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Quest Means Business
IATA Predicts Increase In Aviation Profitability In 2025; Ukraine Destroys Russian Jets Far From Front Lines; CNN Talks With Head Of International Air Transport Association; Authorities Hold News Conference On Boulder Attack. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired June 02, 2025 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:29]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Closing bell ringing on Wall Street. Words you never thought you'd say on television.
Grindr ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Trading has come to an end. It is 1:30 in the morning here in New Delhi, 4:00 in the
afternoon, of course, in New York. That's the way the market has closed, just a small close, but by the way, it is the start of Pride Month in New
York. That's why Grindr is ringing the closing bell.
From us, it is a Special Edition of QUEST MEANS BUSINESS, which comes to you tonight from the IATA Aviation Conference, which is taking place in
Delhi.
Tonight, we will tell you, the suspect in the antisemitic attack in Colorado planned it for more than a year according to the authorities. We
expect a news conference just about 30 minutes from now.
Ukraine's daring drone attack on Russian air bases caused an estimated $7 billion in damages. The aviation industry wonders what on earth happened,
and India's aviation boom. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits IATA and signals more aircraft orders are on the way.
For most of you, it is Monday. It is June the 2nd. Here in New Delhi, We've slipped elegantly in to Tuesday, June the 3rd. I am Richard Quest and in
New Delhi, of course, I mean business.
Good evening from a steamy night here in New Delhi, and tonight, the authorities are expected to give us a news conference on the events that
took place with Sunday's attack, the firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado. We now know Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who is the accused, he set off
-- he set multiple people on fire at the Jewish community event. At least eight people have been injured. We are getting more details on the nature
of those injuries.
Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime. He was protesting. He was in support of the hostages, the event, I beg your pardon, the event was
in support of the hostages held in Gaza. The news conference will begin in half an hour and a bit later, perhaps, whatever time it does bring, we will
bring it to you.
We start though tonight with our special coverage of the aviation industry. As you know, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS, we do a good deal of coverage of
airlines and aviation. It is the IATA Annual Meeting. It is taking place in New Delhi, which is in India, where we are tonight.
The major players in the industry are all here. They say demand for air travel remains strong despite tariffs, protectionism and economic
headwinds. You're going to hear from the heads of United Airlines, IATA, Emirates and IndiGo throughout the course of the program.
First though, let's look at the industry. It expects profitability to rise this year despite tariffs and trade issues and weak consumer demand. But
let's not get too excited. Although the industry will take in collectively a profit of $37 billion, revised down, it represents an increase maybe from
last year, but it is still a margin of only 3.7 percent.
So while executives may anticipate record travel in numbers and volume for cargo, they can learn a thing or two from the last 12 months.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (voice over): The push word is traffic, it is bums in seats. And last year the aviation industry hit a long awaited benchmark, carrying more
people than before the pandemic.
WILLIE WALSH, DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: Demand remains strong despite all of the fears that people had expressed.
CARSTEN SPOHR, CEO, LUFTHANSA GROUP: Our industry is as sexy as looked after from the man's side as it has never been.
QUEST (voice over): The dawn of 2025 brought fears of a global slowdown, and that was already denting passenger numbers for some.
WALTER CHO, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, KOREAN AIR AND HANJIN GROUP: We are already seeing the downturn in passenger volume between transpacific and also to
Europe.
QUEST (voice over): As global uncertainty got worse, the need to do deals was greater than ever.
Hawaiian teamed up with Alaska. Korean Air finally acquired Asiana. It only took four-and-a-half years.
[16:05:01]
CHO: I am confident we will be through it by the end of the year. I am not going to let go now.
Now, we've become one family.
QUEST: SAS began the process of joining Air France-KLM and ITA is on the road fully to becoming Lufthansa's newest family member.
Star Alliance gained ITA and lost SAS to Skyteam.
ANKO VAN DER WERFF, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SAS: It is clear why we made this change. It is very clear, I think, that it is also working very well for
us.
QUEST (voice over): The industry continued its proud tradition of technological firsts. Iberia made history, making the first passenger
flight in an Airbus A321-XLR.
MARCO SANSAVINI, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, IBERIA: It allows routes that were impossible to reach with former generation of narrowbody aircrafts.
QUEST (voice over): Flying remains one of the safest modes of public transport, but the last year was marked by a few major accidents. South
Korea and the U.S. had their worst crashes in decades, and two civilian aircraft were downed in conflict zones.
Infrastructure was also a source of tension and worry, as radar and radio failures at Newark impacted flights for weeks. It underscored the need for
overdue changes.
SCOTT KIRBY, CEO, UNITED AIRLINES: We just need to keep the number of flights equal to the capacity of the airport.
QUEST (voice over): At Heathrow, it was a power blowout that disrupted travel around the globe.
LUIS GALLEGO, CEO, INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP: I think we have a model in Heathrow that we need to change. We were saying that before this incident.
QUEST (voice over): Today, uncertainty weighs heavily on the entire industry. Supply chain clogs and the threat of tariffs are having a real
impact.
In all of this, we must not forget the one thing this industry is all about -- resilience.
CAMPBELL WILSON, CEO, AIR INDIA: Those things will have their delays and frustrations as they will for every airline, but it is a mechanical process
and it will happen.
LUIS RODRIGUES, CEO, TAP AIR PORTUGAL: To work in this industry, I think your motto needs to be: Keep calm and carry on.
QUEST (voice over): With every issue comes an opportunity to improve and prioritize what this industry is all about, bringing people closer
together.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (on camera): Now the summer travel season in the northern hemisphere is about to get underway, and there are already signs of strain,
particularly the busiest U.S. airports as you'll be aware.
