Return to Transcripts main page

CNN NEWSROOM

Russian Official: Russian Warplane Crashes in Syria; ISIS May Provide Clue in Attack Investigation; New U.S. Intelligence on Paris Attacks. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired November 24, 2015 - 04:00   ET

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


[04:00:13] MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Turkish media says a warplane has crashed Syria, just across the Turkish border. The nationality of the fighter jet remains unclear. We are trying to confirm that for you.

French police find what appears to be a suicide vest in a garbage can in a Paris suburb.

And, urgent hunt is underway for an ISIS commander dubbed the "Voice the Death". He's believed to be one of the ringleaders.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Max Foster in Paris. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

(MUSIC)

FOSTER: We have breaking news this hour coming in to CNN from the Syrian-Turkish border. Turkish state media reporting a warplane, possibly Russian, has crashed on the Syrian side of the border. The cause of the crash remains unclear at this hour. But we've got information coming through to us all the time.

Ian Lee joins us from Cairo.

What have you got, Ian?

IAN LEE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Max, this is just breaking. What we are hearing now from the Russian foreign ministry is that this is, in fact, a Russian plane that crashed along the Syrian/Turkish border. We do not know exactly what caused this plane to go down. We are hearing that one of the pilots, at least one of the pilots did eject, although their fate is unknown.

This is an in area north of Latakia, along the border. This is an area that doesn't have an ISIS presence. This is an area that has caused friction between the Syrian government and Moscow as well as Turkey because this is an area that has a large Turkmen population. This is a population that has a Turkish ancestry.

Turkey has expressed solidarity with this people during this war, although at this moment, we don't know what was the cause of the plane. But there is video of the plane going down, on fire and crashing. We are waiting to hear from the Turks whether what they know was involved in this crash. FOSTER: Ian, the Russian foreign ministry confirming to us that the

warplane that did crash was one of theirs. What do you expect the reaction to be from Turkey?

LEE: Well, this is the one thing we're watching extremely closely. If this was the Turks that brought down the plane, this will raise tensions between Ankara and Moscow.

But, right now, we do not know the cause of this plane. We are hearing the plane was cruising at 6,000 feet -- or sorry, 6,000 meters over 18,000 feet. So, that is fairly high. We know that most shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles cannot reach that elevation, which means it has to be something a bit more sophisticated.

That being said, we don't know what brought this plane down, but definitely has the possibility if it was Turkey that shot it down. Then to raise tensions, although we are hearing as well that this plane had not breached Turkish airspace. This is coming from the Russians. We are waiting to find out what led to the plane crashing.

FOSTER: OK. Ian, on that, let's go straight to Moscow, straight to Matthew Chance. He's on the line right now -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Max, that's right. In the past few minutes, it has been confirmed, of course, by the Russian defense ministry and foreign ministry of the Kremlin as well that it was indeed a Russian warplane that was down by the Turks. The Turks themselves as I understand have said they brought that aircraft down after violation of air space.

What the Russians are saying at this early stage is that's not the case. They are saying the plane did not violate Turkish air space and stayed within Syria. They're saying it was shot down from the ground. But there's not much detail beyond that except the two pilots that were on board appeared to have parachuted to the ground.

Again, the condition of those pilots is, as far as we're concerned, not quite known. We are expecting to be a statement. The Kremlin has told me that there will be a statement later on today by the Russian president.

[04:05:02] And he's going to be meeting Jordanian officials later on today and to have that opportunity. He will be making a statement according to the Kremlin about this incident.

It's clearly a huge escalation. The first time that I can remember and I think I'm probably not alone in this, that a NATO country has shot a Russian plane out of the sky. A NATO country. It represents the major escalation not just in the regional conflict inside Syria, but potentially could worsen relations, which are already strained, of course, between Russia and the NATO military alliance.

So, this is an extremely serious development that could have far- reaching consequences.

FOSTER: Yes, this is -- President Hollande is heading to Washington to try to convince President Obama to work more closely with the Russians over Syria. And there was some hope that he might -- he's been able to get some sort of agreement, at least on practical coordination with the countries, but this is going to throw that completely off course.

