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Moment of Silence for Paris Terror Victims; Police Officer Dies After Shooting in Paris Suburb; Witness Describes Disturbing Scene

Aired January 8, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The massive manhunt still under way. They are considered armed and dangerous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The deadliest terror attack in France in decades.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Just down from where we are no, are the offices of "Charlie Hebdo."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bodies on the shore, people were crying out for help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was more organized than what I expected to see.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Freedom of expression is something that cannot be silenced.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will not be able to succeed by killing us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This House stands united with the French people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shocked and confused, and I feel so many mixed emotions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we stand squarely for free speech and democracy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no right or left, there is French people saying no to terror.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: All right, I'm Chris Cuomo here in Paris, right down the street from the offices of the magazine "Charlie Hebdo." the area is now flooded with people who are getting ready for a moment of silence, this is a population of journalists and locals, ready to come together in the name of freedom and remembering what "Charlie Hebdo" was all about. To you in New York.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Alisyn Camerota along with Michaela Pereira here in New York, we're covering all angles, let's go back to Paris right now and start with Chris, who is live at the scene.

CUOMO: We are getting hearing. This is a day of mourning as announced by the president of France. There will be a moment of silence here just a few minutes. We will the bells of Notre Dame and you'll see the people here remembering those who were lost in the offices of "Charlie Hebdo."

And remembering what that magazine is all about -- which is, the core of freedom, to say what it is you believe without fear of any type of reprisal. However, there's a massive manhunt under way right now, for people who wanted to take away that freedom.

Two terrorists are still on the loose here this morning. Brothers, a third suspect turned himself in, 18 years old, he says he did so because he had no connection to the event and he only heard his name being used on social media. That remains to be corroborated. There is also a second shooting in south Paris, no known connection to what happened at the offices of "Charlie Hebdo" yet.

Here's what we know about that and we'll get to you Jim Bitterman who is on scene. But just for the headline of it, someone showed up to the traffic checkpoint and wound up taking on police officers. The man who did it was in his mid-50s. The suspect allegedly and was similarly dressed to the men who created the terror act here.

We are now getting ready for a moment of silence, however, let's observe it ourselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(MUSIC)

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: I want you to hear the applause here from everyone.

They're celebrating the memory of those who were lost at "Charlie Hebdo," and they're applauding the freedom that was involved in the right to publish and say what they believe is true.

This man here has a sign that says "The French are not afraid. Catholics, Muslims, Sufis, Buddhists, atheists, they are all for freedom." That is the spirit that is here today.

In some ways, you could argue even a day after this tragedy, that which was sought to divide and take away freedom has unified the people here in a way they may not have been here before, certainly in the cause of freedom.

They're all here, and they're still applauding. The moment of silence is now over, but the mood here will continue for some time.

We're showing you live pictures now of Notre Dame as they ring the bells there in ceremony and recognition of what happened here in Paris.

(APPLAUSE)

CUOMO: They are here in the rain, and they are still applauding. They want to be heard, and the message will be sent here and abroad and to all.

Now, there is breaking news to tell you about, as well, in this situation. Remember, I told you there has been a second shooting in south Paris. Jim Bitterman is on scene there.

Jim, give us the latest. At this point we had understood that there was no real cause for connection to what happened in the offices of "Charlie Hebdo," but what can you tell us, Jim?

JIM BITTERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Well, I think, whatever the situation was down here, it's now over. During your moment of silence, the moment of silence that you were observing there, in fact, very noisily, the BRI, the brigade of rapid intervention, the French police top guns, as it were, were withdrawn. They took their armored car and with their sirens blaring, drove off. And they are beginning to open up the street here in this Paris suburb, just on the outskirts of Paris, where this morning a local police officer was shot and killed and another policeman was wounded during a routine traffic accident. They were directing traffic around, and this traffic accident.

A gunman got out of the car. He was masked, wearing black, fitting the description of yesterday's attackers; shot the two police officers and then fled. Now, for a while here, it appeared as if they had cornered somebody in an apartment building not far away, which is why they brought up the brigade of rapid intervention and why they were here staking it out.

But as I mentioned, during the moment of silence, they pulled away. So we're assuming that this -- this is over. And it looks like they're about to open up the street once again -- Chris.

CUOMO: So Jim, what's your best sense -- Jim, what's your best sense at this point about where they are in connecting dots on that investigation, about how sure they are about who did what there and why? And how, if in any way, it relates to what happened here at "Charlie Hebdo"?

