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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Police Raid Belgian Terror Cell; U.S. to Deploy Troops to Train Syrian Rebels; D.C. Attack Plot Suspect in Court Today; Cardale Jones Staying at Ohio State

Aired January 16, 2015 - 05:00   ET

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

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning: terror threat across Europe. Investigators revealing up to 20 jihadist sleeper cells scattered across the continent, some plotting imminent threats. This terror threat connected to Thursday's deadly raids in Belgium and have been tied to the Paris terror attacks. We are breaking down all of the developments overnight.

Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Berman. Live in Paris this morning.

And breaking overnight: new information on this terror threat spanning at least four European countries. A Western intelligence source tells CNN the threat involves as many as 20 sleeper cells.

Police in Belgium went after one of those cells in a raid Thursday in the eastern city of Verviers. They called it an operational cell. The raid killed two suspects, wounded one more. That wounded suspect is now in custody.

That raid, one of several, as many as 10 that took place in four cities in Belgium. Officials say it foiled an imminent major terror attack. At this point, authorities do not say that there's any connection between raids in Belgium, any connection with the raids in Belgium or attacks here in Paris last week. But intelligence sources do say that the attacks here in Paris led to information that may have sped up the timing of the Belgium operation.

A lot of developments in France, in Belgium, across Europe.

I want to bring in Isa Soares who is in our Paris bureau tracking the developments all across this continent.

Good morning, Isa.

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

Yes, Europe was already on edge. Now it is on high alert. Europeans waking up to the fact that they could possibly up to 20 terror cells active within Europe. This coming from a Western intelligence source telling CNN overnight.

This cell can consist up to 120 to 140 people, ready to strike across Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The same Western intelligence source telling us that the imminent threat is mostly in Belgium and possibly the Netherlands. So, who are these? Where do they come from?

Well, these are mostly Europeans, we have been told that have gone to Syria, who have been radicalized, and then coming back to strike here in Europe. We know about 3,000 or so Europeans have left to Syria and we have learned about 500 have returned in recent years.

Those 500 breakdown as much, 250 going to the U.K., 200 to Belgium and 70 to France. And given the attacks here in France and indeed the latest activity we see in Belgium, we have seen intelligence sources stepping up the raids across Europe.

Breaking in the last hour or so, Paris prosecutor telling CNN that 12 people have been held in Paris overnight. They are still in custody. They are expected of providing logistical support to Coulibaly. Coulibaly, as you know, he is the man responsible for those four deaths inside the kosher store. They are being held at this hour.

We have also learned through "Le Monde", the French newspaper that Hayat Boumeddiene, she is the partner of Coulibaly, is believed to have been between four months to five months pregnant.

And breaking the last 15 to 20 minutes or so, we have heard several media companies and media online have actually crashed. We do not know whether they've been hacked. We know that (INAUDIBLE) a mix of online journals, investigative magazines, have all -- they are not working at the moment. They all appear to have the same server. The server company telling CNN it has crashed. They do not know if it has been hacked.

Worth remembering in the last 24 hours, France security, cyber defense chief saying that 19,000 cyberattacks have taken place in the last week.

Let's turn our attention to Germany. You heard me talk about France, and now, neighboring Germany had two arrests that took place in Germany overnight, 11 raids happening across the country there. One of those people was supported ISIS there in terms of equipment and financing and logistics as well.

The other person we have learned is a man involved in a recruitment ring recruiting jihadists to four Chechen jihadists in particular. So, you are starting to get a picture of not just the anti-terror raids happening in Belgium, but it is Germany.

All of this happening as we heard with another ISIS video, supposed ISIS video appearing online. Three French speaking jihadists saying that more attacks are on the way. They said and I'm quoting here, we are going to come to Europe and there will be more operations across Europe. CNN could not independently confirm the authenticity of that video. But nevertheless unnerving set of events and really, you get the sense of just the enormous amount of anti-terror activity that is taking place in the last 24 hours and really overnight right across Europe, John.

