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New Day

Continueed Coverage of Brussels Terror Attacks; Train Attack Witness Interviewed. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 22, 2016 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:02] CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. You are watching NEW DAY.

And we're covering a series of deadly explosions rocking Brussels. Two blasts at the airport, another at the city's metro system. The death toll rising.

We just heard from the prime minister in Brussels. And he puts the death toll at 28 at least, 13 dead that they're looking at the airport, more obviously at the metro station. But these numbers are premature. Dozens and dozens of people are very badly injured. Obviously that airport, which is a major hub, is shut down.

In fact, all of Brussels is shut down right now that allowing the authorities Alisyn to put more troops on the border. We're hearing the same in France. And we believe it will follow soon throughout Europe. This is a reflection of this horrible new normal.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. And the numbers of course are fluctuating. But we know at least 15 people dead at a separate explosion at nearby metro station this morning.

Belgium raising its terror threat to the highest level, these attacks on four days after the main suspect in the Paris November attacks was captured in Brussels.

President Obama was briefed in Cuba this morning. Belgium's prime minister calling it, "Black day."

I want to begin our coverage with CNN's Nima Elbagir she's live at the Brussels airport, Nima, tell us what you have learned at this hour.

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't know if you can hear it. But military helicopters have been flying overhead back and forth from this airport, part of that reinforcement, part of that distribution of forces on the streets that the raising of this threat level to four will now allow four.

Part of this airport has a military contingent. But it seems to be where they're shuttling soldiers back and forth from.

We understand that in addition to the number of dead at Maalbeek station being at 15. But 10 those are critically wounded.

So Chris was right to say that those figures that the Belgium prime minister has already announced, those are really unfortunately looking like they could be premature. There was an expectation authority tell us that that death toll will continue to rise. They're calling on those who want to help to try and go to hospitals, clinics and give blood.

They have also set up an emergency hotline asking those who know that they're safe or attempting to find out if their loved once is safe to call in and they will try and pass on information because the phone lines have been very difficult. And that's really adding to that sense of panic.

You can see behind me they are moving some traffics through even though they have asked for a lockdown because they're trying to get people home.

A lot of this airport now has road blocks around it. But they're maintaining some corridors of traffic to allow people to get back into their homes and off the streets, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: And Nima, I mean just a sense of panic and helplessness at the same time, obviously people want top help. They want to know where their loved ones are. They want to know what they can do. And of course being in lockdown mode makes it particularly challenging. But we understand why authorities are doing that.

You are at the airport. That's where these two explosions went off this morning. An hour later, we understand now from authorities, there was another explosion, part of what we believe they're coordinated attack at a metro subway station.

And we understand that at least 15 people were killed there. We're getting our first images that I want to show viewers of that because it is just as dark and eerie and ominous of the videos you can ever imagine. People trying to figure their way out from underground in the dark without electricity, it's just, you know, I mean these were designed to terrorize people. And you're seeing the terrible aftermath here, Nima. I don't know if you can see it. But we heard from our eyewitness at the airport obviously of similar panic in the aftermath there.

ELBAGIR: The scenes that we've heard described to us are really heartbreaking. At the airport, the eyewitnesses described people stepping over the shuttered plates of glass. And how much the sound effects of that explosion, the ricochet effects of the blast of course, it wasn't just the blast, it was the glass falling in that caused a lot of injuries and describing people being ferried out on stretchers.

A lot of the planes that arrived only to discover that they've landed in the middle of chaos and people being marshaled towards points of where they could come together and then congregate and then be moved out.

It is just perceived that the eyewitness as described us are really heart-breaking Alisyn. And this is a country that has felt itself ricochet from one state of terror really intention. Now into another and we saw that and the Belgium prime ministers face and his tone at that press conference describing it as a dark day for Belgium.

