Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
U.K. Police Designate Fatal Stabbing of MP a Terrorist Incident; Lebanon in Crisis; China-Taiwan Tensions; Chinese Astronauts Dock with Nation's Orbiting Station. Aired 12-12:30a ET
Aired October 16, 2021 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[00:00:00]
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hi, I'm Robyn Curnow, thanks for joining me this hour. You are watching CNN.
Just ahead, police in the U.K. now calling the stabbing death of a member of Parliament an act of terrorism.
Plus, for the second week in a row, a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Afghanistan leaves dozens dead.
And things may seem peaceful in Taipei, but its people are under constant threat of Chinese invasion. Why so many people aren't bothered there by that real possibility.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.
CURNOW: It is 5 am in the U.K., where British police are now saying that a stabbing death was terrorism. MP Sir David Amess was the second member of Parliament to be murdered in just five years. He is a long time Conservative MP, who had been meeting with his constituents in a church east of London, when he was attacked and stabbed multiple times.
Soon afterward, a 25-year-old man, believed to be a British national of Somali heritage, was taken into custody. Police say he is the only suspect. Within hours, police said their preliminary investigation pointed to Islamic extremism as the potential motivation. We get more now from Nic Robertson in Leigh-on-Sea.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Known as a kind and gentle man, 69-year-old Sir David Amess had been a member of Parliament for more than half his life, his brutal killing shocking the nation, from the prime minster --
BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: All our hearts are full of shock and sadness. He was one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics. And he also had an outstanding record of passing laws to help the most vulnerable. ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- to Amess' constituents --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone was just speechless. It was just awful. It was just -- he's such a kind, gentle soul, witty, quite quirky and liked people. It was just shocking. Absolutely shocking.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): -- Amess died while help his community, meeting face-to-face with voters, a so-called constituency surgery, answering queries, solving problems, listening to gripes.
ROBERTSON: Police say they received a call about a stabbing around noon. They were on the scene at the church within minutes, but they say Amess had been stabbed multiple times and the emergency services couldn't save him.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): A knife was found at the scene and a 25-year- old man arrested. Police say they are not looking for anyone else at this time.
BEN-JULIAN HARRINGTON, CHIEF CONSTABLE, ESSEX POLICE: The investigation is in its very early stages and it's being led by officers from the specialist counterterrorism command.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): His killing is the first of a sitting MP since Labour's Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a man with extreme right-wing views five years ago.
Following her death, Amess wrote of his own concerns, saying that the increasing attacks rather spoiled the great British tradition of voters openly meeting with their politicians.
In March this year, Amess challenge PM Boris Johnson how to prevent senseless murders from knife crime.
SIR DAVID AMESS, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MP: What more does my right honorable friend think that the police, society and Parliament can do to make sure that there never will in the future be such senseless murders again?
ROBERTSON (voice-over): From across the political spectrum and beyond, the outpouring of affection for Amess, a traditional Conservative, with a love of animals and the environment, has been huge.
KEIR STARMER, U.K. LABOUR LEADER: Informed by his faith, Sir David had a profound sense of public duty.
[00:05:00]
STARMER: And he was highly respected and much liked across the Houses of Parliament on all sides and within the Christian community. We now have to come together in response to this horrendous act and show that violence, intimidation and threats will never prevail over the tireless work of public servants like David, simply doing his job.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): He leaves a wife and five children. Sir David Amess, dead at 69. And British home secretary Priti Patel has asked all police forces to review security arrangements for all members of Parliament -- Nic Robertson, CNN, Leigh-on-Sea, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: And Sir David Amess' murder has deeply shaken the coastal village where it happened. Salma Abdelaziz shows us how the community is coping. Salma?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a small seaside community, Leigh-on-Sea, and Amess was well known, a respected figure here. So people are absolutely shell-shocked.
Just a short distance from this scene, volunteers have set up a tent here with snacks, water and coffee. I'm just going to speak to the person running this operation, Patrick.
Why did you guys come out here today?
PATRICK MYATT, RAPID RELIEF TEAM: We heard of the incident and we proactively approached the police force here. We are members of the Rapid Relief Team and we came out to provide the needed refreshments and sustenance, to provide hope and relief to those working on the case and the local community.
ABDELAZIZ: Well-wishers have started to lay flowers here at this police cordon. I'm just going to read you one of the messages laid here with these roses.
It says, "Sir David, thank you for everything you did for Surfers against Sewage in our local community."
