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The Brief with Jim Sciutto

CNN International: Car Plows into People During Liverpool FC Parade; Police Arrest Man in Liverpool Incident; Trump Criticizes Putin for Ukraine Attacks; Russia's Massive Air Assault in Ukraine; Trump Optimistic with Iran Nuclear Talks; U.S. Envoy Urges Hamas to Accept Deal on Table; Trump Honors Fallen Heroes at Arlington National Cemetery; Police Not Treating Liverpool Incident as Terrorism; Man Kidnaps and Tortures Victim for Bitcoin Password. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired May 26, 2025 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

LIAM ROBINSON, LIVERPOOL COUNCIL LEADER: -- to help those who were hurt and to our NHS staff treating them in hospital. We are working very closely

with Merseyside Police to support their investigation and with other relevant organizations to make sure those affected gets the appropriate

support.

I would appeal for people, please do not share the horrifying foot footage of the incident on social media. Please if you have any information,

forward it to Merseyside Police to help them with their investigation.

We won't be commenting any further, but we will provide relevant updates as and when we know more and it's appropriate to do so.

Once again, our hearts go out to all of those affected. Liverpool is a city that has a proud history of coming together and supporting each other

during challenging times. I have no doubt that will again be the case over the coming days and weeks. Thank you.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: We are listening to an update from authorities there in Liverpool on this shocking incident. It happened just a few hours

ago there to fans celebrating their local football team. The updates from authorities are that 20 people received minor injuries, 27 people were

hospitalized as a result of this. Two among them categorized as serious injuries, including one child. They also described how four people were

trapped under a vehicle, the vehicle following this collision here collision with the crowd. And they were able to lift that car and get those

people out.

People have now arrested a 53-year-old white man after this. This was the Liverpool Football Club's Premier League Championship parade. Our Anna

Stewart has been following events here as well. Anna, listening to authorities there, I suppose the good news, if I was hearing their comments

correctly, is that at this stage though, there were two serious injuries. No one was killed in this accident.

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this stage, that is what we understand. One of those that was seriously injured is a child. But

critically, and I think what's so interesting about how quickly this press conference has come about, they are saying already at this stage, it is not

being treated as a terrorist incident. They're not looking for anyone else in relation to it. The police says they believe it's an isolated incident.

And they really don't want people to speculate or spread false information.

Now, this is because Merseyside Police, of course, were very much involved in the South Port attack last summer, this is when a man went on a stabbing

spree at a Taylor Swift children's yoga class, killing three young girls. And very quickly there was speculation of false information online

suggesting that it was terror related, that perhaps it was a British Muslim, that perhaps it was an undocumented migrant. And quite quickly,

things descended into riots on the streets.

So, what we're seeing here is a slight change of tack. We're seeing that the police are keen to give as much information as they can to try to spell

any false information and giving us a lot of information. And we had the ambulance and the fire service there, and we had a rundown, how they were

all able to respond. Four people stuck under the car, the fire service said. One of them was a child, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Yes, that's right. One -- and that was, I assume, one of the two seriously injured, including that child. They're saying they're not

treating it as a terrorist incident, but still no details as to what explained then the driver driving into that crowd.

STEWART: And this is what the investigations and the inquiries now will have to focus on. And there's going to be a wealth of information and

videos. Already, so much has been shared on social media. There are so many witness accounts that we've already seen. And of course, part of the issue

here with giving more information from the police, and this is one of the reasons why they often don't give much information, is because of this

will, of course, eventually come to a court case and they don't want to prejudice that court case. They don't want to have issues when it comes to

evidence. And so, this is where this will go.

So, we may not learn a huge amount in terms of the motives, whether it was an accident, what actually went on for several weeks. But the hope here is

to at least try and avoid the speculation around that up until that point. They're giving as much information, I think, as they can without

prejudicing the sort of legal situation going forward.

SCIUTTO: And, Anna, as you cited, the fears of a repeat of the situation we saw a number of months ago, which was so much false information,

circulated, people jumped to conclusions, which we just aren't able to make those conclusions yet. Anna Stewart, thanks so much for joining.

Joining us now Senior Sport Analyst, Darren Lewis. And Darren, I wonder if you could describe to me just what a shock this must be to the Liverpool

community, given that this was meant to be a day of long-awaited celebration. And of course, instead, we have a sad tragedy here.

