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London Attacks; Maryam McLeod about Her Son; Arizona Wildfires; Samantha Runnion; New York Subway System
Aired July 22, 2005 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: New developments in the London terror attacks, police make an arrest and release pictures of these suspects. We're live on the terror investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been in shock. I know not how to grieve for my son.
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PHILLIPS: The mother of a terror bomber with a message for the victims.
ALLEN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Allen Chernoff live from the New York subway system where police are checking bags as part of their latest security move. I'll have details coming up.
PHILLIPS: From Washington, D.C., I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
We begin with one arrest one day after the attempting bombings in London. CNN learned in the past hour that a man is in custody in connection with the attacks. In other developments today, police released pictures of four men wanted for questioning in the blasts. And they say a deadly incident in a London subway station, this morning, is directly linked to the ongoing terror investigation. Undercover police shots and -- rather, undercover police shot and killed a man as he tried to en enter a train. It happened in front of stunned commuters already shaken by the recent terror attacks.
CNN's Mallika Kapur is in London now with details -- Mallika.
MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Kyra, you're right. We have learned that police have arrested one man here in London, it's taking -- the arrest taking place at 5:15, local time, that's about two hours earlier. The arrest as made in the Stockwell area, which is where we are standing right now. So, police have confirmed they have arrested one man. What they have not confirmed is whether this man was one of four men whose pictures were released by authorities earlier on this afternoon.
Taking a step back, authorities did release pictures of four men, earlier on today, saying that these four men are urgently wanted for questioning. They do believe these four men may have had some connections with the failed bombings across the London subway system, yesterday of course. Yesterday we did have four failed attempts to off more bombs. Three of them on tube system, on the underground railway system, yester, and one of them on a bus.
So, these four pictures have been released today, but police say the reason they have issued -- released these pictures is to -- hoping that they will lead to the public to give them more information about these men. They have appealed to the public to remain calm; however, they say if they see these men not to go up and talk to them but simply to call 999, which is the emergency number here in Brittan.
Also earlier today, a major incident taking place at the Stockwell Rube Station, which is behind me -- one block behind me. And as you reported earlier, police confirmed that they did shoot and kill one man at the Stockwell Tube Station, today. We have heard from eyewitness throughout the day who tell us a man wearing a heavy coat, the kind of coat you would wear in the middle of winter, was seen running into the tube station. He was chased by three to five policemen in plain clothes -- plain clothes officers, they chased the man down the stairs. He got into the train which was waiting a platform. The police yelled to him, "get out, get out," when he didn't obey him, they tackled him, he fell on the floor and they did shoot him, eyewitnesses say, between three to five times -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Mallika Kapur, live from London, thank you.
And London's bus and subway riders have been through this before. Many them worried but defiant after the second wave of attacks. Some are even turning to other modes of transportation. CNN's Paula Hancocks reports.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Security is tight, the mood tense. Rush hour on London's underground significantly quieter Friday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You prefer to think that any incident right now is going to be one (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and it's not going to have to be something you're going to have to worry about on an ongoing basis.
HANCOCKS: There's been much talk of stoic London Londoners. Those who got back on the tube this morning, proved it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to let them affect my life. I'm not going to let them -- sort of live my in panic because at the end of the day, that's them winning.
HANCOCKS: But they have affected lives. London is fast becoming a city of cyclists and walkers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think this time it really scared people. If it's going to happen a second time, third, and fourth, so no, I think it's going to be a permanent -- a lot of people are riding bikes and I think they intend to do it all the time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm planning on buying a bike today so that I can bike to work.
HANCOCKS: This lady is certainly not alone. According to Transport for London, bicycle usage is up 70 percent on five years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) bikes are selling a lot and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) bike are selling staggering amounts. We just can't keep up with the demand.
HANCOCKS: Local taxi says business is quiet for them. Traffic is bad because of road closures around affected areas, but there aren't as many people on the streets.