Amess was a public servant for nearly 40 years in this very tight-knit community. And he was a well-known and respected figure. So he will be missed beyond his politics -- Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Leigh-on-Sea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Condolences for David Amess continue to pour in, especially from those in the U.K. government who knew him best.
Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab wrote that, "Heartbroken that we have lost Sir David Amess, MP, a great, common-sense politician and a formidable campaigner with a big heart and a tremendous generosity of spirit, including toward those he disagreed with. Rest in peace, my friend."
And U.K. education secretary Nadhim Zahawi tweeted, "Shocked to hear the reports coming out of Southend West. Sir David is a committed public servant as well as a close colleague and friend. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this difficult time."
And the killing of David Amess comes five years after Labour MP Jo Cox was shot and stabbed to death by a right-wing extremist. Her murder shocked the U.K. just days before the Brexit referendum. And it drove calls for more protection around lawmakers. You heard what David Amess himself said. So here is what a colleague of David Amess and Jo Cox said on Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM TUGENDHAT, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MP: Well, I do know people who stood down in the 2017 election, because of threats against them, more than they were prepared to take, quite rightly, quite understandably.
And I know of others who decided not to stand. And, frankly, that's why this matters so much. The murder of Jo Cox or David Amess is not just an attack against them, a horrific attack against them; it's not just against their family or their friends.
It's a fundamental attack on the British people and the right of communities across our country to choose who they wish to represent them.
What we have seen in recent years is the ability to communicate rage, to communicate visceral anger, more easily than it has been for years. Before, you had to pick up a pen, write a letter, find an envelope, find a stamp. You know, it just took you a while to do it. And so many people didn't get around to it and people calmed down before they fed it into a wider context.
Now we all know that we can do it much more quickly, on social media or however you choose to do it. So finding ways in which we remember that our words have actions and it doesn't matter how important or how unimportant we think we are, the reality is that we are part of the zeitgeist that shapes the (INAUDIBLE) era.
And it's very much up to us as individuals, wherever you live, whoever you are, to conduct yourself as you would like as you would like your democracy and your country to operate. And we can all poison the well or we can all save it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: We have also heard from the widower of Jo Cox, Brendan.
He tweeted this, "My thoughts and love are with David's family. They are all that matter now. This brings everything back.
[00:10:00]
CURNOW: "The pain, the loss but also how much love the public gave us followed the loss of Jo. I hope we can do the same for David now."
Tributes for the late MP also coming in from Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge.
In a tweet, the royal couple said, they're "shocked and saddened by the murder of Sir David Amess, who dedicated 40 years of his life to serving his community."
The couple added their thoughts and prayers are with his friends, family and colleagues.
CNN will keep covering this developing story so stay with us for the updates.
Meanwhile, Friday is a day of worship in Islami but for the second week in a row it's become a day for terror for Shia Muslims in Afghanistan. Dozens of people are dead after a attack in a mosque in Kandahar. And ISIS-K says it is responsible.
Nick Paton Walsh has more on this latest round of bloodshed. And a warning: parts of the report are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice-over): The victims came here to worship during Friday prayers at a Shia mosque in Afghanistan, an act faith that, for two weeks in a row, has been the target of suicide bombers.
Witnesses say multiple attackers entered a packed Shia mosque in Kandahar on Friday, setting off a series of blasts and killing dozens of worshippers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The firing started after we ended the prayers. Then two or three explosions took place. We were thrown toward the window. Many people murdered or wounded were laying there.
WALSH (voice-over): The blast comes just a week after a similar suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Kunduz, in which 46 people were killed. ISIS-K, the Islamic State's affiliate in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility.
The back-to-back attacks, just fuel for escalating fears that ISIS-K, enemies to both the Taliban and the West, are growing in strength in this new, troubled Afghanistan. They are threatening to undermine the Taliban's one key pledge to their new subjects: peace and stability.
The Taliban says it has ordered its fighters to arrest those responsible for this latest attack, not only to protect the minorities it now governs but also because any attack on Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, is, for this new administration, just to close to home -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Memories of civil war are vivid in Lebanon, following the nation's worst violence in years. We will take you to the streets of Beirut, where some say the situation is a powder keg.
Plus, police in Norway are now questioning the mental health of the man suspected of killing five people with a bow and arrow. Details ahead.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CURNOW: Lebanon is on edge following its worst street violence in more than a decade. On Friday, the nation's judges' association threw out requests to remove a key judge. He has been investigating last year's deadly blast in Beirut that killed more than 200 people.
