON, BROTHER OF CONAGRA EMPLOYEE: Yes.

SANCHEZ: How are you?

ANDERSON: I'm doing fine, doing fine.

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: I understand your sister worked at this place.

ANDERSON: What can you tell us about this plant and what have you heard? What news do you have that you can share with us?

Well, what happened is, actually, my sister, she was actually in one of the areas where the -- near the explosion. And what actually happened, she said, the explosion took place. They heard it. And it blew everybody down on the floor, and trapping everybody into the building. And...

SANCHEZ: Do we know what caused the explosion?

ANDERSON: They -- they think it was ammonia. They are -- not for sure. They're still doing an assessment of it. But they're not guaranteed -- they don't know for sure what caused the problem to happen, but...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: How -- how did your sister get out?

ANDERSON: Actually, there was -- she said, just by the grace of God, that there was a -- when the explosion happened, it opened up a pathway for them and they crawled out of the area they were in.

SANCHEZ: They -- you mean, she crawled out on her belly?

ANDERSON: They actually crawled out on her hands and knees. Actually, she saw some of her co-workers in the building, one had lost his arm, and actually, one lady was burned because the pipes that they have running above up in the ceiling actually had hot water in it and it came down onto them.

SANCHEZ: That liquid that we keep seeing, that pipe that seems to have burst and we see the water just funneling out of there -- some of the reports describe that as ammonia. Can you confirm that? Do you know if it is ammonia? And what's the ammonia used for?

ANDERSON: She didn't go into detail what ammonia was used for. I would assume it was part of the process where they make the beef jerky.

SANCHEZ: Slim Jim, right? They make almost all the Slim Jims in the United States?

ANDERSON: Yes, yes.

SANCHEZ: You know, we've had some different pictures that we have been showing from time to time. And one of the ones that I have -- I have been somewhat captivated by -- I don't know if we still have that. Do we still have that pipe walker?

We got a guy who walks on top of the building just moments after this thing had happened. And it looks like he's going to shut off a valve or something. He's not a firefighter. He may be an employee there.

Dan, see if you have that, by the way. There he is. Do they have their own maintenance and security there that would be possibly doing something like this? We've been trying to figure out throughout the course of the last hour who this person is and why he's doing this. Because we are getting reports from firefighters saying they are trying to secure the building before they go in.

ANDERSON: Well, they do have -- they do have their own maintenance facility there. But as far as why the person would be on top of the building, I have no clue as to why they are on top.

SANCHEZ: That's interesting. Hey, Floyd, thanks. We appreciate you taking time to talk to us. I hope your sister is going to be OK.

ANDERSON: OK. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: I appreciate it.

All right. So, that's the scene there. That's, again, the ConAgra plant. The situation continues. At last report -- let me just check my notes as I share this with you. We got some pics, go ahead and get them up then.

The latest information we have out of Garner, North Carolina -- which apparently is where this happened is, that there are still some ammonia leaks. There's also a small fire. And I think we got that as well. Dan, you know what? I want to direct you to that one. The fire is on 06141390. There it is.

All right. Look in the middle of your screen right there. And I'm going to direct you to it. You see -- now, we are going to zoom in so you could see it. There's the fire. Well, there was the fire. It was right in that -- there you go, back to it. Thank you.

There is the fire right there as we get into that square. You could see that small fire. Now, let me read you what the wires are saying out of the area. They are saying that the small fire continues and that they've set up a triage to deal with this.

There's also a -- wow, look at the cars. Boy, not much left of them.

They also tell us East Garner Middle and Elementary School is not far away. Originally, they were concerned about the school because of the fumes from the ammonia might possibly reach them. But now, they are saying that it's not a concern.

They have shut -- the state highway patrol has shut down Jones Sausage Road, which is the exit there. They have their own exit that goes in to this plant. It's between Interstate 40 and East Garner Road. And that -- we understand -- has now been shut down as well, so nobody can get in and out.

All right. As we continue to follow that situation, we'll give you more updates. By the way, we were told that there is going to be another news conference coming out of North Carolina in just a little bit. And when that happens, we're going to share that with you.

Meanwhile, Scott Roeder speaks exclusively to CNN's Ted Rowlands. You'll be hearing him for the very first time. And what he has to say is troubling, most troubling -- even dangerous, if you are a doctor who performs abortions. Is it a threat?

