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CNN BREAKING NEWS
One Suspect in Boston Marathon Bombing Apprehended; Shooting in MIT Campus; Police Converge on Watertown
Aired April 19, 2013 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And we're trying to sort of make some sense of this. The only way we can is to try to draw together all of the pieces of the puzzle that are coming to us now.
Let's just go over, if you don't mind, just taking us through this journey again for the benefit of those viewers across the globe and, perhaps, in the United States who have joined us ought this early hour. It is 2:00 eastern time. 2:00 in the morning.
Jake, if you could just remind us of what has taken place in the last few hours here.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Sure. And, of course, we need to reiterate that even as we try to put these pieces of the puzzle together, they may not go together. They might be pieces relating to a completely different puzzle. But, obviously, there is a huge interest in what is going on in Boston, Massachusetts, this evening and the surrounding area because of the investigation into the terrorist attacks here on Monday in which three individuals were killed and many others were wounded and maimed.
This evening at roughly 5:15, 5:30 p.m. eastern time, law enforcement officials put out the photographs, the images of two individuals who are suspects in the terrorist attacks on Monday. Since then another image, one that was found on facebook and authenticated by "The New York Times" has emerged with a better photographic image of one of those suspects.
Now, perhaps entirely unrelated, at roughly 10:30 this evening, an officer was killed on the campus of MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In addition in Cambridge, there was a carjacking that may or may not have been related to the officer killed. Then in addition, not long after that, in Watertown, Massachusetts, one suspect was apprehended. The FBI has been present and the significance for international viewers who may not know this, the FBI is federal bureau of investigation so they would be involved in big major crimes, not just local crimes.
The FBI was on the campus of MIT in Cambridge. They also were on present in Watertown, Massachusetts, where this one suspect was apprehended. Other than that we don't know. We have three events. They might be connected, they may be completely unrelated. But there's a big, big law enforcement presence here in Massachusetts, in Boston and the surrounding area. And obviously, this is a town on edge ever since the terrorist attack on Monday. And that's where we are as of right now. The campus of MIT has alerted students that it is still not -- it's not determined it's been safe for them to leave their rooms. Not just to students but to anybody on the MIT campus and so people are advised to stay inside. And as further information comes our way, we'll share it with you as soon as we get it.
CHURCH: Yes, Jake, and we are still hearing emergency vehicles behind you, sirens blaring. And we heard from our Grew Griffin, too, there in Watertown, too, ambulances pulled up. But not apparently in any emergency status at all, as he could see. Almost on standby, it appeared. Again, you know, we don't want to go down the road of speculation. That's a very dangerous path. But we do want to try to pull together what we know at this point. And just describe again the scene around you.
TAPPER: Well, we are on the scene -- this is adjust a trash truck if you are going to hear this. So, don't be alarmed.
We are on the scene near where the actual terrorist attack took place, the bombings, in the back bay area of Boston. This is normally a very busy commercial area during the day. Obviously, not so much at night. but, we are just a couple blocks away from where the terrorist attacks took place. It's a crime season. It is cordoned off from the public, from the media. And not necessarily the -- the activity here is not necessarily related to the other police activity going on in other parts of Boston and the surrounding area except -- the surrounding area except for the fact that a lot of police are stationed here and headquarters here for the time being.
So, if they were here and they were called somewhere else, that might cause for there to be a lot of movement and motion behind me. It doesn't necessarily mean that police officers investigating the crime that took place here, the terrorist attacks that took place here, would therefore be a assigned to cover something else because they are related. And this means that there is law enforcement here. And perhaps law enforcement are here and needed to go somewhere else, not necessarily it's the same case.
CHURCH: Jake, is there any expectation at this early hour, it's 2:04 a.m. right now eastern time, any expectation at all that we would hear from police authorities at this early hour to sort of confirm or at least update the media on what exactly has unfolded here?
TAPPER: I mean, one could hope that we could get the latest information but the truth of the matter is that if there is one suspect that's been apprehended and they are looking for another suspect, not even related to the terrorist attacks, but perhaps in the shooting of the police officer at MIT, they might not want to announce anything until the second suspect has been apprehended.
So, they will do it on their timeline. Not the timeline of curious observers and the media and the public, who is anxious for more information. They will do it when they're satisfied.
CHURCH: Right, indeed. And I certainly, I can hear you are winding down there. And I'm sorry to put on you the spot here. But just want to get -- I know we don't have any more information. And we are sort of pushing this. But we want to find out at least the mood there where you are. You're picking up what people are saying, what's being discussed there and the activity around you?
TAPPER: Well, the officers that were here have pretty much cleared out of the area. So, there isn't anyone for us to talk to. But, I want to bring in Drew Griffin, who is on the scene in Watertown, Massachusetts, where there is all this activity, where a suspect has been apprehended.
Drew, what can you tell us?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Jake, I wish I had more information that I could deliver. We have given you about everything you have. You have gone through exhaustively the crazy night that has happened here from MIT down the road to an apparent car chase, excuse me, guys, to this scene in Watertown.
I'm about five blocks away now. It's up and around this road from where all the activity was taking place and we still do not have any kind of official announcement of what did take place here.