[18:05:00]

DARREN LEWIS, CNN SENIOR SPORT ANALYST: Yes, indeed, Jim. For all of the viewers who follow English Premier League football, it came to a conclusion

yesterday. It was a wonderful atmosphere, party atmosphere. And today, the parade, the aerial shots told you everything, thick plumes of reds smoke in

the colors, of course, of Liverpool Football Club. The smell of celebration and excitement had really enveloped the area.

And then, around about 6:00, you know, the scenes that you can see on the other side of the screen turned very quickly to horror, terror, and the

kind of thing that would be forever associated with the second Premier League title for Liverpool in five years.

Now, five years ago, they were not able to celebrate a tour because of COVID. This time around, the celebrations really have been so deeply,

deeply affected by the tragedies that Anna so expertly outlined a second ago. And these scenes kind of give you an insight into the scale of what

those people on the ground, Jim, must have experienced because as we heard from the authorities, there were hundreds and thousands of people on the

ground. Some of the crowds were 10 to 15 deep, and that car went plowing through them in just horrendous scenes.

And even, thankfully, though, we have not witnessed had to deal with any loss of life, thank goodness, but there are still those specialist teams

that the agencies were telling us about that will have to really help those people who were so deeply affected by what they had experienced.

SCIUTTO: Can you tell us how the community is tonight as we get, well, into close to early morning hours there shortly, how they're handling the

shock of this?

LEWIS: Well, I must tell you, you know, Jim, as the evenings warn on there have been some real stories of heroism, of community, of selflessness.

There have been stories of police officers trying to prevent the car from striking other people, by putting themselves in the way. There have been

stories of restaurants being turned into triage centers with diners basically hastily moving to one side and doing whatever they could to help

the walking wounded.

There've been so many stories of community in an area, which is synonymous with community. They have had so many tragedies in that area over the

recent past and the distant past. So, it is an area that knows how to come together in moments of difficulty. They have had messages of support from

other football clubs and sporting entities within that area and beyond, and those messages will continue to come in over the next 24 hours and the

coming days and weeks.

SCIUTTO: Yes, that's something of a silver lining, seeing the community respond to those in need in short order. Darren Lewis, thanks so much. We

will have more on this story throughout the show.

And after the break, more of today's other top stories, President Trump calls the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, crazy after Russia launched a

violent volley of airstrikes on Ukraine. How the Kremlin is responding to those remarks, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:10:00]

SCIUTTO: Just days after Donald Trump expressed optimism that Russia and Ukraine were on the brink of a ceasefire, it appears the U.S. president may

be running out of patience with Moscow. In a rare rebuke of Vladimir Putin, he slammed his Russian counterpart following a massive Russian aerial

assault that killed dozens of people in Ukraine.

In an online post, President Trump wrote that the Russian president has gone absolutely crazy. The Kremlin calls Trump's comments emotional

overload. International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson has more on Ukraine from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't like what Putin is doing. Not even a little bit. He's killing people. And something happened to this guy and I

don't like it.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Outrage from the U.S. president on a weekend had begun with hope. Russia and

Ukraine's largest prisoner exchange so far on Friday had hinted possible progress towards his peace initiative.

Instead, President Vladimir Putin launched Russia's biggest sustained air assault on Ukraine yet, 13 killed by Saturday, 12 dead the next night

during Russia's largest air attack yet, 367 drones and missiles. Prompting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to issue this warning, saying, the

world may go on vacation, but the war continues despite weekends and weekdays. This cannot be ignored. America's silence and the silence of

others in the world only encourages Putin.

Trump responded Sunday, as he often does, putting Zelenskyy down, but also aiming rare criticism at Putin, calling him crazy.

TRUMP: I'm not happy with what Putin's doing. He's killing a lot of people and I don't know what the hell happened to Putin. I've known him a long

time, always gotten along with him, but he's sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don't like it at all.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Putin's response Sunday night, 355 drones killing four people. The largest ever Russian drone attack since their illegal,

unprovoked full-scale invasion began 39 months ago, Ukraine says.

The Kremlin spokesman saying, Putin is making the decisions that are necessary to ensure the security of our country in a situation with

emotional overload. A jab at Trump.

