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EARLY START
Officials Confirm "Jihadi John's" Identity; Losing the Battle Against ISIS Propaganda; DHS Funding Countdown; New Rules to Keep Internet Open
Aired February 27, 2015 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Losing the war against ISIS. A grim assessment from the FBI, as more teenagers leave their homes, believed to be radicalized by the terrorists online.
This morning, brand new information about the man identified as the ISIS executioner, what we now know about the New York men accused of terror plots, the missing Canadian teens on the way to help ISIS, and the new videos ISIS is releasing in Iraq.
Team coverage breaking down our big story starts right now.
Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans. It is Friday, February 27th. It is 4:00 a.m. in the East. John Berman has the morning off.
We are learning much more this morning about the British accented voice of ISIS that the world has come to know as Jihadi John. Beyond that name, that nickname, now confirmed by officials to be Mohammed Emwazi, a birth place in Kuwait, a privileged upbringing in London and prospects of a bright middle class future.
But many questions remained, at the top of that list, why? What radicalized Emwazi? Was it mistreatment by authorities or was he on path to terrorism much earlier?
CNN's Isa Soares standing by live in London with the very latest.
What are we learning this morning, new about this so-called Jihadi John?
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Good morning, Christine.
Well, the first question that many people are asking is, how is it possible he was able to evade authorities here who had been in contact with him more than a dozen times, who had known him for about six years? This is what newspapers here are asking, shocking defense of Jihadi John. This is what this newspaper, if I show you "The Daily Telegraph", MI5 blunders that allow Jihadi John to slip the net.
We know that they met him several times. They questioned him back in 2009 when he went on that supposed safari trip to Tanzania. He was questioned then. He was questioned about, in fact, his thoughts about 7/7, about 9/11, and supposedly, they tried to recruit him.
And this is what CAGE here, the Muslim-led advocacy group, says that really infuriated him, so much questioning time and time again by authorities that really led him to feel marginalized and really pretty seething with anger.
Take a listen to what the advocacy CAGE had to say about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASIM QURESHI, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, CAGE: When are we going to finally learn that when we treat people as if they are outsiders, they will inevitably feel like outsiders and they will look for belonging elsewhere. Our entire national security strategy for the last 13 years has only increased alienation, has only increase people like they don't belong. Why? Because the narrative of injustice has taken root.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: Now according to CAGE, this is one part of the puzzle. This is one of the people we are hearing from. It's a bigger puzzle, of course. We haven't heard from authorities.
But he contacted -- Mohammed Emwazi contacted authorities because he felt harassed, he felt intimidated. They argued, we just heard there, that it was the authorities here that drove him to the path to radicalization.
So, we do not know that, of course. That is one of the comments we are getting here today.
What we are hearing is perhaps when he went to Somalia in 2009, he already had intentions there of going to join -- going through to Somalia to al Shabaab. So, many questions remained. But clearly, a young man and very, very angry with authorities here.
ROMANS: And a picture that is still fuzzy and getting a little bit clearer every single day. Which is one piece of the puzzle I'm sure.
Isa, thank you so much for that.
A dire prognosis in the battle against ISIS this morning. The FBI's top counterterrorism official testifying to lawmakers that America is in his words, quote losing the battle to stop Islamist militants from spreading their violent message online.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL STEINBACH, FBI ASST. DIRECTOR, COUNTERTERRORISM DIVISION: The foreign terrorists now has direct access into the United States like never before. They know they can't travel, so what they're doing is they're putting out a very effective propaganda message through social media, through lots of platforms, saying, hey, if you can't come to Syria, do something in the U.S. or Western countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: U.S. director of national intelligence, James Clapper, was also on Capitol Hill Wednesday, painting an equally grim picture.
CNN's Pamela Brown has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Christine.
With Jihadi John, ISIS high profile recruit now unmasked, this morning, U.S. law enforcement officials say they are focused on the terror group's influence to attract new followers here in the U.S.
