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Iraq Results Show Shia Candidates Dominate; Former Lebanese Prime Minister Killed by Car Bomb; Unmanned Spy Vehicles Spark Controversy with Iran; Gunman Arrested after Shooting Up New York Mall; Michael Jackson's Witness List Includes Many Big Names; Closing Arguments Heard in Zoloft Murder Case

Aired February 14, 2005 - 13:00 ET

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

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq's election results are in. How does that country turn the vote into a democratic government? We're live from Baghdad.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A blast in Beirut. A former prime minister assassinated. A terror group claiming responsibility. New concerns for stability in the Middle East.

PHILLIPS: AIDS alert. Could a new aggressive strain of the AIDS virus been found in New York? Health officials issue a warning, but other experts disagree. We're going to talk with a doctor about it.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Miguel Marquez, live in Santa Maria, California. Michael Jackson's defense team reads off their defense list of witnesses they believe is going to be at this courthouse here in Santa Maria. I'll have that coming up.

O'BRIEN: From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

More than the rest but not quite most. It's good enough for the UIA, the United Iraqi Alliance, which claimed four million votes out of the almost 8 1/2 million cast two weeks ago in elections for a national assembly.

The slate of Shiite office seekers backed by senior cleric Ali al-Sistani far outpaced its nearest competition, though many expected it would do even better.

Officials note the so-called final numbers may still change before they're certified. The victors call it a new birth for Iraq, but others fear the labor pains aren't even over yet.

CNN's Nic Robertson has more now from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the more interesting political developments today, the very popular Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party has said that they believe that the Sunni clerics, who called for a boycott of the elections were wrong, that -- that it was their call for a boycott that meant the Sunnis are now underrepresented at the -- underrepresented in the new national assembly.

And they also say that they would like to be involved in the drafting of the constitution for Iraq, that they would like Sunnis to come out and vote in greater numbers in elections that are expected in December later this year.

So this really is opening up, if you will, a rift within the Sunnis, those that are -- those that are now recognizing, as this group is, saying that they feel in a vacuum, recognizing that something went wrong, that they need to change, and those that are perhaps going to stay on the margins of the political process.

This is quite a new development. The politicians that are now jockeying for political power, the Kurdish politicians, the Shia politicians, have been very vocal in saying that they will reach out to the Sunnis, will involve them in the political process and the political dialogue, particularly as far as the constitution is concerned.

But the key positions that are up for grabs now, the prime minister's job, defense minister, interior ministry, and the president. The Kurds do expect to get the president's job. They do think that that is a test of how well an Iraq -- Arab government will deal with the Kurds of the north. If they give them one of these top spots, they say, that is a good test the Kurds will be dealt with on an equal footing.

Perhaps the prime minister's job going to a more independent figure. Certainly that's the hope here. The reason people hope that an independent figure will get the prime minister's job, or at least one who is seen as a relative moderate within his party, because those key jobs like the prime minister, interior minister, defense minister, if they go somebody, we're being told, if they go to somebody who is going to play party politics, this could be very divisive for the future of Iraq.

And the other thing we're being told is that the politicians need to get this horse-trading over and done with quickly. There's a current vacuum in the country that the ministries can't perform their jobs. They're waiting to find out who the new ministers are going to be. So really, speed is of the essence.

And of course, while all this political horse-trading goes on, there has been more violence. Two police officers killed in Baghdad in the early hours of the day. Three killed in a roadside bomb about 60 kilometers, 40 miles north of Baghdad in Baqubah. A U.S. soldier reported killed in the town of Samarra. So the violence continuing.

And add on to that, as well, a pipe -- an oil pipeline in the north of the country set on fire by explosives. So the violence continuing while the political process really gets under way in earnest now.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad. (END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Iran, Syria and the Bush administration are united this hour in condemning a colossal attack on an oceanfront boulevard in Beirut. The midday blast killed at least 10, among them Lebanon's charismatic and controversial and very, very wealthy former prime minister, Rafik Hariri.

A group calling itself Victory and Jihad claiming responsibility, citing Hariri's ties to the government of Saudi Arabia.

CNN's Walter Rodgers with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Car bombs were born of the murderous Lebanese civil war during the 1970s and '80s. Now they appear to be back.

The target of the attack was former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, whose motorcade was passing through these streets at the time of the blast. Hariri, an extraordinarily wealthy man, and had many enemies, having alienated more than a few of his countrymen during the reconstruction of Lebanon after the civil war. Even out of office, Hariri remained a significant player on the Middle East stage.

The site of the blast was the commercial and tourist district along the Kanish (ph), down by the St. George's Hotel. Initial estimates of the death toll began at half-a-dozen. But the numbers are expected to climb.