In Ukraine, as rescuers crunch through bomb blasted glass, fear is everywhere. My grandparents are in there, a woman screams. Another

shouting, my mom and dad are still in there.

As Putin buys time for war, trading barbs with Trump, his bombs are tearing into the people Trump says he wants to protect.

Nic Roberson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Just shocking scenes from inside Ukraine once again. Joining me now seen in Global Affairs analyst, Kim Dozier. And, Kim, it's good to have

you. I mean, Trump acts in his public comments as if this assault on Ukraine is somehow a change for Vladimir Putin. He seems to forget that the

full-scale invasion began more than three years ago. Three years and three months, in fact. And Russia's been killing a lot of civilians for that

entire time period. So, why the sudden realization from Trump that Putin seems intent on well doing deep damage to Ukraine?

[18:15:00]

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, Trump had a two-hour conversation with Putin last week. And so, perhaps he thought the two men

had a different understanding and that there would be some sort of pause before conversation. That of course, is not what's happened.

On the ground, you've had this relentless bombardment across the country, also in areas that seem to indicate like Sumi, where Russian forces are

massing, that Russian troops are actually preparing for a possible summer offensive. So, nothing like a cease fire.

The other problem is, you know, Trump keeps saying this kind of thing. He's said it five or six times since he's become president, lashing out at Putin

rhetorically. But no matter what happens on the ground in Ukraine at Putin's hands, Trump doesn't do anything. And that's really frustrated

Ukrainians and Europeans and lawmakers back here who hate what they see happening on the ground.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I wonder it's a clear rejection of Trump's ceasefire by Vladimir Putin. Is it a rejection of the peace process entirely?

DOZIER: Most people watching this have said all Putin has been doing is drawing this out while trying to make progress on the ground, playing Trump

along, even Trump himself said it at one point, that he felt like Putin was stringing him along. Basically, Moscow understands force. And what the

Trump administration has done instead is act conciliatory from the start, saying things like, no, we understand your concerns about the expansion of

NATO, even though the U.S. is a major part of NATO and could therefore allay Putin's concerns by saying we're part of NATO. We are not going to

let it expand unconscionably or in a way that would endanger you. But instead, they promised Putin that Ukraine would not be able to join NATO

and other promises of that nature that take the things off the bargaining table that might make Putin make concessions.

So, until Donald Trump starts seriously applying his deal making skills, Europeans and Ukrainians I've spoken to feel like, well, Trump must be

afraid of Vladimir Putin. So afraid that he won't stand up to him.

SCIUTTO: I mean, listen, the facts of the facts, Trump has imposed no additional costs on Putin despite, you know, repeated rejections of his

ceasefire. He was willing to impose new costs on Ukraine, of course, withdrawing, intelligence sharing, et cetera, when he felt that Zelenskyy

was not signing onto the ceasefire, which Zelenskyy did a number of weeks ago.

I wonder, at this point, the question I suppose for the Trump administration is, does his frustration, is it more likely that pushes him

to walk away from Ukraine entirely or to finally impose those costs? Because we've seen a lot of telegraphing from J. D. Vance and others of the

president perhaps just saying, I'm done with it?

DOZIER: The problem with arming the Ukrainians as a tacit admission by Trump that he couldn't get Putin to go his way. If he walks away, he blames

Putin and Zelenskyy and says, my hands are clean of this. Europeans and Ukrainians know that they cannot yet make up for a lack of U.S. weaponry

and U.S. support, so they want to delay that point as long as possible. They are all worried that Trump will eventually walk away because Putin is

obviously not serious about a ceasefire or ending the war. He thinks he's winning.

But the Europeans and Ukrainians need time to work together to up their manufacturing of weapons, and Europeans have to have time to explain to

their own people that they've got to change their budgets and start spending more on defense because what could happen to Ukraine could happen

to the rest of them. So, that's why they got to stop Russian forces before they get beyond Ukraine.

SCIUTTO: Kim Dozier, thanks for so much for helping us break it down. Well, to another troubling international relationship, President Trump says

he's optimistic that nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran are making progress over the last several days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We've had some very, very good talks with Iran, and I don't know if I'll be telling you anything good or bad over the next two days, but I have

a feeling I might be telling you something good. We've had some real progress, serious progress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Iranian officials have a different take after Oman mediated this latest, the fifth round of talks between the two countries in Rome. CNN's

Fred Pleitgen spoke to an official at Iran's foreign ministry in Tehran.

