Return to Transcripts main page

New Day

Belgian Media: Arrest Made In Brussels Attacks; Police Conduct Raids In Search For Suspect; Donald Trump Wins Arizona GOP Primary; Trump: "Change Our Law" On Waterboarding And Scale Back Support of NATO; Trump Tweets Threat About Cruz's Wife; State Department Warns of "Near Term" Attacks In Europe; Americans Among Injured And Missing. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired March 23, 2016 - 06:00   ET

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

[07:30:00] FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are now taking no risks at all at this point in time as they conduct the searches in that area. This is a fairly small residential street. We can take you for a little bit of a walk here in the area. As you can see, a small residential street in the Anderlecht district of Brussels, which is a fairly large district of the Belgian capital, but again, a very residential street. And here, certainly right now, we have this police operation still very much ongoing as these two men stand guard in front of that door.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: And of course, Fred, you and I have talked about how the Belgian authorities had told the media yesterday, basically, that they didn't want us releasing any information about addresses or names because there was so much going on still with raids and investigations. Obviously, they know that we are there now and they're comfortable with reporting on what's happening, but it's a fine line while all these investigations are going down, trying not to play their hand to the suspects.

PLETIGEN: Yes, it certainly is, and it's one of the things that's been sort of viewed critically, is that a lot of information over the past, really, four months since the Paris attacks has been out there in the media and some people believe that perhaps people like Salah Abdeslam, who, of course, one of the -- was the most wanted man in Europe in connection with the Paris attacks -- was able to remain on the run for such a considerable period of time -- four months -- until he was then finally apprehended. And was then only apprehended about a block from where he actually grew up. So it certainly is something that is viewed as very critical.

There are, of course, still prime suspects in both the Paris attack as well as the Brussels attack that are still on the run at this point. So, certainly, the police do want to keep a tighter lid on things right now. It is being just, quite critically, when these police operations get out into the open.

CAMEROTA: OK, Fred, thanks so much. We'll get back to you as you get more developments. Here to discuss all of this, we want to bring in Greg Mathieu. He is a former Belgian government official, as well as president of the Foundation for Democracy and Government, and Jean- Paul Rouiller. He is the operational manager for the Geneva Center and Training Analysis of Terrorism of Switzerland. Gentleman, thanks so much for being here.

Jean-Paul, I want to start with you because we just had that report from Fred. Have you learned anything about the developments in terms of who investigators are still looking for and who they may have arrested?

JEAN-PAUL ROUILLER, OPERATIONAL MANAGER, GENEVA CENTER FOR TRAINING & ANALYSIS OF TERRORISM: OK, there's one thing we know for sure. It's the fact that the guy who has been arrested is not, as it has been described on most social networks -- I repeat, it's not Laachraoui. That's the only thing we are sure about concerning the guy who has just been arrested in Anderlecht.

CAMEROTA: I'm sorry. You're saying it is not the bomb maker? That's the one thing that we are sure of?

ROUILLER: No, that's clear. That's the only thing we can, with certainty, say now. It's not the bomb maker. Yes, that's clear. It's not him.

CAMEROTA: Oh, OK, thank you for that development. There are so many conflicting reports, Greg, because obviously these investigations and raids continue to be underway. You live here.

GREG MATHIEU, PRESIDENT, FOUNDATION FOR DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNMENT: Yes.

CAMEROTA: This is your city. What was it like yesterday when these terror attacks happened?

MATHIEU: Well, yesterday it was a bit of a strange feeling for everybody. I was having my kid in school so I wanted to take him back home. It was a lot of shock. It was a big, big shock for everybody, though we could have foreseen that would happen in Brussels because we are the center of the EU institutions. We are the headquarters of NATO, so we know we are a target for those sick people.

CAMEROTA: But it's not just that you are the head of the EU, it's that we've also heard since Paris just how many radicalized people there are in Brussels. There's some sort of data that there are more ISIS sympathizers in Belgium than there are in any other European country.

