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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Fugitive Father Presumed Dead After Shootout In New Zealand; Emergency Services: At Least Five Killed In Jerusalem Shooting; London Police Arrest Nearly 900 At "Palestine Action" Protest. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired September 08, 2025 - 05:30   ET

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

[05:30:00]

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Again, this is a drama that has been unfolding since 2021. There have been a lot of, perhaps, sightings over the years. At the time, the children -- when they were found at the campsite they were on their own but at this point police cannot say whether someone had been helping Tom and the children hide out away from public view, Brian, for all of these many years.

BRIAN ABEL, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah. It's such a traumatic experience for those kids. Thankfully, they are at least physically OK.

Marc Stewart in Beijing for us. Marc, thank you.

Hundreds of people were arrested in London over the weekend for protesting. They are angry that the British government has banned a pro-Palestinian activist group. A closer look at that group and the controversy just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:35:18]

ABEL: We are continuing to follow breaking news in the Middle East.

Emergency services in Jerusalem say at least five people have been killed and several others injured in a mass shooting. Israeli police say two attackers opened fire toward a bus stop on a major highway a short time ago. A security officer and civilians at the scene returned fire "neutralizing the attackers." According to police, the Israeli military says it has now dispatched soldiers to assist in the search for any more suspects.

Well, police in London say nearly 900 people were arrested on Saturday while protesting the British government's decision to ban the activist group Palestine Action. This marks the largest mass arrest in the British capital in decades.

CNN's Isobel Yeung joins me from London with more on this -- Isabel.

ISOBEL YEUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brian. Well yeah, very striking images coming out of London this weekend. Hundreds of people are being protest -- are being arrested there. But the group that these protesters are supporting, Palestine Action, is a very controversial one and so we wanted to find out a little bit more about them -- who these people are that are supporting this group and why it is that they're willing to risk so much.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YEUNG: The police might be about to arrest her.

YEUNG (voiceover): Why does the U.K. government think these seniors are terrorists?

YEUNG: Have you been arrested before?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, never.

YEUNG: Never?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Well, I don't do things like this.

YEUNG (voiceover): Their stories are at the heart of a debate roiling the U.K. How far is too far to oppose the war in Gaza? Millions of people around the world have turned out on the streets, including in London. But almost two years on from Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel over 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. Mass starvation continues to spread. For some, protesting is just not enough.

Palestine Action is a U.K.-based group of hundreds of individuals. They accuse the U.K. arms industry of complicity in supporting Israel's government. They've targeted Israeli weapons factories, destroyed British military equipment, and even vandalized U.S. President Donald Trump's golf course.

This June, action on a British air base was seen as a step too far by the U.K. government who designated them a terrorist organization, meaning anyone taking part in these actions could face terrorism charges.

Audrey Como, who just turned 23, studied dance and drama and she's been a member of the group. She's vandalized the U.K. Defense headquarters and just a few months ago she occupied a factory she claimed was supplying military equipment to Israel. She spent two months in jail.

YEUNG: So now you are out on bail. You have an ankle tag that you have to wear. You've got a curfew. You're waiting for your court hearing.

AUDREY COMO, FORMER MEMBER, PALESTINE ACTION: Yeah.

YEUNG: What are the maximum potential consequences to this?

COMO: The maximum term of 10 years imprisonment.

YEUNG: Would these actions have been worth it? COMO: Yeah, of course.

YEUNG: What would it have been worth it for?

COMO: It's everyone's responsibility to do everything in our power to stop a genocide from happening.

YEUNG: And obviously there are people watching this who will think, you know, you don't know enough about it. You haven't been to Israel or to Gaza, have you?

COMO: No.

YEUNG: You don't know enough about the situation, and you are just jumping on the bandwagon. What would you say to them?

COMO: Well, this isn't a bandwagon. The more I learned about how deeply complicit Britain is in the supply of arms to Israel and in fueling this genocide, the more I realized that the comfort that I enjoy living in London is soaked in Palestinian blood.

YEUNG (voiceover): Now the U.K. government has designated Palestine Action a terrorist group. Even holding a sign in support is illegal, sparking fears that free speech itself is being stifled.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a sign that says "action against genocide."

YEUNG: Anyone showing any support for this group, even holding up a sign, is currently being arrested, which means hundreds of people here are being arrested.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just follow me, madam.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is bull (bleep).

[05:40:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clearly a terrorist in your hands there, yeah?

YEUNG: Things are getting very rowdy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come here!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People who have committed offenses will be arrested.

YEUNG: Everyone will be arrested?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone that's committed offenses will be arrested.

