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Hala Gorani Tonight
Friend: Bomber's Father Took Sons To Libya; Libyan Militia: Suspect's Brother Admits ISIS Link; U.K. Military Deployed On Streets Of London; British Home Secretary Condemns Apparent U.S. Leaks; New Twists in Trump/Russia Investigation; Mosque Holds Moment of Silence For Victims; Missing Manchester Girl Among the Victims. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired May 24, 2017 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:49]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good evening from Manchester. Shock is giving way to grief on this day, but also solidarity across the
city. We are continuing our coverage of Monday night's horrific terror attack. This is what we've know right now.
New details are emerging about the suspected bomber. British officials say he is a 22 years old, name, Salman Abedi and he spent three weeks in Libya
before the attack according to U.S. sources who have spoken to CNN.
A family friend is telling CNN that his father took Salman and his brother there because they were getting in trouble in England. Meanwhile a militia
there said they've detained his brother. They claim that Hashim Abedi was plotting a terrorist attack in Tripoli.
Back here in the U.K., five people have been arrested in connection also with the assault on Monday night and let us not forget the victims as well.
Twenty two people have been killed, including children as young as eight.
We are learning who they are. More than 60 people are being treated for injuries, some as young as 16. At least 20 of them are fighting for their
lives.
Senior international correspondent, Clarissa Ward, joins me for. First, Clarissa, very interesting this information coming out of Libya that the
father says he actually confiscated the passports of his two sons because they were getting in trouble in England. One of them obviously made his
way back.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. As the father literally, well, this is coming to CNN by a family friend, he
was so concerned about his sons because they kept getting in trouble here in Manchester.
Reported they were involved some kind of gang activity. One of their friends have been killed by a gang. They were trying to get revenge for
that killing. The father makes a decision to move them both to Libya, takes their passports.
And then Salman, the bomber, at a certain point decides that he is going to lie to his father, tell him that he is going to perform the Umra (ph)
pilgrimage in Mecca and is able to get his passport back.
What has he do? He comes back to the United Kingdom, three days later, of course, this terrible attack in the Manchester arena.
GORANI: And the militia in Libya close to the Interior Ministry speaking, this is reporting from our Jomana Karadsheh said, that the brother under
interrogation admitted being a member of ISIS and admitted also having spent time in Manchester when this attack on the arena was being planned.
WARD: That's right. I mean, this plot just keeps unfolding in ways that you can't imagine. So this Libyan militia, the deterrent force, is saying
now that they arrested the brother, Hasham (ph), that under investigation or interrogation as you said that he admitted that he and Salman were both
members of ISIS.
And that he also said he had been here while the plot was being choreographed, while it was being coordinated, that he was aware of the
plot. He only in fact went back to Libya on April 16th. Again, this all according to this militia. We can't independently confirm it.
He is still under arrest in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, with this militia presumably U.K. officials will be wanting to talk to Libyan
officials to get a better sense of the key issue really, which is who made the bomb.
GORANI: Yes, and -- sorry --
WARD: Did he learned to make the bomb in Libya or did he learned to make it here on his own?
GORANI: And that is a crucial question and we are hearing from U.K. officials including the Home secretary here saying they are working under
the assumption this is a much wider network. We are not talking the Westminster bridge attacker for instance, where it's suspected he acted
alone. He was maybe radicalized online and with a knife and a car carried a horrific attack. Here there is a lot more sophistication involve
including in the making of the bomb itself.
WARD: That's right. And they are going to be going through looking forensically every detail of that bomb, but this was a powerful blast. It
killed 22 people. This is not something that most people will be able to make in their mother's kitchen, so to speak. So they want to try to
ascertain who the bombmaker was? Are they here in the United Kingdom? Are other plots (inaudible)? Does this trace back to ISIS in Libya?
There is also the possibility we are learning from the French Foreign Ministry that he spent time in Syria. A lot of details coming in, the
pictures still a little bit murky -- Hala.
GORANI: All right, and certainly we are seeing a wider international connection which much have investigators and counterterrorism agencies here
quite worried right because I mean we have gone from thinking here you go, this could be an isolated case to a transnational situation.
WARD: It's a terrible situation that we live in the times where a lone wolf is your best case scenario, where a lone wolf at least is using
weapons that are improvised.
[15:05:06]They are radicalize online often. They are not part of larger networks. This appears to be more in the vein of the types of attacks that
we saw in Brussels and Paris, of course, that is a much bigger source of concern to law enforcement officials.
And that's why we are seeing this terror threat elevated to critical the first time in a decade, Hala, that it has been this high.
GORANI: Clarissa Ward, thanks very much following the story for us on CNN. For the first time in a decade as Clarissa was mentioning there, the threat
level in this country was elevated to, quote, "critical." Our Fred Pleitgen has that side of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.K. on the highest terror alert after the government here said another
attack maybe imminent. At the same time, the investigation is in full swing. British authorities expressing anger at the U.S. after American
security sources leaked the name of the attacker to the press.