As to whether or not this has anything to do with the federal search for the Boston marathon bombers, I can tell you at this point, I have laid eyes on three people who are wearing FBI attire, but that is it, amongst the must be hundreds of state and local police who are here. This is a huge, huge event. The question is, is it a huge, huge local event or is this huge for another reason?
And Jake, we're just waiting and hoping we will get some official confirmation of what has happened her -- Jake.
TAPPER: All right. Thank you, Drew Griffin.
We are also told from Gabe Ramirez, one much our photo journalists on the scene there, that reporters are being asked to turn off their cell phones. There obviously has been a lot of speculation and a lot of discussion about the use of cell phones when it comes to possible explosives. And we have heard talk on the police scanner about that as well.
One other note I want to add is that the MIT police are saying that it's now safe to resume normal activities, although people should remain vigilant in the coming hours, so I suspect that would suggest that the MIT police think there is no longer a threat on campus anymore, if they think individuals with students and faculty and the like can resume normal activities.
So, that's the latest we have and a constantly developing and evolving story on the ground right now.
CHURCH: All right. Jake Tapper reporting there, bringing us all the information he can at this point. We do appreciate it. Jake and Drew Griffin as well.
At this point, at least we can report right across the globe one suspect has been apprehended in Watertown. We understand he had to remove all his clothing. The fear, perhaps, of any explosives on his body, any guns, any ammunition of any sort. He was taken into custody. We understand at this point that the police are still active.
This is not come to an end by any means. This is not concluded at all. It continues into the night. It is 2:09 in the morning eastern time at this point.
And -- all right, I want to go back to Juliette Kayyem who is, as I said, she is living in Cambridge. She has been in the neighborhood there where all this activity is taking place and also a national security expert.
Juliette, again, you know, it's difficult with all of the pieces we have. We're trying to draw them together, make some sense of this. It's very difficult. There is no official confirmation of any of this at all, but with your background and all your experience in national security, tell us what you're tending to put together at this point.
JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST (via phone): Well, just basically watching and reading and passing by probably about 30 police cars from transit police -- excuse me, transit police, state police, Boston police, Cambridge police, all of them. Obviously, something big is going on. And what we have to remember, there's three different incidents. There's the marathon attack, with the city very much on edge and a strong presence in the city. Then you have a police officer shot at MIT in Cambridge. And the geography is that the MIT campus -- the part of campus where that is actually not that far from commonwealth avenue, Boylston avenue, those areas where the marathon is run. It's probably no more than a half mile. A police officer being killed is a should be and is a big deal, so you would see lots and lots of activity.
But as Jake Tapper was saying, you wouldn't necessarily see federal activity because these are local and state events. It's probably right now because there's so much federal presence here that anything like this would generate a lot of activity. You then have a third incident and we can't tie yet is whether the MIT killing and what's going on in Watertown, which is not far but not really that close to MIT, whether that is actually related.
So, you have three different events. And the two going on tonight, given the attacks on Monday, probably means -- we don't know what it means, if they're linked, but the fact we're seeing so much activity and even possibly federal activity is probably rational on their end because they don't know what they're dealing with yet. It's very likely they have no idea.
There are two suspects in this Watertown incident. The FBI said earlier today there were two suspects. You know, chances are they may not know actually what they're facing, so it would be totally appropriate to have this kind of presence.
So, just laying out three different things and why there is so much activity. I'm sure there are lots of rumors about, you know, explosives or not rumors but eyewitness accounts about explosives and other issues.
So, this is a significant presence, but given what we are hearing, it would not be unusual and particular, especially since the evening started with a police officer being killed.
CHURCH: Indeed. And as a CNN national security analyst, talk to us about why it's important that people not use their cell phones at this point with the fears that there are.
KAYYEM: So, we are looking at something that's unfolding so the police officers have no idea who is doing what. Are there people in the crowd that might be utilizing their cell phones. It jams up law enforcement activity. They want to protect all the people coming out because they are curious. Certainly, the media that want to report the story. So, that would just be a precautionary efforts.
I've lived in the world of homeland security, national security for a long time, and even my short drive home, the police presence is amazing. I was passed by about 30 police cars in just a two-mile drive. So, this is significant. What we don't know accidents as is being described earlier, is this significant for Boston or significant because there's a big federal investigation going on? And we may not know for a little bit the people that we are watching on TV right now, it may be that they don't know either and, therefore, they are being very, very cautious about what they're facing. If they're all -- if they're all unrelated, which is entirely still possible, then, you know, Boston has just had a very, very active week. And these police officers are treating each thing as serious.
CHURCH: Indeed. We are all using an abundance of caution as we story this story.
So, Juliette Kayyem, CNN national security analyst and former U.S. assistant secretary for homeland security, too.
I want to go to Drew Griffin to get an update.
Drew, you are there in Watertown. I know and I understand you have an update. What are you hearing?
GRIFFIN: Rosemary, I just want to clear up one thing. And we have been talking about cell phones and whether or whether or not you can or cannot use them. I just want to make it very, very clear that since my arrival on the scene, no police officers have advised any of us here not to use our cell phones. I'm not sure where that has come from. That was not articulated to me. I've been here for quite a while. I was up the scene very close to where the activity was taking place and there's been no activity directed my way, any instruction saying do not use cell phones. I wanted to get that out and clear that up immediately.
CHURCH: Yes, that's very important.
GRIFFIN: That order is not being given.
