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THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER

New Video of French Terror Attack; New Airport Security Measures; Interview with Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina

Aired January 13, 2015 - 16:00   ET

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


JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: A brand-new look at the chilling moments that paralyzed Paris. I'm Jake Tapper. This is THE LEAD.

The world lead, new video of those warped terrorist brothers just moments after the senseless slaughter inside the offices of "Charlie Hebdo." Now Bulgaria says that that country has another French terrorist in custody. Can he tell police just how many more would-be jihadis there are out there in the wind?

Plus, the national lead, airline passengers under more scrutiny as the Department of Homeland Security warns that al Qaeda could have a new, often undetectable for blowing planes out of the sky.

And the pop culture lead. They called him the devil of Ramadi. His gun put more fear into the heart of terrorists than most bombs. And now Chris Kyle, the American sniper, his story hits the silver screen. And it could earn Bradley Cooper an Oscar. We will talk to the actor and to Chris Kyle's widow live this hour at THE LEAD.

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

We are going to begin with our world lead today and some new hair- raising information of the terrorists who killed 12 people at the offices of "Charlie Hebdo," the French satirical magazine, last Wednesday. In the video, you see and hear the two masked men, Cherif and Said Kouachi, the terrorists, in the moments after the massacre at the magazine.

The video emerges as another alleged terrorist was apprehended and an al Qaeda-linked group issued another threat of violence against the French. al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, that the terrorist group's North Africa division, that group took to jihadist Web sites and promised new attacks in France.

Let's get right to CNN chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto. He's in our Paris bureau following all of this new information for us.

Jim, what can you tell us?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, you know, one of the most alarming moments in this new video is when you see the terrorists calmly and patiently reloading their weapons in broad daylight on a downtown Paris street. This is after they committed that massacre inside the offices of a

"Charlie Hebdo" and before they would engage with police just down the street. Of course, they would go on to elude police for another two days before they were caught and killed, a sign of just how much these attacks have shocked and surprised the city of Paris and all of France.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO (voice-over): Startling new video of the "Charlie Hebdo" attack under way, the gunmen, Cherif and Said Kouachi, slowly reloading their weapons as they leave the murder scene. One of the gunmen raises his finger in the air, possibly a sign of defiance often used by Islamists.

Later, down the street, you see them come face-to-face with French police, the moment before they executed a French policeman. It's a chilling change from six years ago, when one of the attackers, Cherif Kouachi, covering his face as he exits court, proclaims his innocence. He was on trial for recruiting jihadists to travel to Iraq.

CHERIF KOUACHI, JIHADIST (through translator): The whole thing has been set up. We're just young kids from the suburbs. That is all. We get passionate. We talk like this, but there's nothing more. We did nothing wrong.

SCIUTTO: Kouachi was found guilty and sentenced to prison. French police are now frantically searching for other members of his cell still at large. Today, a contact of Kouachi's, Fritz-Joly Joachin, was charged with terrorism in court in Bulgaria, captured there on his way to Syria. Bulgarian officials said Joachin was in contact with Kouachi several times and left with his son before the attacks.

The partner of kosher market attacker Amedy Coulibaly is now believed in Syria, but authorities are still searching for this man spotted with her as she traveled through Turkey. He is by French authorities to be part of a Pakistani-Afghan jihadi cell and is still at large.

With police in France protecting prominent locations, police from New York, Washington and Los Angeles showed support by visiting the "Charlie Hebdo"e memorial.

(on camera): Two police officers lost their lives that day, one just down the street here. What comes to mind as you come to the memorial?

MICHAEL DOWNING, LAPD DEPUTY CHIEF: It's just horrific. It's a real tragedy. I think law enforcement all over the world is grieving for the French, and this isn't a problem just for France. It's not a problem just for Europe. It's a global problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: "Charlie Hebdo" will come out with a new edition tomorrow.

We're learning some new details. It will include cartoons drawn by some of those cartoonists and editors who were killed last week, 50 times the normal press run of 60,000, some three million copies. Jake, that's almost one copy for all of those people who turned out across the country, across France on Sunday to show their defiance in the face of terrorism.

It's a big moment again tomorrow for Paris and for France -- Jake.

TAPPER: Jim Sciutto in Paris, thanks. I assume you are going to pick me up at least one copy of "Charlie Hebdo" tomorrow.

I want to now go to CNN's Barbara Starr. She's live at the Pentagon.

Barbara, the Kouachi brothers, they carried out this attack with high- powered weapons that don't exactly, at least normally, come cheap. You have been trying to trace just who paid for this terrorist plot, who financed it. What have you discovered?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, here's how it starts.

