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Bombing in Pakistan Detailed; Syrian Forces Liberate Palmyra; Latest on Brussels Terror Investigation; South China Sea Islands Dispute. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired March 28, 2016 - 03:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN NEWSROOM SHOW HOST: Terror in Pakistan. A powerful explosion kills nearly 70 people in Lahore. Many of them women and children. A Taliban splinter group says they are responsible.

The fight for Palmyra. Government forces recaptured the ancient city from ISIS fighters in Syria.

Also ahead, gambling, marijuana, boozing nights, an exclusive inside look of the lives of two brothers, suspects in November's Paris attacks.

Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. This is CNN Newsroom.

A grim warning from militants in Pakistan that more violence against Christians will come. An offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on Easter Sunday.

At least 69 people were killed. Many of them women and children. More than 400 others are wounded. It happened at a busy park in the center of Lahore.

Sophia Saifi joins us now with the latest from Islamabad. So, Sophia, the people of Lahore, of course, still trying to come to terms with the enormity of this deadly and tragic attack. What more are you learning about this shocking blast and the group claiming responsibility for it?

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, we know that the attack took place at around 6.45 in the evening yesterday at this crowded park. It took place near a children's amusement park, which is why most of the dead and injured are women and children.

We know that most of the victims were burn victims. A lot of the injured who are in the hospital suffered fractures because there was so much of a rush that they had to climb over walls to get out of the madness that ensued.

We actually have some sound from one of the witnesses and the victims at the scene. Let's have a look at what they said. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): We went to a canteen to have something to eat when there was suddenly a big blast. Everyone panicked, running in all directions. Many of them were blocked at the gate of the park. Dead bodies could be found everywhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAIFI: Rosemary, this, as you know, was one of the victims who had seen, who had actually experienced what happened there at the park.

The government has strongly condemned this attack that took place in Lahore. The group that was behind the attack actually took responsibility for another attack that took place in the northwestern city of Peshawar earlier this month and was in fact, also responsible for another attack in Lahore last March, which targeted two churches around Easter time as well. Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Sophia, how does the Pakistan government plan to respond to this attack, and what are they doing to try to protect people from this threat of more attacks?

SAIFI: Well, Rosemary, we know that the government, that the prime minister was in a meeting with the interior minister and other top officials for over four hours yesterday. We also know that the military actually came in to provide some sense of calm at the park, at the scene.

The chief of army staff of the military has said that he's condemned it. He's said that they're going to go out and nab these militants and try to find whoever was behind the attack. There's a lot of grief, there's a lot of shock at what's happened. And it's a story that continues to develop as the day goes on. Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Sophia, talk to us about the Christian population there and what sort of things they'll be doing now to try to protect themselves because they are the target here.

SAIFI: They are indeed the target. They were the ones who have experienced the most pain after this attack. We know that the Christian minorities themselves in Pakistan are highly oppressed Punjab, the province where this city of Lahore is, has the highest concentration of Christians in the country. There isn't much security.

The government has reassured minorities time and time again that they will provide proper security, but as of right now, what we're seeing, there hasn't been much provided. So, there is a lot of fear and a lot of despair as to what will come for these communities in the days ahead.

CHURCH: All right. Sophia Saifi, joining us there live from Islamabad. Many thanks to you. I appreciate it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is congratulating his Syrian counterpart Bashar al Assad on the Syrian recapture of Palmyra. Syrian army forces backed by Russian air support drove ISIS out of the ancient city Sunday, in what it calls a mortal blow to the militant group.

[03:05:01] Mr. Putin says Russia Will continue supporting Damascus in fighting terrorists.

Well, senior international correspondent Arwa Damon is covering the story for us from Istanbul in Turkey, and joins us now live. Of course, Arwa, you have covered this story many, many times. So, let's talk about what this means for the region with Syria taking Palmyra.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves in trying to declare that this is going to be some sort of turning point in the broader battle against ISIS.

ISIS moved into Palmyra give or take about a year ago, taking control of this ancient city, destroying millennia-old tombs and other relics that had been left behind, beheading one of the chief antiquities experts, an elderly man who had dedicated his entire life to trying to preserve and uncover the many mysteries of Palmyra.

Now, this was back when ISIS did take it over. Interestingly, one of the first times and only times that ISIS had directly confronted the Syrian regime. This is not necessarily one of the areas where ISIS has for years established full-time control, not necessarily an area that is as fortified as some of its other strong holds.