Heavily armed security forces sealed off the area, as rescue workers tried to help the wounded.

As with so many of the Beirut bombings two and three decades ago, identifying those responsible will be as difficult as sifting through the rubble on the street. Fingers of blame are certain to be pointed in many directions. Beirut has long been a chessboard for every intelligence agency in the Middle East and some beyond. And before the actual bombers are identified, if they are, dozens of conspiracy theories will be hatched.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: We get insights now from inside the Lebanese government with Beirut's ambassador to Washington, Farid Abboud.

Mr. Ambassador, thanks for being with us. Do you know anything about this group claiming responsibility, Victory and Jihad?

FARID ABBOUD, LEBANESE AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: No. We never heard about such a group. And it's very difficult to assess the credibility of these announcements. After every outrage in the Middle East, there is an announcement of this sort, despicable because they announce probably the murder of somebody or the killing of a lot of innocent people. But it's extremely difficult to assess the credibility of these people.

But if -- if that is -- I mean credible, it indicates that Lebanon is now victim of terrorist acts, similar to those which have been perpetrated in other countries of the area and outside of the area. And that is very grave.

PHILLIPS: This group also saying that this act was just punishment for Hariri's close ties with the Saudi government. Do you view -- did you view this relationship as a threat? Is there credibility to that claim?

ABBOUD: Well, you know, there are a lot of Lebanese who have very close relation to the Saudis. There are hundreds of thousands of Lebanese living in Saudi Arabia. So Saudi Arabia is a very friendly country to Lebanon. And we have had always a very deep relationship with the Saudis on the government and on the popular level. And if the Lebanese are going to be penalized because they have good relation with other countries, that is a terrible thing.

Honestly, I have serious doubts about these statements. I think we should wait until we'll see what is behind this outrage. There is -- Mr. -- the former prime minister was a larger than reality figure. He played a very important role in my country, and whether friends or foes, everybody admits the centrality of his role in the reconstruction of the country.

PHILLIPS: And talking about the reconstruction of the country and his role, we can't leave out the contention with Syria, sir. And looking at the relationship between the Syrians with Rafik Hariri, that contention, that division that takes place or is taking place in the country. Could that play a factor in what happened today?

ABBOUD: I do not want -- I don't accept, you know, pointing fingers towards anybody. It's really too early for that.

Mr. Hariri had relationship with nearly every single player in the region, including Syria. He was a man of regional stature. And until the last moments of his life, he had interaction with the Syrians and with other players, important players, in the area, whether they are the Saudis or the Kuwaitis, the Syrians, and of course, abroad with France, the United States. So I don't think it's really very, you know, wise or, you know, -- to point finger at this stage.

PHILLIPS: Well eyes have definitely been on Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea. These are points, I guess, countries that have been focused on quite a bit lately. Do you think there needs to be more people paying attention to terrorist activity in Lebanon?

ABBOUD: It is -- it is a heavy blow for us. I mean the fact that violence and -- is back in my country at this level. And we have a lot of, you know, political controversies in Lebanon. Politics in Lebanon is very lively, very open, and the media are very free and each position is, you know, defended very enthusiastically. And we were preparing ourselves for very important elections to be held in the next few months, and Mr. Hariri was an important participant in these elections.

The fact that it has deteriorated now into terrorism is a terrible blow for us. But we will make it. I mean, we have survived a lot of terrible attacks in the past, a lot of violence. And Lebanon is -- has made it, has recovered, and it will regain its role as an open and democratic society.

The elections, I hope, will be maintained. There will be -- the debate will continue, and the death of Prime Minister Hariri will be the martyrdom of a politician who will continue to help usher Lebanon towards a democratic process.

PHILLIPS: All right. Beirut's ambassador to Washington, Farid Abboud. Thank you for your time today, sir -- Miles.

ABBOUD: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Now to Iran and allegations of UAVs. Those are unmanned aerial vehicles. And two U.S. government sources confirming they're being used to spy on Iranian nuclear facilities and to look for weaknesses in the Iranian air defenses.

But there are three other sources, all senior U.S. military officials, denying it. And neither the CIA nor the Pentagon will say who's right.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr on the story for us -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, that old saying, a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and that apparently is what's going on here now.

No government agency willing to say it is them, but somebody apparently is flying unmanned spy planes either over Iran or near off the coastline, perhaps looking for those air defenses, perhaps looking to collect intelligence on Iran's nuclear program.

As you say, well-placed sources do confirm to CNN that it's happening, but nobody, neither the intelligence community or the military, is willing to say it is them.

But the military is concerned about the step-up in rhetoric, if you will, concerned about the possibility of strategic miscalculation with the Iranians. It's a very close neighborhood. Go look at that map again, about what exactly the geography looks like.