U.S. officials are telling me they are increasingly convinced that it was al Qaeda in Yemen that was the major influence on the two brothers. And the question now, did that group in Yemen actually pay for this attack?

There are media reports suggesting that they paid tens of thousands of dollars to the Kouachi brothers. We know two things. We know that Cherif Kouachi, just before he was killed, gave an interview to French media where he said that his trip to Yemen at least was financed by Anwar al-Awlaki, the late leader of al Qaeda's external operations, its plans of attack in Yemen.

We also know shall that this other, shall we say, colleague of Cherif, Amedy Coulibaly, he said that he had given the brothers money to finish their preparations to carry out the attacks. All of this is part of the forensics essentially for intelligence services around the world. They start with, how did the attack look? And what did it take to make it happen? What did it take, what kind of money, financing, and organization? And who could have given it to the conspirators, Jake?

TAPPER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thanks so much.

John Berman is in the streets of Paris right now right outside the offices of "Charlie Hebdo."

John, a very somber day there. An editor for "Charlie Hebdo" spoke to reporters today. He was very, understandably, emotional. What did he have to say about the magazine, what did he have to say about his lost colleagues?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was very moving, Jake. I was actually there. This was a press conference not held here behind me at the offices of "Charlie Hebdo," which were so brutally attacked. No, they have been working out of really a competitor, a leftist daily, "Liberation," and they have this new issue coming out tomorrow morning.

They held a press conference there to a packed room of reporters. And Renald Luzier, Luz, a cartoonist who survived the attacks here only because it was his birthday, only because he showed up late to the office here, he explained the inspiration for the cover, which, as we all know, is the Prophet Mohammed with the words, "Je suis Charlie," "I am Charlie" on his chest.

But, most importantly, Luz said, he drew our attention to the tear that Mohammed is shedding in the cartoon. And he explains it. I want you to listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RENALD LUZIER, "CHARLIE HEBDO" (through translator): And I looked at it, and he was crying. And then above, I wrote, "Everything is forgiven," and then I cried, and that was the cover page.

We had found the cover page. We had finally got this wretched cover page, and it was our own cover page. It wasn't the cover page that the terrorists wanted us to produce. There are no terrorists. There is just a man who is crying, and that's Mohammed. I'm sorry, we have drawn him again, but the Mohammed we have drawn is, above all, a man that cries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: So this new issue is filled, Jake, with all kinds of irreverence, the kind of irreverence and really some people would say offensive cartoons and subject matter that "Charlie Hebdo" has been known for, for a long time.

But the first two pages are devoted to the artwork of those who were killed here. I find that to be such a moving tribute, Jake. Instead of blank pages to honor or remember those who were lost, their absence, they're filled with cartoons to show their continued, I would, say everlasting presence -- Jake.

TAPPER: John Berman in Paris, thank you so much.

Turning now to our national lead, it is still early, but the investigation into last week's terrorist attacks indicate that the Kouachis may have been motivated by al Qaeda's official jihadi magazine "Inspire," the same paint-by-numbers guide to terrorist attackers that allegedly taught the Boston bombers, the Boston terrorists, the Tsarnaevs, how to make a bomb in their mom's kitchen.

Now another "Inspire" spread has the Department of Homeland Security scrambling to try to prevent the next attack here in the United States.

Let's bring in CNN justice correspondent Pamela Brown.

Pamela, what's causing U.S. officials to step up security?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, hard-to-detect bombs have long been a concern here.

And now there are new fears about this, Jake. So, DHS is ramping up this airport security after this renewed push by al Qaeda in Yemen to activate extremists living here in the U.S. They're asking them to create a new type of hard-to-detect bombs with the goal of bringing down an airplane or wreaking havoc at the airport.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (voice-over): Amid renewed fears of hard-to-detect bombs like these being smuggled onto commercial flights, the U.S. is expanding random security checks of passengers in U.S. airports once they have already made it through airport security.

Those second checks at the gate could include an additional bag search, passenger pat-downs and hand swabs for traces of explosives.

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: One part is the potential threat to airplanes. The other part is the threat to passengers who are queuing up in a security line and somebody is trying to bring a bomb, maybe rudimentary device along and could blow people up in the security lines.

BROWN: The stepped-up measures are partly responsive to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's propaganda magazine, "Inspire," laying out a new recipe to concoct nonmetallic bombs with simple household products.

