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Police: Suspect in Copenhagen Attacks Killed; Fragile Ukraine Ceasefire is Holding; Cartoonist Targeted in Denmark Attack

Aired February 15, 2015 - 07:30   ET

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

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, what happened was the suspect gunman returned to his house, his apartment which is really just behind this block of buildings you can see behind me here at about 4:50 this morning. The police were waiting there because they had reason to believe that is where he was living. They challenged him. He shot at them. They say they returned fire, killing him.

So, at the moment, the police are going through the apartment building, continuing to talk to neighbors there. They haven't said who this man is yet or precisely where he was from. But what they have described him as being is about 25 to 30, of an athletic build, quite tall. Some description has said that he was Middle Eastern looking.

And the local police I've been talking to here says the community is worried and concerned if there is an Islamic connection here, which is what a lot of them suspect and fear -- they are worried what the reaction might be. That is this community here, how others might react to them in this neighborhood, knowing that the gunman came from here -- Christi.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: We had talked to Dennis Brink who was in the cafe when all of this happened, and he mentioned that he did hear the gunman yelling something in another language. Have police addressed anything regarding what they might have been able to translate from that, if at all?

ROBERTSON: They haven't said that yet publicly. But now they have had access to his apartment and he went back there between the two shootings, between the shooting of the theater and then the shooting of the synagogue. Later, he went back to the apartment for 20 minutes. They don't know what he went back there for. But it seems very likely, at the moment, that police would be going through any computers he might have, any literature he might have.

And again, all of this is going to build a picture of who he was, who his connections are, and in a situation like this, quite possibly, there may be more follow-on arrests but that's not clear at the moment and certainly the police are not going to announce that in advance. But, at the moment, they have not given us any details about what they believe he said or precisely who he is yet -- Christi.

PAUL: All right. Nic Robertson, so appreciate the update. Thank you.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Let's bring in now, retired army lieutenant colonel and syndicated columnist, Bob Maginnis. He joins us now from Virginia.

And, Bob, thanks for being with us this morning.

Let me ask you this, are you certain there was a politically motivated attack? And do you believe this is the work of a lone wolf?

LT. COL. ROBERT MAGINNIS (RET), U.S. ARMY: It would appear to be a lone wolf, Martin. Of course, the prime minister of Denmark said a politically terrorist attack in a number of statements.

You know, we won't know until, you know, the forensics are done, the apartment searched, the computer searched. Certainly, it would appear as if it's similar to other incidents and, of course, Mr. Vilks who is the one that was in this theater, made his own statement saying he was the target and it's related to the 2007 caricatures of Muhammad there by the cartoonist.

Now, the reality is we don't know yet. But there are similar incidents that we have seen elsewhere, if, in fact, Mr. Vilks' statement is correct, we saw the Canadian incidents, two of those in October, we saw the New York incident, we saw the Sydney. And, of course, last month, of course, the tragedy there in Paris where 17 innocent people were killed.

So, if it's a lone wolf, they are being encouraged by perhaps some of what we are hearing out of the Middle East with ISIS or al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula.

SAVIDGE: And do you think that this is kind of the future? In other words, not the big huge attacks we all feared but, in fact, these terrible attacks on a much smaller scale?

MAGINNIS: Well, certainly, Martin, it would appear that we are seeing a surge of this sort of thing, that people are spun up by social media, that they feel that they are part of a franchise of disjointed jihadists around the world that have a particular mission. Now, if you listen to what the jihadist out of ISIL and al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula, or, you know, the Maghreb or al Shabaab, all of this sent out a very similar message, that you have to revenge these assaults by non-believers.

And if that's the case then we as citizens, local police must be very vigilant about perhaps these types of individuals, lone wolves, if you want, all of a sudden, appearing. But the fact is we can track this as a local community. You see something suspicious, you tell your local police. They will be suspicious as well and, you know, they will confirm whether or not it's, in fact, a threat. But if we don't do it at the local level, much like the people there in Copenhagen, then we are going to be perhaps subject to a similar incident.

I don't see that this is going to be resolved easily, and it's certainly not going to be resolved militarily. It would appear as if you have a fringe ideology on the loose that could infect a lot of societies around the world.

SAVIDGE: Yes, vigilance is going to be needed here. Retired Colonel Bob Maginnis, thank you very much.

MAGINNIS: Thanks, Martin.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

PAUL: Well, coming up on hour 15 of Ukraine's fragile ceasefire, which appears to be holding, despite reports of minor violations around the conflict zone. The truce between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists hopes to put an end to 10 months of violence that's taken more than 5,000 lives at this point.

And we want to talk to Michael Bociurkiw. He is the spokesman for the OSCE special monitoring session to Ukraine.

Michael, thank you for being with us. I know CNN crews on the ground are telling us cease-fire has brought about a remarkable change it seems to the streets of Donetsk. What are you hearing there this morning?

MICHAEL BOCIURKIW, OSCE SPOKESMAN (via telephone): Well, thanks for having us on.

