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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Ohio Man Behind Capitol Hill Terror Plot; France's War on Terror; Search for AirAsia Fuselage Begins; President Pushes for Paid Sick Days

Aired January 15, 2015 - 04:30   ET

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

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Capitol Hill terror plot. Police arresting a man they say planned an ISIS-style attack. This morning, new information about what we're learning about the suspect.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The French war on terror. Hunting down terrorists who could still be on the run -- people who may have helped in the attacks last week here in Paris. Meanwhile, France tries to take on al Qaeda. The group now having claimed responsibility for orchestrating the attack here on "Charlie Hebdo". And also, this country increasing its role in the fight against ISIS. This country still on high alert. They're still very much in mourning.

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

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. It's 30 minutes past the hour.

There's a lot, a lot happening in Paris this morning. But, first, we go to breaking news here. New information on the terror threat here in the United States.

An Ohio man is in federal custody this morning. He is accused of planning an attack on the U.S. Capitol. A criminal complaint alleges that Christopher Lee Cornell aligned himself with ISIS. His father tells CNN that Cornel could have never carried out this plan.

Justice correspondent Pamela Brown is in Washington with the details.

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PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christine, the FBI report says 20-year-old Christopher Lee Cornell from Cincinnati, Ohio, was in the final stages of carrying out his alleged plot of detonating bombs at the U.S. Capitol building and opening fire on U.S. lawmakers as they ran out. FBI officials have been keeping an eye on Cornell for several months now after confidential informant tipped them off about some alarming statements he posted allegedly on social media about launching violent jihad.

At point, according to criminal complaint, he told the informant that he had been in contact with people overseas. He wanted to murder U.S. government officials in honor of ISIS. And the criminal complaint says that some of the communications happened over the summer.

One, this is a quote, he allegedly said, "I believe we should wage jihad under our own orders and planned attacks." And the FBI says that after that, he begun to take concrete steps towards his goal. Researching how to build pipe bombs, studying the building that he wanted to target in D.C. and then we learned on Wednesday, he allegedly bought two semiautomatic rifles. Shortly after that, the FBI arrested him and charged him with attempting to kill a U.S. government officer.

His father did speak to CNN, and he says he is shocked by this, that he had no knowledge of his son's alleged plot. It is important to point out here, Christine, that officials say that he did not pose a threat to the public during the course of the investigation over the last few months -- Christine.

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ROMANS: Pamela Brown for us in Washington. Thanks for that.

And, John, the FBI says they have been watching him for several months. He is in custody. That criminal complaint is unsealed. The threat has been mitigated -- John.

BERMAN: You can see why they are on alert in the United States and, of course, here in France, the highest level of alert. This morning, tensions still rising in the wake of the new claim by al Qaeda in Yemen. That group has taken responsibility for the deadly terror attack last week against "Charlie Hebdo" the satirical magazine behind me.

Of course, at the same time, the country is celebrating the free speech with the magazine with the Prophet Muhammad on the cover, the government here is actually ordering prosecutors to crackdown on some kinds of speech. The justice ministry says that since the attacks last week, more than 50 people had been detained or arrested for what they call hate speech, defending or condoning terrorists.

In the level of public hostility against groups like ISIS, against radical Islam, seems to be growing. The lower house of parliament in France voted to extend the airstrikes against ISIS in the coalition. French President Francois Hollande is sending an aircraft carrier to the Indian Ocean to help battle against the Islamic terror group. All this taking place as Secretary of State John Kerry is due to arrive here in France. He will be the highest level American official in France since the attacks.

I want to bring in senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen standing with me with here.

And, Frederik, a couple incidents overnight, over the last 24 hours, really highlighting the level of tension here. There were incidents near the home of the French president.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. We are coming here this morning and we were surprised more police check points out today than there were yesterday. Of course, yesterday was the big day because of the "Charlie Hebdo" new magazine came out. And it turns out that there was indeed an incident at the residents of Francois Hollande where a car went the wrong way down a one-way street and hit a police officer. There were some initial media reports that suggested all of this was done deliberately.

There was one said the driver looked the police officer in the eye while driving towards her. She was slightly injured in the incident. Afterwards, it appears as though it turned out the driver was slightly intoxicated. They drove away and then tried to get away on foot. Two people were apprehended. Two people were taken into custody.