Newark Liberty International has experienced multiple communication failures and myriad of delays over recent weeks. United Airlines has its
main European northeast hub at Newark. I spoke to Scott Kirby, United's chief executive. He told me he is confident air travel in the United States
will be improved by the measures being taken.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIRBY: I feel the best that I've ever felt about particularly fixing the FAA, and the reason is because Secretary Duffy is on it. He is action
oriented. He wants to fix it.
You know, he is coming to Newark to help, and he is there to try to help and fix it. And we have the FAA administrator appointee, Brian Bedford, who
has built, who has run an airline, who knows how to do this stuff.
QUEST: Do you think Congress will appropriate the necessary funds in the tens of billions to do this?
KIRBY: Yes, I do think Congress -- I think that is what is unique now, because we have this moment where people recognize the need to give the
U.S. a modern air traffic control infrastructure. It is in both the Senate, both the House, on both sides of the aisle. There is broad bipartisan
support.
QUEST: Newark was the, in a sense the example, but how far was the Newark problems evidenced elsewhere from what you've seen? And maybe not as
dramatically, but need of further investment, whether it is Chicago, Houston, the West?
KIRBY: Yes. Well, Newark has been in the news a lot, but the truth is that happens all around the system and it is indicative of the need to get back
to full staffing and to upgrade the infrastructure and the technology and the facilities at the FAA. And the truth is, it is safe all the time across
the country. If it is safe in Newark, it is safe everywhere, but we do deserve a modern infrastructure.
QUEST: So the other issue that is big in the industry is consolidation of some description. It doesn't matter, and I have to say that JetBlue
arrangement, the Blue Sky consolidation.
KIRBY: Not consolidation.
QUEST: No, no, but exactly, it is not -- that it is not as much as what it is.
KIRBY: Yes.
QUEST: It is this hybrid where it begs, people like myself to say, is this just a stepping stone to consolidation?
KIRBY: You know, I think this is really about both JetBlue and United trying to do something good for our customers. It is a brand I really
respect in JetBlue, they have customer service at their core, at their DNA, but they are smaller and partnering with United, you know, let's our
customers have access to JetBlue, but also gives the JetBlue customers access to the globe.
QUEST: But the question I've already asked you, and I've read your answer about the amount of brainpower and brain time it takes is, why not just do
the merger?
[16:10:04]
KIRBY: Yes, it really is complicated to do mergers, and you know, we've got so much exciting happening at United. JetBlue has got their own plan, but
we've got so much going at United and when you do a merger, you've got to stop and you've got to integrate systems and labor contracts and cultures.
And it just really -- it is a lot of brain damage. It is complicated, and if you can do a deal where you get a lot of the customer benefits without
having to go through all the pain of a merger, there is a lot to be said for that.
QUEST: Are you seeing anything in the bookings or numbers that suggests a weakness with people avoiding traveling to the United States?
KIRBY: So we've seen a little bit of weakness from Canada and Europe, but its single digit percentage decline, so not material decline, but 82
percent of our bookings come from U.S. point of origin, and that's really been strong and that is actually more than offsetting any weakness that
we've seen on inbound traffic.
QUEST: Really? So, people like -- the evidence is not there.
KIRBY: The evidence is not there. I think the consumer is a lot more resilient, than perhaps the news headlines would suggest.
QUEST: You did a very interesting thing with your last guidance, which no one has really ever seen before, which made perfect sense.
KIRBY: Yes.
QUEST: You said if this happens, this is our guidance. If this happens, that's our guidance. So, as we stand at the moment, which are you leaning
more towards? The stability or the recession?
KIRBY: So our bookings have remained stable.
QUEST: Right, stable.
KIRBY: So we would be leaning more towards the stability. We have had an impact from Newark, but absent that, you know, we would certainly be
leaning more towards the stable scenario.
QUEST: You said about Newark that this might be the best time to get a good deal out of Newark.
KIRBY: Yes. I am not totally happy about that, but because we lost so many bookings because of this perception issue of Newark and the reality is
Newark is safe, and now the FAA has done what we've been asking them to do for a decade, and it is going to limit the operations to equal the capacity
of the airport. It is going to be the most reliable airport in New York. It is going to be the least crowded.
And because we lost bookings, its likely to be the cheapest this summer than it is going to be in any point in the future.
QUEST: Is Starlink as good as they?
KIRBY: Say it is. Starlink is going to be great.
QUEST: Is it great?
KIRBY: Like, it is flying now.
QUEST: Yes, yes. You're expending it out.
KIRBY: You know, essentially everyone on the airplane can get on and can stream. I mean, it has got by far the most bandwidth, the lowest latency.
It is going to be transformative for customers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: I can't wait to try it, Starlink, when it is on board the aircraft. More airlines seem to be purchasing it.
Other news that we are looking at, aviation and conflict zone related, Ukraine is celebrating one of its most audacious and sophisticated assaults
since Moscow's invasion three years ago.
Now, Kyiv says it destroyed dozens of Russian warplanes parked at air bases thousands of kilometers from the front lines. It was a massive operation,
more than 18 months in the planning. Ukraine smuggled drones inside Russia, hidden inside wooden mobile homes, which were on top of trucks.
The drone attacks have reportedly burned more than 40 aircraft at Russian - - at four Russian air bases. The exact amount it depends, these aircraft were highly specialized aircraft. In some cases, they cannot be replaced.
They were unique. $7 billion, some say, was the cost of the damage.
