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Nigerian Militants Free American Hostage; Saddam More Subdued in Court; Judge Rules in Favor of Repatriated Cubans

Aired March 01, 2006 - 13:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta. This breaking story involving Nigerian hostages who have been held for more than two weeks now. Nigerian militants have reportedly been holding nine foreign oil workers since mid-February, and reportedly now they have released of those hostages, that being a Texas man by the name of Macon Hawkins.

On the line with us is a CNN producer who is based out of Lagos, Nigeria, but who's joining us now on the phone from Warri, Nigeria, Christian Purefoy.

And Christian, what are the circumstances of the release of Macon Hawkins?

CHRISTIAN PUREFOY, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, hi. Mr. Hawkins, the American hostage, has been released by five men -- militia. He was released to two boat loads of journalists.

We pulled up towards three boats of militia. They were (UNINTELLIGIBLE). They had machine guns and RPGs, and they -- after a statement, they handed over Mr. Hawkins, who had with him a plastic bag with a toothbrush and his medicine, to an American journalist there, and then we have just returned and he's been handed over to the CIA. He had two thumbs up from here (ph) and said, "I feel great."

WHITFIELD: And Christian, Macon Hawkins was one of eight -- one of nine employees of this U.S. oil services company called Willbros, working there off the Nigerian coast. Now, what other circumstances, if you can refresh our memories, as to why he and the other foreigners were taken hostage?

PUREFOY: Yes. Eight other people were taken hostage. As yet we don't know what's going to happen with them. Mr. Hawkins says they're all well. He says he spoke to them before he left and told them to be (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- be OK. He thinks they might be released later tonight, but that will depend on how things progress, I'm sure.

WHITFIELD: And so Christian, as to why Mr. Hawkins was released first, reportedly he's a diabetic. And so these hostage-takers said this was a birthday gift to him of sorts, to release him. Is that right?

PUREFOY: Yes. He met with another journalist on Sunday and said that it was his birthday and he would like it as a present if he could be released. And it certainly seems that he's got his present as he would like. And I'm sure he's probably on the phone to his family now and telling them he's well. He certainly looks well and very happy to be released and stepping onto firm ground. People were worried (Ph).

WHITFIELD: OK, Christian Purefoy joining us from Warri, Nigeria, CNN producer. Thank you so much for that information.

So once again, a 69-year-old Texas man by the name of Macon Hawkins, who was working for this U.S. oil services company, Willbros, he was among nine foreign hostages being held by Nigerian militants. Apparently, now he has been released. He being a diabetic, and his release was a birthday gift from these Nigerian militants.

And of course, we'll have -- when we get more information on the disposition of the other eight hostages, we'll be able to bring that to you.

On to Iraq now. Execution warrants, death certificates, a bloody paper trail. Some of the most direct evidence yet against Saddam Hussein. The former Iraqi dictator today said he and he alone should face the charges, but he demanded to know where is the crime?

Let's get the latest now on the trial and the ongoing violence in Iraq from CNN's Aneesh Raman in Baghdad.

And Aneesh, first off, what happened in court today?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, good -- good afternoon.

A remarkable difference in the demeanor of Saddam Hussein. Gone is the defiant defendant. Instead, a subdued Saddam has sat in court as a litany of documents were presented, evidence essentially that links him directly to the crimes he's charged with.

Now, the case at hand is about an assassination attempt that failed on Saddam Hussein in the village of Dujail in 1982. After that, Saddam's regime had at least 146 villagers from Dujail executed without really any court process.

So the prosecutors have been presenting the papers that Saddam signed that allowed for this process to go forward. One of the documents didn't bear his signature, but the prosecution says has his handwriting, discussed what had to do with some 12- to 17-year-olds that they wanted to execute. The fact that they were below the age limit of execution in Iraq at that time seemed to not be an issue.

Saddam at one point stand up, call for unity, given all that's happening outside of the courtroom. Said unity among Iraqis against the U.S. is now what Iraq needs.

But as you also mentioned, he stood up and took responsibility. He said he was the man running the country. Why are other people being tried? As he did that, he turned to the other defendants in the docks. He said Saddam Hussein does everything on his own. Now, he didn't admit guilt, because he says it was all legal, that he survived an assassination attempt and summarily had a number of people prosecuted for trying to kill him.

He did admit explicit guilt, though, in the destructions of people's homes in Dujail, which also followed that assassination attempt. Saddam said it was done to modernize the landscape, a farcical argument. But he went on to say that only the people who were convicted in trying to kill him, and many of those who really had no involvement, had their landscape modernized -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Aneesh, all of this happening with the backdrop of a lot more violence leading to many more deaths.

RAMAN: Yes. Some 34 people killed throughout the country in various attacks, mortar attacks, assassinations, roadside bombs. The deadliest attack coming in the capital, a neighborhood called New Baghdad, a car bomb detonating there. At least 20 people were killed in this incident alone.

Just 100 meters or so from where that car bomb went off just 24 hours ago, within the same period of a day, another car bomb had detonated. The attack yesterday killed at least four. This while Iraq's government says over 400 people now have died in sectarian violence since last Wednesday's attack on that sacred Shia mosque, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Aneesh Raman in Baghdad. Thanks so much for that update.

