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CNN Live Today

London Police Release Photos of Four Suspects; Londoners Finding Other Ways to Work; Bag Searches Raise Profiling Concerns

Aired July 22, 2005 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, HOST: And now in the news, President Bush -- I'm sorry, let me get to the correct story here. Here's a look at what's happening now in the news.
London's police commissioner says today's fatal shooting of a man at a South London tube station was, quote, "directly linked to yesterday's attempted bombings." He said police fired on man when he was challenged and refused to obey. Police also released surveillance images of four men believed to have been involved in yesterday's incidents.

President Bush is in Atlanta today, where he has two events planned. Right now he's about to speak at a senior center about Medicare. Later this hour, he'll head to the Atlanta civic center to participate in a public forum on Social Security.

In the Middle East, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived today in Beirut. She visited the grave of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and met with Hariri's son. Rice is in the region to speak with Israeli and Palestinian officials. Her stop at Lebanon was unexpected. Rice says her visit is to show U.S. support for Lebanese democracy.

The federal government counts 35 large wildfires right now in 10 states. Lightning started this blaze last night in northern Utah. It was quickly contained but not before damaging a recreational vehicle in the southwestern part of the state near the Nevada state line. An 800-acre blaze is encroaching on about 20 homes and businesses.

Good morning and welcome to CNN LIVE TODAY. It is 5 p.m. in Paris, 6 p.m. in Beirut in Lebanon, 7 p.m. in Baghdad. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I am Tony Harris, in for Daryn Kagan this morning.

And up first this hour, the breaking news out of London, the police appeal for the public's help in finding the men they believe are responsible for the latest attack on the transit system. And nerves are on edge again today after police shot and killed a man at a subway station.

Chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has been tracking developments all morning. And she joins us live from Stockwell, the Stockwell Underground Station in south London -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony, and this was where the shooting incident took place earlier this morning. It was about five or six hours ago. And it has taken that long for the commissioner of the metropolitan police to come out and, again, make a public statement about these ongoing attacks here in London.

What he said is that this person was shot dead today, that the shooting is directly linked to what he called the ongoing and expanding investigation into these terrorist attacks and, of course, the one yesterday. And he said the man was challenged but refused to obey police instructions.

They also released surveillance tape, and they also said that they're going house to house now, that they've gone -- armed police have gone into at least three locations looking for people that they've now identified. Four suspects on CCTV.

Here's what one of the police officers said when describing one of the suspects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe this man had traveled northbound on the Northern Line from Stockwell Underground Station to the Oval. He was wearing a dark top with the words "New York" written in white across the front.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Now, apparently that shirt with the "New York" written across it was then found discarded not far from that location. They also released the images of three others, the ones who had caused the other partial, rather bungled bombing attacks on the tube stations yesterday and on the bus.

They said that those bombs partially detonated, the words the police use, on all four locations. They said that they were made from home-made explosives, carried in dark bags, potentially rucksacks. But it was too early to tell yet how they were detonated.

Crucially, they're calling on the public now, on all communities, including the Muslim community, to come forward and help the police with their inquiry, to help identify and locate the people that the police now have put out on these CCTV images.

But they're saying that, if anybody sees them, not to approach them, just to call 999, which is here, the emergency police number. They're also saying that this is the greatest logistical challenge, the operational -- the greatest operational challenge that the metropolitan police has ever faced, and he said that it was fraught with unprecedented danger and threat -- Tony.

HARRIS: Christiane Amanpour in London for us. Christiane, thank you.

I want to show you a picture right now of what's called a rucksack. We call them backpacks. And this is a picture of a rucksack that exploded on the Number 26 bus. This is in East Hackney, and this was yesterday. That is in east London. And this is important because this is the kind of bag that has become kind of the central focus of attention of authorities in London as they try to stop these attacks before they happen. And what they're asking for from the public is if anyone sees a bag like this, a rucksack like this, that they call police. If they see this kind of bag lying around unattended, this is the kind of bag that can contain an explosive device.

This is a picture of that very bag, the bag that exploded on the Number 26 double-decker bus in East Hackney. And again, that's in east London. So once again, that's the kind of bag the police are particularly on the lookout for.

