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CNN Saturday Morning News
John Mark Karr Will Be Flown to United States Tomorrow; Multinational Peacekeeping Force Gathering in Southern Lebanon
Aired August 19, 2006 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, the man at the center of the JonBenet Ramsey investigation is expected back in the United States late tomorrow or early Monday. John Mark Karr is being deported from Thailand, where he was arrested this week. A live report from Thailand is just ahead.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Another strange twist in the JonBenet probe. Officials in California's San Quentin Prison searched the cell of Richard Allen Davis, the man convicted of murdering 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1993. Authorities were checking out reports Davis corresponded with John Mark Karr. But they say the search turned up no evidence.
Well, the French contingent for a beefed up U.N. peacekeeping force arrived in Lebanon today. But it consisted of just 50 soldiers. France has promised only 200 soldiers total. U.S. officials had been hoping for a much bigger French commitment.
HARRIS: Israeli commandos flew deep into Lebanon today and staged a pre-dawn attack near a Hezbollah stronghold. Israel says the raid was aimed at blocking arms smuggling from Iran and Syria. But Lebanon called it a violation of the cease-fire.
We'll have a live report from Lebanon coming up.
And another top athlete faces questions about performance enhancing drugs. The Associated Press reports that Olympic medallist Marion Jones failed an initial drug test at the U.S. Track and Field Championship in June.
Saturday, August 19th.
Good morning, everyone.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: Good morning, Tony.
HARRIS: Good morning, Betty.
NGUYEN: And good morning, everybody.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
Well, as Thailand gets ready to deport John Mark Karr, the JonBenet Ramsey investigation continues in Boulder, Colorado.
Where do these things stand right now?
Well, we'll get the latest on that.
And French peacekeepers arrive in Lebanon.
But is the cease-fire they're supposed to enforce already breaking down?
Those are our two big stories this morning.
And we'll start with the Ramsey case.
HARRIS: JonBenet Ramsey died in 1996 in Boulder, Colorado, where authorities say their investigation into John Mark Karr remarks in its early stages.
CNN's Peter Viles is in Boulder for us -- Peter, good morning.
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
It appears that this will be John Karr's final day in Thailand. Thai officials tell CNN that he will be flown back to the United States tomorrow, to Los Angeles first tomorrow night, and then on here to Boulder, probably either late, late Sunday or early Monday. And this how quickly can prosecutors answer some of the questions that have been dogging them about this case.
Is there a DNA match? Is there a handwriting match? Exactly what kind of physical evidence do they have on this guy, if any?
And the criticism of prosecutors seems to be escalating in recent days. Here earlier on CNN we heard some very sharp criticism of the case as it stands right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: There's been an arrest. You conduct an arrest after you've done an investigation. Where is this? No DNA has been tested yet from this man. His handwriting hasn't been tested.
So we don't know what is really going on here, whether this is an attention seeking person or whether or not this is a true cold-blooded killer who killed a little girl. And that's why what's dangerous here and what's troubling here is that people are speculating in the same way they were speculating that the Ramseys were guilty. We have nothing yet and we need to admit we have nothing. And there should not have been a disclosure without at least a DNA test.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VILES: Well, there's one lawyer's opinion. It's not entirely factually accurate. They do have something. They have a confession from this man, which we have seen time and time again on television. Is it credible?
We don't know. But he says he was there the night JonBenet Ramsey died. He says it was an accident. He says, when he's asked, "Are you innocent?," he says, "No."
In addition to that, Tony, CNN has learned from a law enforcement official here in the United States that Mark Karr or John Karr has told them things about the condition of JonBenet's body that have not been publicly disclosed, things that only someone who was at the crime scene or investigated the crime scene would have known.
Now, skeptics are saying the case has been so well covered, there is no information that has been kept private. But that's not what we are hearing from law enforcement sources, that there are some details that he has disclosed to them that raise enough flags.
So it's not really accurate they have nothing on him. They just haven't really laid their cards on the table at this point -- Tony.
