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Hala Gorani Tonight
Police Detain Man Over Cox's Murder; Cox Remembered As Passionate, Determined; Police: Right-Wing Extremism Priority Line Of Enquiry; IAAF Maintains Ban On Russian Track And Field Team; Mourners Pay Last Respects To Orlando Victims; Gunman, Wife Exchanged Text Messages During Attack; EgyptAir Flight 804 Data Recorder Recovered; Tributes In London For Slain British MP; Britain Mourns Labour MP Jo Cox; Police: Right Wing Extremism Priority Line Of Enquiry; Emotional Reunion In Orlando. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired June 17, 2016 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A moment of silence there for Jo Cox honoring the slain MP. (Inaudible) taking part in this event in
Parliament Square. A somber moment there.
In some ways over the last day, this country has paused campaigning in the upcoming E.U. referendum has halted. People have taken time to reflect and
to mourn in the aftermath of the brutal killing of MP Jo Cox.
Politicians are putting aside their differences. It doesn't happen often, but today it happened. They were paying tribute. This was the seen in
Birstall, England, the town where Cox was killed yesterday.
You see the British prime minister there, David Cameron, but also accompanied by the Labour leader, political rival, Jeremy Corbyn laying
flowers. They both had an opportunity to speak in what they wanted to present as a bipartisan way. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: If we truly want to honor Jo, then what we should do is recognize that her values -- service, community,
tolerance -- the values she lived by and worked by, those are the values that we need to redouble in our national life in the months and in the
years to come.
JEREMY CORBYN, LABOUR PARTY LEADER: Jo was an exceptional, wonderful, very talented woman, taken from us in her early 40s when she had so much to give
and so much of her life ahead of her. It is a tragedy beyond tragedy what has happened yesterday.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Jeremy Corbyn and David Cameron. Let's go live to Birstall near the city of Leeds in Northern England where Jo Cox was brutally murdered
yesterday.
CNN's Richard Quest is standing by for us with more. What more do we know about the investigation at this stage, Richard?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you from Birstall. What a remarkable day it has been since the prime minister and Jeremy Corwyn
were here. Hala, this evening as night arrives and dusk starts to fall, I mean, it is absolutely sudden, the weather -- I mean, as it has over much
of the United Kingdom this week.
But really, this rain is relentless. Almost the misery of the moment is now being exemplified just by the weather as well. What do we know? The
West Yorkshire Police confirmed many of the details about how the attack took place.
They said that the -- they are aware about mental health allegations concerning Tommy Mair (ph), the 52-year-old man that they have in custody.
They also said that he has been medically examined and been found fit to be detained by police and fit to be questioned.
Hala, they went further. They said they are aware of media speculation about Mair's links to right wing extremist organizations, which they
describe now as a priority part of their investigation. So it's moving forward.
All day, Hala, we've seen the police behind me. They've taken away several cars. They've done a fingertip search. But tonight the focus remains on
Tommy Mair (ph), Hala, but absolutely no indication of what would have been the motive.
GORANI: OK. They're saying essentially one line of inquiry, as you mentioned, is a potentially right wing extremist ideology. The other one
mental health issues. They are still saying, though, Richard, that he is perfectly fit to be questioned, right?
QUEST: Yes. And that's a slight contradiction in itself. I think that the mental health is being looked at. His brother has mentioned that there
have been mental health issues, but we haven't got any further with that.
This right wing extremist, this comes about because he is alleged to have said "Britain first, Britain first," when he launched the attack.
[15:05:01]I have to tell you, Hala, while I have been here, one or two people have actually said the same thing, "Britain first," to me. Now
whether they are referring to literally left Britain first or the right wing fascist organization by the same name, it is not clear.
He's also known to have been links by purchasing paraphernalia and right wing Neo-Nazi paraphernalia from an organization in the United States. So
these are very fruitful and deep lines of inquiry, but the West Yorkshire Police are quite clear that it is way too soon to come to any conclusions
on that aspect.
GORANI: All right, well, we're starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It is the beginning of the process obviously, but we are getting
a few more pieces of information.
What about the emotion there? Because earlier I saw you were speaking with locals who knew Jo Cox, who be interacted with her. How are they going
through this the day after the shock of Thursday?
QUEST: Hala, when you arrive here people are talking in hushed tones. They are looking -- to say sad is an understatement. Distressed is the
word. Listen in their own words how they describe their mood, their feeling, as a result of this murder.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The whole of the community is shocked by what has happened. Jo Cox was a very, very well respected MP. She supported our
local communities in Birstall. She was just such a lovely person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think she was far more worldly wise and cared a lot more about her local people, which is why she was MP in her hometown.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She spoke to my mother when she was out campaigning last year and she spent time listening and talking to her and in the end
actually gave my mother a big hug and that really connected with me.
