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Hussein's Defense Attorney Killed; Kidnapping Suspect Captured in Memphis
Aired June 21, 2006 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Kidnappings, bombings, bullet-riddled bodies. If today is any indication, those 21,000 new troops Barbara Starr told us about will see a lot of action in Iraq.
CNN's Arwa Damon has more now from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The defense attorney for both Saddam Hussein and his half-brother, Barzan al-Tikriti, was kidnapped and assassinated in Baghdad early Wednesday morning, according to the Iraqi emergency police and Dr. Najib al-Nouemi, another member of Saddam Hussein's defense team.
Individuals dressed in Iraqi police uniforms showed up at Khamees al-Ubaidi's home at about 7 a.m. in the morning, saying that they wanted to take him to the ministry of interior for some meetings. His wife asked them for identification, which they presented. Al-Ubaidi left with them. His body turned up an hour later riddled with bullet holes.
Now Dr. Najib Al-Nouemi says that he believes that this assassination was intended to send a message to the entire defense team not to show up for court on July 10th, where the defense is expected to make their closing arguments.
He also said that the defense has long been asking for security, has been very, very concerned about the security situation in Iraq. He said he actually spoke with Khamees al-Ubaidi on Monday after the court session ended that day, which they discussed security. Nouemi asked Ubaidi if he wanted to leave Iraq, at least to take a vacation. Al-Ubaidi responding that he had closed his office due to security concerns, but that he felt safe enough at home.
And 20 kilometers north of Baghdad, a mass kidnapping. At least 50 employees that work in a construction complex that falls under Iraq's ministry of industry were kidnapped as they were leaving work today at 3:00 p.m. They left work in five buses. We are told by Iraqi police that armed gunmen stormed these buses and took employees to unknown location. The motive behind this kidnapping is still unclear. And in northern Iraq, in Mosul, Iraqi police found 16 bodies strewn throughout that city.
Arwa Damon, CNN Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: Two families awaiting one tragic homecoming. The U.S. military is flying the bodies of Army Private Kristian Menchaca and Thomas Tucker back to the U.S. from Iraq. They'll arrive at Dover Air Force in Delaware sometime today. The two were kidnapped and killed by Iraqi terrorists, who mutilated and booby-trapped their bodies. Thousands of their comrades searched for them and spent 12 hours clearing away explosives once they found their bodies.
Shocking news for the families of two other U.S. soldiers two years after they were shot to death in Iraq. In a report released today, the military says the two were murdered by Iraqi civil defense officers who were patrolling alongside them at the time. Initially, the deaths of Patrick McCaffrey and Andre Tyson, both from California National Guard, were blamed on an ambush. No word on a motive or whether any suspects had been arrested.
Fifty-six arrests, $25 million bucks worth of heroin. Not a bad day's work for the Drug Enforcement Administration. Of course, it took much longer than a day to bust this international heroin ring, though. The operation started almost two years ago and stretched from Colombia to New York. U.S. attorney Michael Garcia says he's never seen a drug operation so thoroughly rooted out, from the alleged producers to the alleged dealers. He especially credits nine members of an elite anti-drug squad in Colombia who were killed while working on this case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL GARCIA, U.S. ATTORNEY: One month ago, nine Colombian law enforcement officers, dedicated men who worked closely with this office and with the DEA in New York, were assassinated in Colombia. At the time of those murders, this office, the DEA and our Colombian partners vowed to honor their memory by redoubling our efforts against the violent criminal organizations moving drugs out of Colombia and into the United States. Today we followed through on that commitment in announcing the takedown of a massive Colombian drug trafficking organization that smuggled staggering amounts of heroin into the U.S.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Garcia says the ring used sophisticated smuggling methods, including human carriers who just swallowed the heroin pellets.
Rough housing this isn't. It's undeniably rough, but it's a school bus, not a house. And now two Michigan boys whom a surveillance camera beating up another boy face assault charges. One of the alleged attackers was suspended from his middle school for the rest of the year. The school isn't talking about that other teen.
Police in Houston are getting back into the DNA testing business. That division of the department's crime lab will reopen after receiving new accreditation. See, problems in the crime lab led to the DNA section being shut down in 2002. Two men were released from prison after reviews of the lab's work showed unqualified personnel, poor facilities and lax protocols. Dozens of cases with questionable lab work are still pending in the courts.
Another Michael Jackson trial is about to get under way, but it won't be the circus his child molestation trial was. The former pop star is being sued by a former business partner for the $3.8 million. Jury selection is set to start on Monday. Now living in Bahrain, Jackson isn't expected to appear in court, except through videotaped depositions. In those, the defendant says that he never even met his own business manager and got his spending money by leasing cows that lived on his Neverland ranch.