U.S. government officials says airport body scanners can normally detect these hard-to-detect explosives, but the advanced technology is not available in some smaller U.S. airports.

CRUICKSHANK: AQAP say that even if this doesn't get through airport security, enough fuss will be made about the people attempting to do this that it will spread terror in the West and their aims will be achieved.

BROWN: This move comes after enhanced security measures over the summer put passengers on U.S.-bound international flights through additional scrutiny, such as turning on their electronic devices to prove they weren't hiding explosives.

Following the latest terror attacks in Paris and renewed efforts by ISIS to target U.S. government officials, DHS is also stepping up security at federal buildings in more U.S. cities, as U.S. law enforcement is being asked to stay on a heightened state of vigilance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And law enforcement officials I have been talking to today say there is a heightened concern among them and because, to them, it seems more plausible today for someone influenced by these current events, some sort of terrorist propaganda, like ISIS is pushing that, to act out.

As a result, sources I have been speaking with, Jake, are saying that certain cases are going through perhaps more scrutiny than they may have before.

TAPPER: It's interesting, Pamela. A few weeks ago we had on the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson. There had been reports that DHS is contemplating banning all carry-on items. You can't carry a bag on.

I asked him if that was true. I kind of expected him to say, no, of course, not. And he said, we have no plans at this time. It was one of those very -- like, the door was wide open.

BROWN: Yes. And I think that there is this ongoing concern about these hard-to-detect bombs, because even if they do more bag searches at the gate, Jake, I think some people might say, if these are household products, these are hard to detect, is that really going to do anything? It will be interesting to see if they do more.

What we know, though, what they have put out there, Jake, we know there's more to this that they just aren't sharing obviously for national security purposes.

TAPPER: Right. Pamela Brown, thank you so much. Appreciate it, as always.

An ominous warning from the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr. He says an attack like the one we saw in Paris, it could become a weekly event here in the United States. Why is he so concerned about recent chatter on social media from terrorist groups and potential lone wolves? Well, we will ask him about it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper.

Our national lead now: increased concern about the terrorist threat to the homeland. Intelligence officials here in the United States remain on alert after last week's attack that killed 17 innocent civilians in France.

North Carolina Senator Richard Burr is the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He joins us now on set live.

Mr. Chairman, congratulations on the new post.

SEN. RICHARD BURR (R-NC), SENATE INTELLIGENCE CMTE CHAIRMAN: Thanks, Jake.

TAPPER: We look forward to having you on the show a lot. So, obviously, DHS stepping up screenings at airports across the country. Is there any credible threat known right now to the intelligence community?

BURR: There's not a known credible threat that's out there, but what we've been able to accumulate over of the last six days is a tremendous amount of data, the result of who Said and Cherif might have communicated with by telephone. It's by e-mail, and then two other -- one other attacker, and the female that's in Syria today accessing their communications. And those nodes are going to give the French tremendous capabilities. It's going to give us tremendous capabilities.

TAPPER: Is there anybody in the United States that the Kouachi brothers or any of the others involved in the attack that were in communication with at all or is there anyone who was thought to have been in Yemen at the same time that any of them were?

BURR: Too early to answer. The question was just asked today without an answer. We're still running a tremendous amount of data.

I think it's likely that there will have been some U.S. connections that were made. Maybe it's individual if we know about it. Maybe if it's individuals if we don't know about. The reality is we've got to triage all of that information.

TAPPER: We've now learned the Kouachi brothers who carried out the attack against "Charlie Hebdo", and Amedy Coulibaly who killed the French police officer, the policewoman, as well as the four Jewish Frenchmen inside the supermarket, were well known to American and French intelligence officials. Was this an intelligence failure, do you think?

BURR: I don't think it was. And we'll wait for the full scope to be determined. But I think what we're going to find out is that, when you've got 500-plus individuals who have traveled to Syria and fought and trained and come back that are French citizens, when you've got other threats that emerge and you've got a limited capacity to follow people -- remember that one of the brothers participated in an act that put him in jail in 2010.

TAPPER: Yes, recruiting jihadists to fight in Iraq against America.

BURR: Exactly. Worn an ankle bracelet for some period of time.

But then went through a period where he gave authorities no reason to continue to surveil him. And without intercepting something, it would have been impossible for them to make a decision to go back and start surveillance process with him.

TAPPER: Explain what you mean when you said recently that you believe attacks like this, like what we saw in Paris, could become a weekly event in the United States. You really think that's where we're headed?

BURR: Well, I'm not sure I would say -- limit that to the United States. I think globally I'm concerned that the tempo that we see is up. And that means that we're vulnerable, the entire continent of Europe is vulnerable.