Nick Paton Walsh has more on how Ukraine carried out what's known as Operation Spiderweb.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A bird's eye view of humiliation, Ukrainian drones halfway across
Russian Siberia, seconds from hitting the Kremlin's most prized bombers.
But the data was bad for Moscow, 117 drones hitting 41 long range bombers across Russia, a Ukrainian security source said. A torn up skyline here in
Belaya exactly what Moscow dreaded and Ukraine needed a boost to its flagging morale, damaging Russia's war machine, for sure, but maybe also
its calculus in peace talks.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Our Operation Spiderweb yesterday proved that Russia must feel what its losses mean. That is what will push
it toward diplomacy.
WALSH (voice over): Ukraine hit Irkutsk 4,500 kilometers away from Ukraine, where Google Earth still shows similar propeller driven aircraft in the
open, but they also struck a Olenya right on the Arctic Circle. Similar planes, also on Google. Another example of something that just was not
meant to happen in Russia's brutal war of choice.
The how was as extraordinary. Ukraine's security service head, Vasyl Malyuk commenting here.
(VASYL MALYUK speaking in foreign language.)
TRANSLATION: How beautiful it looks, this airbase in Belaya.
WALSH (voice over): And releasing these images of the wooden mobile homes they used, the roof cavities of, to hide the drones.
[16:15:10]
Before their release, once Ukraine said, all their operatives were out of Russia.
The planes hit mainly the Tupolev 95 and Tupolev 22, the Ukrainian source said aging, easy to damage, hard to replace.
They were partly behind the nightly terrors that beset Ukrainian civilians. Whether these strikes make a dent in this daily toll, we will take weeks to
learn, but it may also damage the Kremlin quicker away from the front lines, its pride hit hard, although state T.V. put on a fierce display of
why Russia has been pummeling Ukraine so relentlessly.
It may also to change its thinking, perhaps towards peace talks that continued Monday in Istanbul, and of how long Russia can sustain this war
if Ukraine keeps throwing painful surprises its way.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Clare Sebastian is here with me in New Delhi.
The aviation industry, I mean, it is both fascinated and horrified by drones in a sense, the way this attack took place, but also the idea that
the drones can identify aircraft on the ground and autonomously recognize.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think there was more of a focus than perhaps either of us were expecting today on this attack by Ukraine
and what it means not only in terms of sort of the broader picture of the disruption caused by conflict to aviation, but how this evolving technology
could play in.
There was a lot of talk about how, you know, other militaries have been learning from Ukraine, and I think the subtext to that is --
QUEST: Particularly they were talking today about, in fact, about here in India, how the Indian in the latest skirmish with Pakistan had learned from
what was happening with drones in Ukraine.
SEBASTIAN: Right and I think the subtext is, is the question of how this has number one, shifted the economics of warfare, right? If you can take
out these, you know, multi-hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions of dollars of bombers with these pretty cheap drones, and what
happens if that technology metastasizes and you know gets into the wrong hands.
QUEST: But there is a fear that conflict zones for example, the inability to fly over Pakistan at the moment here, certainly this continual inability
to fly over Russia, which is costing the industry -- this industry is almost like at the whim of any and every conflict in the world.
SEBASTIAN: Yes, and unequally, which I think is the point with Russia, right? It is the European carriers that don't fly over Russia. The Chinese
carriers still do, which means that the European carriers are at a competitive disadvantage there, perhaps, who knows what's happened with
Ukraine recently will potentially change the safety picture for some of those carriers.
But I think what people -- the sense we got is that obviously the aviation industry has realized that these conflicts are intractable, and certainly,
we saw that coming out of the talks in Istanbul today is that resolution is not going to be imminent and so, they are going to continue to have to deal
with these disruptions.
QUEST: The talks, how did the overnight -- Nick Paton Walsh alluded to it in his report, we won't know for some time, but you've been studying this
for a very long time.
SEBASTIAN: Yes.
QUEST: How do you think an attack like last night plays into the talks in Istanbul?
SEBASTIAN: So I think it is two things. Number one, it is clearly a message to Russia that Ukraine has cards, in the words of President Trump, to play
in this conflict and that it isn't going to bow out without concessions. And secondly, this is also a message to the United States. I think the
concern in Ukraine is that the narrative coming out of the U.S. is that Russia has essentially won and Ukraine has lost, and they are going to sort
of act accordingly and that's how you see the sort of pressure play out weighted to the Ukrainian side, not the Russian side.
So I think there was a sort of dual track of messaging here, but I think concretely on the ground, the West, up until the point at which the Biden
administration allowed long range missiles to be fired into Russia had been operating a de facto no fly zone over Russia's rear. Now, that rear is in
play.
QUEST: Is it just a prolonging, not a game changer?
SEBASTIAN: I mean, it took 18 months to organize. I think that's -- I mean, on the one hand that shows how elaborate it was and how ingenious it was,
but to do another one like that is, you know, is going to take a while.
QUEST: You enjoying yourself here?
SEBASTIAN: Yes.
QUEST: It is a strange industry, isn't it? The airlines?
SEBASTIAN: Yes. Vulnerable.
QUEST: Vulnerable. Yes. Good to see you. Thank you very much.
Clare Sebastian joining me here.
Now, the Prime Minister of India is predicting massive growth for his country's aviation industry. We will talk more about Modi's message to the
IATA meeting after the break.
QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:22:10]
QUEST: Ten to two in the morning, we are here with you at The Taj, the Taj Mahal Hotel here in New Delhi, one of the conference hotels.