(on camera): Three million people usually use the London undergrounds, but this Friday, we are nowhere near that figure. Taking into those account those who are walking and those who are cycling, many are thought to be working from home, and some, just as they did two weeks ago, deciding to take a long weekend.
Paula Hancocks, CNN London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The mother of one of the bombers of the July 7 attacks has been talking about her son. Maryam McLeod son, Germaine Lindsay, is believed to have carried out the King's Cross blast. ITV reporter Juliet Bremner, met McCloud at her home in Granada in the Caribbean.
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JULIET BREMNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The last image of Germaine or Jamal Lindsay as he entered Luton Station, explosives strapped to his back. But it's not one his mother can accept.
MARYAM MCLEOD, GERMAINE LINDSAY'S MOTHER: The picture that you see on the television, those are stolen pictures. I haven't seen a picture to clarify that's my son. I don't know that's my son.
BREMNER: But there seems little doubt that the teenager she last saw in August 2004 is the King's Cross bomber.
MCLEOD: I respected and admired him so very much.
BREMNER: Speaking from her home in Granada, Maryam McLeod struggles to accept the transformation from devoted son to terrorist.
MCLEOD: He was so mature. And he was so sincere, and so loving.
BREMNER: She described her son, who was following her example when he converted to Islam, as a loving brother, husband, and father.
MCLEOD: I'm 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. BREMNER: Condemning the events on July the 7th, she says she's now praying that her son may now be forgiven.
Juliet Bremner, ITV News.
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PHILLIPS: Well, president bush tells London, you're not alone. In an appearance in Atlanta, otherwise devoted to his uphill battle to reinvent Social Security, Mr. Bush pledged that America stands with Londoners, side-by-side.
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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm confident, like our country, the citizens of that country will not be intimidated by thugs and assassins. They understand what we know. They understand what this -- citizens of this country understand is that we will hold true to our principles of human rights and human dignity and the freedom to worship. We're not going to let anyone frighten us from our great love of freedom.
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PHILLIPS: Once again, that's President Bush today in Atlanta, Georgia.
Now let's shift to New York for a possible glimpse of the future in cities, nationwide. Security searches now in effect for subways, busses, and ferries. It all begins today. To fill us in, CNN's Allen Chernoff.
Allen, I'm wondering if you have to deal with it?
CHERNOFF: Kyra, I personally have not and most New Yorkers have not, either. As a matter of fact, it appears that the bag searching, here in the New York subway system, has been quite limited in scope. Of the 468 subway stations, the police are confirming that they've been looking at bags at only two stations. We have independent confirmation of searches at three other stations, but it appears quite clear that a very small percentage of the people riding the subway today have actually had their handbags or their backpacks searched by the officers.
What we have been seeing at the station here, in Union Square and at other stations as well, is an increased police presence. Police from the street being assigned down into the subway, many working on overtime, a show of force in the subway today. This is quite similar to Operation Atlas, a police operation that we've been seeing since 9/11 where all of a sudden, unannounced people from the police department will show up on mass, a show of force at landmarks such as the New York Stock Exchange or Grand Central Station. Given the London bombings, the police commissioner is saying the latest move is necessary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COMM. RAYMOND KELLY, N.Y. POLICE: There for a lot of challenges in protecting mass transit. Just the very definition of mass transit means we move a lot of people quickly. So, you know, people are -- are -- it's not like an airport where you can control it much more readily readily. So, there are a lot of challenges there. When we say a holistic approach, some say we're backing off, that we haven't done enough for it -- for mass transit. I think this is a reasonable step to take.
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CHERNOFF: The majority of New Yorkers appear to be quite supportive of the action the police is taking here, but the New York Civil Liberties Union is arguing it is unconstitutional. We're talking about the fourth amendment. Remember, the fourth amendment protects all of us against unreasonable searches. But in a post-9/11 world, what exactly is unreasonable. The New York Civil Liberties Union says it is considering a lawsuit, and New York City says it's ready to fight one in court -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Now Allen, this isn't the first time that New Yorkers have felt this threat riding on the subway.
