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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Report: Suicide Bomber Attacked Brussels Airport; Report: New Attack in Brussels Subway. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired March 22, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well they say they are working to the a lot more effectively than they were just a few months ago. But the problem with these situations as always, to what level can you share security information?

[05:00:05] And the background to this, is this migration crisis, from Syria and Iraq, coming into Europe, which has raised concerns about whether or not we should have stronger borders within Europe, and whether or not this type of thing is a symptom of the fact that people can travel around Europe so easily.

So, this plays a huge political debate. That's swelling up when we talk about an E.U. referendum. Should Britain even be within the E.U. anymore?

So, it's a very big subject. And it plays into the heart of what it means to be European right now.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: We should let you know if you're just tuning in right now, there have been two explosions at the Brussels airport.

You can see the broken glass, the ceiling tiles. We're told from a Belgian local media that 13 have been killed, 35 severely injured. We have spoken to eyewitnesses who either heard the blast or saw hundreds of people rushing through security to get away from that departure lounge.

There's reports of another attack, an explosion at a subway, a metro station. Eurostar train are cancelled, all flights in and out of Brussels are canceled.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We should underscore that this appears to be a coordinated type attack, 8:00 a.m., at the main airport, outside of Brussels, Belgium. Two explosions, one possibly a suicide bomber, gunfire before that. And hour and a half later, the explosion at the metro station at downtown Brussels, near the E.U. buildings itself.

All of this --

ROMANS: We're still trying to confirm some of the details, trying to confirm the gunfire before the explosions in the lounge. Again, it can be very chaotic at these early minutes of breaking news. Nima Elbagir is there.

Nima, what do we know? We know two explosions. We know fatalities. We've seen pictures of people coming out of stretchers. Bring us up to speed, Nima.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we know that there had -- we know that -- we've had confirms of the two explosions. Local media are reporting the fatalities. Eyewitnesses described to us just a really heartbreaking scene -- glass everywhere, people being stretchered out in high numbers. Dozens, really, is how they're describing it.

The count, one eyewitness gave us is between 20 and 30, just that he had seen. Other passengers, the other side of the tarmac were describing to us how they were very quickly evacuated as soon as they left the planes. One witness said they had seen a lot -- a number of grounded planes. We saw a grounded American airlines plane.

And I just want to step out of shots. You can get a sense of the scene. Where we are is we're on the back of the airport. This is where air traffic security is. You can see all of the police officers standing there. This is the staging grounds for the police officer reinforcements of this emergency plan.

Police motorcycle riders, I'm going to move back into shot now. Police, motorcycle riders and dozens of police cars stretching down that road, moving in and out of the airport. Jan Jambon, Belgian's interior minister, has announced that the threat level is now at its highest, that is level four. This is only the second time since the Second World War this has happened. The first was in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. We were here for that.

The streets of Belgium -- the streets of the Belgian capital, Brussels, emptied out. What they do in these instances, especially, as Miguel you were saying. So far, the information we're getting, it appears to have been a series of incidents. We don't want to call it attacks, because we haven't had confirmation from authorities yet as to really the nature of what these incidents were, beyond that we know there were explosions.

And given those kinds of circumstances, a level four allows the interior minister, allows Belgium authorities to deploy Belgian soldiers onto the streets, to ask citizens not to congregate, to free up those spaces and really to protect people from being soft targets, from being targeted in any kind of congregations and any public spaces. So, that's what the Belgian authorities are moving towards now, clearing out the spaces, allowing the authorities freedom of movement here to deal with this ongoing and unfolding situation.

MARQUEZ: Yes, and we do seem to be seeing the hallmarks of these sorts of attacks. You have been in the center of it, you're there this morning. But you've also been there, as they've been -- Belgian authorities have been searching for the attackers in the Paris attacks and those who may have supported them.

Two bombs possibly going off at the airport in Brussels, possibly gunfire before, an hour and a half later, 9:30 a.m., Brussels time, another explosion at the metro.

[05:05:05] It must feel as though Brussels is under attack this morning.

ELBAGIR: Yes. There's no way around that. The authorities are trying hard to imagine the flow of information. And they're trying hard to avoid panic. We have reportedly been saying this morning that, as yet, we have no confirmation.