AMBER RUDD, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: The British police have been very clear that they want to control the flow of information in order to protect
operational integrity, the element of surprise. So it is irritating if it gets released from other sources and I have been very clear with our
friends that that should not happen again.
PLEITGEN: The U.S. already under scrutiny after reports that President Trump shared top-secret information from Israel with Russian officials.
Now another key U.S. ally apparently blindsided.
Although Britain's Home secretary says the leak did not hamper the investigation, analysts say it may have caused authorities the element of
surprise.
PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Everything in those (inaudible) situations and if others in the network know the drag net is coming down on
them, there is a possibility that they may try evade capture, may try to even launch attacks.
PLEITGEN: Meanwhile, Britain is beefing up security deploying its military to the streets.
(on camera): The British government says its armed forces, Including the elite SAS will guard key locations to free up the Police for additional
patrols.
(voice-over): All part of an emergency contingency plan called "Temperer."
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We will take every measure available to us and provides every additional resource we can to the police and to
the security services as they work to protect the public.
PLEITGEN: Britain is the nation in mourning, but also a nation on high alert, scrambling to find possible accomplices of the Manchester suicide
bomber while assuring the public that they are safe. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, down in London we are seeing extraordinary scenes. You saw some of them in Fred Pleitgen's piece there, heavily armed soldiers on
patrol in part of the capital and as we mentioned that threat level across the country raised to critical.
Our Richard Quest joins us now from outside parliament. Tell us a little bit more about why the government thought it was necessary to raise the
threat level because this is not -- you know, they don't take this lightly telling their countrymen and women that an attack is potentially imminent,
Richard.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS": Yes, I think you have to put this in context by raising the threat level to critical, they are
not necessary saying they know of a plan or indeed that there would be another audacious plan, such as we've just seen
Now instead what they are really saying is also (inaudible) is borne out by what we heard from the Greater Manchester Police that they believe there is
an active cell or that there is network that is underway in the United Kingdom and it's active at the moment.
And the mere search, the police activity, the investigation, the extensive nature could cause that cell to either create another incident. We saw
that in Paris, if you remember. After the first incident and then the second, and then as the network closed in, the authorities closed in on the
cell and some escaped after Brussels.
So we saw more activity and I think that is what the police are saying by raising it to critical that they believe there is an active, vibrant cell
underway in the United Kingdom and that creates a threat even if they have not got a specific plan at the moment.
GORANI: Yes, and let's not forget, I mean, there is an election that is taking place, an early snap election on June 8th. Candidates agreed to
suspend their campaigns the day after the attack. How is this likely to have a political impact on the situation in the U.K.?
QUEST: I didn't (inaudible) and we don't really know. I suspect it will was just going by normal tradition. You would expect the conservatives
already at least 10 points ahead in the polls. Much more of a law and order, must seem to be much tougher on crime and terrorism.
One might expect that the ruling Conservative Party and Therese May to be the beneficiary of that if such there be.
[15:10:06]Now one other point, Hala, the military, the armed soldiers that we are seeing on the streets of London, seeing in the pictures now, let's
be clear about what their role is, they are taking over many of guarding duties of buildings like this, the Palace of Westminster, so that the armed
police that are currently engaged in guarding can be released for normal policing duties on the streets.
It is not envisaged that the military will be patrolling the streets of Britain. We saw that at Heathrow Airport some years ago during the
(inaudible) where the military were deployed to the airport. It is not envisaged to have a full-scale military activity on the streets.
That indeed if were to happen would cause the most -- it would cause an outrage and indeed would certainly raise the threat levels.
GORANI: Right, certainly. And it's something we've seen in France for instance, where there are very visible military patrols in major cities.
Thanks very much, Richard. We'll see you a little bit later on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS."
Now one of the interesting aspects of this story is that the name of the suspected attacker didn't come to us from British officials. In fact, it
was leaked by U.S. security sources and it turns out British authorities are highly irritated by this to say the least.
Our global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott, is on this story tonight from Washington. So first, obviously, why did U.S. security sources leaked
this name that that they had before British authorities could confirmed it?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hala, I think this is really common and you saw similar situations in the terrorist attacks in
Paris and Brussels that U.S. investigators, law enforcement sources that are working with their European counterparts.
They want to show that there in the know and that they are working to help try and solve the case and they do talk to CNN and other reporters here in
the U.S. and I think not only is it irritating in the sense that the British want to be in front of their own investigation.
But what the British Home Secretary Amber Russ said is that this could thwart the investigation because this eliminates the element of surprise
and you know, the British want to be able to say it when they know that that this is not compromising the investigation.