[07:05:03] But what was also really quite of note was that he said, there's needs to be a moment of solidarity because we've been hearing report about words in Arabic shouted out before that first suicide blast was now being confirmed by the prime minister as a first suicide bomber blast here in the airport and an exchange of gunfire.

And that plays so much into the divided tensions that militants and extremists feed on. So one of the first things the prime minister had to say directed as much to the Belgium, Muslim community here, to the entire country was sending them a message that this is not a moment for division, that his hope really is that this not -- will not be a moment of finger pointing to the community at large that this is a moment for solidarity and this is a moment for unity in this dark day.

And what else -- what was also have note was the prime minister saying that they were blind sighted even though the foreign minister on Sunday was telling reports that they were aware that there was a network around Salah Abdeslam that was planning attacks here in Belgium and in the Europe mainland.

Even though this information was out there and they were putting it in the public domain they still clearly, Alisyn, didn't expect this.

CAMEROTA: You know, Nima, I guess there is no mental preparation for this kind of carnage even when you know the threat level is high there.

And Nima, thank you for that update, obviously we'll come back to you as we get more development out of the airport there.

We do want to go to Chris now though.

CUOMO: All right. And there's going to be a lot of thinking about where to go from here. But this situation is far from over. The authorities are still assessing the injured. And we have someone on the phone right now.

Sander Verniers who was in the underground subway system there when the bomb went off, Sander are you OK? What can you tell us?

SANDER VERNIERS, WITNESS TO TRAIN ATTACK: Hi there. Yeah, I'm OK. I think I was in the subway just right behind the one that carried the bomb. So I was stuck between two stations. In order to get out, there was a lot of smoke. We heard and felt the blast. And -- but we didn't see the explosion. So everyone is OK.

CUOMO: You say you didn't see the blast but you felt it. Tell us what that means. And then what was it like when you were being evacuated?

VERNIERS: Well, we all kind of felt the strong wind going to the carriage to the subway. And then we heard some noise that shouldn't be there.

We saw some people that's open the back door. People from subway system, and then the only to get -- get one to one door. It was very organized, everyone was has been slowly went OK. And then we were outside in between two stations. And then get to walk toward (inaudible) to nearest exit.

CUOMO: So you're saying you were in between stations. So people had to make their way along the tracks. How did that go?

VERNIERS: Yes, absolutely. Well, we had military everywhere, so they organized pretty good and then they make sure there wasn't any panic. So it went OK.

CUOMO: We know it's still very early and authorities aren't exactly sure how many people were lost and how many are still injured and fighting for their lives in that situation. Did you see people getting a lot of medical help there on the way out?

VERNIERS: No. I didn't see, many people with wounds or anything else. So I think everyone in my subway was OK.

CUOMO: The attack of the airport came at 8:00 in the morning. This one they say was about an hour later. Does that make sense to you in terms of what you remember what time it was, and how crowded is that train at that time in the morning, is that rush hour?

VERNIERS: Yeah. I think it was around 9:10. So it's just a little bit over rush hour. But there were still plenty of people toward there.

CUOMO: And how long did it take you all to get of their and you get up out from underground?

VERNIERS: Well at first, all the doors were shut. And I think after five or ten minutes, one door was opened. We had to walk I think around five minutes to the nearest exit, throughout the tunnel.

CUOMO: All right, Sander thank you very much for checking in. I'm sure you're very shaken up by this. But it's good to hear that you're OK. And that the authorities were there quickly, the military will help you through the dark and get you back up on to safe ground. Thank you for being with us this morning.

VERNIERS: Thank you.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Chris, we'll get back to you in a moment. But right now, we're going to be joined on the phone by another eyewitness this is Paul Foreigneer (ph). He was actually at the Sheraton Hotel which we understand is located nearly across the street from Brussels airport.

[07:10:03] Mr. Foreigneer (ph), first of all where are you right now?

PAUL FOREIGNEER (ph), EYE WITNESS: Right now I'm in my hotel room and we're looking partially in front of the airport.