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Boy, we got a lot of breaking news for you today. I'm Rick Sanchez. Welcome back here in the world headquarters of CNN.

There's a lot of talk these days about terrorism, what's a terrorist, who's a terrorist. A lot of folks are saying that the Muslim convert that tried to kill those two U.S. soldiers at the recruitment center in Arkansas. They're saying those terrorists.

And then there's people saying Scott Roeder is a terrorist as well. As a matter of fact, look at MySpace. It just popped when we were in commercial moments ago. And I think you'll see. "Yes, Rick, Scott Roeder is a terrorist. Only, he's an American-born terrorist."

Let's get a little more into this particular question. This is a CNN exclusive that I'm about to share with you now. This is the man police say and witnesses shot and killed an abortion provider. Today, that man, Scott Roeder, talked to CNN and only to CNN.

There is the man that is speaking to us. Ted Rowlands is in Wichita, Kansas. He's joining me live to bring us up-to-date in what he had to say.

Boy, I'll tell you, that's some get, Ted, talking to this guy just, what, a week and a half or less than that after he allegedly committed this crime.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It was the 31st of May, the end of May, where he allegedly killed Dr. George Tiller here. And, of course, the abortion debate is so just rampant in the state of Kansas and across the country, too. And you can realty feel that permeating in the culture here in Wichita.

And so, this guy, a lot of people have their eye on him. One of the things that struck me as we talked to him for half an hour inside a, you know, classic visiting room with the glass partition over the phone. And we were given exactly a half hour.

And one of the things he said after complaining about the conditions, "It's too cold in here and I don't like solitary," he said he's feeling actually fine because he claims he's getting letters of encouragement from across the country. And, obviously, that goes to the divisiveness of this debate and the fact that people are actually taking the time to write to this guy, and apparently encouraging letters is disturbing.

You mentioned the terrorism thing, is this guy a terrorist? Well, you know, people would say, Timothy McVeigh, that type of -- those types of folks are terrorists and Roeder, you'll remember, in '96, was picked up with bomb-making supplies. He wouldn't comment to me about what he was going to do with those bomb-making supplies back then.

A lot of the interview was "no comment this, no comment that." But when we did get to him talking about the fact that Dr. Tiller was dead, he won't admit guilt. But I said, "Well, just give us your comment on the fact that this man is now dead." And he said, quote, "That the fact that Tiller's clinic is closed is a victory for all of the unborn children."

Then I said, "Listen, the evidence against you is overwhelming. You have people at this church that saw you walk up, shoot this man and point your gun at other people around the church, get in your car. They wrote down your license plate number and they -- and you were picked up eventually because of those witnesses." And he was sort of nodding on the phone as I was going through all this evidence against him. I said, "So, what's the story here?" And he said, "You know what, if I'm found guilty by a jury trial, then," quote, "the entire motive was the defense of the unborn."

And another time, talking about Tiller, he went into the graphic details of the abortion procedure and then -- and then he said he didn't want to talk anymore because it was against his attorney's advice. He, obviously, said more than his attorney wanted him to during that 30-minute period. And we did get a feel -- a little of a feel for where this guy's mind was.

SANCHEZ: But no sense of remorse from him. Forget the fact that he's not saying that he did it. But even if somebody else did it ...

ROWLANDS: Right.

SANCHEZ: ... he is glad it happened. He's glad that guy, Dr. Tiller is dead. ROWLANDS: He didn't say that, but he sure didn't seem to carry any remorse at all with his body language or his intonation, and the fact that the only comment he had about this man dying was that it was a victory for unborn children that the clinic was closed. And another thing, he didn't say, "I didn't do it, I'm the wrong guy, get me out of here."

SANCHEZ: Yes.

ROWLANDS: Things that he didn't say almost said more than what he did say.

SANCHEZ: And you say he's getting a whole lot of mail from people who support what he did or he says that. Is there any way to confirm that?

ROWLANDS: Yes. Well, we haven't been able to confirm the volume of mail that he has gotten on this and there is really no way to confirm with the jail authorities. I'm sure they are not going to divulge what is in these letters.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

ROWLANDS: But he claims that. And that, you know, that struck me as a bit disturbing that people are taking the time to sit down and write this guy and say, that a boy.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

ROWLANDS: If that, indeed, is what happened. That's what he claims.

