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Hala Gorani Tonight
Colorado Springs Police Responding To Active Shooter Near Planned Parenthood Clinic; Interview With Sister Of Bataclan Concert Hall Shooter; Moscow Suspends Visa-Free System and Curbing Trade With Turkey
Aired November 27, 2015 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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CNN SIMULCAST [15:00:00 to 15:43:47]
[15:43:47]
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST: I'm Hala Gorani, we're live in Paris. Just to update you on our breaking news in the U.S. state of Colorado.
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GORANI: Police there in Colorado Springs are responding, they say, to an active shooter situation either at or near a Planned Parenthood Clinic in
the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Hospital officials say at least four people have been injured with police saying at least three officers were wounded. Now it's not clear how many
shooters there are, if any hostages are being held. CNN has spoken to stores in the area. Staff now at those businesses say no one is being let
out or in, and that employees are being kept at the back of the buildings out of precaution.
The situation is described as fluid, and we understand that this is an active situation quite simply because the shooter or shooters have not been
apprehended. So we will keep of course our eye on this developing story and update you as needed. This is all of the information we have now for you.
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GORANI: Now I'm live in Paris where earlier a city and indeed this entire country remembered those killed at the terrorist attacks. It was at this
hour just about two weeks ago that the attacks began at the Stade de France Stadium, and then at multiple locations in the city center.
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GORANI: La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, loved ones, survivors and first responders gathered for that memorial. The French President,
Francois Hollande, said the victims were targeted because they represented life and freedom.
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Now as we the attacks began just about two weeks ago. Among the gunmen at the Bataclan concert hall was Samy Amimour. Now in her first international
interview, his sister is speaking out exclusively to CNN. She asked that we don't show her face or use her real voice or name, but the woman we're
calling Anna Amimour, says she was shocked to learn of her brother's role in the attacks. Take a listen.
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GORANI: He was one of the terrorists responsible for the worst attack in France in half a century. One of three shooters at the Bataclan concert
hall on November 13th. His name revealed days later, Samy Amimour. For the first time on international television, his sister is speaking out.
At what point did you learn that your younger brother was one of the attackers?
"ANNA" AMIMOUR, SISTER OF BATACLAN ATTACKER: At first I was shocked. I was screaming in despair and sadness. And when I gathered my thoughts, I
thought this information was wrong, that there was a mistake, that it was impossible.
GORANI: A man who grew up to be a mass murder. But whose life according to his sister started very differently. She shared personal pictures of
brother with us.
The Samy you knew you're saying was a nice guy.
AMIMOUR: Exactly, he was a nice person, a sensitive person, a bit shy, someone you can rely on. A generous person. Someone nice who loved to laugh
and joke.
GORANI: But then that man disappeared, she says literally, traveling to Syria to join ISIS. His father reportedly went after his son to try to
convince him to come home to no avail.
Amimour's family actually stayed in touch with him while he was in Syria. The last message from him was sent in August of this year.
In your last contact with him, was it just an ordinary conversation?
AMIMOUR: Yes.
GORANI: With absolutely no sign that anything like this could happen?
AMIMOUR: No, no sign. Totally normal conversation. I asked him how he was and he told me, listen, I'm very well. I have a lot of things to deal with
at the moment so I will call you very soon. Send kisses to everyone and to my cat.
GORANI: How do you reconcile your brother who says kiss the parents, kiss the cat, you know I'll call you soon, the little boy you grew up with, with
the man who so coldly murdered dozens of helpless people in a concert hall.
AMIMOUR: To me, there's no link. It's almost like it's not him. There's no chance, I know it's real but -
GORANI: So what happened to a man that worked as a bus driver, lead a seemingly normal life in the Northern Paris suburb of (inaudible) that
turned him into a mass killer and suicide bomber.
AMIMOUR: It started with the internet, he visited websites that's were sort of controversial. Then it continued with videos and then it stayed that
way. Then beyond the world of the internet there was also the real world. People came to talk to him.
GORANI: Where?
AMIMOUR: In the area, here below the house, they came to talk to him more and more and told him that he should attend the sermon at the mosque more
regularly. That he should be more devoted to his practice of Islam. Then they led him to mosques that were more radical.
GORANI: These are some of the pictures of Amimour's victims, some of the 89 people ruthlessly killed that night. Does his family feel any
responsibility for Amimour's actions?
AMIMOUR: Of course, there is part of us that says maybe it's our fault. . Maybe we could have done something different, maybe, just maybe --
GORANI: If you had an opportunity to speak to the family of one of the victims, what would you say to them?
AMIMOUR: Sorry for your loss. We're sorry because we didn't want all of this. We understand the pain they feel and we know that nothing will bring
their families back, whatever we may say. So we just hope that they can mourn their dead.
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GORANI: Well Martin Savage has been covering this story -- all angles practically of this story since the attacks took place.
Martin, what struck you here? Because here is the sister of Samy Amimour saying he was a normal guy then he started checking out internet websites
that were a little controversial, then these men from the neighborhood came to talk to him told him you have to be more devout, you have to go to this
mosque et cetera, and boom, there he goes off to Syria. [15:50:15]
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And that's exactly it. It seems that we hear this narrative over and over and over again. And every
time the internet seems to be the key sort of introducer here. And then after that it's reinforced with what we would call a recruiter, someone who
shows up and begins talking to this person. And then it's go to the right mosque.
