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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Ohio Man Arrested for Plotting Attack on U.S. Capitol; France's War on Terror; Marcus Mariota to Enter NFL Draft

Aired January 15, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Terror threat on Capitol Hill. Police arresting a man they say planned to setoff a series of bombs in an ISIS-style attack. New information about the suspect and what his father is saying about his arrest this morning.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The French war on terror. Searching for more suspects here, people who could be on the run believed to be involved in the attacks on Paris. This country is vowing to fight al Qaeda. That group now claims to have orchestrated the attacks at "Charlie Hebdo." And the nation of France now approves new air strikes against ISIS.

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm John Berman live in Paris this morning.

ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. It is Thursday, January 15th. It is 5:00 a.m. in the East.

There is a lot happening in Paris this morning. We'll get to that.

But, first, we go to breaking news. A terror threat in this country. An Ohio man is in federal custody accused of planning an attack on the U.S. Capitol. A complaint alleges that Christopher Lee Cornell aligned with is. His father telling CNN, he doesn't think his son could ever have carried out this plan.

Justice correspondent Pamela Brown is in Washington with details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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. The FBI has been keeping an eye on Cornell for several months after a confidential informant tipped them off about some alarming statements he allegedly posted on social media about wanting to launch violent jihad.

At one point, he allegedly told the informant that he had been in contact with people overseas and wanted to murder U.S. government officials in honor of ISIS. And according to this criminal complaint, some of the communications happened over the summer. At one point, the informant apparently said, "I believe we should wage

jihad under our own orders and plan attacks." And the FBI is alleging that from there, he took concrete steps towards his goal, researching how to build pipe bombs, and studying the buildings he wanted to target in D.C.

And then we learned that on Wednesday, he allegedly bought two semiautomatic rifles, according to the FBI. Shortly after that, he was arrested and then charged with attempting to kill a U.S. government officer.

His father spoke to CNN. He says he is shocked by this, that he had no knowledge of his son's alleged plot.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Do you believe he was involved with ISIS?

JOHN CORNELL, SUSPECT'S FATHER: Heck no. There's no way. There's no way my son was involved with is.

LEMON: But he did convert to Islam, did he not?

CORNELL: Yes, he did convert to Islam. Is that a crime? He belongs to Islam. And he -- at first, I was concerned because of the stuff that you see in the news. He explained a lot of stuff to me, that he never had anything against Christians or anyone, you know?

I think he was really vulnerable. You know what I mean? I think some of this just sounds so far fetched. I mean, how in the heck was he going to -- he didn't even drive. I mean, he did not have a car.

BROWN: 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 -- Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Pamela Brown, thank you for that.

And, John, that official complaint -- an official saying that it doesn't appear that he had the support of ISIS or ISIS financial ties. This was something he was doing on his own. It was an attack he wanted to take on in the name of ISIS on his own -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Very interesting.

As we know, Christine, people have been on a level of alert in the United States for this type of situation. Here in France, the highest level of alert and tensions are rising. That is in the wake of the new claim of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen, that group taking responsibility for last week's terror attack against a satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo" right behind me.

At the same time, this country is celebrating the provocative free speech in the issue of "Charlie Hebdo" with the cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on the cover. The government here has ordered prosecutors to crackdown on some other kinds of speech. The justice ministry says that since the attacks last week, more than 50 have been arrested or detained for what they call hate crimes. It's against the law in France to defend terrorism.

The level of hostility in this country right now, two radical Islam or groups that are sponsoring it seems to be growing. The lower house of parliament has voted overwhelmingly to extend French participation in the coalition air strikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. French President Hollande is sending an aircraft carrier to the Indian Ocean to help fight ISIS.

All of this happening as Secretary of State John Kerry is due to arrive here today. He will be the highest level American official to come to this country since the attacks here more than one week ago.

I want to bring our senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen.

And, Fred, a couple of things really highlight the level of tension here. There was an incident last night near the home of the French president.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, near the residence of the French president, exactly. And it appears as though there was a car that went into the street where that residence is, backwards against the one way street, so in the wrong direction and hit a police officer.