There are two places on the map that the U.S. military is most concerned, where it regularly does run into the Iranians. One is the Iran/Iraq border. That border, there's a lot of concern about Iranian Shia influences into southern Iraq right now on that border, a lot of concern that the Iranians are trying to influence what is going on in Iraq and install a Shia-based government in Baghdad.

Listen to what the top man, the No. 2 general at the U.S. Central Command, had to say last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. LANCE SMITH, DEPUTY COMMANDER, CENTCOM: Our focus is on what are they doing, you know, to try and influence what's going on in Iraq. And we are seeing, you know, mixed -- mixed activity there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Going back to the map again, look at the northern end of the Arabian or Persian Gulf. That's a very narrow stretch of water.

The U.S. Navy encounters the Iranian navy up there all the time. They run into them. They say their dealings with the Iranians are professional, but this is the kind of thing that the Pentagon is worried about right now as the rhetoric escalates. If they run into them and there is some kind of miscalculation, misreading of the signals, there's a lot of concern that things could get out of hand.

So here at the Pentagon, a bit of a trade-off, if you will. They know the intelligence has to be collected. They know that no one can really -- in the world community is willing to tolerate Iran playing that nuclear blackmail card, if you will.

But a lot of concern about what's going on in the neighborhood as it exists now. They live with the Iranians in the neighborhood, across the border with Iraq, in the Persian Gulf. And they just want to make sure that nothing slips out of control, because of the rhetoric coming from so many sides right now -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you very much -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Nuclear activities undeclared, inventories, U.N. concerns in Egypt? In Egypt. Well, the International Atomic Energy Agency, which the Bush administration think is being soft on Iran, says Egypt repeatedly failed to make complete and mandatory disclosures in a timely manner. It also cites improved cooperation in the past few months, with Egypt chalking the whole thing up to a misunderstanding.

O'BRIEN: A potentially more aggressive form of AIDS. Health officials fear it has turned up in New York. We'll talk with a doctor about why it has health officials concerned.

And a visit to the mall turns into mayhem when a man with a rifle starts shooting. We have developments on that.

And just ahead, picking the Jackson jury. One of the rejected jurors speaks out. We're live from Santa Maria and the courthouse. Stay with us. ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Bail denied. A 24-year-old man suspected of opening fire in a crowded mall in upstate New York is behind bars. The man, identified as Robert Boneli, arraigned early this morning, hours after the harrowing ordeal.

We'll get details on this one from CNN's Alina Cho.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A quiet Sunday afternoon in a mall in upstate New York suddenly turned chaotic when shots rang out at a Best Buy.

ALI AFSHAR, WITNESS: I looked up and I saw about 80 to 90 people come running, like, frantically in all different directions, and they were just screaming and yelling. And they ran running. And I grabbed one of them, and I asked him like what was going on. And he said that there is a guy with a gun, and he's shooting people.

CHO: Police say the gunman, carrying an assault-style rifle opened fire. Among the wounded, a 20-year-old National Guardsman working as a recruiter. Another man was injured by flying debris.

WAYNE OLSON, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: We consider it fortunate that more people were not struck. A Sunday afternoon in a crowded mall is really -- has all the potential in the world for disaster.

CHO: While most people were running for their lives, one man decided to shadow the gunman until, he says, the suspect ran out of ammunition and dropped his weapon.

KEITH LAZARCHIK, WITNESS: I picked up the gun and the shooter, he just took a couple steps. And he put his hands up and he just, I guess, surrendered. And the two guys, they took him down.

CHO: Police say the suspect is a 24-year-old man. So far, police will not talk about a motive. For mall workers and shoppers alike, what started out as a fairly routine Sunday will be remembered as anything but.

AFSHAR: You come to work hoping not to be dodging bullets when you come in the morning. This is Valentine's Day, and I'm hoping to have a good sales day. Now I'm running for my life.

CHO (on camera): Alina Cho, CNN, Kingston, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Some of the folks behind me just got off the phone with the district attorney's office there. They say the suspect had a lurid fascination with the Columbine shootings many years ago -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Other news across America now.

Thank you, sir, I'll have another. Arizona braces for a winter storm while recovering from a weekend dumping. Eastern Arizona soaked with heavy rain, which flood homes and forced dozens of people to flee. More rain or snow is expected later in the week.

Unbelievable. Words from an inspiring woman who until weeks ago hadn't spoken in more than 20 years. Sarah Scantlin was struck by a drunk driver at the age of 18 and left crippled in a vegetative state. Well, doctors have no explanation for her turnaround.

