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Deadly Nightclub Fire in Romania; U.S. Deploying Troops to Syria; Russian Passenger Jet Has Crashed in Egypt; RNC Blasting CNBC Debate; Roughly 6,000 Federal Inmates Released This Weekend. Aired 4- 5a ET
Aired October 31, 2015 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[04:00:00] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: A deadly nightclub fire in Romania -- concert fireworks appear to be to blame for a blaze that killed 27 people and injured more than 150. We'll have the latest on this tragedy in Bucharest.
The Presidential debate; the U.S. Republican National Committee, the RNC is blasting the moderators of this week's debate on CNBC. They say it won't happen again, at least not an NBC channel.
Plus Halloween in many parts of the world, it is the spookiest time of the year. We'll show you how to scare yourself silly. From CNN World Headquarters here in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. NEWSROOM starts right now.
And a good day to you. We start this hour with the deadly nightclub fire in Bucharest Romania. It happened late Friday when flames ripped through the club during a concert, killing at 27 people. Nearly 200 people were -- went to area hospitals, many of them in critical condition with critical injuries, I should say.
Some 400 people were inside the building when the fire started. And here's the thing. There was only one exit to escape. Earlier, we got some other details from Romania news anchor Alessandra Stoicescu. Listen --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALESSANDRA STOICESCU, ROMANIAN NEWS ANCHOR: There was a basement in an older factor from the Communist era. Now the club was established at the beginning of this year. And they had in January, the authorization to open the club. But again, we must say that last night it was a show. A rock band had a show. And the entrance was free, therefore we had like almost 400 people over there.
And there were fireworks, fire technic in the middle of the show. One of the people who were there; and fortunately they escaped. And told me that they had -- they had two pieces of fireworks at the beginning of the show and then at the end of the show.
And because it was in a basement and they had a wooden post with installation sponge, the phonic installation sponge on them. They were covered in this phonic sponge, which burn like a torch. Just one flame opened the way to a tragedy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Now, for the latest, let's turn to Erin McLaughlin following this story in our London Bureau. Erin, good to see you. What more do we know about what caused this fire?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi George, well the cause of the fire is currently being investigated. But I just got off of the phone with the Head of the Department of Emergency Situations in Romania, Dr. Head of the Department of Emergency Situations in Romania, Dr. Raed Arafat who told me that authorities do believe that fireworks were being used during the concert at the nightclub.
And they are taking a very serious look at that as a potential cause. He also added that the necessary permits for using fireworks in that venue had not been applied for according to a fire services in Bucharest. Now this was being a concert -- a free concert being held by the group called Goodbye Gravity. It was -- since it was a free concert and free Halloween; it was supposed to be in celebration of a launch of a new album.
Some 400 people packed into the basement of this concert venue. Eye witnesses say that when the pyrotechnic's show began, that is when they say the fire was sparked. But at first people thought it was all part of the show. But as the realization set in, something horrible was happening, that's when people began to run to an exit.
And total, the authorities are now saying 27 people killed, 146 people have been admitted to the hospitals with injuries. And some are critically injured. Authorities say they are concerned that death toll could rise.
HOWELL: Erin at this point the process of identifying people, identifying the 27 dead. Identifying the people who were injured given that many of these people were so badly burned. Talk to us about that process.
MCLAUGHLIN: Yes, well the Head of Emergency Services told me that of the 27 killed, 17 of them had not been identified. That's how badly the burns were that they suffered. No indication on their bodies as to their identification. Now, as for those who survived who are currently being treated in the hospital, five of those patients have yet to be identified. And so, a key concern here of course is the families.
They have set up emergency services numbers for families to call into. The operators who answered the phones have lists of individuals who have been identified. If a family calls in with a name of an individual that is not one of the -- on the -- that is not on those lists, that is when they refer them to emergency services to try and found out their loved ones are among the unidentified missing or unidentified (ph) dead.
Clearly, this is a heart wrenching process, and heart wrenching. But the people of Romania, they haven't seen a tragedy like this I'm told in some 20 to 25 years. So, clearly people here are mourning this loss. The government has declared three days national mourning.
HOWELL: I certainly feel for these families that at this point are waiting for some sort of identification from the many who were injured and the many who were killed. Erin McLaughlin live for us in London. Erin thank you so much for your reporting and information.