YEUNG: So essentially, everyone holding a sign will be arrested?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If that sign falls within the remnants of (INAUDIBLE). YEUNG: Saying that they support Palestine Action?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

PROTESTERS: Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to fight against things that are wrong, and this is wrong. Not being allowed to speak about it is wrong. Palestine Action weren't a terrorist group. They didn't -- haven't harmed anybody. What Israel is doing, it is terrorism.

JOHN WOODCOCK, MEMBER, U.K. HOUSE OF LORDS: The essential case against Palestine Action --

YEUNG (voiceover): The politician John Woodcock, Lord Walney, was the U.K. government's independent adviser on political violence and disruption. The 300-page report he wrote last year as major factor in banning Palestine Action under antiterrorism laws.

WOODCOCK: I take real exception to that idea of this being a peaceful protest. The definition of terrorism absolutely encompasses the kind of economic damage for political cause, which Palestine Action have systematically carried out.

YEUNG: You're putting them in the same category as ISIS and al Qaeda, and Hamas.

WOODCOCK: So I think that there is a gap in the law which identified in my report that there is a category of criminal behavior that is politically motivated, which can fall under the definition of terrorism. That at the moment there is not the sufficient tools to be able to stop and deter.

YEUNG: Half of the people that I saw at the protest were over 60. I spoke to a 70-something-year-old grandma literally holding up a sign --

WOODCOCK: Yes.

YEUNG: -- and getting arrested. I mean --

WOODCOCK: Yeah.

YEUNG: -- they're not what people think of when they think of terrorists.

WOODCOCK: No, no, no, sure. But --

YEUNG: So are they terrorists?

WOODCOCK: Well, that -- the criminal justice system will have to deal with them. And my --

YEUNG: But you are saying they are terrorists. WOODCOCK: No. I'm saying that if you --

YEUNG: But you're not answering the question. Are they -- do you see them as terrorists?

WOODCOCK: (Laughing) If you -- if you --

YEUNG: Well, you're the one -- you're the one pushing this prescription so surely you think that --

WOODCOCK: Well, OK, let me --

YEUNG: -- they are terrorists.

WOODCOCK: If you break the law then you face having a criminal record.

YEUNG: A terrorist.

WOODCOCK: You face having a criminal record. And so -- and they know that.

YEUNG: Associated terrorist.

WOODCOCK: And they know that and that's why they are doing it.

YEUNG: Are you the right person to be advising -- to have been advising the U.K. government on this? I mean, you were the head of Labour Friends of Israel.

WOODCOCK: Yeah.

YEUNG: You have taken several all-expenses trips paid to Israel. And so you can understand why people would question your motivations.

WOODCOCK: I could understand why they -- why they would want to because they don't want to account for their -- for their own act -- for their own actions. But people will make up their own minds on me. The -- my interest in declarations have -- are out in the open and that's why you're able to talk about it. We ought to be able to say it's not OK to break the law and to terrorize working people.

YEUNG (voiceover): In the meantime, other activists continue to take direct action --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're still locked on.

YEUNG (voiceover): -- against arms manufacturers they accuse of complicity in the bombing of Gaza. And protesters holding up signs continue to risk arrest to support Palestine Action.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YEUNG: Well, one of the most divisive issues of our time is what's happening in Israel and Gaza right now and clearly, the U.K. is no exception. Some people feel like this designation of Palestine Action as a

terrorist organization is completely overblown and that this is both politically and financially motivated. And they point to the U.K. government's ties to Israeli arms manufacturers like Elbit Systems. And others feel that, you know, these people should be punished harshly and that they are causing an enormous amount of economic and criminal damage.

And so it will be really interesting to see how this plays out given that these protesters are continuing to overwhelm the U.K. police.

ABEL: Isobel Yeung with excellent reporting. Isobel, thank you.

And the U.K. government says Palestine Action waged a campaign, including weapons and violence, against people, which would have been responsible to -- irresponsible to ignore. It did not provide evidence for those claims.

Ahead, more on the breaking news in Jerusalem. At least five people are dead and more injured after a mass shooting. Stay with us for the latest.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:49:00]

ABEL: Welcome back. I'm Brian Abel.

Here are some stories we are watching today, including an update now on the breaking news in Jerusalem. At least five people are dead, and several others injured after a shooting along a major highway. An Israel police spokesperson said, "Two terrorists have been neutralized." Stay with CNN for instant updates on this story.

A judge in Melbourne, Australia has sentenced Erin Patterson to life in prison for the deaths of three people. She was convicted in July of premeditated murder and attempted murder for poisoning relatives of her estranged husband. The Beef Wellington she served them included death cap mushrooms in its ingredients.

Prince Harry returns to Britain today prompting speculation he will meet with his father, King Charles, for the first time in 20 months. Harry is due to attend a charity event in London on what happens to be the third anniversary of the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. The prince is not expected to see his estranged brother, Prince William.