In Oregon, a grand jury convened minutes ago in a disturbing case of that mass suicide that was to take place today, Valentine's Day. This man, 26-year-old Gerald Krien, is accused of using the Internet to try to entice women to hang themselves naked. Prosecutors today are expected to call for an additional charge of attempted manslaughter.

O'BRIEN: Critical day in the Michael Jackson case. Attorneys on both sides of the case against the pop star are questioning jurors in an attempt to whittle down that jury pool.

Covering the case in Santa Maria California, CNN's Miguel Marquez -- Miguel.

MARQUEZ: One of the first things they do, Miles, is that the judge has both sides read their witness list, the potential witnesses that they may call. He started with the defense. And on that list, they're up way over 100 witnesses for the defense. But some of the luminaries on that list are Kobe Bryant, of basketball fame; CBS's Ed Bradley; Nick and Aaron Carter, the singers; David Blaine, the musician -- or magician; Diana Ross; Elizabeth Taylor; Michael Jackson's own children, Michael and Paris Jackson; Mark Geragos, his former lawyer; CNN's Larry King; and Quincy Jones. There are many, many more. There are over 100.

A hundred and 13 jurors are in that courtroom. One has been dismissed for a medical reason. Here's what this guy had to say about his brush with the King of Pop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH MARKS, DISMISSED FROM JURY POOL: He was dressed up like he normally was with his glasses and his -- whatever had he on his shirt, jacket. But he was there. He was presentable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you have liked to have served on this jury?

MARKS: Well, yes and no. I think it's going to be very interesting, time consuming. And that's one reason that the doctor got me off, on account of the time element involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MARQUEZ: And I just got an indication that Stevie Wonder is also on the defense's witness list. So he may be coming up to Santa Maria, as well, to testify in this case.

Those 113 jurors in the room, only 18 at a time are being questioned and 10 of those witnesses told the judge they had seen some or a lot of news about the Michael Jackson case, but all of them thought that they could still judge this one fairly. So only one juror so far dismissed. But many more hours to go here.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: Many more hours, many more days, many more months. CNN's Miguel Marquez, thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, the Zoloft defense. A jury set to decide the fate of a 15-year-old boy whose attorneys say an anti-depressant influenced him to kill.

Later on LIVE FROM, the baby battle ends. A court steps in to reunite a tiny tsunami survivor with his parents.

Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, new rules for flyers. Security officials add two more things to the list of items you cannot bring aboard an airplane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Jurors get the case today against the South Carolina teen who claims the antidepressant Zoloft drove him to kill his grandparents.

Following the developments in Charleston, CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, both sides have now just finished their closing arguments, and the judge as we speak is giving his instructions to the jury.

Now, these closing arguments were very powerful on both sides. The defense says, and I quote, "We don't convict children for murder when their brains have been ambushed by chemicals."

But the prosecution says that all of this talk about Zoloft clouding Chris Pittman's brain and that that's what caused him to kill, they said all that talk was a smoke screen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): There's no question 12-year-old Chris Pittman killed his grandparents. He confessed. AGENT LUCINA MCCELLAR, READING CONFESSION: "I got the shotgun out of the cabinet. I went in their room. I just aimed at the bed. I shot four times."

COHEN: The question is why. Voices in his head, he said.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Echoes from inside his head saying, "Kill, kill, do it, do it."

COHEN: The defense said an anti-depressant drug, Zoloft, sent the boy spinning out of control. Relatives said it changed the child.

MELINDA RECTOR, AUNT: He says, "It's like I'm burning under my skin and I can't put it out."

DANIELLE FINCHUM, SISTER: He was constantly up and down, in and out of the house. He was just crazy.

COHEN: Chris, now 15, was diagnosed with depression. In some cases, the government says, these anti-depressants can lead to an increased risk of suicidal behavior by younger patients. But the FDA has not linked drugs like Zoloft to violence against others.

DR. JAMES BALLENGER, PROSECUTION PSYCHIATRIST: I think he it because he was very mad. Very angry.

COHEN: The prosecution said Chris killed his grandparents in a fit of anger for disciplining him. They said he burned down the house in an effort to cover up the crime.

DR. PAMELA CRAWFORD, PROSECUTION PSYCHIATRIST: It shows not only that he knew it was wrong, that he knew that it was legally wrong to do this, that he knew there would be some consequence.

COHEN: In the end this battle of the psychiatrists is left to 12 ordinary citizens to settle, to look into the mind of a boy and try to sort out his thinking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To tell me the facts in People v. Calloway (ph).

COHEN: Teaching a law class, this is the way the trial judge explained the law and the question given this jury.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An act does not make one guilty unless the mind is guilty. That is, unless the intent is criminal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Now, we just heard the judge in this case talk about criminal intent. In South Carolina, the presumption is that a child under the age of 14 is incapable of forming criminal intent. And you have to have that intent to find guilty.