CHURCH: That was certainly being reported earlier on our affiliate WCVB. If we just go back over the scene there because it's interesting, you are right in the middle of it there in Watertown. Describe the situation. What is the scene? Is it still chaotic?
GRIFFIN: The scene is just like this. Police cars coming in, police cars coming out. Officers showing up, officers leaving. Police with guns, police without guns. Three people I've seen have been wearing FBI attire. That's it, three, out of many, I would say almost 100 or more police officers who are from the local departments. There are many local departments here. Boston, Cambridge, state police, transit police, but they -- the general grouping is they are local. I have not seen a huge federal presence here at all. You can draw attention, you know, you're assumption is either way right now. But right now this seems like a very, very big local police presence here and not a whole lot of federal people.
CHURCH: And then, Drew, what about the media there, what sort of numbers are you talking about and have there been any indications from the local police there whether they plan to update the media on what exactly has taken place here?
GRIFFIN: This has been a chaotic situation since I started this at the shooting at MIT, so I don't think the police have had, quite frankly, had time to gather all the information to either put these things together or not put them together. So I think once they know what has happened, maybe we will get some information on that. But have, you know, multi-districts out here, who's in charge, who's in charge of Watertown, who's in charge of the MIT case, are they all linked? Are none of them linked? Is there any federal link? So, I think it's going to be quite some time before -- just trying to check the trucks as they come in here, Rosemary. Massachusetts plates on both of them.
In terms of updating us officially, I don't think there's anybody in any hurry to do that. The media here, as you can see, let's pan over and show them. You know, there's the same amount of media here that was in the news conference that I attended at the Sheridan in Boston this afternoon. Camera after camera after camera, all here.
And I can tell you thinking that this could be a link with the Boston marathon and nobody wants to miss that part of the story, if it is. But none of us know that right now.
CHURCH: No, exactly right. And, of course now, 2:17 a.m. here eastern time. Drew Griffin reporting from Watertown.
I'll leave you for a moment to gather some more information from us.
But, I want to go back to our Jake Tapper.
Jake, what additional info have you been able to gather at this point?
TAPPER: We just received word the Boston police department is asking residents of Watertown to stay indoors. Obviously, there's a lot of activity going on in Watertown right now. We know of one suspect who has been arrested and apprehended. In addition, the MIT campus put out a statement saying, it's about the police officer and more saying, MIT is heartbroken by the news that an MIT police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty on Thursday night on campus near building 32. Our thoughts are now with the family.
At around 2:00 a.m. MIT police determined that the suspect was no longer on campus, so just in the last few minutes, and that it is safe to resume normal activities. However, the MIT police ask members of the MIT community remain vigilant in the coming hours. MIT worked with multiple police departments to ensure the safety of the campus. Police officers swept the campus in search of the shooter and MIT sent texts and e-mails of the members of the MIT community asking them to stay indoors while the search continue. We will provide fuller news of this tragedy in the coming hours.
So, that is the latest from MIT and the Boston police department.
As we said earlier, put out information saying there's an active incident ongoing in Watertown. Residents in that area are advised to remain in their homes. More details when available. To clarify one note, Gabe Ramirez, our camera man, is not -- I do not believe he's with Drew Griffin and Gabe is the one who said that he had been asked to turn off his cell phone.
Drew, you are farther away, if I can go to you for one second, you are farther away from the scene where the police are, from where Gabe is, is that correct?
GRIFFIN: That's correct. I will just show you. I'm here in this is laurel street. And Gabe is down that way about another two blocks. If you consider everything behind me, it would be a one large triangle in this area. We have one street going this way, one street going this way. The main activity I saw was here behind me about four blocks and then, Gabe would be over there to my right, screen left.
TAPPER: All right, Drew, for those viewers tuning in right now be domestically or internationally, walk us through what you have seen in Watertown this evening. We have heard reports of an arrest, reports of someone perhaps going to the hospital, ambulances. Exactly what have you seen, what have you learned on the ground?
GRIFFIN: We began this chase on the campus of MIT in Cambridge where a police officer was shot, taken to the hospital and later died. A very serious case. It seemed to be a very tight scene that was investigated. All of a sudden dozens of cops ran to their cars and began peeling away from that scene and racing toward this scene. We heard scanner traffic indicating there were explosions, possible ordinances being thrown out of a car. There was a report of a carjacking at the same time. And then we heard from eyewitnesses that there were police shooting and other bullets being fired. Many bullets being taken into custody. And then one person taken into custody.
All of that activity took place in Watertown, which is right behind me, the center of Watertown, where the police have cordoned off about a five-block area now where all of this has taken place. All of that happened in the space of about an hour, I think, about an hour and 15 minutes, perhaps. We do not have any detailed information other than what was released on the Web site.
OK. So, this is the Cambridge police department bomb squad leaving the scene at this point. And Jake, that's, you know, we are left here reading the cars going in, the cars going out, the vehicles going in, the vehicles going out, and the police officers going in and going out, trying to determine as best we can what has happened here. But the fact of the matter is, we just do not know at this time what is going on --Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Drew Griffin on the scene in Watertown where this evening both local and federal police have had a presence. One suspect has been apprehended. There are reports of a second suspect on the loose. We do not know whether or not these suspects are connected at all to the terror attack on Monday but there's been a huge, obviously, law enforcement response to the shooting of an MIT police officer on the campus of MIT in Cambridge, just about a mile or so away from where I'm standing right now, near back bay, where the -- in the back bay neighborhood where the Boston marathon attacks took place. The activity began at about 7:30 eastern time this evening. That's when the MIT activity began. There was a carjacking, a chase. It went into Watertown, which is not far from the MIT campus and it resulted in at least one arrest.