And that seems to be a focus. When ISIL, you know, goes back on the social media and puts out this plea for people to attack military officers and police officers and elected officials and this type of thing, what they're doing is they're trying to raise the temperature and the tempo. When you come off of as horrific as what Paris saw, an event that

clearly was coordinated, individuals who were trained, and with every reason to believe that there were instructions several years earlier to carry out this act against an individual, not necessarily the magazine, but the individual, and all of a sudden, it happens three years later. That's a hard thing to detect.

TAPPER: You know things that the rest of us don't because you're privy to top secret classified briefings as the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, just as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. What keeps you up at night? What do you worry about for your kids and grandkids?

BURR: What I don't know. There are a lot of things we know and we're the best in the world. And as long as we have a cohesive international intelligence sharing information effort, then I feel great.

But it's the things that we don't find out, it's the things we don't know, it's the people we're not looking for because nobody's given us that dot to connect. And I think it's safe that our intelligence community today is struggling to uncover every rock and to look at every possible avenue that they can.

But do remember that the information we get from the Paris attack is not the single threat of information that we're chasing out there. We're chasing things that come out of Khorasan. We're chasing things that come out of ISIL. We're still very aggressive in Pakistan with core al Qaeda efforts.

And I think what we're seeing is we're seeing North Africa pick up as a real trouble spot because of the recruitment of terrorists down there is somewhat easier.

TAPPER: Food for thought. Very concerning.

Thank you so much, the new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, I appreciate it.

Coming up, a marksman so precise he said he singlehandedly may have killed over 160 insurgents in Iraq. His story told in the movie "American Sniper." Next, I'll speak with his widow and the man who plays him, the star of the film, Bradley Cooper.

Plus, one step closer to learning why AirAsia 8501 crashed, as investigators begin the process of analyzing data in two flight recorders. What were the pilots saying right before the crash?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD.

Our pop culture lead now, "American Sniper" opens this Friday. Nationwide, it's creating Oscar buzz. The film tells the story of Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL sniper. His claim to fame was that he had at least 160 confirmed kills, the most in U.S. military history. He served four tours in Iraq before returning home to Texas. His struggles with the war, the memories, adjusting to civilian life are all really quite incredibly chronicled in the new film based on his best-selling book by the same name.

Let's take a little listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You say a woman and a kid?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Can you confirm?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Negative. Your call.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They fry you if you're wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Tragically, Chris Kyle died in 2013 at a gun range. The fellow Iraq war veteran accused of killing him will go to trial next month. Kyle reportedly was trying to help him with the post-traumatic stress.

But let's talk about the film. Joining me now are Chris Kyle's widow, Taya Kyle, and Bradley Cooper, who stars as Kyle and helped produce the film.

Thank you both so much for being here. It's nice to have a fellow Philly boy on the set.

BRADLEY COOPER, ACTOR: Yes, thanks for having us, Jake.

TAPPER: And it really is quite a remarkable film.

You just got back. Literally, you just came from Walter Reed, right to the set here, talking to wounded warriors. What was that like?

TAYA KYLE, CHRIS KYLE'S WIDOW: It's always inspiring. And these guys not only sign up to serve but then get hit with something that would flow most people off track completely. And they fight back. They have such strength of character and spirit.

I find it painful to see it but inspiring, too. Their attitude is so good.

TAPPER: I know some soldiers have concerns, or some veterans have concerns about seeing a movie like this that's so accurately I imagine replicates battle. How did they receive it? I know they're watching it right now.

COOPER: Yes, you know, exactly. We just met all of them before we went to see them. You know, my hope is that even if it is sort of initially sort of shocking, that hopefully, after a while it heals. Because -- in any sort of traumatic situation, if you feel like you're alone, ultimately, it's healing. And that's the thing that Clint and I talked about and the other producers making a movie that is authentic and that people who have gone through this and are going through this don't feel alone.

But even more importantly, potentially those who don't know, 1 percent of our population even are affiliated with the military of the United States.

TAPPER: Right.

COOPER: So, it's not something people are aware of.

So, hopefully, this movie can educate those of us who aren't familiar with the plight of a soldier and a soldier's family.

TAPPER: Yes, to fill the chasm --

COOPER: Yes.

TAPPER: -- that 99 percent of us don't know at all.

One of the things so remarkable both in the movie and the book you're so brutally frank. And, people, I don't know of how many people have read the book, a lot. But you also wrote part of the book. He hands it over to you and lets you have your say.