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New Day Saturday

High Alert in Europe for Terror Suspects; Sleeper Cell Danger; Pope Francis on Respecting Each Other's Religion; Civil War in Yemen Can Empower al Qaeda; Transportation Safety Concerns in U.S.; Avoiding Youth Radicalization; Will Mitt Romney Run Again?

Aired January 17, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Europe is on edge this morning as police and security forces chase down leads and links to potential Jihadi terrorists cells.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And in Belgium new concerns that members of one of those terror cells are on the run and have hospital links to ISIS.

BLACKWELL: And here at home, new details of another round of increased security measures at airports across the country.

PAUL: It is always so good to see you, especially this early in the morning

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you. We will have more on how this terror alert is impacting the U.S. in just a moment. But we begin with Pamela Brown who's leading our coverage from our Paris bureau.

PAUL: Pamela, lot of overnight developments. What is the latest there and good morning to you?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Shaping up to be a very busy day here. Good morning to you, Victor and Christi. Countries across Europe are on high alert this morning for terror suspects who are still on the run. A Western intelligence source telling CNN as many as 20 sleeper cells with up to 180 terrorists may deploy a strike here in France and in Germany and in Belgium. This comes after sweeping terror raids were carried out in all three of those countries. 13 suspect militants were detained at Belgium. Police shot dead two suspects. And about a dozen were arrested in France and three in Germany.

According to investigators, those arrested in Belgium were part of a plot to assassinate police in the streets. And we are learning of a possible ISIS connection to that plot as a counter terrorism official says the terror group has ordered recruits to return to Europe from Syria's battleground to launch attacks. And in the wake of these arrests security is being beefed up right here in Paris and on the streets of Brussels. This is new video right here, coming from Belgium this morning. Take a look here. Armed Belgian troops are patrolling the streets right outside the Jewish Museum in Brussels, just one of the many signs of the heightened security there in that city and elsewhere. CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is in Brussels. Ivan, what's the latest?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Pamela. We have seen the very unusual and rare deployment of soldiers from the armed forces of Belgium being deployed here in the capital of Brussels outside of the Jewish Museum, which was the target of a deadly attack last May. In which at least four people were killed. Also, we saw them deployed outside the Great Synagogue of Europe where Jewish services are going ahead as usual on Saturday despite the heightened security threats.

What do we know about the actual investigation that's under way? Well, the federal prosecutor in charge says he is still not going to reveal the names some 48 hours after police raids of the two suspects who were killed in a gun battle with Belgium police in the eastern Belgium town of Verviers. He is not going to release the name of the one suspect who was captured alive, because he wants to protect the investigation that's still underway. We believe that the suspects were Belgian citizen, and we're hearing that they did visit Syria in the past and they are believed to have ISIS links. They're not, however, Belgian authorities tell us, they are not believed to be linked to those deadly attacks on the "Charlie Hebdo" magazine offices in Paris where Pamela is. This is believed to be a separate Jihadi operation entirely.

There were also two suspects arrested by French authorities from Belgium. They were arrested trying to cross from France into Italy and Belgium has formally requested the extradition of those suspects. So, it gives you a sense of how international these believed Jihadi operations are, and how international the efforts are to try to bring these people in and try to foil these plots. The Belgian authorities seized not only weapons in the deadly raid in Verviers Thursday night and explosives. They also say they seized police uniforms, and they believe that that cell was planning an attack on Belgian police officers and that's why we're outside of the headquarters of the federal police here. We're hearing that the Belgium police have been instructed not to move around in uniforms alone. That they have to be in groups of more than one person when they are out on the street. Those are some of the security fears here. Victor and Christi.

PAUL: Very disturbing. Ivan Watson, thank you very much, with the latest there. We will be sure to check back in with you.

Meantime, across Europe police are scrambling to find terror suspects who they say are on the run. Right here in Paris about a dozen people have been arrested in connection to the "Charlie Hebdo" attack. They're accused of helping Amedy Coulibaly, the gunned down - who gunned down four people at a Kosher market last week before he was later killed. Let's bring in CNN's Isa Soares. Isa, what do we know about the suspects? What are we learning about them?