I also want to alert our viewers that the FBI put out two new photographs. I'm hoping I'm -- that our production team can put them up on the screen. The FBI has put up two new photographs of the suspects, earlier this evening at 5:15 eastern time here in Boston. The FBI seeking the help of the public, put out photographs of the suspects wanted in the Boston marathon terrorist attacks on Monday.
One individual with a black hat. You see him on the screen. One individual with a white hat. You see him there. This evening they put out two new photographs. They are close-ups of the faces of the individuals. One with a white hat, one with a black hat. The photograph you're seeing now is from the facebook page. "The New York Times" verified the authenticity. It's from just the corner of a facebook page. And the FBI, according to "The New York Times," told the person whose photograph it was, who posted it on facebook, that it's one of the best quality shots of this suspect in the white hat.
I'm still waiting for the production team to put the new photographs on the screen to show them to our viewers. They are close-ups of the face. Maybe I should just grab this ipad here and see if we can hold that up and go full screen, if you can into these pictures.
You can see the FBI has put these photographs up. We are hoping for our production team back in New York to -- there you go. That's a much better image that we see from the FBI, put out this evening of the suspects, seeking the public's help. We will obviously get them up on the screen as soon as possible.
Just to recap as to what's going on. At this hour from Boston, Massachusetts, this evening there was an activity, criminal activity, on the campus of the Massachusetts institute of technology, MIT, in Cambridge, where one police officer was shot and killed. It wasn't until roughly 2:00 in the morning east coast that -- I'm told now -- I see them. The police station, the mobile station, mobile command center, has moved from here on the crime scene and is now going to whereabouts unknown. We don't know where. But certainly, the fact that it would be doing so at 2:30 in the morning is an interesting development in what's going on.
In any case, to recap at roughly 10:30 this evening there was a shooting on the campus of MIT in Cambridge, one police officer was killed. There was a carjacking, also in Cambridge. One suspect was apprehended in Watertown, Massachusetts. That individual has been apprehended and arrested.
We don't know if what's going on in Cambridge and Watertown is related at all to what took place on Monday, but obviously there is a heightened police presence, a heightened law enforcement presence, both Boston police and the FBI.
I'm going to check in right now with Juliette Kayyem, if she is still on the phone. Juliette, are you still there?
KAYYEM: I am. Hi, Jake.
TAPPER: Hi. I'm just wondering if you could put into context what you are seeing right now. Juliette, of course, one of our homeland security analysts for CNN.
Given everything that you have seen this evening, obviously, we don't want to speculate on whether these activities are related at all. But does the FBI typically get involved in a police shooting like this? Obviously, they might be inclined to help out if they were there anyway because there is obviously a big FBI presence. But would a the shooting of a police officer draw the attention of the federal authorities so quickly as has happened this evening?
KAYYEM: Right, not normal. Ever, actually. Unless it were a federal police officer. Police shootings, police killings are very, very rare in the United States. They are very rare in Boston. This would have generated a lot of response by local and state.
And so, what we can -- what we do know, though, is that essentially all of Boston is an investigation scene right now because of the terrorist attacks earlier this week. And so the presence of the FBI or the ATF is consistent with just a lot of activity here. I mean, you have been here all week. I've been here all week. This is a town on alert. So, it's heart to say right now looking at this, oh, therefore it's a federal investigation automatically. Although, if you were to see over the course of the next couple hours, a much greater federal presence, then you might begin to wonder why they are increasing and local and state police or decreasing.
But right now, we are in the middle of something, it appears. And you know, just to say to the viewer, it is very likely they don't know what's going on yet, right? It is very likely that they have one police officer killed. And MIT is sort now, you know, of secured. They have a very strange series of incidences on the way to Watertown without, you know, sort of eyewitness reports of explosives and guns shooting and one person in custody. One person probably still at large. So, there -- this is unfolding in real time for them. So, just the idea that they know exactly what's going on may not be clear. That's totally appropriate given just the amount of activity going on.
So typically, no, but nothing's been typical in Boston this week, so. You know, the presence of federal law enforcement is -- would not be unexpected but we should just know -- in the next couple of minutes in terms of their presence.
So, I suspect we are going to start to hear more formal announcements (INAUDIBLE) just because of this one of the suspects has to be.
CHURCH: All right, listening to Juliette Kayyem there. And of course, CNN national security analyst. Not sure if I still have her on the line, do I? Right, OK.
Juliette, I'm not sure -- I think we had some technical issue there, but now I have you. Can you still hear me?
KAYYEM: Yes, I can still hear you.
CHURCH: Right. I just want to go over this again because this is critical, the presence of the FBI and also, too, Jake mentioned there the relocation of that mobile command center. What do you make of that particular part of the story here as we try to piece this together?
KAYYEM: That there -- that right now they are trying to determine whether the area is secure and what investigation they are going to pull out of it. There are media reports that this is more than just a local event. I'm going to reserve it to the journalists to, you know, determine what that means, but from the looks of it, this is a big event.