Now, there was initially report saying that it was believed that it may have been done intentionally. There was one report saying that the driver looked the police officer who got hit in the eyes. The police officer, a female police officer was only lightly injured.

Right now, they are sort of piecing the facts together, it appears as though this might have been a group of people, two of which got away and two apprehended, might have drunk alcohol before taking to the car and realized they were in the very, very wrong neighborhood, especially during this heightened alert that you have right now and try to get away. So, it's unclear whether or not it might be linked to any of this. But, of course, in this situation, it's something that courts, stirs a lot of anxiety.

And I was driving out here earlier today and you could tell that there are more check points on the roads today than there were yesterday, even though yesterday was the release date for the very controversial magazine cover.

BERMAN: Security officials, Fred, have told both of us police feel they are targets right now. And, of course, three of them were killed in the days of terror across the country.

And, Fred, you mentioned before French prosecutors are cracking down on certain kinds of speeches, against the law in France. This may come as a surprise for Americans. It's against the law to speak out in support of terror, to even just condone terror publicly.

PLEITGEN: Yes, it's one of those things where the notion of free speech in Europe and many European countries is very different than the notion of free speech for instance in America. It's not only illegal to condone terrorism, it's also for instance illegal to call for the overthrow of the public order, of the government order in this country.

So, yes, the French authorities are absolutely cracking down on that. They've already opened more than 50 cases here in the cases where people apparently supported terrorism and people condone the attacks that happened here. There's one very famous comedian who was arrested because he said, "Je Suis Coulibaly", I am Coulibaly. Saying he is Amedy Coulibaly, the man who held up that kosher supermarket who killed four people and also killed a police officer on the day before that.

So, it's certainly something they were cracking down. There was also apparently 100 incidents during the moment of silence last week for the victims of this, at schools here in France where people were disrupting it. They got in trouble as well.

So, yes, it's interesting, because at the same time, as you know, they have been celebrating free speech, they've been celebrating the battle for free speech, as people are going out and holding up the cover of the "Charlie Hebdo" magazine. At the same time, cracking down on other forms that are deemed to be against this public order.

BERMAN: To be clear, they are not being held in connection with the attacks that took place behind us, but just in this environment, they don't want going on at all. Frederik Pleitgen, thank you so much for being with us.

I want to turn to the investigation right now, because there are a lot of new developments overnight in that, investigators pursuing every lead. And we are now learning more about the gunmen behind this pair of incidents. American counterterrorism officials tell "The New York Times" they now believe it was Cherif Kouachi, the younger brother, who was the aggressor, the main player in the attacks, not his older brother, Said.

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 that supermarket.

And there is news breaking this morning. Belgian authorities, officials in Belgium, say they have arrested a man who recently bought a car from Amedy Coulibaly's partner, Hayat Boumeddiene. She is the woman now believed to be in Syria.

Prosecutors say this man in Belgium is being held in connection with arms trafficking. It's so interesting. You have leads in Belgium, in Yemen, in Syria. Investigators now following the money now say they have another new data point.

It appears that Amedy Coulibaly himself 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 would be enough to buy the weapons he used, officials tell us that loan was due to be repaid in five years.

I want to get more on the investigation. I want to bring you in Isa Soares who is in Paris with me.

Good morning, Isa.

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

Yes, lots of angles coming, breaking overnight, in fact, breaking the last hour, Belgium federal authorities telling CNN they have arrested a man in connection with arms trafficking. We have learned the last few minutes, the man turned himself into authorities. He is believed to have recently bought a car from Hayat Boumeddiene. She is the woman, the partner of Coulibaly, and the woman that is on the run, believed to have crossed into Syria.

Belgium federal authorities also telling CNN the last few minutes that they raided his house last weekend and there, they found paper trails that really linked him to Coulibaly when it comes to weapons. So, that is hot on the trail of the weapons.

Also on hot of the trail of weapons, we have been breaking overnight, the fourth suspect. (INAUDIBLE) reporting from authorities, they have sources and they believe a fourth suspect, a man who drove Coulibaly to the kosher store that Friday.