Let's bring in now our CNN investigative producer, Henry Schuster, who was sitting in on the press briefing a little while ago.

And Henry, as I bring you in, it was described as a very fluid investigation, a very fluid situation in London right now. We understand that authorities have fanned out in various parts of the city. Give us your take on what you heard in that press briefing.

HENRY SCHUSTER, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Tony, there's a little bit more that happened outside the press briefing.

Firstly, as to the question of why this man was shot this morning, what the police are saying to us is that this man was being followed in connection with the investigation. That's how they came on to him in the first place. Yet they are not confirming or denying whether this man was the picture of one of the four men who was shown from the CCTV stills. They say they still have not done formal identification of the body.

They say that, on the one hand, yes, we would want to know information about him, even if he was dead, because it might lead us to the others. On the other hand, obviously we're putting the picture out there. So they're not giving us -- they're not really giving us a clue one way or another whether this was one of the four men or not.

HARRIS: We have to ask you, we heard last hour from our security analyst, Richard Falkenrath, that the releasing of these photos is a bit of a desperation act on the part of the authorities there, because there is growing anxiety, as Richard sees it, that they -- that the city may be -- other attacks may be coming. Did you hear anything in the briefing that would lend credence to that position?

SCHUSTER: Well, not exactly, Tony. I think we talked about this last hour, that it is standard practice to release CCTV photos. That's one of the reasons why these cameras are there. That in the event of other crimes, they often release photos and ask -- appeal to the public for identification.

In fact, you might argue that it's just the opposite, it's a bit surprising that they haven't released these earlier.

HARRIS: I see. SCHUSTER: But it does tell you that they were trying to keep the operation under cover and trying to swoop in on the men. And obviously, if they were following this man into the Stockwell tube station, then -- then, you know, they had some surveillance already in place.

HARRIS: And then we also learned in that briefing that the explosive devices partially exploded.

SCHUSTER: Yes. They say that they partially exploded. What that means is that the detonators, we believe, went off. But the detonators failed to make what's called the circuit to the explosives themselves. In other words, the bombs were not made in a way that they could actually go off.

HARRIS: And Henry, there was a pretty public appeal for calm by Ian Blair a couple of times during that briefing. Is there a sense, well, you're on the ground there, is there a sense that after two bombings in two weeks that there is some anxiety that might be giving way to a bit of panic in London?

SCHUSTER: Well, I think, Tony, you can connect the dots a little bit to that incident in east London this morning where a mosque received a bomb scare. Clearly now, they're worried about -- they're worried about things like that. They've said this since the 7th of July with the first round of attacks.

And I think you're right, it might have picked up another level with this phoning in of this bomb hoax at the mosque this morning.

And Tony, I want to bring -- come around to one other point.

HARRIS: Sure.

SCHUSTER: Before surveillance photos that they released, and you mentioned about the rucksack that was found on the bus, one of the four CCTV pictures, the ones from Shepherd's Bush, which was taken (AUDIO GAP)

HARRIS: Henry, did we lose you?

OK. All right. We lost Henry Schuster. We'll try to get him back up in just a second.

As you can imagine, it has been another day of high anxiety and inconvenience for London commuters. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us from the Oxford Circus station with the very latest on how commuters are coping.

Paula, what can you tell us about how Londoners are persevering through all of this?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, we're getting fairly close to the evening rush hour here, and people are starting to get back on the tubes. It is fairly busy. We're right in the middle of Oxford Circus. But I have to say on a Friday afternoon, this isn't half as busy as it would normally be, especially a nice sunny afternoon.

And also, it's the middle of the sales. So you would expect this particular spot where I'm standing to be absolutely mobbed.

Also this morning, there were a lot fewer people on those Underground tubes. Many people are being defiant, as we're hearing about these stoic Londoners, but then many people are also trying to find different ways of getting to work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Security is tight, the mood tense. Rush hour on London's Underground significantly quiet for Friday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You prefer to think that anything like that is going to be one off and it's not going to happen, and it's not going to be something that you're going to have to worry about on an ongoing basis.