IATA's Director General, Willie Walsh, certainly knows about uncertainty. He led British Airways through a global crisis and the COVID pandemic. Now
he is trying to steer the whole industry through tariffs, consolidation and of course, supply chain issues.
He told me how aviation can manage these extraordinary challenges.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: I think we've got to keep plugging away at everything. You know, like there is so much we can do within our own control, which I think we do
very well. And then outside of our control, we've got issues like the fuel price, it is going to go in our favor this year. But then you've got the --
you know, the general economic environment, which up until now I would describe has been pretty good.
And in fact, it is not too bad.
QUEST: Does tariffs affect this industry?
WALSH: So it will affect us if tariffs are applied to aircraft engines or aircraft engines and parts. You know, so that is going to be an issue and
we are still working our way through that, so there are some tariffs that have been applied. But they're pretty limited at this stage. So I would
argue that the impact on the industry is manageable at this stage.
But if we are part of a wider tariff war, then, yes, it is going to be a big issue.
QUEST: And what about an anti-American feeling translating into either Americans not wanting to travel abroad or people not wanting to travel into
the United States?
WALSH: I think that's pretty limited at the moment. You know, it is very noticeable between Canada and the U.S., and all of the Canadian carriers, I
am sure, have said that to you.
Now, it is not the Canadians aren't flying, they are, but they're not flying to the U.S. as much as they would. We are seeing a little bit of
softness, but I would say it is really -- it is not that much -- if I was an airline CEO operating under transatlantic between Europe and North
America, I wouldn't be overly concerned.
QUEST: But the level of unpredictability as we move into the winter season, one airline CEO, when I tried to ask him about how it might be later in the
year, looked at me like I was mad because there are so many unknowns.
WALSH: Yes, well, you are mad. You know that. You know, like there is no way of predicting it.
QUEST: Right.
WALSH: And the window I think that we look at now is much shorter. You know, when I started as a CEO, which was a long time ago, you know, I would
be looking out 12 months, even sometimes 18 months to try and figure out what was going on.
Now you're looking really at one, two, three months. You know, I don't know of anybody who is sort of trying to predict what is going to happen in 12
months' time. Yes, you'll have a stab at, you know, is it going to be up or down? But the idea that you could have a rational view as to what things
will look like, you know, it is just impossible.
QUEST: Do you still believe there needs to be more consolidation?
[16:25:10]
WALSH: Yes, I think consolidation is a positive and I think there is scope for consolidation in all parts of the world. So, you know, I wouldn't rule
out further consolidation in the U.S. industry. I think there is plenty of scope for consolidation within Europe. And don't forget where it has
happened, it has been approved by the competition regulators.
You know, they've looked at it and they have assessed that it doesn't have a negative impact on consumers. And what you've got to consider, which I
think a lot of people discard, is what happens if the consolidation doesn't take place? Because a lot of the airlines that will be subject to
consolidation are weaker in their performance.
QUEST: Is there enough staff? You and I talked about this in Athens, half the industry, the producing industry says yes, there is no shortage of
staff. It will be available in time. The mandates can be met.
WALSH: Well they would say that, wouldn't they? I don't believe there is enough staff. Yes, and if you talk to airline CEOs, most of them are
struggling to get access to staff and that's at any price.
You know, getting access to staff at a price that anybody would consider reasonable is impossible. Impossible. So, you know, the market isn't
responding as fast as we would have expected it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: The staff debate will go on and on.
India's Prime Minister predicts that air travel will double in this country over the next five years. Narendra Modi was talking to the IATA leaders
here in the capital, and the Prime Minister said he expects 500 million passengers by 2030, and that air travel in India is only just getting
going.
Ahead of the Prime Minister's speech, I spoke to chief executive of IndiGo. IndiGo is actually the largest airline in the country at the moment. Low
cost carrier, about to spread its wings with great international expansion. Pieter Elbers, formerly of KLM, of course, explained the significance of
Modi's speech.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PIETER ELBERS, CEO, INDIGO: A world leader as the Prime Minister addressing the AGM is fantastic, and that, I guess, is a reflection of the importance
of aviation in this country being attached by the Indian government.
QUEST: The incremental reforms that have taken place that has opened up the country, you've benefited hugely from that now, haven't you?
ELBERS: You know, India is changing, and with the vision of the government to develop the Indian economy, aviation is seen as an integral part of
that. So be it, the developments in infrastructure, be it changing of policies, be it making sure that we keep going forward. New airports are
opening, new airports in Delhi is opening, new airport in Mumbai is opening.
So all of these parts are extremely important and we have seen both in the metros, as well as to the smaller communities, when the government schemes
to help these communities is connecting, we see a surge of traffic.
QUEST: IndiGo was a highly successful airline when you became CEO, so it is not like you had to join and become a turnaround merchant here. But you
have, in a sense, shifted the emphasis of the airline growing domestically, but also internationally.
ELBERS: Yes, the ambition really, when I joined three years back, was to take IndiGo from a domestic operator into a global airline. So all the
steps we are taking are part of that vision.
QUEST: When you say a global airline, what do you mean? Because if you're going to be a global airline, you're going to need a global business class,
flatbed, front cabin, larger aircraft, all of those sort of things that is if you want to play in the big league.
ELBERS: You know, we take step by step and the basic --
Yes, that's true. Richard, look what we've done in the past three years. It is -- and I say that in all modesty but also with a lot of pride. We have
moved. We've introduced a domestic business class, but we've done it only on the sectors where it is needed.
We have ordered our widebody aircraft. We have started the loyalty program. Six months ago, it was launched. Today, we have three million members. We
have signed up partnership deals, and today a very big one with Delta, Virgin, Air France-KLM.