Why do they think that? Well, if you remember, authorities raided his house, Coulibaly's house, in his house, they found stash of weapons and explosives and the flag belong to ISIS -- ISIS flag. They also found a set of keys to a motor bike. That motor bike belongs to this man.

And this is important and this is another layer to this. The man is believed to be behind a shooting at a park. A man was jogging in a park on the same day of the attacks at "Charlie Hebdo." the man is wounded. He's absolutely fine. He's OK. Wounded, but now, they've really realized the ballistics from the incident in the park and the incident and the attack at the kosher store, ballistics are the same.

So, two today, we are hearing from Belgium authorities on weapons, also talk of the fourth suspect connecting the weapons.

On the money trail, we have been hearing overnight as well from "La Voix Du Nord", saying that Coulibaly took money out on December the 4th. It was a loan that he requested for 6,000 euro, that's roughly $7,000. He wanted that loan quickly. In fact, he wanted the loan in eight days.

He also asked to be covered by life insurance. We have been told he did not have to give any sort of explanation why he wanted the money because the amount wasn't that substantial. We have heard from experts saying that amount enough for him to buy the weapons he had on him on that Friday at the store at the kosher store. You are getting a picture of the weapon trail and the money trail that authorities are so painstakingly tracking pretty much across Europe -- John. BERMAN: It is interesting. There could be money that came from Yemen

for the Kouachis. Money that Amedy Coulibaly procured on his own through a loan. Very interesting to see where that money leads.

Isa Soares, thank you so much. This country, of course, and you see it behind me, this memorial in front of "Charlie Hebdo" has been growing every day, people still visiting it more than a week after the attacks.

And this country is still in mourning. There are more funerals for the victims of the attacks set for this morning. Police Officer Frank Brinsolaro is set to be laid to rest this morning. And the "Charlie Hebdo" cartoonist, Bernard Verlhac known by the pen name "Tignous". The ceremony, his burial begins at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

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

ROMANS: Another tough day in Paris. Thanks, John, for that.

Pope Francis has just arrived in the Philippines. He faces a rapturous welcome there. A national holiday has been declared in the Philippines. Most businesses and government offices are closed and pictures of his smiling face are everywhere. Some 40,000 -- 40,000 security personnel are being deployed to keep the pontiff safe during his time in the Philippines.

Happening now, divers in the water trying to recover victims of AirAsia Flight 8501. Investigators examining those black boxes to figure out why the plane crash in the first place. We are live with the new developments this morning, next.

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ROMANS: Now that the fuselage of AirAsia Flight 8501 has been found, divers are working in the Java Sea facing an especially grim duty. They have started to search the wreckage for bodies of those who perished in last month's crash. Officials say that if the divers encounter any trouble, crews may lift the fuselage out of the water.

ISIS fighters are still making gains in Syria, even after three months of pounding by coalition forces, with close to 800 airstrikes. U.S. and independent assessment say bombing campaigns have pushed militant forces out of some key battlegrounds in Iraq. But the same cannot be said in Syria. In fact, Syria is still a haven for Islamic State militants and they kept making there.

A "Washington Post" journalist detained in Iran for months has been indicted and will stand trial. Tehran's announcement comes following as Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Geneva pushing forward Iran's nuclear program. Current and former U.S. officials believe the prosecution of Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American will complicate the Obama administration's efforts to forge a nuclear deal with Iran.

A major shake-up at the Secret Service. Four of its most senior managers 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.

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 with 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.

Time for an early start on your money.

Asian had a strong day, but European shares moving lower right now. So are U.S. stock futures. Yesterday, stock fell for the fourth day in a row. The Dow down 350 points and finished with a loss of 187. It was a drop in retail sales in December and weak corporate results from JPMorgan chase. That rattled the market. We will get a look at the banks earnings today.

The president renewing his push for paid sick days. Plans to push Congress on the healthy families act would allow workers to earn up to seven paid sick days per year. That could be a huge change for 40 percent of workers who don't get any paid sick time in the United States.

At last, the weather you have been waiting for. A January thaw is due to end the arctic blasts.

Let's turn now to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for an early look at your weather.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good Thursday morning, Christine.

