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Arrest Made in London Attacks; Boston Beefs Up Security; Pentagon Analyzes Bombing Info; Sound of Massive Earthquake Recorded; Bombing Follows Unexpected Rice Visit to Lebanon

Aired July 22, 2005 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: "Now in the News." Homeward bound: The president returning shortly to D.C. after a quick trip to Georgia where he met with seniors to push his Social Security plans. Mr. Bush drew a standing ovation in Atlanta when he remarked that America stands with Britain during these trying times.
A surprise visit, a tribute paid: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice turns up in Beirut, Lebanon, where she placed a wreath at the grave of Rafik Hariri. The former Lebanese and opposition leader was slain in February. Rice also met with Hariri's son, recently elected to Lebanon's new government.

Alejandro Avila is sentenced to die for kidnapping, molestation and murder of little Samantha Runnion. The five-year-old girl was snatched from her own front yard in the summer of 2002. Her body was discovered less than a day later. Avila had been acquitted of child molestation just a year earlier.

Ready to rocket: The crew of the shuttle Discovery touches down at the Kennedy Space Center in preparation for a planned launch on Tuesday. Liftoff is currently set for around 10:30 Eastern Tuesday morning.

Welcome back to LIVE FROM. We're live from Washington, D.C.

The work commute is over for many Londoners at this hour. It's already evening in Britain, and the day after is coming to an end. A day that saw the killing of a man trying to board a subway train in a winter coat. And a day when Londoners got a glimpse of the men police suspect were involved in yesterday's attempted bombings.

CNN's Mallika Kapur joins us now, live from London, where there's been an arrest -- Mallika.

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there.

Want to begin with the news of the arrest and bring you up to date on that. Yes, Scotland Yard has confirmed that there has been one arrest made here in London, in West London at 5:15 p.m. local time. That's around three hours ago.

Scotland Yard has confirmed that arrest. What they have not confirmed is whether the man arrested is one of the men whose photographs were released earlier on by officials today. Earlier on in the afternoon, police authorities did hold a press conference in which they did release four photographs. These are photographs of men police say are urgently wanted for questioning. These photographs show men yesterday at various points in the subway system, the underground railway system and aboard a bus yesterday. And these are the men police say could have connections to yesterday's attempted blasts.

They've issued these photographs to the public with an urgent appeal to them to report any information they might have on these men, to call the police helpline, if they've seen these men anywhere. Or if they do see them, they've ask the public not to go up and talk to these men, but simply to call 999, which is the emergency number here in Britain -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. CNN's Mallika Kapur. Thank you so much.

And the mother of one of 7/7 bombers says that she doubts he was involved in the London bombings two weeks ago. Germaine Lindsay was the youngest of the attackers, and police say he wore the backpack full of explosives that blew up a train near King's Cross Station. His mother spoke to reporters in Grenada today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARYAM MCLEOD, BOMB SUSPECT'S MOTHER: I am still in shock. And know not how to grieve for my son. Therefore I grieve first for the victims, the ones who are dead and ones who are alive. I grieve for the mothers and fathers, for the individuals who are now possibly traumatized by the visions of death and horror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Germaine Lindsay was a Jamaican-born British citizen, and police say an arsonist targeted his house today in the town just west of London.

Ready to go home, the two American sisters wounded in the first London attacks are going back to their native Tennessee today. Katie and Emily Benton spoke to reporters this morning from Duke University Hospital in North Carolina where they've been recuperating.

Both were sightseeing in London when they got on a train targeted by one of the bombers. The sisters suffered injuries including broken bones and shrapnel wounds. Emily Benton recalled the aftermath of the explosion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY BENTON, LONDON BOMBING SURVIVOR: We got on the train. And we were on the subway for about -- it wasn't even a full minute. We just had time to sit down, and the train just took off. And the explosion happened. So -- and to try and describe it is very -- it's very strange. Nobody can really understand, you know, what we went through. You know, we were sitting there, and then the next second, just everything was black. I felt like I was being electrocuted. I felt like I was on fire. And I could feel, like, my skin peeling off. Of my body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The events in London have prompted New York police to do what they've been considering for three years now, search the bags of people riding on the city's subways, buses and ferries.