QUEST: And your mother never forgot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My mother never forgot. We both came to the vigil last night.
QUEST: How was that vigil last night?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had members from all -- everywhere from the community, from every member of the community whether Muslim people or
Christians, we had everyone. It was really good in a way that we all had the chance to reflect about Jo and think about her. It was quite
emotional.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Hala, people always say nice things about someone who's passed on, even more so if it's been a violent death. But look into the eyes of the
people here in Birstall and you see an integrity and sincerity from both sides of the political divide about Jo Cox, age 41.
GORANI: I've heard so many people say that. Thanks very much, Richard Quest, in Birstall. And we'll be reconnecting, of course, with Richard in
the following hours.
Jo Cox was just 41 years old, but she did accomplish quite a lot in that time. She spent years working in international development with the
charity Oxfam.
When she became a member of parliament, she stuck to her convictions, challenging the prime minister namely over his response to the Syrian civil
war. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI (voice-over): Flags fly at half-mast across the country, remembering a politician snatched so cruelly away in the prime of her life.
Jo Cox, a Member of Parliament elected just a year ago, was passionate about her work.
JO COX: I'm elated but I'm humbled that the people of Birstall have put their trust in me to be your next Member of Parliament.
GORANI: She'd already touched so many with her warmth and energy in a place known for being stuck in its ways.
COX: I've decided I'm going to approach being a Member of Parliament with a good deal of healthy cynicism and humor. It is very amazing building and
humbling but it's not going to intimidate me.
GORANI: At just 41 years old, Cox had made a big impact on the world having worked many years for international aid groups. Most recently as
Oxfam's head of policy. She traveled to Darfur, the Congo and Afghanistan, on issues affecting the world's poorest and most in danger, Cox made her
voice heard.
COX: I don't believe that either President Obama or the prime minister tried to do harm in Syria, but as I said, Mr. Speaker, sometimes all it
takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
GORANI: And now the house boat where she lived with her family, the sight of the noisy farewell. A humble home for a woman who put public service
above all else. She was a self-proclaimed proud Yorkshire lass. Growing up in Northern England where her father worked in a factory and mother at a
school.
MARK UMPLEBY, ASSOCIATE PRIEST, UNITED BENEFICE OF BATLEY: We all -- so many of us knew Jo Cox and it was a privilege to know her and to see her
work and that passion that really make a difference and to the whole constituency, and beyond.
GORANI: She died serving the local community she cared so much about. But she also touched hearts around the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I rise to pay tribute.
[15:10:03]GORANI: In Canada, her friend a Canadian MP, paid tribute.
NATHAN CULLEN, CANADIAN MP: And a friend, a dedicated Labour MP and a long advocate of human rights in Britain and around the world, to Brendan, to
Jo's beautiful children, we express our deepest condolences. Excuse me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, you could see the emotion there in the voice of that Member of Parliament. So far away from the United Kingdom as tributes continue to
pour in for Jo Cox. Police have been searching the suspect's house in Birstall.
Let's go there live and join our Nic Robertson, who is not far from the house of the man named as Tommy Mair. It is stale raining there in
Birstall. I see miserable weather for very somber mood.
The two going together very well today, sadly, on this Friday. Tell us more about what police are saying about this suspect.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Hala, police are saying that he is medically and mentally fit to be -- continue to be
detained and continue to be questioned and that they believe that his alleged right wing affiliations in the past, that that element of his life
is something that is going to be front and center of their investigation at the moment.
We've talked to neighbors here. The lady who lives next door to him has known him since he was 8 years old. He moved here when his parents
appeared to separate or that marriage floundered. He moved in with his grandparents.
His grandparents passed away and he continued to live in this house in solitude by himself for some number of years. We asked her if she taught
he had any mental illness.
She told us that she'd been a nurse for 40 years and she'd never really seen any sort of mental -- indications of mental breakdown with him. If
you look at his garden here, it's well kept, the trees were all carefully, neatly pruned.
She said his back lawn is perfectly manicured. But clearly from what we now know, inside the house he was subscribing to a right wing supremacist
U.S. publication, getting from them neo-Nazi material on bomb making, on gun making, and also subscribing to a South African apartheid organization.
So the life that he had lived in solitude inside here is not one that really as neighbors touched on. But perhaps one detail we've learned
standing here today is one here that people around his house will reflect on.