HARRIS: And they don't have to, at this point, I guess is worth noting.
Peter Viles for us in Boulder, Colorado.
Peter, thank you.
And this programming note -- Larry King will have an interview with the Ramsey family attorney, Lin Wood, and the Colorado professor who led police to Karr. That's Monday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, John Mark Karr's airline ticket is ready. That's according to police officials in Thailand, who say Karr will be flown to the United States tomorrow. Karr was arrested in the Southeast Asian nation this week for the 1996 murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey.
And CNN's Atika Shubert is in Bangkok.
She joins us live -- what is the latest there, Atika?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, John Karr is spending his last night at Thailand's immigration detention center, which you can see behind me. He was actually visited by Ann Hurst. She is the highest U.S. official on the ground in this case. She visited with him briefly in the afternoon and she came out.
We tried to press her for questions, although she remained quite tight-lipped.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Did he say anything to you about his departure and how he's feeling about it?
ANN HURST, U.S. IMMIGRATIONS AND CUSTOMS: I can't comment on that.
QUESTION: What was his condition, do you know?
HURST: He's in good condition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: Now, she wouldn't even confirm that he is, in fact, flying to last. But we were able to confirm that with both immigration and with airline officials. He is booked on a direct flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles. He will be arriving at Los Angeles airport at approximately around 8:30 in the evening local time.
And we also understand that they booked him on a business class ticket, in fact, a specially reserved business class seat. And, also, of course, for those U.S. officials that are flying with him -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Now, well, while he's at that detention center waiting to be transferred to the United States, let me ask you about this, what's he been doing?
Because I understand he's been reading books, watching television and those sorts of things.
SHUBERT: Well, that's exactly -- a lot of the -- when we speak to immigration officials, they say that he's really been keeping to himself mostly, keeping rather quiet. They do have two guards watching over him, both of them Thai immigration officers that do speak English. So they are having occasional conversations with him. But, yes, that he's basically reading books, watching TV.
We have one interesting detail. Yesterday's meal was Kentucky Fried Chicken. But other than that, basically keeping quiet.
NGUYEN: An interesting man. And the case just keeps getting even more interesting by the minute.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: We'll stay on top of it.
Atika Shubert joining us live from Thailand.
Thank you for that, Atika.
Well, in other news today, Israeli commandos conducted an operation in Lebanon that they say was aimed at disrupting the flow of weapons from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah.
Meantime, international troops are beginning to assemble in Lebanon to help ensure this cease-fire.
Anthony Mills has details of these developments and he joins us live now from Beirut -- so walk us through what has happened, especially this clash that occurred. ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, according to the Lebanese Army, in the early hours of the morning, an Israeli helicopter landed in the village of Budai. That's close to Baalbek, a Hezbollah stronghold in the Bekaa Valley, east of Beirut. It's about 15 miles from the Lebanese-Syrian border.
That helicopter, according to the Lebanese Army, was carrying two vehicles when then transported a number of Israeli soldiers. They were then intersected by Hezbollah fighters. A battle ensued. And then, according to the Lebanese Army, the Israeli soldiers, among them wounded soldiers, were evacuated by helicopter.
Now, in terms of what exactly was hit or achieved, the Lebanese Army is saying that it's not entirely clear that there were rockets involved there. We don't know that for sure. We can't confirm that. But following this information, there were denunciations.
Let's hear what Hezbollah M.P. Hassan Hobballah had to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HASSAN HOBBALLAH, HEZBOLLAH M.P. (through translator): This is new proof that the Israeli enemy is still carrying on with its aggression over Lebanon and that it doesn't care about the resolutions taken by the U.N. Security Council. As we have stressed before, it is attacking Lebanon and has greediness in this country. Therefore, we do not consider what happened is new for the enemy, but the resistance is still insisting that it will fight against any Israeli attempts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MILLS: Now, Betty, that was Hezbollah M.P. Hassan Hebbollah denouncing that raid and saying Hezbollah would continue fighting Israeli aggression. He wasn't -- Hezbollah wasn't the only party there to complain about this raid. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called it a naked violation of the cease-fire. He said he had complained about it to visiting U.N. Envoy Terje Roed-Larsen and had asked him to take it up with Kofi Annan.
