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Breaking News on Paris Terror Attack

Aired January 07, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Wolf. Thank you so much.

Great to be with you on this Wednesday. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

You're watching CNN's special live coverage of the terror attack in France.

This is what we know right now. Three terrorists are on the loose and 12 people are dead after a massacre at the offices of a controversial magazine. Right now, we are watching crowds. Look at all these people, in Paris, growing in size larger and larger, peaceful protests in support of free speech. Some people, as you see here, holding up pens. All of this as we wait for French President Francois Hollande to give an update on this massive manhunt. We, of course, will take that live as soon as we see the president take to the podium.

But let me back up. Before vanishing today, at least two of these men, dressed head to toe in black, burst into the offices of a weekly satirical magazine -- it's called "Charlie Hebdo" - opened fire.

Here's the president, Francois Hollande.

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): In the premises (ph) of a very newspaper, this shooting of extreme violence killed 12 people and wounded several others. People of great talent, people who are very talented died. They were marked by their independent - by their talent of generations and generations of French people.

Here I want to say to them that this message, this message of freedom where we will continue to defend in their name. This cowardly attack also killed two police officers. Those who were protecting "Charlie Hebdo" and which, for years, had been threatened with obscurantism and the expression of freedom. These men, this woman, died for the idea which they had of France, that is to say freedom.

Here, in your name, I want to say all our gratitude to the families to those who have been through this hardship, the nearest and dearest, all of those today feel so struck by this cowardly attack and that is why tomorrow will be a day of national mourning. I have decreed this at 12:00. There will be a moment of contemplation in all public services and I invite all people to join.

The flags will be at half-mast for three days. It is the entire republic which has been attacked. The republic is the freedom of expression. The republic is culture, creation, pluralism (ph), democracy. That is what is divided by assassins. It is the idea of justice and peace which is shared throughout the international stage and this message of peace, of tolerance that we defend through our soldiers also to fight against terrorism and fundamentalism.

France has received messages of solidarity and fraternity (ph) from the whole world, and we must bear this in mind, we must respond, we must be above these crimes that strike us first of all by seeking the assassins of this horrendous crime and then to judge and punish very severely. And everything will be done to arrest them through the authority of justice. We also have to protect all public places and the government has set up what we call (INAUDIBLE), "attack plan." The is to say the security forces will be deployed everywhere where there can be the beginning of a threat.

Finally, we must be ourselves aware. We must be our own best weapon is our unity. Of all our citizens faced with this trial, this hardship, nothing can divide us, nothing can and must oppose us one against the another. Nothing must separate us. Tomorrow, I bring together the presidents of the two assemblies, as well as the forces represented in the parliament. This is our common determination. France is great when she is capable in a hardship to show her best, at her best, the level which has always shown that France has always been able to overcome trials.

Freedom will always be stronger than barbarity. France has always fought against her enemies when she was able to block and unite with these values unity uniting together with all forces or forms. That is what our response must be. We must unite against this and we will win because we have all the capacities to believe in our destiny and nothing can make us move away from this determination. Let us unite. Long live the republic. Long live France.

BALDWIN: So that was the president of France. That was the first time we have seen him publicly here addressing the atrocities from just before noontime in Paris. Currently three men on the loose as a nation is absolutely horrified and, quite honestly, the world. The president of France, Francois Hollande, making several points. And the one word I noted he used over and over, "cowards," cowardly attack, a way to describe these three people they're looking for, at least two gunman according to the Paris prosecutor. Declaring tomorrow a national day of mourning for the country there in France, saying at noon they will be holding a moment of silence. The flags will be at half-staff throughout the country for the next couple of days. He says we must respond, we must find these assassins and punish them severely.

We'll, of course, walk you through everything we know as far as how it happened, just before noon today, when these at least two, possibly three, we're seeing different number, men entered this building, this controversial, satirical magazine, "Charlie Hebdo," and opened fire, reportedly calling out multiple cartoonists by name. These people apparently knew their targets. And then, as you see in the video, ran off in one car. Again, two, possibly three people. According to the Paris prosecutor we heard from earlier today, continued and engaged in multiple shootouts with police before then jumping in another car in another district of Paris, the ninth district, before then continuing off. And, again, I cannot stress this enough, there are at least two and

possibly three terrorists, that is the French president's words, these terrorists, on the loose as I speak.