SANCHEZ: Well, even people who consider themselves anti-abortion would say what he did -- if he did it -- is very wrong. So, it is surprising. I wonder if that's public record and there's any way that we can perhaps work on getting some of that information to find out who exactly is sending these letters. I am sure a lot of people would like to know and maybe authorities should know as well.

More on this. Ted Rowlands, great work as usual -- thanks for joining us.

ROWLANDS: You bet. Thanks.

SANCHEZ: All right. The latest on -- let's show some of those pictures that are coming out of Pakistan, because just as we were getting ready to go on air, we had one developing story after another. People are screaming, people running, people dying. That's the situation in Peshawar.

We'll be all over it when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: All right. Let's show you -- let me do this. Some of these stories are changing. Let's go to Pakistan. And in Pakistan, I understand, we got some new video that is now coming in from the hospital where people have been transported, a whole lot of people -- as many possibly as 50 people have been injured. The number that we are going with right now is 11 people are confirmed dead.

M.J. Gohel is the chairman of the Asia Pacific Foundation.

M.J., are you there?

M.J. GOHEL, DIRECTOR, ASIA PACIFIC FOUNDATION (via telephone): Yes. Good afternoon, Rick.

SANCHEZ: What can you tell us?

GOHEL: Well, at the moment, the information is a little bit confused. But it appears that this attack is the latest in a series of attacks in urban centers and the blast seems to have come from a car bomb -- possibly a suicide bombing -- with the attack here inside the vehicle. The blast is very similar to the bomb attack in Lahore, another Pakistani city, last month. And in that attack, something like 100 kilograms of explosives had been used.

So, this is quite a major attack on a five-star hotel in Peshawar, which is the capital of Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. And this is quite a worrying development.

SANCHEZ: You know, can I hold you? I am going to hold you. I'm going -- let's continue this conversation after the break, because I want to be able to talk a little bit about the possibility that this is not so much an attack on Pakistan but also the United States, who is obviously an ally of Pakistan in their war against the Taliban.

Stay right there. We are going to be coming right back with you.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We got an opportunity now. We've been trying to reach out to ConAgra Foods. Let's show those pictures again, Dan, of what's been going on out there.

This is a developing story we at CNN have been following for you. That's the first shot we showed you. We tried to explain just moments after the explosion happened -- for some reason, this fellow was on top of the building that had just partially collapsed. We'll take you to a series of shots.

But while we are looking at those, I want to bring in Dave Jackson. He's a spokesperson for ConAgra Foods.

Mr. Jackson, are you there?

DAVE JACKSON, SPOKESMAN, CONAGRA FOODS (via telephone): I am here, Rick. Thanks. SANCHEZ: Boy, I'll tell you, what a mess. This thing is -- what is that, by the way? Can you tell us what that liquid is that we are looking at that's spouting out there?

JACKSON: You know, if it's what I think you are showing, we did a controlled release of the ammonia that was in the plant. And in the first 10 minutes after the incident occurred, one of our first priorities was getting the employees out safely and another was completely locking down the plant. And so, we shut down all the utilities and any chemicals that we wanted to make sure could be disposed of properly, we began doing controlled drainage of those. So, that's probably what you are seeing.

SANCHEZ: Do you know yet what caused this explosion?

JACKSON: We don't. And we're working with local authorities to determine that. Today, our priority is taking care of our employees. We're very deeply concerned and sadden by this incident. And we're doing what we can ...

(CROSSTALK)

SANCHEZ: How did you do on that score of taking care of the employees?

JACKSON: Well, right now, we got a number of folks down there to help out employees and their families. We've gathered many of our employees who were working at the plant on site together. And we've talked to them. And we're offering them any support we can, as well as, obviously, trying to monitor the condition of our injured employees.

SANCHEZ: We -- last checked with officials and they said there's two people who are unaccounted for. We weren't quite sure whether that meant that could possibly still be in the building, whether they're trapped. Can you help us out with this?

JACKSON: We've been able to get it to one employee now that we are not aware of, and we are not sure whether that is somebody who was not at work or, you know, whether they're one of the people that was transported to the hospital. We're working diligently to find out.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

JACKSON: But it's one person now.

SANCHEZ: Twenty people transported, and the thing is really not yet under control. But we thank you, sir, for ...

JACKSON: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: ... Mr. Jackson, for taking time out to talk to us and we'll be checking back with you.

The very latest on the situation in Pakistan, as promised moments ago, that we were following a conversation with M.J. Gohel. He is going to join me in just a moment to take us through this.