He didn't own a car. He didn't drive. He walked everywhere, they said. On the morning of the murder when he left the house here, normally they say
when he left the house he would have a plastic bag, one in each hand.
On the morning of the murder, they say that he left this house with a black backpack on his back. They say that was absolutely unusual and something
that they noticed at the time. Little did they realize what may have been about to occur.
GORANI: So it is emerging that indeed the ties to some of these very extreme right wing publications are very old. We're talking possibly the
late '90s here, which means if this is true that this man has radicalized over a very long period of time.
ROBERTSON: This certainly the appearance of that. With the gun making and the explosives manuals he purchased in 1995 -- 1999, rather, that's an
awful long time.
When we consider the question of his mental capacity which has come up and the police say that he is mentally fit to be detained and continued to
investigated, if this was a man reading this sort of literature, we asked his neighbor about his sort of world political views.
She said he didn't express any views here. Indeed some of the houses around here have Union Jack flags, England flags, because of the Euro
soccer cup that's under way right now.
The lady, his neighbor, told us that when he saw these flags, he just laughed, that he appeared to sort of have no nationalist, if you will,
inklings, that in his spare time he taught English as a second language to immigrants in a nearby town.
So she said from her perspective, when they -- he didn't discuss world affairs, he didn't seem to have strong opinions on right wing views of any
description.
But, in all of that, he'd managed to keep what we now understand may have been those feelings, keep them hidden. I think that perhaps speaks to his
mental capacity rather than incapacity -- Hala.
GORANI: All right. Well, still a lot of mystery there surrounding this. We hope to get answers soon. Thanks very much, Nic Robertson.
[15:15:08]This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Still to come, bad news for some Russian athletes. Find out why they are not going to Rio probably.
Later, heartbreaking goodbyes in Orlando. Loved ones pay their final respects to the mass shooting victims as investigators uncover new details
about the shooter's troubled past.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: There is bad news I was telling you before the break for Russian track and field athletes hoping to compete in the Rio Olympics. World
athletic governing body has refused to lift its competition ban on Russia citing what it calls "a deep seeded doping culture."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUNE ANDERSEN, NORWEGIAN INTERNATIONAL ANTI-DOPING EXPERT: The head coach of the Russian athletic team and many of the athletes on that team appear
unwilling to acknowledge the nature and extent of the doping problem in Russian athletics. And certain athletes and coaches appear willing to
ignore the doping rules. A strong enough anti-doping infrastructure capable of detecting and deterring doping has still not been created.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Let's get more on the decision. Our Amanda Davis joins me now from Vienna where all of this was announced. So Amanda, does this mean
that athletes, track and field athletes for Russia, will definitely not be able to compete in Rio or is there still a way for them to do that?
AMANDA DAVIS, CNN WORLD SPORT: There's not too many definites, are there, in sport, Hala, at the moment. As Sebastian Coe (ph), the president of the
IAAF said, when it comes to legal issues, we never quite know.
But as things stand, there will be no Russian athletes at the Rio Olympics. It wasn't even a close call really. We were expecting a vote from the IAAF
Council.
But it didn't even get that far because unanimously the council decided that Russia hadn't even come close to meeting the reinstatement criteria
that had been set out, the 44-point plan that had been set out back in November when these allegations of state-sponsored widespread doping came
to light.
As you said, there was the comments about the lack of the change in attitude. That was always going to be very difficult for a country where
this has been such an ingrained culture for decades, for such a long period of time.
They did admit there's been changes in the organization and the structural issues in Russia. It is that change of culture which is still very much
missing so, too, in the anti-doping culture. There is still no strong, effective leadership.
[15:20:00]That was a big concern for the IAAF task force. They feel that the Russian anti-doping agency is still 18 to 24 months away from complying
once again with the world's anti-doping policy.
And perhaps one of the most interesting point that was picked out was the talk of the detailed allegations that the Ministry of Sport didn't actually
try to help conquer the issue of doping in sport.
Instead, they orchestrated some of the doping in the sport. There is one little caveat for athletes, Hala, and that is that there is a small window
for athletes who they can prove themselves clean.
They can prove that they had nothing to do with the Russian system, be that training or coaching or doping. In fact, living overseas from Russia.
They will be able to apply to prove their innocence and perhaps compete at the Rio Olympics in two months' time.
GORANI: All right, we'll see how that develops. Amanda Davis in Vienna, thanks.
Heartbreaking scenes in Orlando, Florida today. More families are saying their final goodbyes to loved ones killed in the nightclub massacre. It
hasn't even been a week. For some it might just be sinking in, the enormity of it, and the finality of it.