That came a day after someone opened fire on Shia protesters, demanding his dismissal, leaving at least six people dead. The shooting lead to street battles, bringing fears that Lebanon could slide back on into civil war. Ben Wedeman has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They fire round after round into the air, supporters of the Shia Amal movement, after the funerals for those killed in Thursday's violence, the worst the Lebanese capital has seen in more than a dozen years.
[00:15:00]
WEDEMAN (voice-over): All the dead were from the Shia sect, including members of the two main Shia parties, Hezbollah and Amal. Their leaders have accused the Lebanese Forces, a Christian party, of the killings. The Lebanese Forces reject the accusation.
Here in the neighborhood of Shia, the men with guns aim in one direction, at about a 45-degree angle up the street, at the adjacent district, the predominately Christian neighborhood of (INAUDIBLE).
And what goes up must come down. It was on the road that divides the two neighborhoods that the Lebanese civil war began in April 1975 and, for many, there is a fear Lebanon is going full circle.
"Of course we hope this isn't going to lead to a civil war," says Hassan.
WEDEMAN: This may not be the start of what some say is a civil war. But what this does show is that there is no shortage of weapons in this country.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): State authority, however, is in short supply. Soldiers stand guard just a few blocks away but don't intervene, while gunman spray bullets into the sky.
Erez Ibrahim (ph) lives on the other side of the old dividing line.
"Here, the entire neighborhood was reminded of the events of civil war," she tells me.
It's hard to ignore the echoes -- Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: I want to take you to Norway now, where the suspect in the deadly bow and arrow attack has been charged with five counts of murder. Police say the 37-year-old Espen Andersen Brathen is being held in a secure health unit rather than a prison.
Investigators now say mental illness may have been behind the rampage, which left five people dead and three people wounded. A motive is still under investigation. They added that Brathen, a Danish citizen, is not disputing the incident.
Meanwhile, a makeshift memorial has been growing, as more people honor the victims.
And U.S. lawmakers are pressing President Joe Biden to get tougher on China fast as tensions between Beijing and Taiwan have been escalating. But CNN's Will Ripley reports many on the self-governed island seem unfazed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For an island living under the constant threat of a Chinese invasion, life in Taipei feels surprisingly normal. These grandmas get together at the park every week. They have a lot of things to talk about. War with China is not one of them.
GRANDMA HUANG, TAIPEI RESIDENT (through translator): We don't worry about it all. The threat has always been there and there's nothing to worry about. If it was going to happen, it would have happened a long time ago.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Taiwan's senior citizens lived through decades of hostility with no travel, trade or communication between Taiwan and China. In the 1990s, cross-strait tensions got better. Now, they're getting worse.
As the U.S. and Taiwan grow closer, China is getting more agitated. Beijing released video of a training exercise targeting Taiwan independence and interference by external forces like the U.S., a warning for President Joe Biden and other U.S. allies.
LIU TING-TING, MILITARY REPORTER, TVBS NEWS: When Biden first came to power, no doubt there has been concerns whether there may be a reverse on foreign policy in regards to Taiwan. But I think people here actually see that Biden might have a harder stance against China.
RIPLEY (voice-over): U.S.-Taiwan arms sales skyrocketed during the Trump years. But some worry Washington's closer ties to Taipei may be provoking Beijing, pushing Taiwan and the U.S. into dangerous territory if a military conflict breaks out.
As Taiwan and the U.S. deepen economic and military cooperation, Taiwan is spending billions of dollars on new weapons. Taiwan's defense minister says China could launch a full-scale war on Taiwan by 2025. He says military tensions are the worst in more than 40 years. The mainland's massive army pauses a growing threat to the world's only Chinese-speaking democracy. A threat you don't feel on the ground. When China was flying warplanes in record numbers near Taiwan this month, the story was barely mentioned in the Taiwanese media.
LIU: I think one thing is that the Taiwanese has been very used to incursions, day in and day out, daily, over the years.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Liu covers this story day in and day out, even when China's actions don't make global headlines.
LIU: Because I think we need to have more attention on Taiwan and there is something that has not been seen previously. More global attention that might actually keep Taiwan safer.
[00:20:00]
RIPLEY (voice-over): Many here say they already feel safe, no matter what may be coming across the Taiwan Strait -- Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: New Zealand is holding a super Saturday event to get people vaccinated against the coronavirus. The goal is to vaccinate one in 12 residents eligible for the shot in a single day.
Well-known Kiwis, like the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, are taking part in the vaxathon to help build support. Right now just over 53 percent of New Zealand's population is fully vaccinated.
