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Hala Gorani Tonight
: Urgent Manhunt Underway For Anis Amri; Amri Has Ties To ISIS Recruitment Network; Syrian Army: Aleppo Free Of Armed Groups; Trump Names Sean Spicer Press Secretary; Russia Touts Progress Made Inside Syria; Donald Trump's New World Order; Under-the-Radar Spots in Los Angeles. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired December 22, 2016 - 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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[15:00:22] PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Paula Newton sitting in for Hala Gorani. I am live in New York and this is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.
We are learning much more at this moment about the prime suspect in the Berlin terror attack. But new revelations about Anis Amri are also
raising many questions about how he slipped under the radar when authorities on at least two continents knew that he posed a threat.
Now CNN has learned that Amri was on the U.S. no-fly list before the attack. Flagged as a suspected jihadi supporter. And according to German
investigative files, German officials knew Amri had previously spoken about committing attacks several times and they knew he had close ties to an ISIS
recruitment network.
Today authorities said they found Amri's fingerprints on the truck used in the Christmas market attack and now assume that he was behind the
wheel.
German officials are carrying out more raids at this moment as they intensify their manhunt for Amri, but he is still on the run and no arrest
in the case have yet been made.
For more on this investigation, CNN terrorism analyst, Paul Cruickshank joins us now. I mean, Paul, you have been on top of this hour
after hour. Anything more you can tell us following up on those stunning revelations that you have for us. An informant had told them that Amri
really wanted to carry out suicide attacks in Germany?
PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Right. And Paula, this informant of being within this network for months and months and months, I mean,
reporting back information to German investigators and security services, including the fact that Anis Amri on several occasions expressed the desire
to launch an attack.
And a lot of members of this network had discussed launching a truck ramming attack with bombs in the truck and a lot of gasoline in the truck.
And also information coming in that Amri at a certain point wanted to get hold of a weapon.
All of that adding up to a very alarming picture that was coming into German Security Services and what they did is actually go after the
leaders of the network. They actually made five arrests several weeks ago in November, but they didn't go after the foot soldiers as much.
And the youngsters that have been indoctrinated by this group. Amri was one of them, lost, walking the streets of Germany, and was able to
press forward with an attack. He may have been angered by the arrests of some of the leading (inaudible) in this terrorism network in Germany.
We're learning new details as we go through the file about the recruiting network in Germany. It was extremely well organized. It was
organized by region, all reporting up to this Iraq preacher who was the overall head of the group.
They had a common curriculum even if you can believe that for indoctrinating these youngsters across north Germany. And this was a group
that was funneling recruits to Syria and Iraq, funneling them towards ISIS.
NEWTON: Yes, and incredible to think, as you said that police had this information, security and intelligence operatives had this information. I
mean, Paul, can you speculate right now for us, are they close? We saw Angela Merkel earlier today obviously looking quite grim and serious
actually saying we hope that he will be caught soon, and yet now showing any kind of definitive evidence that they were close.
CRUICKSHANK: We'll have to see. I mean, the glass half full here is they had an informant in this network and they were able to map it out in great
detail. Frankly, reading through the file, I'm learning a huge amount just myself about this network, addresses, names, telephone numbers, all of that
stuff, and they have that information and a lot of more.
[15:05:10]And so all of that may make it easier for them to figure out where he could possibly go into hiding. But the glass half empty part of
it is that this was a network, which was adept at hiding people, smuggling people from place to place. They had safe houses.
And we saw after the Paris attacks that he drove to Brussels and was able to go underground for four months, protected and hidden by the ISIS
network in that city. So it may take a long time for the Germans to figure out where he is.
Because after all, if they're just a few dedicated supporters that are hiding him in a location that's not known to the Germans, and they're
being very careful about going out, being seen in public, then it could take some time.
This could be a saga lasting for months and months and months. And the worry, of course, is that these individuals are determined to become
martyrs. That's the path to paradise for them. At no point --
NEWTON: And in fact he wrote as much in the informant wrote that he had these thoughts before this attack. Our Paul Cruickshank will continue to
stay on top of this investigation as we underscore right now a Europe-wide manhunt on for this man.
Now to our other top story of the day, the Syrian Army has declared the city of Aleppo, quote, "free of armed groups." Now it says Eastern
Aleppo held by rebels for the past four years is now at this moment under government control.
A state-run news agency says hundreds of buses and cars left the area earlier heading for the western country side and this marks a major
turning point in Syria's brutal five-year civil war.
Watching it all is our Muhammad Lila who joins us now from the Turkish-Syrian border. Muhammad, look, this declaration has come out, they
are obviously -- the Syrian regime, happy to say that even the rebels and their families are now out of that city and they're in full control, where
does the Syrian regime go next from here?
MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Syrian regime actually announced a couple days ago, you have to remember just backing up a little
bit that this was almost inevitable. We knew that once these evacuations process started that there was a deal in place for all of the rebels to
leave Eastern Aleppo.