Well, President Bush takes the Japanese prime minister to Elvis Presley's home next week. Well, they'll be in Memphis, as in Tennessee, not to be confused with this Graceland, which we're going to tell you about when LIVE FROM continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The number of military men and women who have sacrificed their lives in Iraq has topped 2,500. We now bring you some of the names and faces behind that number, our fallen heroes.
Army Sergeant Carlos E. Pernell was a carpenter, building homes and schools in Iraq. He was killed by enemy fire June 6th in Ramadi. He leaves behind a wife and a 14-month-old daughter.
Army Captain Shane Mahaffee also had a wife and two children: 5- year-old Edelia Rose (ph) and one-year-old Ethan. He was killed by an improvised explosive device near Hillah May 5th. His former law partner says Mahaffee's service in the Army Reserve ended in 2002, but he was reactivated this year because of his training as an airborne infantry officer. Army major Matthew W. Worrell died when his helicopter was shot down during combat in Yusafiya. He was an 11-year veteran who served as a platoon leader for a special operations group. He was a husband and father of two. His family says he loved flying and that he died doing something he deeply believed in. Just three of the 2,505 who have sacrificed their lives in Iraq.
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PHILLIPS: And now hats off to a British institution. Remember the Royal Ascot scene in "My Fair Lady?" Dandies and socialites strutted through the grand stands with more on their heads, it was suggested, than in their minds. Well the Ascot race remained a staple of England's high society and once again this year the head gear ranges from the elegant to the what the hell is that? This year's event caps a $370 face lift for the track. We'd tell you about that, but frankly we were too busy looking at the hats.
Elvis has left the building, but he hasn't left the heart of the California man who remembers the king of rock 'n' roll every time he looks at his backyard. Here's Tim Daly of CNN affiliate KXTV.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TIM DALY, KXTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you only saw the living room, you'd know Don Morris is a complete Elvis fanatic. The records, the posters, plates, dolls and guitars.
DON MORRIS, ELVIS FAN: Well, I've got Elvis's scarf. I have a drinking glass of his. I've got 20 watches all with Elvis's pictures on them.
DALY: So a trip into the backyard isn't needed for further evidence, but that's where Don out-fanatics all the others. Graceland is where Elvis lived in Memphis. Don built a replica in Marada (ph). It was a guest room.
MORRIS: You know, if I just cut this roof off and I raised this thing about four or five feet -- I think if I could downsize a few things here and there, I could make that look like Graceland.
DALY: The original is about 3,000 square feet. Don's is about 300. The pillars, the windows and Elvis' T.V. room, all duplicated.
MORRIS: The first thing you see is the mountains and clouds on the wall with the lightning bolt shooting down, which is basically his symbol of taking care of business.
DALY: Don's in construction. So one summer, this is how he spent his spare time. His Graceland contains a small stage for when he and his friends tap into his vast collection of Elvis karaoke tunes. Now here's the shocker. Don's about to leave all this behind, his home is for sale. And this Graceland stays. Don's cool with that because he's got plans.
MORRIS: I'll be headed for Graceland. That's my plan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well that from Tim Daly of CNN affiliate KXTV.
Well it was pretty horrifying day for two girls in Memphis, Tennessee. They were kidnapped, possibly at gun point yesterday. And though both have been found, the story doesn't ends there. Let's get straight to Memphis now. Amy Cowman from our affiliate WHBQ. Amy, what do you know?
AMY COWMAN, WHBQ CORRESPONDENT: All right Kyra, we can actually now confirm that the police have captured Binh Ho. We just got off the phone with Memphis police department and they say that Binh Ho was actually walking down the street in the Hickory Hill area, which is the area we're in, where his first victim lives, the home right behind me.
They said that he -- the police went up to him, he tried to run and then they captured him. He is now in FBI custody. Now, this manhunt has been going on all day long. Obviously, police said he was armed, very dangerous.
We know he had pulled a gun on two victims. So they were trying to do everything to search this area to take him down. Now, to recap what went on, to lead up to this point, first of all, police say he came to the 16-year-old Thuy Dung Cao's home and abducted her at gunpoint and took her across state lines to Mississippi. This all happened yesterday morning.
She was later found alive handcuffed in a wooded area in Mississippi. Police were led to her after Ho allegedly kidnapped a second woman. This second woman he had known from a nail place and flagged her down, asked for her help, then pulled a gun on her.
She actually was able to pull out pepper spray, spray him and escape from him, which is then how she called police and was alerted to where the first victim was handcuffed in the woods. Now the search obviously has come to an end since they have just captured him, but they were searching in this area because he came back here this morning and was seen by some people.