BERMAN: All right. Isa Soares for us in Paris. And, of course, the biggest operation we saw overnight was that raid in Belgium in the town of Verviers, targeting what Belgium officials called an operational terror cell that was planning an imminent major attack inside the Belgium. The Belgium media reporting that perhaps the target to have been Belgium police.

All of this happening as Secretary of State John Kerry is visiting Paris. He is here right now for meetings with the French president and foreign minister. They'll, of course, discuss the fight against extremism.

Just moments ago, the secretary of state was behind me here at the memorial for those killed at "Charlie Hebdo" magazine. Ten people were killed inside, two police officers were killed outside. the secretary of state came here and laid a wreath with the French foreign minister just moments ago.

This all happening as we understand that there were 12 new arrests or 12 detentions overnight of people in France believed to be connected to the attacks here in the city one week ago.

I'm joined by terror expert Fabrice Magnier.

Fabrice, 12 people now detained in France, believed to have connections with Amedy Coulibaly. That number 12, does that seem like what we call a terror cell to you?

FABRICE MAGNIER, TERROR EXPERT: Yes, sure. A terror cell includes people prepares the action, people who do the action, and people who support the action. And people who permit the escape of the attackers. So, a number of 10 or 12 people. It could be a good number, you know, sufficient number to provide such an attack in Paris.

BERMAN: And we are learning at the same time, a Western intelligence source tells CNN as many as 20 sleeper cells across Europe with 120 to 180 people involved planning attacks right now. Does that surprise you?

MAGNIER: It's not surprising. It is not a surprise for the authorities in Europe, especially Western Europe. Maybe it is a surprise for most of the French citizens to learn about this, but you have to know that our police is doing a huge, huge job for the last 10 years to stop those implementation of the terror cell on our grounds. So, that's new for people, but not new for the military and police authorities.

BERMAN: This morning, Fabrice, we are learning most of the major French media web sites are down. We do not know if they were hacked or not. We do not know the cause of this.

However, French officials have said as many as 19,000 hacking attacks since the physical attack here at "Charlie Hebdo", there had been 19,000 cyber attacks. Is that new here in France?

MAGNIER: Yes, it is new on such a large scale. If it is true, and I can believe it can true, of course. It's new for us. That means we are facing now a new war of communication between different parties.

We have to understand now. We have to develop to different measures on a large scale to avoid this. We have to involve more experts to try to find solutions to avoid those radicals to be able to put our system down, because now we are thinking about economic systems, industrial system, because those terrorists, what do they want to do, they want to instill terror in the minds of people, terrorists, that's terror.

And then they want to also to make possible to put our economy down, economy. So, this is a major challenge, and we have to act quickly to race against the clock now, because we need money to face those new threats. In a period like we face actually the economic crisis, I think we have to act quickly before it is too late.

BERMAN: Fabrice, there is a raid in Belgium overnight. There was an arrest yesterday morning in Belgium with someone who could have been connected to the attacks here perhaps providing weapons. You told me that Belgium is known as a country known as a large weapons trade, a lot of weapons coming through Belgium.

MAGNIER: Yes, we have to consider Belgium is like a hub for movement of people across Europe and also movement of traffic and weapons across Europe. So, it is not a surprise to have seen those terrorists like Coulibaly maybe purchasing weapons in Belgium because big networks, big links was there to anybody's support for such terror attack, maybe criminal attack like.

BERMAN: We have heard in Belgium like so many other western countries in Europe right now, there have been people fighting in Syria or Iraq, returning to those countries right now. That is one of the biggest fears facing officials in Belgium, in France and Germany and Netherlands as well.

Fabrice Magnier, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

MAGNIER: Welcome.

BERMAN: And, Christine, we are standing outside the memorial for those killed in "Charlie Hebdo." It was moving to see the secretary of state here. We spoke to the mayor of the district. He said he does feel safe right now because of the enormous police presence. He doesn't know how long that presence can last -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right. John for us this morning in Paris. We're going to continue to follow the latest on those Paris attacks and terror threat across Europe all morning long. But, first, new information about this man. The man the FBI says

planning a Capitol Hill terror attack, in court for the first time in just hours. What we are learning new this morning.

