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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

France on Alert: Investigators Hunting Terror Cells; White House Admits Paris March Mistake; Main Body of Flight 8501 Found; Hackers Take Over U.S. Military Accounts; Interview with U.S. Ambassador to France, Jane Hartley

Aired January 13, 2015 - 04:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Terror alert in France. Overnight, new threats from al Qaeda. Officials not taking any chances, deploying thousands of troops to protect Jewish schools and institutions.

Investigators hunting for terrorists on the run. This happening as the world mourns and says good-bye to several victims of last week's deadly attacks.

We are live with all the new developments this morning.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. Nice to see you this morning.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Berman, in Paris. It is Tuesday, January 13th. It is 4:00 in the East. It's 10:00 in the morning here in Paris.

We welcome all of our viewers in the United States and around the world.

This morning, France, this nation still at its highest terrorist alert level, I should say. At least 10,000 soldiers and 8,000 police officers deployed across the country, including 4,000 at Jewish synagogues and schools alone. They are determined to stop another attack like the three this country, this city saw last week that left 17 people dead.

Among the new serious concerns, the report in "The Associated Press", quoting French police, saying that a terror cell is active. Its members still at large in this country.

Meanwhile, overnight, there was a new threat from al Qaeda North Africa branch. They posted on the Internet, "Today, France pays the cost." This posting also mentions the coalition fighting ISIS. It also talks about France's lame media undermining, quote, "our prophet."

The terrorists' initial target, the magazine "Charlie Hebdo" behind me, they have not been stopped. The surviving members of that magazine have a new issue at the ready. It ships today. And yes, once again, the Prophet Muhammad is on the cover. Joining me this morning to talk about all the latest development are

senior European correspondent Jim Bittermann.

Jim, thanks so much for being with us.

Let's talk about this new terror threat from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, North Africa, Mali. In a sense, it is new, but it's been going on for a while.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It has been, John. The fact is the French have been in Mali since 2013 and put a large number of troops there. It helped support the government against the al Qaeda of North Africa threats.

And so, since then, they have been under these threats from various anonymous sources all along. This one today, in connection with what happened here, of course, takes on a different tone than the previous one. The fact is they know they are under threat. The prime minister said yesterday they are under threat.

BERMAN: In this environment, you certainly can't ignore nothing.

BITTERMANN: Yes.

BERMAN: "Charlie Hebdo", the headquarters behind us, closed down. But the surviving members, they have been preparing a new issue.

BITTERMANN: They went to a newspaper, a left wing newspaper here called "Liberation" and asked if they could use their headquarters, the paper said, sure. They have been working last week with the computers and printers there and come up with an edition which probably will be just as daring as all the others they put out here. It depicts the Prophet Muhammad on the cover and has prophet wearing a little sign that says, "I am Charlie", like everybody else in this country this hour. And the banner overhead says, you know --

BERMAN: All is forgiven.

BITTERMANN: All is forgiven, exactly.

So, it will be just as daring and probably provocative as everything else.

BERMAN: And, Jim, this enormous uptick in security, 10,000 troops, 8,000 police, I've been told by police officials here, this can't be sustained indefinitely.

BITTERMANN: Well, that's absolutely true. That's one of the problems that they have.

And, you know, it should be said that these are additional troops to what's already been on the streets here since about 2002, 2003 in that area. They declared the (INAUDIBLE), which is their high level of terrorist alert. They put army on the troop on the streets at that point. And they had them on the streets ever since. But this is 10,000 new troops. They now have more troops serving in

France on the streets because of the terrorist threats than they have overseas, in operation overseas.

BERMAN: It shows you the complications facing this country right now. And, of course, this as the investigation goes on.

Jim Bittermann, thanks so much.

Now the police, least now "The Associated Press" is reporting the idea that there could still be members of a terror cell on the loose here. Officials clearly very worried. The French prime minister says he believes the attack, the kosher supermarket attack had accomplices. Three of the terrorists behind last week's attacks, the Kouachi brothers and Amedy Coulibaly, they are now dead. Coulibaly's partner, his girlfriend, his religious wife, Hayat Boumeddiene, she is on the run right now, believed to be in Syria.