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a lot of anti-terror activity not just where we had Ivan (INAUDIBLE), and you know under the cover of darkness police search four areas, four different suburbs of Paris, and they have got 12 people in custody and we believe in - they still are all in custody. None one of them have been released, but they all provide us some sort of logistical support to Coulibaly, to the man who killed four people in the grocery store and the man that, remember, who killed that policewoman the day before.

What we are learning is, the police have found and this is according to "Le Parisian" well-known newspaper here. You said they found, police have found DNA that links some of these people to Coulibaly. These are eight men, four women. And what they are saying is, the weapons that Coulibaly had on him at the kosher store, found DNA that links some of those people to him.

Also the car that (INAUDIBLE) he had also linking him to him. And if you remember, Pamela, there was the apartment that he rented, a pile of weapons stashed. Incredible amount of weapons (INAUDIBLE). They found DNA that links some of these individuals to him. So, you're starting to get the pictures - you're starting to get a sense of really how the city is still very much on edge, still very, very tense.

PAUL: Absolutely. I can feel it. I just arrived her yesterday. Even checking into my hotel, they did a security check of my bag and everything. What is the sense that you're getting as you walk around? Do you feel a difference?

SOARES: Yeah, you definitely feel, you know, it's still very - it's very raw to the Parisians (ph). You know you can go like you said. You can into any shop. I went into a shop, they asked to search my bag. Not - some people in Paris, (INAUDIBLE) in fact, people in Europe. And you know, we've heard - I've been reporting the police soldiers and we're talking soldiers. There are about 150,000, if not more, 10,500 soldiers on the streets of Paris and they're heavily armed.

And this is something the city is still not used to seeing, hasn't been able to see it in years. So, obviously, people are on edge. Any little sound that triggers ...

PAUL: Right.

SOARES: People turn around thinking that it's there and it's a reminder all the time that, you know, this is a concerned for the Parisian (ph) and always and what you're seeing at the same time with two men are being buried. We heard Said Kouachi was buried overnight. There was no imam, there was no - there was one else there just his wife. And I think it's just a sense that the fear of the phobia and the sense is very raw for the city.

PAUL: And I know that talking to counterterrorism folks there's this growing concern, of foreign fighters returning back to Europe, those who have been fighting alongside ISIS and Syria, returning back here, I'm told France is a hot bed for that, for those returning foreign fighters. What are you hearing from the officials as far as their concern about the other people who might be here, other sleeper cells that maybe in bold - in the wake of the attack here?

SOARES: Well, we knew that this was a problem. The discussion that, you know, if you are copying talking about for a while. But clearly, we do not know what's happened behind the scenes. We know that up to 3,000 Europeans have gone to fight in ISIS in the recent years. And some 500 are returned. And a lot of them are going to the U.K. some 250, 200 to Belgium and then some here in France. Officials, however - that they are not talking specifically about the number of terror cells although we have heard that number of terror cells active in Europe, but it is never less of concern. And it is also concern here for individual - is the radicalization that's taking place in prisons.

PAUL: Right.

SOARES: And this, as we know this is exactly what happened with Coulibaly as well as with Kouachi brothers. They were radicalized in prison, and this is something that the French government now is looking for ways to try to separate these individuals and isolate them, so they are not ...

PAUL: And they have the work cut out for them.

SOARES: Indeed.

PAUL: And this is - one official I spoke to said this is like a slow motion car accident happening right before our eyes. We will continue to follow this, Isa Soares. Thank you so much for joining us, we appreciate it.

And meantime, Secretary of State John Kerry back in the U.S. this morning after visiting Paris. During the trip he met with French President Francois Hollande and conveyed his full and heartfelt condolences of Americans. Kerry also laid wreaths at the attacks side right outside the offices of "Charlie Hebdo" and the kosher supermarket. Kerry also met with the Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo as James Taylor performed his 1971 hit, "You've got a friend." As we hear. Christi and Victor back to you in Atlanta.

BLACKWELL: All right, Pam, we'll check that with you in just a moment. A lot of people are wondering how these terror threats are affecting the U.S.

PAUL: CNN has learned there are plans for new increased security measures at airports this week. So, you need to know about that, and we will give you the latest.

BLACKWELL: Of course, and the officials there in Belgium, they say that the attack was imminent there. So, we'll continue the coverage of Europe's high alert. The latest on an international manhunt for the surviving members of the Belgium terror cell that was taken down earlier this week.