Now we move on to the war in Syria. Diplomats have agreed on a new peace effort in even the United States as it escalates its role in this war. The U.S., Iran, Russia, and more than a dozen other countries met in Vienna on Friday. They are calling for a cease fire in Syria. They're also urging the United Nations to mediate talks between the Syrian regime and its opposition. But as U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry outlined. There are still big differences over the future of the country's leader, Bashar al-Assad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: Sergei Lavrov and the Foreign Minister Zarif, and I, and others agree to disagree. The United States' position is there is no way that the President al-Assad can unite and govern Syria.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Meanwhile the United States is set to deploy troops. Several dozen troops planning to help train and advise Syrian forces on the ground fighting ISIS. The White House says they will not have a combat mission while in Northern Syria, but will defend themselves if needed. CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: President Obama secretly told Defense Secretary Ashton Carter weeks ago he wanted faster progress in the war against ISIS in both Syria and Iraq; and to come up with a plan, a U.S. official tells CNN.
Now, the president has ordered a small number of special operator forces into Northern Syria to help local forces fight ISIS.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president does expect that they can have an impact in intensifying our strategy for building the capacity of local forces inside of Syria to take in the fight on the ground to (inaudible).
STARR: The teams, less than 50 troops could include members of the Army's elite Delta Force, Green Berets, and Navy SEALs. Their mission -- to provide ammunition, communications, intelligence, and supplies to local Arab and Kurdish forces on the ground.
The danger? They could wind up coming under fire from ISIS fighters. Until now, the president has long said he would not put troops in combat especially in Syria.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I do not foresee a scenario in which boots on the ground in Syria, American boots on the ground in Syria would not only be good for America but also, it would be good for Syria.
STARR: And the White House insists that is still true.
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: These forces do not have a combat machine. This is not in any way an attempt to diminish the risks that they will face or the bravery that they will need to summon to carry out these operations.
STARR: The special operations forces are expected to be sent from Erbil, Iraq across the border into this area of Northern Syria. The U.S. will use F-15 and A-10 jets at nearby Incirlik Air Base in Turkey to strike targets around Raqqa, the ISIS capital.
The U.S. wants anti-ISIS forces to be able to take back the city. The top U.S. special operations commander recently underscored what the U.S. troops can provide.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of our intelligence comes from talking to people on the ground. And this is a very unique capability that special forces offers for us. Because they are out there with the people. They talk to local leaders.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: And that was CNN's Barbara Starr reporting from the Pentagon. CNN counterterrorism analyst Philip Mudd says this deployment isn't necessarily a game changer for the fight against ISIS in Syria. Listen --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILIP MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: Well, I think the White House is trying to say we will stay on the ground to fight ISIS. And we can't afford not to. But we are not going to make a major commitment to get back in a fight. Fifty people on the ground to help the Kurds and others is not a major commitment. So, I think there is a strategy here. Whether you like it or not, it's pretty simple.
Let's stay out of this game. There are facts on the ground that it's changed. The Russians are there. I think by the way in contrast to most observers here in Washington, that the Russian presence is a potential advantage.
You find me somebody who has gotten more influence to potentially arrange for the departure of Assad. We don't have that influence. The Saudis don't. The Iraquis don't. I don't think the Iranians do. But the Russians now do. So, I do think that the Russian's intervention pressed the president. But the second point is that has an impact on domestic politics here.
I'm not a politician. But as you've heard before, when you were teeing up this conversation; there are politicians on the Republican side who are going to say are you kidding me? The best we can do is 50 on the ground? The president has got to have something to say to people who claim he's not serious about the fight against ISIS. And I think the Pentagon is right to say this is the combat mission.
And not because these forces are on the front line fighting but because the prospect we're going to lose a man or woman who is fighting in Iraq or Syria is pretty high.
But, if you're looking at the potential that 50 people can change the fight when it's Assad with the Russians and the Iranians versus ISIS, the Al Qaeda affiliate on the other side. We're for supporting a relatively small sliver of the population. This is a commitment that I think is deadly serious. But it's not a commitment that's going to change things on the ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: So, when it comes to the financial costs, money, how much the U.S. has spent fighting ISIS? Here's a look at how it breaks down. The Pentagon says it is spending almost $6 million a day on these airstrikes, and more than $5 million a day for munitions and mission support. It all adds up to about $10.9 million a day.