CHANCE: It potentially will be a complication, yes. The Russians is going to be furious about this, obviously. And that will depend on what happens to the pilots.

The French President Francois Hollande is going to Washington. He is also coming to Moscow on Thursday in a couple of days from now. He's going to be meeting with Vladimir Putin. It's been something of a French/Russian alliance since the attacks in Paris. Russia and France seemingly very close in their positions in terms of having to destroy and wanting to destroy ISIS inside Syria as quickly as possible.

And there's always a division, of course, between Russia and the west over what to do in Syria. Particularly over the fate of Bashar al Assad, the Syrian president, and of course, Russia and Turks are on different sides essentially in that conflict. The Russians are very much backing the governments of Syria, or they would call the legitimate government of Syria or Bashar al Assad and the Turks are supporting rebel groups to oppose Bashar al Assad.

So, they have been at odds on the battlefield for some time. But as I say, now that it has confirmed that a Russian war plane has been shot out the sky in Syria apparently by the Turks, apparently for violating Turkish air space, this is the first plane they would have lost in the campaign of air strikes that has been under way by the Russians since September.

So, it is a huge escalation. Of course, it is a huge loss of the Russians to think one of their aircraft is shot out of the sky. It could have serious consequences for relations in Turkey and with NATO in general.

FOSTER: Matthew, thank you.

Going back to Ian in Cairo.

This is the issue, isn't it? Turkey is part of the NATO alliance. So, this isn't just going to be a transnational issue, it's an international issue. And it draws into question the whole of the coalition working in Syria, how they are working with Russians and an escalation. You know, this could be interpreted by Russia as an attack by NATO, effectively, which could be hugely damaging to international relations.

LEE: Yes, this really does have the possibility to escalate dangerously. You know, Turkey in the past has accused Russia of violating its airspace. We know the United States has been talking with Russia about coordination of air strikes, coordination of air movements to prevent something like this happening so that a plane of either nation or either coalition isn't lost in these operations.

But Turkey has said in the past and warned Russia of not violating its air space. Now, Russia, again, we need to reiterate -- Turkey is saying this plane violated its air space. Russia is saying that it didn't. And we're hearing from Turkey state media it was one of their planes that shot this one down.

But, you're right, this does have a possibility, a dangerous escalation because Turkey is a NATO country. We probably expect to see both countries coming together, talking about this. Neither side wants to see this escalate where it drags it to directly against each other.

Right now, as we heard from Matthew, the Turks are backing the rebels. The Russians are backing what they say is the legitimate government in Syria, two proxies really.

[04:10:07] Neither country wants to see this go blow-to-blows directly. But there will be a lot of talking not only between Moscow and Ankara, but a lot of countries will try to deescalate this as neither side wants tensions to rise.

FOSTER: These are amateur videos we have to us by Reuters of what we see of the crash. It is right on the border. Turkey has to move quickly to provide some evidence that the plane did cross into Turkish air space.

LEE: That's right. You know, the burden of proof is on Turkey. They shot it down. They're going to have to prove it violated their air space. And to kind of put it into context. This area on the Turkish/Syrian border is north of Latakia. This is the area that has a large Turkmen population.

These are people of Turkish ancestry. Turkish has expressed solidarity with them in the past. They have warned Russia not to bomb these people and not to engage these people. But in the past, we have seen the Syrian regime and the Russians bomb this area, an area called the Turkman Mountain.

So, this has been a point of contention in the past. We are seeing the Turkish airplane shot down a Russian plane that looked like it was on a mission over this area.

FOSTER: In terms of the previous incursions. We've had incursions, haven't we, or accusations from the Turkish side that there had been Russian incursions into the area before. It hasn't got to the point where a plane has been shot, but they have had tensions, haven't they, in the past. It is a history here.

LEE: That's correct. There's been a number of incursions according to Turks, and as well as the Americans have said the Russians have violated Turkish air space and also have had drones violate the air space. And Turkey has warned Russia about this in the past. And there was talk a month ago about coordination, making sure that nothing happens. The United States leading that effort with the Russians because no one wanted to see what happened today where a plane of theirs is shot down over Syria and we don't know the fate of the two pilots. Now, we are hearing they both ejected. We don't know their fate. But

this creates a dangerous situation for everyone involved in this operations over Syria.