What triggered this? What -- we know there's explosions. But they have in any way confirmed to us this is a terror attack. But there's no way to get away from the fear that's engendered here. I've been receiving messages from people heartbroken, watching this unfolding in the sense of their hometown. It's been an extraordinarily difficult time for Belgians to find themselves at the center of this. A real sense of confusion, a sense of fear, a worry, and now this. It's been an unrelenting few months.

We've been coming back and forth. And every time we come here, that's what we hear from people. Why? How? And when is thing going to end?

And some of those messages really have been really so -- they've been very difficult to read.

ROMANS: Nima, the Brussels transport authority is closing all transport now in Brussels. We know the E.U. staff, European Union staff and workers have been told to stay home or stay where they are. We know that this is the center of European government. There's all kinds of meetings there, diplomats.

We know that in the Netherlands, they are tightening security. And one report says tightening border controls, but also tightening public transport security, also we know the Frankfurt airport, they're beefing security there, the Paris airport.

I think, Nima, we can assume it goes on and on, that throughout Europe, officials -- authorities are trying to figure out how to make people safe and how to lock down their transportation systems.

ELBAGIRO: Yes. This has really triggered a domino effect. And even before this incident, the French authorities have been dispatching extra security to their borders and Interpol had been warning about their concerns of the possible movement, not just of suspects. But of militants across European borders, seeking to carry out potential attacks.

So, since the capture of Salah Abdeslam, there's been a sense of high alert and of heighten vigilance, not just here in Belgium, but across Europe. And the Belgian foreign minister was warning on Monday, they believe that Abdeslam and the network around him was planning on a new network that had formed around him, were planning on carrying out new attacks.

So, there's been a real sense, over the last few days, since the capture of Abdeslam, a concern that his capture might cause a ripple effect, through these network and cause them to fast-forward through panic any plans they might have had. So, this is the backdrop through which all this is unfolding. The back drop we're seeing this response, from the other European nations.

And given how interconnected Europe is, in terms of transport, that's why these responses had to be so swift. The Eurostar has now been cancelled, Brussels airport, a very broad cordon set up around it. They're trying to isolate the threat here to stop the domino effect. And the domino effect of the fear, as well.

MARQUEZ: I want to Serge __ -- thank you very much, Nima, for all of your help. Please, stay on it. I know you will.

I want to bring in Serge Massart, who was at an E.U. Commission meeting in the building above the metro station, the Maelbeek subway station where that bomb apparently exploded today.

Mr. Massart, thank you for joining us. What did you feel this morning? What did you hear and where are you now, and what are you seeing?

SERGE MASSART, WITNESS TO METRO STATION EXPLOSION (voice-over): Right now, we have to evacuate the building. I was here more than half an hour ago, something like that, and police have set up a security perimeter. So, we are now about 100 meter from the building. Before that, we were in a meeting.

And we heard an explosion near. And we heard the vibration, like the building had moved a little bit.

ROMANS: How --

MASSART: We wanted to go to the window. And people were coming out of the metro station. We had to evacuate the building.

ROMANS: Tell us about the subway station. Where it is? It's the Maelbeek subway station. Tell us where it is in central Brussels.

MASSART: There are two major stations, Schuman and Maelbeek, which are very close together. And they are in the European Quarter of Brussels, I would say. (INAUDIBLE)

[05:10:08] Many, many E.U. services.

MARQUEZ: And, Mr. Massart, at 9:20 a.m., how busy would that subway station have been?

MASSART: Excuse me?

MARQUEZ: At 9:20 a.m., how busy would that station have been?

MASSART: I cannot hear you. I'm sorry.

MARQUEZ: Go ahead. We can hear -- we can hear the sirens behind you. I know it's difficult. We'll give you a moment until they pass.

How busy at that hour, at 9:20 in the morning, would the subway stations had been? Or had that station been?

MASSART: Yes. It's an hour where many people, of course, are arriving and moving to work. (INAUDIBLE)

MARQUEZ: And when you say you felt a vibration in the building, was it sustained? How long did it take?

MASSART: It was brief. One second, maybe. It was the length of an explosion, I guess.

ROMANS: So, now, they've closed down the subways. They've closed the Eurostar. The airport has been closed. And, you know, Belgian authorities are telling people to stay where you are. European Union staffer told to stay where they are, to stay home. What are you seeing around you now, Serge?