So this was sort of choreographed slowly overtime. Each day more people were being let out of the eastern part of Aleppo. Rebels and
fighters and civilians all included. So we knew this was going to happen.
And what the Syrian government announced was that as soon as the last group of rebels leave those last few neighborhoods in Eastern Aleppo,
Syrian Army engineers would go in, examine the buildings, make sure there were no booby traps, for example, and make sure there are no complications.
And once they give the all-clear, the idea was to help people who have been displaced from Eastern Aleppo that had gone to government-held
areas to help those people who move back into their homes as quickly soon as possible.
Because the government is making a concerted effort both in the western part of Aleppo and soon in the eastern part of Aleppo to put on
this image that life is back to normal that they won.
In fact, the announcement they've made on Syrian state television used some of that language saying that Eastern Aleppo has now been
liberated from the armed groups.
So clearly they see as a victory and their goal is to basically repopulate Eastern Aleppo as hard as that might be because it's an area
that's been bombed almost every day for the last several years.
NEWTON: Yes, hardly the picture of liberation. You know, I've asked you where the Syrian regime goes from here, but where does the opposition and
the rebel groups go from here?
I mean, we had discussed the fact earlier that some of them have gone to Idlib, and that is another rebel stronghold. You know, Muhammad,
the U.N. is already saying that that city could become the next Aleppo unless there is a ceasefire that there could be carnage.
LILA: Yes, and of course, and that is the concern, but yes, you have to remember, Aleppo, the eastern part of Aleppo, those few neighborhoods, that
was the rebel stronghold for several years. It's where their command centers were. It's where some of their communications center were.
They had a network of activists in Aleppo and elsewhere. For them to lose that home base, the question is, not just what happens to those
rebels that gone to Idlib, but the question being asked, what is the status of the revolution to begin with?
You have to remember that four years ago, nobody saw this as being possible, that Bashar al-Assad's forces would be able to retake Aleppo. In
fact, right now, he controls every major city in the country.
People thought Bashar al-Assad would fall within three months or six months after this uprising began, but look at where we are now. He is
going to outlast President Obama.
And of course, what does this mean for the revolution and the uprising against him? It's one of those things where only time will tell,
but fairly the rebels do have their backs up against a wall.
[15:10:07]NEWTON: Yes, and Assad giving credit to both Russia and Iran to help him to stay in power there being (inaudible) today. Our Muhammad Lila
continuing to follow the story. Appreciate it.
Before we leave this story now, we want to bring you 7-year-old girl who captivated the world with her tweets from Eastern Aleppo who is now
speaking out again. This time from the safety of Turkey's capital, Ankaa. Bana Alabed says she thought she and her family were about to die when
their house was bombed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BANA ALABED, TWEETED FROM EASTERN ALEPPO (through translator): There was bombing and our house was bombed, but we survived. We felt afraid and went
down the basement. There was a lot of stones and dust. We were about to die, but thank God we survived. My school and my garden were gone. I miss
my house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Just one of the children suffering through that tragedy right now in Syria. Moving on to more big news that just broke in the last hour or
so. One of the most visible roles in any U.S. administration, Donald Trump today unveiled his choice for press secretary, this man, Sean Spicer will
take on the role.
Spicer was a key member of Trump's campaign team. He is a political veteran too. Spicer has spent six years as communications director for the
Republican National Committee. So what can the White House press corps expect from Press Secretary Spicer?
We want to bring in CNN senior reporter for media politics, Dylan Byers. He is live for us now in Los Angeles. You know, we say what can
the press corps expect, but really this is about what the world can expect because Sean will be the face of the Trump administration for many people.
And look what we just went through. We went through the terror attack in Germany. We went through what has been happening in Syria.
People will look to him to give some insight and some transparency, right, to what the Trump administration thinks about these things.
DYLAN BYERS, CNN SENIOR REPORTER, MEDIA AND POLITICS: That is absolutely right. The press secretary's role has always been to be the sort face of
the administration unless you have the president of the United States speaking from that podium himself, that's the face that, you're right not
just the nation but the world sees when it looks to the administration for guidance and most importantly when it looks to the administration for
answers.
Now there is a lot about Donald Trump's presidency, which is going to be somewhat unprecedented and so things might change. And indeed one of
the key roles that Sean Spicer will play between now and inauguration day, is sort of addressing the concerns that the media and the nation has about
what the relationship is going to be like between Donald Trump and his administration, and the press.
There have been discussions about does the daily press briefing that takes place in the White House briefing room, will that continue to be in
place? I mean, there is a situation where if it's not then maybe we don't see Sean Spicer's face every day.
The other thing that's very different is Trump, of course, has been very active on Twitter. He's gone straight to the American people with his
own opinions on the news of the day via Twitter.