Authorities now uncovering more signs that the gunman had a troubled past. They say he had an extensive disciplinary record as a child that stretched
all the way back to elementary school.
Documents show he talked frequently about violence and sex and former classmates say he claimed he was Osama Bin Laden's nephew after the 9/11
attacks.
Investigators are also uncovering new details about his wife. CNN has learned that she in fact communicated with her husband while the massacre
was unfolding. At one point texting him, "I love you."
Let's bring in Jessica Schneider, live in Orlando for details on that. What -- I mean, this communication during the massacre has shocked people
because it is just adding one more layer of horror to the whole thing. Tell us more.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know the FBI has been investigating the wife, Noor Salman, since earlier this week when they
actually took her from her home just outside of Fort Pierce, then brought her to the investigated, to be interviewed.
What they've determined in the past few days since that happened is that there were numerous text messages and phone calls between her and her
husband, the gunman, Omar Mateen.
In fact, at 4:00 in the morning when the gunman had barricaded himself in the bathroom and that standoff was ongoing with police, it started at 2:00
and ended at 5:00, the gunman actually texted his wife saying, have you seen the news?
We know there were some texts back and forth. At one point the wife said she loved him. She even tried to call him several times but there was no
answer.
Other thing we are learning as well is that during this intense standoff when this gunman had taken hostages, he even posted to Facebook and in
those Facebook posts he warned of further ISIS attacks -- Hala.
GORANI: But I mean do we know, is that all of the content of the text messages? At any point do we know if she tried to talk him out of doing
this or do authorities believe there was some complicity there? What are they saying about that?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it is interesting you ask because earlier in the week when we did hear from federal authorities, we were told that the wife had
actually claimed to investigators that she tried to dissuade her husband.
It is a bit unclear as to whether she tried to dissuade him in the heat of the moment when this three-hour standoff was happening or if she was
referring to previously when he had mentioned perhaps vaguely that he wanted to wage jihadist attacks and that he had gotten more violent, she
said.
So there are still some questions as to exactly what she did in the days and months leading up to this attack and what she did in the hours it was
actually happening.
GORANI: OK, Jessica Schneider in Orlando, thanks very much.
Now as far as ISIS, the terrorist group, is concerned, it is losing more ground in the battle for Falluja in Iraq. The group suffered a major
symbolic setback Friday. Take a look at some of this amateur video.
Iraq's federal police recaptured the mayor's office. They raised the Iraqi flag over the neighborhood taking down the black ISIS flag, but the fight
for the city is far from over.
Iraqi forces says ISIS snipers have taken up positions in Falluja's main hospital. ISIS has held Falluja since January of 2014 and of course, still
holds Mosul, the most important city for them in terms of what they control.
It has been almost a month to the day since EgyptAir Flight 804 disappeared over the Mediterranean with 66 people on board. Now Egypt is announcing a
big find in the search for answers.
[15:25:06]CNN aviation correspondent, Rene Marsh, has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RENE MARSH, CNN GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Investigators may soon be able to hear the final conversation between the
pilots of EgyptAir Flight 804, as well as any other sounds in the cockpit. Experts on board this French vessel located and retrieved the Airbus 320's
cockpit voice recorder.
PETER GOELZ, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: The voice recorder is important because it will confirm what the pilots were thinking, what they saw, what they
were doing.
MARSH: The voice recorder was damaged, but searchers were able to retrieve the memory unit considered the most important part. The voice recorder can
help investigators determine who was in the cockpit, what the pilots were saying and doing, were any of the plane's warning alarms going off? They
can also hear other sounds like an explosion.
AHMED ADEL, VICE CHAIRMAN, EGYPTAIR (via telephone): This is a very important step in the investigation process as it marks the beginning of a
long process that will go on from there.
MARSH: But Flight 804's data recorder which gathers 25 hours of technical data on how the mechanical parts of the plane were operating is still
missing.
GOELZ: You need both recorders to get a complete picture.
MARSH: The flight from Paris to Cairo vanished from radar and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea killing all 66 people on board nearly one month ago.
Until now, the investigation has been stalled with no evidence explaining what brought down the plane. The airline maintains there were no issues
with the aircraft.
ADEL (via telephone): We have no indication of anything as of now. The aircraft was a healthy aircraft. Twenty five days prior to the flight,
there was nothing logged into the technical logbook.