Yes, the warming trend finally ticking back in for portions of the Upper Midwest, portions of the Great Lakes, even the northern plains getting in on the action now. We're not talking about getting up too far above freezing. It's still very cold. Not shorts and t-shirts weather.

But 36 for Minneapolis St. Paul since the 3rd of January. They'll take it.

About 12 degrees above normal for Denver. Remember when they were below zero a few days?

And, of course, St. Louis on the warming up side as well. And Washington, D.C. and New York, the lone spots going to remain low. But just a couple of notches below averages, and notice just everyone again sees the temperatures go above average. Come Friday, New York, D.C. staying again right at or below average.

The trend changes a little bit. We get some cooler air pushing in across the northern portion of the country, mainly the north eastern portion. So, New York unfortunately, you don't get in on the warm just yet.

But here is the culprit. This clipper system drops in Thursday into Friday reinforces that shot of cold air from Boston to New York and Philly. That is the trend.

So, notice the warming in place for large parts of the country in the northeast. Saturday, pretty cold. New York City, 29. Boston, 22.

But look what happened Sunday, Christine, temperatures in New York finally shoot up not only into the 30s, but into the mid and upper 40s. So, the warming trend is going to get towards their direction, but it's going to take a few days before it does.

ROMANS: All right. A few days. We'll take it, thanks, Pedram.

All right. They made it. Climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgenson the first to reach the granite wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Par, using only, only their hands and feet. No climbing tools. It's considered the toughest rock climb in the world. The 3,000-foot free climb took them 19 days.

This remarkable feat eve celebrated by the president. President Obama tweeted a picture of himself standing in front of the Yosemite painting with the message, "You remind us that anything is possible."

All right. Twenty minutes past the hour.

He declares, Heisman trophy winner, Marcus Mariota, will he go forgo his senior season at Oregon and enter the NFL draft? Andy Scholes has the details in the "Bleacher Report", next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Just days before the AFC championship game in Indianapolis, a Colts player has been charged with rape.

Andy Scholes has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Hey, Andy.

ANDY SCHOLES, BLEACHER REPORT: Hey, good morning, Christine.

You know, this is the last thing the NFL wanted before the championship weekend, Super Bowl. Twenty-six-year-old Colts linebacker Josh McNary turned himself in to authorities last night. He is being charged with rape, criminal confinement with bodily injury and battery resulting in bodily injury. A woman claims he sexually assaulted her after they met in a bar last month. In a statement, the Colts say they are aware of the allegations. The

NFL says the matter is under review. McNary's attorney released a statement saying his client denies the allegations.

All right. Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota will play on Sundays next season. The Oregon quarterback announced yesterday that he will forego his final year of eligibility and enter this year's NFL draft. Mariota is expected to be one of the top picks possibly, even going number one overall to the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Well, today is the deadline for underclassman to declare for the draft. The big question for Ohio is, will Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones leave after playing just three games? Jones was, of course, a perfect 3-0 in those games and led Ohio State to an improvable national title.

All right. The San Francisco 49ers found Jim Harbaugh's replacement. They didn't have to look for very far. The Niners promoted defensive line coach Jim Tomsula to head coach. Tomsula has been with the team since 2007.

Now, across the Bay, the Oakland Raiders hired Jack Del Rio to be their next head coach. Del Rio had been the Broncos defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. The Falcons, Broncos and Bears all looking for the next head coach.

All right. Oscar nominations are set to be announced this morning. If there's a best attempt in the block category, T.J. Hairston would be your winner. Last night in the Spurs-Hornets game, check this out. Hairston just goes flying after Tony Parker barely touches him. The officials didn't buy that for one second.

And, Christine, you know, flopping is actually can draw you a fine in the NBA. I'm sure Hairston is going to be hearing from the league office -- 5,000 bucks if you are found guilty of flopping during an NBA game.

ROMANS: All right. Andy Scholes, thanks for that, Andy.

Twenty-five minutes past the hour. New information this morning in a Capitol Hill terror plot, investigators say inspired by ISIS. We have all the latest on that next.

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