MASSART: We had to move far away from the building and we received no more instructions. We have been told that the building will be closed for all the day. So, I will get some news from my one and I will try to find some way to get out of Brussels.

ROMANS: We're so glad that you're OK>

MARQUEZ: Mr. Massart, are you a resident of Brussels? And what does it feel like, to have your city under attack today?

MASSART: Well, I do not live in Brussels. I live well, not far away. (INAUDIBLE)

It's a shock. And I'm not -- maybe it could be coming, of course. The nightmare in Paris, which is not far away. Everybody knows it can happen. But when it does, it's a shock.

ROMANS: All right. Serge Massart, so nice to hear your voice that you're OK. But we know this will be a long, long day, a nightmare in Paris. And now, a shock for you in Brussels, no question. Thank you.

Let's go back to London. Max Foster is there.

We've been listening to all of this with us, Max. We're watching as European governments and other European airports are beginning to respond, to tighten security. And again, we do not have a cause for the explosions. We just know they've happened, Max.

FOSTER: Yes. And they fit into the pattern, the worst-case scenario of what they're expecting next, which is targeting something iconic. And certainly Brussels is that. It's the home of the European Commission. It's the capital of Europe.

We've seen an attack, it seems, by all of the evidence we're seeing so far, even though it hasn't been confirmed, on the airport and the metro system. And the whole transport system has basically ground to a halt. European commission is on lockdown. Staff are being told to stay at work or at home, not to move anywhere.

We just heard from Downing Street that the prime minister will be hosting an emergency COBRA meeting. That's the top level of government emergency meeting to try to have some sort of response in relation to Brussels.

In the meantime, over at Heathrow airport, they've increased police presence there. So, certainly, this is seen as a European threat, a global threat. This isn't just an attack, Christine, on Brussels.

MARQUEZ: I want to -- if we still have the information, I want to bring up the picture of the real-time traffic of the airlines just after this happened.

You can see the airlines turning around all of the airplanes in the air, turning around from the Brussels airport, headed to other areas of Europe.

Max, if you have us -- there it is there. You can see them curlicue style in their way into final approach into Brussels, and turned around to different airports.

Max, do you have a sense -- so a COBRA meeting in London. That's as high as it gets for security officials I cross the U.K.

Do you have a sense that is going to -- they will be on conference call with other European leaders. And what is your sense of what is happening at other airports, other capitals around Europe right now?

FOSTER: Well, I know there are plans that plans to coordinate a lot better than they did after the Paris attack.

[05:15:05] So, for example, the head of counterterror in London will be speaking to his counterparts in Paris and in Brussels, and in Berlin and around Europe. And also, the governments will be coordinating as well.

But what they'll be doing in places like London is asking for any sort of advice, intelligence suggests there could be copycat incidents in other European capitals. Certainly, the head of counterterror in London, there might be some spectacular attack in multiple locations on a European city. It could be Brussels, it could be London, it could be Paris, it could be anywhere.

This is an attack on Western lifestyle now. It's not the lone wolf, radicalized online that we've been hearing so much in the past. It's all about the premise that was set up in Paris, a military-style operation that train attackers with a strategy.

ROMANS: We know that the main railway stations have been closed now in Brussels. We know the subways are closed. The metro stations are closed.

Eurostar trains will not be arriving in Brussels today. And we know that the airlines, all of the flights in and out of Brussels have been canceled.

We also know that in Amsterdam, in Frankfurt, in Paris, they are beefing up security as we speak at all those terminals. There's military boosting security at airports and borders. The Dutch military, after those Brussels attacks.

And I can tell you, Max, the global markets are falling, no surprise, after this because when you talk about an attack, which it appears to be, two explosions, potentially three, in the heart of the European capital, where there's always there's international companies where international business is done every day, that strikes to the core of Europe and commerce.

FOSTER: It does. And I know you've been reporting on it more than me, Christine, that there's insecurity around the world in terms economics. These shocks go through the stock markets.

If you consider the Brussels airport there, handles 23.5 million passengers a year. That was the figure for last year. So, just in February, they handled 1.5 million passengers. And it is a major transit point as well.