So the prosecution has the burden of saying that that -- they need to rebut. They need to overcome that presumption -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much -- Miles.

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Aired February 14, 2005 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq's election results are in. How does that country turn the vote into a democratic government? We're live from Baghdad.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A blast in Beirut. A former prime minister assassinated. A terror group claiming responsibility. New concerns for stability in the Middle East.

PHILLIPS: AIDS alert. Could a new aggressive strain of the AIDS virus been found in New York? Health officials issue a warning, but other experts disagree. We're going to talk with a doctor about it.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Miguel Marquez, live in Santa Maria, California. Michael Jackson's defense team reads off their defense list of witnesses they believe is going to be at this courthouse here in Santa Maria. I'll have that coming up.

O'BRIEN: From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

More than the rest but not quite most. It's good enough for the UIA, the United Iraqi Alliance, which claimed four million votes out of the almost 8 1/2 million cast two weeks ago in elections for a national assembly.

The slate of Shiite office seekers backed by senior cleric Ali al-Sistani far outpaced its nearest competition, though many expected it would do even better.

Officials note the so-called final numbers may still change before they're certified. The victors call it a new birth for Iraq, but others fear the labor pains aren't even over yet.

CNN's Nic Robertson has more now from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the more interesting political developments today, the very popular Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party has said that they believe that the Sunni clerics, who called for a boycott of the elections were wrong, that -- that it was their call for a boycott that meant the Sunnis are now underrepresented at the -- underrepresented in the new national assembly.

And they also say that they would like to be involved in the drafting of the constitution for Iraq, that they would like Sunnis to come out and vote in greater numbers in elections that are expected in December later this year.

So this really is opening up, if you will, a rift within the Sunnis, those that are -- those that are now recognizing, as this group is, saying that they feel in a vacuum, recognizing that something went wrong, that they need to change, and those that are perhaps going to stay on the margins of the political process.

This is quite a new development. The politicians that are now jockeying for political power, the Kurdish politicians, the Shia politicians, have been very vocal in saying that they will reach out to the Sunnis, will involve them in the political process and the political dialogue, particularly as far as the constitution is concerned.

But the key positions that are up for grabs now, the prime minister's job, defense minister, interior ministry, and the president. The Kurds do expect to get the president's job. They do think that that is a test of how well an Iraq -- Arab government will deal with the Kurds of the north. If they give them one of these top spots, they say, that is a good test the Kurds will be dealt with on an equal footing.

Perhaps the prime minister's job going to a more independent figure. Certainly that's the hope here. The reason people hope that an independent figure will get the prime minister's job, or at least one who is seen as a relative moderate within his party, because those key jobs like the prime minister, interior minister, defense minister, if they go somebody, we're being told, if they go to somebody who is going to play party politics, this could be very divisive for the future of Iraq.

And the other thing we're being told is that the politicians need to get this horse-trading over and done with quickly. There's a current vacuum in the country that the ministries can't perform their jobs. They're waiting to find out who the new ministers are going to be. So really, speed is of the essence.

And of course, while all this political horse-trading goes on, there has been more violence. Two police officers killed in Baghdad in the early hours of the day. Three killed in a roadside bomb about 60 kilometers, 40 miles north of Baghdad in Baqubah. A U.S. soldier reported killed in the town of Samarra. So the violence continuing.

And add on to that, as well, a pipe -- an oil pipeline in the north of the country set on fire by explosives. So the violence continuing while the political process really gets under way in earnest now.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad. (END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Iran, Syria and the Bush administration are united this hour in condemning a colossal attack on an oceanfront boulevard in Beirut. The midday blast killed at least 10, among them Lebanon's charismatic and controversial and very, very wealthy former prime minister, Rafik Hariri.

A group calling itself Victory and Jihad claiming responsibility, citing Hariri's ties to the government of Saudi Arabia.

CNN's Walter Rodgers with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Car bombs were born of the murderous Lebanese civil war during the 1970s and '80s. Now they appear to be back.

The target of the attack was former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, whose motorcade was passing through these streets at the time of the blast. Hariri, an extraordinarily wealthy man, and had many enemies, having alienated more than a few of his countrymen during the reconstruction of Lebanon after the civil war. Even out of office, Hariri remained a significant player on the Middle East stage.

The site of the blast was the commercial and tourist district along the Kanish (ph), down by the St. George's Hotel. Initial estimates of the death toll began at half-a-dozen. But the numbers are expected to climb.

Heavily armed security forces sealed off the area, as rescue workers tried to help the wounded.