MARSH: Searchers have also discovered a significant amount of wreckage in several locations on the ocean floor, but none of it is more critical than
the plane's recorders.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: That was Rene Marsh reporting. After a break, a nation devastated. Politicians are uniting to honor Jo Cox following her shocking
death. I'll speak to a Labour Party Member of Parliament in a few minutes after the break for his reaction. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: We've been showing you memorials to honor MP Jo Cox, the MP this hour. Here are some live images from Parliament Square in London.
Lawmakers are being called back from recess early so they can pay tribute to their former colleague on Monday. CNN's Will Ripley is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A divided nation united in grief. The fierce debate over Britain's future on hold. Now is not the
time for politics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tragic. A young woman who fought for a better world.
RIPLEY: Crowds gathered in Parliament Square to honor the life of Jo Cox.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just tragedy for somebody interesting to coming into politics for all the right reasons to die like this.
RIPLEY: The married mother of two, only 41, served in the House of Commons just 13 months. Long enough for former Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband,
to say she already made an impact.
ED MILIBAND, BRITISH LABOUR MP: She was in it for the right reasons. She was an aid worker. She was somebody who devoted herself to humanitarian
causes, somebody who had worked around the world around and she came to parliament to further those causes.
RIPLEY: Like most in her opposition party, Cox was working hard to convince voters that Britain should stay in the European Union. She was
also a champion for the migrant community, a remarkably bitter debate even in this country where more than half of MPs say they have been stalked or
harassed.
Despite the threats, Cox continued the British tradition of meeting her constituents face to face, which allowed her suspected killer to get close
to her.
MILIBAND: I think it's a moment of reflection for all of us on the tone of our politics, and I think in a way we should be inspired by Jo's life.
RIPLEY: Even Nigel Farage, one of the loudest voices supporting the Brexit was here to pay his respects. Joining so many others beneath the majestic
palace of Westminster. MPs from both sides of the U.K. debate have been recalled and are expected to gather here Monday to honor a life and career
brutally cut short.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Will Ripley there in London. We'll get back to Will live shortly.
Around Britain, Members of Parliament and the general public are trying to come to terms with the shocking events. Let's go to Leicester and speak to
Labour MP Keith Vaz, who is also the chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee in the U.K. parliament.
Thanks for being with us on CNN. Mr. Vaz, first, how do you remember Jo Cox?
KEITH VAZ, LABOUR MP: As a warm, compassionate, dynamic, dedicated woman. I campaigned with her before the general election. I went to her
constituency to support her campaign. And when I arrived there with the battle bus, I can remember 100 or so people coming out with Jo to greet us.
And when we went inside, all that she was talking about was how she could help the public and the local community and how important it was that we
should be good, strong representatives for our areas. This is an absolute shock.
We just cannot understand how this could happen. We have some of the toughest gun laws in the world, and to hear that both a gun and a knife
were used against this young woman, this young mother, is just too horrifying. Horrifying to contemplate.
GORANI: It is shocking precisely for that reason. In the United States, gun violence is, sadly, quite common. Here in the U.K., this type of
violence is practically unheard of. Do you think that politicians, MPs in particular, you being an MP, now need to change the way they go about their
work?
VAZ: I think that it's going to be very difficult in a democracy to ask elected representatives to change their ways. I've been today to a surgery
where I've seen my constituents, 60 of them came in. They were not searched. They were not asked who they were.
I just saw everyone who had made an appointment. I don't think in a parliamentary democracy one can start getting afraid of meeting the public
because that is the lifeblood of politics, being able to talk to your constituents.
But what is so shocking is the fact that someone in a premeditated way was able to know where this Member of Parliament was, where Jo was having her
surgery, and then attack her in that way. So of course it is a worry.
You know, politicians seek to be recognized and noticed, but I think that more and more we will be seeking not to be recognized and noticed for fear
that someone might be wanting to express their views in a violent way. It is a terrible thing that's happened.
GORANI: Why do you think this -- I mean, some people have talked about over the last 24 hours as the search for answers continues because people
in times of great shock and grief want answers and they are wondering of course how did he get this gun.
[15:35:10]Could it be sort of this toxic rhetoric surrounding the referendum, for instance, or the fact that could make in the minds of a few
deranged people that could make politicians targets? Are you concerned about that at all?
VAZ: I don't think it's necessarily to do with a single issue. We don't know. I think what we need to do is establish the facts, and that's why
the police are there to help us to do that.
I think once we've established the facts, we can then decide how this has happened and we can then look for answers. Until we do that I think we are
just speculating. Politics is tough. It is a tough job.
It's -- especially in a parliamentary democracy where you have obviously a free press, and now we have a free internet and people can say what they
want about politicians.