And a lot of key figures go through the airport because Brussels is a European capital, with the European Commission having its home there. That knock-on effect on all the other airports are going to be pretty severe. So, you're going to see delays throughout Europe, particularly this time of day.

It's morning. We're going to rush hour, just coming out of it rush hour. It would have caused all sorts of knock-on delays when the skies are so congested.

And also, Eurostar, which is also the train from Paris to Brussels, that's also been closed down to Brussels at least. And that's going to cause all sorts of knock-on problems, as well. So, this is going to have a huge impact. This was a terror attack, they want to cause disruption and they certainly got it today.

ROMANS: Max, we're showing live pictures right now, the subway station, the Maelbeek subway station, where the explosion occurred, sometime after the explosions at the airport, but this morning during the rush hour in Brussels. Very close to E.U. institutions.

MARQUEZ: Right downtown from Brussels and 20 minutes from the airport, from what we know, and what we can piece together. Two explosions, possibly one a suicide bomb at the Brussels airport. 8:00 a.m. 13 people killed so far we know, 35 wounded, according to Brussels media. About an hour and a half later at the Maelbeek subway station, another explosion occurred.

Clearly, this is a city that is wrestling with a possible multiple coordinated attacks this morning. The crisis center telling people to stay where they are, they have heightened security as high as they can, so they can bring in the military, says our Nima Elbagir, who is on the ground there. They can keep people from gathering and going out, to keep only security up personnel on the ground there.

And a full-on effort now, really Brussels' worst nightmare, something they have been saying might happen, concerned that this could happen. And now, it has happened. ROMANS: Let me bring in Josh Rogin. He was in that airport 24 hours

ago. And Josh said it was palpable the fear, not fear maybe but anxiety because of so much that has happened this week on the terror front in Brussels.

[05:20:02] We now have international stock markets falling. You've got Belgian authorities telling people to stay home. E.U. staff told to stay where they are.

Josh, this is the point of terror, isn't it?

JOSH ROGIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. Let me give the viewers context near.

Just on Friday, Belgian authorities launched a number of anti-terror raids and captured one of the main Paris attackers, Salah Abdeslam. And immediately after the operations, there was a heightened sense of alert and concerns amongst Belgian security officials.

We heard from the Belgian foreign minister, Sunday morning, he spoke to major conference of international scholars and officials. He said that more attacks were being planned. He said that the network was active and contained, quote, "more than 30 individuals". And he called on the international community to rapidly increase intelligence and security information sharing.

So, there was understanding that this was far from over. And there was a real belief that the cells that were dormant in Brussels would be -- might be activated in the wake of this arrest, in these anti- terror raids, especially in the neighborhood of Maelbeek.

So, there was an increased sense of alert, and increased sense of concern. When I was at the airport, 24 hours ago, the increased security presence could be felt. The tension amongst the people doing the security was palpable. Nevertheless, that main terminal where these bombings occurred was largely unprotected, despite some added uniform security personnel who were heavily armed. The entrance to the airport terminal was not where people were getting checked.

Anyone, including -- I drove up to the main terminal, relative ease, only 15 minutes from downtown. You can walk into the main terminal, do whatever business you had to do.

And until you actually got to the security checkpoint, there was really no mechanism to stop someone who wanted to commit some sort of an attack. It's a realization that despite some of the most alert and most prepared security personnel, in Europe, being aware and looking for such an attack. Still, there were wholes to the system that terrorists seem to have exploited.

MARQUEZ: This was the nightmare for soft targets like airports, because while you can protect the planes, you can protect the gates, you can protect the areas, once people go through security. There's a bottleneck in the departure areas, in the arrival areas themselves. That's always a concern as a soft target. I want to make very clear, though, John. You were at this very

building we are looking at now on air. It is the only departure area for domestic and international flights. Describe to us what it is like to go through that building, how many people will be in that area. Are there shopping malls? Are there cafes? Are people in there? I don't know what time you were there. But at 8:00 a.m., I'm assuming it is a very, very busy time in that airport.

ROGIN: Yes, I arrived at 10:00 a.m. Monday morning for my flight at 12:00 noon. There were hundreds upon hundreds of people coming in and out of the airport. It was a busy and even chaotic scene.