BITTERMAN: Well, we don't have a good sense of it, but I can tell you that they also pulled in, right up to this incident with the two police officers were shot, they pulled in a 53-year-old man who was apparently dressed in black, or at least fit the description to some extent. And he's not been hurt (ph). I mean, the police have not told us what's happened to him. So we don't know whether or not he has any connection at all to the "Charlie Hebdo" shooting or not.

But that, of course, is what people are on edge about. And there's (INAUDIBLE). The police, by the way, down here, even the local police now, are wearing bulletproof vests. And I think that there's a feeling that the -- any police officer now around the Paris area could be a target, especially with these gunmen still on the loose.

CUOMO: All right, Jim, I'm going to check back in with you.

We're seeing the same thing here. Tactical gear is now the norm, and there is just a flood of personnel and equipment being brought in to Paris from the military and intelligence branches of the French authorities.

You can hear different rounds of applause behind us here as different commemorative events are happening around a memorial by the offices of "Charlie Hebdo." Lots of signs of "Je suis Charlie," you know, "I am Charlie," as people kind of galvanize around this idea of fighting for their own freedom of expression here. There's one of the rounds of applause.

Now, you do have to understand, though, there's a very active manhunt going on. If not for one of these people allegedly dropping an identification card, we don't know where investigators would be, but there's a very active manhunt going. There's lots of wild reports about different altercations and movements by police.

But let's give you a recap on our reporting so far of what happened yesterday and what brought to us where we are right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO (voice-over): The most wanted men in France: terrorist brothers said and Cherif Kouachi, armed and dangerous, still at large this morning, France raising the terror alert, military aircrafts flying troops into Paris, as the authorities ramp up security around the clock.

A massive manhunt under way, leading police here overnight to the northeastern city of Hants. Members of France's elite anti-terror unit converge on an apartment building, the gunmen, gone. But forensic police officers search for evidence inside.

Both brothers were known to security services in France. Thirty-two- year-old Cherif served more than a year in prison for recruiting people to fight alongside extremists in Iraq.

The youngest suspect, 18-year-old Hamyd Mourad, surrendered to police late Wednesday, according to AFP, after seeing his name circulate on social media and denying any involvement.

Seven others have been detained by authorities since the shooting.

The horrific attack at the offices of "Charlie Hebdo" took place just around 11:30 a.m. in Paris Wednesday, 12 people killed, 11 wounded. Witnesses say the gunmen yelled, "We have avenged the prophet." Also yelling "God is great" during their brutal rampage, reportedly speaking fluent French.

MARTIN BOUDOT, REPORTER/DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: It was a slaughter. It was, like, a massacre.

CUOMO: This video shows the attackers moments after the slaughter. These two masked men just killed the magazine's editor and three prominent cartoonists.

Police caught a major break when one of the suspects left his I.D. in the "Charlie Hebdo" offices, a justice consultant calling it, quote, "their only mistake."

The killers seemed to show purpose but not haste. Here, they execute in cold blood an already-wounded policeman, one of them pausing a second to retrieve a shoe dropped from the waiting car. And then seconds later, they make their escape.

Sources say investigators are paying close attention to this moment, when a gunman appears to raise his finger in the air, possibly signaling other accomplices.

JOHN MILLER, NYPD, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF INTELLIGENCE AND COUNTERTERRORISM: What you don't see is panic on the part of the gunmen. These are strong indicators that this is not the first time they've handled weapons.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO (on camera): Well, there may be more panic among the gunmen right now, because we have new details to report to you.

According to different French authorities and reporting outlets, the two shooters involved have been identified and contacted by police. They are supposedly on the move, trying to move out of the city. The information reportedly is coming from a gas station attendant who encountered the men. He said they were armed. They were moving in a specific direction that authorities are now following up on.

Like we said, this is a very active manhunt. There's a tremendous amount of resources that have been flooding in and around the northern and eastern parts of Paris to try to find these men as quickly as possible and anybody else who's working with them.

We will update you on those details, because again, it's very much in progress. As we get the information and can verify it, I will give it to you.

Now, however, we want to take one step back right now to what happened here at the offices of "Charlie Hebdo." You see people now are filtering back out to get on with their day after celebrating this -- this kind of sense of unity, to get around each other in this moment of division that these terrorists perpetrated here in the offices of "Charlie Hebdo" yesterday.

And we have with us someone who witnessed what happened here and thankfully escaped. Come in here a little bit closer so they can see us. Please, tell me your name so I don't mangle it.