I have Hala Gorani. She is standing by in Paris.

So, Hala, let me just bring you in and begin with what we know as far as where this manhunt stands right now and what you know exactly about these multiple cars, police apparently finding that original car. Where does this stand at the moment?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. We're coming to you from Paris, as you mentioned there, Brooke. And really traveling here from London and speaking to ordinary French people here, you really get a sense that this is a country in a state of shock. It's a terrorist attack the likes of which this nation hasn't seen in decades. So you need to put it in that sort of context as well. And demonstrations, you mentioned at the top of the hour there, tens of thousands of people.

As far as what we know regarding the whereabouts of these two, possibly three attackers, according to the Paris prosecutor, the attackers drove a getaway car, a small compact black car, then struck a pedestrian, had an accident. In some way that car was incapacitated and abandoned and then the attackers carjacked an individual and drove off in a (INAUDIBLE) car in the direction of the north of Paris. This is what we know.

You did mention, Brooke, and this is important to underline, that these attackers are still on the loose. Presumably you'd think at this point that authorities have the license plate, the full description of the car because it's a carjacked vehicle. So this is something that presumably, as soon as possible, authorities are going to be able to locate that vehicle. We don't know where the attackers are and we don't know where the vehicle is. This is what we know so far.

But, again, a country very much reeling following this attack on a newsroom of the satirical magazine that for many years was known to be a potential target because in 2011 the satirical magazine published a cartoon that had angered extremists -- Islamist extremists. And so, therefore, for several years it was known that members of the newsroom, of the editorial team of this newspaper, were targets, Brooke.

BALDWIN: I think -- let me just go back to one of your points again. This hasn't happened, an attack of this nature, since 1995. Eight people were killed because of a bomb in a commuter train. Just to put all of this in perspective.

And let's just walk our viewers, Hala, back through what happened this morning. Again, this was right around 11:30 a.m. where you are in Paris and there were obviously multiple eyewitnesses on rooftops nearby, the satirical magazine building. Let me just play for everyone what precisely happened.

(VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: There's a lot to walk through, and we will over the course of the next two hours, about the tactics, the single shots used, the weaponry, the wearing of the masks and almost the calm way in which one of these gunmen picks up a sneaker before leaving, perhaps even part of a change of clothes.

But, Hala, my question to you is, how did these men get in the building and they clearly knew who they were looking for, apparently asking, demanding certain cartoonists by name.

GORANI: Right. We're hearing reports that they asked for certain cartoonists by name. This hasn't been confirmed by authorities. What the prosecutor - the Paris prosecutor has confirmed is that the attackers entered the building, asked where is the "Charlie Hebdo" newsroom, "Charlie Hebdo," the satirical newspaper, then shot one of the building employees, then made their way up to the second floor where they started shooting people in the newsroom. Eight journalists. One of the police protection detail members of the editor of "Charlie Hebdo," Stephane Charbonnier, we understand, and a guest of the newsroom as well. So ten people total inside the newsroom, one employee of the building on the ground floor, and then that unfortunate police officer who was obviously injured in one of those amateur videos and then executed with a shot to the head on the sidewalk.

We understand, according to a witness - and this was quoted by the Paris prosecutor as well - that the attackers shouted "Allahu Akbar," "God is great" in Arabic while they were in the newsroom. And we're hearing reports as well that they said, "we have avenged the Prophet Mohammad." So there it is starting to come together. The pieces of the puzzle of this absolutely horrific attack on the newsroom of this satirical newspaper. This is what we know so far as confirmed by authorities here in Paris.

But as you mentioned, Brooke, these attackers are still on the loose. This is an ongoing, unfolding situation in Paris right now.

BALDWIN: And it is so easy in Europe to cross boundaries via train, via bus, via car. Lots of challenges lie ahead for law enforcement, of course, in France and beyond. Hala Gorani live in Paris tonight. Hala, thank you very much.

