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Istanbul Airport Attack; U.S. Airport Security; Hospitals Treat Injured; Video of Bombing. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired June 29, 2016 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[14:00:00] MARK TONER, DEPUTY STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Message immediately. And once we had intelligence -

QUESTION: The question is even - (INAUDIBLE) the (INAUDIBLE) -

TONER: OK.

QUESTION: Did you have any reason to expect an imminent threat in Turkey on Monday?

TONER: No. My understanding is - sorry. So, OK, and my answer is, and I'm sorry I haven't been clear on this, we did not have, as I said, an imminent or actionable intelligence.

QUESTION: Got it. OK. So then second question.

TONER: Yes.

QUESTION: And, again, I think it's a similar question.

TONER: Yes.

QUESTION: You state on March 29th that there is increased threat of attacks by terrorist groups in Turkey and you state exactly the same thing, there is increased threats of terrorist actions by - of, you know, attacks by terrorist groups on June 27th. Were there more threats on June 27th than there had been - or was the threat level any higher? Was there any increase in the threat - in the number of threats on June 27th than there had been in March?

TONER: So my answer to that is, you know, and we - we're not - I'm not going to discuss necessarily specific details of the threat information we have, except, as I said, in the case of where we had actionable intelligence that a given site was going to be targeted. I can say that we would reiterate the language of our - in our latest travel warning for Turkey, which did note increased threats from terrorist groups.

QUESTION: But - but you said -

TONER: To U.S. citizens.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) before you ever receive a travel warning from Turkey or increase from the previous travel warning? What was the increased (INAUDIBLE)? TONER: Well, my - my understanding was that it was increased from the previous travel warning.

QUESTION: Increased from the previous travel warning?

TONER: Yes.

QUESTION: OK. So that's - that's helpful because that at least helps -

TONER: Yes.

QUESTION: Helps us understand -

TONER: Yes.

QUESTION: A little better.

And -

TONER: Yes.

QUESTION: Is there no way of - and one - another thing that I - you look at the March travel warning, and it notes the ordered departure.

TONER: Right.

QUESTION: There's no timeline on that ordered departure in that travel warning, unless I'm mistaken. It just says you ordered departure normally and you ordered departure and that's - they're ordered gone until you rescind that, right? So I don't understand why you felt it necessary to put out a note on Monday night extending the ordered departure until a particular date. And I understand the change in dropping one of the provinces, but I don't understand why you felt it necessary to give an end date for the ordered departure status because it was indefinitely when you originally did it. So what - why - why do that?

TONER: I'm, frankly, not sure that it isn't indefinite. I think that it was internally at least we do have to extend these periodically and I think that it was an effort to notify the public that that ordered departure was going to be extended. That's my understanding is that when an ordered departure is extended, in which case is does have to be done administratively by the State Department -

QUESTION: It has to have an end date?

TONER: It has to have an end date.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).

QUESTION: OK. And lastly, why not try to make more explicit the difference between the travel warning from June and the travel warning from March? I mean it seems to me that American citizens would have benefited from knowing on Monday that there was even more threats than there had been in March. I mean why not make that clear, you know? We're issuing this because there is even more threats out there than there were in our last one, which was issued on - you know, that just seems to me you have more - you're giving the citizenry more information. Why not do that rather than forcing all of us to do this Talmudic (ph) reading of the last one and the current one and then not actually understanding until 48 hours later what, you know, what the difference is?

TONER: Well, again, I don't want to draw unnecessarily a link between the issuance of this travel warning and yesterday's tragic attack at Ataturk Airport. I think this vehicle, which is the travel warning, is simply a way to periodically update the American public on where we stand, how we assess the security of a given country. And it can be for a lot of reasons, not just terrorism, although it's probably the reason we talk about most. And I think in that respect, it does that. If we have, as I said, imminent - or information about an imminent attack or threat, that's a different way - or a different vehicle that we'll use to notify the public of that.

QUESTION: But I just - it's just kind of a practical question.

[14:05:05] TONER: Yes.

QUESTION: Maybe there's a - maybe there's an answer. But I don't understand why you wouldn't give people more information if you have it.

TONER: Yes.

QUESTION: And you didn't - you said it's your understanding that there was more threat information as of, you know, or more threats -

TONER: Yes, and I'll - I'll double check on that, if there was - if there was - because -

QUESTION: Shouldn't the Americans know that?