These strikes have been going on since August of 2014. That brings the total cost of the campaign to almost $5 billion. On top of that, the U.S. has spent some 500 million to train Syrian rebels, although only a handful have graduated that program.
Friday also saw a devastating attack on a market near Damascus. A Syrian activist group says dozens of people were killed when regime rockets slammed into a crowded street in Douma. Senior international correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh has more. And we do warn you some of these images in this video are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is what Syrians were doing rather than being invited to peace talks. Friday morning, a market in rebel held Douma, dozens killed shopping for the second time in as many months. Nearly 20 strikes in the past two days activists said.
Some added two missiles targeted the local hospital Thursday, closing it. Imagine dealing with this without a hospital. Leave him, he's dead, one man shouts. Visible, obvious medical help arriving here. But still, the shelling continues.
Douma is being exterminated, he shouts. Where is the world? There in Vienna, America saying they're hopeful Saudi Arabia and Iran swapping paths; and Russia sticking by the regime who probably fired these missiles. But no Syrians there at all, regime or rebel invited to their five-star hotel. Nobody here had a voice in Vienna. Not just Douma gets hit. This was a Aleppo southern countryside a few days ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
WALSH: Also, being pummeled by a regime newly fierce with Russian backing. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
WALSH: These images filmed by activist Kama Decost (ph). Jamal Al- Ahmed, the father of four age 34 died moments after filming these pictures.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
WALSH: His voice most likely also not heard in Vienna.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Southern Turkey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: In Iran, another American citizen reportedly is now under arrest. U.S. media identify him as Siamak Namazi, a Dubai based businessman with U.S. and Iranian citizenship. The details of his alleged crime are unclear. Namazi is the first U.S. citizen detained in Iran since the nuclear deal was signed back in July. He's one of five Americans now being held in the Islamic Republic.
You're watching CNN Newsroom and still to come this hour. One quick way to ease prison overcrowding is simply to set thousands of inmates free. That is what's happening this weekend in the United States. But is it a good idea? You'll hear plenty of reaction on this as Newsroom continues after the break.
Plus U.S. Republicans, they are mad at a news outlet over something one Republican calls "crap sandwich;" -- the story ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
HOWELL: Breaking News, we are following here in the CNN NEWSROOM, a plane, a passenger plane, a Russian passenger plane traveling from Egypt to Russia. It has crashed in the central Sinai. That is according to a statement from Egypt's prime minister.
The statement also said the prime minister is currently meeting with ministers and security officials regarding this crash. Again, a plane traveling from Egypt to Russia has crashed in the central Sinai. We will of course, continue to gather details on this and bring you the latest as we learn more here on CNN.
Now to the campaign trail and the U.S. presidential race. Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton visited an historically African-American university in Atlanta, Georgia here on Friday. But she quickly found herself upstaged, listen.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)
HOWELL: Demonstrators there started singing and chanting "Black lives matter" during her speech. It's a reference to the growing protest movement demanding more attention to allegations of police violence and abuse against African-Americans. Her supporters then began yelling, "Let her talk."
Civil rights icon and U.S. Congressman John Lewis also tried speaking to the activists, but the group was escorted out a short time later. Lewis though proposed that he meet with them again to talk more about their concerns.
On the other party's frontline, the Republican National Committee also known as the RNC has suspended a February debate on the American network NBC. This after the candidates blasted this week's debate on sister network CNBC. Party chairman, Priebus accused the moderators of lacking substance and going so far as to label the debate as "crap sandwich."
Our Brian Stelter has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN STELTER:, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT The leading GOP candidates outraged over their treatment at Wednesday's debate and meeting in Washington Sunday night to rewrite the ground rules for the next round. Among those calling for change, Ben Carson.
BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Debates are supposed to be established to help the people get to know the candidates and get to know what's behind them and what they're thinking process is and what their philosophy is. What is has turned into is a gotcha.
STELTER: Sunday's meeting is an unheard of gathering of rivals. The campaigns united in their anger over what they called the hostile nature and tone of the questions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your board fired you. I just wondered why you think we should hire you now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this a comic book version of a presidential campaign?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It's not.
STELTER: And RNC Chief Reince Priebus agreed complaining bitterly just moments after the debate ended.
REINCE PRIEBUS, RNC CHAIRMAN: I think it was one gotcha you question and one personal low blow after the other.