MATHIEU: It is true that in percentage it may be true. But we are living in a city one million people and there are maybe a couple of dozen people who have a sick mind. So, it doesn't mean that all of us are agreeing with what they do.

CAMEROTA: Of course.

MATHIEU: Not at all.

CAMEROTA: Of course, not all of you. But there is a feeling that this is a hotbed. That Brussels has become a hotbed. There are people who have gone to the Middle East, they've become radicalized, they've gotten training, they've come back here. This is what the authorities tell us. You've played a role in government. Do you not see it that way?

MATHIEU: No, because in the fighters, now actually operating in Syria, they're coming from all around the world, not only from Belgium. We have a problem here with a couple of people. They are followed by the police. They are going, they are coming back, and we have to stop them. They are the target now. But, I would say -- if you speak about Molenbeek, for example, we have seen --

CAMEROTA: Yes, and we've heard of Molenbeek, which people believe is a hotbed of radicalization, and what's your take on it?

MATHIEU: I'm going there every week. I never met any radical people. I'm bringing coffee there. I'm going to football there. I'm taking mentor (ph) there. I'm sure that the people living there -- 99.9 percent of them are growing their children with the same values that I'm trying to transfer myself to mine.

CAMEROTA: You feel safe there?

MATHIEU: I feel safe there, as everywhere.

CAMEROTA: Knowing people in the government as you do, do you believe that investigators missed something? That there were clues leading up to the terror attacks yesterday. In fact, there were raids, they found evidence. That somehow they didn't connect the dots.

MATHIEU: I think the moment for investigation of what authorities missed in the last week should come. Not today. Today is not a moment to target any responsible people. I think that there are hundreds of investigators busy night and day trying to protect us and putting their life in danger. We should be really thankful to them, and look now trying to find responsible people.

[07:35:00] CAMEROTA: Jean-Paul, give us context. What do you think is going on with Brussels? Should we see it as a place where radicalization has come home to roost and investigators have missed it or are we making too much of that?

ROUILLER: There are different angles to consider to answer your question. The first one is that focusing on Molenbeek only is wrong, in the sense that if you, quote, "search for hotbeds of radicalization throughout Europe, you should not focus on Belgium at all." There are other countries, including France, of course, but also in Germany and even today beginning in Switzerland. They are in big cities, different places where such hotbeds are developed or are developing at the moment. That's the first point.

Second, when you consider the question of investigators having missed some point, let's make things clear here. We're speaking about people that have been working night and day for months now on what occurred in Paris and trying to read these networks -- these different cells. So, I think the amount of information they have had to go through is so big that, of course, they might have missed an element. But in that specific case I am not sure that there is any mistake that can be addressed to the investigators in that specific case CAMEROTA: Yes, and let's be clear. We understand that they have a Herculean effort and that they are doing God's work trying to protect the people of all of these cities. But, today, I think that it is fair to ask the question whether something in particular is going on in Brussels and whether investigators are able to get to the bottom of it. But, Gregory, Jean-Paul, thank you very much for your context. Great to get it from both of you.

ROUILLER: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: So, what was it like to live through the terror attacks? We will have more coming up on NEW DAY with a man who was inside the airport terminal when the bombs went off. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:41:00] CAMEROTA: Here's some breaking news in the Brussels terror investigation to bring you. There has been an arrest made in connection with yesterday's coordinated attack, but there's no word yet on the identity of the suspect. Police are, however, identifying the two airport suicide bombers. The men they say were responsible for what happened at the airport. They were brothers, and there's an intense manhunt, though, still underway for the third suspect who was seen in that security still from the airport.

Joining us now is Dries Valaert. He was inside the airport when the explosions went off. Dries, thank you so much for being here. How are you doing?

DRIES VALAERT, WITNESS TO BRUSSELS AIRPORT ATTACK: Thanks for having me. Relieved, personally, and sorry, obviously, for the more than 200 causalities. The more than 200 people that have had serious injuries yesterday.