It is possible that Sean Spicer might end up having to do a lot of sort of clean up and explanation and context around some of those tweets if
Trump continues to be as active on that as president of the United States.
NEWTON: Yes, and you and I both know he has proven an agile communicator and will defend the commander-in-chief, but it is also, as I said quite
agile, and making it clear exactly what Trump would have meant about some of his tweets. So Dylan, how about that, though, because in announcing
Trump's (inaudible), he also announced really a communications team.
And one of those key people will be social media. I mean, Donald Trump said look, without social media, I would not have won. Clearly that
is going to be an important component of his presidency.
BYERS: That is absolutely right, and the guy that he has tapped interestingly enough, a guy named Dan Scavino is a guy who was a 16-year-
old golf caddy when Donald Trump met him. He went on to become the sort of head of the Trump -- his golf organization.
And now, you know, several decades later, sort of a key player in his campaign, running that social media account. Now again all of that
said, it goes back to the way that Trump is unconventional.
The way that Trump's own personal Twitter account could be more significant than the social media efforts of an entire White House, of an
entire administration.
But look, he will be working -- President-elect Donald Trump will be working very closely with Dan Scavino, with his communications team which
in addition to Sean Spicer includes Jason Miller, who will be communications director, and Hope Hicks, who will be strategic
communications director.
They're going to be working sort of on all fronts to try and protect Donald Trump's brand because if there is anything we've learned about Trump
in the past 18 months is that nothing matters to him so much as his brand.
NEWTON: Absolutely. A brand that he will continue to advocate for, we believe still, on social media. Dylan, you'll continue to follow it all
for us. Really appreciate the update.
[15:15:00]Before we leave this story, we need to also tell you that Kellyanne Conway, now you remember her. She make history this year as the
first female campaign manager to win a presidential race. Now she is officially taking up role inside the White House.
There had been some doubt about this, but Conway has been appointed as counselor to the president. Trump called her, quote, "a crucial part of
my victory." Earlier today on CNN, Conway was asked about Trump's plan to block Muslims from entering the United States. Take a listen to her
response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP: Let's also address something that he had talked about very early on that also is
clearly true especially in countries like Germany now, which are facing a popular uprising against allowing an influx of refugees who aren't being
vetted into the country.
We know that ISIS has threatened/promised to hide as Syrian refugees or otherwise, they have promised to do that. They promised that they can
do that. That they will just sort of blend in, I think were the words some of them used. I mean, this is -- we have to start taking terrorism
seriously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Still ahead, a return to our stop story. We will be live in Berlin as police hunt Anis Amri.
And embolden Russia says it's made a decisive impact inside Syria that it also sees the price that might be paid.
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NEWTON: Returning now to our top story, the urgent manhunt underway for the Berlin terror attack suspect, Tunisian national, Anis Amri. Now German
Chancellor Angela Merkel says investigators are working as quickly as possible to try and track him down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): This test we are going through, we will persevere because we have professional staff,
professional forces who clarify this situation. And we have the values of our state of the rule of the law, democracy on our side, and this is why
I'm sure we will have good connection within the society of free democratic life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Angela Merkel there trying to reassure Germans as this manhunt continues. Now Anis Amri's brothers, meantime, say they were absolutely
shocked to learn that he is wanted in connection with the Berlin attack. They spoke to Sky News Arabia from their hometown in Tunisia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALID AMRI, BROTHER OF BERLIN ATTACK SUSPECT ANIS AMRI (through translator): No human being wishes for something like this. Anis never
told us about his life or who he was as a person. When he left Tunisia, he was normal. He drank alcohol and didn't even pray. He had no religious
beliefs. My dad, my brother and I, all used to pray and he didn't.
[15:20:02]Maybe he got into this when he was in prison where he met Algerians, Egyptians, and Syrians.
ABDELKADER AMRI, BROTHER OF BERLIN ATTACK SUSPECT ANIS AMRI (through translator): He doesn't represent us or our family. If he is watching
now, I just want to say may God guide you for putting us in this situation. Your father and mother are crying. People have left their jobs to come and
see us. You have caused so much chaos. What can I say?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: We want to get some perspective now on that Berlin terror attack and the government's response. We are joined by political analyst, Sergey
Lagodinski. He is head of the E.U. North American Department of Heinrich Boll Foundation located in Berlin. Thanks so much for joining us.
We have to say behind you the market has opened. People trying to remain resilient and even beginning those festive activities again. But
I've got to ask you, is there not a lot of anger?
I mean, we just heard from the two brothers there saying this man is their brother. They are not saying he is guilty. They are saying that he
is their brother and yet German authorities said they could not prove who he was, which is why they could not deport him.
SERGEY LAGONDINSKY, HEINRICH BOLL FOUNDATION: Well, there are a lot of open questions now in connection to this situation and these questions will
have to be answered by German authorities and by the chancellor because many people despite the fact that they are so resilient do have open
questions.