The random checks began at small scale about 24 hours ago. Police expanded them during today's rush hour, stopping about every fifth person with a bag. If you refused to have your bag searched, well, you didn't ride.

The former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, says that most Big Apple residents understand the need for the new policy. He appeared earlier today on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NYC MAYOR: I think people on the subways here in New York are much more willing to accept the possibility of somebody searching them, looking at them, doing things today than they would have been a week or, let's say, three weeks ago. And also the reality is, they've got to put up with that inconvenience. And then the question is, when you do that, do you cause fear, or do you cause more confidence? And I think this morning you caused more confidence, because it's on people's minds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Tighter security is by no means limited to New York. Additional police officers are on patrol at train stations across the country. CNN's Dan Lothian has details now on security in Boston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The head of the transit authority here in Boston calling the latest beefed up effort orange alert plus. Orange alert, they have been on since two weeks ago, the original London bombings. The plus is adding officers in and around train stations. In fact, earlier today we saw one transit officer patrolling, using a dog.

They're also continuing their "see something, say something" campaign. This is an effort for law enforcement to get help from commuters if they see anything suspicious, they see any bags lying around, that they should call police.

Yesterday in an effort to build confidence in the train system, Governor Mitt Romney took a ride on one of the trains. He says there's no way to make the system 100 percent safe. He says the only way to really get at that is to get at the terrorists long before they decide to strike.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: Well, of course, the military at the Pentagon is watching the developments in London. Barbara Starr, live at her post with more on the investigation -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, across Washington, of course, military and intelligence officials are looking at what is happening in Britain very closely. There is certainly transatlantic cooperation and coordination on this.

But today there was a lot of attention about what was said at the Metropolitan Police briefing earlier today when they talked about the fact that yesterday there was at least partial detonation of all four explosive devices.

Let's listen to the Metropolitan Police.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER ANDY HAYMAN, LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE: At this stage, it is believed that the devices consisted of homemade explosives from a contained in dark-colored backs or rucksacks. At this stage it's too early to tell how these were detonated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: But Kyra, there's some clues there. When the officer -- when the gentleman talks about homemade devices, that's a clue. That means it was basically brewed up by somebody. These are not, they are indicating, stolen commercial or military explosives.

So homemade explosives. Well, there would be two kinds. One might be what is called low-energy, low-grade explosives. These are things like black powder. They don't cause a lot of damage, a lot of death and destruction. It's hard to see, experts tell us, why terrorists would risk using that when it doesn't cause a massive amount of damage.

So then the next category is high-energy explosives. Those cause massive amounts of damage. It is generally acknowledged by British authorities it was high-energy explosives two weeks ago in the first round of attacks. You saw that kind of damage. You saw that kind of death and destruction.

Why didn't we see it in yesterday's incident? Well, one working theory right now is that only the detonators went off. And, basically, the explosives in yesterday's events did not. So perhaps the detonators were bad. Perhaps the detonators were manufactured or made incorrectly by the terrorists.

If it was high-energy explosives could they have been on the shelf, essentially, for a long time and simply have decayed or denigrated (sic)? No one seems to be able to say that, of course, because what we don't know is when the attackers, when the terrorists might have made this mixture, that it is now believed they brewed up on their own. But what experts tell us is, typically, when terrorists make explosives, they use them very quickly in their attacks. It's not the kind of thing, of course, they want to have hanging around because of the risk of getting caught, because of the risk of volatility, of accidental explosion.

So one of the key questions right now, Kyra, if it is homemade, have they used up everything they made, or is there more out there? A serious concern -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, is military intelligence looking specifically at the United States and possibly bomb makers that could be here, working on the exact type of materials, same type of materials?

STARR: We have talked to officials, especially in the United States, of course. This is a law enforcement issue through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. They keep very close track of any indications of homemade explosives, people working on this kind of thing.

Now, it's quite interesting. We talked to them. They have told us they have not seen a lot of the type of high-energy explosives, that TATP. That's what they think was might -- one clue -- might have been used in the first attacks. No one is saying for sure. That's not the type of thing they typically see here in the United States.