And law enforcement officials I have been speaking with have say we are going to keep seeing more ISIS-related cases, until the ISIS propaganda machine is shutdown. The machine that is fueling rapid recruitment in the U.S.
And that was the main topic of discussion among top law enforcement and intelligence officials on the Hill Thursday. In fact, U.S. intelligence chief James Clapper said in testimony on the Hill that you can't shutdown the Internet.
JAMES R. CALPPER, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: The global media attention and widespread support in extremist circles for these attacks probably will inspire others to conduct similar attacks.
BROWN: He also said that 180 Americans have now tried to join the fight in Syria and that some have already returned to U.S. soil. And in regards to the global threat, he said the final accounting is -- once the final accounting is done, 2014 will have been the most lethal year for terrorism and the 45 years such data has been compiled. A very dire picture there -- Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Pamela, thank you so much for that.
The Attorney General Eric Holder sits down with CNN to discuss so- called Jihadi John and this war on ISIS during NEW DAY at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. So come back and tune in for that, please.
In Canada, police fear that six missing teenagers from Quebec have gone to Syria to join ISIS. And we are hearing new information this morning about the three New York men arrested in connection with an ISIS terror plot in this country.
Our Deborah Feyerick has more on that in just about ten minutes.
With only hours left before the Department of Homeland Security runs out of funding, the Senate is set to vote on a funding bill that meets a key Democratic demand, namely a bill that does not also block President Obama's executive actions on immigration. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised a separate vote on immigration. On the House side, the ticking clock has tempers flaring. The number two Democrat, Steny Hoyer is calling House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy a coward for cutting off his microphone mid-debate.
With the latest on the funding countdown, let's bring in White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski -- Michelle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Christine.
We are hours away from the Department of Homeland Security running out of funding, which would mean that essential employees will have to go to work, but not be paid despite their mortgages and bills to pay. Tens of thousands of other employees would be furloughed. This is all over, of course, a political battle.
At this point, the Senate looks like it's poised to vote on what's being called a clean bill that would fund the Department of Homeland Security, but not tie it to simultaneously defunding the president's executive action on immigration.
In the House, there's a lot of Republican opposition to this. And the House Speaker John Boehner had the reaction to the continued barrage of questions on the subject.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE SPEAKER: When they make decisions, I'll let you know.
KOSINSKI: So, it's unclear if the House is even going to take up a vote on this clean bill.
The White House is putting the responsibility squarely on John Boehner's shoulders, saying that this isn't a partisan dispute anymore, it's a party dispute, accusing Republican leadership of falling down on the job and saying, really, the hard work has already been done on deciding the level of funding. The White House urging Republicans, as they put it, take the responsible course now -- Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: All right. Michelle, thank you for that this morning.
The IRS targeting scandal could turn into a criminal matter. The watchdog overseeing the agency confirms the disappearance of former official Lois Lerner's e-mails might involve criminal activity. Congress sequestered those emails from Lerner to determine whether agents targeted Tea Party groups applying for non-profit status. Lawmakers were told the emails were lost in a computer crash. Investigators have now reportedly recovered some of them.
Loretta Lynch now a step closer to become America's next attorney general, replacing Eric Holder. The Senate Judiciary Committee voting 12-8 Thursday to send her nomination to the full Senate for confirmation. If lynch is confirmed, she will become the first African-American woman to serve in that position. Time for an EARLY START on your money this morning. U.S. stock
futures barely moving. Yesterday, stocks mostly fell, but NASDAQ kept climbing. It's now just 12 points below the 5,000 mark. That is a level not seen since the dot-com bubble all the way back in 2000.
Regulators have voted for equal internet. Now prepare for a fight. These new rules known as net neutrality will give equal opportunity for Internet speeds and access for all Web sites. That means network owners like AT&T and Time Warner Cable, they can't slow delivery of certain sites or charge providers for faster access.
This is seen as a huge win for Web sites, Facebook, Twitter and AOL, the list goes on. Netflix called the decision a win for consumers. But Internet service providers like Comcast don't want additional rules, a light touch of regulation from the government, and they warned a legal fight to challenge this is coming.
