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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

ISIS Claims Responsibility For Brussels Attacks; 30 Killed And 30 Wounded in Brussels Terror Attacks; Surveillance Video May Show Brussels Suspects; U.S Cities Ramp Up Security After Brussels Attacks; Special Forces Searching Neighborhoods Near Brussels. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired March 22, 2016 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:31:40] ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The globe is in a -- heightened state of alert following the explosion in Brussels. All of these as ISIS has claimed responsibility for the twin terror attacks in Belgium.

As a result, 30 are now dead. More than 230 are injured. Two of those blasts took place at the cities main international airport and the other happening at a subway station near the headquarters of the European Union I may add.

Officials have since raised the terror threat in Belgium to its highest level. In the meantime, we are hearing from witnesses including one women describes what she experienced at the airport the moments those explosions occurred.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINNIE ATUTUBO, WITNESSED EXPLOSIONS AT AIRPORT: After five minutes I heard an explosion, and all the ceiling is coming down. And then just I go under the sink and the second explosion went and then everything is black.

And I see, when I go out I see a lot of people with blood -- and I just go, they run out of the airport.

Yeah, and all the building there is like chaos there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: The witness accounts of the terror attacks today in Belgium are absolutely heart breaking. And they truly give us a richer picture of the horrors that unfolded in the blink of an eye.

Giulia Paravicini, is a reporter for Politico in Europe. She walked two miles to get to the Brussels airport so that she could gather some of the stories of these eyewitnesses. Giulia, tell me some of the things that they recounted to you.

GIULIA PARAVICINI, POLITICO EUROPE REPORTER: So, one of the witness I interviewed told me that he saw a couple that was withdrawing some cash and suddenly he heard a man screaming something in a rabid. And he heard a very loud booming.

And the second after this, the woman had lost her legs. And the husband, which was next to her had lost one leg and a police officer which had run as soon as he heard the explosion has also lost one leg.

Another person I interviewed, his hands were covered in blood said that he saw a man whose chest was completely open, another man with no head, whose body was still moving and shaking.

And third witness I interviewed was covered in blood and a bit shock obviously, said that, he normally sleeps in the parking lot of the airport and he had gone to the third floor to use the toilet and suddenly all he could see was blood and like dead people with no head lying around and glass everywhere. I mean horrifying descriptions.

People were very confused under shock. They gathered outside of the airport, they had no idea ...

[12:35:00] BANFIELD: Giulia, can I ask you about the account of the woman that you came across who was upholding a baby. But she was screaming, where's my baby and you had a conversation with her. Can you recount that for me?

PARAVICINI: Ashleigh, one of the witnesses I spoke to was telling me about this woman. I didn't directly speak to her. But the story I was told is that, was this woman in the third floor where allegedly the second bomb exploded who was screaming, covered in blood, pluming for her son.

And so the person I spoke who said to her look, you have your baby, you are holding it. But she said, no, no, I'm not looking for this baby. I'm looking for my other baby. And she had lost it. She had no idea where it was, whether it was still alive. And yeah, that is what I was told.

BANFIELD: Well, I so appreciate you giving us the time. I know you had a terribly busy day. And that you have encountered a lot of really awful stories. And I appreciate you helping us to understand what the people who went through this, what they were going through at the time.

Giulia Paravicini, thank you for that.

As we mentioned at the top of the hour, the attacks in Brussels have put American cities on heightened alert. We're going to get you a closer look of exalt what is being done to keep Americans safe here in the United States, and what you're being asked now to be on the lookout for.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: The terror attacks in Brussels are putting major cities here in the United States under a heightened alert. Airports across the United States from New York to Washington, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, all of them boosting their police presence, some you see, some you do not. [12:40:10] But it's certainly does mean more uniformed and plain clothed officers and bomb-sniffing dogs, K-9 units on locations.

Last hour, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that this city is taking the threat seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL DE BLASIO, MAYOR, NEW YORK CITY: We in New York City stand ready to fight against terror in every way.