Now the victim, the first victim's brother says that his sister was trying to help Ho.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's trying to change him. And she have pity on him. It was like he hadn't changed at all. He's still as bad as he was before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COWMAN: Now police say that he did change his appearance after he was on the run. He shaved his head and he also shaved a goatee that he had, but he still had a mustache.
So we know that he is in custody now, which is certainly a relief for a lot of the people affiliated with him, who knew him. The victims, of course, and others who were worried that he might try to come back to their house and car jack or to try to get them as well. Now it should be said that the two girls, the two victims, were taken to the hospital, were examined and are in good condition.
So certainly a good ending to what has been a trying, treacherous two days for those victims and for the city. All right, back to you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Amy Cowman, thanks so much. The news keeps coming, we'll keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: OK, officially, it's summer. And so far, it's shaping up to be the summer of the bear. Submitted as evidence this home video from Bloomberg, Massachusetts. Mom and three cubs cavorting in a suburban backyard. Well, the home owner says at first she thought the cubs were cats. Massachusetts only had about 100 black bears 30 years ago. Now wildlife experts figure there are about 3,000.
If not the summer of the bear, how about the summer of the bear hug? Watch this expression. President Bush still trying to catch his breath after this exuberant reaction from a new graduate at the Merchant Marine Academy. You can't blame 6'7 Midshipman Gabriel Whitney being so overjoyed. He finally gets to leave after six years of undergraduate work and more than 4,800 demerits.
Catastrophe, but cat averted in Connecticut. Lewis, the feline menace, has been spared a death sentence. A judge agreed to let Lewis live out his nine lives but he's under permanent house arrest. Despite these deceptively sweet images, Lewis is accused of numerous bloody, stealth attacks in his Fairfield neighborhood. His most infamous crime was an alleged ambush on the Avon lady. I didn't know we still had Avon ladies. Lewis's owner, Ruth Cicero, not only has to keep her kitty cooped up, she has to do 50 hours of community service. The judge says if Lewis gets outs, even accidentally, Cicero could face six months in prison and Lewis might end up on the wrong end of the needle.
Five and a half months down, nine and half to go. You're looking at Ohio's version of Angelina Jolie, at least as far as the Cincinnati Zoo is concerned. Emmy, the Sumatran Rhino, is in the midst of the most watched zoo pregnancy of the year. Already renowned as the mother of the first Sumatran Rhino born and bred in captivity, Emmy's passing along her celebrity genes for the third time. She's due next Spring after a 16 month gestation, that's one and a third years, by the way, in case you want to knit some booties or horn warmers for the new arrival, the sonogram indicates you should make them blue.
All aboard. One major airline announces a major change to its boarding policy. Ali Velshi explains why he never wants to fly on another specific airplane again.
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PHILLIPS: Let's check in with Wolf Blitzer, see what's happening in "THE SITUATION ROOM." Hey, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra. Thanks very much.
It's happening right now momentarily. Seven marines and a sailor will be charged with murder, kidnapping, conspiracy and other crimes. We'll find out why they're being targeted and why their families are proclaiming their innocence. We'll take you live to Camp Pendleton, where the military will make the announcement right near the top of the hour. That's coming up. We'll also speak to the father of one of the men charged.
Also, nuclear negotiations. President Bush talks tough on Iran and North Korea, but will allies in Europe back his plan? We'll take you live to Budapest.
Plus we'll take a closer look at missile defense. Does it actually work?
And Arnold at the border. We're going to take you on a chopper ride with the governor.
And fighting for the military, but against the war. Cher campaigns for a cause. She sat down with our Anderson Cooper. He will join us live with some of what she told him. All that, Kyra, coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
PHILLIPS: All right, Wolf, thanks.
Well, did you ever wish it would rain money? That's pretty much what happened in Wales as this surveillance video attests. Seriously. A man driving through a pedestrian crossing shouted who wants free money? Then he threw out 20,000 pounds just out of his car and drove away. Other drivers joined pedestrians to scoop up the currency, worth about $37,000 U.S. dollars. It's not exactly clear where the man got the money and why he threw it on the street, but the folks who scooped it up aren't asking any questions.
You can almost taste the headline: restaurant serves $100 hamburger. Chefs at the Old Homestead Steakhouse in Boca Raton, Florida, created this 20-ounce masterpiece. It's two-and-half inches thick. Inside, it's described as heaven on a bun. Combination of American prime beef, Japanese Kobe and Argentinean cattle. You can order one by mail. Paul Anka and David Lee Roth already have.
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