PAUL: We also had it live at the Philippines for the latest on what Pope Francis is saying about free speech and the terror threats.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: And our coverage of the manhunt for terrorist continues. I'm Pamela Brown live in Paris. Thank you so much for being here with us. Europe on high alert right now over terror threats. There's a lot developing as we speak. And here is what we know right now. According to sources, as many as 20 sleeper cells containing from 120 and 180 terrorists are ready to strike. Sources say an international manhunt under way right now for surviving members of the Belgium terror cell that was taken down this week. And officials say the deadly rate stopped an imminent attack, but they may not have entirely wiped out all of the terrorists in that cell. Peter Neumann joins me now live from London. He is a director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence. Peter, thanks for joining us. Let's start off with this manhunt for the Belgium terror cell. There's growing concern, of course, among officials that there are others in that cell that might still be out there. They're trying to track them down as we speak. Are you concerned at all that the surviving terrorist will try to avenge the two that were killed?

PETER NEUMANN, DIR., INTL. CENTER FOR STUDY ON RADICALIZATION: Well, that's a possibility. And, of course, they realize that they're being hunted down now and they may well conclude that the best thing that they can do right now is to do another strike, because they're going to be caught any way. Another important thing is that the usual pattern of all of these returning cells. The cells and people who've been to Syria as Jihadists return back to Europe, is that there are clusters of people that there are people who have been to Syria, but they're supported by other people who stayed back home, so it is very likely that there's a significant number of other people that still need to be tracked down.

PAUL: And we just reported according to one official we spoke to there could be 20 sleeper cells here in Europe. How do you think what we have seen unfold with the terrorist attacks here in Paris and then what we saw in Belgium could impact other people in Europe who may have trained alongside ISIS and Syria?

NEUMANN: I think there are a couple of threats here. The first is, of course, that other people who have the same mindset and who have the means to carry out terrorist attacks feel inspired by what they have seen in Belgium, what they have seen in Paris, and feel that they have a sense of momentum. They feel that of all of the points and times, at which you could strike, this is probably the best time to strike. So, there is a heightened danger right now. In the long term, however, there's a long term threat, which is that up to 4,000 Europeans have gone to Syria to fight. Many of them have returned and even if they do not strike right now, they may even strike in five, ten or 15 years. So, this is not a problem that will go away any time soon unfortunately.

PAUL: Yeah, it's just the case with the Paris attacks. One of the brothers went to Yemen 2011, and then we saw what happened a few years later. I want to take a listen now to CNN's exclusive interview with former CIA director Leon Panetta. Let's take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: You have got terrorists coming at us from a lot of different directions, from ISIS, from Boko Haram, from Al Shabaab, from AQAP, from other elements of al Qaeda. They're recruiting like crazy from these various wars in Syria and Iraq and Yemen. And they seem to be involved in more planning and more weapons in terms of the types of attacks that they're working on, so I think that it's pretty clear from what we're seeing that we're entering a more threatening and more dangerous period in this war on terrorism.

PAUL: So Peter, I want to hear your thoughts on that. Do you think we're entering a more dangerous period in terrorism?

NEUMANN: I think the volume of threats is certainly higher than it has been in the past three years. And I am glad that Leon Panetta is saying that because three years ago Leon Panetta declared that al Qaeda was strategically defeated and that everyone had to move on from the Jihadist threat. I am glad that he has come around to recognize that there still are terrorist threats around and that perhaps as a result of the Syrian conflict, these threats are more significant and more severe than they have been before. My feeling is that we're almost going into another round of confrontation. The generation of bin Laden who was killed in 2011 is almost retiring and the Syrian conflict has drawn an entirely new generation of people into the Jihadist store. But unfortunately, I am quite pessimistic.

PAUL: Well, just last segment we were talking about ISIS and how they were rapidly gaining territory to establish Islamic caliphate. And there is this concern there are going to be foreign fighters returning back to Europe and the U.S. Do you think in the light of what we saw happened in Belgium, that those people arrested and killed had ties to ISIS? Do you think we are now seeing that fear play out before us?