On our committee, the Home Affairs Committee, which is the equivalent of your Homeland Security Committee, we've already decided before this event
to look at the issue of the way in which people approach public figures on the internet.
The issue of internet trolling does not just affect us as politicians but all celebrities. And as soon as someone becomes well known, people feel
they know them personally.
GORANI: And the internet has changed that equation, that relationship quite a lot because you are digitally I guess in a virtual world very
approachable and available to anybody really.
VAZ: You're absolutely right. The big change -- of course, there's been violence in the past. We've had a BBC presenter, Joel Dando (ph), who was
killed on the streets of London. We've had MPs being blown up by the IRA. So this has happened before, but not in recent memory and not to someone
who is not associated with controversy.
And I think the big change has been the availability of social media. I'm not blaming it, I am just saying it is fact, and people feel they know
people personally. You can be tracked where you go.
People know that I am chatting with you now. They know where I will in a few moments have dinner. They will know the train I will be getting back
on to London. They will know that tomorrow I'm on a cycle ride in Leicester to raise funds for a local group.
GORANI: In the aftermath of this (inaudible), they are at least a part of you. And your colleagues, what do they tell you, other MPs from both
parties? You know, do they say I think I'm going to need security now when I hold my meet and greets with my constituents? Is anybody talking like
that now?
VAZ: No, they're not. I think British MPs are not going to want to have security. I recently hosted an Indian colleague who'd come from New Delhi.
He was shocked that I was walking around without any security. Your congressmen don't have security. Your senators don't really have security.
It's just the president and members of the cabinet and others. We can't. We are elected officials and we have to -- our lifeblood is talking to our
constituents. That will continue to be the case.
But I think there probably needs to be a review of security of offices. This needs to be looked at carefully and where we go and what we do. But
we will never get to a stage in Britain where we will have security guards or body guards with us.
It is just not going to happen. I don't think that is going to happen. It's not going to happen in the United States either despite the fact that
our gun laws are quite different.
But I think what we do need to do is to allow the police to get on with their job to find out the facts, and then to assess what has occurred.
My colleagues -- I've exchanged texts with colleagues of different political parties. I will see them all on Monday. It will be an
opportunity to be able to talk to them and to grieve with them.
But you know, I think our Prime Minister, David Cameron, and our leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, and the Speaker of the House of Common,
they've all spoken for all of us and in a sense we need to stand back and allow that grieving process to occur.
GORANI: Keith Vaz, thanks very much, a Labour MP joining us from Leicester. As you mentioned, Parliament is being recalled early from their
recess on Monday. It will be an opportunity for all of you to meet up and discuss the tragic events of yesterday. Thank you so much.
New details are emerging about the man accused of killing Jo Cox. Police say that right wing extremism is, quote, "a priority line of enquiry" to
help establish the motive.
A local official tells CNN the suspect was actually lay in wait before stabbing and shooting Cox in Birstall Thursday. Tommy Mair (ph) is in
police custody. He's not yet been charged. A neighbor of the suspect told CNN of her surprise at what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[05:40:09]DIANA PETERS, NEIGHBOR OF SUSPECT: This is totally unexpected. He was very mild mannered. Kept himself to himself. Would never, I would
have thought, ever even thought of doing this, never mind actually doing it. I never knew his political beliefs.
We never discussed it. I never knew what he thought about the world or -- it was our little world here we spoke about. And I was devastated.
Absolutely devastated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. An organization in the United States that tracks hate groups says the suspect in Jo Cox's killing purchased literature from an
American-based white supremacist organization called "The National Alliance" including instructions for making a handgun.
Richard Cohen is president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He joins me now via Skype from Montgomery, Alabama. Thanks for being with us. Talk to
us a little bit about these documents. They date back to 1999, I believe, and they show what?
RICHARD COHEN, PRESIDENT, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Well, between 1999 and 2003, the suspect in the murder purchased manuals regarding the making
of explosives, manuals relating to the making of homemade handguns, and a variety of white supremacist literature from an organization called "The
National Alliance," a neo-Nazi organization in this country.
Although it was based in the United States, it had significant ties in Europe including to Britain. Members of the British National Party were
close to the leader of The National Alliance, the head of the British National Party at the time, Nick Griffin, actually visited him in West
Virginia.
And another member of the British National Party, Mark Cotteral (ph), raised money for the British National Party in the United States. So, you
know, we're looking at an international phenomenon, not one limited to any particular country.
GORANI: Does The National Alliance still exist?