Again, 12 people dead, 11 injured, four in serious critical - serious condition according to the Paris prosecutor. But coming up, as we continue our special live coverage here of this atrocity in France, we are now going to hear from the eyewitness, the first person to walk inside of that building this morning after all those shots were fired. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

I want to take you back to our breaking coverage here out of Paris. Twelve people shot and killed in the offices of a satirical magazine. Eleven wounded. A manhunt now underway for three suspects. Here's what we know. Obviously this is very fluid, still in the recent

hours since this happened just before noon in Paris. But this is what we know. I want to show you some video. This was taken from a rooftop nearby during the shooting.

(VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And the shouts, eyewitnesses hearing them shout "God is great" in Arabic and they also yelled, "we have avenged the prophet," during this attack. Again, according to witnesses there on the scene.

For more now let me bring in Haras Rafiq in London, a former counterterrorism member of the U.K. government task force who responded to the 2005 terrorist bombings in London and also serves as managing director for the Quilliam Foundation.

So, Haras, welcome.

HARAS RAFIQ, MANAGING DIRECTOR, QUILLIAM FOUNDATION: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Let me begin with al Qaeda's magazine "Inspire." They actually had this wanted poster, we're seeing this now for the first time, with "Charlie Hebdo's" Stephane Charbonnier as the target and the line, "a bullet a day keeps the infidels away." We know that these cartoonists, you know, exercising their freedom of speech, they knew they were targets. But to be, sir, in a wanted poster in this terror magazine, is that unusual?

RAFIQ: No, absolutely not. It's -- you'll find that the majority of people who are at the front line of tackling extremism and countering terrorism are often the subjects of death threats and people who may have been seen to be in some way being blasphemous, in this case certainly with the "Charlie Hebdo" magazine, will have found themselves on the front or in magazines facing potential and probable death threats. And "Charlie Hebdo" has been on the hit list for al Qaeda since 2013. So it's quite possible there could have been any extremist organization already Islamist (ph) per say, who may have seen that or something else that may have been inspired to carry out the atrocities that we've seen today.

BALDWIN: That's the thing, no one knows yet. No one group has come forward claiming responsibility, which often times, you know, they do. So the questions have been, is it al Qaeda core, is it al Qaeda Arabian peninsula, could it be ISIS? I was listening to one of our analyst earlier saying, you know, ISIS recently had sort of called on their attackers and jihadi wannabes to not wear a mask, to show their faces. And in this case, they're, you know, in black from head to toe. You have seen the videos. What's your read?

RAFIQ: I think, first of all, it's quite dangerous to actually say ISIS or ISIL inspired, because if you look at about ten years ago we were talking about al Qaeda inspired, and then we were talking about al Shabaab inspired, and then Boko Haram inspired, and now people are talk about ISIS or ISIL. The fundamental underlining common denominator across all of these groups is Islamism. So I think, first of all, it's safe to say that it probably is Islamist inspired. Secondly, it doesn't really matter whether it was ISIL, whether it was

al Qaeda. What we need to do is get to the bottom of who actually, as individuals, carried out these attacks, where they received the training, where they - where they were able to buy their weapons, catch them as soon as possible and then prevent further attacks from taking place.

But also, it's very, very important that mainstream civic society comes together and formulates a unified response to the ideology, the Islamist idealism that underpins all of this because until we do that, we're never really going to win this battle.

BALDWIN: Let me ask you a little bit more about the unified response. You know we just heard - I don't know if you had a chance to listen -- we heard from, for the first time, the president of France, Francois Hollande, essentially saying justice and peace are under attack, saying that -- this message of freedom, that we, as a world, will continue, of course, to defend, freedom of speech, freedom of expression. What unified message? Are you talking about Muslim countries? Are you talking about Europe? How do you mean?

RAFIQ: First of all, we have to understand that there's a difference between Islam the faith and Islamism the political ideology. This is Islamism. This is a totalitarian, fascist ideology that is no different to fascism in the past that has similar traits to racism, communism and other things as well. And we, as a society, are at the forefront and have been for decades now, at the forefront of challenging the ideals behind those different types of Islams. We need to do the same thing now.

The response can't come just from Muslims. It has to come from the society at large. Mainstream Western Muslims and Muslim countries need to be empowered by the rest of society to take on this challenge but work together. But also, as Muslims, we need to look at the way we tackle and handle the way that we may be offended by satire and by people who may, in an open liberal secular democracy, want to have a go at our faith or poke fun at our faith and maybe learn how we can react to that within the society where we live. And that means looking at things like the blasphemy laws, or the interpretations of the blasphemy laws both in Muslim majority countries and here in the west as well.