FOSTER: OK. Ian Lee, thank you very much indeed.

We've also got Matthew Chance in Moscow chasing this for us. We're going to speak to Ivan Watson. He joins me here in Paris for the very latest on the downed war plane on the Turkish/Syrian border.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:17:12] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

FOSTER: To all of you who's just joining us -- Russia has confirmed that one of its warplanes has crashed over Syria. Turkey has suggested that the plane violated its air space. The cause of the crash and fate of the pilot remains unclear. But these are the amateur images we have in to us. And there's also reports that the pilots using parachutes coming out of there.

So, we are waiting to hear what their fate is.

Ivan Watson is with me right now.

Just describe what the Russian action has been over the area in recent times.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We know, Max, that the Russians intervened in Syria and carried out air strikes for weeks. The Turks have been objecting to many of these air strikes because they say that they have not just been bombing ISIS, but also bombing rebels supported by Turkey. Turkey has been a strong supporter of the anti-Assad opposition in Syria for some time now.

And particularly objected to what it claimed Russian war planes bombing ethnic Turkmen fighters. So, that's an ethic group that's quite close to the Turks. They feel kinship there.

And now, we have a dramatic escalation there. Turkish government agency confirming that the Turks have shot down a war plane. Presumably, it is this Russian war plane and presumably objecting to the fact that the Russians have been attacking their proxies in Syria.

FOSTER: The Turks are going have to prove, aren't they, that those -- that Russian planes went into the Turkish air space otherwise, there's going to be a problem.

WATSON: Perhaps, they will have to prove that. And this will not be the first time that we have seen over the Syrian war, dispute over whether or not a plane was in Syrian air space. Several years ago, there was a plane shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft fire. And there was a dispute with the Syrian government and the Turks over which air space it was in.

The fact of the matter now is you have a NATO power, a NATO military power that is now claiming responsibility for shooting down a Russian war plane. This is the scenario that everybody has been worried about ever since Russia intervened militarily right now. I can guess, I can predict based on Turkish patterns in the past in Syria, they will try to convene an emergency meeting with NATO invoking the article that says a threat to one NATO country is a threat to all. And they will try to internationalize this quickly.

FOSTER: And at the same time, as President Hollande is leaving here in Paris to meet President Obama, trying to create a coalition between the U.S.-led coalition in Syria and the Russians.

[04:20:05] So, that's making things incredibly complicated.

WATSON: I mean, it is still very, very early. We've just gotten reports that this has happened. But, yes, absolutely, this is probably going to complicate French efforts to try to unite people.

FOSTER: Which is hard enough.

WATSON: Difficult enough.

You have Moscow and Washington, a very divergent views on how to deal with this awful Syrian conflict. And now, you have this escalation, a U.S., an ally, a military ally not only of the U.S. but of the French, a Western military ally now, and this Russian plane shot down.

We have seen amateur pictures, it appears of a parachute deploying. We know other cases where helicopters were shot down over Syria and in some cases, the crew, the air crew have survived and certainly been taken captive.

Here's a question: Will this Russian pilot have been captured by rebels who view the Russians to be very close military allies of Bashar al Assad. How will that person be treated if they land alive? It's going to be a big question.

FOSTER: We will get you get more reporting on that. Ivan, thank you very much indeed.

Meanwhile here in Europe, the Belgian capital Brussels is still in a state of virtual lockdown. Subways, shopping malls and schools are closed until at least Wednesday with the city at its very highest terror alert level.

Here in Paris, experts are analyzing an object found in a garbage can in the suburb of Montrouge. It is suspected to be a suicide vest like those used of the terror attacks 11 days ago here in Paris.

Now, French media are reporting the cell phone of Salah Abdeslam, who is still on the run, by the way, was tracked to the area soon after the attacks.

The United States has also issued a worldwide travel alert for Americans. The State Department warns that groups like ISIS, al Qaeda and Boko Haram continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions. The alert does not tell Americans to avoid travel, but to be vigilant if they do and to avoid any congested areas, and that's the advice to people in Belgium and France as well.