HANCOCKS: There's been much talk of stoic 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 life 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 really scared people. If it's going to happen a second time, third and fourth. I think a lot of people will ride bikes. They'll 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 from five years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the bikes are selling a lot. Hybrid (ph) bikes, we're selling staggering amounts. We just can't keep up with the demand.

HANCOCKS: Local taxis say business is actually quieter for them. Traffic is bad because of road closures around affected areas, but there aren't as many people on the streets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: Now, the metropolitan commissioner, Ian Blair, also called on the public to remain calm. He said that this is an ongoing investigation. It is an incredibly fast-moving investigation. But calls on the public to be the eyes and the ears of the police. Obviously, the police can't be everywhere. But there are Londoners everywhere. They want them to -- they also showed them the four pictures of those CCTV images of the four suspects, saying that if anybody did see them, then they should call 999, which is the emergency number over here. And of course, if there is any information on where they thought they might be as well, they wanted them to get in touch immediately.

But they did call for calm. The metropolitan police say inevitably in this situation, there are going to be a lot of rumors flying around about what is happening in London. They just want people to base their opinions on the facts and then act accordingly to that, Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Paula Hancocks at the Oxford Circus station for us. Paula, thank you.

In a moment, more on the breaking news out of London. And we'll have the very latest on what British authorities are saying about the investigation.

Plus, the summer swelter, temperatures keep rising and air conditioners are running on high. We'll take you to Phoenix for a look at how they're coping.

President Bush is in Georgia today focusing on his domestic agenda. We'll bring you his speech live when it happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Transit systems in the U.S. will remain on high alert in the wake of the latest attacks in London. And in New York, police are conducting random searches of passengers' bags.

Former mayor, Rudy Giuliani, doesn't expect much opposition, because people are more concerned about safety.

(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 the 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. It's on people's minds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: New York police say bag searches on the subway will be conducted in a systematic way, but civil liberties groups and some passengers are concerned about racial profiling.

CNN's Jason Carroll has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New York subway system, already under tight security.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have police on the train.

CARROLL: Coordinated checks of trains, heavily armed officers deployed. But as soon as Friday for the first time, subway riders will see a new security measure, random bag checks.

RAY KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: Essentially it will be before you enter the system. Ideally, it will be before you go through the turnstile.

CARROLL: New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says the searches will be done in a reasonable, common sense way. Some subway riders...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just kind of infringement on privacy.

CARROLL: ... aren't so sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No way you're going to be able to control the subway system. It's a can of worms throughout, tunnels throughout everywhere

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could be a good deterrent. I think it's a good idea, yes.

CARROLL: Kasi Ashrif, a grocery store worker, is keeping an open mind but worries people like him will be subjected to racial profiling.

KASI ASHRIF, SUBWAY RIDER: We have to see how it's actually done, you know, before we can actually make some assumptions about it.

CARROLL: Civil liberties groups will be watching.

(on camera) You're concerned racial profiling, and why do you think that's going to be an issue here?

BILL GOODMAN, CENTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS: Because I think that, obviously, people who look Middle Eastern, people who are wearing a cover over their head or over their face, people who are obviously Islamic are going to be targeted.

CARROLL (voice-over): Police won't specify how they'll choose someone to search. They'll only say they have a fair and systematic approach.

KELLY: We'll use our system that will be articulatable on the part of the officer, where every certain number of people will be checked. It won't be done on a -- certainly, no racial profiling will be allowed.

CARROLL: Washington, D.C., transit officials are considering random searches on the metro. Massachusetts governor says there are no plans for the same in Boston. New York's mayor says, it's time for new tactics, even though there's no specific threat.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, MAYOR, NEW YORK CITY: We just live in a world where sadly, these kinds of security measures are necessary. Are they intrusive? Yes. A little bit. But we're trying to find that right balance.

CARROLL: Finding that balance could take some time. Police say the random searches will be in place indefinitely.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, the 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 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)

HARRIS: Two Tennessee sisters injured in London's July 7 bombings are talking about their experiences. The two have been undergoing reconstructive surgery at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina and are being released today.