But certainly there is no question throughout U.S. law enforcement, the U.S. intelligence community, behind the scenes there is a lot of cooperation with Scotland Yard and the London Metropolitan Police, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr, live from the Pentagon, thank you.

Well, the House has approved renewing expiring provisions of the Patriot Act. The vote came late last night after hours of debate. The Senate will likely vote on its version of the bill in the coming months.

The House voted to renew two controversial provisions for 10 years. Those sections allow federal agents to use roving wiretaps and to search library and medical records.

The other 14 provisions have made permanent. They include improving communications between law enforcement and intelligence officers and making it illegal to knowingly harbor a terrorist.

And one amendment passed overwhelmingly. The FBI director must approve requests of bookstore and library records.

Well, tonight on CNN, in-depth reports on two crucial stories. At 8 Eastern, a progress report on the war in Iraq. And at 10 Eastern, a "NEWSNIGHT" special: "ARE WE SAFER?"

We committed to providing the most reliable news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night. Straight ahead, more than large fires -- more than large fires are burning in 11 states. And the situation expected to get worse. Details on western wildfires just ahead.

And newly released recordings of the undersea earthquake that triggered one of the world's worst natural disasters. You're going to hear the sounds of the tsunami straight ahead.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's pretty chilling when you think about what this is. You're actually listening to the sound of the killer earthquake that spawned last December's devastating tsunami. Some pretty amazing science and some pretty amazing cooperation that's letting you hear it.

CNN technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg joins us now with more on the story. It's pretty interesting stuff, Daniel.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Kyra. And we all remember the human death toll was staggering in this case with the tsunami. More than 200,000 people killed in at least 11 countries. And we've all seen the horror and the devastation of last December's tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

But as you pointed out, now scientists have been able to hear the sound of the earthquake that triggered that massive tsunami. And here again, let's listen to what a magnitude 9.3 earthquake sounds like.

Researchers at Columbia University have already learned a great deal about the earthquake by analyzing the sounds. For example, they know that the quake happened in two distinct phases. The first part of the rupture was notably faster than the latter part.

That kind of information could be critical in the future in setting up early warning systems, something a lot of people have been talking about. And understanding the complex physics of quakes and how they occur, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, where did this sound actually come from, and why are we just hearing it now?

SIEBERG: Well, that's actually a very interesting point. The sound came from some very sensitive microphones that are actually used to monitor for nuclear tests. The underwater instruments are monitored by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Band Treaty Organization, which was set up in 1997. They're meant to find out if any countries are conducting illegal tests of nuclear weapons.

In the past, the group has picked up the sounds of other earthquakes and natural events like the sound of an iceberg breaking apart. So in the sense, a bit of an accident, but they shared the information. This group does deal with very delicate political and diplomatic issues. So it's difficult and sometimes impossible for scientists to get data from them. But the horror of December's devastation may be enough to change all that and speed up how some of the data is distributed, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's pretty -- I mean, you and I were talking about this early on when I talked about going to the South Pole, and seismologists are actually there at the bottom of the earth, listening to the earth to try and track these vibrations and these sounds to see if they can somehow determine an earthquake or a tsunami.

But this is a different group of scientists looking at a different kind of threat. So it's two different ways to monitor, right?

SIEBERG: It is. And the more tools they have at their disposal, the better off everybody is to try and predict, or at least respond to something that's happening as quickly as possible.

You know, scientists all over the world are looking at a variety of data to understand this event. In fact, the British Royal Navy on board the HMS Scott has mapped changes in underwater mountain ranges to see what impact that quake and the tsunami had on them.

And as we learned a few weeks ago, every seismograph -- in fact, every monitoring instrument in the world picked up evidence of this massive earthquake back in December. There were some vibrations felt all across the globe. And these sounds will add to that greater understanding.

PHILLIPS: Wow! Pretty fascinating stuff. Daniel Sieberg, thank you so much.

Well, get ready for a summer scorcher this weekend, especially those of you out in the southwest. In Phoenix, Arizona, where the mercury has topped 100 every day this week, they're handing out water to people on the streets for free. The heat wave is blamed for 20 deaths just in that area so far.