As with so many of the Beirut bombings two and three decades ago, identifying those responsible will be as difficult as sifting through the rubble on the street. Fingers of blame are certain to be pointed in many directions. Beirut has long been a chessboard for every intelligence agency in the Middle East and some beyond. And before the actual bombers are identified, if they are, dozens of conspiracy theories will be hatched.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: We get insights now from inside the Lebanese government with Beirut's ambassador to Washington, Farid Abboud.

Mr. Ambassador, thanks for being with us. Do you know anything about this group claiming responsibility, Victory and Jihad?

FARID ABBOUD, LEBANESE AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: No. We never heard about such a group. And it's very difficult to assess the credibility of these announcements. After every outrage in the Middle East, there is an announcement of this sort, despicable because they announce probably the murder of somebody or the killing of a lot of innocent people. But it's extremely difficult to assess the credibility of these people.

But if -- if that is -- I mean credible, it indicates that Lebanon is now victim of terrorist acts, similar to those which have been perpetrated in other countries of the area and outside of the area. And that is very grave.

PHILLIPS: This group also saying that this act was just punishment for Hariri's close ties with the Saudi government. Do you view -- did you view this relationship as a threat? Is there credibility to that claim?

ABBOUD: Well, you know, there are a lot of Lebanese who have very close relation to the Saudis. There are hundreds of thousands of Lebanese living in Saudi Arabia. So Saudi Arabia is a very friendly country to Lebanon. And we have had always a very deep relationship with the Saudis on the government and on the popular level. And if the Lebanese are going to be penalized because they have good relation with other countries, that is a terrible thing.

Honestly, I have serious doubts about these statements. I think we should wait until we'll see what is behind this outrage. There is -- Mr. -- the former prime minister was a larger than reality figure. He played a very important role in my country, and whether friends or foes, everybody admits the centrality of his role in the reconstruction of the country.

PHILLIPS: And talking about the reconstruction of the country and his role, we can't leave out the contention with Syria, sir. And looking at the relationship between the Syrians with Rafik Hariri, that contention, that division that takes place or is taking place in the country. Could that play a factor in what happened today?

ABBOUD: I do not want -- I don't accept, you know, pointing fingers towards anybody. It's really too early for that.

Mr. Hariri had relationship with nearly every single player in the region, including Syria. He was a man of regional stature. And until the last moments of his life, he had interaction with the Syrians and with other players, important players, in the area, whether they are the Saudis or the Kuwaitis, the Syrians, and of course, abroad with France, the United States. So I don't think it's really very, you know, wise or, you know, -- to point finger at this stage.

PHILLIPS: Well eyes have definitely been on Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea. These are points, I guess, countries that have been focused on quite a bit lately. Do you think there needs to be more people paying attention to terrorist activity in Lebanon?

ABBOUD: It is -- it is a heavy blow for us. I mean the fact that violence and -- is back in my country at this level. And we have a lot of, you know, political controversies in Lebanon. Politics in Lebanon is very lively, very open, and the media are very free and each position is, you know, defended very enthusiastically. And we were preparing ourselves for very important elections to be held in the next few months, and Mr. Hariri was an important participant in these elections.

The fact that it has deteriorated now into terrorism is a terrible blow for us. But we will make it. I mean, we have survived a lot of terrible attacks in the past, a lot of violence. And Lebanon is -- has made it, has recovered, and it will regain its role as an open and democratic society.

The elections, I hope, will be maintained. There will be -- the debate will continue, and the death of Prime Minister Hariri will be the martyrdom of a politician who will continue to help usher Lebanon towards a democratic process.

PHILLIPS: All right. Beirut's ambassador to Washington, Farid Abboud. Thank you for your time today, sir -- Miles.

ABBOUD: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Now to Iran and allegations of UAVs. Those are unmanned aerial vehicles. And two U.S. government sources confirming they're being used to spy on Iranian nuclear facilities and to look for weaknesses in the Iranian air defenses.

But there are three other sources, all senior U.S. military officials, denying it. And neither the CIA nor the Pentagon will say who's right.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr on the story for us -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, that old saying, a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and that apparently is what's going on here now.

No government agency willing to say it is them, but somebody apparently is flying unmanned spy planes either over Iran or near off the coastline, perhaps looking for those air defenses, perhaps looking to collect intelligence on Iran's nuclear program.

As you say, well-placed sources do confirm to CNN that it's happening, but nobody, neither the intelligence community or the military, is willing to say it is them.

But the military is concerned about the step-up in rhetoric, if you will, concerned about the possibility of strategic miscalculation with the Iranians. It's a very close neighborhood. Go look at that map again, about what exactly the geography looks like.