CHERNOFF: Absolutely, Kyra. Of course, way before 9/11, any New Yorker has known riding the New York subway system has its dangers. I mean, going way back, people have had to watch out for muggers. If you grew up in New York City, you knew that the subway is a place to stay alert, to watch out, watch where you're going and watch who is approaching you. So, New Yorkers are use to this sort of thing. Obviously, in the post 9/11 world, people have to be even more alert and that's one reason that many people are taking the police move today in stride.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Allen Chernoff, live from New York. Thanks Allen.
Well, tonight on CNN, in-depth reports on two crucial stories. At 8:00 Eastern, a progress report on the war in Iraq, and at 10:00 Eastern, a "NewsNight" special, "Are We Safer?"
We're committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.
In California, an anguished mother lashes out at the man convicted of killing her only child. Alejandro Avila was sentenced to death just about an hour ago. That's what a jury recommended in May after convicting him of kidnapping, molesting, and killing Samantha Runnion. The little girl was just five-years-old when she was snatched from front yard three years ago. Her body discovered less than a day after about 50 miles from her home.
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ERIN RUNNION, SAMANTHA'S MOTHER: She wanted to be a dancer and a teacher and a mother. She loved so many things. She had so much passion for life. I'll never know what she would have become.
My family's life was shattered. For the past three years, we've been trying to paste it back together, but there's this huge void. And the lack of her laughter, of art on the walls, of her dancing and her singing and her running and her jumping and her swinging and her smiling -- the lack of Samantha is actually a part of our life, and the pain isn't possible to describe. And the guilt I have to live with for bringing that sweet baby into this world only to be tortured and terrified.
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PHILLIPS: Alvila had been acquitted of child molestation just a year before he grabbed Samantha Runnion.
Straight ahead, scorching temperatures, evacuations, and prayers for rain as wildfires burn the West and the worst may not be over. We're going to take you there just ahead.
And he's battle cancer to become the hottest cyclist on the planet. Lance Armstrong, on track to set what could be an unbeatable record. We're peddling that one right through the Alps, latter on LIVE FROM.
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ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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PHILLIPS: Wildfires in the western U.S. are keeping many residents on edge. Lightning started this fire near Payson, Utah, and prompted several temporary evacuations. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze before it could reach any homes
In Arizona, a wildfire has forced officials to shut down a major highway outside of Phoenix and evacuate hundreds of residents. The edged complex fire has scorched 38,000 acres so far and continues to grow. It's one of several large wildfires burning in that state.
In Arizona, wildfires aren't the only problem, though. Residents are suffering other extreme weather conditions. Yesterday, a blinding dust storm blew through the Phoenix area, winds up to 50 miles-per- hour and it created a wall of blowing dust and sand. Check out these pictures. Visibility was dangerously low and at times only a few hundred feet. But the bigger story there is the heat. Soaring temperatures have proven deadly. We get more now from CNN's Rick Sanchez.
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RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is oppressive heat, and it's clamping down on most of the country, but the Southwest seems to be suffering the most.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me sir, ma'am, did you get enough water today?
SANCHEZ: Here in phoenix, volunteers bring bottles of cold water to people on the streets. Eighteen have already died of heat-related causes, almost all of them homeless, prompting Phoenix officials to open air conditioned shelters during the days. Something they haven't done in years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a little bit overwhelming the last days as people have come here for relief from the heat, for water, for food, and for shelter.
SANCHEZ: Yes, they're used to the hot weather here, but for weeks, the temperatures have been above average. For 10 straight days, they've soared to 109 degrees or higher. And that isn't the only problem. There's little respite from the scorching heat, even at night when lows still hover in the 90s and the drenching downpours that occur almost daily and normally help cool things off a bit this time of the year, just haven't been happening.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had no idea that it could be so intense. I mean, the air is even hot when the wind blows. That -- you feel like you're cooking.