[18:20:00]

ISMAIL BAQAEL, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: If the intention is to make sure that Iran's nuclear program would not be weaponized, I think

that's something that we could simply do it. But if the intention is to deprive Iranians of the right to a peaceful nuclear energy, I think that

would be very problematic to the extent that I think it would really challenge the whole process.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you think the Trump administration and negotiator Witkoff have acknowledged that,

understand that?

BAQAEL: The fact that, so far, we have continued our talks means that we understand there is certain level of understanding that Iran cannot, under

any circumstances, give up its right to peaceful nuclear energy, including enrichment.

PLEITGEN: How do you think a compromise can be reached?

BAQAEL: I think if really there is a will, there is ways. There is not only one way, there are so many ways to take care of that, as far as we are

concerned, because we know our nuclear program is absolutely peaceful. And we have committed ourselves to make sure that the program will remain

peaceful.

PLEITGEN: President Trump also seems to insinuate that the alternative to an agreement could be military action by the U.S. and Israel. Do you feel

that pressure in the negotiations and how does Iran feel about such threats?

BAQAEL: That would be certainly not helpful. You know, Iranians would not be conducive to any sort of pressure. We have proved so many times, for the

past century and beyond that, that Iranians would not respond positively to any sort of coercion and pressure. So, when it comes to using that

language, Iranians will come with one voice and we will certainly defend our national security.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: My colleague Fred Pleitgen there speaking to an Iranian official in Tehran. The U.S. special envoy to the Middle East has told CNN a

ceasefire and hostage deal for Gaza is currently on the table. Steve Witkoff says he is urging Hamas to accept the plan, which would see the

relief of half of the remaining living hostages and half of those who've died, their remains, in exchange for a temporary ceasefire.

This proposal comes at a critical time in Israel's ongoing war in Gaza with the IDF issuing evacuation orders for most of Southern Gaza now ahead of

what could be a, quote, "unprecedented" Israeli attack there.

However, international pressure on Israel is growing. The German chancellor says, Israel's actions in Gaza can no longer be justified on the grounds of

fighting Hamas terrorism.

Thousands gathered earlier to Mark Jerusalem Day, which commemorates the capture of East Jerusalem during the six-day war in 1967. Israeli

nationalist marched through Muslim neighborhoods in East Jerusalem with some of them chanting anti-Arab slogans. Oren Liebermann was at that march

and brings us this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Here outside the Damascus gate of the old City of Jerusalem, far-right minister of national security,

Itamar Ben-Gvir is surrounded by a crowd, having his picture taken, giving high fives to the crowd here. This is very much his people here, a far-

right,, in some cases, a nationalist crowd here, part of the flag march on Jerusalem Day, making their way into the Muslim quarter of the old city.

As we have stood here for several hours, we have heard some of the nationalist chants that have become associated with this event, with this

flag March, this is Jewish land. We have heard Arabs are sons of bitches. We hate all Arabs. Those are the sorts of chants here. And that is the

feeling of the crowd as they make their way into the Muslim quarter here as part of the flag march, and then on their way to the western wall in the

heart of the old City of Jerusalem.

It is not Ben-Gvir's first time in the old city today. He visited the al- Aqsa compound earlier this morning. The Jewish Temple Mount as it's known to Jews, where he says Jewish prayer is allowed here, which would be a

severe violation of the status quo. It's a claim he's made before. It is clearly a position he has openly pushed. And Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu's office has had to push back on that repeatedly, saying there is no change to the status quo, but that is very much what he has

pushed and that's what we've seen pushed here by this crowd.

There was a flag here earlier today that said 1967 Jerusalem in our hands, referring to the six-day war when Israel sees the old City of Jerusalem and

East Jerusalem itself. And then, right below that it said, 2025 Gaza is in our hands. This crowd very clearly in favor of the reoccupation and the

resettlement of Gaza.