But, certainly, this was treated as something for a very long time, where they said it appears as though this might have been deliberate. It still is unclear whether or not it was deliberate or whether or not it might in some way shape or form be linked to the events that happened here over the course of the past week. However, at this point, it's simply not sure.

BERMAN: The French police do feel very much targeted right now. So, they are nervous about this type of thing. One other interesting development, we learned about starting yesterday -- the idea that there is this crackdown now against hate speech. It's against the law in France to defend terrorism, to speak out in support of terrorism.

PLEITGEN: Yes, it is. It is.

And one thing we have to keep in mind in all that, is that here in Europe, there is a different sense of what free speech is than there is in America. It's a lot more restricted than it is in America to begin with.

You look at Germany, you're not allowed to say good things about the Nazis for instance. It's just totally out of bounds. There are certain things here that are out of bounds. Way they are cracking down on it is new and different. There have been arrests made of people who allegedly defended what happened here.

There was one famous comedian who said, "Je Suis Coulibaly", "I am Coulibaly", who is, of course, the man who held up the kosher supermarket and killed four people, was also part of this plot. He was arrested as well.

So, yes, they are cracking down on it. There are apparently 50 cases that have already been opened for people who allegedly condone terrorism which is an offense here.

BERMAN: Of course, it does only add to the discussion about what is free speech and how far should you allow people to go.

Frederik Pleitgen, thank you so much. We want to talk to you again in a little bit with some more other new developments we want to get to.

But I want to turn to the investigation right now. Officials following up every lead following the attacks here. And we are learning more about the gunmen behind the attacks. American counterterrorism officials tell "The New York Times", they now believe it was Cherif Kouachi, the younger brother, who was the aggressor in the attacks, the ringleader. It wasn't his older brother, Said, they say.

French security services now believe that Amedy Coulibaly had an accomplice in his attack on the kosher grocery store. Police sources tell a French newspaper "Le Parisien" that a man from a Paris suburb may have driven Coulibaly to the supermarket.

And there is new information just breaking this morning, Belgium authorities say they have arrested a man who recently bought a car from Coulibaly's partner, Hayat Boumeddiene. Prosecutors say he is being held in connection with arms trafficking.

So, there is the weapons trail, there is the money trail. Investigators following money and now have another data point. It appears that Coulibaly may have borrowed money for his attack. The newspaper reports overnight that Coulibaly took out a bank loan in December for about $7,000. That loan was due to be repaid in the next five years.

For more now, I want to bring in CNN's Isa Soares following these threads and the investigation.

Good morning, Isa.

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Let me bring you up to date of the developments we got in the last 40 minutes or so from federal authorities telling CNN that the man has been arrested in connection to arms trafficking. What we are hearing and we've had in the last five minutes, from the Belgian authority is actually this man handed himself over, handed himself over, turned himself in, rather, to authorities.

He recently bought a car from Hayat Boumeddiene. Hayat Boumeddiene is the woman on the run. She is the one believed to have gone into Syria. You remember she went from here to Madrid and Madrid and believed to go to Istanbul and then over to Syria.

She is also the partner of Coulibaly. Belgium federal authorities also telling CNN in the last few minutes in fact that they raided the man's house, the Belgium man's house last week. In that house, they found a stash of papers that connected him to Coulibaly and when it comes to arms trafficking.

We have also learned in the last 24 hours, a French newspaper, that perhaps authorities here are looking for a fourth accomplice. We heard from the prime minister, there had been more than the ones we have now. In fact saying perhaps someone who helped plan and fund even not necessarily a trigger person, but the prime minister said.

Now, we are hearing this man who is from Paris, from the suburbs of Paris, perhaps drove Coulibaly to the kosher store on Friday, on the day of the attack. Why do they think that? Well, they found and went to his house and in the house, they found explosives and a stash of weapons and explosives and ISIS flag. And they also found a set of keys to a motor bike.

That motor bike belongs to this man who is believed to be on the run. This man is interesting because he's got quite an intensive and lengthy criminal record.

We are also hearing another layer to this part of the investigation, is that on the day of the "Charlie Hebdo" attack, we heard a man was shot and wounded in a park nearby while going for a run. And why is this important? Well, it's important because the ballistics of the attack match the ballistics from the Coulibaly attacks at the kosher store.