STELTER: But the candidates also planned to take control over the debates from Priebus and the RNC charging that party bosses have failed to take their concerns to the networks. More evidence of the GOP at a crossroads as politicians led by party outsiders struggle for control of the party.
In an unprecedented move aiming at maintaining his control, Priebus announced today that the RNC is suspending its ties with NBC News for a February debate saying in part, " -- I expect the media to hold a substantive debate on consequential issues of concern to the American people." CNBC did not. That was first and foremost among the candidates' complaints.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the bigger frustration you saw is that all of those candidates on the stage had prepared for a substantive debate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have $19 trillion dollars in debt. We have people out of work. We have ISIS and al-Qaeda attacking us. And we're talking about Fantasy Football.
STELTER: Now NBC News is saying it's disappointed by this development. And that it wants to work with the Republican party in order to resolve the dispute. Maybe after an in depth conversation, they will all come to an agreement and the debate will continue with NBC.
But I spoke with the Head of Communications for the Party this afternoon, Shawn Spicer. And he says the RNC will not hesitate to go ahead and find a new debate partner, if it does not have confidence in NBC News going forward. What we are seeing is tremendous fallout from that CNBC debate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: That was CNN's Brian Stelter reporting. There are two other Republican debates scheduled before Friday. The Fox Business Network debate in November and a CNN debate that I'm sure you'll want to catch here in December.
Big changes this weekend when it comes to federal prisons in the United States. Roughly 6,600 U.S. federal inmates will be released from prison. Their release is aimed to ease overcrowding and to roll back harsh sentences to get -- that were given to nonviolent drug offenders. So, it's a win for the prisons it seems; and a win, you might think for inmates. But that's not always the case as CNN's Jean Casarez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daniel Hamilton spent 32 years in prison. And when he got out a year ago adjusting was difficult.
HAMILTON: So many people, you know, and just so many people moving at one time. And just crossing the street, I chose everything with caution.
CASAREZ: And even though Hamilton had gotten a master's degree behind bars, it didn't seem to matter as he tried to get back into the workforce.
HAMILTON: You'll find yourself getting not getting the job just because of your criminal history.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's giving (ph) the skills (inaudible).
CASAREZ: And believe it or not, a job isn't the biggest hurdle after you gain your freedom. What do you see as the biggest challenge? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Housing -- we see so many people coming home without housing.
CASAREZ: This weekend, those challenges will become a reality for thousands of federal felons in this country released to communities around the nation; which could lead to 40,000 out over the next several years. The U.S. sentencing commission amended federal guidelines last year to reduce prison sentences of federal drug felons, an average of 18 percent.
And its target date, November 1st. Nationwide, Texas will receive the most inmates followed by Florida and Iowa. Cocaine convictions account for almost 50 percent of the inmates to be released followed by methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin.
A lot of people think that crime is going to go up with all of these inmates coming out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I doubt it, but don't know. If it does, it will be because the conditions on the ground and in our communities are so dire. We have so much poverty. We have so much hopelessness. We have so much homelessness.
CASAREZ: The New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton agrees.
BILL BRATTON, NYPD COMMISSIONER: The Parole Bureau cannot hire more parole officers. So, who's going to watch these people when they go out on parole?
CASAREZ: And it isn't the first time. In 2007, changes in sentencing guidelines for federal crack cocaine convictions resulted in reducing sentences for over 16,000 federal drug offenders. A five-year study by the U.S. sentencing commission compared those released early to inmates who had served their entire sentence before the new guidelines were in place.
The study found that both groups reoffended at similar rates. So, who benefits from a sentence reduction, the prisoner or the Bureau of Prisons? Judge Jack Weinstein is a sitting federal judge in New York who has had to make sentence reduction decisions. The top priority he says is safety of the community.
WEINSTEIN: And the first question the judge asks himself is if I release this person now, or shorten the sentence, will he be a greater danger to the community? And the statistics say very clearly, no.
CASAREZ: Twenty-five percent of those coming out are non-citizens. In a statement to CNN, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tells us it will take 1,700 of those released into custody by next week. And they will likely be deported. Jean Casarez, CNN New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Later, I will ask CNN law enforcement analyst for his take on the upcoming prison release. Cedric Alexander has a wide ranging amount of experience in law enforcement and his views on prisoner release should be fascinating. We invite you to join us for that conversation a little later.