[18:25:00]

We have seen also a heavy police presence around Jerusalem Day here trying to control this crowd. We have seen several people taken away. One had spit

on journalists, including our producers just inside the Damascus gate of the old city. Another had held a flag of Lehava, a far-right anti-Arab

organization. This just a part of the parade here of Jerusalem Day that will go on late into the evening.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, outside the old city.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Well, it is Memorial Day here in the U.S. and a somber moment when President Trump honored fallen service members at Arlington National

Cemetery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: The president laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And while his Memorial Day speech stuck largely to his scripted comments,

President Trump made some jabs at his predecessor, President Biden saying he is, quote, "fixing the U.S. after a long and hard four years." He had

some other things to say on his Truth Social account earlier in the day.

After the break, we'll have a more bigger update on the horrific incident in Liverpool where a car plowed into a crowd there. We're learning more

about injuries and the police investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Welcome back to "The Brief." I'm Jim Sciutto. And here are more international headlines we're watching today. Returning now to our top

story. Police say that more than two dozen people were taken to the hospital after a car drove into a crowd in Liverpool. Police arrested a 53-

year-old white British man. People were in the city center to celebrate Liverpool's Victory Parade. Police adding that the incident is not at this

point being treated as an act of terrorism.

[18:30:00]

President Donald Trump says he is, quote, "not happy" with Vladimir Putin after Russia unleashed yet one more massive aerial assault on Ukraine. It

was a rare public rebuke of Putin by Trump. Trump also attacked his Russian counterpart online saying Putin, quote, "has gone absolutely crazy." The

Kremlin calls Trump's comments emotional overload.

King Charles has now arrived in Canada. It is his first visit to the country as its head of state. He's planning to attend the state opening of

Parliament on Tuesday and deliver remarks. Many see his two-day trip as something of a show of support for Canada following frayed relations

between Canada and the U.S. under President Trump.

More now on the tragedy in Liverpool. Police have arrested a 53-year-old white man after he drove his car into a crowd during the Liverpool Football

Club's championship parade. Police gave an update just a few moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNY SUMS, MERSEYSIDE POLICE ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE: The car stopped at the scene and a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area

was arrested. We believe him to be the driver of the vehicle. Extensive inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the

collision, and it is vital that people do not speculate or spread misinformation on social media.

I know that people will understandably be concerned by what has happened tonight. What I can tell you is that we believe this to be an isolated

incident and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it. The incident is not being treated as terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Not being treated as terrorism, you hear there. Police say that there were 20 minor injuries, 27 people taken to hospital, two serious

injuries including a child. The area was filled with fans attending an open top bus parade celebrating the Liverpool Football Club's winning the

Premier League for a record time, 20th English title.

The club said, quote, "Our thoughts and prayers are with those who've been affected by this serious incident."

Patrick Snell joins me now. He covers sports for CNN. And, Patrick, listen, this is meant to be a day to celebrate and for the people, and it

deliberately gives people of Liverpool a chance to get close to their heroes, right? And then this happens. I wonder how is the community

responding tonight.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, Jim. It was meant to be a day of celebration, of jubilation for the recently crowned champions of England,

Liverpool. This is a community that comes together as one. We've seen it, the beautiful game of football coming together as one when rivalries, Jim,

get put to one side, rival clubs like Everton, like Manchester United, all going onto social media to show and share their messages of support.

But the reports, Jim, that on this day, more than a million people were in the Liverpool City center area celebrating the team's achievement, their

second Premier League title, their second triumph in five years. And as you mentioned, a record equaling 20th top flight English title, leveling

themselves with their great rivals, Manchester United.

Earlier in the day, it was wonderful scenes for the Liverpool fans as they -- people getting into position hours before the parade started. The parade

lasting over three hours as those top names, big iconic names, like Mo Salah, the Egyptian star on the Open Top Bus parade going through this 10-

mile route through the city of Liverpool, as I say, for the second time in five years.

Why was this significant? Because last time Liverpool won the Premier League title, Jim, it was 2020. It was the COVID era. They -- the COVID

era, they won the title in an empty stadium in their iconic Anfield Stadium. It was empty. So, the fans had been really looking forward to

this. Liverpool had clinched the title weeks before. They knew this day was coming, and they wanted to let the hair down and just enjoy it. And they

had every right to do that given what happened in 2020.

So, for this day to end in the way it did is absolutely devastating and heartbreaking. It really is. But as I said, off the top, a community coming

together as one.

SCIUTTO: Yes. That must be awful for the players too, right, to want the crowds to have a chance to celebrate here and have to go through this.