NEUMANN: Well, there is a couple of things happening. I think the returning foreign fighters are a long term threat. That will keep us busy for the next five or ten or 15 years. Because these people have military training. They're often brutalized. They have international network. They are, if you want, the professionals. Then there are a lot of supporters who've never been to Syria, but who are very enthusiastic about what is happening with the Islamic State. And, of course, the Islamic State has urged these supporters, these so called fan boys, as we call them, to carry out attacks. Last September, the spokesperson of the Islamic State said even if you can't come to Syria, just go out there and kill people. And to some extent we have seen that in Ottawa, in Sidney, in France before Christmas. Very low level small skill attacks that still had a profound effect on European society. So, they're different kind of threats. Both returnees and supporters.

PAUL: And we may have seen that with Amedy Coulibaly, one of the Paris suspects. He pledged allegiance to ISIS, but it's still unclear whether he actually went to Syria to fight alongside ISIS and train with them. Peter Neumann, thank you very much for sharing your perspective. We appreciate it. Christi and Victor, back to you.

BLACKWELL: All right, Pamela, thank you so much. Still to come, you know, the pope was supposed to speak before 6 million people, so many people excited about this. But we'll tell you how an approaching typhoon is changing the plans of so many people.

PAUL: Plus, European officials scrambling to shut down the threat from terrorist sleeper cells that we've been talking about. We have an inside look for you at how they work and what's being done to uncover who they are and try to stop them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Our coverage continues now on the terror cells, in just a moment, but first, another development story we are covering. Pope Francis is forced to cut a visit in the Philippines short because of an approaching typhoon. We got the site earlier this morning in Tacloban where Pope Francis delivered mass to thousands. You see him here and before he had to leave Manila hours earlier than expected because of typhoon that created very dangerous traveling conditions.

PAUL: Well, on this trip now, the pope spoke about free speech, talked about the Paris terror attacks and he told journalists on this flight, "If a friend says a swear word against my mother, then a punch awaits him. But it's normal, it's normal. One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people's faith. One cannot make fun of faith." Now, with that, the pope did also stress that there was no justification for the killing of 17 people.

BLACKWELL: All right, Anna Coren joins us now from the Philippines and Anna, obviously that comment about a punch awaits him has stirred some thoughts and emotions for a lot of people. What was Pope Francis getting at there?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, the Vatican was very quick to clear that up, Victor. They said, this is kind of his free style conversational type of speech. It is not to be distorted or manipulated, whatsoever. The pope was speaking to journalist on a flight from Sri Lanka to the Philippines here, and he was making reference to obviously how, you know, these things can stir emotions within people. By no means was he justifying terror or violence. Justifying the attacks, definitely not. He has spoken out about violence and certainly about terror. Not just in Paris, but worldwide. So, the Vatican once again, making it perfectly clear that Pope Francis definitely does not justify the people's intention to kill.

PAUL: And a lot of people have conversations wondering where Muslim leaders are in condemning these attacks. Did the pope address that at all?

COREN: Look, the pope has shown solidarity with other leaders here. And, you know, this is a very emotional time for everybody involved of all different religions. Certainly, the pope has spoken about that during his trip here to the Philippines about respecting other religions, other cultures and not mocking, which perhaps there are many people who believe that's what exactly happened with the "Charlie Hebdo" newspaper. But certainly, as far as the pope is concerned, he wants to see peace in the world. He doesn't condone violence, whatsoever and he's spoken out, you know, vigorously in relation to these terror attacks.

PAUL: Already. Anna Coren, we appreciate it so much. Thank you. BLACKWELL: Thank you, Anna.

Right now, the hunt is on, of course, across Europe for suspected terrorists who may be on the run. Coming up, more about what law enforcement says are these possible additional 20 sleeper cells ready to strike.

PAUL: And some of those cells may include Westerners who went to Syria to join ISIS and are now back home. What can be done to keep more young people from becoming ISIS - inspired Jihadists? We're digging into that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Welcome back. I am Pamela Brown live in Paris. Just days after officials foiled a major terrorist plot in Belgium. Law enforcement officials say there could be more suspects on the run. A Belgian source says authorities have called on the CIA to help track down a suspect they believe was the mastermind of the plan. And meanwhile, officials say there could be up to 20 sleeper cells plotting attacks in places like right here in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

So far more than 2,000 people have been arrested in France and Belgium, officials say, some of those individuals had direct links to ISIS and we're also learning new information about Said Kouachi, one of the two brothers behind "The Charlie Hebdo" massacre. According to his lawyer who spoke to CNN affiliate, BFM, Kouachi was buried overnight in an unmarked grave northeast of Paris and there was no Imam present, we are told.