So it is certainly not a new issue. Usually these type of things come out from the U.S. before they come out from the home country that is leading
the investigation.
GORANI: Yes, in fact, interestingly, the name was confirmed then by the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, but not by the coroner so
that was -- he'd felt like he was backed into a corner and have to confirm the name once it was out.
But I guess, how angry, how -- what was the reaction officially? Has there been any kind of back channel reaction from the U.K. directed at the U.S.
as a result of this?
LABOTT: I think it's more agency to agency that you know the British counterterrorism agencies and also maybe, you know, the chief of police and
such are talking to their counterparts here in the U.S. and say listen, you know, we appreciate your help on the investigation. Let us not get out in
front.
Obviously, the relationship between the U.S. and the U.K., particularly on intelligence sharing, you know, U.S. helping out so critically that I think
that it is more of, you know, discussion between agencies. It's certainly not going to affect the intelligence sharing relationship in any way.
But I think that they certainly gave a pointed message to the U.S. that said, look, this is our investigation, we want to be the lead on saying you
know what we know when the time is right and that it will not compromise the integrity of the investigation.
GORANI: And what is actually -- are we seeing more leaks in this administration and the intelligence agencies operating under this
administration or is it just an impression? Because it seems like we are seeing more of them.
LABOTT: Well, it depends what you are talking about in terms of leaks, OK. So you know you have these -- the Paris attacks, the Brussels attack, all
these terrorism attacks around the world, you know, it's a pretty constant situation where law enforcement, intelligence officials are talking to
reporters.
That is one thing. You have been this other idea of leaks coming from the White House about President Trump or his discussions with world leaders or
what is going on in terms of any investigations regarding Russian meddling in the election where possible Trump campaign involvement.
I think we are seeing more of those type of leaks, but I mean, you know, leaks are obviously important fact of life and reporters look to try and
you know get to the public information about the various investigations.
But certainly we do not want to compromise any type of investigations. There is a feeling I think that more leaks are happening more than before.
[15:15:02]But I think that is because it is being tied to President Trump and all these investigations that are going on the White House, about the
White House as opposed to, you know, leaks in general, which, you know, we reporters kind of look to, to a lot of these are anonymous sources.
GORANI: Elise Labott, thanks very much joining us from Washington.
Still ahead, touching moments of unity, Manchester residents of all faiths pay tribute to the victims and we asked a local community leader what can
be done going forward to keep the city together and maybe prevent some of these attacks. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: We are getting some revealing new information from Libya about the bomber's alleged link to ISIS. Salman Abedi's brother, Hashim, now a
militia working alongside the Libyan Interior Ministry detained him Tuesday in Tripoli.
The militia says Hashim Abedi was in Manchester as recently as last month and was aware of plans to attack the concert. The militia also said under
interrogation, he admitted he and Salman were members of ISIS and that Hashim was plotting an attack in Tripoli.
Now this is all information coming to us from this militia and it's our own Jomana Karadsheh who's covered Libya extensively who is on the phone with
me from Jordan now. So Jomana, break it down for us once again. So the militia is saying they are holding this Hashim Abedi, the brother of
Salman, what are they saying he is telling the?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Hala, this is the special deterrent force in Tripoli. This is (inaudible) most powerful
armed groups that nominally under the Interior Ministry in Tripoli.
And a couple of hours ago, they released a statement saying that they detained Hashim Abedi, the younger brother of the Manchester attacker,
Salman Abedi. They say they arrested him on Tuesday evening.
They claimed that he had been under surveillance for more than a month and that he was plotting and planning to carry out an attack in the Libyan
capital and based on this information that their investigators after this surveillance took place, they basically detained him over that.
Now they say that he was detained and he was receiving a money transfer from his brother, Salman, that has been sent to him and they claimed that
he admitted to being a member of ISIS along with his brother, Salman.
And that they say that he was in the United Kingdom during the planning phase for the Manchester attack and that he knew details of this attack and
that he arrived in Libya in April.
Now Hala, of course, this is a statement either the claims that we are hearing from the deterrent force in Tripoli, which we cannot verify
ourselves.
[15:20:03]GORANI: And a quick follow-up on the father because I understand from your reporting as well that the father was so worried about the two
boys that he flew them to Libya and confiscated their passports. Is that what you're hearing?
KARADSHEH: This is what we are hearing from Tripoli from a family friend who met with Salman Abedi's father, Ramadan Abedi, who says that he met the
father yesterday after this news broke. He said that the father was in shock. He was shaking when he heard this news.
And according to this family friend, he said that that the father was been in Libya for a years since the revolution flew back to the United Kingdom
and he brought his two sons, Salman and Hashim to Libya because he was concerned that they were getting into trouble, he says.