And making matters worse, the hot, dry winds which are kicking up dust storms and spreading wildfires, we're going to tell you about that, too.

Now take a look at all this smoke from a massive fire in Arizona. It forced officials to actually shut down a major highway outside of Phoenix and evacuate hundreds of residents. The Edge Complex fire has scorched 38,000 acres so far.

Lightning started this fire near Payson, Utah. Homes were threatened there, residents were evacuated, but firefighters managed to contain the flames before they reached any homes.

Stay with us. We've got more news on LIVE FROM from here in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.

I also hear the president is actually listening to us right there behind us in the White House.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, HOST, "THE TURNAROUND": In episode three of "THE TURNAROUND," we meet Susan Owens, the owner of a small home-based decorating business in California. Now Susan's also the mother of two small kids. Susan wants to make more money in her business, but she doesn't want to sacrifice more time with her family.

SUSAN OWENS, INTERIOR DESIGNER: I didn't realize how hard it is to run your own business. Everyone always tells you, oh, my God, it's so much work. And it is.

VELSHI (voice-over): To help her, we surprised Susan with an introduction to Kathy Ireland...

OWENS: Oh, my God!

VELSHI: ... former supermodel and CEO of her own product design house. She's also got three kids.

KATHY IRELAND, CEO, KATHY IRELAND WORLDWIDE: Our mission statement is finding solutions for families, especially busy moms.

VELSHI: Among the things Kathy encouraged Susan to do: consolidate her debts. Offer more services to existing clients rather than just focus on courting new clients. And use her web site to gather information about potential customers.

(on camera) Susan took her mentor's advice to heart. And after three days, she had a design for a turnaround.

I'm Ali Velshi. See you next time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Time now to check on Wall Street. Jennifer Westhoven at the New York Stock Exchange with all the numbers.

Hi, Jennifer.

(STOCK REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right, Jennifer. Thanks so much.

We're just getting word in to CNN right now, an explosion rocking a Christian area of Beirut. Brent Sadler on the phone now to tell us more -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, these are preliminary reports, but Lebanese television stations reporting that at least one dead and several others injured after a blast in a car park in an area known as Mono Street in the Christian part of the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

I heard the explosion within the past hour. It reverberated through the Lebanese capital.

This area of Mono Street very well known, because it houses one of the most important entertainment areas in the city. Many restaurants, some bars, particularly on a Friday night, crowded with not only young Lebanese, but also many visitors, particularly from the Gulf states of places like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Those people coming here for their vacations in the summer. This really almost the height of the summer season here in Beirut.

Now, what's really making this bomb blast particularly interesting, Beirut, no stranger to bomb explosions this past year. But this attack, apparently an attack, follows hard on the heels of an unexpected visit to the Lebanese capital by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

She left literally just a few hours ago, a visit to the Lebanese capital where she met leaders like the president, Emil Lahoud, and Saad Hariri, the 35-year-old son and political heir of Rafik Hariri, the five-times Lebanese leader who was assassinated last February.

She met those leaders under a very tight security cordon, given the months -- the recent months of bomb attacks against anti-Syrian activists, eliminating two of them in the run up to parliamentary elections that saw for the first time in decades a government in Lebanon free of Syrian control. The government just came into effect just a few days ago.

Condoleezza Rice showing a strong U.S. desire to support that new government, hard on the heels of her departure back to Israel. A bomb blast, it seems, in the center of Beirut within the past hour.

Back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Brent Sadler, thank you so much. We'll continue to follow up on that explosion. Of course, it take -- took place in Beirut, Lebanon.

I don't know if you can hear the helicopters behind me, but actually, right behind us there at the White House, we just saw Marine One coming in, of course, with the other escorts. The president returning from Atlanta, Georgia, today, speaking to folks there. He is now arriving -- trying to see if we can get another shot, but we can't.

He's arriving, though, back to the White House, of course, after spending time showing his support, again, for Tony Blair and the efforts to fight terrorism in light of those London attacks that we've been following in the past couple weeks.

We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.

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