And whether the big event was a mere cop killing, I don't mean it that way, a mere police officer being killed on the week, there was a terrorist incident or that this has something to do with the terrorist incident and we just -- we're not confirming yet. So -- and that we don't know. But the massive police presence started a very, very -- a long night, you know, a couple hours ago.
CHURCH: Indeed. You are talking 30 police cars. This is, indeed, a massive operation.
KAYYEM: I mean, I -- I'll tell you, I mean I've been in the field a long time. I used to run homeland security for the state of Massachusetts. I was driving home from your site here in Boston, near the Boston marathon, and had to pull over just not because I was pulled over but just because the experience of having 30 police cars pass you is a little bit overwhelming even for people who are used to things like that. So, it's, you know, it's personal here in Cambridge. It's personal for the city and for Boston right now.
CHURCH: Totally understand. Juliette Kayyem, CNN national security analyst, just stand by for a moment, if you would.
I want to go back to Jake Tapper there in Boston.
Jake, what more do you have on this? Any new developments at this point?
TAPPER: I apologize for the technical difficulties we have had here in our location here in Boston. Yes, there is a new statement. Susan Candiotti , CNN's own Susan Candiotti spoke to somebody with the FBI, Martin Feely. He is a spokesman for the FBI who says that the FBI is engaged with our partners, trying to determine if there is a connection to the events this evening on the campus of MIT and Watertown. We also hear on the police scanner that there's possible -- possibly more criminal activities going on in Watertown this evening. Although that's just the news from the scanner. We have not verified that independently on our own.
But that is the -- that is the status right now with the FBI. They are trying to determine whether or not there is a connection as we all are, trying to determine whether or not there is a connection.
I want to go, if I can, to Drew Griffin for a second to tell us what he's seeing from his vantage point. There are reports that six FBI agents, if not more, have reported to the scene in Watertown. There are also reports there might be other criminal activities going on in Watertown this evening.
Drew, what are you seeing from your vantage point?
GRIFFIN: That view is one photojournalist Gabe Ramirez has seen from one side which I have not seen. I saw three people with FBI attire. He says there were six that showed up.
I can tell you that Gabe did shoot what appears to be somebody being apprehended. And we are trying to feed that back now. But Gabe gave a very good description of that person. And, perhaps, we could all look at that video, what it is, and determine -- sort of determine what the FBI is probably trying to determine. If there's any link between the apprehension of a suspect here and the person or persons that they're seeking nationwide in the Boston marathon case. But at this point, this still remains a huge crime scene.
Juliette was talking about the 30 police cars that passed her by. I can tell you that when we were coming here, there were many more than that that passed by at a rate of speed I would say would be 80 to 100 mile an hour, just to get to the scene behind me. And what -- when they arrived, sounds like it was a completely chaotic scene based on eyewitnesses police just scrambling trying to find suspects until they actually found one of them.
But right now, this is the scene behind me. Whatever happened -- excuse me. Whatever happened here seems to be over and I'm interested in learning more about the danger that may still exist. I'm not seeing any evidence that at this site, Jake. I'm kind of locked down here. Back to you. TAPPER: All right, Drew Griffin on the scene in Watertown, Massachusetts, where earlier this evening there were -- there was an arrest of an individual, a suspect. We believe he was related to the shooting of a police officer and a carjacking in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far, about a mile or so from the scene of the crime. Not that they are necessarily related in any way.
The FBI reports they are trying to determine if there's any connection with what went on this evening on the campus of MIT and Watertown, Massachusetts, where an individual was arrested and what happened here on Monday. Obviously, this is a city on edge. Where there are two suspects wanted right now. They are armed and presumed dangerous. The FBI put out their photographs this evening at roughly 5:15 or so, p.m. eastern time.
And actually this evening they put out new still images. And we are looking at them on the screen right now. New images that the FBI put out of the two suspects wanted for activities relating to what happened. The terrorist attacks in Boston on Monday. That's the individual in the black hat and then of course we know the individual in the white hat is also wanted for questioning as well. And again, if anybody sees these individuals, the FBI cautions, they are not to be approached, they are not to be -- no one is supposed to apprehend them on their own. They should go to authorities and try to get them on their own.
In addition, there's another photograph that we know about that was on somebody else's facebook page that "The New York Times" verified, was shown to the FBI, that had a really good, clear photograph image of the individual in the white hat walking away.
Earlier this evening we heard from Susan Candiotti, who I want to bring in in a second about the way these individuals were observed on the crime scene after the bombs went off. And I want to bring in CNN's Susan Candiotti to tell us more about that.
Susan. what can you tell us about how these individuals were observed in their surveillance video during the bombings?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Well, thank you, Jake.
As a matter of fact, I know we're all -- must have had a chilled feeling when we saw the video of them leading up to this events as the FBI revealed the videotape of the two suspects right before. So, needless to say, everyone wanted to know what happened as the bombs were set off.