PEREIRA: OK, where were you when you heard the explosions?

FOREIGNEER (ph): Actually I was also in my room. And I felt, you know, the ground and the windows vibrating. And then I went to the window, saw people running out, then came downstairs and found a state of chaos.

PEREIRA: How soon after that? Did you see emergency personnel arrived on the scene?

FOREIGNEER (ph): Honestly, they came very, very quickly, maybe within five or ten minutes. It was a very, very -- they acted very promptly.

PEREIRA: We know these hotel is often have a lot of people there that are staying, that have traveled or just arrived on the connection. Did they alert you in the hotel of an evacuation plan or if you were just shelter in place? What was the advice of the hotel?

FOREIGNEER (ph): It was very, very clear. No one else on the street, I mean, for the first 15 minutes, I went, you know, because they were curious, I guess. And then afterwards everyone was asked to go back in.

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): Actually we saw from the parking lot because at one point they were squeezing out the area looking for more explosives, (inaudible). And now they just said that eventually, they are saying that people that have a car might leave tonight, but nothing sure for now. And they just want to ensure that ...

(OFF-MIC)

PEREIRA: So they told you, that they are doing extra checks right now, what do you see out your window as you talk to us?

FOREIGNEER (ph): Actually they were doing checks let's say an hour ago in the parking lot. Now, it's very difficult to see anything ...

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... probably, and I don't know ...

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... because, you know, people in the white suit with cameras most probably trying to get shots of the victims ...

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... to contaminate, you know, the area where everything has happened. But aside from that there's actually ...

(OFF-MIC)

PEREIRA: What is your plan at this point? Where you on your way somewhere or arriving?

FOREIGNEER (ph): Actually I've been at the conference for a couple days here. And well we just decided to go on with the conference, you know, I mean ...

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... just be able to talk to you. But after that, we're go back to no more leaving.

PEREIRA: You know, that's a very interesting thing to hear and that's what we're always told is we have to carry on.

We also know that carrying on will be a bit of a challenge today given the fact that metro stations and all public transportation has been shut down.

I am curious, have you been ale to use an access the Dutch Red Cross check-in safety website it's called I am safe.

Have you been able to alert your family and loved ones that you're OK?

FOREIGNEER (ph): Actually before all the land lines and cellphones lines were totally blocked I was able to call my girlfriend and baby and my family.

And then they all alerted the -- all of the people and obviously, you know, what happened all connection devices to the able to tell everyone that everything was OK.

And I think most people have been able to tell their loved ones.

PEREIRA: That is so important to be able to do. I have to ask you Paul, you've had a chance to maybe think about all that you've just witnessed. How are you feeling?

FOREIGNEER (ph): It feels rather strange when they're close to you. I mean, I was in Paris today, (inaudible) was attacked. I was there -- I mean the morning after the Paris, I think was, you know, (inaudible) everyone most ...

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... here's a bit different because your -- I mean I'm on the scene. Very, very curious and ...

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... sometimes, you know, it can be really a matter of bad luck and can happen anywhere. But you just ...

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... and you have to go on with living as if -- let's assume nothing had happened. But you just hope that everything will be fine.

PEREIRA: Well, the prime minister of Belgium said that he called for unity and solidarity. And I think that you're doing the right thing by just sort of trying to keep us positive and focused on what you need to do in your day to day life. Again, so your plan is to sort of shelter in place for now until your otherwise told you can leave the hotel. The sheriffs in there that is adjacent or very close to the hotel or the airport rather.

FOREIGNEER (ph): Yeah, actually, that's correct, I'm going to get back down to the ...

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... would be rather, I mean that the victim is behind the street. So it is still rather fall. We have (inaudible) sweeping the ...

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): This morning to ensure that there were terrorist. And -- we'll just stay there. Anyway we have clear instructions. No one is allowed out.

[07:15:03] PEREIRA: Have you been questioned by any law enforcement official?