And that they were causing problems and he wanted to keep them in Libya and that the family confiscated their passports, but according to the family
friend, his father told him that Salman told his family that he was going to go to on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, asked for his passport and left
Libya, back to the United Kingdom, which seemed now and according to this family friend, it was three days later that he carried out that attack in
Manchester -- Hala.
GORANI: Yes. Thank you, Jomana Karadsheh reporting from Jordan, reporting on what a militia associated with the government told her about the brother
of this suspected attacker.
Let me bring, Furqan Naeem, a community organizer for Manchester Citizens who's been able to speak with people in the community about their reactions
to what happened. So first of all, what is exactly a community organizer?
FURQAN NAEEM, COMMUNITY ORGANISER, MANCHESTER CITIZENS: Yes, my role as a community organizer is working for Citizens U.K., which is the home of
(inaudible) community organizing here in the U.K. It brings together mosques, churches, synagogues, schools, colleges, trade unions, all these
community institutions.
And ultimately you bring them together to work on issues that they all care about so that they are all common. So for example, we work together on
social care, hate crime and all these issues, but the common thing is that they all work together.
GORANI: So I'm sure people are concerned that one of their own turned on his fellow countrymen and women and (inaudible) ordinary people, children,
what are they saying to you about this?
NAEEM: This one have (inaudible). You see here people are still coming out in the droves. I think this city at the moment is still mourning.
They are getting used to what has happened because this city -- it has a backbone.
(Inaudible) lived here all my life for 30 years. There is a backbone. There is a resilience of people coming together, always standing, but
they've never seen anything like this ever before in the North England.
This is a major terrorist attack and I think now is a time for people really to come together and to show that unity that is always shown, and
the strength and the resilience of Manchurians.
GORANI: And by the way, there are -- I don't know exactly whether it's a mosque or a Muslim community, but we might show our viewers the diversity
of the crowd here because it's all safe, you know, of men, women, children, elderly people --
NAEEM: What you see here is the makeup of Manchester. People coming from all background, whether religious or regardless of sexual orientation.
People are coming together to say we are one, we are united. We are Manchester. That's what makes this city so special.
GORANI: You have some people who said, well, this man is a Muslim. He uses Islam, perverts this message to commit these attacks. How do you
respond to people who say Muslims just are not policing themselves? That accusation we hear every time an attack happens.
NAEEM: We hear a lot and it's unfortunate that one man can hijack the whole religion of Islam, but I think now is the time to build trust between
the authorities. I think the Muslim community here in the U.K., in Manchester need to know and need to feel that the security services here,
the police, that all they are trying to do is protect our country, the citizens of this country, which includes every single one of us.
And I think from both sides, we need to come together to build that trust to root up these people because this person, he was homegrown. He was born
in Manchester, lived here all his life. Something happened along the way and I don't think it was necessary the mosque or the community centers
because these are places of worship for people who want to go --
GORANI: What do you think it is?
NAEEM: For me, I think, you know, there is a huge problem we have right now where the dark space is online. You know, people can act one way on
the street. They might come across us and say nice, but behind closed doors you don't know what they are like. And I think that's where the real
radicalization takes place online and it's very hard to detect.
GORANI: Yes. In fact, some of the extremists who've carried out these attacks that I've reported on over the years, they stopped going to the
mosques towards the end when their planning are on the verge of perpetrating it because they don't find that mosque reflects sometimes
their extreme views.
NAEEM: Well, there is a report that suggested that this young man, this evil monster, once when he heard an anti-ISIS speech and he frowned and he
walked away from the mosque.
[15:25:10]So you know, things like that, but ultimately the mosque has a responsibility has been very open and welcoming for people, but now it's a
time for communities to come together to stand up and show the resilience.
GORANI: Luckily, you say the mosque has a responsibility. What is that responsibility?
NAEEM: I think the mosque I think may give a clear message today saying that if any young person, if anyone out there has any information, you need
to speak straight to the authorities. I think that's the clear message that needs to come out that we condemn this in the fullest forms. We will
not allow anyone to tarnish our community center, our mosques.
But I think the message needs to come from people. It needs to come within the Muslim community, they have to take a stand. We have to take a stand.
But what you see here today, I think, just want to end on this is that people are all here together. We are standing as one and we are united.
GORANI: In fact, you want to end on it. I want to end on it this segment as well. There you go. I just want to show that it's all sorts of people
here and it's really a lovely scene and everybody has come out. There are candles. There are flowers. We stand together, teddy bears, all sorts of
things there, honoring those passed and also remembering those who are very badly injured as well.
Furqan Naeem, thanks so much for joining us on CNN. Still to come on the program, we'll go to one of the hospitals where Manchester attack victims
are being treated for an update on their condition and the search for the missing.
Plus, counterterrorism officials are trying to figure out who built the bomb used in the attack. Was it someone other than the bomber? An
important question. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Back to our special coverage of the Manchester terror attack. We want to focus on the victims now. The 22 people who were killed and the
dozens who were wounded in the suicide bombing.