And according to a federal law enforcement official who has seen the surveillance videos, they were the only ones that didn't act like everyone else was. In other words, they watched and then they casually walked away. Unlike everyone else who was running from the scene or running to help people from the scene. These people stood out, according to the official, because they simply casually walked away. Now, again, we are trying to recap here, as you have been doing all night, and so has drew, whether there's any connection to anything happening tonight. No one knows. But, it's the obvious question that everyone wants to know. Because it's been such an eventful week, It has been such an eventful day and evening, when we saw all these videos and these brand new photographs as well, stunning in their clarity and how many we're getting. And obviously, the FBI is doing this so that if people -- to get people to take a look at any pictures they have taken that day or certainly, they were saying, they said repeatedly since the beginning, someone knows who did it. Someone knows who did it. It could be a neighbor, a friend, someone you might pass in a restaurant, who knows. And so now we're getting these pictures.
As a matter of fact earlier tonight, Piers Morgan interviewed Mr. David Green, who took that photograph that you've been showing, the side view of the suspect -- the man identified as suspect number two wearing the white hat turned backwards. And in any case, the next step, of course, is for all of the events that transpired tonight were part of this and we're trying to piece that together and see how this plays out.
Finally, we were able to reach a spokesperson for the FBI who is working here in Boston. And he is telling us, as you've said, that they, too, are trying to find out what's happening. Drew has seen them on the scene. Now we find out that that's exactly what they're telling us in a statement provided to me. We are engaged with our partners trying to determine if there's a connection. Maybe we'll find out tonight. Maybe we won't. But it looks like they're trying to figure things out, as everyone else is --Jake.
TAPPER: Thank you, Susan.
We just received a statement from Massachusetts state police spokesperson saying that they believe multiple possible explosive devices were used against police tonight during the incident in Watertown, Massachusetts. Multiple explosive devices. Obviously, signifying this is far beyond just the average shootout of an average criminal.
Drew Griffin, we have got this report from Gabe Ramirez, who is a few blocks away from you. We do not have Drew, I'm told, in my ear.
All right, well, there is one other thing I want to bring in, which is, of course, the photograph, both the new photographs released by the FBI this evening and the photograph of the suspect in the white hat that was on facebook that "The New York Times" verified is as authentic photograph. Here are the two photographs the FBI put out this evening. Better images of the faces of the two suspects. And there is the picture from facebook of one of the suspects walking away from the event after the bomb has gone off.
As you heard from Susan Candiotti, CNN's reporter on the scene, the individuals were seen by law enforcement through the surveillance video walking casually away from the Boston marathon, after the bombs went off. Whereas everybody else was running and panicking, they seemed to have been, according to law enforcement sources, watching to see the bombs go off, watching to see the havoc it reeked and then they casually walked away, which was perhaps one of ways they were spotted on the surveillance video.
There's been a lot of individuals, a lot of -- millions, literally, individuals poring over photographs and video on the Internet. In some cases the crowding worked out well. We saw that tonight with the facebook photograph providing a new image of one of the individuals. FBI and law enforcement had video and photos not available to the public and they were able to do their work, releasing the photographs.
It's not necessarily the most reassuring thing when law enforcement says they don't know who someone is and seeking the help of the public to try to figure it out. But, of course, the FBI often uses the help of the public. More than 490 individuals have been on the FBI's most wanted list and of those, I believe it's 498 individuals on the list, since the list was created in the 1950s. I believe roughly 30 percent of those individuals were apprehended with the help of citizens, with the help of the public.
So, of course, putting these images out can be a way to find out who they are. The FBI seeking the help earlier this evening of the public to figure out who these individuals are, to help identify them. Perhaps in a related, perhaps in an unrelated incident, the FBI is still trying to figure it out, according to what they said. There was the shooting of a police officer this evening on the campus of the Massachusetts institute of technology, MIT, in Cambridge, not far from here in downtown Boston.
There was a carjacking in Cambridge that allegedly seemed to have led to an incident in Watertown where police arrested an individual. We are trying to figure out now if there is any connection whatsoever to the shooting of the police officer on the campus of MIT, which at roughly 2:00 a.m. officials in MIT said the campus appear to be safe but they will asked for students and faculty to be vigilant in the early morning when they wake up, when they go about their day, to keep alert.
But we're trying to determine -- and the FBI and law enforcement are trying to figure out if there's any connections whatsoever to the MIT incident and the Watertown arrest and what happened here on Monday.
I'm now going to go back to Juliette Kayyem to see her thoughts right now on what's going on with this investigation, with the incidents.
We have heard, Juliette, if you're still there -- are you?
KAYYEM: Yes, I'm here. Can you hear me?
TAPPER: Good. Yes, I can hear you great.
So, with the law enforcement activities going on, with the shooting of the police officer on the MIT campus, with the arrest of the individual, we were told by witnesses at the scene that the individual who was arrested was told to take off his clothing before they were going to approach him, before they were going to apprehend him. Can you explain more about the law enforcement methodology when asking somebody to do that.
KAYYEM: Well, so the police officers are hearing the same thing you're hearing that's going on on twitter and e-mails, which is that there may have been explosives or IEDs or detonations so they need to ensure that the person is not armed or wearing something that would detonate if the police officers got close to him in this instance.
So, you know, just for everyone watching this, the police officers have no idea if the pieces all fit together either. This is an ongoing investigation. So, they're taking all the precautions they ought to, given the week started with the Boston marathon attacks. There was a police officer killed. And not far from them on the MIT campus.
And then you have this really sort of bizarre violent set of activities over in Watertown. And piecing together those three, if they should be pieced together, is not going to happen immediately. It's also not going to happen while they have one suspect on the loose.