FOREIGNEER (ph): No. But honestly you can imagine that there are a quite a number of people everywhere. So I'm not their priority, I think they have most people that were ...

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... airport when everything happened.

PEREIRA: Right, at this point, do you feel safe where you are?

FOREIGNEER (ph): Yes. I do.

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... yeah, I think they're doing their best. And I mean, I'm safe here as I could be anywhere else because you never know where it again strike.

(OFF-MIC)

FOREIGNEER (ph): ... anywhere else.

PEREIRA: We are glad to here you or glad to know you're OK, that you've been contact with your loved ones. Paul Foreigneer, thank you so much for joining us from your location there at the hotel across from the Brussels airport, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Michaela, and just greetings and updates now.

The death toll as we've said is fluctuating throughout the morning, this comes from the Brussels metro authority, they've just tweeted out that the death toll there in that subway attack where we watched that eerie haunting dark video of the explosion, 15 people killed, 55 wounded. That's much higher number than we had before. So 55 wounded, 15 dead. We'll keep you updated as these developments come in. This Brussels terror attack this morning comes four days after the main suspect in the Paris November attacks was captured in Brussels suburb of Maalbeek. Is there a connection?

We want to bring in CNN's Nic Robertson, he's live in London with the latest. What are authorities saying Nic about this, the timing of this attack connected to Abdeslam's arrest?

NIC ROBERTSON: CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, there are no direct connections being made at this time.

However, at the time that Salah Abdeslam's arrest the French and Belgian officials said that this was a victory against ISIS. But the battle with them was far from over. They were very aware that there were other threats.

Salah Abdeslam was hiding out in a house in the suburb of Brussels that was raided by the police last week. When they raided that premises, he escaped. But they found detonating equipment, material. The Paris prosecutor said that Salah Abdeslam in advance are the Paris terror attacks been involved in procuring, buying detonators, detonating type equipment and chemicals.

So there is a connection emerging between Salah Abdeslam and the manufacture or the involvement in making explosives.

Now at the moment the police are not saying that there's a direct connection between his arrest and these attacks.

However, he has said on the record through his lawyer that he has cooperating with the police. So for any members of this cell, there has to be a clear either instruction or warning that if he is cooperating than any elements of plans that are out there could be potentially be thwarted.

So whether or not there were previous instructions, it would -- there would be certainly logic that counterterrorism officials would be following up on right no, did that cell remain behind or another cell decided to act because they were afraid of being arrested or act out of revenge.

What this is precipitating, and there's no surprise here at this time. It's precipitating across Europe is a major increase in the level of security around transport hubs and around airports. What we have heard from the British authorities here increasing security at airport, increasing around transport hubs.

The British Prime Minister, David Cameron said that he was shocked in concern with the french mayor today say that she is -- they have solidarity with the people of Belgium indeed. They are lighting up the Eiffel Tower today. We understand in the flags of Belgium.

We have heard from President Putin, who's country was struck by a terror attack just last year. He send us condolences. The Italian prime minister, our hearts and minds are in Brussels. The Swiss president were profoundly. The Greek prime minister, expressing solidarity. The Spanish prime minister, terror will not defeat us. Europe is on absolute alert. Belgium is on the highest state of terror alert. Additional security forces all across Europe that being deployed.

No one is discounting at the moment there could be other attacks in the very near future here?

CAMEROTA: Nic, I want to ask you, not just about the timing but about the geography. You talked about the suburbs of Brussels. And after the Paris attack, we learned about this particular neighborhood called Maalbeek and that was seen as a an extremist hot bed. Even terror cells there.

So though authorities were well aware of this neighborhood, what we've learned, I mean after Paris it is so insular, it's very hard for security officials and police to make any inroads in order to infiltrate any terrorist cell, they even get information and of course that's where Abdeslam was arrested four days ago.

[07:20:01] ROBERTSON: It is very difficult. It has been for some time for police. You know, if they go back six or seven or eight years, I did a story, I mean a documentary in Brussels about an al-Qaeda recruitment network there.