And an adviser to Lebanon's acting defense minister, Elias Murr, has said that the defense minister is threatening to stop the continued deployment of thousands of Lebanese troops in the south, as stipulated by the cease-fire resolution, if the United Nations doesn't guarantee that Israel will abide by that resolution and refrain from offensive actions.
Of course, Israel has said that it was trying to disrupt the transportation of weapons and would no doubt place this operation within the parameters of defensive actions, which are allowed under that resolution -- Betty.
NGUYEN: OK, Anthony Mills joining us live from Beirut today.
Anthony, thank you. HARRIS: Well, as we mentioned, the multinational peacekeeping force is gathering in Southern Lebanon. The U.N. cease-fire plan calls for 15,000 international troops. But as Liz Neisloss reports from the U.N. it is not easy to assembly this kind of a force.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIZ NEISLOSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It normally takes several months to pull together the troops for a United Nations peacekeeping force. But when it comes to Lebanon, the U.N. has been putting a rush on. This is to get 3,500 troops into Southern Lebanon in the next two weeks.
The U.N. this week did get some speedy offers. But the problem -- not enough Europeans.
MARK MALLOCH BROWN, DEPUTY U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The particular appeal I want to make today is that Europe comes forward with troops for this first wave.
NEISLOSS: The first nations to offer troops for the front line are mostly from Muslim countries -- Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh -- countries that don't recognize Israel. The U.N. says a broader mix of nations is needed to balance the concerns of both Israel and Lebanon.
BROWN: We want this force that we deploy to have a kind of multinational, multilateral character so that it enjoys the confidence of both sides. And we've said before that a Muslim-European or a European-Muslim force, because of both groups' interest in this situation, but because they have, if you like, bring, when you combine them, a legitimacy that satisfies both sides to this conflict.
NEISLOSS: European troops also offer faster deployment, come better equipped and are better able to support themselves. France surprised the U.N. with its decision not to add more than 200 to its troops already in Lebanon, citing a lack of clarity about the use of force.
But France had led the negotiations to map out the cease-fire plan, along with the United States.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: France has said they would send some troops. We hope they send more.
NEISLOSS: Germany this week made an offer of sea and land patrols to monitor Lebanon's borders for any armed smuggling. But given its Nazi-era history, Germany didn't want to commit troops that might come into conflict with Israeli soldiers.
Spain and Belgium are mulling their troop offers.
Eyes are now on Italy for a potentially large contribution.
Liz Neisloss, CNN, the United Nations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: So, Costco-may have the lowest prices around, but not low enough for a couple of thieves. Check them out. The story behind this smash and grab. That's straight ahead.
And you won't want to miss this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Life with bin Laden meant living without.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There were windows without glass. Just a big hole in the wall. And it would be the middle of winter. There was no bathroom, no kitchen. We really thought we had gone back to the Middle Ages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Christiane Amanpour talks to an al Qaeda widow about life with Osama bin Laden.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And good morning, everyone.
The top stories now.
Authorities in Thailand say John Mark Karr will be flown to the United States tomorrow. Karr is suspected in the 1996 murder of 6- year-old JonBenet Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado.
Israeli commandos landed inside Lebanon today and staged what they said was an attack against Hezbollah weapons supply lines. Lebanon is calling it a flagrant violation of the cease-fire.
NGUYEN: All right, let's get you updated on Stories Across America this morning.
Former President Gerald Ford will remain at the Mayo Clinic at least through the weekend. He was admitted Tuesday for tests. Hospital officials won't comment about his condition. Ford, who is 93 years old, was treated last month for shortness of breath and he was hospitalized in January for pneumonia.