Now, the U.S. President Barack Obama will meet French counterpart, Francois Hollande, in Washington in a few hours time. We are discussing that with Ivan. And now, this latest downing of the Russian plane will play into that, and Mr. Hollande is trying to build a broader global coalition in the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. He'll hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday here, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday.

Authorities in Belgium have arrested a total of 21 people in raids in Sunday, including five new arrests on Monday, but there's still no sign of a man that police really want. That is Salah Abdeslam.

CNN's Martin Savidge has new developments in that investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Friday the 13th, carnage and chaos erupts in the darkness all over Paris.

Police determine three teams of ISIS terrorists are responsible and count seven dead suspects.

ISIS takes credit for the bloodbath, but its own words open to mystery, now at the center of a manhunt. The ISIS statement mentions eight brothers attacking, quote, "precisely chosen targets in Paris' 10th, 11th and 18th districts," unquote.

Eight terrorists? And there was no attack in the 18th district.

An important puzzle piece appears to be missing for police.

The only thing police would eventually find in the 18th district is this rental car, hurriedly parked in a crosswalk. A source close to the investigation tells CNN it was rented by 26-year-old Salah Abdeslam, the brother of Ibrahim Abdeslam, one of the suicide bombers who died in the Paris attacks.

And much to their embarrassment, French authorities know unlike Ibrahim, Salah was alive and well. You see, hours after the attacks, police records show police stopped him and two other men in a car on this main highway not far from Belgium where Abdeslam is from. But because he wasn't wanted at the time, they let him go.

Now, Salah Abdeslam is France's most wanted.

CNN's Erin Burnett spoke to Salah's family in Belgium.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Mohamed, what would you say if Salah is watching this interview somewhere? What do you say to him?

MOHAMED ABDESLAM, BROTHER OF SALAH ABDESLAM (through translator): I would tell him to surrender.

SAVIDGE: Belgium authorities have picked up two men with him in the car when they were stopped near the border, charging them with complicity and through their attorney, they tell a most interesting tale.

(on camera): The two men say a couple hours after the attacks, they received a phone call from Salah Abdeslam and he sounded very upset, claiming that his car had broke down and he needed a ride back to Belgium. So, the two friends came here and picked him up in Paris. The attorney says he had no idea he had been involved in the attacks.

[04:25:02] The attorney also says the men noticed he was carrying something.

(voice-over): Quote, "A big jacket and other things, maybe like an explosive belt or something like that," unquote. It raises the question. Is Salah Abdeslam a suspected terrorist on the run or did he simply change his mind and run away?

Martin Savidge, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Back to our breaking news this hour. A Russian plane had been shot down on the Syria-Turkey border, or very close to it on the Syrian side. It is the images we've got, amateur images.

And we've got some breaking developments from Ivan Watson from the Turkish side -- Ivan.

WATSON: Yes, Max, the Turkish military said this happened at about 9:20 in the morning in Turkey. That there were repeated warnings to this Russian warplane, and then the two Turkish F-16s on patrol responded to the plane. Within the rules of engagement, they are saying again there were ten warnings to the other aircraft in a period of five minutes. Then the plane was presumably shot down by the two Turkish F-16s.

FOSTER: Is that confirmation that the Turks have shot down a Russian plane?

WATSON: You have the Turkish military saying that their F-16s warned another unidentified plane multiple times and shot it down.

FOSTER: And in Turkish air space?

WATSON: They are insisting it was violating Turkish air space. Of course, we are hearing a counter-argument from the Russians saying that the air space was not violated. This is dramatic.

Turkey and Russia are economic partners. Russia is perhaps Turkey's closest trading partner. It was perhaps a month or so ago that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Turkey is a major destination for Russian tourists. But they are opposing sides of the conflict in Syria and now, this is exploded into use of force and it's going to have serious consequences I believe.

FOSTER: Ivan, thank you. We are following that story for you.

We're going to also bring you the latest on the situation here in Paris and over in Belgium as well after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:50] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

FOSTER: Well, for you just joining us, Russia has confirmed that one of its warplanes has crashed over Syria. The Turkish military says two F-16 fighter jets shot down the plane after repeated warning that it has violated the air space. The plane landed on the Syrian side of the border, the fate of its pilots is unknown. Those are amateur pictures coming to us from "Reuters".