And they will be asking those question how it was possible, for example, to have someone here as a sort of -- as the legal term as a
tolerated foreigner, who was not expelled, not repatriated, and was able to perpetrate a crime like this.
So there are a lot of questions, but for now, I personally am very impressed and a lot of observers and commentators are deeply impressed by
how -- especially Berliners react to this attack by being very, very -- I would not say laid back, but very calm.
NEWTON: And I'm sure they are being vigilant, but it is extraordinary and quite heartwarming to see that people have returned to the market. And yet
there are a lot of questions about how German society has to change if it does have to change.
I mean, what are you hearing right now in terms of looking towards things like surveillance cameras or being more open to surveillance in
general right now and is that needed?
LAGONDINSKY: Surveillance cameras is a topic which has been debated for many years in Germany. In fact, a constitutional court of Germany has a
very specific opinion to this and the left leaning parties reject this. In fact, the new government in Berlin, in the city of Berlin, has concluded
they don't want surveillance cameras.
And they just inaugurated a couple of weeks ago, we will have to see how this new situation will change their position, especially in the center
and left because Chancellor Merkel depends very much from the support of central left even though she is a conservative chancellor.
Because she is considered kind of the mother of the refugees and the mother of this liberal refugee policies, which will have to be revaluated,
and the interesting question will be how the political mainstream in the left leaning mainstream will reevaluate their own positions.
We will have to see. Their position is very strongly that the presence of police forces should be strengthened. That people should see
more police in the streets, and that this will have the effect of deterring potential criminal and terrorists and not the observation cameras.
Because the cameras can only help the law enforcement to find the criminals and the perpetrators. They cannot prevent them from perpetrating
this crime. This is the position of the civil rights advocates and the center left parties.
NEWTON: You know, an interesting take there on how to keep Germans safe. In terms of the political situation, though, which you alluded to, do you
think Angela Merkel will pay a price for this incident especially as this man remains at large?
LAGONDINSKY: She is definitely paying a price now. She will have to explain a lot. She will have to adjust her policies. I think one of her
weaknesses was she is a poor communicator. She was not able to communicate the changes that she has already enacted during the past months almost a
year.
The immigration policy is not the same as it used to be in the summer and fall of 2015. The immigration policy is much stricter than it
used to be, but Merkel was not able to score points with more conservative voters by saying that this is her agenda.
She is a chancellor who is known for kind of having this muddling through identity, and this might hurt her in this situation, but for now,
she is getting a lot of phrase from many observers and many politicians except for the right wingers for actually trying to calm down the
situation.
[15:25:00]And not reacting like there are many comparisons with the French president who enacted the special -- the Marshal Laws, et cetera, et
cetera, being very active but able to prevent more terrorists attacks.
NEWTON: It is an interesting just to juxtapose the way France handled it and the way Germany is handling it now. Obviously incredibly comforting to
see those memorials as they continue to be laid there in Berlin. Sergey, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
Now we will go to Russia, next, and it seems that country is giving itself a little pat on the back right now, at least its government is, for
making progress inside Syria. The government's defense minister says the Russian operation has prevented the collapse of the Syrian state and dealt
what it calls a serious blow to terrorist groups.
But as CNN's Matthew Chance reports the kremlin's critics see things much differently.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russia has announced new figures on its military intervention in Syria saying its
forces have killed 35,000 terrorists including 204 field commanders since the start of its campaign in September 2015.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu presented the statistic at an end of year meeting of Russian security officials although critics have
expressed doubts about the figure. Human rights groups say many of those killed by Russian military action in Syria were civilians.
But the defense minister read out even more statistics. They Russian jets he told the meeting have conducted 17,800 sorties and carried
out 71,000 strikes against targets in Syria. They're maybe training camps, ammunition, factories, and 1,500 pieces of military hardware.
In general he said, the operation has solved a number of geopolitical programs and special terrorists groups in Syria said have been
dealt to serious blow. Their spread has been stopped. Financial support has been disrupted and the collapse of the Syrian state has been prevented,
important for the Kremlin.
There is no mention however on the catastrophic impacts of the conflict on the civilian population of Syria or on the millions of refugees
that have fled to escape the fighting.
Only this week, Russia's own ambassador to Turkey, next door to Syria, was assassinated by a man who shouted "revenge for Syria" after he
shot the ambassador during a photographic exhibition in the Turkish capital. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now you will want to stay tuned for this, tomorrow, we will bring you full coverage of President Vladimir Putin's annual news conference, and
later this hour, we will take a closer look at Russia's evolving role on the world stage. It has changed significantly in the last few months and
how it might change again when Donald Trump becomes U.S. president.
And more on the U.S. president-elect himself. He is keeping everyone guessing ahead of his inauguration. Could that be part of the
strategy though? A look at the so-called mad man approach to foreign policy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:30:00] NEWTON: German investigators say evidence shows that Anis Amri was driving the truck involved in the Berlin attack. Forensic tests show
the main suspect's fingerprints outside and now inside the truck. An arrest warrant has been issued for the Tunisian national you see there.