We also want to update you on some breaking news we're following here at CNN. A Russian passenger plane traveling from Egypt to Russia has crashed in the central Sinai. That's according to a statement from Egypt's prime minister.
The statement also said the prime minister is currently meeting with ministers and security officials regarding this crash. We'll have more details for you as we learn more here on CNN.
A British man who was never tried for any crimes but spent 14 years in U.S. custody is now back home. Coming up, details of his detention and long awaited homecoming as this broadcast continues around the world this hour on CNN International and CNN U.S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm George Howell. And we are following some breaking news in the newsroom.
A Russian passenger plane traveling from Egypt to Russia has crashed in the central Sinai. This, according to a statement from Egypt's prime minister who is currently meeting with ministers and security officials.
We will, of course, bring you more details as we learn more. But for now, let's go straight to CNN's Ian Lee who is tracking the very latest from Cairo, Egypt. Ian, what more can you tell us about this plane crash?
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, George there was a lot of confusion initially about the status of this crash. But it is confirmed. We're waiting or we're expecting another statement from the prime minister's office to give us more details to come out in the next few minutes. What we're hearing though is that there were over 200 passengers on board this aircraft that did go down in central Sinai.
Now, the exact location of the plane crash is still unknown. We're working to confirm that. Sinai, the northern part especially is a hotbed of an insurgency. So, where that plane did go down, it will be difficult for rescue personnel to make it to that crash site, depending on where it did go down.
You know, Sinai is very mountainous region and very rugged. But we're hearing that at least in the northern parts, its emergency personnel are on standby. Sharm El Sheikh is where we're hearing this plane originated from. And that is a popular tourist destination.
There are charter flights that go in and out of there every day and multiple charter flights. And we're just learning more about this one that went down. George -- HOWELL: Ian, at this point you say that you are in touch with
officials there. Is there any indication as to how quickly or how soon they may release a new statement or information?
LEE: Well, what we're hearing that the prime minister's office within the next half hour or 15 minutes should be releasing more information. And there was a lot of confusion initially here. At first, we were hearing reports that the plane did in fact leave Egyptian air space.
We then later were able to confirm it did crash. We know that the Egyptian officials are convening an emergency meeting right now to discuss this situation. And we're expecting to hear more from that meeting shortly.
HOWELL: Ian Lee live for us in Cairo, Egypt. And to recap for our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world, we understand that a Russian passenger plane with some 200 people on board has crashed in central Sinai. The location though, the exact location is still unclear according to our Ian Lee on the ground in Cairo, Egypt.
We understand that it is an Airbus A321 jet. And again, this plane originated in Sharm El Sheikh. As we get more information here in CNN, we will pass that along to you. Romania, it has declared three days of national mourning after a nightclub fire in Bucharest that killed 27 people. Close to 200 people were injured and many of them critically.
I'm joined now on the phone by Dr. Raed Arafat. He is the Head of Romania's Department for Emergency Situations in the Internal Affairs Ministry. Dr. Arafat, thank you so much for being on the line with us.
The very latest that we know is that 27 people were killed. We know that nearly 200 were injured, many of them badly burned. What more do you know at this point?
DR. RAED ARAFAT, ROMANIA'S DEPARTMENT FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS, INTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTRY (on the phone): In fact, the death toll is up to this point is exactly what you said, sir. It is 27 deaths. Twenty-six occurred on the scene despite the attempts of resuscitation that were taken by our teams there. And one of the deaths took place in one of our Emergency Departments after the arrival there of one of the patients.
Now, there has been 184 patients which I've told the Emergency Department from that fire; 88 of them arrived by ambulances. And the rest arrived by various methods as walking wounded, which didn't have serious problems, which needed immediate care on the scene.
The number of patients, which remained admitted in the hospitals at this moment is 146. But out of these patients, there are patients, which are very critical and which are under ventilation and being intubated and ventilated because of their airway injuries and because of a smoke inhalation as well as part of them suffering from severe burns on the high percentage of their body surface. Which means that within the next few days, we may expect a rise in the death toll of this tragedy that we have in Bucharest.
HOWELL: Dr. Arafat, I also have to ask you when it comes to identifying the victims. And when it comes to identifying the people who were so badly burned, a difficult process, we can only imagine. But how is that process coming along? Because I know that there are a lot of family members out there who want to get some word on what's happening.