COHEN: Well, they are not the strong organization that they were at that time. And you know, their leader -- their long-time leader died in 2002
and they've had, you know, frankly, luckily for the rest of us, real significant leadership problems since that time.
GORANI: How did you come across these documents, these receipts?
COHEN: Well, over the years, a lot of dissatisfied members of The National Alliance have been given us material. We try to catalog it, store it.
When we heard Mr. Mair's name, we just, as a matter of routine, put it into our database and those receipts popped out.
GORANI: OK. So these were documents that you already had in digital form and it was just the search that led you to make that connection?
COHEN: That's correct. That's correct.
GORANI: Can you tell us, how much -- I mean, what exactly did he buy? You are saying white supremacist literature. What types of books and
publications are we talking about here?
COHEN: Well, he bought a magazine called "The National Vanguard." That was their journal that tried to explain the world to fellow white
supremacists. It had articles in two of the issues that he purchased.
It had articles -- one of the articles was about a racial trial, a racial speech trial in Britain. And in another one of the articles that he
purchased, the leader of The National Alliance, after he had died, one of the issued he purchased -- the British National Party sent their
condolences to their American allies.
So these things were things that glorified Hitler. That denigrated Jews and other minorities and talked about the necessity for a worldwide
struggle in order to establish kind of white living space, the same kind rhetoric that Hitler used.
GORANI: Richard Cohen, thanks very much. We'll see, you know, if that ends up being the motive. We don't know right now. Police are telling us
they are still investigating. But an interesting piece of information. Richard Cohen of the Southern Poverty Law Center joining us from
Montgomery, Alabama. Thanks so much.
This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Still to come, an emotional reunion in Orlando as one of the mass shooting survivors meets the policeman who saved
his life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:46:31]
GORANI: He put his own life at risk to save others running inside a nightclub under attack to rescue wounded survivors. A Florida police
officers has now been reunited with one of the people he pulled to safety last weekend in Orlando. Anderson Cooper has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need a big hug from you, man.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360" (voice-over): It was an emotional reunion for survivor, Angel Colon, and Officer Omar Delgado. The first
time the two have seen each other since their encounter last weekend at Pulse Nightclub where we now know was the worse mass shooting on U.S. soil.
OFFICER OMAR DELGADO, EATONVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: When I arrived, saw all the chaos, people running, screaming, crying, and yelling.
COOPER: Officer Delgado entered the club along with other officers shortly after he arrived on scene. Inside the gunman was hold up elsewhere in the
club. Gunshots were ringing out and Officer Delgado's instinct to protect kicked in.
DELGADO: Seconds later that we hear more gunshots.
COOPER (on camera): You could actually hear that from outside.
DELGADO: From outside, yes. We know what happened, but I followed them. There was three of us. We just jetted right inside.
COOPER (voice-over): Officer Delgado was able to help remove some of the wounded amidst the darkness and disco lights.
DELGADO: There were a lot of bodies all over on the floor. Somebody yelled out this person's moving. Another person I saw was moving so I went
and another officer grabbed him and I just don't recall if that was Angel or not because we pulled like three or four people out.
ANGEL COLON, ORLANDO SHOOTING SURVIVOR: When he was dragging me out, I can just look up and tell him, just hurry, please hurry.
COOPER: The gunman had shot a woman next to Angel and he shot Angel in the hand and hip. Angel pretended to be dead as the gunman kept firing.
COLON: When I first saw him I was face down, laying down on the floor. I could only move my arms and my head up so I just saw him, his size, his
glasses, somebody help me, please.
COOPER: A nine-year veteran of the Eatonville Police Department, nothing could have prepared him for what he saw that night, 49 innocent people
dead, dozens of others injured. But knowing he saved some lives brings some comfort in the midst of tragedy.
(on camera): What was it like to actually see him today?
DELGADO: It was a feeling that you just can't describe. Can't put it in words knowing that you helped save someone.
COOPER (voice-over): Anderson Cooper, CNN, Orlando.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Coming up, Jo Cox's death has had an impact around the world. We'll look at the reaction online to her death.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:47]
GORANI: Live images coming to us from Parliament Square, a vigil honoring Jo Cox. People all around the world are expressing shock at what happened.
Political leaders, public figures all paying tribute.
For more on the international reaction, Samuel Burke joins me live from New York. Just -- not just political leaders, Samuel, I mean, ordinary people.
Such a shock, a young, vibrant, 41-year-old woman murdered like this in the U.K. It was just the last 24 hours. A lot of reaction online. Tell us
more.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: When the news broke yesterday especially here in the United States, so many of us our minds turned to the
situation that Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords faced in 2012. Similarly meeting with constituents at that time just like Jo Cox.