SANCHEZ: And people who make their living predicting the weather say they're not surprised.
JEFFREY SCHULTZ, CLIMATOLOGIST: We're having a hotter summer than normal. This is something that we actually saw coming for a while thanks to one of the key ingredients is the amount of drought, or lack of precipitation.
SANCHEZ: Whatever the cause, the crushing heat is causing havoc from coast to coast and north of the border. In Las Vegas, temperatures have hovered around 115 degrees every day for a week now. Illinois has had more 90 degree days this summer then in the past two summers combined. Los Angeles, feeling the heat as well with temperatures reaching from the high 90s to 104, and there seems to be no end in sight. Even the East Coast is baking with temperatures in Boston and New York hovering in and around the 90s, and with high humidity, making it even more uncomfortable.
And in parts of normally cool Canada, officials have had to import power to help keep up with the demand. So, what can we do to keep cool? Follow the same advice your mother probably gave you years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay out of the sun, plenty of fluids, you know, eat regularly. That's about it.
SANCHEZ (on camera): This is one of about four or five homeless shelters in the city of Phoenix. They're usually full to capacity at around 400 people, now they're all the way up to 430. As you can see behind me, they have people actually sleeping on mats on the floor because they've just had to continue to allow people in. They usually put a limit on things and as they do, with people who may have a tendency to be disruptive because of alcoholism or drugs, but even with them, they're being more lenient. And officials do say that they suspect the 18 that have died in the Phoenix area in the last couple of days because of the heat probably had more problems including just that, alcohol and drugs. They say they're doing what they possibly can and hoping for the weather to cool down somewhat.
In Phoenix, I'm Rick Sanchez. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So when can we expect temperatures to cool down and what's the latest on Tropical Storm Franklin? Let's go back to Meteorologist Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center. Hi Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi Kyra. I think the most interesting point of Rick's piece was that overnight low temperatures don't have a chance to cool down. I mean, in Las Vegas on Tuesday, they had a high temperature of 117, that's a record and they had an overnight low of 95, so their average temperature was over 100. If you can't cool down at night, what are you going to do? Especially if you don't have AC.
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PHILLIPS: I'm trying, Rob, believe me. Thank you.
Straight ahead, what's inspiring radical Islamics to carry out terror attacks in London. Well later on LIVE FROM, we're going to talk with a reporter who took that question straight to the city's boss.
And two American sisters who survivor the blasted in London, two weeks ago, share their stories.
I'm Jennifer Westhoven live from the New York Stock exchange. Two big name companies are slashing thousands of jobs. I'll have that story right after this break.
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JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Welcome back to CNN, I'm Jennifer Westhoven live from the New York Stock Exchange. Well, another sign of how much American auto makers are struggling. Ford is said to be considering even more job cuts to shore up its business. The "Wall Street Journal" reports Ford could cut 30 percent of its white collar positions. That could be 10,000 jobs. Now officially, Ford would only tell us that nothing is off the table. It had already said it would cut its salary workforce, that's generally management, by eight percent this year. Ford has been trying to turn things around for four years now, but its North American operations lost more than a billion dollars just the last quarter, although it is considered to be doing financially better than GM.
And job cuts at Kimberly-Clark, it makes Kleenex tissues and Huggies diapers, nearly 6,000 jobs will go as it sells or shuts down about 20 manufacturing plants. But, Wall Street seems to like the cost cutting move. Kimberly-Clark shares are up two percent. Overall though, the stock market on the weak side today after two big technology company, Google and Microsoft had some pretty good earnings, but disappointing revenue outlooks.
Right now we've got the Dow Industrials down about 21 points; 10,606 the Nasdaq is off by more than a third of a percent, traders also, of course, talking about the violence and terrorist incidents in London. That's the latest from Wall Street, LIVE FROM continues right after this.
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