Meantime, President Bush made a surprise visit to Afghanistan today, one of the two hot zones in his war on terror. On his way to India, Mr. Bush stopped in the Afghan capital of Kabul for talks with President Hamid Karzai and to Rally U.S. troops. It was his first visit since the U.S. invasion in 2001 that defeated the Taliban but failed to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.

Over the past year, U.S. and Afghan troops have had their hands full with the new surge in attacks by Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists. Mr. Bush vowed not to cut and run and said bin Laden will be captured or killed sooner or later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am confident he will be brought to justice. What's -- what's happening is that we got U.S. forces on the hunt for not only bin Laden, but anybody who plots and plans with bin Laden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Officials think bin Laden is hiding along the Afghan- Pakistan border.

A few hours before Mr. Bush's visit to Afghanistan, Pakistani helicopters and troops attacked a militant training camp near the Afghan border. Officials say about 45 fighters were killed, including a Chechen commander linked to al Qaeda. One soldier and a civilian were also killed.

Pakistan says the raid was launched after the militants conducted a raid inside Afghanistan. President Bush is scheduled to visit Pakistan on Saturday.

Mr. Bush is now in New Delhi for two days of high level talks about India's booming economy and controversial nuclear program. He was warmly welcomed by India's prime minister but not by tens of thousands of protesters, most of them Muslims, who took to the streets before his arrival.

Many in the vast crowd chanted "death to Bush." Similar demonstrations were held in other cities across the country. All were generally peaceful.

The Patriot Act is one step closer to renewal. Supporters in the Senate today blocked the latest attempts to make major changes, and a final Senate vote is expected this week.

President Bush and Patriot Act supporters say the law is essential to fighting terrorism. Critics call it a threat to civil liberties. The House is expected to vote on renewal next week.

And happening right now, a roof collapse in Miami, Florida. You're looking at pictures coming from WSVN. Apparently, it is taking place where a home was under construction. One person is believed trapped, and reportedly two people have been injured. We'll continue to monitor the developments there.

New Orleans is cleaning up, again. But on a much smaller scale, and under happier circumstances than it is used to. Mardi Gras ended at midnight with a parade of police on Bourbon Street. This year's celebration was smaller and less rowdy than unusual as reminders of Katrina loomed quite large. Now it's cleanup time for a city that is still clearing debris from the hurricane. A shortage of workers means some cleaning crews are arriving from other states.

All ashore for hundreds of New Orleans first responders. Two cruise ships that had been home to police and firefighters and their families since Hurricane Katrina left port today. Buses picked up the former passengers. FEMA says they will have a place to live, but some may have to stay in hotels for awhile. The Police Foundation of New Orleans worries many officers may look for work elsewhere.

New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward looked like a war zone after Katrina, and guess what? It still does. Officials are preparing to start demolitions next week. Today's task: setting up grids for the area. Tomorrow firefighters and cadaver dogs will search every house for any remaining bodies.

And to those who aren't from New Orleans, the Ninth Ward may be just another neighborhood, but to its people and local historians, it has a much greater significance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): It's less than two miles from the French Quarter, but the Ninth Ward bears little resemblance. It was actually one of the city's last neighborhoods to be developed.

Originally it was a cypress swamp. The land belonged to a few old southern plantations, then after slavery was abolished, it became home to freed African-Americans and immigrants who couldn't afford to live anywhere else. The area was consistently plagued by flooding and disease.

Construction of the canals in the early 1900s improved living conditions in the Ninth Ward, but it also served to isolate the neighborhood from the rest of the city.

By 1950, only half of the Lower Ninth Ward was developed. Historians say that the decades long exodus of white families began in 1960, when local schools were the first in the nation to be desegregated.

Hurricane Betsy topped the levees in 1965 and flooded the Ninth Ward, but it did recover that time. The question many are wondering today is will it come back again?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A judge rules the U.S. was wrong to force a group of militants back to Cuba. Will Castro let them try again? We'll have the Cuban story and how two bridges figured into all of that when LIVE FROM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Lionel Tate was back in a Florida courtroom today pleading guilty to armed robbery just days before his mother says he was to earn his college degree.

Back in 2001 Tate became the youngest person in U.S. history to be sentenced to life in prison. He was convicted of killing a 6-year- old playmate when he was just 12.

Three years later his first-degree murder conviction was overturned. Tate pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was out on probation when he was accused of robbing a pizza delivery man last May.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLIS RUBIN, LIONEL TATE'S ATTORNEY: This boy faced, as the judge said, consecutive life sentences if he'd have gone to trial and had been found guilty. The proof was overwhelming. I've had this case since late December. I have gone over everything, and this was the only professional and ethical thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A judge will sentence Tate to between 10 and 30 years in prison next month.

Fifteen Cubans who tried to reach U.S. soil are winners in a U.S. court, but it may be a hollow victory. Cubans who reach U.S. soil are usually allowed to stay. But in early January the feds sent these Cubans that you're about to see back, because their boat came to rest against an abandoned bridge that is no longer connected to land.