And we want to seize on a rare opportunity right now. CNN crews are in Yemen chasing down leads in the wake of new terror threats on Europe. The struggling state is just south of Saudi Arabia and is a breeding ground for terrorists. Yemen is also where Cherif and Said Kouachi, the two brothers in last week's Paris terror attacks apparently, according to authorities we know at least one of them received orders to launch their deadly rampage on the offices of "Charlie Hebdo." CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has more from the terrorist hotbed.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, Yemen is so key to the investigation into what al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula based in this failing state behind me. Its economy on the edge of collapse, its institutions always really struggling to hold on amid the conflict around them, al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula based here calling that violence in Paris in their twisted terminology the blessed battle of Paris.

The question is, though, we know from one interior ministry official that Said Kouachi first came here according to their databases in August of 2009. He made a number of trips in and out until potentially 2011 and even 2012, suggests this official. The question is, did his brother also come here, perhaps using his older brother's passport. That would have been Cherif traveling under Nashim (ph) that's, too, is his brother and most importantly al Qaeda here claim that Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen killed in 2011 by U.S. drone strike, was the organizer behind the attacks.

Did the relationship between those two Kouachi brothers and al Qaeda here in Yemen end in 2011? Did they have a target in resources to make those attacks against "Charlie Hebdo then? Or was there a continuing network of communications and results as logistics that continued up until the start of those attacks in Paris just over a week ago now? Vital things investigators need to establish because if there's a continued relationship, they want to just try and circumvent that and stop it as quickly as possible.

But what is happening day by day in Yemen, according to one (INAUDIBLE), that I spoke to is facilitating al Qaeda's life here, that's been a civil conflict raging for years, but it's sort of changed somewhat in the last few months gathering a more sectarian nature. There's a key tribe here, which are pretty much Shia in orientation, the Hufis (ph), they recently swept into the capital center behind me taking over the streets, putting up checkpoints, confronting across the country al Qaeda and those Sunni tribes allied to al Qaeda, turning what's happening in Yemen slowly into a sectarian war, marring the conflicts that they're seeing in Iraq and Syria to Sunni versus Shia.

That's important said one Western diplomat to me because it means that frightened Sunnis here worrying about the advance of the Shia Hufi tribe here in the capital are in fact putting their guns to help al Qaeda and other Sunni tribes. And that means on the local battlefield al Qaeda is better resourced and says this diplomat, therefore has more resources and breeding space to "think about external operations." And by that, they mean attacks against the West. That's the fear that they have great secrete recipes, said this diplomat for trying to make nonmetallic bombs that could be used in places like Paris or elsewhere across Europe. The question is how can that be stopped? Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula somewhat out of the spotlight, given the recent rise of ISIS, the question is, do they still have active networks inside of Europe? That's what investigators are racing to find out now. Pamela.

BROWN: That's right. That is a very big concern here among officials. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you very much for that report from Yemen.

And as dozens are arrested in raids across Europe, counterterrorism officials are scrambling right now to determine just how widespread the threat from sleeper cells maybe. But how does a sleeper cell work? Brian Todd has a closer look.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A Western official with knowledge of the Paris investigation tells CNN there's huge concern over the danger from sleeper cells in Europe and elsewhere. The worry is over the unknown, when, where and how they will strike.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: A terror cell disrupted, but Europe is still bracing for more attacks. A Western intelligence source tells CNN there could be several sleeper cells ready to strike in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Now, new concerns about their planning and timing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the worry is how and when will they be activated.

TODD: Former Jihadist and intelligence officers tell CNN a sleeper cell is usually made up of a few operatives. They're either acting on behalf of a foreign country or a terror group taking instructions from it, or are simply inspired by a group and acting on their own. As Paris gunman Amedy Coulibaly appeared to do. They're living in the city where they want to strike selecting targets.