Now, the Syrian government says it's now in full possession of eastern Aleppo after more than four years of rebel control there. It marks a major
turning point in Syria's brutal five-year civil war.
Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, have started their winter holiday but not in the way that they had planned. The couple travelled to
the Queen's Sandringham estate by helicopter instead of train. Their trip was delayed for a day because both have been suffering from very bad colds.
Now, in something we can all admire, many Berliners say they refuse to live in fear after the terror attack. Crowds returned once again today to the
Christmas market where a dozen people lost their lives. Some people laid flowers or lit candles at makeshift memorials to honor the victims. Erin
McLaughlin is there for us in Berlin. She saw it all unfold today.
And, Erin, I'm really interested, you know, to get your insights into what you saw today, as those Berliners, you know, took all the courage they
could muster and went back to the Christmas market.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we saw really emotional scenes here at the Christmas market, the scene of that deadly attack. It's really
a show of resilience amidst extreme uncertainty, especially when you consider that Europe-wide manhunt is still under way. The main suspect
continues to evade authorities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): Tonight, CNN has learned police have been tracking for months the man they suspect of mowing down 12 and injuring
scores, compiling hundreds of pages of intelligence. A police informant said Anis Amri had, quote, "Spoken several times about committing attacks."
Raids continue tonight across Germany for the most wanted man in Europe.
Investigators say they found Amri's fingerprints on the door of the truck used in the deadly attack, adding to their confidence that he carried it
out, as more is discovered about Amri's background and his links to radical Islamists.
THOMAS DE MAIZIERE, FEDERAL MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR OF GERMANY (through translator): We have additional indications that the suspect is the
attacker. In the driver's cab, we got fingerprints, and there are additional indications to support this.
MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): The lengthy investigative file connects Amri directly to a terrorist cell in Germany. Other members of the group also
talked of carrying out attacks including driving a truck full of gasoline and loaded with a bomb into a crowd. Five men connected to the cell,
including a close friend of Amri, were arrested in November and charged of terrorism offenses.
Two of Amri's brothers say that before he left Tunisia as a teenager, he was a very different person. He drank alcohol and didn't pray. They say
they believe he changed while in prison in Italy. Amri served a four-year sentence there for setting fire to a refugee center and other violent
offenses.
When released early in 2015, Italian authorities tried to send him back to Tunisia, but officials there refused to let him back in citing improper
documentation. Instead, he moved to Germany where he connected with an ISIS recruiting network.
This year, he was arrested for trying to travel to Italy with fake documents. Police were also aware he of his attempts to obtain a gun. But
German efforts to deport him back to Tunisia also failed, and a judge ordered him set free.
Tonight, German officials fear several people could have been involved in Monday's attack. Despite all that authorities know about Amri, he remains
on the run, likely armed and dangerous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, there's a stepped up security presence here in Berlin, especially focusing on this Christmas market. There was an increased
police presence there today as well as concrete barriers installed in order to ensure this kind of attack did not happen again. They're also
increasing security at major transportation links such as airports and railways as people try to get home for the holidays, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. And we have noticed, even behind you right now, that increased security presence. I mean, Erin, I have to ask you. We
continually say that authorities have been conducting raids throughout the country. Anything more you can tell us in terms of what they're learning
from these raids? Because we know no one's been arrested yet.
MCLAUGHLIN: That's right. Authorities are being very tight-lipped with what, in terms of -- very careful, rather, in terms of what information
they are sharing in terms of this ongoing investigation. We know that this is not just a search happening here in Germany but Europe-wide.
[15:35:01] Earlier this morning, they searched ports in Denmark after someone called in a tip that later proved to be false. For the most part,
however, the raids happening here in Berlin as well as in the Cologne area. We know that police raided a bus in one of the cities in that area. But
again, so far, all false leads. This main suspect continues to evade authorities.
NEWTON: Yes. And they know, as you point out, that he could be anywhere in Europe right now. Erin McLaughlin there for us, live in Berlin as those
Christmas markets reopen.
Now, many witnesses have since come forward since that attack on Monday in Berlin, but we haven't seen very much surveillance video from the scene and
for a very good reason. Germans have resisted giving the government more of those surveillance tools, but some lawmakers may now be rethinking that
whole stand. Brynn Gingras shows how cameras have helped catch terrorists elsewhere.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When a bomb exploded during the 2013 Boston Marathon, surveillance cameras showed the
smoke rising over the finish line, but that wasn't all they revealed. For investigators, footage from street cameras exposed critical information,
the faces of the Tsarnaev brothers who set off the explosion and the backpack they used to carry the bomb to the race. Those pictures
eventually wallpapered the city and aided in the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. His brother, Tamerlan, was killed in a gun battle with police.