So, we have been monitoring for many months now but especially since midnight, we have about 20 patrols through the region which by the way, is a large region about the size of Switzerland. And, obviously, around midnight, there was a calm, a very welcome calm and a few moments, we will be issuing our statement on what exactly we have been seeing. There have been some exceptions but, whole, it's withholding, but I wouldn't want to say too much at the moment.

PAUL: You know, we were talking yesterday about we had a live report there from Nic who said there is just so much hatred on both sides of this issue. Do you think that peace can be reached regardless of what leaders do but I just mean condition the confines, the parameters of this country and in the neighborhoods? Are people willing to find peace?

BOCIURKIW: Yes. I mean, the death toll, the numbers of injuries, the displacement has been horrific over 1 million people displaced. In fact, we were just in (INAUDIBLE) this week and some of those have been displaced. Two things, the number one thing they want to do is go back home as soon as possible, but, secondly, they are worried many of their houses have been destroyed and infrastructures badly destroyed.

So, we also have to look forward and there is going to have to be an enormous effort, political will, to help this resettlement process and also the rebuilding process.

PAUL: Is there anything you see politically that could be done as we move forward to solidify some sort of peace? What does each side have to do and give here and do you think it will happen?

BOCIURKIW: Well, of course, what is need is political will and, you know, what we will be looking for in the next few days as well, according to the Minsk package, is signs that, you know, one of the key cornerstones, pull back of heavy weaponry is going to happen. The guns will hopefully be silent and also that the armed individuals, the regular armed groups, will also go back to where they came from.

It's going to take a huge effort and under no illusions, and hence we are going to be also deploying for example, technology aside from the drones we are already using things like satellite imagery so we can be really the trusted eyes and ears for the international community on the ground.

PAUL: Yes, with that much distrust, I think that is part what is make willing this so difficult. Michael Bociurkiw, we appreciate your insight. Thank you, sir.

BOCIURKIW: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: Still ahead -- sorry -- still ahead, the cartoonist who is drawing -- whose drawings may have sparked this deadly shooting in Denmark. We will talk to Brian Stelter about the escalating tensions over the depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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This is our chicken and waffles. A little bit of a Vietnamese spin on the classic.

Where I see the difference is providing that individualized experience in a place regardless of a place where you came here to get here, you feel welcome and you feel a part of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Another terror attack and another victim targeted for depicting the Prophet Muhammad in a cartoon. These are images of Lars Vilks, the cartoonist from Sweden, angered some Muslims in 2007 when he drew an image of Muhammad, an act forbidden in Islam, by the way. And just last month, 12 others were killed in an attack in the offices, as you know, of "Charlie Hebdo," a Paris-based satirist magazine who also drew provocative images of Muhammad.

Now, both Vilks and the editor of "Charlie Hebdo" were part of the most wanted warning published by al Qaeda's "Inspire" magazine for crimes against Islam.

Let's talk about this with CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter.

So, Brian, we have these satirical representations of Muhammad. But they're not new, necessarily, right?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, no, they are not. And I think incidents like what we saw yesterday remind us that these terrorists have long memories. They sometimes act on a time frame we are not accustomed to acting upon. A lot of us I think in the United States have already moved on, have already past on what happened in Paris at the magazine office.

But, clearly, these radicals who resent freedom of speech and attack freedom of expression do not forget, they do not move on, they do remember and they do try to target those who they feel are somewhat perpetuating this.

But I want to tell you what I think was the most important thing from this attack yesterday, the most important thing about this freedom of speech event, is that it kept going on. It kept going on after the shooting according to one of the women that was with the cartoonist. They hid in one of the back rooms but this seminar went on. They continued to talk about the importance of freedom of speech, even after this sickening attack. I think that is an example that we can all learn from.

PAUL: Yes. That was something else. I remember hearing the same thing.

And this, too. Back in 2007, you know, Vilks told CNN that drawing Muhammad was calculating and he did so to elicit a reaction.

In fact, let's listen to a little bit of that, right?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARS VILKS, CARTOONIST: I don't think it should be a problem to insult a religion because it should be possible to insult all religions and they could be in a democratic way. I tell you, if you insult one, and you should insult the other ones.

REPORTER: Did you just get a death threat?

VILKS: I will kill you, you son of a (EXPLETIVE DELETED).

REPORTER: Why aren't you afraid? You just received death threats.

VILKS: You get used to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: That is amazing. He said, "I just get used to it."

STELTER: There is a version there in his voice and in his words of resilience and of courage that some of us can't relate to and can't imagine and can't comprehend. But I think it gets back to what I was just saying about the ability to continue on, to continue to express yourself and continue to enjoy and appreciate free speech, even under trying circumstances.

He is a living and breathing example of that and so are his fellow cartoonists. You know, there's even a cartoonist here in the United States who tried to hold a -- let's all draw Muhammad day years back. She then went into hiding and changed her name and identity on the advice of security agencies -- just another example of someone whose life has been profoundly changed by this issue but who was trying to stand up for freedom of expression.