MIKE BAKER, FORMER CIA COVERT OPERATIONS CENTER: They're already there, and they have that ability to cross borders. They have that ability to live without being on the radar skill.

TODD: They're highly skilled at blending in, appearing like the guy next door.

MUBIN SHAIKH, FORMER JIHADIST: They will have regular jobs. Like you might see them at the strip joint drinking alcohol. Anything to take off the claim or suspension that they might be extremist Muslim terrorists.

TODD: The 9/11 hijackers did that, reportedly drinking heavily in bars, some even going to strip clubs. Mubin Shaikh is a former jihadist who almost went to Iraq to fight. He broke away, went undercover for Canadian intelligence and helped to bust a terror cell in Toronto. He says many sleeper operatives do not communicate with their handlers by phone or over the Internet. Some are told, don't go to mosques, don't give a hint of your religion.

SHAIKH: It could be shave your beard. Remove your religious garb, anything to blend in. That will - that will be determined by the handler or sometimes even the operatives in the cell itself.

TODD: Sleeper operatives stay isolated. Experts say, sometimes lie dormant for years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They wait for an opportune moment when the world attention is turned away, when their planning phase is over to strike.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: And the sleeper cell dynamic is always changing. A U.S. counterterrorism official told me these days' terror cells do a lot less sleeping. They actively plot, hope to avoid suspicion and they very often direct the terror strike themselves rather than wait for a signal.

BROWN: Very concerning. Brian Todd, thank you for that report. We appreciate it. And right now, U.S. and European intelligence officials are trying to figure out how to prevent ISIS, al Qaeda and other terror groups from recruiting and radicalizing young Westerners and coercing them in the carrying out attacks on - soil. Peter Neumann joins us again from London. He is the director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence. Peter, thanks for coming back on. We appreciate it. I want to listen now to what Senator Angus King told CNN this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ANGUS KING (I) MAINE: The real weapons of mass destruction in the world today are unemployed 22-year-olds who fall for this radical ideology, and we have got to figure out how to counter that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, Peter, you hear that and you couple that with the fact that ISIS and other terror groups are using social media as a recruiting weapon. What can you do to prevent especially young men and women from being drawn to these terrorists groups?

NEUMANN: I think that there's long, medium and short term things that you can do. In the short term I think it's really important to get the message out. That a lot of the fighters who go to Syria are not at all happy what Islamic State is saying and its propaganda isn't always true. We know that because there are disillusioned foreign fighters who have come back and who have reported about the experiences. How they're being used essentially as a fodder by Islamic State. How the Syrian people do not like them, how they hate being used and fighting against other Sunni groups. Those messages are important to get out. But in the long term the senator is absolutely right. In a lot of European countries we have descendants of Muslim immigrants, immigrant populations who experience conflicts of identity because while they're born here and grow up here and are part of our societies, they're not fully accepted. They often have experiences of rejection. As a result, they do not feel they belong to Europe. And that makes them open, susceptible to the message of recruiters, which can sometimes be very empowering to them.

BROWN: Absolutely. You say conflict of identity. I'm talking to officials, they say that's right on. That these are people looking for a purpose and for some reason they find it now with these terrorists groups. I want to go back to listen to another - from Senator King who also suggested reaching out to young people who may have been incarcerated. To keep them from being seduced by radical extremism. Take a listen to what he said in this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: The British are now developing a program to deradicalize or to antiradicalize their prison system. And I think that's something, that's the kind of thing that we have to think about. But we've got to go deeper than just police, FBI, CIA and military. We have got to talk about how do we stop this movement toward radicalization because otherwise, you know, this is going to be a hundred year war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So Peter, what is your reaction to that? Do you think that's part of the answer here?

NEUMANN: I think it is part of the answer because we know my center has done a big report about this for years ago where we study the situation in the prison systems in 15 different countries. And it is very clear to us that prisons are a place where people are being radicalized, where extremists are seeking out young new people, often with criminal backgrounds and there's, of course, that danger of a nexus between terrorists and ordinary criminals who have skills in terms of weapons and money that could be of use to terrorists. You have to go into prison system, you have to make sure that moderate Imams are present and provide spiritual counseling so that extremists cannot take advantage of a vacuum. You need to train the prison staff, and most importantly, you need to make sure that these prisons are orderly and safe and not overcrowded.