Patrick Snell, thanks so much.

Well, our Nic Robertson is now on the ground in Liverpool. He joins us. Nic, as you know, earlier the police in giving their updates say that at

this point they are not treating this as an act of terrorism. Have you heard any more about what their investigation is turning up about this

driver they've now arrested?

ROBERTSON: No, very little Jim. The police have said a 53-year-old white British male, and significantly, that the police actually announced that

within a couple of hours of the incident.

[18:35:00]

The lines of inquiry that they're following are not clear at this time. It's been a very sort of perfunctory press conference in the last half an

hour or so with those headline details that there were 47 people injured total, 27 of them taken to hospital, two of them serious. One of those in

serious condition, a child, four children total injured. And very harrowing account by the head of the fire service here saying that the vehicle, when

his fire service personnel got on scene within four minutes of getting the call, he said that they found a vehicle that had four people trapped under

-- the shock that was felt by the emergency services and obviously by the city here.

We've been walking through the city to get to this location. You can see behind me, Jim, that inflatable tent, the vehicle in question, the one that

was used to ram into the crowds as it appeared to do is inside that tent, very possibly forensic examination going on, that may give the police a

better insight and understanding. But the other thing that the police will get insight from is social media video. And one of the things that all the

emergency services here have been pleading with people to do is not to share disturbing images of the incident on social media, but to hand it

over to the police, because this is a sort of material that the police will use in their investigation and they've given the public a place to send

that material to.

So, I think we're going to see more details emerge perhaps in the early morning hours, Jim. But at the moment the motivation behind this incident

isn't clear. But as you walk through the city here, the streets are full of the debris of a city having a huge celebration and party, but undoubtedly,

a somewhat more subdued atmosphere at this time of the evening now, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Do you know anything or do we know anything yet about security measures in place prior to this, right? Because of course, listen, you have

those open top buses driving around. So, the roads have to be kept open. But were there any -- you know, any rocks, fences, et cetera, that they

often put in place to stop traffic from getting into where the crowds are? Is there any -- did you see that around town as you've been there?

ROBERTSON: Obviously, the areas cordoned off here. When we listened to the press conference earlier, the emergency services, in particular, the police

and others were mentioning, A, their quick response. But, B, the procedures that they'd put in place to secure the area. I've been listening to local

radio stations on the way up here and, you know, some people are phoning in to criticize and say that they didn't feel that there was adequate

prevention getting to, you know, in vehicles to the scene.

But the police, in their statement in the press conference, gave the understanding that they had put in place measures. Undoubtedly, this is a

city that will now examine the measures that it has had. And I think it's very possible here, Jim, to say, where just a few years ago in Southport,

not far from here, there was an incident of a young man later discovered to be mentally unwell, but that went into a children's dance class and stabbed

and killed a number of children. And social media, some elements of social media really inflamed the situation with exaggerated and incorrect accounts

of what may or may not have happened. And I think it's very telling that the police appear to have learn from that incident.

And here in Liverpool, just a few miles away, have been very quick to tamp down on concerns that has happened then some right-wing activists, if you

will, had tried to make the situation worse and more explosive, and the police clearly learn from that. So, I think it's only reasonable to think

that having had this tragedy the second time that Liverpool has won, you know, the Premier League in this way, the last time, of course during

COVID, they couldn't have proper big street celebrations. This was the first time for a city that feels its roots, that feels its identity through

so many things.

But soccer is part of that. To have this happen today, even though there was such extraordinarily large crowds, undoubtedly, will cause reflection.

SCIUTTO: Well, our best to those who are still in the hospital for injuries sustained. Nic Robertson in Liverpool, thanks so much.

[18:40:00]

Joining us now is Dal Babu is former chief superintendent for the London Metropolitan Police. Thanks so much for joining this evening.

CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT DAL BABU, LONDON METROPOLITAN POLICE (RET.): Good evening.

SCIUTTO: I know it's late where you are. Just questions, I guess, a question I asked Nic there was, how do you provide security at an event

such as this, that has crowds and it has an open road, right, because you got to -- that's how the buses are getting through, that also allows for

protecting against the risk of cars driving through the crowd, which is a risk we've seen, we've seen it in European cities a number of times over

the last several years?