Ian Lee joins us from Cairo with more details on this Turkish announcement.

Can we conclusively say that it was a Turkish plane that shutdown a Russian plane?

LEE: Well, Max, that is what they are saying. And just to quote them directly, they said, "Two our F-16s on patrol responded to the plane within rules of engagement." At 9:20, they say they warned the plane ten times within five minutes. That's when it shot down.

Now, Turkey saying that this plane violated its air space. Russia is denying it. This was an SU-24 plane that was shot down. Russia saying that it was traveling at 6,000 meters, roughly 20,000 feet, when it was shot down. Both pilots, according to Russian military had -- were able to eject.

We are hearing reports that one of those pilots could have been captured by rebel fighters on the ground. This is an area north of Latakia in the western part of Syria near the area called Jabal al Turkman. This is an area where you have the Turkmen people which have ancestral ties with turkey. Turkey had protection of this area and has warned Russia in the past of engaging them. This is a source of tension between the two.

It looks like today, that the Turks shot down a Russian airplane.

FOSTER: What sort of response do we get from Russia?

LEE: Well, Russia, you know, we haven't heard much right now from Russia in terms of response other than confirming this information. You know, this is going to create -- really it's going to raise tensions between the two countries.

Turkey as we have heard from Ivan, as we know, is a NATO member, and they are likely to convene an emergency meeting with the NATO countries. An attack by one NATO member is an attack on all NATO members. This is something that all the countries we have seen since the airstrikes by Russia, since the airstrikes by the United States and coalition began, that they wanted to avoid this situation like this where a plane was shot down. But in the past, we have had Russian airplanes violate Turkish air space. Turkey has warned them over this. So, this does create a dangerous situation. We will be watching capitals of turkey, Russia as well as the United States and other NATO members to see what the response will be.

FOSTER: But as you say, the pilots, we are hearing reports, that there is video, isn't there, of them leaving the plane by parachute. That's why we think they could possibly be captured.

LEE: That's right. Russia has confirmed that two of their pilots ejected from the plane. There are reports that the pilots or at least one of them has been captured. We cannot independently verify that. But it is likely.

If they were able to eject safely, that if it landed in a rebel- controlled area, that they would be captured by the rebels. This isn't a very large area, so to be able to follow those parachutes should be relatively easy for these rebel groups.

[04:35:02] But we do not know the fate of the pilots. Russia says they are looking into this, the fate of their pilots. But if the rebels were able to capture them, I think it's safe to say Russia will try to get back their pilots one way or another.

FOSTER: And in terms of that video, what can you tell us about that area there? The border? It is close to the border, isn't it? So, we need confirmation from the Turks. I think we've had, that it was certainly -- those planes were certainly traveling -- we can show some new video I'm being told, Ian. You may be able to see this. We are bringing that up now.

We have seen -- there we have it -- the jet coming down. This is a Russian jet over Syria. Just over the border from Turkey. It is coming to us by "Reuters", amateur video. We see that coming down from the sky, clearly that jet coming down there. Then it hits the ground.

As you say, Ian, we believe the pilots ejected before it crashed.

LEE: That's right. That's what we are hearing from the Russians. The Russian military is saying the pilots were able to eject.

Now, the Turkish media military saying they shot down the plane at 9:20. Now, they are not specifying what kind of plane, the nationality of that plane, but saying that they did shoot down a plane. They said this plane violated their air space ten times within five minutes. During the ten times, they sent out a warning to the plane.

So, you will have to see if, you know, did this plane, in fact, violated the air space. Russia is saying no. Turkey is saying yes. What evidence will they be able to present that shows conclusively that this air space was violated?

But, really, the question is the fate of the pilots if they were able to eject and safely eject and get to the ground, were they captured? What is their fate right now? That is something that the Russians say they are currently looking into, Max.

FOSTER: Ian, back with you as you have more on that.

Sajjan Gohel is a terrorism expert and the international security director for the Asia Pacific Foundation. He joins us from London on Skype.

Thank you for joining us.

We think this is the first time a NATO member shot down a Russian jet. Is that your assumption as well?