But as I said, the French prime minister says they could not have launched their attacks without help, operational help, financial help. And there is fear that many of these people could still be operating in this country.

Let's get a look right now on the investigation, on the concerns that there could still be people at large.

Let's bring in Erin McLaughlin right now also in Paris with me.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John.

That's right. French prime minister saying he has no doubt that there was some network at play. And now, it's a matter of tracking down the accomplices. He pointed to last week, a number of arrests were made. He says that the government is now doing everything it can to dismantle what appears to be a larger network.

Meanwhile, there is new surveillance footage out of Turkey, Istanbul airport showing 26-year-old fugitive Hayat Boumeddiene, the girlfriend of the kosher supermarket attacker, checking in. And authorities now say they believe they tracked her last known location to an area near the Syrian border. She is believed to have passed through Syria. She arrived, they say in Turkey, on January 2nd, five days before the "Charlie Hebdo" attacks.

And French authorities have vowed to bring her to justice, although experts say if she reached ISIS, it's going to be very, very difficult to do that. And they are also expressing concerns about her potential propaganda value as well.

But, for now, in terms of French authorities and their efforts to focus very much being on determining what if any connections these men had to larger terror networks -- John.

BERMAN: Yes. There are reports this morning, CNN reporting that both the suspects, the Coulibalys and the Kouachis met with the same al Qaeda recruiter before 2009 in this country. And, of course, you saw the picture right there of Hayat Boumeddiene entering Turkey. She had a man with her. Who is that man? Interesting questions facing this country right now.

Erin McLaughlin, our thanks to you.

Happening right now, this morning, the bodies of the four French Jews killed in the attack on the kosher supermarket are in Jerusalem. They are set to be buried at a funeral that begins in just about an hour.

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to a request from the victims' family that they be buried in the holy city.

CNN's Atika Shubert joins us now live from the cemetery there.

Good morning, Atika.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

You can already see people are starting to file in here. Many of them from the French-speaking Jewish community here in Israel, and we've also seen a number of family members also now arriving, clearly overwhelmed and distraught.

We do expect the funeral to get underway in an hour. The prime minister will attend as well the president. This is a state funeral, quite unusual to grant a state funeral to civilians. But it just goes to show the impact this attack has had on many people here in Israel.

As part of the ceremony, we will hear from leading rabbis of Israel. They will read from the Book of Psalms, and also family members will light candles in memory of those family members they lost in the attack. They will conclude with the burial and they will go to the site where their relatives will be buried.

So, we do expect that to get underway in an hour. And we do expect possibly thousands of people to attend. That's how much of an impact this has had here in Israel -- John.

BERMAN: Really an international outpouring of support.

Our Atika Shubert for us in Jerusalem this morning, thanks so much.

We should say, there will be a memorial service today for the three members of the police force that were killed in three days of Paris. That will be attended by French Leader Francois Hollande.

The United States stepping up its security in response to the attacks here. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has ordered the Federal Protective Service to enhance its presence at federal buildings. The TSA is increasing the number of random searches of passengers and also their carry-ons. Secretary Johnson calls the measures precautionary. He adds there is no specific credible intelligence of an attack being planned. They are just increasing their general posture of alertness at this moment.

Let's go back to Christine in New York.

And, Christine, I know there have been questions more perhaps in the United States than here in France about why the U.S. didn't send more senior leadership to the march here on Sunday.

Well, the White House has a response now.

ROMANS: That's right, John. I mean, it was really, I would say a crescendo of controversy here in the U.S. yesterday about the president or vice president or secretary of state not being there for the unity rally, John.

And then, in a rare admission of error, the Obama administration is saying it did make a mistake, it made a mistake, failing to send a higher ranking official to that Paris unity rally on Sunday. More than 40 world leaders joined at least a half a million -- million and a half Parisians, excuse me. Another 2 million across the country marching against terror.

But the highest level U.S. official in attendance was the ambassador to France Jane Hartley.

Senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Christine, the White House did something extraordinary. Aides to the president conceded they made a mistake and not sending a top administration official to Paris for the march. But White House officials won't say who got it wrong. Only the decision on which to send to the rally was not made by the president.

Press Secretary Josh Earnest refused to explain why U.S. Ambassador to France Jane Hartley was the highest ranking American official at that march.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think it's fair to say that we should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there. That said, there is no doubt that the American people and this administration stand four-square behind our allies in France.

ACOSTA: So, the White House had ample options with the secretary of state in India and Attorney General Eric Holder already in Paris for the Sunday talk shows and for meetings with French leaders. Add to that the fact that the president was at the White House and Vice President Biden was at his home in Wilmington, both with no public schedule.

The White House suggested the security needs of the president made the trip to Paris difficult. But officials acknowledged that the Secret Service could have pulled it off, and the Secret Service officials said the agency was not even asked or notified about a trip. A spokesman said it would have been a challenge, but he didn't say it was impossible -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Jim Acosta for us this morning in Washington.

"Charlie Hebdo" is ready to put out a new issue tomorrow. Editors released their cover overnight. It shows the cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad holding a sign with the words, "Je Suis Charlie." The illustration also includes the words "all is forgiven."

CNN and others have chosen not to show any of the "Charlie Hebdo" cartoons of the prophet. But the magazine is clearly not backing down from controversy following last week's attack. The new issue on sale tomorrow will only be eight pages instead of the usual 16 pages. But a circulation will be huge, about 3 million copies.

The magazine was able to publish the issue with help of rival publications and donations.

We're covering latest on the Paris terror attacks all morning long.

But, first, breaking news for this morning in the search for AirAsia Flight 8501. Both black boxes found. Both black boxes now out of the water. This as divers find the main wreckage now of the plane. We are live with the latest on 8501.

Plus, one person killed and dozens more hospitalized as smoke fills a D.C. subway. We've got that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Happening now: France remains on edge this morning at highest level of alert following last week's terror attacks that left 17 dead. Ten thousand troops, another 8,000 police on the streets across the country. Investigations underway trying to connect last week's terror attackers to terror cells French officials believe are still active. And this morning, the issue of the magazine the attackers tried to stop, "Charlie Hebdo" is on its way to newsstands across France with the Prophet Muhammad on its cover.

Turning now to breaking news to the bottom of the Java Sea. Divers have located the main body of AirAsia Flight 8501. And officials telling CNN the fuselage was located northeast of the tail section. It was located earlier.

Divers also recovering the second black box from AirAsia, the cockpit voice recorder buried beneath a mangled wing. These are huge developments for investigators trying to figure out just what brought this jetliner down.

I want to bring in David Molko. He is tracking the latest developments live from Jakarta, Indonesia. He's been on the story from the very, very beginning.

So, now, both of the black boxes have been recovered. Still have to recover all of these bodies, David.

DAVID MOLKO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christine, the pieces of the puzzle finally starting to come together.

Let's be clear about who is saying this and what they are saying. This is a senior search and rescue official. His name is Mr. Cipriati (ph). This is someone who has been in front of the camera day in and day out on the other side of the Java Sea, in Borneo, where they have been staging helicopters, ships and planes into the search area.

He is saying specifically, quote, "Divers have found it, the fuselage, in a location northeast to where we found the tail. But I haven't received the full report on this yet."

He is saying that upfront, they have found the main body of the plane. Of course, that is where it is believed many of the passengers and crew are on board. Their bodies are still trapped. We are, of course, trying to follow-up on this with transport safety investigators and military, anywhere else and anyone else on the frontline who may have more information and/or pictures of the fuselage, on the sea floor.

The cockpit voice recorder, you mentioned again, the second black box now on its way back to Jakarta, a critical piece of the puzzle, along with that flight data recorder we saw come back here yesterday.

Christine, I spoke to one of the top investigators, the top investigators, through the National Transportation Safety Committee earlier today. He said that black box, the flight data recorder is in great condition. Doesn't appear to have damage from fire or water. No cracks that would let saltwater in.