Seven of the fatalities have now been named, including Michelle Kiss from Lancashire, England. Her family describes her as a loving wife and mother
of three, a daughter and a sister.
Nel (ph) Jones was also killed. She was just a teenager, a student from Terser. One of her teachers says she was popular and always smiling as she
is in this photo.
Let's get more now on the victims and those who were wounded and the search for missing now. Our Muhammad Lila is at a Manchester hospital where many
people hurt in the attack are being treated.
Muhammad, what are officials telling you about the injuries that they are having to treat and the badly wounded victims?
[15:30:05]
MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, we know that there are nine patients being treated in the hospital behind me. Just down the road,
there's a children's hospital and 12 patients are being treated there.
Just about the only good news today, Hala, is that the death toll has not gone up. It's still seating at 22 people dead. But, of course, on the bad
side, we know that the number of injured has gone up. Sixty-four people now reported injured compared to 59 yesterday.
The hospital staff came out to describe some of the immediate aftermath in those first few critical hours after the attack took place and the
commotion and the chaos that was going on inside the hospital. And they pointed out something very interesting.
One of the lead doctors who was in charge of the floor came out and said that in that immediate aftermath, there was a situation that he'd never
come across. And that situation was that they had children who were brought to the hospital and they had no idea who these children were.
They knew that they were suffering from very serious injuries, but they didn't know the children's names. They didn't know their parents. They
didn't know how to contact them.
And when the question was asked, well, what do you do in a situation like that? The doctor didn't hesitate and he said, we do what doctors do and we
treat them. And so that was a bit of unique case. Of course, there are doctors still now treating a number of the victims.
And just a small little postscript, you mentioned that name of Nell Jones. Well, unfortunately, we know that her parents, the night of the attack,
they couldn't reach her. And they tried frantically calling her phone, nobody answered. They drove themselves to Manchester where they put out
all sorts of appeals on social media, saying please help find our daughter because she's missing.
Well, they got the news that every parent dreads today where they found out their daughter, in fact, was no longer missing, but she was one of those 22
people who were killed, Hala.
GORANI: It's just heart breaking. Heart breaking. Thank you so much, Muhammad Lila.
Now, as the people of Manchester mourn, police are trying to find out if there is a connection to any wider terrorist network. And it appears more
and more as though that's the assumption they're operating under. Atika Shubert is following the investigation.
And, Atika, I know that, all day, you've been following raids and leads that police have been following in this city to try to figure out where
this network is that could be behind this and to quickly shut it down.
All right. We lost Atika Shubert's connection there. We'll get back to her once we're able to get that connection back up.
But just to give you a sense of what I was going to discuss with Atika, we heard from the highest levels of government in this country, Amber Rudd,
the Home Secretary, that there is the real possibility this is a wider network, that it's not just that one bomber. And so, as a result, they've
raised the alert level in this country to critical, which means that, potentially, an attack is imminent.
Peter Neumann, director of the International Study for the -- Center, I should say, for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence joins me
now. He is in Vienna, Austria this evening.
So, Peter, give me your reaction to the news that we're hearing that, according to our reporter who's spoken to sources in Libya, that the bomber
in this case had spent potentially several weeks there and that his brother has just been arrested for planning an attack of his own in Tripoli. What
do you make of that?
PETER NEUMANN, DIRECTOR, THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF RADICALISATION AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE: It's interesting. And in a way,
it's surprising because we've been very focused on Syria and Iraq when it comes to the travel of so-called foreign fighters, the training of
terrorists. But, of course, and the background of that has always been Libya.
Libya is outside of Syria and Iraq, is the largest stronghold of Islamic State. And even though it's been on the defensive in Libya as well, we
know that up to 3,000 foreign fighters -- compared to the 30,000 that have gone through Syria, 3,000 have gone to Libya. So this has been a
destination for foreign fighters as well. This has been a base for ISIS and this has been a place where people were able to acquire knowledge and
training.
GORANI: And how concerned should authorities and counter terrorism agencies in this country be that there is a wider sort of network group of
people behind the arena attack here?
NEUMANN: I think they need to be concerned because we know that this bomb was a very powerful device. It had a very sophisticated battery, for
example. It probably wasn't produced by the bomber himself.
So there is someone who is capable, probably someone within U.K., of producing very sophisticated devices who may still be at large. There are
people on the run who may still have objectives in terms of committing other atrocities. And so that's why it's so important to find this people
and find them quickly.
[15:35:03] GORANI: And we're hearing, by the way, that there are military personnel deployed. There's an availability of almost 4,000. I think just
under 1,000 are. But also, extra police across the country.
How much of an impact could this potentially have on the current alert level of critical, do you think? This extra manpower there to try to
police and protect.