[05:50:05]

OK, let's get back to the breaking news from Jerusalem. Emergency services say at least five people have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a bus stop. It happened just after the morning rush hour along a major highway. Israel police say the attackers were killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just left the scene of the attack.

And let's bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann now from Jerusalem with more on this. And did we hear Netanyahu speak at all, Oren?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: We did, Brian. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the scene of the shooting along a major highway in Jerusalem a short time ago. And as part of the statement he made at the scene, he acknowledged that the IDF, the Israeli military, and the security agency were hard at work. He said it had thwarted what he called "hundreds of attacks", but he admitted the failure in this case.

Here is part of his statement. He said, "The Shin Bet and the IDF thwarted hundreds of attacks this year but unfortunately not this morning. These murders only increase our determination to complete the missions in Gaza, in Judeah, and Samaria, and elsewhere (sic) -- of everywhere" -- I'm sorry. In Judeah and Samaria. He refers to the biblical term for the occupied West bank.

He continues and says, "We will intensify our actions and achieve all our objectives."

Meanwhile, the far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who did not visit the scene, has issued a fiery statement. He said that the villages from where these "terrorists came from should look like Rafah and Beit Hanoun."

So an open threat there to demolish or destroy the villages from where these attackers came from to carry out the shooting attack that occurred just after 10:00 this morning -- so shortly after morning rush hour at a crowded bus stop along a major highway there.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military says they deployed forces not only to the scene of the shooting itself but also the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

It's worth noting that it's been a very long time since we've seen an attack certainly of this magnitude in Jerusalem. This goes back to, according to what we're looking at, November 2023 when two Hamas militants carried out a shooting attack in Jerusalem that killed three people and injured several others. It's been that long since we've seen a deadly shooting attack within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem itself, in addition to at least five people who were killed in this attack, according to Israel's emergency response services Magen David Adom.

There were six people they treated in serious condition, two in moderate condition, and three in mild condition. In terms of those killed, Magen David Adom says there were four men -- one in his 50s and three in their 30s -- as well as a woman in her 50s who was rushed to the hospital in critical condition where she succumbed to her injuries at the hospital -- Brian.

ABEL: And Oren, given that the prime minister was there on scene, clearly that showcases that the scene is secure at this point.

Do we know where the investigation goes next? Do we know where these shooters were from and what their motives may have been? LIEBERMANN: Nothing official on where they came from yet. That's certainly part of the investigation and that will be part of the effort of Israel's security agency, the Shin Bet, who will look into not only where they came from but also how this was coordinated. Was it coordinated with Hamas or another terrorist organization? Hamas did not claim responsibility for the attack though they did praise the shooters in the attack.

So all of that is -- will be part of the investigation itself. Again, where they came from, how this was carried out, and was this part of a larger cell, or was this a lone wolf attack? And those have proven to be much harder to detect and stop when it is one or two people carrying out something where there is no intelligence to pick up on. That has proven to be a challenge for Israel's security services for not only since the start of the war but for much longer than that.

ABEL: We will also see how Israel retaliates, if there is any.

Oren Liebermann for us in Jerusalem. Thank you.

We'll be right back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:58:25]

ABEL: The NFL is back, and the Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen led his team to a dramatic comeback against the Baltimore Ravens. The Bills scored three times in the final four minutes of the game, rallying from 15 points down to win 41-40. You just saw it there -- sealing the victory -- a 32-yard field goal by Matt Prater, the former Detroit Lion, as time ran out.

After the game Allen was full of praise for his team's fighting spirit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH ALLEN, QUARTERBACK, BUFFALO BILLS: There is just no quit in this team. Welcome to Buffalo. I mean, what a vet. Kicking the game-winning field goal in a tough, weird situation you don't see too often. He came in prepared and ready to go. Our team didn't quit. I mean, I think there's people that left the stadium. That's OK. We'll be fine. But have some faith next time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABEL: Have some faith.

The 41-year-old Prater was making his debut with the Bills, replacing the usual kicker Tyler Bass who is out injured.

And Mariah Carey was full of emotions last night when she took home her first MTV Video Music Award. Can you believe that? After 35 years of producing chart-topping hits, she was honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, MTV's version of a lifetime achievement award. Carey even poked fun at the milestone after performing some of her top hits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIAH CAREY, SINGER: Thank you so much MTV for giving me Vanguard Award. I can't believe I'm getting my first VMA tonight. I just have one question. What in the Sam Hell were you waiting for? No, I'm kidding. I love you, MTV. I love you. I love you so much. This is amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[06:00:15]

ABEL: Other big winners of the night included Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, Rose, and Bruno Mars.

All right, that does it for us. Thank you for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm Brian Abel in Washington, D.C. "CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.