ARAFAT: Well, the last information I had, which was about one hour and something ago. It was that we had 17 patients and 17 unidentified bodies from the deceased persons. And five persons who are not identified yet who are admitted in hospitals. The Ministry of Internal Affairs have put ten phone numbers for the families to call on.
And to advise the families, we have the lists of all of the patients who are admitted and have been identified at the Ministry of Interior at the Center for National Coordination. And if the names fit with the names on the list, then we indicated to them in which hospital is the patient?
If the names they are asking about are not on the list, then we indicate the process that they have to do; which is contacting the policy, of course, and the medical examiners which are working on the identification of the 26 of the 17 in fact, unidentified bodies. And, of course, with the hospitals; which have the five unidentified admitted patients.
HOWELL: Dr. Arafat, given your ties and your role with the Department for emergency situations, I also want to ask you just about this structure. We understand that there was one exit.
And there were so many hundreds of people who were trying to escape this building when the -- when the fire came through. First of all is that normal or is that legal? And is that in fact the case? That there was one exit in this building?
ARAFAT: Well, it is now under investigation by our fire investigators and the prosecutors. But I can tell you that of course it is not legal to have one single exit for such an activity and such a number of people. And from our initial information, though we have still an investigation going on -- from our initial information, we have from our fire service, it is -it shows us that this show and the place where the show was held; and the company which was holding this didn't request.
They didn't have any kind of authorization from the fire service for such kind of activities and for having such an activity with such a number of people in that space. And especially regarding the use of fireworks inside that space.
So, this is what now our investigators and the prosecutors are looking at. So, I confirm what you said, sir, that it is not legal. And it is not normal to have such an activity in such a space.
HOWELL: Dr. Raed Arafat, talking to us about first of all the process to identify victims of this fire and also the fact that there was one exit in this nightclub as the fire raged through. Dr. Arafat, thank you so much for your insight and your information.
We want to return now to some breaking news we're following here at CNN. A Russian passenger plane traveling from Egypt to Russia has crashed in the central Sinai. Nic Robertson is live for us in Moscow this hour gathering details. Nic, what more can you tell us?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, the latest we have from the state media here is that it was an Airbus 321. That it was carrying 224 people, but 217 passengers and seven crew. It was on flight from Sharm El Sheikh in the Sinai, a very holiday destination on its way to St. Petersburg. It disappeared from the radar screens 23 minutes after it took off.
This is according to an advisor to the Head of the Federal Air Transport Agency (ph) here in Russia. The airline, the airline carrier itself (inaudible) -- Kogalymavia has been around here. (inaudible) was established in 1993. It's been around for about 20 or so years.
The carrier itself, flight 9268 was the flight number of this aircraft. It was believed to have had a lot of Russian holiday makers on board returning back to St. Petersburg early this morning. Twenty- three minutes after it took off, it disappeared on its flight path over the Sinai.
HOWELL: Nic reiterate for viewers who may just be joining us, please. Your information about the name of the plane itself and how many passengers you understand that were on board.
ROBERTSON: Two hundred and twenty-four people total on board -- of those, 217 were passengers. The other seven were crew members. This was flight 9268. Kogalymavia is the name of the airline. This is an airline that was established in 1993.
So, it's quite familiar to many people here. It was on route to Sharm El Sheikh to St. Petersburg when it disappeared off the radar after about 23 minutes after taking off. It disappeared at it was flying over the Sinai in Egypt. This was the last moment that it was seen on the radars and subsequent to that, we understand that there has been a search to find possible citings of wreckage.
HOWELL: Nic Robertson live on the line with us from Moscow. Nic, thank you so much for your new information and reporting; and to reiterate what Nic has brought to us. This plane, a Kogalymavia plane, flight number 9268 has crashed in central Sinai.
According to Nic's reporting, some 224 people on board. And again, this was an Airbus A321 jet that crashed again in central Sinai. We will of course continue to dig for information to learn more about where the plane crashed and about people who were on board this plane as we continue here on CNN. We'll be right back after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOWELL: We are following breaking news here in the CNN NEWSROOM. A Russian passenger plane traveling from Egypt to Russia has crashed in the central Sinai. This is according to a statement from Egypt's prime minister who is currently meeting with ministers and security officials about this crash.