NEUMANN: I think it is, hopefully, only going to be a temporary solution. It is going to relieve the police from guards' duties, for example. It
makes it possible for more police officers to be deployed towards hunting down that particular network.
But it is, of course, true, when you deploy soldiers, they also become targets. We've seen that in France and in Belgium where soldiers are being
deployed on the street and where there have been several attacks and attempted attacks on precisely those soldiers.
There are also unclear questions about what kind of rules they have to follow and whether soldiers feel comfortable operating according to police
rules, which they have to do. So this is not a good situation and I hope it's not going to last forever.
GORANI: All right. And just one last question on authorities here. And I should say U.S. officials, U.S. sources, are telling CNN that this
individual, Salman Abedi, may have spent three weeks in Libya, came back on his U.K. passport, even though his father was apparently very concerned
about trouble he might be getting into in the U.K. I mean, they're going to have to go back and ask themselves very seriously why didn't keep a
closer eye on this guy.
NEUMANN: Absolutely. But I do think it is a problem that almost every European security agency faces right now. It's a capacity problem. You
have so many people that are on the radar screen that are considered to be potentially violent extremists that you constantly have to make these
judgement calls -- who's dangerous, who's acutely dangerous, who is less dangerous? And the bigger the numbers are, the more likely it is that
mistakes happen.
GORANI: Peter Neumann, thanks very much, as always. Really appreciate having your expertise and your analysis on CNN.
NEUMANN: Thank you.
GORANI: We can now talk to Atika Shubert. She's following the investigation. And, Atika, I was telling our viewers I've been following
your movements all day because you've been following raid after raid across Manchester. Tell us more about what authorities are saying they found in
these raids, if anything.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean we've been seeing a number of these raids taking place in difficult
parts of the city, but they do seem to follow a very similar pattern.
What we've been seeing here, what residents have told us, is that they heard an explosion. That's the reason why a lot of people actually came
out to see what was going on. They then saw a large number of police going into that building over there, many of them heavily armed with mobile phone
jamming equipment and also body armor.
Now, all of this is what we have been seeing in previous raids, at an apartment in city center earlier today but also in two suburban houses. As
you can see, a lot of the kids are out here, a lot of residents out, just wondering what's going and wanting to see what's happening. And live T.V.
is definitely going to attract them.
But, basically, what police are telling us now is they're keeping us away from the scene. We don't know what's happening inside or what they're
looking for or even if this is directly linked to the investigation. But again, it's following the same pattern we've seen in at least three
different search locations.
GORANI: All right. You had a few disrupters there, but everything is fine. Thanks very much, Atika Shubert, in Manchester with the very latest
on the investigation.
SHUBERT: Thanks, Hala.
GORANI: Well, despite the threat of another terrorist attack, a number of high profile sporting events are expected to go ahead as planned, including
cricket at Headingley, where nearly 20,000 fans are watching England and South Africa face off today. And officials say thousands more are expected
from Manchester's Great City Games on Friday.
Some 90,000 fans are expected Saturday for the F.A. Cup Final at Wembley, 50,000 for the Scottish Cup Final in Glasgow, 88,000 for the Premiership
Rugby Final at Twickenham, and Sunday's Great Manchester Run, Europe's largest 10K race, is expected attract around 25,000 runners.
Our Diana Magnay has more on how these areas are difficult for security. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Panic ripples through the arena after people realized what just happened and run.
The blast in a public area in the foyer of the arena where parents were gathering to take their children home. Whoever was waiting there may not
have had to go through security but would have been well placed to cause maximum damage just as crowds were living.
[15:40:02] At the Paris attacks in November 2015, three suicide bombers detonated their devices outside the Stade de France football stadium after
a routine security check detected explosives on one of them.
In the terror attack at Brussels Airport in March 2016, the bombers were inside the departure's hall, easily accessible without having to go through
any kind of security check.
The Russians have learned that lesson after terror attacks at Russian airports. There are metal detectors in security gates at the entrances to
airports and major railway stations. But they don't necessarily stop people intent on killing. Here in Volgograd in 2013, a suicide bomber
detonating their device at the security barrier at the station entrance.
Wherever the security, there will always be bottlenecks and vulnerabilities.
PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: You can't just remove the fact that people are going to have to queue up to get from unsecured areas to
secured areas. You've got to put those security barriers, those security checks somewhere.
But what security officials are trying to emphasize now is to put those security barriers in places and in such a manner or way you're minimizing
those bottlenecks, and you're protecting areas of a facility and airports, a constant venue where you have the largest concentration of people.
MAGNAY: Already in Manchester, some concert goers questioned whether security at Monday night's concert was adequate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Security wasn't really up to standards as compared to normal concerts. Basically, we went in. We weren't searched at all. It
was just like scan the tickets and that was it. Other friends we've talked to, they had bags, and they weren't checked. It just was quite
lackadaisical.