Plus, breaking overnight. U.S. troops now set to train Syrian rebels in the fight against ISIS. Details on that, next.

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ROMANS: We are following the latest on the ongoing terror threat which appears to involve as many and 20 sleeper cells across Europe. Sources tell CNN dozens of people are tied to jihadist terror groups which are bringing attacks against Germany and Belgium and France. Two were killed in Belgium after police spoiled their plot to carry out an attack in that country.

Meantime, Secretary of State John Kerry is in France this morning where he will meet with the mayor of Paris. The move comes after heavy criticism, of course, that the U.S. did not send a high-ranking official to attend Sunday's unity rally there.

Breaking overnight, the Pentagon is sending 400 troops to train moderate Syrian rebels in the fight against ISIS. Beginning officials say beginning sometime this spring, trainers will work in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. In addition to the trainers, the U.S. will send hundreds of additional military personnel. They'll provide security and other support at those training sites.

In court later today, the Ohio gunman arrested by the FBI on Thursday for plotting a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. We know a lot more this morning about 20-year-old Christopher Cornell, what brought him to the attention of the authorities and what his parents are saying this morning in his defense.

CNN's Alexandra Field is in Cincinnati with the latest.

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ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine, Christopher Cornell, he is the man accused in that plot to bomb the Capitol and shoot victims as they fled from the buildings. His name is known to the country now, but it was known around his community before that.

Local authorities are now telling us that he was the lone demonstrator, the sole protestor at the 9/11 memorial event back in 2013. Authorities say that he caused a disturbance, but wasn't arrested at the time. He was apparently holding a sign that said "9/11 is an inside job."

Today, he is facing serious charges, accused of attempting to kill a U.S. government officer. He will appear in court later today for a detention hearing.

But his parents are coming to his defense saying their 20-year-old son raised here in Cincinnati didn't have the ability or resources to pull off the kind of attack that he is accused of. Instead, they believe their son was coerced.

JOHN CORNELL, FATHER OF CAPITOL TERROR SUSPECT: Chris has never been out of Cincinnati. I believe he was coerced into a lot of this stuff. I believe that the so-called snitch filled his head with a lot of stuff.

FIELD: Investigators had been following Cornell for months ever since an informant tipped them off to some Twitter activity in which Cornell was allegedly discussing jihad.

But they didn't take action until he walking out of this Cincinnati gun store. This is where they say he bought two assault rifles and 600 rounds of ammunition.

Because law enforcement officials were tracking Cornell's moves, they say that lawmakers were never in danger. Following his detention hearing later today, he will be back in court next week for pre-trial hearings -- Christine.

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ROMANS: All right. Alexandra Field in Cincinnati for us -- thank you, Alexandra.

House Speaker John Boehner claiming secret government surveillance helped foil Christopher Cornell's alleged plot to attack the Capitol. Boehner says the FISA program helped tipped off imminent threat. Boehner says the plot against the capitol was unsettling to him since he lives a few blocks away when he is in Washington.

Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Iran's foreign minister in Paris today. The pair seeking to get momentum and talks on Iran nuclear attacks. The two men held hours of discussion in Geneva on Wednesday, ahead of several days of negotiations, between the U.S. and Iranian teams in coming days.

ROMANS: After more than 50 years of isolation, new rules easing travel and trade restrictions against Cuba. New rules go into effect today. Among them, U.S. airlines will be allowed to fly scheduled routes to Cuba for the first time in decades. Individual Americans will be able to travel to Cuba as long as it's for religious, education or some other approved purpose. They can bring back up to $400 in Cuban goods, including $100 worth of alcohol and tobacco. Non-Cuban Americans can send up to $8,000 to any Cuban national and those with Cuban relatives can send as much as they want.

Time for an early start on your money. Stock futures pointing to -- oh, more losses. That follows a big drop in Asian markets overnight. The Dow is on a five-day losing streak. All averages down for the year. If your New Year's resolution was to finance or buy a house, mortgage applications jumped 50 percent during the first week of the year, the largest increase since 2008 just before the housing collapse.