Let me say at the outset, there is no specific and credible threat against New York City at this time. But we are in a high state of vigilance and readiness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: CNN Aviation Correspondent, Rene Marsh is standing by live at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. I said a moment ago Rene some of these security measures that are being implemented today, you will not see, some you will. But tell me what you are experiencing there.

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Well Ashleigh, you know, when I pulled up here at Reagan National Airport, first of all, all of the garages are full. And that just speaks to that this is a high traffic volume time as far as air travel.

So a lot of people here throughout the airport, they gave me a chance to see that there is that visible presence. I saw SWAT, officers walking throughout the terminal. Specifically in this area before the security check point. They've got their long guns. There are also bomb-sniffing dogs. But it's not just here in the nation's capital, yopu have the same scenario playing out in many airports across the nation. Specifically those major cities, Los Angeles, New York City as you mentioned, Atlanta, Miami, they are all taking precautions, stepping up their presence because as you know, TSA isn't involve in security in these areas before you get to the security check point. This all falls on the airports and also falls on law enforcement.

So, not only are they focused here by places like the ticket counters. But also outside, the roadways, paying close attention to any vehicle that maybe there longer than it should be, depending on the airport set up you may have officers asking people who are pulling in to the airport grounds, asking them questions about whether they are going and where their destination is.

The key here is really for them to be random because they don't want anyone to know what to expect. I was just speaking with a police chief at one of the major airports here in the United States, and he says, look, it's really difficult to protect these soft targets.

They do all that they can, but there's no way to predict who's going to do what. They can have the presence there. But there's no way, Ashleigh, for you to screen every single person before they get on the airport grounds. And that's why the vulnerability remains and it's a concern for them.

BANFIELD: Yeah, those soft targets. I mean in Chicago they are asking staff members in the airport to be extra vigilant. And every one of those airports that I listed out has stepped up its security and aren't necessarily saying exactly what or why which is obviously another statement right there.

The port authority here in New York, as well, stepping up presence at the World Trade Center for obvious reasons.

Rene, I'm going to let you go for a moment. I want to skip over to Penn station here in New York City as well, where our Deb Feyerick is standing by.

I'm only assuming people there have heard the news and that there's a difference as you walk around. You can probably see the evidence of what Mayor de Blasio, was talking about.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well we can. And we have been watching it all morning. When we first got here, we saw that a police officer was checking bags. There have been announcements to the affect that they are going to be checking bags. It is sort of difficult to make out. But there are heavily armed police officers just on the other side, standing under the 11 and 12 west gate there.

We've National Guard, they have been walking around, as well. So there's a sense of an increased alertness and increased awareness. You know, I come through a couple of times every month. And there is always a presence, but the presence here is significant today in terms of the number of people and making sure that the K-9s are going through, sweeping the bags. We are hearing the same thing going on. We're told in Miami, Washington, Massachusetts, as well.

So all of these main hubs are really taking precautions. The mayor said there is no threat. And what we do know is that NYPD intelligence authorities as well as intelligence authorities across the country, they are making sure that they scrub all of their information.

Again, you never know what sort of link might be developed overseas that could be applicable here in the United States. And so it is not just a question of adding some security. But it is also a question of making sure they know specifically what is going on and what's taking place over there.

So they're looking at that very, very careful. And we are told that CIA MI5, they're also running this to make sure there is no threat either to the U.S. or to the U.K. Ashleigh.

[12:45:06] BANFIELD: Just this yes or no question if you could. Because our Sunlen Serfaty in Washington D.C. that union station she witness police pulling random passengers and going through their luggage like doing random luggage screening. Do you seeing anything like that there?

FEYERICK: No. We haven't. Just the bags that they are carrying on. But what we do notice that went there is some sort of an attack like this. They do have K-9s on the trains themselves and there are also not only checking sort of the passengers but they are also checking the backs.

BANFIELD: Wow.

FEYERICK: So that's something they do routinely. And, you know, I can't help. And Ashleigh I think, you know, as well, on Friday, the French President Francois Hollande, during a press conference essentially announcing the capture of Abdeslam made reference to airports and it is not clearly whether that was just protocol, you know, doing it as a precaution or whether there was some additional information that he was aware of.

