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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

School Under Attack in Pakistan; Australia in Shock, Mourns Two Killed

Aired December 16, 2014 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news, right now, a school under attack in Pakistan. Dozens killed, many of them children. We have the terrifying moments for you.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also the attack in Sydney. Two hostages killed after the gunman took several people hostage there. What we are learning new this morning about the victims and new details about the gunman's criminal past.

Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's 30 minutes past the hour. We will get to the latest on Sydney, but first following this breaking news, the terror attack underway right now at a school in Pakistan.

Gunmen have stormed the school in Peshawar. At least 84 people have been killed, many of them children. Dozens more injured. I want to get back to Manisha Tank following this for us in Hong Kong. This is still a siege. There are still militants in the school, Manisha.

MANISHA TANK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is right, Christine. It's a horrible situation. The pictures we were just seeing were from earlier in the day. You saw military around the comp compound. This is the army public school. They are on a normal day with 700 children in the school.

We now have confirmed figures that 84 are dead. There are figures north of that number they are circulating. We are working to confirm those. This is emerging to be a tragic story. A large number of those injured are children effectively between the ages of 12 and 16.

According to a statement and Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. They said they wanted to go after any child in the lower teens or almost at the stage of becoming an adult. They would let minors go. They targeted army personnel as well.

We know staff has been killed in the horrible attack. Right now, we still don't know how many are still stuck in that school in what is a siege. The authorities say the military is unable to confirm how many.

We know at this stage is that two of the attackers have been killed. One of them blew himself up. The other was killed by paramilitary. This is an ongoing military operation. Six attackers went in and there remain four possibly with suicide vests strapped to them and they are heavily armed.

The Pakistani Taliban said they are in contact with these gunmen and bombers. They want to at some stage, release the phone calls. They want pictures to be seen and conversations to be heard. That is chilling in the horrible attack on children.

They said in a statement effectively, and I won't go into the wording of the statement to repeat it, but the military went after them and their families and now they clearly without discrimination are going after the military and their families as well -- Christine.

ROMANS: Manisha, just terrifying and we were talking to Peter Bergen, our terrorism expert just a few minutes ago. It is almost the Mumbai- style attack now where you get in maximum damage and terror and draw it out. This is not over.

TANK: No, not at all. It is an ongoing situation. In fact, we have been told, the media told, not to run any live pictures because an operation like this is clearly sensitive. It was interesting to hear peter earlier talking about the fact that it is the Pakistani military that wanted to go after the Pakistani Taliban.

What happened was peace talks between the government and Pakistani Taliban broke down. That gave them some margin. It gave the military some margin to go after them. It meant public support would wane. Now you analyze public support.

Now they targeted children, you know, one would hope this would intensify some opposition to what is the extremist group. Otherwise, a chaotic scene at the hospital taking in the dead and injured, they are asking for blood. They are asking for people to donate blood.

So it's a chaotic and troubling situation for them. The Prime Minister Sharif is making his way to Peshawar. This is a national tragedy, he says. The interior minister will be going. They will announce a national day of mourning -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right, Manisha Tank for us this morning following all of these developments for us. Thank you, Manisha.

BERMAN: It is ongoing. There appear to be hostages there in the situation. Hopefully it will not get any worse than it already is.

It's 34 minutes after the hour. This morning, the city of Sydney remains on high alert after the most serious act of terrorism on Australian soil in almost anyone can remember there. A lone gunman took 17 people hostage in the Lindt Cafe.

He held them for 17 hours in the central business district. The police moved in with stun grenades. The gunman and two hostages were killed. This morning, that city is still recovering.

The hostage taker has been identified as a self-proclaimed Muslim cleric with a serious criminal record. His name is Man Haron Monis. Overnight, the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott addressed concerns about the gunman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY ABBOTT, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: It is pretty obvious the perpetrator was a deeply disturbed individual, a long history of crime, a long history of mental instability and infatuation with extremism. It is interesting the ISIL death cult seems to attract people like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The two hostages killed have been named. They are Lawyer Katrina Dawson and Lindt store manager, Tori Johnson. The city of Sydney is grieving this loss this morning with a very big floral arrangement, a mound of flowers near the siege, a beautiful memorial in so many ways.

CNN's Andrew Stevens joins us now live from Sydney with the latest. Good morning, Andrew.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. It is a beautiful memorial. I have just been down there to look at that. There are still hundreds of people paying their last respects to brave people who died in that hostage crisis, who died in.