So, domestic police, state police sent out this press release about, yes, there were concerns about explosives or IEDs, which would be consistent with something bigger than just a police shooting. And so, what we're all seeing is the police responding to these eyewitness reports about a tremendous amount of activity going on between Boston, Cambridge and Watertown, which are all sort of linked. People who don't know the geography, none are very far from each other. This is a pretty small city. And these are all suburbs of Boston and relatively close. In fact, MIT is just over a bridge from where the Boston marathon finish line is.
So, that sort of is why you would see this kind of activity unfolding in a way in which they're taking all the precautions necessary, because they're hearing the same reports from citizens saying, you know, I saw detonations, I saw explosives or whatever else. Now, those may all prove to be untrue because in these incidences things unfold in ways that don't make sense the next day or the day after. But, you know, right now they absolutely have to be sure that they protect themselves. That's the most important thing.
TAPPER: And Juliette, as you and I have both discussed, the Massachusetts police put out a statement saying they think several explosives were used in Watertown this evening as they were trying to apprehend. Obviously, this is not normal criminal activity to be using explosives.
KAYYEM: Right.
TAPPER: This, obviously, would be related, I believe and you're also suggesting, to the reason why they would ask an individual to take off his clothes before they approach him.
KAYYEM: Exactly. TAPPER: Before they arrest him, so they don't want any trip wires, they don't want anybody to be going down. Perhaps the individual they're going after is a suicide bomber or has some sort of explosive on him. They just can't take any risks in a situation like this.
If you're just tuning in to CNN's coverage of what's going on right now here in Boston, Massachusetts, and the surrounding area, obviously this is a city on edge ever since the Monday terrorist attacks on the Boston marathon that killed three individuals and wounded and maimed dozens more.
This evening at roughly 5:15 or so this evening, the FBI released images of two suspects in this terrorist attack. They both appear to be young men. One wearing a white hat, one wearing a black hat. The FBI seeking the help of any information from the public as to who these individuals might be.
Then this evening, perhaps an unrelated activity on the campus of MIT, the Massachusetts institute of technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a police officer was killed. There was a carjacking. And then a chase in the local community of Watertown, Massachusetts. There was an arrest. We have seen a big police presence, both in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Watertown, Massachusetts. Not just a police presence by Boston and other local police officers, but by the federal bureau of investigation, the FBI, which would suggest that this is a more serious matter than a local criminal activity.
Again, we do not know there is definitively any connection between what is going on in Watertown, Massachusetts, this evening, with what happened here in Boston not far from where I'm standing on Monday during the Boston marathon, during the terrorist attacks. But right now, this is a city where there's a huge law enforcement presence. The FBI says they are trying to figure out if there is any connection with the serious criminal activities in Cambridge in Watertown this evening and what happened here in Boston.
So, now I'm going to go to Drew Griffin who's on the scene in Watertown.
And Drew, we keep hearing reports on the police scanner that there is another individual being sought. There is, perhaps, shooting going on in Watertown that is, again, on the police scanner. Hardly definitive. What are you hearing on the scene where you are right now?
GRIFFIN: I am not seeing any evidence of that, Jake. I'm not seeing any helicopters in the sky. I'm not hearing them. I'm not hearing any kind of ordinance going off or shots going off, and I'm not seeing any panic. I am seeing an incredible amount of police presence here behind me. But the area at this point seems calm. We're not seeing the police cars tearing this way and that way, as we did when we first arrived. So, I can't verify any of those reports that you are hearing on the scanner. But that is to say I don't know how big this town is. If there's a shaded area I'm not hearing from. But right now it doesn't appear that there is an active hunt going on right now. TAPPER: And Drew, for those just tuning in right now, what can you tell us about the arrest that was made of the individual earlier this evening in Watertown on the scene where you are right now?
GRIFFIN: Gabe Ramirez, a photo just journalist, arrived in time to see that arrest taking place. A suspect, a white male suspect, was told to strip completely naked. Those are the pictures we have. And we are not showing to you them because we basically have to blur certain parts of that. That person is marched, escorted by four police officers into a police vehicle and escorted away in that police vehicle. That is how that arrest took place.
Go ahead. I'm just hearing this -- this is coming from Gabe Ramirez, photojournalist, at another vantage point says that this suspect has just been taken out of the car by FBI agents who are on the scene and are questioning him And are questioning him. Are they in another car?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, they were on the street.
GRIFFIN: They were on the street. Is the man still naked?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. They've got him on the sidewalk and he's still naked.
GRIFFIN: The man is on the sidewalk, still naked, now being questioned by FBI agents. This is coming to us from Gabe Ramirez, a photojournalist from CNN, who has a different vantage point than I do, Jake.
TAPPER: Just to recap, the same individual who was arrested earlier, who was stripped naked, presumably out of precaution to make sure he didn't have any explosives on him, the Massachusetts police having said that there were explosives used in the incident in Watertown this evening, but the first suspect to whom you're referring, who was apprehended, he was taken out of a car and questioned again, that's what you're saying, according to Gabe Ramirez?