But it is very clear, no one in law enforcement, certainly in Europe knew and just how extensive this network was until they began these sweeps, these round ups.

BANFIELD: Yeah.

FEYERICK: Some 700 people either under arrest in provisional detention or at large. So they have been doing this and they've been working hard Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: And again, I'll repeat the FBI has been stepping up that surveillance of people who were already suspicious. People that they had suspicions about, they have been stepping up surveillance after what happened in Brussels.

I want to go live if I can back to our Nima Elbagir who is out and in front of the airport that was attack in Brussels. There has been an increased presence of Special Forces in one of the neighborhoods not far from you, am I correct?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDNT: A Central Brussels neighborhood, but police, we understand, are searching for a man they are claiming is the third attacker essentially. They put out his likeness in to the public domain. They are asking for information on him and now there are ongoing searches in the Starbeck (ph) neighborhood. Eyewitnesss in Starbeck have reported to us seeing police special forces.

One woman, they were searching the house next door to her, Ashleigh. They also, we understand, have cordoned off Starbeck train station and are searching everyone going in to that station. So now we are really starting to see evidence of that search, that manhunt operation that police have been carrying out since this attack this morning.

BANFIELD: Nima, I just want to ask you that the Belgian authorities -- I reported earlier on that they confirmed to CNN that they have supplied the United States officials with the joint terror task force with a photograph and with intelligence about three men pushing heavy luggage carts through the airport. I don't know if you have been able to see the photograph, or if you have a description.

And we are looking carefully to clear -- you would never want to put a photograph out until you have it 100 percent sure that it is the accurate photograph. But what can you tell us about those three people pictured?

ELBAGIR: We understand from security sources that it's the man to the right of that picture in the light-colored coat. He's the man currently being sought. This picture is going to be released in to the public domain here. Police are asking people to look at it carefully Ashleigh and see if anyone has any information about the man to the right of that picture.

And we understand that that is really what all of these sweeps have been about. Because earlier today, the ministry of interior confirmed there was a controlled detonation of what appeared to be, to them, a third undetonated suicide vest. And that man is wanted in connection with that third undetonated suicide vest. Authorities here are asking people not to approach the man in that picture. They believe him to be dangerous, but they are asking for any information Ashleigh that anyone can come forward with.

BANFIELD: Nima Elbagir working her sources for us as well at the airport in Brussels. So just outside of Brussels. And when we come back, we're going to continue showing you some of the live pictures that we're getting in to CNN from the subway station in Brussels. Right at the heart of that city where one of those coordinated attack happened.

[12:49:19] Coming up next, the significance of that target and the timing of today's terror attacks. Why Brussels, and why now? And what about the terror suspect who was captured just on Friday? Could investigators be squeezing new information from him?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: If you're just joining us. We want to welcome our viewers around the world and here in the United States as we continue our coverage of the twin terror attacks in Brussels, Belgium. One at the airport and one at a metro station in the heart of the city. The death toll tragically we were at 200 -- let me get the update for you, if I can.

We were at 230 at this point injured with a death toll of 30 at last count, but we are still watching that number as it is very fluid and those numbers are changing on a regular basis. A couple of things I can update you with. As you look at your map of the Maalbeek subway station there is a neighborhood not far from there that currently has active operation with a number of Special Forces members that can be seen in the area.

I can tell you this, Belgian authorities have asked for effectively immediate blackout, which is extraordinary. It's almost rare ever to hear something like this as they continue their search for what they think might be a third operator who may have escaped after an attack in the airport. There's a photograph they are about to circulate publicly so that they can ask people to weigh in and look at the photograph and identify one of the men.

[12:55:08] But there are three men in the photograph, all crying heavy luggage carts. It is possible the Special Forces operation is in search of that particular person.

I can tell you that ISIS has claimed responsibility for these terror attacks. All of this just days after the capture of Salah Abdeslam one of the key members still on the loose from the terror attack and Paris last fall.

I want to bringing in our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson reporting today from London and Malcolm Nance joins us as well a former Navy Intelligence officer and Counter-terrorism expect and author of defeating ISIS, who they are, how they fight and why they believe.