The flowers and arrangements continue to pour in as people come in to share their common grief here. Sydney has not seen anything like this since the 1970s and certainly not linked to what is an international plot. It wasn't. This was a lone gunman.

It still has united Sydney in so many ways. Facebook pages paying tribute to the two victims. What we know, john, slowly piecing together the pieces and it is difficult to get confirmation. The police are not releasing details about what happened inside the Lindt Cafe.

It looks as if there were nine customers and eight staff when the gunman went inside and began the crisis. It ended 16 hours later when there was a shot heard from inside the building, which triggered a very, very quick police response.

In that response, most of the hostages were going to safety. Two remained, the store manager, Tori Johnson and then the lawyer, Katrina Dawson suggestions that Tori grappled with the gunman. It was a shotgun.

Not an automatic weapon. He tried to get that weapon from the gunman. He died or he was shot in the process and he later died. We don't know yet the circumstances surrounding Kate Dawson's death. The crisis has really brought the city together. It is getting back to normal.

All the streets are moving and the area is still closed off as the forensics team is working. Sydney united in sorrow. People are determined to say this will not impact now they live their lives. They will live how they always have. Prime Minister Tony Abbott is paying tribute to the Sydney generosity.

BERMAN: United in both strength and grief this morning. Andrew Stevens for us in Sydney, thanks so much.

ROMANS: Joining us from phone from Sydney right hour is Luke Mcllveen. He is the editor of "The Daily Mail" Australia and within the lockdown zone, just a block away from the cafe where the hostages were being held. Thanks so much for joining us. I know this is a trying, trying couple of days for your city and for your country.

Tell me a little bit about your experience and what's happening right now. We can see the mound of flowers there. We see the city is trying to move forward. It has been a dramatic couple of days.

LUKE MCLLVEEN, EDITOR, "THE DAILY MAIL" AUSTRALIA (via telephone): Good morning. It certainly has. You know, you spoke about the mounds of flowers. It is a living tribute to the people of Sydney and that freedom and way of life that we are used to.

Martin Place is a very symbolic part of Sydney. It is where the finance at district is based. It is also where we gather to remember our war dead. It is a symbolic area. Those flowers have been laid routinely since about 10:00 this morning.

You know, it began with a single bunch of flowers laid by a young woman at 10:00 a.m. at 3:00 p.m. I was walking by the area. It was a massive color with people coming in with children on holidays and elderly people sort of sidling up to contemplate what's happened here in the last 24 hours.

ROMANS: The worst terror attack on Australian soil since 1978. The two victims we are mourning this morning, we talked about the manager of the Lindt Cafe and Katrina Dawson. A woman with three children under the age of ten, how do you begin to explain? How does a country begin to mourn and explain to its children what has happened there?

MCLLVEEN: The trauma of that family is unimaginable. Not for getting who we are. Unlike the United States, we are in the middle of the summer holiday. That is an important part of Australian life.

We are almost a week out from Christmas, the idea that a young mother, just 38, could be taken away from three children. You know, a woman who had a very distinguished career in the law. She was a barrister and a rising star in the area of commercial law.

It has transpired this afternoon that she was in the cafe having a coffee with a legal colleague. That colleague, we are told, made it out OK. So, you know, two very accomplished women sitting down at 9:00 on a Monday morning to catch up on the events of the weekend as we're leading into the holidays.

One makes it out alive and tragically the other doesn't. It's just unimaginable.

ROMANS: Luke, give me a sense of where you go from here. The terror alert is high. There is obviously an investigation of who this man was and what motivated him. We are learning more and more about that. Police are not telling us much yet about the exact moments, the last moments which shots were fired by whom and how these hostages died.

MCLLVEEN: It is very unclear what happened in the final moments. What is clear, though, what we do know is some hostages escaped in the moments before the shooting began.

Now, there have been indications that Tori Johnson as you heard previously, may have tried to wrestle with the gunman as the gunman's gun goes off. It is a common technique for police to wait out this type of offender.

It was 2:11 a.m. when this finally unfolded. Reports suggest that the gunman was dozing off. Mr. Johnson, the manager of the cafe. I think it is fair to say he felt some great responsibility for the staff and customers in the cafe.