So all of these steps are building blocks or pieces of the puzzle if you wish to, to fulfill that mission. And how the product in 2030 exactly will
look -- that will take its own time. But we are committed and convinced that these steps will help us to reach that goal.
QUEST: Who is your main competitor? I was going to say. Is it Air India?
ELBERS: You know, there's different competitors, obviously. In India itself, the Air India Group clearly is the largest competitor, but more and
more, we are competing of course with operators outside India.
QUEST: But don't you find it fascinating that both of the major airlines in India are undergoing massive transformation in a sense, and therefore will
be much harder competitors against each other and others.
ELBERS: Exactly. But I would like to emphasize "and others."
For a country of the size of India, to have two large international operators, I mean, how many international operators does Europe have, the
U.S. or China? So for a country of our size, to have two large international operators, yes, there is competition, like there is
competition between United and Delta, who are competing between IndiGo and Air India and that's perfectly fine.
But there is space for having strong Indian operators. And yes, we compete hefty on the domestic network and even international. That's perfectly
fine. Competition will all make us better, sharper and making sure that we keep running hot.
[16:30:31]
QUEST: You always talk to me about your competitor is the train. Your competitor is people not traveling at all. That's what the big difference
is now in this country, isn't it?
ELBERS: We allow access to air travel, which people had to travel by train in the past. If you go from the northeast to the south, it takes you two
days by train. It takes you now three hours by plane.
So, that value proposition. If you have cost leadership, and we have cost leadership, and you have a fit for purpose product, the potential is just
enormous. The fact that China, with the same population, has four times as much seeds per capita, just underlines the opportunity for us to continue
to build on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Pieter Elbers who, of course, with IndiGo, did the biggest aircraft order in the world.
Let's go to Carrie Cordero now, where the -- we're getting more details on the Sunday's attack in Boulder, Colorado. Let's go join now, where we're
getting pictures of what's happening.
Our legal analyst, Carrie Cordero is with me. Tell me what we are expecting to happen coming up shortly with this news conference. What details do we
think we're going to be given?
CARRIE CORDERO, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: So, in the upcoming conference, I'm waiting to hear what more details they provide whether the individual that
they have in custody has provided more information. It sounds like he already has communicated some of his motivations and has actually been
willing to be interviewed after he was Mirandized. We'll find out whether there are additional charges that are going to be brought.
So far at the federal level, there's been hate crime charges, but we'll find out whether additional charges, perhaps either at the state or federal
level might be brought as well.
QUEST: And we're sort of getting leaked information -- well, not leaked. The FBI is giving out dribs and drabs, an Egyptian national who was in the
United States having overstayed, applied for asylum, arguably illegally in the U.S. This is sort of both a picture being built up and a case, in a
sense, being a political case, almost, in a sense, being built up.
But I would hope -- I would expect that we're going to get some information that's quite meaty meaningful.
CORDERO: Sure. So, I mean, the question from an investigative standpoint, and myself, having, while ago, served at the Justice Department on national
security matters. From an investigative standpoint, what you want to know is, first of all, was this individual acting alone? Did he have any other
coordination, or was this simply an act solely by himself that he planned by himself?
From the reporting I've seen so far, it sounds like he had planned this for some time. So, was anybody else involved? Did anybody else know? That's
from an investigative standpoint, of course, very important to understand in terms of how he will be charged, but also in terms of making sure that
there's no further threat to that immediate Jewish community in the Boulder, Colorado area or elsewhere related to his attack elsewhere in the
country.
And so far, based on the information that's been publicly released, it seems like he was motivated politically, religiously against the Jewish
community. And so that motivation seems clear. And so it seems that he was inspired by the events going on currently in the Middle East.
But sure, the fact that how he was here in terms of his legal or illegal status is something that the government it is appropriate as a substantive
matter to know and to make sure that other individuals can't perpetrate this type of violent activity if they're not in the United States legally
or at all.
QUEST: And it looks like this news conference is about to get underway. Let's join it taking place in Boulder, Colorado, as we get more details on
the attack. Carrie, stay with me to give us interpretation analysis once it concludes.
[16:35:03]
VIKKI MIGOYA, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER, FBI DENVER: Good afternoon. I am Vikki Migoya, the Public Affairs Officer BF -- for FBI Denver. We are here
today to provide another update about the ongoing investigation into the attack Sunday on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. We're going to have four
speakers today. I'm going to give you their names and I'm going to spell them.
So, first, you will hear from acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado. That is the initial J period. First name, Bishop,
B as in boy, I-S-H-O-P. Grewell, G-R-E-W-E-L-L.
Our second speaker will be 20th Judicial District Attorney Michael Doherty. That is Michael the common spelling, and Doherty is D as in dog, O-U-G-H-E-
R-T-Y.
Next you will hear from FBI Denver Special Agent-in-Charge, Mark Michalek. That is mark the common spelling with a K, and Michalek, M as in Mary, I-C-
H-A-L-E-K.
The final speaker today will be Boulder police chief Stephen Redfearn. That is S-T-E-P-H-E-N and Redfearn is R-E-D-F-E-A-R-N. We will take a few
questions at the end, and now I'm going to turn the podium over to Mr. Grewelll. Thank you.
J. BISHOP GREWELL, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY, DISTRICT OF COLORADO: Thank you, Miss Migoya.
I'm Bishop Grewell the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.
On behalf of myself, my office and the entire Department of Justice, I want to express my heartbreak and my support for the victims, their families and
the community of Boulder.
I pray for those families, as well as everyone in Boulder, Colorado and the nation who woke up this morning worried about themselves, their loved ones
and not feeling safe in their own communities because of yesterday's attack.