So, already authorities searching on the tail of really the weapons. They are also closing in on painstakingly so on the money, the money trail. That is important because in December -- on December 4th, Coulibaly we have learned took out a loan of $7,000, a $7,000 loan. He also wanted it in eight days. Obviously, immediately of getting the money, but he also was covered by life insurance. He asked for life insurance for that loan.

And why would authorities asking what that loan was for? Well, it wasn't that big of an amount to warrant any sort of questioning. We did note, though, we've learned looking at the documents that he did lie about his employment.

All of this coming in the last 24 hours when we heard from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claiming responsibility for the attacks, saying that it chose the targets, it laid the plan and it financed the operations. The U.S. coming out, following that statement, that claim of the responsibility, saying they believe the tape is authentic, but, of course, they are saying it is there is doubt, questions over the involvement, planning and financing.

But you are starting to get a picture that authorities are pressing throughout Europe, indeed French authorities pressing the money trail and, indeed, the weapons trail -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Isa Soares, also in Paris for some of these threads on the investigation, the new video, that claim of responsibility.

I'm joined again by Frederik Pleitgen here.

And, Fred, there's another video. Other pictures people are talking about there. And we have this new look inside the kosher supermarket as Amedy Coulibaly was carrying out his attacks.

PLEITGEN: Yes, absolutely, and they're obviously awful pictures, because they show just horrific the situation was. But they also offer a lot of interesting clues and a lot of interesting links.

If you look at some of these pictures, on one of them you see Amedy Coulibaly and he is wearing a bullet proof vest. And that looks awfully like the bullet proof vest that he is wearing in that ISIS video where he is pledging allegiance to ISIS. It looks almost exactly the same.

That could indicate that they were taken almost at the same time.

BERMAN: Right.

PLEITGEN: That the proximity is very close.

Also, you see him with a handgun, and that's interesting because remember, Isa was just saying that this fourth suspect apparently shot a jogger at some point and the ballistics match. That was from a pistol. And it appears as though it might be the exact weapon that Coulibaly used in the raid on the supermarket. Then, of course, this obviously the horrific scenes, bodies laying there at -- the stroller of someone who took his child into that freezer unit and stayed there for several hours.

But the body is from a person who tried to rescue the people, tried to take a gun away from Coulibaly. The weapon jammed and he was shot in cold blood and lay for several hours. It was an awful scene. At the same time, I believe, it's going to be very, very important for the investigation.

BERMAN: No doubt. It's interesting, too. Clearly, the level of planning. He asked the employees to turn off or disable the security cameras inside the store. What he did not know.

PLEITGEN: Is that they were remotely recording, yes.

BERMAN: Remotely recording, so he knew something, but not everything in this case, which is interesting in and of itself. Fred Pleitgen, great to have you here with us.

Christine, let's go back to you in New York.

ROMANS: All right. Thanks, John.

You know, the new edition of "Charlie Hebdo" is selling for hundreds of dollars on eBay. The magazine came out yesterday, a week after the terrorists attack its offices. It's official price is 3 euros, or about $3.50. It is fetching a higher price online. Copies sold for $600 on eBay already and many other copies have sold well over $100.

Yesterday, many newsstands and kiosks sold out of the issue very early. Buyers lining up to get one. There are long, long lines. In many cases, they were already sold out. Distributors said 5 million copies will be made available. More than 80 times its typical circulation. Our Brian Stelter saying that the publisher would be print a million a day until they reach that 5 million mark.

All right. Happening now, divers searching for victims on AirAsia Flight 8501. We are live with the very latest on that big story, next.

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ROMANS: Now that the fuselage of AirAsia Flight 8501 has been found, divers working in the Java Sea has faced an especially grim duty now. They have started to search for the bodies of those who perished in last month's crash.

Officials say that if the divers encounter trouble, crews may lift the fuselage out of the water.

I want to get right to CNN's David Molko live in Jakarta -- David.

DAVID MOLKO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, an extremely sensitive operation, perhaps the most tricky of the entire past 19 days. It will have to be done carefully, it will have to be done with dignity.

Lots of questions here, what will divers find when they go inside that fuselage? Will they be able to get inside and, certainly, can they bring those remains, the bodies of more than 100 people, believed to be inside, up to the surface?

If not, it's about a larger operation. Trying to lift the entire plane, about 100 feet long, to the surface. We saw this with the tail section. It was a smaller section. It took a team of three days using giant air bags. The question, Christine, right now is just from families -- how long will it take?

ROMANS: How long will it take?