GRIFFIN: Yes. Gabe, this is the same exact person, right? Yes, he was taken out of the car. He was questioned by federal agents -- Gabe, stop me if I'm saying anything inaccurate. He was placed against a wall and he was photographed by these FBI agents. Appears to be photographed. OK, they had -- flashlight in his face. And has that questioning ended now, Gabe? Put him back in the very same car. It was a Boston police car? Can't tell but appears to be a local police car. So this suspect, and this suspect is still in that local police car? All right, hold on.
All right. Gabe Ramirez is telling me there's a second man who has just been come into custody. He's in handcuffs right now.
Gabe, can you describe him for me? Just physical features. Black hair, dark hair? Dark hair. Short, cropped dark hair. All right. All right. Gabe, Gabe -- Gabe, I want you to call the desk. I want you to call the desk and get this verbatim and take them down. Let me handle live television here and wrap this up. We have to be accurate on this. OK, hold on, Jake. Gabe Ramirez is describing an incredible scene where a second suspect at the scene in handcuffs is being walked past him right now. He's describing a man with black, short crop hair, who appears to be Middle Eastern in complexion. So, we have the one naked person, who is in custody and was placed up against the wall, who is white, and was looked at and questioned by the FBI. And then there was a second suspect.
I've now asked Gabe to call into our desk to verbatim give a report so that we can all act responsibly with this information. But it appears to be there are two people at least in some sort of custody at this scene in Watertown, Gabe -- excuse me, Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Drew. That's great. We will have Gabe call in. We will have him give the report himself so that the listeners and the viewers can hear it for themselves.
I want to go now to Susan Candiotti, CNN's reporter, who has great connections with the FBI, great sources in law enforcement, to find out what she's hearing this evening. We know that FBI officials were trying to figure out if there is any connection whatsoever with what is going on this evening with the shooting of the police officer in MIT and this apparently two individuals arrested in Watertown, Massachusetts, not far from Boston. FBI officials trying to figure out if there is any connections with those activities and with what happened here on Monday. Susan Candiotti, what are you hearing? I'm not hearing Susan Candiotti. We'll work -- so, Susan Candiotti not there right now.
Juliette Kayyem, what are you hearing from individuals in law enforcement this evening, if anything, about what's going on? And what would be a reason there would be somebody taking a picture of the first suspect as we heard Gabe Ramirez reporting, that the first individual who was arrested, the one who was told to take off his clothes, presumably out of precaution the individual had explosives on him or something dangerous on his person, why would a picture be taken of this individual?
KAYYEM: Right. Well, because to either confirm or deny what everyone is worried about right now. And so it's just -- this would be sort of smart policing, the typical policing. Is this related to the two men whose pictures we saw at 5:00 today? So, we're in the sort of verification/confirmation stage right now. And we will see there it is. The eyewitness accounts are that right now. They want solid confirmation before they come out with anything, so that's what the pictures are about right now.
TAPPER: In other words, they are just trying to see if these individuals that they're apprehending, I guess, if they're --
KAYYEM: Right.
TAPPER: As they try to determine whether or not there is a connection to what's going on in Watertown and Cambridge this evening to what happened to the terrorist activities and the suspect and, trying to determine if they're the same people? KAYYEM: Right. I mean, this would be -- this is what you would want them to do at this stage. I mean, from their perspective, there has been a massive shootout in a suburb of Boston. There is a police officer killed and three days ago there was a terrorist attack, all within a ten-mile radius. So, the fact they're doing this precaution to either say we have an unfortunate series of coincidences or this is related, is exactly what we want them to do before coming out with this.
So, you know, we're going to see probably in real time, you know, whether there's a validation or verification at this stage of what's going on. But, you know, just -- you know, whether people are -- the police presence there, and the activities being done by the police are absolutely appropriate, put in the context of what's been going on here for the last four days and the fact that at 10:00 p.m. Thursday night, just a couple hours ago, a police officer was killed on a campus that does not see much criminal activity.
So, this is all, you know, part of trying to figure out whether they're apples and oranges or whether these are all consistent. And given the amount of, you know, sort of what we're hearing from eyewitnesses about guns and explosives and other activity and what neighbors around that area are saying, one has to believe that the police need to figure out who these people are. This is not typical for Boston.
You put the terrorist incident aside on Monday night, this is not typical for this city. It's not typical for any city. The kind of activity that these two men are purported to have done just tonight.
TAPPER: And, Juliette, as we wait for more information about the two individuals that have been apprehended in Watertown, Massachusetts, this evening, we were told, of course, earlier by the Massachusetts state police that there were explosives on the scene regarding these individuals and their pursuit. We know one of the individuals -- at the very least, one of the individuals was asked to take off his clothes as he was apprehended. Presumably that was a precaution to make sure he had nothing on his person. Perhaps explosives that would be able to hurt the police officers as they apprehended.
How often are explosives used in situations like this? You have experience both in Massachusetts homeland security department and the U.S. department of homeland security. How -- how rare is it that --
KAYYEM: Rare.
TAPPER: -- that there would be explosives used in a situation like this?
KAYYEM: So, if it's true there were explosives used, because as we know from the last couple of days, eyewitness, accounts can be incorrect, that if it's true, it's really rare. I mean, I was in public safety in Massachusetts for a few years and there was nothing like this in my time there. And that is why there's all this activity. This is just -- it's hard for people to forget what happened on Monday for just a moment. This in and of itself is at least a big deal for the city. And particular for Watertown which is a very, very quiet suburb.