I assure you that my office and our partners are here for you, and we are taking action.
I want to thank the first responders, citizens and law enforcement alike who worked to quickly end this violent attack, save lives and tend to those
who were injured.
I also want to thank to thank our law enforcement partners at Boulder police, including the Chief Redfearn, the FBI, including Special Agent-in-
Charge Michalek and the Boulder D.A.s office, including da Michael Doherty. They worked hand in hand with my office as the matter was thoroughly
investigated and prepared for charges.
And I want to thank our partners in D.C., including Attorney General Bondi, Director Kash Patel and Assistant Attorney General in charge of civil
rights, Harmeet Dhillon for their support my office and A.G. Dhillon were in contact yesterday throughout the day, which helped lead to the federal
charge that we're announcing today.
My office has charged Mohammed Sabri Solomon, age 45 with the commission of a hate crime under 18, USC Section 249.
When that offense includes attempted murder, the statutory maximum federal sentence is life in prison. No one should ever be subjected to violence of
any kind, but our laws recognize that such violence is particularly pernicious when someone is targeted because of their race, their religion
or their national origin.
According to our complaint and the charges brought by D.A. Doherty's office, Mr. Solomon stated that he had been planning this attack for a
year, and he acted because he hated what he called the Zionist group.
But what the charges allege that he did was to throw molotov cocktails at a group of men and women, some of them in their late 80s, burning them as
they peacefully walked on a Sunday to draw attention to Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
[16:40:06]
And when he was interviewed about the attack, he said he wanted them all to die. He had no regrets, and he would go back and do it again. He said that
he had previously tried to purchase a firearm, but resorted to the molotov cocktails when he could not purchase a gun because he was not a legal
citizen.
I remind you that Mr. Solomon is presumed innocent until proven guilty. My office and our partners hope justice will help heal the people in this
community and in the communities throughout the country shaken by yesterday's attack.
We fully intend to hold Mr. Solomon accountable for his actions, and these charges are the first step. Thank you. I'm going to turn it over to D.A.
Michael Doherty.
MICHAEL DOHERTY, JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Good afternoon. I'm Michael Doherty. I'm the district attorney for Boulder County. I appreciate the
members of the media who are here today so we can help provide this update to a grieving and traumatized community.
What you see here today is us standing shoulder to shoulder, ensuring that justice is done in response to this tragic and terrible attack. We stand
united in denouncing hate, terror and violence in this community. We are united in condemning acts of anti-Semitism, hate and violence, and we're
also united in a strong response to this horrific attack.
I stand with this community and the people of the state of Colorado against hate and terror, and we are united in our commitment, both at the federal
level and the state level, in pursuing and securing justice for the victims of this mass attack and for the communities that we serve.
Boulder is a beautiful and special place, but we're not immune from mass violence or hate crimes, including violent acts of anti-Semitism that
impact far too many communities across this country.
And yesterday afternoon, on a beautiful day here in Colorado, a number of people participated in a peaceful walk and gathering on Pearl Street here
in Boulder. It is a place where a lot of people gather every day, and the ones who join in this peaceful gathering are now the victims of a
senseless, unjustified and horrific mass attack.
And to all the victims, their loved ones and to this community, I promise you that each one of us up here today work tirelessly to ensure that
justice is done and the defendant is held fully accountable.
I want to recognize, as the U.S. attorney did, the response by community members who helped in the minutes immediately following the attack and came
to render aid to victims who had suffered through a horrific attack upon them.
Also, I want to recognize the courage and the rapid response by the Boulder Police Department, who once again were called to respond to a truly
horrific attack on innocent members of our community, and responded without a second of delay.
I will highlight for you that there were 16 unused molotov cocktails that were recovered by law enforcement in the hours after the incident took
place, 16.
So, I really want to thank the Boulder Police Department and their law enforcement responders, as well as the first responders who provided
medical aid to the victims, but that rapid response with the recovery of the 16 unused molotov cocktails, I think, speaks for itself.
Our office and the U.S. Attorney's Office will be working closely together and in coordination with one another to ensure that defendant is held fully
accountable.
As you heard from the U.S. Attorney, the U.S. Attorney's Office with prosecuting the hate crime against the defendant, our office will be
prosecuting the attempted murder charges and related charges at the state level. This approach will accurately reflect the actions the defendant is
alleged to have taken and the harms that he caused. It will allow us to secure a verdict, an outcome, a sentence, whereby he'll be held fully
accountable. It's been done, and by it, I mean federal and state prosecutions jointly has been done in other cases, most recently, the Club
Q mass shooting down in Colorado Springs.
At the time, the arrest affidavit and warrant were filed with the state court yesterday, there were eight victims identified, and I'll touch
briefly now on the charges that were filed at the state level, as well as the possible sentences he faces if convicted on those charges.
So, there were 16 counts of attempted murder in the first degree. Eight of those counts are for attempted murder with intent and after deliberation.
The other eight counts are attempted murder with extreme indifference. So, 16 counts total.
[16:45:14]
If the defendant is convicted, and those counts are running consecutive to one another, he would face a maximum of 384 years in state prison.
He's also charged with two counts of use of an incendiary device, if convicted of those charges and they run consecutive, he would face a
maximum sentence of 48 years. He's also charged with 16 other counts of attempted use of an incendiary device, and again, if convicted and if they
run consecutive, the maximum on those counts would be 192 years.
So, 384 years on the attempted murder, 48 on the use of the molotov cocktails, and then the attempted use would be 192 years.