And Italy's COVID green pass is now mandatory for all workers. Anyone on a payroll, in the public or the private sector, must have a green pass that shows proof of vaccine status or a recent negative COVID test; 81 percent of the eligible population is already fully vaccinated.
More than 1,000 people protested against the pass in Rome on Friday, saying it restricted their civil rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLAVIA BORELLA, SUPERMARKET WORKER (through translator): How do I feel?
I feel like a person who has been robbed of the first right of a human being, that of work. Since I was 16 years old, I have always earned a salary, first for my parents, now for my husband and my son.
Now the state tells me I no longer have the right to work. Italy used to be a country founded on work. And now it is not anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Meanwhile in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that COVID safety measures are a must this holiday season. The CDC says masks and indoor gatherings are still the best way to keep safe this year. But their top piece of advice is get vaccinated, especially before traveling or gathering around family and friends.
New CDC data shows that the risk of dying from COVID is 11 times higher for unvaccinated adults than those who are already fully vaccinated.
Coming up on CNN, China's new space mission is a go. Details on the crew and the program's ambitious goals ahead.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CURNOW: Three Chinese astronauts have docked their capsule with the nation's space station. They are on a six-month mission to help build the uncompleted orbiter. As David Culver tells us, it's the latest thrust in China's aggressive space race with the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ninety-year-old "Star Trek" actor William Shatner blasted into space, becoming the oldest man to reach such heights amid great fanfare in the U.S.
WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR AND ASTRONAUT: Oh, wow.
CULVER: Thousands of miles away, here in the Gobi Desert, China's latest space mission may not set any records but it does show a major step forward in this country's fast-growing and increasingly ambitious space plan.
CULVER (voice-over): CNN gaining rare access to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. Shenzhou-13 carrying three Chinese astronauts to the soon to be completed space station, called Tiangong or Heavenly Palace.
China has touted their space station as next generation, an alternative to the International Space Station. But the 15-country ISS has already been occupied for more than 20 years. The U.S. passed a law barring China from participating, leading some experts to question --
[00:25:00]
PROF. DAVID BURBACH, U.S. NAVAL WAR COLLEGE: If we brought China in to work with us on ISS, would China have felt as compelled to develop their own fully independent program as rapidly as they have?
CULVER (voice-over): It's Hollywood's portrayal coming to reality. Sandra Bullock's character in "Gravity," saved by a Chinese space station on her way back to Earth.
Wang Yaping told us in 2015 it is her favorite film. She's one of three Chinese astronauts on this mission.
The crew also including a newcomer to space travel, 41 year-old Ye Guangfu, who took part in cave training with astronauts from five countries in 2016.
YE GUANGFU, CHINESE ASTRONAUT (through translator): I hope one day I can fly with other international astronauts in space and welcome them to visit China's space station.
CULVER (voice-over): But Western astronauts will need to study up first. These operation interfaces are in Chinese and Chinese state media reports European astronauts are already taking language courses so they can visit the Chinese space station.
Despite a late start in the space race, China is rapidly catching up. It has returned samples from the moon and, like the U.S., put a rover on Mars, all within the last year.
It's also got big plans for commercial ventures and for deep space exploration, including to build a base on the moon with Russia and send humans to Mars in the 2030s. From launching billionaires to cosmic explorations, the U.S. is still leading.
With plenty of headline-grabbing launches and a long history of success, putting 12 men on the moon. But the more pressing challenge: prioritizing the multibillions in funding needed for the U.S. to hold onto that lead.
Some experts believe the added competition from China might fuel more innovation.
BURBACH: If you're somebody who wants to see humans land on Mars and more scientific probes throughout the solar system, geopolitical competition is probably not the worst thing in the world.
CULVER (voice-over): While Captain Kirk is helping capture U.S. imaginations to propel the U.S. forward in its tightening space race, China's three astronauts now embarking on a six-month mission, the country's longest yet, to secure their footing out of this world -- David Culver, CNN, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: To another story, Amsterdam, the music scene is back. Clubs, bars and discos are reopening after the Netherlands government lifted COVID restrictions. One enormous event, Amsterdam's dance music festival, is underway through Sunday.
The party has been scaled back, with COVID precautions, including onsite testing. But still, business owners are thrilled.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAN-WILLEM VAN DE VEN, DIRECTOR, ADE MUSIC FESTIVAL: We have been closed for 20 months, so it's good to see how resilient this business is. And how many people are eager to dance and connect. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Thank you so much for watching, I'm Robyn Curnow, I'm going to hand you over to "INSIDE AFRICA."