SAJJAN GOHEL, INTL. SECURITY DIRECTOR: Well, it seems to be the case and that is a very significant escalation. And it's very much the last thing that's needed now, especially in the aftermath of the Paris attacks when that there was hope that the Russians would form an alliance with France and United States against ISIS. This is going to complicate things. This is going to add unnecessary tensions that really weren't required at this critical junction.

FOSTER: Your suggestion there about this rounded diplomacy. President Francois Hollande is heading over to Washington from Paris where he's going to be meeting with President Obama. He's meant to be meeting with Putin late in the week.

And as you say, they are trying to create an alliance. And his job is to bring Russian and the U.S. closer together on fighting ISIS in Syria. Do you think this puts it on hold?

GOHEL: Well, this is certainly going to deflect away from trying to form an effective consensus against ISIS. And now, while President Hollande is in Washington, D.C. with President Obama, they're going to be asked these questions about the Russian jet being downed. And it's going to put them in a difficult situation, because they need Russia on board.

And at the same time, Turkey is a very important NATO ally. So, this is a situation that unfortunately was almost inevitable at some point, because Turkey has long accused Russia of interfering in their airspace. They threatened them in the past.

And even though economic relations between the two countries is strong, politically, there has been tensions recently. And now, this is a situation which I fear could actually delay genuine consensus against ISIS.

FOSTER: Turks saying that the plane was in Turkish air space. The Russians are denying that. We're going to need confirmation on that, aren't we, to decide whether or not they were in a position, a legal position, to shoot down that aircraft.

GOHEL: Certainly this is a technical issue (INAUDIBLE) go into Turkey air space or not. And also the fate of the pilots come into question as well, if they have been captured on the ground, who captured them? Was the Turkmen? If that is case, then the situation may be eventually resolved because they will probably release them back to Russia.

[04:40:07] If elements connected to ISIS are involved or criminal groups, that could escalate the situation even further. This is a situation that one should have expected. They should have been better in terms of how planes traveling in order to avoid this problem from happening.

And as I was mentioning earlier, because of what's happened in Paris, instead of us focusing on forming an effective coalition, now we are going to be derailed about this incident which only benefits ISIS indirectly.

FOSTER: Just explain the dynamics you were describing there about the local groups that are on the ground there who -- and Russia has been accused of bombing them. They are actually supported by Turkey, aren't they? So, just describe that dynamic.

GOHEL: Well, this area seems to be mostly occupied by the Turkmen. They have a strong ethnic bond with turkey. Ankara has long supported them and defended them and threatened Syria against any potential retaliation against them. They have in the past been accusing Russia of bombing some Turkmen places in Syria.

Now, this has become a problem with Russia and Turkey now for the last couple months. The situation, of course, is also complicated by the fact that you have ISIS nearby as well. They have been fighting the Turkmen.

So, all these different factions and different machinations involved that have complicated the situations on the ground.

FOSTER: In terms of the images we are seeing here, it will be damaging, isn't it, to the coverage of the conflict in the area. There has been accusations that Russia is not coordinating properly with groups on the ground, and it's just going it alone in that area, and Turkey saying enough is enough.

So, in terms of Russia's work in the area, how do you think it will be affected by this?

GOHEL: Well, as you mentioned, Russia has been carrying out airstrikes unilaterally. There has been some degree of coordination with coalition partners, just to let them know what air strikes are taking place to avoid potential clashes in midair. But when you're two separate air strikes narratives operating in the skyline over Syria, something like this was going to happen.

This was a situation that I suppose could not have been avoided unless you have proper consensus and strategic alliance between Russia and NATO members.

We are hopefully going to get to that stage in the aftermath of the Paris atrocities. This situation is going to delay any significant progress that could be made. Certainly for French President Francois Hollande who is keen on bringing Russia and the United States together, it's going to make the situation all the more precarious.

FOSTER: Absolutely. Sajjan Gohel, thank you very much, indeed.

President Hollande on the way to Washington to discuss just that today. We'll see how it play into the debates.