He said, if all goes to plan, that data could have been downloaded in a matter of a couple of hours. And we'll see what happens as investigators begin to piece together what may have happened. The big news, Christine, of course, the potential discovery of that fuselage according to one senior search and rescue official -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. David Molko in Jakarta, thank you for that important, important development in that investigation this morning.

ISIS is claiming responsibility for a troubling cyberattack that took over the Twitter and YouTube accounts of the U.S. Military Central Command. Defense officials immediately suspended both sites. They're now scrambling to determine exactly who is behind this breach.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Christine, the Pentagon is making the point whoever conducted the hack attack against the Central Command's Twitter and YouTube sites have no access to classified information by doing that attack. Those accounts reside on commercial servers and that the Pentagon's classified systems remain highly secure -- or at least the Pentagon hopes so.

But the messages were disturbing. Many of them aimed right at U.S. military troops. One of them saying, "American soldiers, we are coming. Watch your back. We know everything about you. Your wives, your children."

Another round of threats from people who claim to be associated with ISIS. There were also documents posted online. None marked classified. One marked official use only. But still, it had information about the locations, the addresses, the phone numbers of key military personnel.

So, it's a concern. What officials say the bottom line is right now in today's world, once again, warning the troops just like the rest of us to be very careful about what they post online -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Barbara Starr, thank you for that.

A Chicago area teenager faces arraignment this morning for allegedly trying to travel overseas to join ISIS. Nineteen-year-old Mohammed Hamzah Khan was arrested at O'Hare Airport in October. He was about to leave for Vienna en route to Turkey. Federal agents say he was preparing to meet with an ISIS operative who would then transport him to Syria.

As accused Boston bomber marathon Dzhokhar Tsarnaev begins to stand trial, a friend of his and his late brother is now expected to plead guilty to charges of deleting information from his computer and lying to the FBI. A lawyer for Khairullozhon Matanov filed a motion with federal prosecutors Monday asking to schedule a hearing, but he would not say if the deal involved testifying against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

The FBI and safety officials investigating a deadly smoke scare in the Washington, D.C. subway. Hundreds of people were evacuated when the smoke filled the six-car train at the metro station. One person died, 80 others were taken to area hospitals. Two said to be in critical condition this morning. Passengers say the situation was pure chaos.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are a lot of people vomiting, sick, I feel sick. We don't know what it was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was no oxygen. People start panicking and people hitting the floor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had the stocking cap breathing through it. Other people were breathing through their jackets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: There's still no word on exactly what caused all that smoke. But one fatality and two in critical condition this morning.

The controversial Keystone oil pipeline bill passing its legislative first hurdle in the Senate and moving lawmakers a step closer to a veto showdown with the White House. The vote for construction of the pipeline included 11 Democratic supporters. The bill easily passed the House last week. Supporters hope to win final passage next week and have it sent to the president who has repeatedly threatened a veto.

It is looking more like Mitt Romney will make a third run at the presidency in 2016. Romney reportedly taking steps to reassemble his campaign team, calling former political aides, donors and supporters. That's according to one senior Republican. Romney's outreach signals that he almost certainly plans to seek the Republican nomination in 2016.

At the same time, Romney's 2012 running mate, Paul Ryan, says he is not running for president. Ryan says he is at peace with the decision he made weeks ago and just announced Monday. He is a nine-term congressman. He believes he can make more of a difference, he says, in his new rule as chairman of the influential House Ways and Means Committee than as a Republican presidential contender.

New terror attacks in Africa. Boko Haram slaughtering hundreds, possibly thousands of people in its largest massacre yet. What we are learning this morning about that, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: I'm John Berman live in Paris. I'm standing outside the offices of "Charlie Hebdo", the satirical magazine so brutally attacked now nearly one week ago.

And just moments ago, you can see behind me right here, the U.S. ambassador to France, Jane Hartley. She is at this site. She just laid some flowers at what has become a memorial visited by so many members of this community. There is a Parisian official here showing her exactly what happened, pointing her to the key locations in this neighborhood where the attack was staged, where the police officer was killed on the street and where the car drove off after the attacks.