MAGNAY: Expect enhanced security checks at concert venues in the months to come. But as the recent history of attacks in Europe testify, terrorists
intent on carnage tends to find a way.
Diana Magnay, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. There you have it, the challenge for authorities to keep those places safe. Now, Ariana Grande. That was meant to be the
first of three concerts in the U.K. Instead, the singer returned home today in Florida, visibly shaken from the attack that claimed so many young
lives.
Here's an image we have. She's there, I believe, with her boyfriend. The rest of her tour has been postponed in communities around the world as they
all come to terms with this terrorist attack. There are the first images of the pop star.
Still to come this evening, we'll turn to some other top stories. As Donald Trump covers new ground on his world tour, investigators back home
are demanding new information involving his campaign's contacts with Russia.
And later, the fate and the heartbreaking story of one person lost here in Manchester two nights ago. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:17] GORANI: Welcome back. We are in Manchester right now continuing our breaking news coverage of the arena attack that happened on
Monday. And as you might be able to see behind me, it is still absolutely packed at these makeshift memorials where people have dropped off flowers
and cards.
And we're seeing people really in a reflective mood. And you can really sense that the city is still grieving, so we'll have a lot more on this
story in a moment.
But I do want to turn to some other stories making headlines, including Donald Trump's first face-to-face meeting with Pope Francis. The leader of
the world's Roman Catholics welcomed Mr. Trump to the Vatican today. Mr. Trump was all smiles. Vatican officials say they discussed efforts to
promote world peace. President Trump called the meeting, quote, "fantastic."
He then traveled to Brussels, the latest stop on his first overseas tour. Mr. Trump is gearing up for a high stakes NATO summit tomorrow. The attack
here in Manchester will no doubt be high on the agenda. President Trump is expected to push allies to commit to a greater role in counter terror
operations.
And all of that is going on while there is still a storm of controversy awaiting Mr. Trump when he finally returns home as the investigation into
his campaign's ties to Russia takes even more twists and turns. Now, Deutsche Bank is involved in the probe.
Democrats on a House panel wants the German banking giant to hand over documents involving Mr. Trump. In a letter, they said, "Congress remains
in the dark on whether loans Deutsche Bank made to President Trump were guaranteed by the Russian government or were in any way connected to
Russia. It is critical that you provide the committee with the information."
The news comes just after we heard the most detailed public accounting yet of the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia. Joe Johns has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN BRENNAN, FORMER DIRECTOR, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: I encountered and aware of information intelligence that revealed contacts and
interactions between Russian officials and U.S. persons involved in the Trump campaign.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The former head of the CIA, John Brennan, testifying for the first time he saw
concerning evidence of Russian operatives attempting to recruit Trump aides during the campaign.
BRENNAN: It raised questions in my mind, again, whether or not the Russians were able to gain the cooperation of those individuals.
JOHNS (voice-over): Brennan conceding he did not see any proof of collusion before leaving office.
BRENNAN: It means they're contacts that might have been totally, totally innocent and benign.
JOHNS (voice-over): While stressing there was enough evidence for an investigation.
BRENNAN: I know what the Russians tried to do. They tried to suborn individuals and they tried to get individuals, including U.S. persons, to
act on their behalf, either wittingly or unwittingly. Frequently, individuals who go along a treasonous path do not even realize they're
along that path until it gets to be a bit too late.
JOHNS (voice-over): The White House seizing on Brennan's comments, saying in a statement, "Despite a year of investigation, there is still no
evidence of Russia-Trump campaign collusion."
Meanwhile, the Senate Intelligence Committee, issuing two new subpoenas to businesses owned by President Trump's former national security adviser
Michael Flynn. After Flynn pled the Fifth, refusing to comply with a previous to turn over all documents related to the Russia investigation.
SEN. MARK WARNER (D), VICE CHAIRMAN, U.S. SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE: While we disagree with General Flynn's lawyer's
interpretation of taking the Fifth, it is even more clear that a business does not have a right to take the Fifth.
JOHNS (voice-over): Committee leadership holding open the possibility of holding Flynn in contempt of Congress if he continues to ignore their
requests.
SEN. RICHARD BURR (R), CHAIRMAN, U.S. SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE: If, in fact, there is not a response, we'll seek additional
counsel advice on how to proceed forward. At the end of that option is a contempt charge, and I've said that everything is on the table.
JOHNS (voice-over): The White House now gearing up for a prolonged fight after initially dismissing the Russia probe as a witch hunt. The President
hiring his long-time attorney, Marc Kasowitz, to represent him on matters relating to the investigation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. Joe Johns reporting.