The judge set a $10 million cash only bond on the state charges. As you are aware, he's going to be going before the judge this afternoon at the jail.
I believe that is scheduled for 3:30 but I rely on the sheriff's office to communicate with members of the media at the exact time.
Thanks to the investigation by federal, state and local partners.
And I just want to highlight for you, this is a horrific attack, but as district attorney, when I walk into this building and I see the FBI,
Boulder P.D. and all the law enforcement partners working, it's the exact response I hope to see. The teamwork they demonstrate, the work they put
into it. If you were downstairs right now, you'd see incredible law enforcement officers and investigators working calmly, professionally and
tirelessly to ensure we get all the information we need to get the right outcome in the criminal cases that the U.S. Attorney's Office and my office
will prosecute.
Through their work, we've now identified four additional victims, so there's now a total of 12 victims. And as you'll hear from the FBI Special
Agent-in-Charge, we're going to continue to encourage victims and witnesses to come forward and contact law enforcement, but we now have 12 victims.
And on the later this week, we'll be filing formal charges against him. That's our normal process. So the filing of formal charges by the district
attorney's office will reflect 12 victims, and if more come forward, additional victims as well.
My final note, what I want to stress is this community has experienced too many tragedies, fires, floods and mass attacks, but each time I've seen
this great community respond with strength resilience and support for one another. I trust and hope that that will happen again now, that for the
many members of the community have come forward before to help one another, to support one another, to comfort one another, that that will happen again
today and in the weeks, month going -- months going forward, that once again our community will rally to restore peace and to bring support and
comfort one another during this dark hour.
As your district attorney, I want to remind the members of the media and the community that the defendant is innocent, unless and until proven
guilty, and the charges are merely allegations. I'm going to turn it over to the Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI, and then we're happy to take
questions after each one of us is done. Thank you.
MARK MICHALEK, SPECIAL AGENT-IN-CHARGE, FBI DENVER FIELD OFFICE: Good afternoon. I'm Mark Michalek, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI's Denver
field office, and want to provide a quick investigative update.
The FBI has been here on the scene in Boulder for the past 24 hours, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Boulder Police Department and our
partners. Their heroic and swift actions clearly saved lives.
As mentioned, there were 16 unused molotov cocktails within arm's reach of the subject at the time of his rest arrest. So, there is no question that
the first responders saved lives and prevented further victims from being injured.
And I think the fact that we have both federal and state charges within 24 hours of this attack is a testament to the strength of the partnerships,
the professionalism of the investigators, and our commitment to the community and to each other to pursue justice.
We continue to support the victims, their families and the greater community with personnel and resources. Our hearts go out to the victims,
and we want you to know that we are committed to being here for you.
Since 2:00 yesterday, more than 30 special agents, intelligence experts and professional staff have deployed to provide forensic, investigative and
crisis management support, as well as additional resources are being surged from other field offices and at our headquarters in Washington, D.C., and
they're on the way.
While at this time, it appears the perpetrator acted alone, we do continue to investigate all possibilities and pursue all investigative leads. If we
uncover evidence that others knew of this attack or supported the subject in this attack, rest assured that we will aggressively move to hold them
accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
[16:50:11]
Since the investigation began 24 hours ago, the FBI has conducted 44 witness interviews. We've executed search warrants on vehicles, property
and digital devices. We've deployed our full evidence response team, both to Boulder at the main crime scene and the execution of a search warrant at
a residence tied to the subject in Colorado Springs.
Members of the ERT worked through the night to gather all evidence so that Pearl Street could swiftly be reopened this morning. We've deployed victim
specialists to hospitals and assigned one to each and every victim that's been identified to date. We've set up a digital media tip line. We've
deployed a mobile command post for information sharing and evidence control, and we continue to canvas for witnesses, additional victims and
camera footage.
We ask that you call us at 1-800 call FBI if you have any information about the events that transpired yesterday. If you saw something, if you heard
something, if you have information, our investigators want to hear from you. If you have multimedia evidence, whether that is photos, social media,
posts or videos related to the attack, please visit the site that we've established, and you can provide your information at FBI.Gov\BoulderAttack.
We at the FBI are not tracking any credible threats to the Boulder community at this time. However, if you see something suspicious, we urge
you to call 911.
The FBI takes seriously its mission to protect the American people of the United States, both nationally, as well as here and in Boulder. Hate fueled
acts of violence have no place in our community, and we will use every tool and resource available to hold those who commit such acts fully
accountable. And I'll turn it over to Chief Redfearn.
STEPHEN REDFEARN, BOULDER POLICE CHIEF: Thank you. Good afternoon again. My name is Steven Redfearn. I have the honor to serve as the police chief here
in Boulder.
I want to give a few updates from the city and the police department before we take some questions.
So today, in the aftermath of this heinous terrorist attack in our city, I again want to start with thanking our partners. I think we've all alluded
to the importance of partnerships. I can tell you, as I was rushing to the scene yesterday, one of the first or second calls I made was to the Special
Agent-in-Charge, because no matter what this ended up being, I knew we would need help.
And once again, the FBI, all of our state, local and federal partners have stepped up, and we are absolutely in a really good place for 24 hours into
this investigation, in my opinion.
Michael Doherty alluded to it, but the work that I've seen in this building and out on the street in the last 24 hours is remarkable, and every single
person working on this investigation is doing their job above and beyond to bring justice to these victims, including the men that stand behind me
here. And I'm grateful.
The scene, as you may know, around 2:00 in the morning we released the scene. So, as of this time, we have no active closures in downtown Boulder.