BABU: Yes. So, the British police are very good at managing this kind of celebrations. In fact, we've had two in London. Although, this incident

happened in Liverpool. The Arsenal women's won the European Cup. So, there was a parade there. There was a parade for Crystal Palace, which is in

South London, who won the FA Cup. So, whenever a Cup is won, people have parades. And in fact, there was a parade for another club Newcastle a

couple of weeks ago. So, the police are very, very worst at -- very good at managing this kind of instances.

However, you will inevitably have situations where these parades, this one was 10 miles, it will go through residential areas and there will be a hard

cordon, i.e., metal barriers where you can't go across and there'll be soft cordons where people have the opportunity to -- who are residents, who live

in the area, have the opportunity to go across that.

So, what we don't know at the moment is how this vehicle got there. It might have been already in the footprint. What the police did say in their

news conference, which I -- which is unprecedented, they gave the ethnicity and nationality of the person, a white, British man very, very quickly

within hours. And normally, that wouldn't happen.

I think your correspondent must talking about an incident that happened a few miles away in Southport where the police hadn't given the ethnicity.

And the background of an individual and the speculation on X, particularly on X by people who had hundreds of thousands of followers was that it was

an asylum seeker who just arrived recently on a boat. And in fact, it was a British person who'd murdered these three young girls.

So, I think the police have learned from that and a much more fleet of foot in dealing with issues because I have no control on social media.

SCIUTTO: Yes, listen, it's a sad fact that you often have groups that latch onto incidents like this and attach their own political motivations

long before the facts are established. Let me ask you this, just so I -- so we interpret the police's statement properly, saying that this incident is

not being treated as an act of terrorism. Does that mean that they've eliminated that possibility or just that they don't have evidence of it as

yet?

BABU: I think they wouldn't have made that statement unless they were able to eliminate it. And so, I think there was -- and again, that -- I think

that speaks to the right-wing tropes that are active on things like X who will say, this is an Islamist attack. So, they wanted to make it very, very

clear that this is not a terrorist incident.

I think what they've also asked for is people not to speculate, share videos, and there's some quite very horrific scenes that are on social

media, some misinformation, people images -- despite the police saying all of this, that it's the white, British person who was driving the vehicle,

who was 53, despite that, there are people on X saying no, no, it's not true. It's a foreigner. And then, they paint -- posted pictures of other

people who are -- who weren't the driver and suggesting they were the driver.

So, the whole social media and particularly things like X post use challenges for police in managing the message. In the past, what I would've

done is spoken to reputable journalist, had a briefing offline, explained what the situation is, and then said, you know, a time when they'd be

unable to share that information. You don't have that opportunity when you've got people who are on social media who will have their own agendas

and put misinformation and fake news out.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Unfortunately, people are willing to lie. And they've got -- many of them have big platforms. Dal Babu, thanks for walking us through

all this.

BABU: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: And we will be back after a short break with more news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:45:00]

SCIUTTO: Another crime linked to cryptocurrency, this one in New York. A crypto investor is now facing jail time facing multiple charges, including

kidnapping and assault. This for allegedly luring and torturing a man four weeks at a Manhattan townhouse in a scheme to gain access to his password

for Bitcoin. For weeks, officials say John Woeltz was arrested after the victim escaped and flagged down an officer. Woeltz allegedly drugged, beat

and tased the victim. CNN's Gloria Pazmino has the latest on a truly disturbing story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The details are honestly quite bizarre and disturbing. Here's what we know. We know that police

arrested John Woeltz, originally from Kentucky, 37 years old, a cryptocurrency investor who was arrested by New York police officers on

Friday after they say a victim who he had kidnapped and been keeping hostage inside of Manhattan apartment for days actually managed to escape.

Now, police say that the victim actually arrived here in New York City from Italy on May 6th, and ever since he was kept inside this Manhattan

apartment in the soho neighborhood against his will. They are accusing John Woeltz of kidnapping him and holding him hostage as part of a scheme to

obtain his Bitcoin password.

Now, the victim who has not yet been identified but is 28 years old, told the police that he was held there against his will. And while he was held

inside this apartment. he was tortured by John Woeltz. He said that he was beaten, at one point he was shocked while his feet were in water, he was

tied up with wire and at one point dangled over a railing over his refusal to give up this Bitcoin password.