TONER: Of course. And that's the - that's why this vehicle exists. But I want to double check whether there was - I know I said that. I want to go back and double check on whether that's the fact that there was between the last one and this current one that there was more threat information that had actually spiked.

QUESTION: Yes, thank you.

TONER: Just to make sure I understand that correctly.

QUESTION: Yes.

TONER: So I'll get back to you on that.

QUESTION: Thanks.

QUESTION: Just one clarification -

TONER: Please.

QUESTION: About this. The emergency message to warn of an imminent threat you said for violent demonstrations and natural disasters and so on.

TONER: Correct.

QUESTION: Has that been used before to warn of a terrorist attack?

TONER: Yes. I can come up with - I can get you specific examples. But, yes, it has.

QUESTION: How common is that, that it would be used for -

TONER: Well, I mean, it's obviously not that common because it's rare that we have actionable, you know, intelligence of an imminent terrorist attack. But in that case, in, you know, there's precedent for this and -

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) South Africa a few weeks ago.

TONER: I think you're right. Yes, I think that's correct. But I can double check on that and we can get you -

QUESTION: Mark, you said a few minutes ago -

TONER: (INAUDIBLE).

QUESTION: That the Turks are investigating, and that no one's been able to determine who is responsible. But everyone keeps suggesting that this has the hallmarks of an ISIL attack. Is that the working assumption of the U.S. government? Are they ruling out the PKK or other groups that might have some grievance against the Turkish government?

TONER: It's a fair question.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Pamela Brown, and this is CNN's special breaking news coverage of a deadly terror attack inside one of the busiest airports in the world. You just heard from the State Department warning American travelers to use caution. Three terrorists detonating suicide bombs at Istanbul's airport. A senior Turkish official says authorities are still working to I.D. the attackers who blew themselves up. While there's still no claim of responsibility, terror experts say it has the hallmarks of an ISIS-style attack. And here's how a witness describes one of the attackers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had (INAUDIBLE) the gun here and he stuck it out and he's shooting up two times and he's beginning to shoot the people, like that. Like he was walking like a prophet (ph), you know?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And we also now have something we don't usually ever see in the aftermath of a terror attack, the moment the suicide bomb explodes. I want to warn you, the images you're about to see are disturbing. The video shows one of the attackers running through the terminal and you can see him get shot by police fire. Watch here as he falls down. An officer appears to take another shot at close range before running for his own life. You saw the bomber fumble around, and then seconds later, the attacker's suicide vest explodes, as we're about to see in this video right here.

I want to go live to CNN's Alexandra Field. She is live right outside the Istanbul airport there. We saw the explosion inside. There were three blasts all together, Alexandra. What more can you tell us about the timeline of this attack?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, we are learning more about how these three attackers coordinated this series of bombings here at Ataturk Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, which is back open for business less than a day after these attacks. That image that you just showed our viewers on the screen of that suicide vest detonating of that explosion, we are now learning that that was the first explosion. That's according to state news, which says that one of the attackers went into the departure hall with an AK-47. He has been spotted by a police officer who shoots him as he falls to the ground. He detonates his suicide vest first.

After that we are learning from state news that a second assailant walks toward the arrivals hall. There's a scream. People near the security check-in begin to run. They begin to scatter. We're told that this suspect then begins firing into the hall before triggering his own vest, before even hearing (ph) the security gate.

And then there is the third attacker in the parking lot outside of the international hall, who then detonates his vest. So a series - a coordinated series of attacks. These three suspects armed with guns and then their suicide vests arriving here together in a taxi.

This is the entrance that I'm standing at of Ataturk Airport. It is where taxis are again this evening pulling in and dropping off passengers. People are flying out and arriving here at this airport. There is a heavy layer of security in place, but this is somewhat the same scene that people would have faced when they came here yesterday or two days ago. There is always security at the arrivals hall. There is always security at the departures hall.

[14:10:00] But we are, again, from state news, learning a little bit more, that the first attacker went into the departure hall, the second attacker never even passed the security gate before detonating his vest at the arrivals hall, Pamela.

Tonight, the deal toll, the human toll, is where a lot of the focus is, of course. We now know - we do now know that 41 people were killed in this attack, 128 people still hospitalized tonight, Pamela.