Now, also among the other stories we're following, an explosion at a bus station in Jakarta, Indonesia has killed at least one police officer and
injured five others. Police suspect the blast was a suicide bombing, but there are conflicting reports about the number of attackers. And so far,
no group has claimed responsibility.
There are increasing concerns about this type of thing in Indonesia. Hundreds of Indonesians have travelled to Syria to join ISIS, so it's a
problem they're confronting over there as well.
[15:49:54] You're watching THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Coming up, the latest tribute as Manchester United pauses to honor the victims. Our special
coverage continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Now, at the Manchester Islamic Center, a minute of silence was held for the victims of the attack. A spokesperson there described the
bombing as horrific and said such acts have no place in any religion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAWZI HAFFAR, TRUSTEE, MANCHESTER ISLAMIC CENTER: The horrific atrocity that occurred in Manchester on Monday has shocked us all. It has indeed
shocked us all. This act of cowardice has no place in our religion or any other religion, for that matter.
Some media reports have reported that the bomber worked at the Manchester Islamic Center. So some media reports have reported this. This is not
true. I assure everyone. Listeners, viewers, in the U.K., around the U.K., this bomber has never worked in this center.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Fawzi Haffar of the Manchester Islamic Center saying it's not true, those reports you've heard that the bomber had worked at that
organization.
Now, around the world, cities are showing their support for Manchester, where we're broadcasting from this evening, paying tribute to the innocent
victims of the atrocity. But one tribute tonight is particularly special.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before the game, we're going to observe a moment of silence here to respect the people who lost their lives in Monday night's
terrorist attack in Manchester.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: In a show of solidarity, Manchester United Football Club paused ahead of their biggest match of this season, the Europa League Final in
Stockholm. Players there reflected on the devastating attack that hit their home city.
Man U currently, by the way, is up two-nil against the Dutch team, Ajax. The second half is getting underway. Though in times like this, a football
score seems not to be as important as the lives lost. And the head of the Manch fans told us how they're dealing with the news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD DEAN, MANCHESTER UNITED FAN: They can't fight real men so they have to target innocent civilians, but they won't defeat us. We're best in
the world, Manchester, so we'll just keep fighting.
MARK JONES, MANCHESTER UNITED FAN: And it's been quite a somber and subdued attitude, you know, for everyone. But, you know, you just got to
get on with things. You can't let these celery sticks take your lives and all that.
You just got to get on with things, you know. And all our thoughts with the people in Manchester who have lost someone in their lives. It's
tragedy. It's tragedy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: The parents of one young victim were holding out hope that their missing daughter would be found alive. It happened quite a bit after the
initial attack. People were saying, my daughter is missing. My relative is missing. Please help me find them.
[15:55:01] But, unfortunately, as is often the case in situations like this, it turns out that the person, in fact, didn't make it. CNN's Erin
McLaughlin has that report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like many others at the concert, 15-year-old Olivia Campbell was excited to be there.
CHARLOTTE CAMPBELL-HARDY, MOTHER OF OLIVIA CAMPBELL: It was half past 8:00. She sent this parting text. She said they were amazing. She was
waiting for Ariana to come on, and she was so happy. And she thanked me and said she loved me, and that was the last I heard from her.
MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): When Olivia's mother, Charlotte, last spoke to CNN, she'd hoped her daughter was alive, simply missing. Now, the news the
family feared, Olivia is among the dead, killed by a terrorist bomb at the Manchester Arena.
Her mother confirmed the news on Facebook, writing, "RIP my darling, precious, gorgeous girl Olivia, taken far, far too soon. Mummy loves you
so much."
CAMPBELL-HARDY: Olivia's just a bubbly child, cheeky. As cheeky as anything. If you're feeling down, she'll make you laugh. If she can't
make you laugh, she'll hug you until you're smiling again.
PAUL HODGSON, STEPFATHER OF OLIVIA CAMPBELL: It's not until it happens to you, you dig down and go --
CAMPBELL-HARDY: That's what it feels like.
HODGSON: Now I know how them people felt.
MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): Erin McLaughlin, CNN, Manchester.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Absolutely heartbreaking. It's been a second day of grief but also resilience here in Manchester. People who have been numb with shock
are now starting to ask how this could happen and how it can be prevented. Community leaders, police, and officials are working around the clock to
try to answer those questions.
And in fact, if you see behind me, this is a packed square, St. Anne's, where so many ordinary Mancunians and people who want to pay respect to
those killed have gathered. Just behind me, there was a couple with an RIP sign there with flowers and a card honoring the victims and presenting
their condolences to the families of those who were killed.
And in the end, it is about those innocent victims that this scourge of terrorism has so ruthlessly turned into victims and killed far too early in
the case of one young girl, an eight-year-old.
Well, this has been THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. Thanks for watching. Richard Quest is up next with more news. And I want to leave you with the names
and faces of those lost in the Manchester attack.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