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SAVIDGE: And we've seen this whole evolution. But what is so striking is that you look at the pictures of this young man. He does not strike you as
a hard core terrorist. Somehow in his mind at some point, he flipped. And flipped is the word here. It seems to have happened so quickly. And not
just him. But if you look at the profiles of the other attackers that were involved here, many of the relatives and friends that knew him said joining
ISIS would have been the last thing I thought they would have done.
GORANI: And by the way interestingly too, this family is pretty moderate. I mean you can see his sister she is not wearing a headscarf. The parents she
said practice is very moderate sort of (inaudible) almost version of Islam.
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GORANI: They taught us the basics and then they said make decisions for yourself in terms of what you'd like to believe. So this happened outside
the home.
SAVIDGE: And this has to be really troubling to law enforcement. Because you think that there is going to be a lead up. You think that there is at
least a period where you have a window of opportunity to understand that a person is starting to lean in a direction. These people seem to have moved
so quickly going from what we would have considered normal to over the top and terrorists where there was little time to detect.
GORANI: I find it surprising that the family stayed in touch with him throughout really. Because initially French authorities believe he tried
to go to Yemen. He was stopped, he was banned from leaving the French territory, found his way out, ended up in Syria.
But this entire time the family was Skyping and messaging, et cetera. And the sister said I didn't believe for a second he could do these things that
we're seeing in ISIS videos and even less that he'd come back and blow himself up in a concert hall.
SAVIDGE: But that conversation apparently in August, that was you know the words that she used. It seemed to be to me an indicator. He said that you
know he was very busy, there's a lot going on, which makes you, wonder was he already deeply involved in the planning. Did he already know at that
point that he was going to return and carry out some sort of attack?
GORANI: It's absolutely chilling and I wonder what lesson can we learn from this? I mean what lesson can authorities learn as well from this? When you
see this young man radicalized really pretty quickly I mean in a matter of years. We saw pictures of him, and these are firsts by the way on
television of him as a kid.
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GORANI: Playing chess, with a pirates hat. She told us he was a joker, and was kind of always you know, he was the little brother she was the big
sister et cetera. And then in a matter of years to a mass murderer.
SAVIDGE: I don't know really what the lessons are for law enforcement because it is so stunning to see this kind of evolution.
Two things that stood out was we have two examples possibly of these terrorists who maybe at the last minute changed their mind.
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SAVIDGE: One of them is Salah Abdeslam who for whatever reason (inaudible) and now has disappeared. Then you had the young woman that had remarkable
conversation as police were raiding that apartment when she said that she wanted to come out.
So were they so (inaudible) or did they get caught up in something and the moment they were in the thick of it decided this is not for me? We don't
really know but tragically the deaths of a hundred people show that it was horrible.
GORANI: And we saw with the memorials today that France is still really mourning and celebrating its dead. Thank you very much Martin Savage.
Some other news before we more onto our breaking news out of Colorado.
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GORANI: Angry words and accusations as Russia and Turkey are trading blame over an incident that not only is damaging bilateral ties but also could
complicate efforts to bring a diplomatic solution to Syria.
Details are emerging about Russia's economic retaliation against Turkey over the shooting over a Russian warplane near the border with Syria.
Now, among other measures, Moscow is suspending its visa free system for Turks and curbing some trade. Turkey's President says Moscow is playing
with fire.
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN: (As translated) Turkey did not shoot down the Russian plane on purpose. This was only an automatic reaction to a border breach.
This is an exercise of the Rules of Engagement. The nationality of these planes who were flying towards our border were unknown despite the
warnings. It was impossible to know this at the time.
GORANI: Mr. Erdogan says he's reached out to Russian President, Vladimir Putin, but he has not returned his calls.
Russia's Foreign Minister says the incident could have some long term repercussions.
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: (As translated) We believe that the Turkish leadership has crossed the line of permissibility and it is at
risk of leading Turkey into the most severe situation from the point of view of long-term interests and from a point of view of its position in the
region.
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GORANI: The regime of Bashar al Assad has not been invited to international police talks on Syria. But today the French Foreign Minister, Laurent
Fabius, suggested Syrian ground troops could take part in the fight against ISIS.
[15:55:05]
GORANI: He later clarified those remarks saying it would only happen within the context of a credible political transition. Here's how the Syria's
Foreign Minister reacted before that clarification.
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WALID MUALLEN, SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: (As translated) No, it's better to be late than to never come. If Fabius was serious, in dealing with the
Syrian people and deal with these forces on the ground fighting Daesh then we like that.
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GORANI: In Africa, Pope Francis has been speaking to young people at a stadium in Kenya warning them about corruption which is a problem in the
country. Listen to the pope.
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POPE FRANCIS: As translated, I ask myself, can we justify corruption just by the mere fact that everyone is corrupt? How can we be Christians and
overcome this evil of corruption?
GORANI: He disregarded a prepared script and said speaking in a spontaneous style that has endeared him to Catholics around the world. Now after that
appearance, in Nairobi the Pope was on the move landing in Uganda for the second part of his African tour.
While there he's expected to address the issue of gay rights.
There you are caught up on our other news stories.
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GORANI: Let's get you a recap on our breaking news in the U.S. state of Colorado.
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GORANI: Police in Colorado Springs have responded to an active shooter situation either near or at a Planned Parenthood clinic in the city of
Colorado Springs.
Now hospital officials say at least four people have been injured. Police are saying at least three of their officers have been wounded.
Now it's fluid because there's no real clarity on how many shooters there are, and if hostages are indeed being held.
CNN has spoken to stores in the area, they are on lockdown, unclear whether there's one or several shooters.
We'll have a lot more on this breaking news and the latest from Paris after a quick break. I'm Hala Gorani, stay with CNN.
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