BROWN: I know there's a little bit of delay here, Alexandra, but what more can you tell us about this taxi driver who dropped the bombers off? I remember after the Brussels Airport was attacked, that the taxi driver in that situation was key in I.D.'ing the attackers. How about this one?

FIELD: Yes, this is obviously somebody that police wanted to speak to. This is the person who would have last been with these three men who were all together when they got to this airport in that taxi. We do now know that police were able to locate the driver. They questioned the driver. The driver provided them with a statement, and then he was released. Not clear what was in that statement, what the contents of that statement were. This is somebody who could obviously, though, be essential in helping to describe these attackers, describe their demeanor, describe what they were saying to one another, what they may have been carrying with them. So this is certainly, as you point out, it was critical for the Brussels investigation. It could be critical in this investigation because, Pamela, remember, Turkish officials here have not yet identified those three attackers. They have said that this bears the hallmarks of an ISIS attack, but they have not said who exactly these three men are or were. That's where they are tonight looking into this.

BROWN: And still no formal claim of responsibility by any terrorist group.

Alexandra Field, thank you so much for bringing us the latest there on the ground in Turkey.

And, meanwhile, the deadly attack in Turkey happened in soft target areas at the airport. One bomb exploded in the parking lot, as we heard her tell us, and then two more blasts right inside, right near the departures and arrivals. Now, these are areas of the airport that are extremely vulnerable, as we know.

Today, we are also getting some new information about what Homeland Security officials here in the U.S. are now considering to beef up security in addition to TSA checkpoints.

I want to bring in CNN aviation correspondent Rene Marsh in Washington.

So, Rene, after Brussels and now Turkey, is anything about to change here in the U.S.?

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, we are seeing quick reaction from some airports across the country. This Istanbul airport attack has pushed some U.S. airports to ramp up security, specifically at its perimeters. At JFK Airport, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty Airport, we're told that officers are equipped with tactical weapons and equipment. The world's busiest airport in Atlanta, Atlanta's Hartsfield, they say they've also increased their police presence, again, around the perimeter.

Right now at U.S. airports the way security works is that the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for overseeing the screening of passengers, baggage and cargo. But as we know, that all happens at the checkpoint. But the focus with this attack here in Turkey, as well as the one you mentioned in Brussels, those attacks happened before the checkpoint. We know that any area before the checkpoint is the responsibility here in the United States, usually of the airport, and even local police.

Now, what CNN has learned is that the Department of Homeland Security has been discussing for quite some time options of extending that security reach beyond the checkpoint so that the first line of defense isn't at the TSA line. But again, those are only discussions. There is no indication at this point that we'll see anything like that play out any time soon at U.S. airports.

Pam.

BROWN: All right, we will have to wait and see what happens. Rene Marsh, thank you so much for that.

And officials say 13 foreign nationals are among the 41 killed. Right now the number of injured stands at 239. Among the injuries, shrapnel wounds and what's known as a blast lung. CNN's Matt Rivers is live from a hospital right near the airport where wounded are being treated as we speak.

So, Matt, have doctors given any indication how grave these injuries are, how many of the 239 are critical?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we absolutely have gotten some information very recently. As of right now, 41 people across the city here still in intensive care as a result of this attack here in Istanbul. Of that number, no specifications as to how many are still in critical condition, but doctors say that they are working around the clock. At this particular hospital here behind me, this is quite close to the airport, and we spoke to the head doctor here just a few hours ago who could only speak to us for just a minute or so, saying that the level of injury of people inside this hospital was severe enough that he needed to continue to work around the clock. So really some very, very grave injuries. It wasn't long ago that this emergency room behind me was filled with people coming in with those kind of injuries you've described from this attack.

[14:15:04] The other thing that's been going on at hospitals across the city today is the identification of those people who were killed. Officials here, government officials tell us that 19 families so far have been able to pick up the remains of their loved ones. Incredibly grim and tragic work for those families that are just dealing with this unexpected terrible, terrible loss, coming here, having to collect the remains of their loved ones. And then you can see there's people behind me here who were a bit luckier, their loved ones did survive, but they are still holding bedside vigils here, making sure that their loved ones know that they're here supporting them. But for many people, dozens and dozens of those injured, 128 still receiving treatment across the city, the long road to recovery goes on.