BALDWIN: Haras Rafiq, thank you so much.

RAFIQ: My pleasure.

BALDWIN: Coming up next, as American cities are stepping up security in the wake of what has happened now in Paris, we are getting some new information about possible accomplices in this attack based upon a signal one of the gunman gave during their escape. Stay here. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I'm Brooke Baldwin. You're watching CNN's special live coverage of the terror attack in Paris. President Barack Obama strongly condemning the attack, calling it, just like the president of France, cowardly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The fact that this was an attack on journalists, an attack on our free press, also underscores the (INAUDIBLE) that these terrorists fear freedom of speech and freedom of the press. But one thing that I'm very confident about is that the values that we share with the French people, a belief -- a universal belief in the freedom of expression, is something that can't be silenced. (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And we're now getting word that Spain has raised its country's terror alert to a level three out of a possible four.

So let me bring in our national correspondent, Deborah Feyerick, who's been talking to, I know, a lot of your sources as far as bigger picture in terms of terrorism. You know, you're saying - they're saying, this is a new form of terror.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's exactly right. There's really been a fundamental shift in the dynamics of terror. This is not a lone wolf attack. What authorities are saying is that this was coordinated, this was well planned and there appears to be a tie to a larger terror group. So what you've got right now is sort of a cell that has disappeared. It remains operational. The fact that they were covering their faces, covering their hands as well means that they had no intention of being identified and certainly no intention of going out in a blaze of glory in some sort of a suicide attempt.

Now, you see this shot right here. And this is key. You see the gunman on the right hand. He raises his arm, almost to signal to somebody behind the vehicle, whether it was another car or whether it was an individual, but even the way they approached that police officer, who they just shot, they didn't pull directly up onto that police officer. They actually stopped the car, got out and then shot him multiple times. That, according to sources, is a sign that these people are trained and, in the sources words, they are battle hardened. So this really is a shift in what we're seeing.

This could potentially be a new kind of cell because they do have links to other groups, but also because now authorities have to find them, but there's no way of identifying them. You think of Boston bombing attack. There their faces were exposed. They didn't know whether they were going to live or whether they were going to die. Even the NYPD now saying that they're looking at this to see whether they need to change their policing tactics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MILLER, DEP. COMM. OF INTELLIGENCE & COUNTER-TERRORISM, NYPD: Based on the events that occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. Paris time, NYPD intelligence bureau and counterterrorism bureau assets in that early morning hours began to reconfigure our deployment plans today. This is something that we do based on world events fairly often, which is we look at the critical response vehicles. These are the marked units at potentially sensitive or target locations. We redeploy them based on the world events or their particular threat stream of that moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: And so he was also saying that they're reviewing their intelligence and they're going to be making adjustments accordingly. So they're taking this very seriously because this really is a fundamental shift. Everybody's been talking about lone wolves. Well now you have small, well trained, hard to find, hard to infiltrate and certainly hard to stop groups of individuals acting together.

BALDWIN: So, since they were masked, and who knows where they are at this point in time, and that I cannot stress enough that you have two, possibly three people, you know, on the loose somewhere in Paris or beyond. My next question is, where is this as far as the investigation stands? What can people do al la (ph) pulling travel records?

FEYERICK: Well, that's exactly right and that's exactly what they are doing. As a matter of fact, authorities are going back, they're looking at all travel records. Anybody who may have come into France over the last 17 days, either through the airports, Charles de Gaulle, or Orly. They're also looking at the train stations. That's a little more difficult because, obviously, with open borders, it's harder to check passports. And clearly you've got vehicles. These people were driving vehicles that appear to have French plates. So whether those cars were either hijacked or whether they were prepared for them, that's all things that investigators are looking at, including any DNA that might be inside the vehicles. For example, we see a sneaker fall out of a car. Well, investigators are looking to see whether there's a soil signature. Maybe some kind of indication as to where these men came from. So it's -- they have a lot of work to do.

BALDWIN: Incredible. Deborah Feyerick, thank you very much.

FEYERICK: Of course.