Happening now, investigators searching for several Canadian teens who may be on their way to join ISIS in Syria. What we are learning this morning right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back.
We are getting new details about the three Brooklyn men arrested for plotting to aid ISIS. Those who knew the two younger men telling "The New York Times" they have become increasingly isolated and enamored with this brutality of ISIS. We are also learning what the FBI is alleging about exactly how the older suspect paid for and organized this effort to send the younger suspect to Syria to join ISIS.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick is tracking that part of the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Christine, we were learning more about the 30-year-old alleged money man, Abror Habibov. He had conversations with the 19-year-old suspect, the one who was picked up as he tried to board a plane to Turkey. According to the FBI, the money man provided $1,300 to the young man and took him to the travel agency to help pay for the ticket to get to Syria to join ISIS. The money man promising him that he would pay his expenses, certainly enough to help him buy a weapon and then send cash if he needed once he got to Syria.
Now, according to the FBI, the money man did reach out to other individuals, asking them to chip in, to help defray the cost of this venture, saying that they should help to provide for the brothers. That's a code word for jihadists or wannabe jihadists.
Now, it's unclear when this money man arrived in the United States. But he was here long enough to open up a string of kiosks up and down the East Coast, at malls in Virginia Beach, Savannah, as well as Philadelphia. He did overstay his visa. About two years ago, he signed up as a part-time student at a technical college here in New York. Unclear whether that was an attempt to stay in the United States legally once his visa had expired. Right now, the FBI looking and following the money trail and tracking down those other individuals -- Christine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Deb Feyerick, thanks for that.
The recruiting arm of ISIS reaching deep into Canada now. Police confirming six people from Quebec, including two women left their country to join ISIS in January. At least three of them attended Maisonneuve College in Montreal. Students there stunned by the news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just makes us think like, what were they thinking?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe some students could have their mind like blown by that and leave the country to go there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: A teacher at the Maisonneuve College who caught in Arabic and Koran studies course has been linked to one of the students who left to join ISIS. The school canceled its contract with that teacher.
Meanwhile, ISIS releasing new video of its fighters destroying priceless artifacts inside a museum in Mosul. We are live on the ground in Iraq in 10 minutes.
Federal prosecutors today resume their questioning of alleged al Qaeda operative Abid Naseer in his New York trial. He is accused of plotting attacks in England and the U.S., including a foiled attempt to attack the New York City subway system. Documents seized during the bin Laden and unveiled at that trial outlined plans for attacks on America's heartland. Naseer telling jurors Thursday, he had no involvement in those activities.
After settling on a pool of 70 prospective jurors, attorneys for accused Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, they're making a last ditch attempt to have this trial postponed. The defense team is claiming that there just aren't enough African-Americans in the jury poll. Opening statements in the death penalty trial are scheduled for Wednesday. Tsarnaev is charged in the marathon bombing that killed 3 people and hundreds more. He faces a death penalty.
At the Aaron Hernandez trial, the younger sister of murder victim Odin Lloyd, she is expected to testify. In court Thursday, prosecutors showed surveillance video of the former NFL star and his friends at a gas station, shortly before Lloyd was killed. They claim the tape links Hernandez to the crime.
No verdict yet in Jodi Arias' sentencing retrial. After deliberating for two days, the Phoenix jury is taking the weekend off and will resume work on Monday. The jury is deciding to sentence her to death or life in prison for killing her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander. She was convicted of murder in 2013, but the jury deadlocked on her punishment.
A Missouri state auditor considered a leading Republican candidate for governor died Thursday in an apparent suicide. Police say 54-year-old Thomas Schweich has shot himself. His death has stunned Missouri elected officials who say he was a brilliant and devoted public servant with an unblemished record. Investigators will conduct an autopsy today.
Scott Walker is emerging as a potential front runner among the Republican candidates for president. The Wisconsin governor is getting the star treatment at the annual CPAC conference, but he did stir up controversy at the conservative gathering when he compared Democratic protesters in his state to radical Islamic terrorists.