Yesterday, a federal judge called that decision illegal, and he ordered the government to try to help the Cubans come back to the U.S. It's not clear whether Fidel Castro plans to comply.

In the meantime, the would-be migrants are right back where they started, but worse off than before they set sail. CNN's John Zarrella has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Junior Blanco Medeo still has the key to the house in Matanzas on the northern coast of Cuba, but he and his family can no longer call it home. The family says Cuban authorities told them it's no longer theirs, not since they tried to flee Castro's communist country in a rickety boat, only to be picked up by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter and returned to Cuba.

JUNIOR BLANCO MEDEO, REPATRIATED CUBAN (through translator): I think it's an injustice what happened to us, that we were returned after we went through so much to get there.

ZARRELLA: Until now and out of fear, they have not spoken of their ordeal, but now they hope that publicity can help their cause. Junior, his wife, Elizabeth, 2-year-old Michael and Junior's nephew, Alexis, were among 15 Cubans found by the Coast Guard clinging to this old bridge in the Florida Keys.

ALEXIS GONZALEZ BLANCO, REPATRIATED CUBAN (through translator): We were told we were on American territory, we were free. And they said, "Get on the boat. You'll drink beer, study English."

ZARRELLA: But instead of freedom, they got sent back to Cuba. Under the U.S.'s so-called wet foot/dry foot policy, the Cubans could have stayed if they had touched dry land, but the Coast Guard says that the bridge they were on, while fully within U.S. borders, was not U.S. soil.

(on camera) So why isn't it part of the United States? Well, just take a look. The section of the bridge that connects to the mainland ends right there. The section of the bridge the refugees made it to, right over there, isn't connected to land on either end.

(voice-over) Junior, Elizabeth, Alexis and the others were taken back to Cuba before attorneys could try to stop it. The incident was loudly condemned in Miami's Cuban-American community. Ramon Saul Sanchez, a leading activist, staged a hunger strike, calling the interpretation of the law absurd.

RAMON SAUL SANCHEZ, CUBAN-AMERICAN ACTIVIST: What we say to them is if that bridge is not part of the United States then the Statue of Liberty isn't either.

ZARRELLA: Others argue the law is clear.

DAVID ABRAHAM, IMMIGRATION LAW EXPERT: The law is not horseshoes. Close only counts in horseshoes. If you have not reached the land, you have not reached the land, and it's the job of the Coast Guard to prevent you from doing to.

ZARRELLA: Ironically, none of this might have happened, had the 15 Cubans stopped at the newer Seven-Mile Bridge.

BLANCO (through translator): We passed under the Seven-Mile Bridge, and thought about climbing it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It was very tall.

BLANCO (through translator): We had kids with us and couldn't leave them behind alone.

ZARRELLA: So they continued on about 200 yards to the old, shorter bridge where the Coast Guard found them.

Back in Matanzas, Junior and his family now live with his father. They still look with amazement at pictures of their rickety boat.

BLANCO (through translator): It's incredible to have made it all that way in such a bad boat. We stepped on American ground. If I am on that wall, I am dry foot. I am not in the water.

ZARRELLA: John Zarrella, CNN, in the Florida Keys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And back now to this developing story out of Miami, Florida, where we told you just moments ago about a roof collapsing at a home under construction.

Well, now you see emergency crews. They're removing one person who reportedly was trapped in that home where the roof collapsed. We don't know the condition of that person, but you can see right there they are working to get that person on a stretcher and then consequently to some more medical attention.

Meantime, earlier reported two other people had been injured. If we get any more information on this, we'll be able to bring it to you.

Hidden history revealed. Coming up on LIVE FROM, nine women who have made a difference in America and the author who says they're ready for their close-ups.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A 15-year-old girl remains in a hospital in Hawaii today recovering from a shark attack. Nicolette Raleigh was bitten on her right leg yesterday. She and some of her friends were in the waters off Maui's big beach when it happened. She managed to kick the shark with her left foot as a friend pulled her out of the water. Raleigh says the pain was so intense she didn't know if she would arrive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLETTE RALEIGH, SHARK ATTACK VICTIM: The shark came from behind us and knocked him down and it just -- you know, I felt something. Since we were wrestling, I thought he had -- my other friend had my foot, and I looked down, and I see something, and I pulled my leg away, and he started ripping.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Lucky to be alive. According to her parents, however, the ninth grader may have to undergo a nerve graft to repair the damage to her leg.

And don't mess with 61-year-old Alicia Sorohan. The grandmother was given Australia's Star of Courage Award for outstanding bravery. Back in 2004, she was asleep during a camping trip, heard screams, and woke up to see a 14-foot saltwater crocodile dragging a friend out of their tent.

Well, she jumped on the crocodile's back, but it turned on her, breaking her nose and almost ripping her arm off before her son shot the crocodile.

Her quote, "Well, I liked crocs before and I still do. They are a fascinating creature." Brave woman and funny, too.

Well, it's crunch time at Delta and Northwest airlines and potentially for the thousands of travelers who fly on those carriers. Susan Lisovicz joins us live from the stock exchange with a look at what's going on there -- Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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