CAMEROTA: You're right. There are more than 200 people with all range of injuries, some catastrophic. But, let's talk about where you were. You were in the departures lounge. You had just gotten your ticket printed out. You were heading to Berlin on business and then what happened?

VALAERT: So, at 7:54 I was at the exact place where the second bomb exploded, and they asked me there to print my ticket. So, I went 30 minutes further to have it printed. And so, at 7:59 I heard the first explosion.

CAMEROTA: And what did you think was happening when you heard the first explosion?

VALAERT: Two seconds later I realized it was a bomb, and then eight seconds later I'm just getting aware of the moment, the second bomb hits which I was already oriented towards. So then I saw it, and then I --

CAMEROTA: You saw the explosion?

VALAERT: Yes. CAMEROTA: You heard it and saw it. What did it look like?

VALAERT: A big blast. Smoke -- a vaporization of smoke, and then suddenly panic all over the floor and a struggle for self-preservation of everyone present in the room.

CAMEROTA: Because you saw horrible things. You saw people with grave injuries.

VALAERT: Yes. When we ran away and saw the ceiling went down and people look behind, but you're afraid of bullets because on the beaches in Africa we saw people with guns. So we were all afraid people would gun you down. So we were all running towards the military and the safety zone. They were our beacons of safety, and yes, some people that in the heat of the -- at the second explosion, which was not directed at me. It was more towards the center and the left. I was at the right of it. The people then got a nail in the hand or a glass in the neck or in the leg.

CAMEROTA: Oh, my gosh.

VALAERT: Lots of people being down.

CAMEROTA: I know that you said that you saw a young girl with bullet holes, or I guess shrapnel holes, in her hands. How is it possible that you were so close and yet not unscathed? You were not injured.

VALAERT: Well, I think because of the direction -- the range of the explosions. So, it's further in a horizontal explosion, but really aimed at -- it blasted more in not my part. That was my luck then.

CAMEROTA: Yes. Thank God that you are physically OK, but emotionally, obviously, you carry the vision of everything that you saw yesterday, so how are you dealing with that?

[07:45:00] VALAERT: Well, it was a -- it's quite antagonizing that fact that it can happen. The fact that people do it. And yesterdayI was astonished by the fact that it happened, and today I'm amazed that all the people are so resilient and that our leaders in the world are giving the right example and putting people -- reassure people that it's an issue that will be overcome.

CAMEROTA: It's beautiful to see what's happening here in Brussels and in the public square today. Dries, thank you very much for telling your story. We're so sorry that you lived through this but we're happy that you survived. Thank you so much for being with us.

I will have much more of Brussels coverage ahead, obviously, from here in Brussels. But we want to go back to New York with Chris and Michaela.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: And, of course, the situation there reverberating back home here in the elections last night. Donald Trump got a big win in Arizona, but he's also drawing more fire for what he's saying this time about terrorism. We're going to talk to Trump's team, Arizona campaign chairman, about what's going on with torture, what's the latest in the state of play, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:48:00] CUOMO: Donald Trump taking 58 delegates in the winner- take-all state of Arizona on the heels of the Brussels attacks. Trump's rhetoric on terrorism now front and center in the race. Joining us now is Jeff DeWit, Trump's Arizona campaign manager and the state treasurer there. Jeff, how you doing?

The topic this morning is yes, you got the win last night, but there is criticism about what Mr. Trump said about waterboarding and NATO. How do you defend the proposition of leaving NATO and then a day later you have the Brussels attacks? It seems to show that Mr. Trump is out of touch.

JEFF DEWIT, ARIZONA CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR DONALD TRUMP: Well, thank you, Chris. You know, the voters around the country, and especially here in Arizona, I think, feel very differently that Mr. Trump is very much in touch with what the electorate wants.

Obviously, last night here was a huge win for the campaign, taking almost half of the total votes -- 47 percent versus Cruz at 24 -- and even Marco Rubio beating John Kasich, even though he's out of the race. So, a great win here in Arizona. Fifty-eight, as you said, winner-take-all delegates.