We went into a neighborhood of Brussels there, close to the central station that the Eurostar station where that's the main international trains come into.

We were surrounded by an angry crowd. The police don't go into that neighborhood because it's dangerous for them. I say go in with additional forces. Parts of Maalbeek have become the same way. So it's not just a policing issue that it becomes an intelligence issue.

And ISIS as we know is now operating quite sophisticated methods of spy trade craft to stay below the radar, below the radar of their -- the communities that they're in, the communities that the police find very hard to penetrate.

So what was expected Salah Abdeslam's arrests that lead to further information about this network in Maalbeek that it is become and remains a huge challenge that police to get into and get good information.

CAMEROTA: Nic Robertson, thank you so much for all of that context, we will check back with you.

Let's back to Chris now.

CUOMO: All right. And as Nic well knows and everybody who's been covering these attacks, Alisyn, Maalbeek is not alone in terms of how it sets up in Belgium and in that region. And as we're hearing as Nic was reporting from countries not just around Europe but around the world, everyone is aware and frankly everyone is playing catchup.

Now to the specific again, 8:00 this morning local time in Belgium, an attack at the airport there.

Two different explosions and then about an hour later at a metro station, many, more are injured and among those, many fighting for their lives. The most recent numbers given by authorities at 26 killed in all of these attacks, a 130 being reported. And you have to remember especially with the pictures on your screen right now at the metro station.

We were talking dense concentration of humanity in the dark in the case that metro station the emergency forces there, the authorities, the first responders are dealing with triage and that counting.

So they're dealing with emergent situation. A lot of people still stable. So those numbers are soft and you show go slowly on that part.

There's question that many have lost their lives, the question is how many, we'll find out over time.

Now a bigger question is coming out this right away is understanding it as a threat. There in Europe you have a lot of geographic challenges. Not so much back in the United States.

I want to go Evan Perez right now just to support her force here in the U.S. about what this means Evan in terms of what Washington D.C. is doing. Of course the president is where I am in Havana Cuba is supposed to give a speech today about the obvious human rights challenges of an oppressive regime here. But there's an oppressive force all around this world now in the form of terrorism to be addressed.

The U.S. has a different situation. It doesn't have people returning from Syria the way they have in Europe to create terror purposes, it has geographic advantages as well. But what is this situation mean in terms of what you're hearing from intelligence officials in the United States.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: That's right Chris. Good morning. You're right. And the numbers that the U.S. is facing is nothing like what Belgium is facing before they have hundreds of people who have gone to train and to fight with terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.

The U.S. has a much smaller number. But all the same in reaction to what happened today in Brussels, I talked into counterterrorism intelligence officials this morning. They are on guard for possible copy-cat attacks. It's something that they always do, they always make sure that they check in with some of the people that they have been monitoring. We know that they have dozens of people around the United States that they are keeping an eye on, who are -- who they suspect are extremist, people who are followers of ISIS and support ISIS. And obviously the first suspicion here of the author of these attacks in Brussels is on ISIS. Simply because they are the biggest game in town, they are the ones that are most active. They are the ones that carried out this Paris attacks. And so the immediate suspicion falls there.

We know that at this hour U.S. counterterrorism intelligence officials are convening conference calls to try to coordinate the U.S. response. For instance, they're going to be making sure they're going to be boosting the number of people who are monitoring and doing surveillance on suspects here in the United States, again, on-guard for possible copy-cat attack.

I should add that there is no indication of any U.S. plots. But we know that people have been -- the U.S. has been checking on information that has come from the arrest of Salah Abdeslam in Brussels.

So far, no indication of any active plots in the United States. Chris, I want to add real quick that the D.C. metro says that it's boosting security here in the in Washington. We've heard the same about prominent locations in New York City. Obviously U.S. officials want to make sure that there's no threats that follow on what is happened here -- what has happened in Brussels. Chris.