All right, so the prices at Costco-apparently weren't low enough for these two guys. Check them out. Surveillance video shows them ramming a car into a Florida Costco-store, right there, and then ransacking a jewelry counter. Police say they stole more than $10,000 in jewelry and then they just got away.
HARRIS: There is no joy at the Ford assembly plants in Louisville. The two plants there are among 10 North American plants Ford will temporarily close through the end of the year as part of a sharp cutback in production. It's too much supply versus diminishing demand, says Ford, for its pickup trucks and SUVs. U.S. sprinter Marion Jones may have failed her initial drug test and the U.S. national championships in Indianapolis in June. This according to the Associated Press. Sources who reportedly have acknowledged -- or intimate knowledge of these results. The Olympic gold medal winner was accused of doping before, back in 2003, an accusation she strongly denies. An additional test is supposed to be performed to determine whether Jones is looking at a new doping violation.
And straight ahead, Christiane Amanpour talks to an al Qaeda widow about life inside bin Laden's world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Her husband, who had spent six months in al Qaeda training camps, was given a secret deadly assignment, one that would move bin Laden closer to his ultimate goal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And co-workers talk about the John Mark Karr they know.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: It has been almost five years since the September 11 attacks and Osama bin Laden remains on the loose. This Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, "CNN PRESENTS" will air a special documentary, "IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BIN LADEN." It's a profile of those who know him and those who follow his teachings.
One of those people is the widow of a suicide bomber.
Christiane Amanpour has a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Malica Ehlarud (ph), a devout Muslim who had emigrated from Morocco-as a child, was living in Belgium when she first saw Osama bin Laden on television. His image mesmerized her and her husband, Abdessattar Dahman.
MALICA EHLARUD, WIDOW OF THE WAR ON TERROR (through translator): He was watching. There was a fascination, a love. It was very clear. And I felt the same. Osama had beauty in his face. It is a stunning face.
OSAMA BIN LADEN (through translator): May God give victory to the young men who perform jihad to win his approval. May God give us patience.
EHLARUD: When you hear his voice, it makes you want to stand up right away and leave and join him.
AMANPOUR: And that's what her husband did when he traveled to Afghanistan in 2000. Malica Ehlarud followed the next year. Life with bin Laden meant living without. EHLARUD (through translator): There were windows without glass, just a big hole in the wall. And it was the middle of winter. There was no bathroom, no kitchen. We really thought we had gone back to the Middle Ages.
AMANPOUR: Her husband, who had spent six months in al Qaeda training camps, was given a secret, deadly assignment, one that would move bin Laden closer to his ultimate goal.
EHLARUD (through translator): He told me he'd be home in 15 days.
AMANPOUR: That would be the last time she would ever see him.
Then, the assassination of Ahmed Shah Massoud, a friend of the U.S. And legendary leader of the Northern Alliance, a formidable Afghan militia.
Two men claiming to be television reporters arranged an interview with Massoud. They were suicide bombers, armed with explosives. One had them strapped to his body. The other, hidden in the camera.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: There's no doubt that bin Laden ordered the assassination of Massoud. He knew that the 9/11 attacks would likely provoke some kind of American reaction and he needed the Taliban to protect him. So, what he gave them was the one thing they desired most, which was Massoud's head on a plate.
AMANPOUR: The explosion killed Massoud. It also killed one of the two attackers, the cameraman. The other assassin was executed by Massoud's men. He was Abdessattar Dahman, Malica Ehlarud's husband. This had been his secret mission and she was very proud.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Watch a special "CNN PRESENTS: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BIN LADEN." Our team traveled to four continents to learn about Osama bin Laden and his power over those who do his deadly bidding. That's this Wednesday night, August 23rd, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
NGUYEN: And straight ahead, our Drew Griffin is in Bangkok and has been talking with co-workers of John Mark Karr. He'll tell you what they had to say.
And the trickle of troops into Lebanon. Take a look. The U.N. faces challenges as it tries to get thousands more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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