WANDRILLE LANCE (ph), WITNESS: Wandrille.

CUOMO: Wandrille.

LANCE: There you go. CUOMO: Now, thank God you're safe. What did you see? What happened?

LANCE: Well, when I arrived to my office, my office is right across the hall from the one of "Charlie Hebdo." So I arrived to my office yesterday morning, and as I arrived, I could see one of my colleagues running down the stairs and calling out for help.

And I got a text a little earlier to say that something was happening around the office. So we started running together back up again. And instead of turning left to go to our office, which is on the right, and entered the offices of "Charlie Hebdo."

And you know, there were people, and they were asking for help, obviously, so we didn't really think about anything. We just entered. There was this young guy, lying down in the entrance hall of the offices. He was already attended to. I think a doctor was already trying to sort of make sure that he was sort of OK. I heard later that he had been shot in the back.

And then someone deeper in the offices called us and said, "We have to remove the furniture," because the emergency teams were all on their way. So we -- we just, with some of my colleagues, we went in. We took some of the furniture and pulled it out of the main offices.

CUOMO: Did you know what you were dealing with? Did you know what had been done there? Why they had been shot and by who?

LANCE: I'm a reporter, as well, and we had known for a very long time that "Charlie Hebdo" was threatened.

CUOMO: Right.

LANCE: And we heard before that -- well, we heard about the fire.

CUOMO: The fire bomb in 2011.

LANCE: In 2011. And then when they moved in, we saw police cars patrolling around the offices over there. So we -- obviously, we knew that something was happening there.

But when I arrived, I -- we never assumed that it would really happen anyhow. And when I arrived and my colleague shouted out to me and he said, "Come, there's been a shoot-out, and there's so many bodies on the floor." I kind of assumed that, you know, this would be the day. But it was completely unfathomable. Unfathomable.

CUOMO: The shooting had ended, though. You didn't hear any active fire once you got there?

LANCE: I arrived after the shooting.

CUOMO: And when you were there, we had heard that the men and women were separated and that they were looking specifically for men, specifically for certain men. When you were in there, were all the injured mostly men?

LANCE: Yes. That's what I saw.

The thing is, when we entered, as I told you, there was this body lying on the floor, and then we proceeded more into the offices to try and help as much as we could -- or as little as we could, because, really there was nothing much we could do there.

And then we started pulling out some tables, and that's when I saw all the bodies on the floor, really. And it was a very graphic scene, very gruesome scene there.

CUOMO: Did it seem as though they had been executed, like, you know, with very specific shots? Or did it look like someone had just sprayed bullets?

LANCE: It looked as a spraying.

CUOMO: Just a massive?

LANCE: Yes. Yes, that's what I saw. And then I saw the corpses were clearly Gray, and some of them had clearly passed away already, unfortunately. And there was really nothing much we could do there. So we tried to gather our forces with some of my colleagues, back in. And then we just decided to -- then the rescue teams arrived, and they told to us clear the area. There's too many people here. And they said all of the people that are still alive, get out. And so we just went out.

CUOMO: Now two things. We have been told that, as you said, there was no secret that "Charlie Hebdo" was at risk. And there was security presence. There was a van outside. One of the cartoonists had a policeman assigned to him. Is it true that that van had disappeared or that you had seen a sign that there wasn't as much security around anymore? Is that fair criticism or no?

LANCE: I wouldn't -- I wouldn't say criticism, but it's true that it had been a couple of months since we saw the police car stationed at the foot of the building, because they used to be stationed there for so many months.

CUOMO: Right.

LANCE: And with some of my colleagues, we used to kind of joke in a weird way that, you know, "Why is there a police car?" Because they've already tried everything that they could do to "Charlie Hebdo," you know, in a way. And then the car left, and we assumed that it was just because the security threats just weakened. And obviously, we were...

CUOMO: Now you know. Now you know why they needed the security.

They're clapping again. They're clapping in the spirit of remembering what this freedom is about, what "Charlie Hebdo" is about. You see the signs, "Je suis Charlie," "I am Charlie." That what the terrorists wanted was for this to stop. Don't disrespect Mohammed any more. Don't do things that offend us on the extreme side of Islam.

What do you think the effect will be? Do you think it will quiet people, or do you think it will even raise voices louder?

LANCE: We were really -- my colleagues and me thought as journalists, as you know, Chris, and a lot of journalists, we want to report stories as we are, with the facts that we have in our hands to report them. And I was thinking, hopefully this will not weaken our strength to report those stories.