We have no areas closed off. We spent an extensive amount of time yesterday, up until the early morning hours today, with bomb dogs, our bomb
squads, ensuring that there were no other threats in the area. And people were allowed after midnight to go back and get vehicles and businesses have
been allowed to reopen, if they so choose.
I can tell you this morning, I walked down Pearl Street with members of my team. I interacted with a lot of business owners, community out there, and
the way I felt leaving there was I was heartened. I was heartened by the resilience of our community, the positive attitude that people had, the
understanding of the inconvenience of yesterday with businesses having to close. And really, I walked out of that thinking, you know, we're going to
be OK once again as a community. We're going to recover after coming together.
A little bit more on community. So, we are aware of events this week. We're aware of things coming up in the next -- we're looking seven to 10 days out
at other events, and we are going to ensure, along with our partners, that we have adequate coverage, law enforcement coverage, security at any event
that's taking place this week.
We want to ensure that people feel comfortable and safe in this community gathering and remembering what happened, as well as any other planned
events that we have. And we will be relying upon our partners, such as the State Patrol, to ensure that we have proper coverage where people can feel
safe.
Before this attack, we had very strong the Boulder Police Department. The City of Boulder had very strong relationships with our Jewish community. We
even have an officer assigned as a Jewish community liaison with Boulder P.D., those relationships have paid off dividends during this attack, and I
know going forward, in the aftermath, we're going to continue to work with our community.
[16:55:06]
I've been in contact via phone, e-mail and text throughout the day and last night with members of our Jewish community. Myself and the district
attorney will be leaving shortly to have a meeting with community leaders from our Jewish community as well.
The message there, the bottom line message is, we want everyone to feel safe. We will not condone these types of attacks and acts in our community.
I will reiterate what was prior said, it is never an inconvenience for someone to call the police if they feel uncomfortable about a situation, if
they see something odd, if they see a person acting in a suspicious manner, let us come out and let us determine if there is some validity to people's
suspicions. That's why we are here.
So, please call us if you see something, literally, the old see something, say something adage applies here. Please call us if there's anything that's
making you feel uncomfortable in the community.
And lastly, I just want to say again, we have been contacted the city and the police department from all over the world with outpouring of support,
messages of support, and I want to thank you. It matters. It makes a difference going forward. So, I appreciate all of that.
With that, I'm going to turn it back over to our public information officers for some questions.
MIGOYA: All right, I will try to call on people for questions, and I will repeat the question hopefully so everybody can hear it and then turn it
over to our experts for answers. Yes, Tony.
TONY (ph): Chief, or anybody up there. Do we have any new video showing how he walked in with these 16, 18, 19 molotov cocktails. That's not a one walk
trip. Anything you've been able to discover, to show how they got there.
MIGOYA: So, the question is, do we have any new video evidence about how he entered the area with the molotov cocktails he had?
REDFEARN: Thank you for the question. We are -- as I speak, we have teams of detectives partnered with FBI on Pearl Street, going business to
business, door to door, that we're piecing together a timeline using video, license plate readers, all of those things, relying heavily on our federal
partners.
As of right now, I have not been made aware that we actually have video of him carrying anything into that area. Obviously, we're looking at that, and
if someone were to have that video, please contact the 1-800 number that the Special Agent-in-Charge mentioned, or you can contact us as well, BPD,
there's a high likelihood it's out there, and we just -- I don't know the existence of it yet.
MIGOYA: Yes, Dave.
DAVE (ph): Yes. Can you tell us any updates on the eight original victims, and then any more information on the four people that you've identified as
well?
MIGOYA: The question is, if we can provide additional information about the eight victims that we previously mentioned and the new four that came up
today.
REDFEARN: Thank you. Regarding the victims, prior to this press conference, I received an update that we still have two victims in the hospital. I
believe those are the two that were flown to University Hospital Aurora.
I believe the victims, the additional victims that we learned of today, the reason we didn't know about them until today was their injuries,
thankfully, were more minor in nature. They've come forward to be interviewed in things, and then we realized that they did have injuries.
So, we're counting everyone who received any sort of injury in this attack in that number. So, as far as I'm aware right now, two people still in the
hospital, and again, we're -- our thoughts are with them as they recover.
MIGOYA: Yes, right here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many people were in the original peaceful march (INAUDIBLE)?
MIGOYA: So the question is, do we know how many people were participating in the group's peaceful march on Sunday?
REDFEARN: I do not have an exact number of the people that were there for the peaceful gathering. What I can say, though, is, when we responded to
the scene, there were probably 20 to 30 people in that vicinity. Some of them were witnesses. Not all of them were there specifically to take part
in that weekly gathering.
And so, I don't know that, but in the area, we had 20 to 30 folks right there at the courthouse with a lot of other people coming and going with
the businesses right there.
MIGOYA: Yes, more here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the U.S. Attorney, this was initially classified as by the FBI as a terrorism investigation. Is the hate crime charge a
terrorism charge, or did something change in the charging decision?
MIGOYA: So the question is, for the U.S. Attorney's Office about the fact that yesterday, terrorism was mentioned, and we see a hate crime charge
today, and can we explain that?
GREWELL: So, we've moved swiftly to charge quickly, just to send the message to the community that no acts of anti-Semitism are going to be
tolerated and there are severe consequences. Just because there's only one charge that has been made so far doesn't mean that we're not considering
other charges that could come in the future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can we get some clarity? Chief, we're hearing U.C. Health says they have three victims. There is a three or two?
MIGOYA: Question is about victims at U.C. Health.
REDFEARN: I don't have that clarity that you're asking for regarding the number. We've been told two.
END