Now, one thing that's not yet clear to us is exactly how the two men know of each other. What kind of relationship they have, if they are some sort

of business partners or if they had a personal relationship prior to this incident?

Now, John Woeltz was arrested and charged with kidnapping, assault, unlawful imprisonment, criminal possession of a firearm. And police say

that they found a lot of evidence inside that Manhattan apartment, including ammunition, cocaine, the wire that was used to tie up the victim,

an electric saw that the victim says he was threatened with, they found body armor, night vision goggles, and even Polaroid photos showing the

victim tied to a chair with a gun pointed to his head.

Now, this went on for several days. And at one point on Friday, the victim told police he believed he was going to be killed. So, he gave up the

password. That gave him a brief, a window of time because John Woeltz went into another room to retrieve a laptop, that allowed the victim to run out

of the apartment and flag down a traffic officer who was able to get him some help. Police moved in shortly after that and made the arrest.

[18:50:00]

Now, John Woeltz is being held in custody without bail. Prosecutors telling the court that he had the means to escape if he was to be let out on bail,

including owning a private helicopter and a private jet. He is being held, has not entered a plea, but is expected back in court next week.

Gloria Pazmino, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: Good Lord. What a shocking story. Coming up, Memorial Day, kicking off a busy travel season here in the U.S., the officials start a

summer. What it means for your summer travel plans, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCIUTTO: Well, here in the U.S. Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. AAA is expecting more than 45 million people will be traveling more

than 50 miles from their home over this holiday weekend. This could set a new Memorial Day weekend record. It looks like we could be heading into a

busy summer travel season that despite the ongoing and growing worries about the economy.

Brian Kelly joins me now. He's the founder of the travel website, The Points Guy, which I go to that website all the time to get advice from you,

Brian. Good to have you on.

I wonder, obviously this has been a busy Memorial Day weekend, but do you see in the data you watch that there has been some lowering of travel

demand because there's been certainly been a lowering of consumer confidence and oftentimes people cut back on travel spending?

BRIAN KELLY, FOUNDER, THE POINTS GUY: Yes, everything we're seeing is that we're going to set records. Thursday was the fourth busiest day ever in the

history of the TSA and more people are driving as well. I think if there's one trend we're seeing for sure, people still want to travel, but they're

staying closer to home. You know, 60 percent of Americans are, you know, worried about the economy, tariffs. So, I think people are waiting to book

and stay much more domestic.

SCIUTTO: I see. So, they'll drive instead of fly, costs you less than buying a bunch of airline tickets. I wonder, does that give opportunity for

folks, right? I mean, does that lead to some deals out there?

KELLY: Absolutely, actually airfare across the board. So, people are traveling quite a bit. Airports are crowded, but the airlines have had to

reduce fares. On average about 8 percent year over year reduction in airfare and we're seeing less demand internationally. So, while the

airports are busy, this year versus last, there's much more domestic travel.

But there are definitely still deals out there. And just remember the U.S. dollar is still really strong. So, we're seeing round trip to, you know,

New York to London consistently all summer under $600.

SCIUTTO: Yes. A lot of folks go to Japan too, right?

KELLY: Some of the biggest destinations.

SCIUTTO: Yes. because that difference.

[18:55:00]

KELLY: Yes. Asia is still really high. We're not seeing as many deals to Asia, but Europe for sure. And I recommend to everyone use Google Flights,

it's a free tool, and they have an explore feature where you can put in your home city and then put in Europe, so you can reverse engineer and

that's how you find the cheapest airfare.

SCIUTTO: Smart. I'm going to use that one. Brian Kelly, one final question. A lot of talk about, you know, air safety here, and while the

data shows that it's still extremely safe, no real uptick statistically in accidents, has that factored in at all to people's travel plans by by air?

KELLY: Yes. I think people are definitely concerned about travel, but their need to travel and their want outweighs all of that. So, it's not

enough to make people not travel. So, yes people still want to get out there.

SCIUTTO: I hear you. Well, Brian Kelly, I'm going to reverse engineer some trips coming up. Thank you for that tip. Happy Memorial Day to you.

KELLY: Thanks.

SCIUTTO: And thanks so much for all of you as well. Wishing you a good week. I'm Jim Sciutto in Washington. You've been watching "The Brief."

Please do stay with CNN.

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[19:00:00]

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