But what I thought was even more wonderful yesterday, if I can say that, is that it was a citizen movement. And we joined in the crowd with some of my colleagues. We were taken to the psychological support area, where you know, you talk to -- you talk to a counselor and some kind of psychological help over there.

And then we joined in the crowd, and we walked all the way to Le Publique (ph), which is really symbolic here in Paris and in France. And it was really beautiful to see that it was not only us journalists, you know, crying on what we are -- becoming as a threat, and the seriousness of the threats that we face every day.

But to see that the people of France and the people in America and the United States and everywhere in Europe and in the world are sharing that kind of feeling right now, that journalism is worth fighting for. I think that's a beautiful image that I will keep with me.

CUOMO: Wandrille, thank you so much. I'm glad you're safe and thank you for helping the way you could.

LANCE: You're welcome.

CUOMO: Good luck to you.

LANCE: Thank you.

CUOMO: We have a lot more reporting here. We're going to give you details of what we've learned about the manhunt that is active and in process, that shooting where we have Jim Bitterman in south Paris. We'll tell you everything we know as we know it, but for right now, let me get you back to New York for a lot of other news this morning.

CAMEROTA: Chris, it's just incredible to see the outpouring there of emotion and to hear all the clapping and to hear that journalist report of the aftermath. Thank you for that.

Meanwhile, back here at home, the vast majority of the U.S. is shivering this morning. The National Weather Service predicting close to 90 percent of the country will wake up to below freezing temperatures today. The upper Midwest and New England bracing for another jolt of arctic air and snow. Whiteout conditions are being blamed for this deadly 18-vehicle pile-up on a Pennsylvania interstate that involved nine tractor-trailers. At least two people were killed in that accident.

Emergency officials warning of dangerous wind chills that can lead to frostbite and hypothermia. Public schools in Boston, Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Cleveland all closed today.

Meteorologist Jennifer Gray is live in Chicago battling the bitter cold for us.

How is it there, Jennifer?

JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Alisyn, it is cold. Temperatures where we are right now, about 5 degrees below zero. When you factor in the wind chill, it feels like 25 degrees below zero.

And look at the Chicago River behind me. Half of it is frozen solid from our vantage point. And you can see the steam on top of it like a hot tub, and you know that water is cold, because part of it is frozen. So you know it's getting close to freezing. But because the air temperature is so much colder above it, it's acting like a hot tub down there; it is steaming.

So yes, we have wind chill warnings in place. We have wind chill advisories in place for much of the country. That does also include the Northeast. We're seeing wind chills anywhere from 15 degrees to 30 degrees below zero. Some of the extreme areas, 40 and 50 degrees below zero. You can get frostbite within a matter of minutes, and also, if you don't dress appropriately, you can get hypothermia, Alisyn. So this is a dangerous cold. That's why, as you mentioned, a lot of those schools are canceled today.

CAMEROTA: All right, Jennifer, that's an incredible vision behind you to see the cold water steaming.

PEREIRA: Like a hot tub, yet so not.

CAMEROTA: Indeed.

Get inside, Jennifer. Thanks so much for the update.

PEREIRA: Our coverage continues now of the Paris terror attack as we work to find out more about the suspected gunmen, and just how they were able to carry out that bloody massacre at "Charlie Hebdo" magazine. Christiane Amanpour will explain why this attack has been called a potential game-changer.

(COMMERCIAL BEAK)

CUOMO: All right. We are live in Paris outside the offices of "Charlie Hebdo," of course, the French satirical magazine that was attacked by terrorists yesterday. Twelve people lost their lives; 11 more were injured, many of them very seriously.

And we just finished seeing, you'll see there's still many people here milling around for a moment of silence. And there were rounds of applause in celebration of the freedom that is represented by what "Charlie Hebdo" and, of course, the media here does here and around the world. People here saying that they're unified, that "Je suis Charlie." Excuse my French, but the sentiment is a beautiful one on anyone's tongue, which is "I am Charlie." That they are unified in this principle.

At the same time, they are also unified here in France in the efforts to catch the men who did this. The latest reporting, a gas station attendant, according to French reports, identified the two gunmen. They were trying to exit out of the Paris area, and they are being pursued by authorities.

As we get new information, it will be brought to you once we verify it. We have Christiane Amanpour, of course, our chief international correspondent, here and we're looking at the event in the investigation one-half-step back. What we saw perpetrated yesterday is different than what we've seen in the past. What is your impression of why?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Because this was a direct attempt to shut down any kind of dissent. They went right -- as the president of France said today, "They attacked the heart of our nation. They attacked us in our capital. They attacked us in our cultural heritage here, and they tried to shut us up."