All the cases of prison radicalization have happened in prisons that were overcrowded and where the authorities had lost control of the prison.

BROWN: All right. Peter Neumann, thank you very much. We're going to check back in with you a little bit later on this issue. We appreciate it. And Christi and Victor, back to you in Atlanta.

PAUL: Pamela, thank you so much. You know, we wonder, we look at what is happening in Europe and we think how is that affecting us here in the U.S.? Well the FAA is doing some changing and they are planning to step up some security at the airports. We are going to tell you how it will affect you and what the new rules are. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Welcome back. 16 minutes before the hour. Now the FAA is putting in some new rules, putting those in the place and including suspending a program that allows safety inspectors to bypass the TSA security checkpoints.

PAUL: Yeah, they moved convertor, apparently some security breaches, that included firearms. Rene Marsh has more details on what is happening there. Good morning, Rene.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christi and Victor, the headline from my conversation with Secretary Johnson is, another round of ramped up measures at our nation's airports is under way. It's unclear if these will be seen or unseen changes. But Johnson says it's in response to threat streams they're seeing now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEH JOHNSON, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We have evolved to a new phase in the global terrorists' threat.

MARSH: The head of Homeland Security revealing even more airport security measures are on the way.

JOHNSON: We're looking at doing more in the short term in reaction to some of the threat streams that we're seeing now.

MARSH: This after DHS announced earlier this week ramped up searches at U.S. airports over fears terrorists are creating nonmetallic explosives capable of passing through some airport scanners undetected.

(on camera): So, when you talk about more measures as far as aviation goes, what would that look like? What's the time line for that and what's this new intelligence here?

JOHNSON: We are looking at right now, when I told my folks that I wanted an assessment in the very short term, and so I expect to get that in the next couple of days.

MARSH: So, it's unclear what those extra-measures would be.

JOHNSON: We are looking at it right now.

MARSH (voice over): Additional random, passenger and luggage checks are now happening at the gate once travelers have cleared TSA checkpoints. After al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula published a step by step guide to building hard to detect bombs.

Following September 11th transportation systems continue to be a target for terrorists. In 2005 four suicide bombs detonated within seconds of each other on a bus and three different trains traveling through London's underground stations. In 2010, Najibullah Zazi pleaded guilty for plotting to blow up New York subways.

JOHNSON: We need to focus more on homeland-based threats.

MARSH: Just this week an electrical malfunction caused smoke to fill a DC metro station killing one and injuring dozens more. Passengers were left waiting for more than 40 minutes before emergency responders helped them evacuate, raising serious questions about how prepared the U.S. is to respond to emergencies on the nation's transportation system.

BLAIR RUBLE, VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAMS WILSON CENTER: One does have to wonder what would have happened had that fire been set by terrorists and clearly the response was inadequate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARSH: Well, Johnson struck a reassuring tone saying that the department is accessing new intelligence and threats every day and every hour. Christi, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Rene Marsh reporting for us. Thank you, Rene.

PAUL: We want to get you caught up on some of the other news that's happening around the country. You'd hear about the 20-year-old man from Ohio who's being held without bond this morning after he was charged with planning a bomb and guns attack on the U.S. Capitol. Now, the FBI says Chris Cornell planned to travel to Washington where he would have set off pipe bombs at the Capitol, then gun down lawmakers and staff as they try to escape. That was his plan.

BLACKWELL: Citing security concerns, Duke University made the controversial decision to not let Muslim students use the organic chapel bell tower for the Friday call to prayer. Something that they have been allow to do for nearly two years, according to "The Los Angeles Times". More than 700 of Duke's 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students identify as Muslim.

So, Mitt Romney is seriously considering running for president in 2016. But what does the RNC think about that? What the top Republican think about another run? We will ask our political correspondent in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Coming up on eight minutes till the top of the hour, we will have more on the hunt for those potential sleeper cells in just a moment. But let's check politics right now. There was a meeting of the Republican National Committee and Mitt Romney was there and he said that he is seriously considering a third run for the White House.

PAUL: Yeah, so if he does think about this he could be up against the likes to Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio. That's a lot of people being talked about for this one.