There are two places on the map that the U.S. military is most concerned, where it regularly does run into the Iranians. One is the Iran/Iraq border. That border, there's a lot of concern about Iranian Shia influences into southern Iraq right now on that border, a lot of concern that the Iranians are trying to influence what is going on in Iraq and install a Shia-based government in Baghdad.

Listen to what the top man, the No. 2 general at the U.S. Central Command, had to say last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. LANCE SMITH, DEPUTY COMMANDER, CENTCOM: Our focus is on what are they doing, you know, to try and influence what's going on in Iraq. And we are seeing, you know, mixed -- mixed activity there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Going back to the map again, look at the northern end of the Arabian or Persian Gulf. That's a very narrow stretch of water.

The U.S. Navy encounters the Iranian navy up there all the time. They run into them. They say their dealings with the Iranians are professional, but this is the kind of thing that the Pentagon is worried about right now as the rhetoric escalates. If they run into them and there is some kind of miscalculation, misreading of the signals, there's a lot of concern that things could get out of hand.

So here at the Pentagon, a bit of a trade-off, if you will. They know the intelligence has to be collected. They know that no one can really -- in the world community is willing to tolerate Iran playing that nuclear blackmail card, if you will.

But a lot of concern about what's going on in the neighborhood as it exists now. They live with the Iranians in the neighborhood, across the border with Iraq, in the Persian Gulf. And they just want to make sure that nothing slips out of control, because of the rhetoric coming from so many sides right now -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you very much -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Nuclear activities undeclared, inventories, U.N. concerns in Egypt? In Egypt. Well, the International Atomic Energy Agency, which the Bush administration think is being soft on Iran, says Egypt repeatedly failed to make complete and mandatory disclosures in a timely manner. It also cites improved cooperation in the past few months, with Egypt chalking the whole thing up to a misunderstanding.

O'BRIEN: A potentially more aggressive form of AIDS. Health officials fear it has turned up in New York. We'll talk with a doctor about why it has health officials concerned.

And a visit to the mall turns into mayhem when a man with a rifle starts shooting. We have developments on that.

And just ahead, picking the Jackson jury. One of the rejected jurors speaks out. We're live from Santa Maria and the courthouse. Stay with us. ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Bail denied. A 24-year-old man suspected of opening fire in a crowded mall in upstate New York is behind bars. The man, identified as Robert Boneli, arraigned early this morning, hours after the harrowing ordeal.

We'll get details on this one from CNN's Alina Cho.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A quiet Sunday afternoon in a mall in upstate New York suddenly turned chaotic when shots rang out at a Best Buy.

ALI AFSHAR, WITNESS: I looked up and I saw about 80 to 90 people come running, like, frantically in all different directions, and they were just screaming and yelling. And they ran running. And I grabbed one of them, and I asked him like what was going on. And he said that there is a guy with a gun, and he's shooting people.

CHO: Police say the gunman, carrying an assault-style rifle opened fire. Among the wounded, a 20-year-old National Guardsman working as a recruiter. Another man was injured by flying debris.

WAYNE OLSON, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: We consider it fortunate that more people were not struck. A Sunday afternoon in a crowded mall is really -- has all the potential in the world for disaster.

CHO: While most people were running for their lives, one man decided to shadow the gunman until, he says, the suspect ran out of ammunition and dropped his weapon.

KEITH LAZARCHIK, WITNESS: I picked up the gun and the shooter, he just took a couple steps. And he put his hands up and he just, I guess, surrendered. And the two guys, they took him down.

CHO: Police say the suspect is a 24-year-old man. So far, police will not talk about a motive. For mall workers and shoppers alike, what started out as a fairly routine Sunday will be remembered as anything but.

AFSHAR: You come to work hoping not to be dodging bullets when you come in the morning. This is Valentine's Day, and I'm hoping to have a good sales day. Now I'm running for my life.

CHO (on camera): Alina Cho, CNN, Kingston, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Some of the folks behind me just got off the phone with the district attorney's office there. They say the suspect had a lurid fascination with the Columbine shootings many years ago -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Other news across America now.

Thank you, sir, I'll have another. Arizona braces for a winter storm while recovering from a weekend dumping. Eastern Arizona soaked with heavy rain, which flood homes and forced dozens of people to flee. More rain or snow is expected later in the week.

Unbelievable. Words from an inspiring woman who until weeks ago hadn't spoken in more than 20 years. Sarah Scantlin was struck by a drunk driver at the age of 18 and left crippled in a vegetative state. Well, doctors have no explanation for her turnaround.

In Oregon, a grand jury convened minutes ago in a disturbing case of that mass suicide that was to take place today, Valentine's Day. This man, 26-year-old Gerald Krien, is accused of using the Internet to try to entice women to hang themselves naked. Prosecutors today are expected to call for an additional charge of attempted manslaughter.