There were reportedly 224 people on board this plane said to be an Airbus 321. We will bring you more details as we learn more about this plane crash in central Sinai.
This weekend is expected to be a big weekend when it comes to federal inmates. Many who will be released from prison. Their release is aimed to ease overcrowding and to roll back harsh sentences that were given to nonviolent drug offenders. So, it is considered a win for prisons as you might think, and a win for inmates. But their adjustment is often a tough one.
Let's bring in CNN law enforcement analyst Cedric Alexander to talk more about this with us. Cedric, obviously with your background in law enforcement, people will hear this. And they will think wait a minute. You know, that's going to increase crime as prisoners are released. What's your take on that?
CEDRIC ALEXANDER, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, we don't know that as of yet. And certainly you may have some recidivism, but I think that's to be determined. But I think the most important piece to keep in mind here George is this. Is that at some point these people are going to have to be released.
We had a broken drug policy sentencing process that really did not work. We have a lot of people who are in jail and who are low level criminals. And who are doing some very long terms.
But what you have here is an agreement of both -- among both sides of the aisle, both Republican and Democrats that agree that there needs to be prison reform in this country. And those that are incarcerated for low level types of crime be given an opportunity to go back into the community and to get their lives back; and hopefully with the support of family and friends as well.
HOWELL: But who would be released? And are we talking about older inmates? Or would this be --?
ALEXANDER: We're talking about low level drug abuse or drug cases, I should say --
HOWELL: OK.
ALEXANDER: -- In this country. So, a great deal of care has been given. A lot of thought has gone into this. I happened to be at the White House last week when the president talked about prison reform in this country. And he really made some dynamic points as to why this needs to happen.
And, I think at the end when this is all over with, these persons will be allowed to come back into communities. And they will be given an opportunity that they had not been given because they've been locked up for such a long period of time on these very low level types of nonviolent. And let me be clear about that, nonviolent crimes.
HOWELL: Well, let's talk about that. So, when they're released from prison, they will be back in the community. They will be looking for work. But they have that.
You know, and the fact that they have a criminal background. How do prisoners transition back into the community? How do they find employers that will want to hire them?
ALEXANDER: Well hopefully there will be some opportunities for communities in which they go back into. Where they have social supports. And where they will be in direct contact with their parole and probation counselors to help them get readjustments. Is there going to be a readjustment period? Yes.
But at some point, George, these people will be released from prison. At some point, they're going to find them -- find themselves in the place that they're going to during this early release. So, it's an issue that still has to be addressed even now or later. But I believe if they're given opportunities to go back into communities, they have an opportunity to get their lives back which support. That will be there for them, hopefully.
Maybe we'll see some positive outcome in all of this as well, too. But the most important thing to note here is that we need to ease our prison system of a lot of persons who are in there for very low level crimes as a result of a failed (ph) a world (ph) drug policy that just did not work out. And it started back in the '80s and '90s.
HOWELL: Talk to us just about the issue of prison overcrowding in the United States. It's a big issue. And I know, you know, you have insight from, you know, dealing with the prisons. And also, the DeKalb County Jail here in the metro Atlanta area. How bad is prison overcrowding?
ALEXANDER: Well, it -- certainly there is some overcrowding in many of our jails across the country. A lot of it relates to the same issue we're talking about today. But let me be very clear about something. We want to make sure that those that are violent in the big (ph) (inaudible) are not released into the public. That is not going to happen.
HOWELL: So, those are not the people that are part of this?
ALEXANDER: Those are not the people that are part of this. And we need to be very clear about that. Those very violent offenders are not part of this reform process. This is for low level oftentimes drug abusing individuals who have no history of violence whatsoever. But I think much of the concern of some American people is the fact that if they're released, what's the likelihood if they don't have work of them committing other crimes?
I think when they're giving an opportunity at this point in their later life; and connect with their family and with their communities, there will hopefully be some opportunity for them to regain their life and move forward. But we certainly do. We're spending $80 billion a year over -- well over $80 billion a year.
And possibly we'll save $80 billion a year once we begin to release some of these individuals from prison. But here again, George, what's very important is that both sides of the aisle here are in support of prison reform, both Republicans and Democrats.
And I think that's key. And it speaks to those elected officials on both sides of the aisle who are speaking for their constituents across the country as well, too.