Here he is attempting to walk those comments back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: No, there is no comparison between the two. Let me be perfectly clear: I'm just pointing out the closest thing I have to handling a difficult situation. The situation was the 100,000 protesters I had to deal with.
There is no analogy other than the difficult situation if you were in the position to do --
REPORTER: You weren't saying that?
WALKER: No, it's -- again, you all will misconstrue things the way you see fit. But I think it's pretty clear. That is the closest things I have to handling a difficult situation, not that there's a parallel between the two.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Walking back those comments and getting a nice dig at the press, of course.
The controversy started when Walker was asked how he would handle ISIS. He responded, quote, "If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the globe."
Chris Christie also getting a lot of face time at CPAC. The New Jersey governor brushing off claims that he's too much of a hot head to contend for the nomination. He says that his state sometimes, people need to be told to sit down and shut up.
Here is what he said about his likely rival Jeb Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Listen, if what happens is the elites in Washington who make back-room deals decide who the president is going to be, then he's definitely the front runner. If the people of the United States decide to pick the next president of the United States and they want someone who looks them in the eye, connects with them and is one of them, I'll do OK if I run.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Christie says he considers himself passionate, not petulant. Why would he make a -- why would he make a good president? As a soon of a Sicilian mother and an Irish father, he says he learned all about dispute resolution early on.
Bobby Jindal using his time at CPAC to take aim at President Obama. The Louisiana governor insisting Republicans must repeal every aspect of Obamacare, while calling for the deconstruction of Common Core education standards. That's a program he once supported.
Jindal also hammered the GOP leadership for waving the white flag of surrender he says on Obamacare and immigration.
All right. New video showing ISIS militants ransacking a museum, destroying ancient artifacts. We are live after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: The ISIS assault on Assyrian Christian villages in Northeast Syria is expanding. Nearly a dozen villages have been overrun in recent days and a number of hostages has climbed in the hundreds. And now, outrage around the globe as video captured militants vandalizing a museum in Mosul, destroying artifacts that maybe centuries old.
CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman has more for us live in Irbil, Iraq, for us.
Ben, when you talk about -- you know, the murder of civilians and rape of women and taking hostages, it's all so shocking. You know, on a human level, it is more horrific than breaking some old rocks in a museum. But it shows you how ISIS is really trying to tear down the pillars of what has been civilization.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, indeed. I mean, this five-minute video posted on the Internet yesterday really does underscore the depths to which ISIS is willing to go. In addition, of course, to -- we know that as many as 350 of these Assyrian Christians have been kidnapped by ISIS and no one really has a clear idea of where they might be or what ISIS' plans are with them.
But this video from the Mosul museum, basically what you see is men, some with beards, some without, toppling statue after statue in this museum. These are statues that are well over 2,000 years old in many cases. Then they go after them with sledgehammers. They throw other, for instance, stone masks to the floor where they are broken.
And you see a man who's unidentified on this video, who explains that God has ordered the destruction of idols, statues and antiquities. "We will do it," he says, "if they are worth billions of dollars." Now, there is some question if all of the artifacts are originals or perhaps replicas. But what we do see and we know is really are these winged bulls of Nineveh that date back to more than 700 BC. There you see one of the men defacing the bull was a drill.
Now, the United Nations cultural organization UNESCO has described this as reprehensible and criminal and is asking for an emergency meeting of the Security Council.
Keep in mind that Iraq has more than 12,000 registered archaeological sites and 1,800 of them are in the areas under the control of Mosul. And, of course, if you speak to any historian or archaeologist, they will tell you that Mesopotamia, modern Iraq, is the birth place of civilization. But it seems ISIS wants to bring that civilization to an end -- Christine.
ROMANS: Ben Wedeman, thank you for that. Ben Wedeman this morning.
All right. Twenty-six minutes past the hour.
New information this morning about the man now identified as Jihadi John. What made a young British man turn into ISIS' executioner? We are live after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