O'BRIEN: Critical day in the Michael Jackson case. Attorneys on both sides of the case against the pop star are questioning jurors in an attempt to whittle down that jury pool.

Covering the case in Santa Maria California, CNN's Miguel Marquez -- Miguel.

MARQUEZ: One of the first things they do, Miles, is that the judge has both sides read their witness list, the potential witnesses that they may call. He started with the defense. And on that list, they're up way over 100 witnesses for the defense. But some of the luminaries on that list are Kobe Bryant, of basketball fame; CBS's Ed Bradley; Nick and Aaron Carter, the singers; David Blaine, the musician -- or magician; Diana Ross; Elizabeth Taylor; Michael Jackson's own children, Michael and Paris Jackson; Mark Geragos, his former lawyer; CNN's Larry King; and Quincy Jones. There are many, many more. There are over 100.

A hundred and 13 jurors are in that courtroom. One has been dismissed for a medical reason. Here's what this guy had to say about his brush with the King of Pop.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH MARKS, DISMISSED FROM JURY POOL: He was dressed up like he normally was with his glasses and his -- whatever had he on his shirt, jacket. But he was there. He was presentable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you have liked to have served on this jury?

MARKS: Well, yes and no. I think it's going to be very interesting, time consuming. And that's one reason that the doctor got me off, on account of the time element involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MARQUEZ: And I just got an indication that Stevie Wonder is also on the defense's witness list. So he may be coming up to Santa Maria, as well, to testify in this case.

Those 113 jurors in the room, only 18 at a time are being questioned and 10 of those witnesses told the judge they had seen some or a lot of news about the Michael Jackson case, but all of them thought that they could still judge this one fairly. So only one juror so far dismissed. But many more hours to go here.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: Many more hours, many more days, many more months. CNN's Miguel Marquez, thank you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, the Zoloft defense. A jury set to decide the fate of a 15-year-old boy whose attorneys say an anti-depressant influenced him to kill.

Later on LIVE FROM, the baby battle ends. A court steps in to reunite a tiny tsunami survivor with his parents.

Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, new rules for flyers. Security officials add two more things to the list of items you cannot bring aboard an airplane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Jurors get the case today against the South Carolina teen who claims the antidepressant Zoloft drove him to kill his grandparents.

Following the developments in Charleston, CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, both sides have now just finished their closing arguments, and the judge as we speak is giving his instructions to the jury.

Now, these closing arguments were very powerful on both sides. The defense says, and I quote, "We don't convict children for murder when their brains have been ambushed by chemicals."

But the prosecution says that all of this talk about Zoloft clouding Chris Pittman's brain and that that's what caused him to kill, they said all that talk was a smoke screen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): There's no question 12-year-old Chris Pittman killed his grandparents. He confessed. AGENT LUCINA MCCELLAR, READING CONFESSION: "I got the shotgun out of the cabinet. I went in their room. I just aimed at the bed. I shot four times."

COHEN: The question is why. Voices in his head, he said.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Echoes from inside his head saying, "Kill, kill, do it, do it."

COHEN: The defense said an anti-depressant drug, Zoloft, sent the boy spinning out of control. Relatives said it changed the child.

MELINDA RECTOR, AUNT: He says, "It's like I'm burning under my skin and I can't put it out."

DANIELLE FINCHUM, SISTER: He was constantly up and down, in and out of the house. He was just crazy.

COHEN: Chris, now 15, was diagnosed with depression. In some cases, the government says, these anti-depressants can lead to an increased risk of suicidal behavior by younger patients. But the FDA has not linked drugs like Zoloft to violence against others.

DR. JAMES BALLENGER, PROSECUTION PSYCHIATRIST: I think he it because he was very mad. Very angry.

COHEN: The prosecution said Chris killed his grandparents in a fit of anger for disciplining him. They said he burned down the house in an effort to cover up the crime.

DR. PAMELA CRAWFORD, PROSECUTION PSYCHIATRIST: It shows not only that he knew it was wrong, that he knew that it was legally wrong to do this, that he knew there would be some consequence.

COHEN: In the end this battle of the psychiatrists is left to 12 ordinary citizens to settle, to look into the mind of a boy and try to sort out his thinking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To tell me the facts in People v. Calloway (ph).

COHEN: Teaching a law class, this is the way the trial judge explained the law and the question given this jury.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An act does not make one guilty unless the mind is guilty. That is, unless the intent is criminal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Now, we just heard the judge in this case talk about criminal intent. In South Carolina, the presumption is that a child under the age of 14 is incapable of forming criminal intent. And you have to have that intent to find guilty.

So the prosecution has the burden of saying that that -- they need to rebut. They need to overcome that presumption -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you so much -- Miles.

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