So, I think he's very much in touch when you look at how the issues poll. Donald Trump wins on immigration, on border security, on jobs, and on the economy, and those are the things that the voters want. And, quite frankly, the attacks in Brussels really show that we need to keep our country safe and nobody will do that better than Donald Trump will.

CUOMO: But part of that, people would argue, is being a part of NATO, keeping the coalition strategy in these situations, and that pulling out of NATO may have just been a timing issue. Obviously, nobody knew the Brussels attacks were coming, but do you think that the situation needs to be rethought?

DEWIT: Well, don't forget -- the main thing of NATO is keeping Russia in check. It's not really an ISIS-fighting organization. But, he's been misquoted on the issue. He didn't really say pull out of NATO. What he's saying is the other countries in NATO need to pull their own weight. So, we are paying the lion's share of the cost -- our country is. And what he's saying is it's time for the other countries to step up and start paying more.

[07:50:00] So, I think we might see proposals come up that maybe if the other countries will raise their defense spending by one percent a year over the next five years or something along those lines, I think we'll see proposals along that line just to keep NATO together. But, all he wants to do is make sure that our country is getting a fair deal and right now, again, we're paying an enormous disproportionate amount of the cost of NATO.

CUOMO: The other issue is, of course, waterboarding. Which is it? Is waterboarding good, it works, and he would do it if he can figure out a way, or is it against the law, against the practices of the United States, and as the military has pointed out time and again with studies and anecdotal evidence, ineffective and beneath the dignity of the United States? Which is it?

DEWIT: Well, as you said, there has been great intelligence that's been obtained without waterboarding through, you know -- if you call them nice methods.

CUOMO: None of them are nice. I promise you that.

DEWIT: And then there's been intelligence -- yes, you know what I'm saying. Through friendlier methods. And then there's been intelligence that only has been obtained through waterboarding or other means. And so, it's obviously -- there's a lot of confusion, quite frankly. Ted Cruz believes in waterboarding, although he says he doesn't believe in torture. But he does not believe that waterboarding is torture.

Really, what has to happen is that Congress needs to sit down and ask and define what is torture, what is not torture, and where does waterboarding stand? I think it's great that Mr. Trump has brought the issue to the forefront, but now it's time for Congress to have a real discussion and just get the definition on the table so that we all know.

CUOMO: Ted Cruz says -- he was just on NEW DAY -- the senator says I had nothing to do with that ad with the picture of Melania Trump that upset Donald Trump. Do you believe that?

DEWIT: Well, he's not condemning it, and if he didn't have anything to do with it then I think we'd see him step up and condemn the ad, and I don't think we've seen that. So, it is a Super PAC that has been set up to support Ted Cruz and while a lot of people always tie those together --

CUOMO: It's been set up to oppose Donald Trump and that's a distinction with a difference, isn't it here, in terms of Ted Cruz having to own what they do? They're not set up for him.

DEWIT: You know, the bottom line is if he truly believes that families should not be brought into it, which is kind of one of the unspoken rules of politics and I think Americans appreciate that, then Ted Cruz needs to condemn those ads and call that that Super PAC does not do anything further along those lines, and he has yet to do that. So, by not doing that, obviously he's condoning the ad. So, I think don't it's right. I don't think the ad is fair and it's dirty politics 101. It's disgusting.

CUOMO: All right, Jeff DeWit, let's hope that it ends there and that the suggestion that Cruz's wife will be in play doesn't come to bear any fruit either. If you find it disgusting it should be disgusting on both sides. Jeff DeWit, thank you very much for being on NEW DAY, as always. Appreciate you making the case.