BLACKWELL: Yeah, and more.

PAUL: Yeah, so we want to bring in senior digital correspondent Chris Moody. Chris, so good to see you. Now, listen, we understand that you were just at the GOP retreat. What is the buzz among Republicans to this news last night that Romney may be considering another run?

CHRIS MOODY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the buzz among Republicans is not about Mitt Romney. There's a lot of debate right now about whether he should step into the race. There are some loyalists that really want him - to see him get back in and there is others that say, you know, he had his chance. It's time for some new blood in the party. Look, Republicans have a really large menu of candidates, as you just listed up or possible candidates to choose from in 2016. This is not 2012. There are sitting governors and people that really could be formidable candidates, and so I do not think anyone is going to choose Mitt Romney immediately. They are going to want a really strong primary first.

BLACKWELL: The question so many people are asking is what is different this time? What will be different about 2016 that we did not see in the 2008, in the 2012 runs?

MOODY: Well, I think for Mitt Romney, the reason that he is really getting in is because he feels vindicated about what has happened in the past couple of years. He made quite a few predictions about the economy and about foreign policy that have really turned out to be true. He was kind of a Republican Nostradamus, it turns out and I think that's what makes him want to jump in. But what is different, is really the caliber of candidates here. If you remember back in 2012, Romney did not have an easy time. He had to fight his way through the Republican primary and that was among people that weren't necessarily the best the candidates Republicans had. In 2016 it's going to be much more difficult. He is going to be fighting for establishment dollars and need to be going against people that have long standing ties with the Republican Party and with people very loyal to him, especially top dollar donors.

PAUL: We asked what's different at his message. What is different in the political atmosphere this time around?

MOODY: Well, in 2012 if you remember there was a perception of Romney that he was not very concerned about the poor, and that might have had something to do with the fact that he said on television, he's not concerned about the poor, but if you look at his message last night he mentioned that he wants to bring people out of poverty. In 2012 he was really focused on the middle class and probably a little bit too much. He let other things fall by the waste side, but here he is really focusing on that wages have continued to be stagnant. He's going to have to have a message that resonates with a much wider group of people than he did in 2012.

PAUL: Good point. Already. Chris Moody, so good to have you with us. Thank you.

MOODY: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: All right. More on the big story this morning. You know, first there were - those attacks in Paris and now there were the raids and these armed troops are walking through Belgium. What's next for Europe as they try to find these terror cells? We will go back to Paris and Brussels live in a moment

PAUL: Plus, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case on same sex marriage. Good news or bad news for supporters of gay marriage? We will talk about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Coming up on the top of the hour now let's take a look at this morning's top stories. First, the Supreme Court will take on gay marriage. The high court will decide if same sex couples have the constitutional right to marry or if the issue should be left up to the states. Right now, 36 states allow same sex marriage including the District of Columbia. The Justices will hear arguments in April, and issue a ruling by June

PAUL: Please take a look at your screen because police say two Kentucky teens are increasingly brazen and dangerous and they are on the run this morning. Police are frantically searching for these two 18 year Dalton Hayes and his 13-year-old girlfriend Cheyenne Phillips. Authorities say, the couple stole three cars, two handguns inside. The teens were spotted in South Carolina. They are believed to be heading to Florida. This all came to light when the teen's the 13- year old's father reported his daughter missing

BLACKWELL: Look at this mug shots. They're causing some outrage in North Miami Beach. That's in Florida, of course. Because police snipers use them as targets for target practice. A local woman noticed one of the photos was of her brother and several other African American men and filed a complaint. But police say it's not a case of racism because they also used photos of other races and Osama bin Laden. Most of the mugshots are people who were arrested ten to 15 years ago. A police chief there says that officers did nothing wrong, but because of the current climate, the practice will stop.

PAUL: Bill Cosby's lawyer denying this morning the latest sexual assault allegations against the comedian. The accuser Chloe Goins says Cosby sexually assaulted her at a Playboy mansion party in 2008. Now, Cosby's lawyer says he was not even in California that day. More than 20 woman have come forward with claims of sexual assaults against the comedian at this point.

So much news to talk to you about this morning. We are glad you are with us.

BLACKWELL: Absolutely, the next hour of your "NEW DAY" starts right now.