HOWELL: CNN law enforcement analyst Cedric Alexander, thank you so much for taking the time with us.
ALEXANDER: Thank you for having me, George.
HOWELL: Thank you very much. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. The last British detainee at Guantanamo Bay is back home thanks -- thanking supporters for what he calls their devotion to justice. Shaker Aamer arrived outside London on Friday ending a prolonged campaign for his release. CNN's Erin McLaughlin has more.
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MCLAUGHLIN: On board a private jet, the man once known as detainee 239 arrives on home soil. British resident Shaker Aamer spent 14 years in U.S. custody. He was never tried for any crimes. He was never charged.
No evidence was ever presented against him. Only allegations, and accusations he once led a military unit in Afghanistan for Osama bin Laden -- allegations he denies.
SMITH: Shaker is the victim here. He's not the person who is the bad guy. The people who tortured him are the ones who need to be questioned.
MCLAUGHLIN: The U.S. has denied allegations of torture at Guantanamo. Though he had been cleared for release twice, Aamer is the last of the British residents and nationals to leave the detention center.
Well, he's just arrived at this airport outside of London. And now that he's back on home soil, his lawyer says that his priorities are two-fold. To see a doctor for much needed medical treatment; and to be reunited with his family. And to see his son for the first time, a son that was born the day he arrived at Guantanamo Bay.
For years, thousands of people have campaigned for his release. There have been protests and petitions. Even a music video which features Aamer's voice.
SHAKER: Please, we are tired. Even you leave us to die in peace? Or even tell the world the truth.
MCLAUGHLIN: After he arrived in the U.K., Amer released a statement thanking everyone who fought for his release and for justice, saying, "The reality may be that we cannot establish peace. But we can establish justice. If there is anything that will bring this world to peace, it is to remove injustice." Attorney Clive Stafford Smith says Aamer is the second client to be released from Guantanamo in the past 24 hours.
SMITH: I think president Obama finally and the mere six years after his promise is trying very hard to close the place.
MCLAUGHLIN: So far this year, 17 detainees have been transferred out to he controversial facility according to human rights organization, Reprieve. A 112 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay. Stafford Smith says many of those have been OK to go home. It's just not clear when.
Erin McLaughlin, CNN (inaudible).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: We now want to return to breaking news we're following out of Egypt where a Russian bound commercial jet carrying 224 people has crashed in the central Sinai. Our Derek Van Dam is following this. And he joins in the weather center more details. Derek, what have you learned?
DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Alright, George, well obviously, the information very sparse coming out of this region at the moment.
It's very little information. But we'll be sure to pass along what we do have, including the weather conditions at the time that they lost contact with this particular plane. So, we went on flightaware dot com. And we often use the services of this website during moments like this tracking flight KGL-9268.
This is the Gulf of Aqaba that it ran parallel with for about roughly 15 minutes before veering to the north and west towards the central of Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea just to the south. Here's Egypt and Israel to the east.
I'm going to step off just to zoom into this region so you can see a little bit better the last known flight path before losing contact. You see this airplane was meant to make contact with a Cypress Air Control about 23 minutes after its take off. But that unfortunately was the last moments that air control had actually heard from them.
A321 Airbus, maximum of distance of about 3,000 nautical miles; that's with full passenger payload on board; again and leaving from the Sharm El Sheikh to St. Petersburg, Russia. So, let's get a closer look at the weather conditions across that area to give a first impression of whether or not weather could have potentially been a factor.
Of course, we still have our tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea. It's certainly not impacting this particular part of the world. So, let's zoom into Egypt. Here's the Sinai Peninsula. There's Sharm El Sheikh. And again, you can see clear conditions across this area. So, from a meteorological standpoint; in fact, looking at a high resolution satellite imagery from NASA's Worldview (ph) website, no major disturbances in the weather overhead.
And very little cloud cover over the Sinai Peninsula at that last moment of contact with the plane. So, from my professional viewpoint, it doesn't appear, George, that whether would have had a factor, of course. We're still getting clues to the last moments of this plane. But it doesn't appear that weather was a major factor. Back to you.
HOWELL: Derek, thank you. Covering all angles of this -- and we will continue to track this breaking news here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Again, a jet with 224 people, a Russian passenger jet that crashed in the central Sinai. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta -- more breaking news after the break.
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