[07:25:17] CUOMO: All right, appreciate it Evan. As you hear anything about coordinated efforts as we always know this become joint investigations very quickly, let us know. Mich.

PEREIRA: All right, thanks so much for that, Chris.

Obviously officials around the world are watching the situation unfold in Brussels. We want to bring back our excellent team. We have with us Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst. Philip Mudd, CNN Counterterrorism Analyst and former CIA Counterterrorism official. Paul Cruickshank is also here, CNN Terrorism analyst and editor-in- chief of the terrorism studies journal CTC Sentinel. Michael Weiss as well, CNN contributor and author of ISIS, Inside the Army of Terror.

And as so I was saying Paul, we're talking about all global authorities in terms of counterterrorism on high alert watching what's happening Belgium. But it doesn't necessarily come in any surprise Belgium has been a point of concern for terrorism activities in recent months.

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Right, there are a lot of concern about in Belgium. The Paris attacks they were planned in Belgium, they were staged from Belgium and they were coordinated in real-time from Belgium.

This was a ISIS cell that congregated three safe houses across the country in the weeks before the Paris attacks. And the working assumption will be right now that that same network behind the Paris attacks is also responsible for these attacks playing out. They may not be over in Brussels today.

Rewind back to last week, on Tuesday, Belgian police searched and address in the (inaudible) district of Brussels which they believed was connected to the Paris attack. They weren't expecting anybody to be inside the residence. But they went in there was a fierce fire fight. There were three terrorists inside.

Two of them managed to escape including Salah Abdeslam. He was later arrested. But when they went in to that safe house they found an ISIS flag, they found a Kalashnikov, they found ammunition and they found detonating explosives, suggesting that some of attack was being plotted by the remnants of the Paris cell.

They then managed to rest three days later Salah Abdeslam and another accomplish. But they were not able to wrap up the entire Paris cell. There were still members of that cell still at large. Notably Najim Laachraoui who may have been the bomb maker in the Paris attacks, somebody who on the night of the Paris attacks was coordinating the attacks in real-time from Brussels still at large.

His DNA was found in the bomb factory suggesting that he may have played a role in constructing the device. But they are still trying to figure that all out. But he is still at large. And that's very, very dangerous when you don't have the bomb maker in custody.

CAMEROTA: I want to bring in Michael Weiss now.

Michael, let's talk about the timing of this because four days ago, Abdeslam was arrested. Is that possibly a trigger for a an attack like this or is this attack that we're seeing 130 people dead at the subway, I'm sorry 130 people injured between the airport and the subway. Is this too sophisticated and coordinated an attack to have just been planned in four days?

MICHAEL WEISS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I don't think it was planned in four takes. I do think it may have been triggered by this opportunistic moment of Abdeslam's capture. This is what you might called terror in reserve. These networks, these agents, they plan, they target scout, they construct their devices, their bombs. And they look for the most softest of soft targets of course being transport hubs, cafes, theaters, these kinds of places.

But look, the symbolism here is important, you know, I'm always stress ISIS likes to pretend, in fact I think to some extent they are, the sub-editors of the international news cycle, right. We're all talking about the capture of this high-level ISIS European ISIS operative. And what a great coup it is for the intelligence services and all the good, you know, solid human intelligence information he's about to give up. And what do they do? They bury the lead, right. They perpetrate an attack like this, you know, it's -- all the -- every international newspaper, every media organ in the world will be focused on Brussels right now, showing the reach and the scale of devastation of which ISIS is still capable.

And again, you know, it comes what a week, maybe a little more after a devastating suicide bombing in Istanbul. Look at the pattern there, the bomber had actually followed several suspects. Two -- one Israeli citizen which I think dual American nationality, trails into a populous area inside this cosmopolitan essentially European city and then detonated its device on CCTV.

[07:30:13] This is their ammo as I said early, they look to bring --