CNN's Carol Costello reports both sisters are amazingly resilient.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does it feel to be going home?

KATIE BENTON, LONDON BOMBING SURVIVOR: Oh, my gosh, I can't wait to get home.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR (voice-over): Home for Katie Benton and her sister, Emily, is Knoxville, Tennessee, a world away from London, where they were injured two weeks ago in the London terror attacks.

Now being treated at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, they were stunned to hear about more chaos in London on Thursday.

EMILY BENTON, LONDON BOMBING SURVIVOR: I was just kind of shocked that it happened again this soon after. And it was just sad to see them. Everyone in a state of panic once again.

K. BENTON: Lightning did strike twice. But I just -- yes, I really do feel like, please, please give London a break. Just let them get back to life as normal.

COSTELLO: On July 7, the 20- and 21-year-old sisters were sightseeing in London and were just 10 feet away from the bomb that exploded in the Edgware Road Tube Station attack.

E. BENTON: We were only on the train for just half a minute. It wasn't -- we had just sat down. The train had just taken off. We didn't have time to look around, or see what people looked like or see who was on there or anything. And then the explosion.

I felt like I when into, like, the fetal position and just, like, crouched down. And I felt like I was being electrocuted. And I felt like I was on fire and I was burning. I could feel my skin peeling off.

Everything had just been ripped. The windows had been blown out. You know, the chairs, some of the chairs, the seats had been -- you know, come off, and there were holes and debris everywhere.

K. BENTON: There was a wide range of injury level. The person next to me, who had been seated close to me, was lying on the floor, and they were dead. And then there was another man that was, like, completely piled in rubble.

And then there were Emily and I that kind of had, like, the middle of the -- like, I guess we were on the lesser side of the more seriously injured, but then there were people that had, like, a cut on their forehead.

E. BENTON: Yes.

K. BENTON: So I mean it was a huge range of injuries on the car. And I think that's because it was a fairly small bomb.

COSTELLO: The sisters know they're lucky to be alive, but they say they're not angry at their attackers.

K. BENTON: I found out on the train that it was a bombing. I did not know whether -- I did not know it was a suicide bombing. I just knew it was a bombing. And honestly, my heart just broke for the bombers and the bombers' families. And I actually sat there and prayed for them. Just that -- it's just so horrendous and for anybody to be so misled to think that that could possibly be positive and that -- it just saddened me so much. For their sake.

E. BENTON: It's so sad that that many people had been injured for just something that, you know, was meaningless. Nothing was accomplished by that.

COSTELLO: Now after treatment, first in London and then North Carolina, the sister survivors are eager to move on with their lives.

K. BENTON: Emotionally, physically, I'm doing surprisingly well for the situation.

E. BENTON: I feel great. And emotionally I feel great. I'm so excited to be going home, I can't wait.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: That was CNN's Carol Costello. The Benton sisters say they aren't interested in reliving the nightmare and don't watch TV news coverage of the attacks. However, they say they are planning to return to London.

And still to come, more on the breaking news out of London. A suspect shot and killed at a subway station there. We'll have the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK REPORT)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM ZAGAT, ZAGAT SURVEY: The three toughest golf courses in our golf survey were, No. 1, Bandon Dunes in Oregon; No. 2, Bull Rock in Baltimore; and three, Bethpage Black in Long Island. These also correspond to the three toughest courses in the United States as rated by the USGA.

Bandon Dunes is a gorgeous course. Right on the ocean. Tough, tough course. Beautiful scenery. The course got the highest rating that we've ever given, our surveyors have ever given anything. It got a perfect 30.

Bull Rock was chosen as the second toughest course overall. It has the great finish, a 600-yard par five hole that people think is one of the killers in golf.

Bethpage Black hosted the U.S. Open in 2002. It's also got some gorgeous long ribbon fairways. The greens are lightning fast. And you're just forced to think constantly about your game.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: I have to tell you, there's a pretty significant weather story developing out there. This time, we're not talking about, well, not necessarily a tropical storm or a hurricane. And it is the extreme heat through much of the country.

Let's check in now with the CNN Weather Center with Rob Marciano.

Good to see you, Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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