PAUL: Yes, and you have to wonder if these attacks will embolden the cartoonists even more not to stop what they're doing.

What do you have coming up this afternoon?

STELTER: Well, you know, we are going to be talking on "RELIABLE SOURCES" about this. It is wild and really tragically, the media, we saw Brian Williams suspended and we saw the deaths of two legends in the industry, Bob Simon and my friend David Carr of "The New York Times". So, we're going to be talking with people who knew all of them.

And we're going to be talking about the Brian Williams case, about whether he can return to NBC "Nightly News". He is suspended six months and no guarantee of coming back and there are new allegations surfacing against him practically every day.

So, we're going to try to get to the bottom of that and explore whether he is able to return to the chair or not.

PAUL: All right. We are sorry for your loss too, since you were close to one of them.

STELTER: Thank you.

PAUL: And we will certainly be watching. Sounds like a good conversation. Thank you, Brian.

STELTER: Thanks.

PAUL: Again, don't forget to watch "RELIABLE SOURCES" this morning, 11:00 a.m. Eastern, right here.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: We continue to follow that developing story in Denmark. Police believe that they have killed the lone suspect in a terror attack in two locations. Two people dead, five others hurt. The believed target at one of the locations was a cartoonist who satirized Muhammad. We'll have a live report at the top of the hour.

PAUL: You know, I can't just imagine having a child born with a fatal genetic disease and what that feels like. But then to find out that it was preventable, that seems to be unthinkable.

So, there is a Georgia couple is sharing its story in hopes of saving other families from suffering what they have face.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDY GOLD, FATHER: Which paper do you want?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Golds may look like a typical family, but look closer.

RANDY GOLD: Now you look at me. Look at this paper.

GUPTA: Six-year-old Eden can't walk, talk, or do most anything a girl her age should be doing. She has a progressive neurological disorder called Mucolipidosis Type 4 or ML4. It's a rare genetic disorder more common among Ashkenazi Jews, people of Eastern and Central European Jewish decent.

CAROLINE GOLD, MOTHER: A game, which game?

GUPTA: Eden's development stopped at 18 months. Doctors say she'll be blind by age 12 and will probably not live beyond early adulthood.

CAROLINE GOLD: Every dream that we had for our daughter was just ended with one phone call.

GUPTA: The Golds thought they were thoroughly screened for genetic diseases before they got married. Their first child was born healthy.

CAROLINE GOLD: My doctor tested me for a total of eight diseases and Randy's doctor tested him for a total of two diseases. Neither one of our doctors tested us for ML4.

GUPTA: The couple didn't want other families to suffer the same fate. They started an online education and screening program for genetic diseases, common among Ashkenazi Jews. At-home screening kits are mailed out and a genetic counselor delivers the results over the phone.

RANDY GOLD: JScreen's mission is to make sure that parents know that they should be screened for genetic diseases before they get pregnant. We can provide them information on having healthy children of their own.

GUPTA: Just like the Golds, who added another daughter to their family.

RANDY GOLD: Eden is here for a purpose. She saves lives every day.

Oh, my goodness.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: The latest on a terror attack investigation in Denmark at the top of the hour. But we do have some other stories that are developing that we want to let you know about first.

SAVIDGE: Authorities believe that blowing snow from the blizzard is affecting large portions of this country. And that storm system may have contributed to a pair of deadly crashes on Ohio roadways. In total, three people were killed including a woman and her unborn child. As many as six people were injured in the crashes. Both crash scenes remain under investigation.

PAUL: And two people have been arrested in what investigators say was a foiled plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Nova Scotia mall. American Lindsey Souvannarath and a Canadian have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. The gunman who plans to carry out a plot was found dead in his home earlier this week, but police believe the alleged plan was not motivated by politics or ideology but rather by a small group desire to carry out a heinous crime.

SAVIDGE: Friends and family gathered in Arizona Saturday to remember Kayla Mueller. She was the American woman was taking hostage by ISIS terrorists and then killed. Lights arranged into a giant peace sign were place on the ground in northern Arizona, at the university there, Mueller's alma mater. A light pink heart with Mueller's initial was also hung from the campus ministry building in her honor. She was captured while working as a humanitarian worker in Syria.

PAUL: And hundreds of people gathered yesterday in Miami to remember Trayvon Martin, whose parents were joined by many others in a peace walk to protest gun violence against young, black teens. Martin was killed three years ago as he walked home from a local convenience store that was in Sanford, Florida. His killer, George Zimmerman, was tried and found not guilty.

PAUL: So glad that you are starting your morning with us.

SAVIDGE: Yes. The next hour of NEW DAY is going to begin right now.

PAUL: I want to wish you a good morning. I'm Christi Paul.

SAVIDGE: And I'm Martin Savidge, in for Victor Blackwell. Let's get right to our breaking news.