BROWN: Matt Rivers, thank you very much.

And up next right here in the NEWSROOM, inside the chilling video of the suicide bomber carrying out his attack. What this video right here tells us about the bomb.

Plus, it's called a dead man switch. The head of the CIA says the suicide bombs are easy to make and he fears ISIS is plotting similar attacks in the U.S.

And moments from now, President Obama will hold a news conference likely facing questions on the attack. And Donald Trump calling on the U.S. to bring back torture.

This is CNN's special live coverage.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:20:19] BROWN: Welcome back.

A CIA chief, John Brennan, spoke just moments ago about the attack in Turkey and he talked about responsibility for the attack. Let's take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BRENNAN, CIA DIRECTOR: Well, to my knowledge, there is no credible claim of responsibility at this point. But that's not very surprising because, at least in most instances, if not all, ISIS has not claimed credit or responsibility for attacks that are perpetrated inside of Turkey. I think what they do is they carry out these attacks to gain the benefits from it in terms of sending a signal to our Turkish partners, at the same time not wanting to potentially maybe alienating some of those individuals inside of Turkey that they may still be trying to gain the support of.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are they able to pull off these attacks with what seems to be great regularity without the ability to - to pull - to prevent them ahead of time?

BRENNAN: I think there is a variety of reasons. First, when individuals are committed to carry out these attacks, these so-called suicide attacks that kill and maim so many people, they really don't have to worry about an escape route. It makes carrying out that attack so much easier because what they do is then just want to make sure they're able to penetrate whatever sort of perimeter defense there might be and in a lot of these civilian areas there is no perimeter defense. That's part of what an open society is.

And also they're able to get their hands on weapons, automatic weapons, whether it be illegally procured in some countries or through the black market in others. And also they're able to take advantage of the technologies that allow them to communicate quite securely without having security and intelligence agencies able to understand what it is that they are plotting. So being able to fabricate a plot, carry it out among a small group of individuals, one, two, or more, it is, unfortunately, a feature of our times that ISIL in particular has been determined to carry out these attacks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it something that the rest of the world just has to get used to?

BRENNAN: I don't think we should ever get used to it. I think what we have to do is to redouble our efforts to try to uncover what they are doing, stop them in terms of carrying out these attacks, but also go to the source of it, which is those who are directing and orchestrating these attacks. And ISIL - most of the attacks are either directed or incited by their external operations group, which is resident in the Syria-Iraq theater. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm struck that in several news interviews you've

done recently, Director Brennan, you've made a point of saying, or you have said, that our efforts have not reduced ISIS' capability in global reach. There's a frustration that seems to come through in your - you don't - not that there's an expression on your face, but what - how - what is it - I mean what does this mean to you as somebody who's been working in this area for so long?

BRENNAN: Well, any intelligence or security or law enforcement professional, who has the responsibility to try to prevent these attacks from occurring, and those who have been involved in counterterrorism for quite some time, are interested and determined to do whatever we can to destroy these organizations that give birth to these horrific attacks. And as I've said recently, we've made I think some significant progress, along with our coalition partners, in Syria and Iraq where most of the ISIS members are resident right now. But the - ISIS' ability to continue to propagate its narrative, as well as to incite and carry out these attacks, I think we still have a ways to go before we're able to say that we have made some significant progress against them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it - is it a -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: There you heard the CIA chief, John Brennan, speaking there. There was surveillance video that appears to have captured the moment that one of the bombers set off his device inside Istanbul's airport. A warning for you, this video is graphic. You can see people running as the armed bomber enters the hallway right here. He moves forward and then, as you're about to see, he suddenly falls, apparently he was shot by security officer. And then you see the bomber's gun knocked from his grip. It went across the floor. And for 20 seconds, you see him on the ground, struggling, and making movements around his torso as people are running by him. As he's doing that, this - an officer approaches, but then runs off. Finally, just minutes later, a blast fills the screen as we see right here.

Joining me now, Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security at Fordham University Law School, and Anthony May, who used to be an explosives investigators for the ATF.

[14:25:01] So, Anthony, I want to start with you, just to get your analysis of what we just saw in that video with your expert eye. What do you see - what kind of bomb is indicated in this video to you?