I think our Mike Brooks is going to join us as well to explain why this matters to us, why an attack in a hotel in Peshawar should matter to American citizens who are embroiled in that very same battle with the Taliban in the Swat Valley.

Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: As Americans, we tend to isolate ourselves from many of the stories that happen internationally. Look at this tweet that we just go moments ago. It's right there in the middle, if you possibly can help me out on that.

It says, "Gosh, I for one can't relate to the crisis in Pakistan. So grateful that I live in the USA." Hmm, interesting perspective.

Let's show the pictures now, if we can, of what we're talking about. You see some of the folks who've escaped from this hotel in Pakistan. It's the Pearl Continental Hotel, owned by the same group that owns the Marriott in Islamabad that was attacked just last year. The working theory on this is that it's part of the Taliban offensive.

And M.J. Gohel is talking to us now. He's the chairman of the Asia Pacific Foundation.

That comment from Americans, not understanding, or in many ways isolating themselves from what's going on over there, why do you believe that's not the right tack, M.J.?

GOHEL: Well, I think, Rick, you made a very good point before the break, that this attack on this Pearl Continental Hotel is more an attack on the USA and of the west generally, rather than Pakistan itself. The Pearl Continental Hotel is a five-star hotel that's used by diplomats, foreigners, well-to-do businessmen. It is part of the same chain, as you mentioned, the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, which was attacked and destroyed last year.

And so, it represents a symbol. And what happens out there does have an impact, because, after all, in Pakistan, al Qaeda and the Taliban have established headquarters and attacks have been planned. In fact, 75 percent of attacks in the U.K. are planned and plotted in Pakistan.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

GOHEL: So, one cannot isolate one's self from what is happening perhaps several thousand miles away.

SANCHEZ: From your lips to the ears of many Americans who are following this story with us now here in the United States. Thank you to you, M.J. Gohel, for joining us.

Mike Brooks is here. He's going to be taking us through not one but two situation, the bombing and the situation in ConAgra plant in North Carolina.

Stay with us. We'll be right back -- more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We were just -- we were just talking about the fact that there's a commingling of the news story that's taking place in Pakistan with what American interests are. And interestingly enough, Mike Brooks joins me now to actually put the nail in that coffin.

I mean, not only is it a story that's of import for Americans, U.S. law enforcement is there in the form of the FBI?

MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: They have a presence in that region, Rick, because many times when there's -- we have seen so many bombings over the years in Pakistan. And whenever that happens, the Pakistanis will usually ask the U.S. for their help, because no one does it better than the FBI's evidence response team and their bomb technicians.

They will -- they will probably most likely go to the scene and assist the Pakistanis, taking a look to see if there's any kind of link between the kind of device that was used, 1,100 pounds of explosives, most likely TNT, in this particular bombing, and the one last year in Islamabad, of the Marriott, as well as to other bombings around that region. And, you know, who better to put everything together and work a post-blast investigation.

SANCHEZ: It's fascinating that the FBI, which we consider to be the guys that work on things for us here domestically ...

BROOKS: Right.

SANCHEZ: ... not the CIA, would be over there. But I understand ...

BROOKS: Right.

SANCHEZ: ... from what you say, they work in unison.

BROOKS: Yes.

SANCHEZ: When I spoke to my sources, my friends with the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms of the United States, also a federal agency.

BROOKS: Right.

SANCHEZ: They say signature, signature, signature. What does that mean?

BROOKS: It means that what they tried to do is make a link analysis between the kind of detonator, the kind of power supply, the kind of explosives.

SANCHEZ: And each of those is a signature left behind by a bomber, and you see one, you identify it. You say, "Ah, that's al Qaeda," or, "Ah, that's Taliban."

BROOKS: You know, signature -- yes, because, you know, all these groups, usually have their bombmakers, you know, like we saw -- we've seen ...

SANCHEZ: Down to 10 seconds.

BROOKS: ... we've seen, you know, blasting caps. These kinds of things link from one bombing to another bombing over the years in that region.

SANCHEZ: That's what they're trying to identify.

BROOKS: Exactly.

SANCHEZ: Good stuff, Mike, as usual. Thanks.

BROOKS: Thanks.

SANCHEZ: Appreciate it.

All right. Wolf Blitzer is standing by now. He's going to be taking you through the next hour of news here on CNN in "THE SITUATION ROOM."