She did survive that assassination attempt though with severe brain injury. She sent out a message saying the following on Twitter about the death of
Jo Cox.
She said, "Absolutely sickened to hear of the assassination of Jo Cox. She was young, courageous and hardworking, a rising star, mother and wife."
And went on to say something even more poignant, Hala. "The scores of events that I and so many others like Jo Cox have hosted represent the
importance of a democracy connected to its citizens."
Also former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, from the campaign trail sending out this message. "It is cruel and terrible that Jo Cox's life was
cut short by a violent act of political intolerance."
The former secretary then went on to say that, "We must honor Jo Cox by rejecting bigotry and all its forms and instead embrace as Jo always did
everything that binds us together."
Now also there in the U.K. where you are, Hala, the #thankyoump has been trending for many, many hours. So often there is so much cynicism about
politicians. But the story of Jo Cox has really brought out the other side of people thanking their MP.
You see in this next message up on the screen, one British person saying, "I doubt I'll ever agree with my MP, but I hope anyone who disagrees with
him disagrees peacefully #thankyoump."
Lastly, Hala, and probably the most heartbreaking, just a simple photo tweeted out by the husband of Jo Cox, Brendan Cox. No words. Just a
picture of his wife at the house boat where the family lives with their two young children. Those two little boys are just 3 and 5 years old.
GORANI: Really sad. Let's just -- yes, we're still all trying to process this in the U.K. Such an unusual, rare event. Thanks very much, Samuel
Burke. We'll continue to keep our eye on the investigation.
But we've been showing you memorials to honor Jo Cox this hour. CNN's Will Ripley is live from the memorial at Parliament Square. Hi there, Will.
RIPLEY: Hi, Hala. The crowd here is really starting to disperse but less than an hour ago at 8:00 when there was that really powerful 2 minutes of
silence in honor of Jo Cox, there were easily more than 1,000 people here.
I was looking a lot just at the faces in the crowd. There were many young people, there were older people, and yet their faces had a similar
expression, an expression of disbelief, sadness, and a real sense of loss is permeating this place.
A loss of a mother, of two children, a loss of an MP representing her constituents in Yorkshire, and also a loss of a voice for the vulnerable
because of all the works that Cox did for the migrant community here. Tonight that loss is just so acute.
GORANI: What are people saying about why they came? Are they mostly Londoners? Are they tourists? Who are the people you've been able to
speak to, Will?
RIPLEY: It's been a mix throughout the day, Hala. Earlier, it was actually a lot of tourists who were coming here just to kind of take in one
of the most iconic sights in London, of course, Big Ben, the Westminster Palace, I mean, these are places tourists come to visit on a regular basis.
[15:55:02]But as the day got later, you saw a lot of Londoners coming, who maybe left work early or were coming by after getting off work. We spoke
to some of them earlier today about what brought them here. Listen -- or we currently don't have that -- Hala, but it was --
GORANI: We don't. We've been having no luck with that sound, but do try to paraphrase what people told you, Will.
RIPLEY: Yes, it was -- people -- there were many people fighting back tears. One woman that I spoke with in particular, what she said really
struck me because she felt that given the fact that this country is so divided right now over next week's referendum about the Brexit, the
potential exit of Britain from the European Union, it has been a very vitriolic and, at times, abusive debate.
And this woman you're going to hear from her right now, I believe we have the sound ready. She spoke of the atmosphere of hate that she says has
been created.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's tragic. Tragic. A young woman who fought for better world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was a campaigning MP, who cared about the little guy wherever they are. And she didn't seem -- I mean, there is a lot of
cynicism around politicians these days. But she was one of a new breed coming through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: And somebody, Hala, who came in at a young age, she was just 41 years old, who came in and did this because she wanted to help the people
where she lives. And it was in one of those meetings, just face to face meetings, really the core of British democracy where people can come and
tell their MP what's on their mind, what their concerns are.
She made herself available even though she had been getting threats and there were concerns about her security because of her stance, pushing for
voters to decide that Britain should stay in the European Union and also advocating very strongly for the my grant community, which is a very
divisive issue in this country right now.
You saw her political opponents out here along with those in the Labour Party who knew her well. Just to show that this tragedy really has
hopefully united the people to move forward in a respectful way -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, Will Ripley, we'll see if it is just temporary. It probably is. After all, it is politics. But for now, people are coming
together to pay their respects. Thanks very much, Will Ripley.
This has been THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. I'm Hala Gorani. Thanks for watching. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