Now, so many people have come to this location over the last few days to pay their respects, still bringing flowers. This is a growing organic memorial here on the streets of Paris.

Of course, the ambassador's visit comes amid controversy. Of course, the Obama administration was criticized domestically and also by some here in France for not sending a higher official to the huge unity rally on the streets of Paris, more than 1.5 million people on the streets here.

Ambassador Hartley who I believe is coming to our camera right now. She was the senior U.S. official. I think we're going to ask here some questions right now.

Ambassador, John Berman with CNN.

JANE HARTLEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE: How are you? Nice to see you.

BERMAN: So nice to meet you. Thank you so much for coming.

HARTLEY: Absolutely.

BERMAN: This is your first visit to the "Charlie Hebdo" office since the attack, yes?

HARTLEY: Yes, it is.

BERMAN: What are your feelings behind here this morning?

HARTLEY: It's a little overwhelming. You know, I marched in the parade yesterday. I saw the emotion of millions of people in Paris and in France. It did remind me a bit of our 9/11 and the shock that anything like this could happen.

And I'm here today to show my respects -- respects to the brave people that died and our commitment to freedom and freedom of the press.

BERMAN: Our commitment to fighting terror, no doubt, as well.

Do you have any updates on the investigation itself? There have been reports. The associated press reports concerns of members of a terror cell. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said that he is concerned there were accomplices at the attacks. Does the U.S. have any information on that right now?

HARTLEY: I don't have any specific information. I do know that our services and the French are working very, very closely together. One thing that has even strengthened during this time is our cooperation.

So, I know we are working together and I know that that will continue. That's a positive for both countries.

BERMAN: We heard President Francois Hollande thanked President Obama for his statements and for visiting the French embassy in Washington after the attack. Of course, there was a diplomatic snafu, if you will. The White House yesterday apologizing for the fact that the vice president, the president, the first lady, the secretary of state were not here for the unity rally.

You were here. You marched in that rally.

Have you conveyed that the message that the press secretary did yesterday that they wish they had sent perhaps a higher level official?

HARTLEY: Well, you know, I marched and I spoke to President Hollande right before the march. And he was so positive about the U.S. and about our president going over to the French embassy and thanked us for everything that we had done. And I have been in contact with them (ph) through these days. And I think they know our support.

To be honest with you, I did not get into the logistics of that. But I did march right behind them. It was very, very moving to see the French government march arm in arm.

BERMAN: But at this point, you haven't been asked to convey the message that the White House press secretary did yesterday that they regret not having sent someone else.

HARTLEY: No. BERMAN: So, this issue as far as you are concerned is over and done

with?

HARTLEY: Well, it's not my issue.

BERMAN: Right. It's the White House issue. You were here. You did march.

What is your role going to be here over the next few days and next few weeks?

HARTLEY: Well, I'm going to the memorial right now for the slain policemen. And Secretary Kerry is coming in as well. We will be meeting again with key people in the French government.

So, it's the same as it has been. I'm staying in touch with the people in the government. They have been fantastic to work with and we will continue working hard and honoring the victims.

BERMAN: All right. Ambassador Jane Hartley, thank you so much for being with us.

I'm sure the people here appreciate you coming by this memorial.

HARTLEY: Well, I'm so sorry.

BERMAN: Nice to see you.

HARTLEY: Thank you.

BERMAN: All right. So, you hear right there, the U.S. ambassador to France, Jane Hartley, laying flowers here, talking about how moving of an experience it is. She is headed right now to yet another memorial for the three police officers who were slain over the three days of terror in this country.

You did hear me asking Ambassador Hartley about the fact that the White House has now essentially apologized for not sending higher level official here since it regrets the decision, the president, vice president, secretary of state did not come here. She says she has not been asked to convey that message herself to the French leader. She is no longer involved in that process, per se.

But as you can see here, the mourning process in France, in Paris, does continue. We'll be back with more news from here in Paris and more news back in the United States.

Stay with us.

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