This is, according to the mortgage Bankers Association. The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage is 3.66 percent, a 15-year is below 3 percent. We have not seen rates that low since May of last year. The benchmark rates keep falling. That could mean this is a very good time to refinance your loan.

Eighteen minutes past the hour.

Convicted rapist and murderer Charles Frederick Warner has been put to death in Oklahoma. The state used a new combination of drugs following a botched lethal injection last year that resulted in a nine-month hiatus on capita punishment in Oklahoma. Warner's execution and a separate one in Florida were delayed for two hours as the Supreme Court weighed in before denying any stage.

Josh McNary, the Indianapolis Colts linebacker accused of rape, will not play in Sunday's AFC championship game. He has been placed on the NFL commissioner's exempt list while the league investigates those allegations. McNary is charged with felony rape and battery and confinement over an incident with a woman back in November.

The parents of Kendrick Johnson, the Georgia teenager found dead inside a rolled up gym mat two years ago, they had filed a wrongful death suit. It accuses the 17-year-old's classmates of killing him and sheriff's investigators and school officials of covering it up. Johnson's death is ruled a freak accident. No one has been charged. The suit names three high school students and seeks $100 million in damages.

Getting the flu shot is not doing much to keep the flu at bay this season. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the vaccine will reduce your chances of getting the flu by just 23 percent. Officials have previously said this year's vaccine is not as effective against the current flu strain. Still, they say getting the flu shot is better than nothing. Normally, the flu shot is close to 60 percent effective.

Stay in school, that's what we tell the kids. After wining the national championship, Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones has decided to skip the NFL draft and return to school. Brian McFayden has the details in the "Bleacher Report", next.

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ROMANS: National championship winning quarterback Cardale Jones will stay in school and not enter the NFL draft.

Brian McFayden has more in this morning's "Bleacher Report".

Hey there.

BRIAN MCFAYDEN, CNN SPORTS: Hey, good morning, Christine.

Yes, over the past month, Cardale Jones went from unknown to the late first round -- NFL draft pick. Jones is just a sophomore. After his phenomenal play in his only three starts of his college career, a lot of experts are saying he could be a pick the third quarterback taken in the draft this year. Not to mention as of now, Ohio State will have two quarterbacks coming back next season to compete for the starting job for Jones.

But Cardale says his work is not done in Columbus.

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CARDALE JONES, WILL COME BACK FOR JUNIOR SEASON: I feel it is the best move for me to go back to school. One of the most important things to do is graduate. So, when I make the decision to play in the NFL, I want to be done in school. I want to devote my time and effort in the film room and get better at playing the quarterback position.

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MCFAYDEN: To the NBA, Cavaliers and Lakers. LeBron James and Cavs on the six-game losing streak. Second quarter, LeBron goes up for the alley hoop and clangs it badly. Kobe seemed to enjoy it. He and LeBron have a good laugh. James finished with 36 points. Cavs win 109-102, snapping their losing streak. Kobe and the Lakers continue their downward spiral. They have 12 wins this season.

A big trade last night in the NBA sending Austin Rivers to the L.A. Clippers to play for his dad, Doc Rivers. Once, Austin hits the court for L.A., it will be the first time in a history a son has played for his father. Don't look for any nepotism for Coach Doc, though. He says if he shows favoritism, it is for Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.

And in a totally rational move, a Seattle suburb is showing support for the Seahawks against the packers by banning cheese. Banning cheese, that's right. Bainbridge Island, Washington is banning cheese or cheese-flavored products. Some Packers are known for wearing blocks of cheese on their heads called cheese heads. The ban is for today and city hall employees.

You know what I hear? A city in Wisconsin that is actually banning Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Bands from Seattle to be played on the radio station. So, banning cheese.

ROMANS: They banned fog and rain too.

MCFAYDEN: Yes, right. Starbucks.

ROMANS: Banning Starbucks. Nice to see you this morning.

Twenty-five minutes past the hour. A terror threat across Europe. Investigators warning up to 20 jihadist sleeper cells across the continent planning attacks. Some threats being called imminent this morning. We are live breaking it all down next.

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