While footage authorities obtained from closed circuit television sometimes depicts difficult moments to watch, each frame can prove to be invaluable
to investigators. It often leads authorities to the suspects as it did in Boston.
In Brussels, twin explosions at the airport and a train station in March were documented by passengers. Cell phone video reveals devastating
wreckage through thick smoke. But the investigation quickly centered around this image taken from the airport surveillance cameras. Three men
pushing luggage carts, two of them suicide bombers who police believed wore gloves to conceal the detonators. After a manhunt, authorities arrested
the third man in the hat.
More recently, on a New York City street in September, closed circuit television showed window storefronts shattering and people running for
their lives. NYPD investigators were able to rewind the footage from street cameras and spotted Ahmad Khan Rahami in one location where a
pressure cooker bomb was found.
Law enforcement officials say surveillance video helps create a time line of suspect's movements before they take action. Terrorists buying supplies
in London before committing a series of attacks on the transit system in 2005. And camera footage obtained by thedailymail.com shows terrorists
taking control of a Paris cafe during a series of attacks in 2015. One of those cameras revealing a dramatic moment when a woman's life was spared
because a suspect's gun seemingly jams.
Brynn Gingras, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: That's some very interesting footage there that we just went through. Julian Reichelt is the editor for "BILD Digital." He joins me
now on the scene.
I mean, Julian, this is something that I'm sure people in Germany are digesting right now. I mean, I covered many security investigations in
London, the Boston bombing as well, not just when the investigation was going on but also in court later on. These were key pieces of evidence.
Do you think that the whole security structure in Germany will now after this attack?
JULIAN REICHELT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, BILD DIGITAL: Well, certainly, there will be major adjustments to what they call soft targets like the Christmas
market right behind me. We have seen the concrete barriers being put up already today. And, you know, the video that we've just obtained showing
how the truck crashes into the market shows, and it is a piece of evidence -- this was also obtained by the police -- at which speed this truck was
going in here. And it kind of reveals how much of a soft target the Christmas market is if it is not protected by something like the concrete
barriers.
So this obviously will change but, you know, also stuff like intelligence sharing, data collection. All this will be up for debate because we have
very strict privacy laws in Germany, that may have prevented authorities from preventing what happened here right behind me a few days ago.
NEWTON: And what's interesting too is something you bring up about intelligence sharing. What we learned, unfortunately, from both the
attacks in Belgium and in France, is that Europe is not very good at this. They have not been very good at sharing that intelligence information
across borders.
I mean, from what I understand, it is something authorities have been working on, but what do they need to change? I mean, this guy had been in
Italy before. He was in Italy. He was in prison for quite some time, and yet even the Italians seemed to lose track of him.
REICHELT: Well, Paula, it seems the only thing that is not moving freely through Europe is intelligence actually. You know, people move freely
through Europe, goods move freely through Europe, jihadists and terrorists move freely in Europe. Intelligence does not. Because Europe, when it
comes to the intelligence establishments to law enforcement, is highly fractured. You know, there's a lot of vanity going on.
[15:40:12] Even within the country of Germany, you would have many different organizations that do not share freely what intelligence they
have. And across European borders, it's even worse. There is no framework, there is no database. You know, the infrastructure that you
need to share intelligence as well as the mentality to share is just not in play.
So this is something that, you know, needs to change rapidly. And Germans are demanding it change it rapidly because, otherwise, we're going to see
more like we've seen here at the Berlin Christmas market, unfortunately, a few days ago.
NEWTON: Yes, and that's such an important insight, as you said, as these authorities try and learn what they can, unfortunately, from these attacks.
I mean, going forward now, what do you think is the attitude of Germans? I mean, they seem incredibly resilient. We've been talking about their
courage today, and yet do they feel as if something in their society has to change or something in politics has to change? Because the two are quite
different.
REICHELT: You know, I believe when this moves on from the kind of resilient, grieving phase to the phase of asking questions, people will
demand that, at least, the laws and regulations we have here in Germany will be implemented properly because everything that has happened here
could have been prevented. Not for new laws, not for tougher laws or stricter laws. It could have been prevented if the laws that exist would
have been executed and implemented properly.
The person who committed this, the suspect who committed this terrorist attack, was not supposed to be in Germany given that there was a
deportation order against him. He was supposed to be back in his home country, Tunisia. That order was not executed. He was under surveillance
because authorities knew that he was a person of the highest threat level. That surveillance then was dropped and he disappeared off of the radar.
You know, the laws are in place. They are just not being executed properly, and that certainly is something that, you know, Germans will
demand in the upcoming political debate because 12 people paid with their lives here for lack of implementing those laws and regulations.
NEWTON: Yes, and people are suffering, unfortunately suffering still right now, those that have been injured. And as you said, people will say deport
him, detain him, do what you can with the laws on the books.