There were security officials present at every entrance. But they were not checking every person who comes in and out of that front door. Some people were there dropping off loved ones. Some were dealing with airport personnel. Some people were dropping off their luggage.

It's what you would see at any busy airport. There was a palpable tension, I want to describe this accurate, a palpable tension, a realization that the threat level was high. And you could feel it in the air, but you could also see it in the way that people were dealt with, both when they were checking into flights and at questions, and bag checks. People were getting pulled out of the security line.

When I was on the way to Brussels, there was also an added level of security. We had security delays. Someone arrested on my flight. The security personnel were not fooling around, OK? But nevertheless, it was clear that there were hundreds upon hundreds of people walking in and out all day long, and no real way to identify one or another who might have posed a specific threat.

[05:25:06] ROMANS: Josh, thanks -- thanks for that.

I want to go back to Nima. She is out side the airport.

ELBAGIR: Hi, there.

ROMANS: Nima, you're seeing forensic teams? Go ahead and tell us what you're seeing now.

ELBAGIR: We're seeing more police reinforcements moving in. We showed you earlier those police cars and police officers waiting where we re here is the staging ground really for the response inside the airport.

And we have seen the move to reinforce the emergency plan inside the airport. Police cars, ambulances and forensic teams have gone in. It gives you a sense perhaps that the situation has stabilized to the extent that they feel able to move into those teams and try to figure out what triggered this? What is at the heart of that incident?

MARQUEZ: I do want to, well, say that there's been some confusion whether Eurostar is running into Brussels. It sounds like they are, in fact, completely shut down for Brussels. The metro throughout the city has been closed. Nima, you're reporting they have security at the highest level, the

level four, that would allow them to bring the military in. What do you expect? And with two, what appears to be two coordinated attacks in the city at this point, possibly others out there, I take it this is not over by a long shot.

ELBAGIR: Well, even before this, what authorities were telling us, was that the capture of Salah Abdeslam shouldn't be seen as the end of the story. That if indeed these incidents are the results of a terrorist attack, that for a while, and that for a while has been their concern.

They had been warning people in Belgium, not to let down their guard. Don't feel that just because we've captured this most wanted man, that life here -- the pressure, the tensions, the fear, will start to dissipate. That's been the warning and the message we've been getting from authorities here throughout this.

Given what we experience last time, when it was at level four. That's what we can expect, to see soldiers on the streets, the ability to ask not to congregate, to create soft target, to move off the streets, to allow those police cars, to allow the authorities that freedom to try and take control of the situation, which is still unfolding here, and to also take control of the investigation, to stop what else could be out there.

But as you and I, and we all have been saying this morning, we just stress, authorities have yet to confirm what triggered the incident s. Although, this has the hallmarks of a complex attack at this point.

ROMANS: And I think your caution is absolutely warranted here, because authorities have not said exactly what happened, and it's our job to say what we can confirm. We know there were two explosions in departure lobby there, the departure lounge in Brussels airport.

We know and have talked to eyewitnesses, who have seen and heard an explosion in a subway station and metro station. And we know the public transportation has been shut down. What we're waiting for now, what we're waiting for now, Nima, is some sort of confirmation from authorities about whether it was a suicide bomb inside that airport. And what kinds of explosive devices and who did it?

ELBAGIR: Absolutely. And the response from the rest of Europe gives you a sense as to how they're treating this. Many countries announcing that they have beefed up security.

Part of the suspension of the Eurostar really is the kind of snip those links between Europe and Brussels in terms of ease of movement for who might be being sought by authorities. And also, to try and contain the zone, within which all of this is unfolding.

So, you get a sense that the rest of Europe has responded very quickly. They have their concerns about what triggered this but the interior your minister has to balance not sowing further amongst the broader populace as well, also keeping the Belgium public informed. And that's what the authorities have been trying to get right from months throughout all of these events.

MARQUEZ: I know you've been doing reporting on the radicalization of individuals in Brussels. You've been there in the post-Paris attack days. And you've been reporting for us in recent days.

What have your sense of it? They had the arrest over the weekend. What's your sense of it? How many people are they looking for? Clearly, this is not over, and the city will be under a state of emergency, now, for some time.

How many people are possibly out there? Are we talking in the tens, dozens, the hundreds?