Took it upon himself to try to wrestle the gun away. Tragically, the gunman opened fire on him. That is the catalyst for what happened. The police operation is still very unclear, there is a lot known about the offender, Monis.

There's no suggestion or evidence he was a sheikh of any kind. He was a fairly well-known figure around Sydney, which has the legal and journalistic and police areas completely baffled. He was well known to many of us.

I recall personally receiving as an editor, some of the bizarre press releases. Quite elaborate affairs with green fonts and distinctive. They would arrive in the newsroom and be dismissed as a madman.

That may be the case now, but clearly the questions are being asked why wasn't he taken more seriously? Why wasn't he on a terrorist watch list? Why was he out on bail with the charges of conspiracy to murder and a range of sexual offenses?

ROMANS: I know Prime Minister Tony Abbott is saying the death cult ISIL attracts characters like that is what we are learning. Thank you so much for your time this morning, Luke Mcllveen.

BERMAN: A deadly attack on a school in Pakistan. It is an ongoing attack, a hostage situation. Nearly 100 people killed, most of them children. Breaking details just ahead.

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BERMAN: All right, we do have breaking news this morning, an attack on a school in Pakistan in Peshawar. More than 84 people killed, most of them children. It is an ongoing situation, hostage situation. This news is horrifying and dominating the morning.

Let's see what is coming up on "NEW DAY" and how that show plans to cover it. Chris Cuomo joins us now. Good morning, Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, "NEW DAY": John and Christine, we've been following your coverage all morning. We will pick up the ball from you. This is an active and developing situation in Pakistan. It is different.

Different from what we saw in Sydney and different from anything we have seen since that attack on the school in Russia by the chechens. What are the intentions?

The school was targeted for a reason by a specific group within the Taliban. We will take you through all of that. It is not over yet. And what one hostage did that may have caused him his life, but saved others. We'll get all of that for you -- John, Christine.

BERMAN: So much to cover this morning. So many breaking developments, the analysis, the insight, so important, I'm glad you're on it, Chris. Thanks so much.

ROMANS: We much more on that breaking attack in Pakistan. We will have a live report for you in moments. Don't go away.

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BERMAN: Breaking news this morning coming from Pakistan. Gunmen have stormed an army-run school. They have killed afternoon least 126 people now, 126, that is a new number just in. Many of the dead appear to be children, probably the vast majority of the dead are children.

The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. We want to get the latest details, horrific details from the CNN international reporter, Michelle Stockman live in Pakistan. Good morning, Michelle.

MICHELLE STOCKMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. It is horrific. We understood that it is confirmed the death toll has risen to 126 people killed in the attack by Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers in the army-run school in Peshawar.

Again, the vast majority of those dead are believed to be children and also hundreds injured. They have been taken to two hospitals in Peshawar that are just overwhelmed in treating those who have arrived.

The Taliban, through a spokesperson to CNN, has confirmed that they are in contact with the remaining suicide bombers. Two have been killed. The one blew himself up. One was killed by paramilitary forces. That leaves four.

They have been instructed to spare minor children, but to target children who have reached the age of puberty. This is just a horrific attack that is still ongoing. We are not sure exactly how many hostages are still in the school.

The Taliban claimed between 300 and 400. The prime minister is on his way to Peshawar. When he gets there, he will announce a day of mourning. It's unclear what the end game will be here. The Taliban has gone armed to the teeth with suicide bombers.

That is an indication that they not intend to come out. It is very grim news here. We are monitoring the situation to see what will happen.

BERMAN: A senseless day and the key is it is not over, the hostage situation ongoing in Peshawar. Michelle, thank you.

ROMANS: We will continue to follow the deadly attack on the military school in Pakistan, many children are dead, 126 fatalities so far. We will have more for you in a moment.

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ROMANS: We are following breaking news from Pakistan this morning. Armed gunmen have attacked a military-run school in Peshawar. What we know at this hour, 126 people are dead and many of those fatalities are children.

Correspondent in Peshawar says two explosions have been heard in the school and gunfire. The Pakistani Taliban had claimed responsibility. They are calling it retaliation or army run operations.

BERMAN: As if there is a justification. There is no possible way to create this sense here, barbaric attack, children are the victims here. However, you separate the children and their ages, 126 killed and that number no doubt will go up.

We're going to have much more on the breaking news this deadly attack in Pakistan is an ongoing hostage situation. "NEW DAY" covering that and more starting now.