ANTHONY MAY, RETIRED ATF EXPLOSIVES INVESTIGATOR: Well, good afternoon.

Actually, the bomb in this particular case is a secondary weapon. This attacker's primary weapon was the firearm, the gun as he' running through trying to kill as many people as he can. Now, when he falls to the ground, that gun goes flying away. But here's the thing. I've heard reported the term dead man switch. That's technically not accurate. A true dead man switch means that the contacts are on the individual's fingers or holding in his hand. In this case, running through the airport with a gun, shooting, probably exchanging magazines, he doesn't have that luxury.

What is happening now as he's laying on the ground struggling around his waist, you see his arm go up into the air. He's most likely pulling something, pulling a pin, pulling a switch, which activates this device and seconds later it goes. Now if - if - technically that could have been a power technique time fuse burning as he pulls it and this thing goes. But that bomb was - was a secondary to his major weapon, which was - which was the gun killing as people - killing as many people as he could.

BROWN: Karen, we just heard the CIA chief, John Brennan, say that if it is ISIS, normally the terrorist group doesn't claim responsibility in Turkey. Why is that? And what is the point of launching a terrorist attack if the group isn't going to claim responsibility?

KAREN GREENBERG, TERRORISM ANALYST: Well, we don't know whether they will eventually claim responsibility for this. I think that one of the things that Director Brennan said that I think is worth paying attention to is that ISIS doesn't want to play politics inside Turkey right now -

MAY: Hello?

GREENBERG: And - until they decide what kind of - what kind of recruits they can get there. It's a very different political situation. It's divided in many different ways, in many different factions. So that could be one of the reasons.

But this has, as he has also said recently, I think this morning, all the hallmarks of ISIS about it. It's an aviation related, as we've seen time and time again. It has - it's the anniversary of the Islamic State declaring its existence, its self-existence as a caliphate two years ago. I think that's a very important part of understanding this as ISIS. This is also a combination of explosives and guns, which we've seen commonly now with ISIS attacks. And we've seen, in the past week or so, a number of attacks throughout the Middle East in countries Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon. So this is not really surprising if this does appear to be ISIS and if it is ISIS.

BROWN: And do you attribute the increase in attacks we're seeing from ISIS from the fact that ISIS is losing ground, battleground, in Syria and Iraq?

GREENBERG: Yes. you know, this is one of those unsettling factors, but it does seem to be that as they lose some of their most cherished and important strongholds in their caliphate, they are acting out in other places where they can have attacks that are successful because they are not in a combat situation. And that is the good news and the bad news.

BROWN: Right.

GREENBERG: And so this is a period we're going to have to get through.

BROWN: I want to go back to you, Anthony, and just go back inside this airport and what unfolded there yesterday. There were three bombing sites. The first was in a parking area right outside the airport near the entrance. What does that say to you? Do you believe that was a diversion technique or do you think the bomber just wasn't able to make it inside the airport?

MAY: Well, it - this whole attack appears to have a very strong operational infrastructure. That that first bomb went off as a diversion to circumvent security. We saw that all the time in Baghdad with vehicles, bombs, particularly, to basically breach a hole, make a hole for the second vehicle to get in to the secure area. That's what happened here. That first bomb goes off, causes a diversion, causes chaos to allow the second bomber to enter the terminal and they apparently split up. One appears to probably be heading for the departure terminal area to set off his bomb.

But going back to that operational infrastructure, typically an attack like this, surveillance probably occurred of this airport because they knew that this security checkpoint was there. They came out of the cab basically guns blazing. This operational infrastructure, there has to be a safe house somewhere because these individuals probably didn't build these bombs. These bombs were manufactured at this safe house. If they used improvised explosive materials like TATP or something along that line, it was probably manufactured within 72 hours of this attack.

So that cab driver, who dropped them off, has probably already given that information to the Turkish police. And I'm sure they're working that angle right now. And that's where the - most of the information is going to come from is if they locate this safe house. Now, I understand the airport's already been turned back over to the - and in operation within five hours. You know, that's - that's amazing because they still have not identified the bomber or the type of bombs being used.

[14:30:10] BROWN: Yes, it's really remarkable that it's already reopened.

considers extending security at the airports. Hospitals continue to treat the injured from the Istanbul attack. A new video shows the moment of detonation at the Istanbul airport.>