Before I let you go, Julian, can I ask you in terms of what you know from inside this investigation right now? We were just discussing with our
reporter on the ground, Erin, saying that raids continue. You know, Angela Merkel didn't seem that confident today to be able to say, you know. She
said, "I hope that we catch him."
REICHELT: Well, you know, she said something that even sounded more horrible to me. She said that she's confident that, you know, we will
continue living our free lives. Of course, we will continue living our free lives but, you know, that is not something that is in question now.
In question is, are we going to catch this guy?
And if I listen to my reporters on the ground, if I look at details, the high ransom that is out there, you know, the frantic raids that are going
on, this Europe-wide manhunt, it doesn't seem to me and we don't have any indication that investigators have real leads on where the suspect is. And
we know for sure that he had an advance of 18 to 24 hours to leave the city. And 18 to 24 hours in the Europe with open borders will literally
take you, you know, all of the way to Turkey. And from there, you can cross into Syria.
He could be in any place hiding. You know, you could be in Berlin, you could be anywhere, and it doesn't really seem there is any real lead on
him. And that's why the Chancellor, rightfully, doesn't seem very confident when she's talking about this investigation. I think this is
also something that will trigger a major political debate about how we respond to an ongoing terrorist attack to make sure that we do everything
to catch someone who is still in the vicinity after carrying out such an attack.
NEWTON: All right. Julian, well, you've given us a lot to think of there, to ponder over. Julian, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
This is THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Donald Trump's new world order, how his administration could change American foreign policy. You might be
surprised. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:34] NEWTON: The inauguration of Donald Trump is now less than a month away and the U.S. President-elect is already shaking up foreign
policy. Now, the relationship between the U.S. and Russia is expected, of course, to change radically with Trump in the White House.
Just today, the President-elect suggested he wanted to boost the nation's nuclear capability now, hours after Mr. Putin called for enhancing his
country's nuclear program. Trump's transition team, though, has since tried to issue a statement to clarify the President-elect's position,
saying Trump was, quote, "Referring to the threat of nuclear proliferation and the critical need to prevent it."
Geez. I'm going to say, come again? Because, clearly, the geopolitical shake up is only just beginning. I want to bring in David Rohde, CNN's
global affairs analyst and the national security investigations editor for Reuters.
Gee, David, they had to clarify. What a surprise. Now, I just want to point out that, earlier in the campaign, actually, nuclear proliferation
was something that Donald Trump, specifically in Asia, said might actually help things.
DAVID ROHDE, NATIONAL SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS EDITOR, THOMSON REUTERS: Yes. And, look, let's be fair to Trump here. Maybe this unpredictable
approach will help him. There was a criticism with the Obama administration, it was very cautious. That it would telegraph in Syria,
let's say, that it would not use force. It was not going to intervene in any way, shape, or form, and some people say that was a mistake.
But, yes, you could argue that Trump's kind of this other extreme. This tweet today about the nuclear arsenal, I'm not sure what it means, you
know, to be honest with you. And you've got, you know, this tit for tat with Putin. A couple of weeks ago, you had this debate other Taiwan and
China. And when he's President, these tweets will take on, you know, much more significance.
NEWTON: Absolutely, they will, and we believe that he probably still will continue to tweet. But, David, when you look at the implications of what
he is saying and how we translate that into action, you know, we've just done 45 minutes and change now of world news. You know. if we go through
some of the issues at hand now and if we were President, I mean, the first thing is the United States is completely not involved in what went on in
Aleppo, and apparently not involved now in brokering any kind of peace in Syria.
Would Trump, for instance, be comfortable with that? He has said that, if it's not our business, why not let other people handle it?
ROHDE: You do get that sense from Trump, and there is a strong desire among many Americans to not be overcommitted around the world. So a sort
of negative scenario is this belief that once Trump becomes President, the U.S. will draw back. There'll essentially be a Russian sphere dominating
kind of eastern Europe and down into Syria. There could be a Chinese fear where China will sort of dominate much of East Asia.
Many American allies are nervous about this. It's not clear what Trump's going to do because, on the other hand, he's very aggressive with China as
we saw a couple weeks ago. And then today, he's, you know, rattling his dissever about a nuclear, you know, arsenal similar to Russia.
So, again, I'm just being honest with you, I don't know. The unpredictability may work; it could be a disaster. I certainly don't know
and I'm not prepared to predict anything yet.
NEWTON: And it's interesting that the middle scenario never comes up, that it'll have some kind of benign effect. Unfortunately, none of us are
convinced of that. It's either going to go one way or the other.
I want to ask you, though, about a key group in Washington right now who is most interesting here and that is Republicans. And let's just take John
McCain as a for instance. I mean, a hawk on Russia and people who believe in American exceptionalism, who are going to be looking at these fears that
you just alluded and saying, that is not the American foreign policy that I have fought for in Washington for decades.