DEWIT: Great, thanks, Chris. CUOMO: All right, the State Department is warning of more terror attacks throughout Europe. Next, hear what the State Department has to say about vigilance at home and overseas. What are the threats here? What can be done about them?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:55:00] CAMEROTA: The State Department putting out a warning that terror groups may try to strike again in Europe in the "near future." American travelers now being urged to show vigilance as American cities increase security. So, joining me now to discuss all of this is the State Department deputy spokesperson, Mark Toner, who's also the former spokesperson for the U.S. mission to NATO here in Brussels.

So, Mark, you bring a lot of expertise and a great context. Can you tell us about this ominous warning that came out of the State Department that there would be near-term attacks throughout all of Europe? What does that mean, Mark?

MARK TONER, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON, STATE DEPARTMENT: What we issued last night here from Washington is something called a travel alert. And, frankly, it's just looking at the prospect that there could be additional attacks -- terrorist attacks -- in Europe moving forward. It's out of an abundance of caution that we do this in order that Americans traveling abroad -- traveling to Europe and elsewhere -- have the latest information.

And we also encourage them when they do travel -- and we do encourage them not to stop their travel plans -- but when they do so they have to remain vigilant, they have to check in with the embassy, and they have to check on www.travel.state.gov to get the latest information. We want American citizens traveling abroad to have that kind of information at their fingertips.

CAMEROTA: But Mark, just help us understand what that means. If you're not telling Americans not to travel, you're telling them they still can come to Brussels and come to other European cities -- what does it mean be vigilant once we're here?

TONER: Well, you know, we call it street smarts, call it vigilance -- whatever you're going to call it. Everyone has to operate under that kind of reality today, but we're not encouraging you -- we're not telling people not to travel. I mean, look at the resilience of the Belgian people today. They're out and about. They're returning to their lives. We saw the same in Paris after the attacks in December.

Unfortunately, these kinds of attacks -- we're going to -- we've seen them in the past, but it's incumbent that we all need to go about our lives, pick up our lives in the aftermath, but do so with a certain vigilance.

CAMEROTA: Mark, we understanding that there may still be some Americans missing who might have been at the airport in Brussels or the subway station when these attacks happened. Can you give us a status report? Are all Americans accounted for now? TONER: So, what I can say at this point in time is that all Americans are not accounted for. We have reports of about a dozen or so American citizens who have been injured in the attacks. But we're still trying to account for all American citizens on the ground in Brussels, including mission personnel as well -- U.S. mission personnel. Obviously, it's a very fluid situation on the ground there and we're still trying to determine exact numbers, and we're still trying to determine the whereabouts of all Americancitizens.

CAMEROTA: Mark, how many Americans are still missing at this hour, and do you know of any who were killed?

TONER: We can't confirm any deaths of any American citizens at this point. Obviously, though, the situation, as I said, is fluid. We're still getting information. We're still trying to seek out the whereabouts of American citizens. I'm not quite sure of the exact number of American citizens that we're still trying to determine the whereabouts of.

Obviously, Brussels, on any given day is chock full of American citizens. It's, obviously, a destination for tourists, but also for business people, as well as a number of, as we said, official Americans -- diplomats. We have three U.S. embassies in Brussels. One at NATO, one at the EU, and of course the bilateral mission.

CAMEROTA: Yes, like yourself, and you yourself spent time here in Brussels living here and working here. Can you give us a context of how you think Brussels is in terms of the terror threat? Is Brussels a hotbed of radicalization, as we've heard from some corners because some people that we've talked to here in Brussels says that they do feel safe? That they think maybe we're overblowing that situation. What do you think about it?

TONER: Well, Brussels is, as I said, a very international city. It's in some ways like Washington, D.C. It's a mixture of all nationalities. It's where the EU sits. It's where NATO sits. That said, Brussels, like Paris -- like a number of cities, is concerned about radicalization. We have been making steady gains against ISIL in Iraq, in Syria. It's lost over 40 percent of its territory.

That said, clearly it shows the ability -- and I'm not saying it's necessarily DAESH or ISIL who's responsible for these attacks, but clearly, radicalization remains a problem. And individuals who are determined to carry out these kinds of attacks -- we have to be right --