And, David, how have the families been reacting to the news of the fuselage has been found? I mean, these underway images, you look at them, that is a graveyard. That is where their families are resting right now. That must be really emotional.

MOLKO: Christine, beyond the shock, a lot of mixed emotion. (INAUDIBLE) her brother, the flight engineer onboard Flight 8501, she said she felt both sadness and relief. Sadness because she realized her brother may be trapped inside the wreckage, relief because she believes it may be the chance to see to him again, if only his body, heartbreaking, Christine.

But she also said one other thing, that she still has faith. She keeps hope alive, even at this point, even seeing those photos, because she believes in miracles -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. Miracle might be getting all of that fuselage up and finding out what happened to that plane.

David Molko, thank you so much for that, David.

Pope Francis' plane just landed in the Philippines, just now. And he faces a rapturous welcome there. A national holiday has been declared. Most businesses and government offices are closed.

His smiling face is everywhere. Some 40,000 security personnel deployed to keep the pontiff safe during his time there.

And, you can see, they are preparing. Right now, he is on that plane. He just landed. You can see the dignitaries and military preparing to receive him in a country that is welcoming him. He just left Sri Lanka.

All right. New trouble this morning for Bill Cosby. Police now investigating a new rape claim against the comedian. Details after the break.

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ROMANS: A major management shake up at the Secret Service. Four of its most senior officials overseeing protection, investigation, technology and public affairs, they are being forced out following a series of scandals and security breaches at the White House. The agency's acting director says, quote, "Change is necessary to get a fresh perspective on how we conduct business."

House Republicans going the offensive passing legislation to overturn President Obama's executive actions on immigration and remove protections for so-called dreamers. Those are immigrants brought here illegally to the country as children. Speaker John Boehner says the president's executive, quote, "overreach" left the Republican- controlled House with no alternative. But 10 GOP members voted against the final bill.

Sexual assault claims against Bill Cosby could go from scandalous to criminal. The LAPD says it will investigate new allegations brought by Chloe Goins. She says Cosby drugged and assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion back in 2008 when she was 18 years old. More than a dozen other women have made similar accusations against the comedian. Goins attorney says the claims by his client are the first to fall within the California statute of limitations.

If you have questions about filling out your tax returns or filing your tax returns this year, do not count on the IRS for help. A report by a federal watchdog group says taxpayers will bear the brunt of IRS budget cuts. Customer service expected to be the worst in more than a decade. And it is not likely to improve anytime soon. Republican lawmakers want to cut the IRS budget by another $346 million for this fiscal year.

They'll be up bright and early in Hollywood for the nominations for the 87th Academy Awards. Among the expected best picture nominee is "Boyhood." This coming of age story that was 12 years in the making. Also, "Birdman" with its star Michael Keaton, we should also hear if his name called for the best actor category.

Julianne Moore is a leading contender for a best actress nomination, playing a woman with early onset Alzheimer's in "Still Alice". Eddie Redmayne who portrays Stephen Hawking in the "Theory of Everything" should also contend in the best actor race. And "The Grand Budapest Hotel" expected to be among the most nominated film. You can see the Oscar nomination live on "NEW DAY" at 8:38 Eastern Time.

All right. President Obama calling on Congress to provide a new job benefit to workers. We're going to get an early start on your money, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: Let's get an early start on your money this morning. European and Asian stocks up following the rebound in oil prices. U.S. stock futures are down a bit right now.

Yesterday, you know, stocks are down for the fourth day in a row. The Dow closed down 187 points. The problem in the drop in December retail sales and weak corporate results from JPMorgan Chase. We're going to get more big bank earnings today. Perspective, even with the this recent selling stocks just about 4 percent below the record highs hit in December.

Watching BlackBerry shares sinking before the bell. The stock got a boost yesterday on the rumor of a Samsung buyout. But both BlackBerry and Samsung deny a takeover. That is sending the stock back down more than 15 percent before the bell. BlackBerry has lost almost all of its market share in smartphones and has shifted focus to software, trying for a turnaround there.

The president is renewing his fight for paid sick days in this country. The White House announced via LinkedIn plans to push Congress on the Healthy Families Act. It would allow workers up to seven paid sick days a year. That could mean a huge change for 40 percent of workers who don't get any paid sick time.

The U.S. is the only advanced nation with no paid sick time policy.

EARLY START continues right now.

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