And right now, as you've seen, the gentleman right to your right, who has a home-made cardboard sign, that says, "The French are not afraid." And people have come out in this cold and horrible drizzling rain. Sort of, you know, heaven is crying today because of what happened yesterday. They've come with their flowers and with their candles and with their signs to pay tribute.

Because this is not just another terrorist attack, as terrible as that sounds to say. This is a deliberate attack on the freedom of speech. On the freedom to live the kind of values that western democracies have lived now for hundreds of years.

And whether you go back to the ayatollahs in Iran, who tried to close down Salman Rushdie more than 30 years ago. If you look at North Korea trying to close down Sony and the ability to satirize and poke fun. And if you look at what these people did here yesterday, they do not want anybody talking about anything that they don't agree with. It is tyranny in its purest form.

And very, you know, well-known French intellectuals have said this wasn't a terrorist attack; this was an execution. This was not just a massacre; this was an execution.

CUOMO: And motive was clear. They said the prophet had been avenged. Did the traditional cry of "God is great" when they were doing it, and we know who tends to do that.

And then you get to the weapons that were used -- the weapons that were used, the Kalashnikovs, maybe an RPG. Doesn't seem like they used it. But the tight shooting patterns, the nonchalance as they moved and executed an officer. It does speak to, not your common variety madman who's caught up with the romantic notion of jihad.

AMANPOUR: It's a very strange situation. The French say we know the names of the suspects. They are apparently of Algerian origin. The lawyer of one of them says they were orphans. One of them, or two of them are known to the authorities for various attempts at jihad and traveling and smuggling people into jihad. So they're known.

You know, they weren't that clever. One of them left their I.D. in the car, and that's how police know. Also, apparently there was DNA and other, as they say in France, genetic evidence that led them to these two people.

And apparently, they are now or they have been spotted, if you're to take the initial reports, which we haven't confirmed yet. In northern France, not even in Paris, in northern France at a gas station. We don't know whether that's going to pan out. And there was another shooting today. Perhaps a copycat shooting. So, you know, several things are under way, trying to figure out who these people are.

Did they have a greater organization around them? Were they just acting on their own? Were they flinging around al Qaeda or ISIS or whatever just to look big? And what will this do? This is what people here are very afraid of. What will this do to politics here, as well?

CUOMO: Some good indications there, though, and a good point for us to end on here.

First of all, what we just saw here in this "Je suis Charlie" that, you know, people want to unify, hat they want to see the magazine come out with its next publication, and there's word that it may come out. That more people want to get involved in giving voice to this. And politically, this is a very fractious political society in France.

And yet today, some history made in a positive way. What is going on right now in terms of a reflection of this event?

AMANPOUR: Well, President Hollande brought to the Elysee Palace today, the former president, the man he beat in the last round, Nicolas Sarkozy, who himself was -- you know, was conservative. He had been the interior minister. He had a very, very tough anti- terrorist and security policy when he was in office. And he was brought in to the Elysee for the first time since he was defeated.

And there's an attempt to do what the president said last night in his address to the nation: This must unify us. It must unify us. It can't cow us, and we have to be able to find these people and fight this -- fight this scourge.

Because at the same time, this is happening in an environment where the far right, very populist, National Front Party is very far ahead in the polls. And they are Islamophobes. So this is going to play into all of that fear that's going on here in France at the time.

But I must say, for many, many years there's been a political correctness about this kind of violence that is perpetrated in the name of Islam. And of course, many moderate Muslims come out and they say, "Not in my name." And they need to come out and say, "Not in my name."

But we do have to ask the question, why is this rage being fuelled and used by Islamic extremists? Why is Islam the vehicle for this political rage? We have to ask that question. It has to be answered. We have to ask why the words "Allahu akbar" have been used by extremist Muslims, to be among the most wicked words in the worldwide dictionary right now.

CUOMO: It's certainly being used for a purpose that it was never intended, that's for sure. Christiane, thank you very much. I'm going to rely on you heavily, obviously, here all morning.

The big questions also are about where are these two men, these terrorists, these killers who massacred here at the offices yesterday. There is information coming in. We've got to verify it so we can get it to you. But a very active manhunt going on.

So we're going to go to break right now. When we come back we will have more continuing coverage on CNN, live from Paris, the manhunt for the massacre here at "Charlie Hebdo."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)