And after the break, we'll be speaking to our correspondent Matthew Chance who's in Moscow for his latest information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:46:51] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

FOSTER: If you are just joining us, Russia has confirmed that one of its war planes has been shot down over Syria. The Turkish government said two F-16s fighters shot down the plane after repeated warnings, that it has violated its air space. The plane landed on the Syrian side of the border. Russia says both pilots on board managed to eject from the plane before it crashed. But now, we are wondering where those pilots are.

Here, Europe is on high alert. The Belgian government says Brussels will remain at highest terror level until at least the start of next week. Schools and subways are closed until Wednesday. In Paris, French experts are analyzing an object found in a garbage can in a Parisian suburb of Montrouge. It's suspected to be a suicide vest, like those used in the terror attacks 11 days ago.

French media reporting the cell phone of suspect Salah Abdeslam who is still on the run, was tracked in the area prior to where the belt was found after the attacks.

A new U.S. intelligence bulletin as well says Paris terrorist attackers carried out prior surveillance of at least of the locations they targeted. The report issued by the FBI, Homeland Security and National Counterterrorism Center also says that this shows signs of tactical planning and military style training.

Let's bring in journalist Stefan De Vries again.

Thank you for joining us.

First of all, I want to talk about what happened on the Turkish/Syrian border. Is that directly linked to what President Hollande is trying to do on the international stage from today?

STEFAN DE VRIES, JOURNALIST: Absolutely. It is on a worldwide diplomatic tour. He will be in D.C. today and tomorrow, he will talk to Merkel, the German leader, and a day after tomorrow with Putin.

He was basically trying to catch the momentum, to create an international alliance. But the events in Turkey now will go, well, it brings him into difficulty to bring all the partners together at the same table to create a global alliance. So, this is changing his strategy.

FOSTER: And Turkey is part of NATO. Hollande wanted the U.S.-led coalition to be working with the Russian coalition.

DE VRIES: Yes, absolutely. He doesn't want the U.S. to have boots on the ground, because he knows that is not possible. He needs the logistics of the USA, but also of Russia.

Only two weeks ago, Russia and America were still enemies on this topic. Even France was not happy with the position of Russia and now actually this week, the goal was to get all the parties together to create one single coalition. But I'm afraid what just happened in Turkey really complicates.

FOSTER: Is it worth the meeting going on to meet Merkel and Putin after Obama?

DE VRIES: Well, that is a good question. I think he will continue because he can say I'm just France, I'm not responsible. France is also a NATO member. So, he will have something to explain to his counterpart, Vladimir Putin,

FOSTER: In terms of the investigation, the idea of Salah Abdeslam's suicide vest could be and have been in Paris.

DE VRIES: Yes.

FOSTER: What does that mean for the investigation and what we understand happened later on, particularly in relation to him?

[04:50:04] DE VRIES: Well, it could show that he basically planned the whole part. It could also mean that Salah Abdeslam, one of the terrorists, is still on the run, maybe decided not to go ahead with his plan. That is what his loyals have said. That he's now a target of ISIS, so that's the reason they tried to convince him to turn himself in.

It does show however that there are problems with the intelligence services and surveillance, because Abdeslam was properly in Paris on the night of the attacks. He got away. He was checked three times and only 30 minutes later, he became the subject of international arrest warrant.

So, the police almost had him, but he was still able to get out of the country.

FOSTER: Frightening to think he is still on the run, potentially in Paris as well. Thank you very much indeed for joining us with that.

We are following this breaking news. Russian plane shot down on the Turkish/Syrian border. We're going to bring you the latest information after taking a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Breaking news this hour.

[04:55:00] Russia confirming that one of its war planes has crashed over Syria. The Turkish military says two F-16 fighter jets shot down the plane after repeated warnings that it has violated Turkish air space. The plane landed on the Syrian side of the border, and Russia says both pilots on board managed to eject from the plane before it crashed.

This is image that we just have of the video coming down. The big concern right now is what happened to those Russian pilots. Russia saying they did eject. But they are on the ground, presumably have they been taken by local groups?

In which case, which local groups? How does this play into President Francois Hollande efforts to unify the Russian and U.S. led efforts in Syria? This will all play out today. We will follow that for you.

I'm Max Foster in Paris. Thanks for joining us.

"EARLY START" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)