ROHDE: And so maybe that is the middle ground. We've seen this come out in terms of the intelligence assessment that Russia, you know, intervened
in the election, not just to undermine it but to aid Trump. McCain has come out on this. Senator Graham has come out, calling for an independent
investigation. That's not what the Trump, you know, administration elect wants at this point.
So they'll be critical players. They could act as a stabilizing force. Trump maybe betting on them as a stabilizing force. And he can sort of
make these, you know, unpredictable claims, but Congressional Republicans will sort of stick to the commitments to NATO, the commitments to allies in
Asia. But it's unnerving. It's unnerving to these countries across the world and it's a huge question mark as, you know, we approach this
administration.
[15:50:03] NEWTON: OK. On the optimistic end of things, but it can work. Let's shake up the world a little bit and see if policies haven't been
working so far with the good work going ahead. I mean, explain what this whole issue of the mad men policy is and just how, you know, being
unpredictable can actually work to Trump and America's favor.
ROHDE: So one of the intelligence briefings that Trump has asked for -- and he hasn't, you know, as has been reported, hasn't been getting the
briefings every day -- was for North Korea. So does he, you know, put sort of a sense of doubt, you know, in the Kim regime there that, essentially,
he might be more aggressive in terms of dealing with North Korea which is moving towards a nuclear weapon that could potentially place on a missile,
you know, that could reach Japan obviously but even, arguably, you know, the United States?
So that's the question is, does an unpredictable Trump, the sense that he could use force, you know, lead smaller countries to sort of think twice
about taking military gambles of their own? Again, the last year or so, the Obama administration, a real sense he was not going to act, and some
people feel that Iran and Russia sort of took advantage of that in Syria.
NEWTON: And yet, the quandary that, of course, you know, isn't so comforting for people around the world. You know, if we go back to the
Reagan era, thought, and so much really on foreign policy achieved, I mean, do you think his administration and the people around him, that cluster of
security people around him, are looking to that as an example?
ROHDE: They could. Yes, they certainly do. Ronald Reagan is a huge inspiration to the Republican Party and many of his advisers. There was
peace through strength under Ronald Reagan, but it was a very steady peace through strength. We didn't have Ronald Reagan using, you know, this kind
of charges and this kind of rhetoric. There was no Twitter.
So it's unclear. You need to have clear policies. There are people in the administration, you know, who are more aggressive. The national secure
advisor, Mr. Flynn, you know, is very anti-Iran and people fear he would, you know, be eager to use force. Mattis, the new Defense Secretary is seen
as more cautious about the use of force. We don't know, you know, which of these advisors will prove dominant until we get further into this new
administration.
NEWTON: And also interesting that some of the principles, apparently, that are going to be at work is what's in that book, "The Art of the Deal" and
the unpredictability factor and even conflict within your team, Donald Trump believes, is all good.
Our David Rohde, thank you for parsing this with us as we will continue to do in the weeks to come. Appreciate it.
ROHDE: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, just in to CNN, we do have new video. It is from Berlin. It shows the truck used in Monday's Christmas market attack careening down the
road. This happens to be a dash cam. Careens down the road and that later, people, as you can see, rushing across the street away from the
market.
Now, the clip, this camera segment, came from a taxi dashboard camera. And you can see quite clearly there, within the Christmas lights, the fact that
people are now rushing away from the scene.
This has been part of the problem, as we were just talking about. There is a lack of video, a lack of surveillance, and not giving authorities a lot
to go on. This is really one of the only instances caught on camera of that truck careening into that Christmas market.
You are watching THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. And we will have much more for you here on CNN. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: And we could use a breath ourselves during this show, and so we take you to Los Angeles for this week's edition of "AROUND THE WORLD." The
city has more to offer visitors than just Hollywood glitz and theme park fun. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[15:54:57] ANDREE VERMEULEN, ACTRESS: Hey, I'm Andree Vermeulen, comedian and actress, and I'm about to show you some of my must-see spots in L.A.
So welcome to Amir's Garden, an oasis in the middle of the city. So in 1971, a massive brush fire kind of wiped out all of the trees, the
vegetation, and Amir decided to plant this garden oasis by hand.
We're here at Crossroads, one of my favorite restaurants. It is L.A.'s premier hot spot for gourmet plant-based cuisine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Signature dish are artichoke oysters. And this is our take on a carbonara. The egg is made out of a yellow tomato bearnaise
sauce.
VERMEULEN: Welcome to beautiful Malibu Pier, such an amazing place just a little over 25 miles from downtown L.A. You can fish, you can surf, you
can paddle board, and you can enjoy two farm to table restaurants all here on the pier with a little gift shop at the end.
This a perfect way to end a wonderful day, looking out at the ocean, sipping a fresh-squeezed juice. I mean, come on.
I hope you enjoyed this trip with me through L.A. I hope to see you here soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Oh, a nice breather to end the show. I'm Paula Newton here in New York. Thanks for joining us. I leave you in the good hands now of Richard
Quest and "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