Nic Roberson, if I can go to you first and foremost something interesting that you're finding out about the actually architecture of the airport and how that may have actually helped to reduce the number of casualty can you explain?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Sure, you know, I've been to some of the places where suicide bombers have detonated their explosives and often what you see is that the force of the explosion goes upwards. We saw a lot of debris at the ceiling. We have heard reports from people who were eyewitnesses to the attack there saying how the debris from the ceiling fell down.

And when you look at the ceiling, the ceiling is very high. So who we look at the death toll staggering and horrible as it is and we've look at the and heard that terrible, terrible cries of pain and children screaming, only ten and I say only ten and I say only but I use that word, those words very carefully, ten people were killed at the airport. Even though we know there were two explosions there.

Yet on the subway where there was only one explosion that contained carriage, a metal tube that have been the target of terrorist from Al Qaeda to ISIS in the past. There were death toll was much higher at 20 people from one explosion, so the architecture of the airport in the way that a suicided bombers explosion goes upwards.

BANFIELD: Yeah.

ROBERTSON: That perhaps save some of the people in immediate vicinity although we do know a lot of people wounded with leg injury is apparently potentially suitcase bomb that was there and bolts found again typical of an ISIS and Al Qaeda type bomb. Bolts and other metal objects pun with the explosive to cause maximum impact on shrapnel damage on people.

BANFIED: All right, Nic if I can interrupt for a moment. I want to put this photo up. We've been waiting on this photograph. These are the three suspects at this point that Belgian authorities suspect may have been involved in the explosion at the airport. As our Nima Elbagir reported earlier, the gentleman on the right hand side with the tan jacket is the person they are suggesting maybe on the loose. These are asking people in Belgium and further a foot to keep and eye out at this point, he maybe wanted for questioning. They are not calling him a suspect at this time but they are asking if potentially you recognize that person. And again, we do have an international audience with us right now. If you recognize that person there they are asking you to contact authorities immediately. They want to question that person. But they have shared this photograph with all three of these men pushing the luggage carts with United States counter-terror official and shared other intelligence, as well.

Our Nic Robertson reported earlier on that the report from last week, that the lawyer for Salah Abdeslam said he was cooperating after his arrest on Friday in Brussels in connection with the terror attacks in paris, France last fall, may have actually signaled to his terror cell that was still out there step up whatever plans you have. Accelerate whatever plans you have. They said he was cooperating and that may have meant their window may have been closing. I want to bring in Malcolm Nance on that very topic if I can.

I know you have studied this so deeply as a former counter-terrorism official as well. Does that sound like a perfect opportunity for them whether this plan was ready to go o not, do what you can, attack where you can and exact as much as you can.

MALCOLM NANCE, AUTHOR, "DEFEATING ISIS": That's exactly right. You have to understand, terrorist attacks they are not dictated by your nation's counter-terrorism forces, they are not dedicated by your armed forces or your political structure. They are dictated by the cell commander. And when he decides to go, he will have a go, no-go sequence of checklist that he will go down. And if he believes that there are something has compromised the mission, like, you know, the capturing of Salah Abdeslam, or that he believes that the forces are moving in on them, he may decide since it is a suicide bomb attack execute now.

BANFIELD: But I mean, at this point, was it thought that Salah Abdeslam may have actually become the cell leader?

NANCE: I'm not convinced of that at all. Now, I don't have the intelligence on that. French intelligence and Belgium intelligence will be working that, but the way that Salah Abdeslam abandoned his mission, which was to attack Stade de France in Paris in November.

[13:00:07] surrendered, saved his weapon system, dropped his cell phone, led me to believe that he had a -- he had a moment of conscience and left the entire structure, went up to Molenbeek and holed up.

But the other cells generally tend to operate compartmented, not in communication with each other.

BANFIELD: Malcolm Nance, thank you for your insight. We appreciate it.

We're continuing to watch this breaking news out of Brussels. I'm going to turn everything over to Wolf Blitzer, my colleague, who's going to be joined by Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, live, to talk about the Brussels terror attack. Wolf starts right now.