The Syrian army was able to reportedly to recapture it. And thanks to those Russian air strikes, hundred of them -- hundreds of them reportedly pounding various different ISIS locations, which is what allowed the Syrian troops to move forward.

It is, however, a symbolic and to a certain degree strategic gain for the Syrian army given Palmyra's location, which is right on the road to one of the other more significant ISIS strong holds of Deir ez-Zor. This certainly will serve to bolster the morale of the Syrian army and the standing of the Assad regime.

But is also key to underline in all of this, Rosemary, that once again we're seeing the Assad regime make gains that they could not have made without that decisive support from Russia.

CHURCH: But Arwa, your take on this is not to get too excited about this move? You're not seeing it as a turning point, any significant turning point?

DAMON: Well, look, Rosemary, ISIS still controls Iraq's second largest city of Mosul, yes, the Iraqi army has managed to recapture some villages and towns around it, but those villages and towns are still 45 to 60 kilometers away.

ISIS still controls significant swaths of Syria, to include the City of Raqqah, and these other areas that ISIS that controlled are areas that it has fortified, that is has dug itself and they are areas that are going to be defended to a much more significant degree than ISIS would have necessarily defended Palmyra. And some will say that ISIS moved into Palmyra trying to push its own

battle lines forward because, yes, it is being attacked by the Americans, by the Russians, by the Assad regime, by the Iraqi security forces and various different militias.

So, strategically speaking, ISIS would want to push out the barriers, the borders of its self-declared caliphate to a certain degree, but these are not necessarily areas that it is going to end up defending to the death like Raqqah, like Mosul.

CHURCH: All right. Our Arwa Damon reporting there live from Istanbul. Many thanks to you.

I want to get some more insight on Syria's recapture of Palmyra. We turn to CNN military analyst retired Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona. He joins us live via Skype from La Quinta in California.

Rick Francona, good to talk with you. I want to get your take from a military perspective. What do you think is the significance here of the recapture of the Palmyra, and what could this mean for the battle against ISIS?

RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I think it's an important step in the battle against ISIS, and as Arwa says, Palmyra was not as defended as maybe Raqqah and Mosul will be. Those will be bigger battles.

But this is a first step, and it was important for the Syrians to take that step. But I think Vladimir Putin was exactly right. The Russian air power was key to this. If it hadn't been for the Russian air force providing air support to the Syrians on the ground, they would have not been able to take Palmyra back as easily as they did. And it was a pretty quick operation.

That said, the Syrians have to keep pushing. They've got to go up toward Raqqah to the north, but they've also got to go out to the east to Deir ez-Zor that is mostly surrounded by ISIS. But there's a Syrian army out there that needs really the Syrians have to keep pushing. And that's going to require additional Russian air power. The Russians are going to do that.

So, I think it's a first step, it's an important first step, and of course, it's a symbolic step. It really gives the Assad regime a real morale boost, and it solidifies his position with the Syrian people.

[03:10:11] It strengthens his position, and of course that plays right into the Russians' hands. The Russians have planned this very, very well.

CHURCH: All right. So, an important first step. So, what's ISIS' is likely next step here as it fights back in response to this loss?

FRANCONA: Well, ISIS is being isolated. And it's going on not only in Syria but in Iraq. We see that the American -- the coalition in Iraq is really trying to isolate Mosul. We got the Kurds moving to encircle Mosul. They've cut the road between Mosul and Raqqah at Sinjar. We see the Russian air force trying to isolate Raqqah and bombing in

Raqqah. So, I don't know if there's a coordinated effort yet. There may be at some point. But when you've got all this air power trying to isolate ISIS, you can break them into different enclaves.

If we can separate Mosul from Raqqah, that's two different enclaves to try and defend and Iraqis will try to rule Mosul while the Syrians trying to rule at Raqqah. I think we're not at the turning point yet, but we are certainly getting close.

And the next probably few months are going to be critical as the Iraqis try to move on Mosul and the Syrians try to move on Raqqah. So, air power is going to be the key on both sides, and relying on local boots on the ground.

CHURCH: Yes, and of course you mentioned Mosul and Raqqah. It is -- it is critical. But how long might that fight be to try to take back those two cities?

FRANCONA: Yes, I know that the Iraqis are telling everyone that the liberation of Mosul has begun. But as Arwa said, they're still 60 miles away. We see a lot of movement from the Iraqi army trying to push up the Tigress Valley.

But that's a long way, and as they go up there, they're going to have to take these towns. They're going to have to hold these towns, which is always a problem, against any ISIS counterattacks, and then they're going to have to martial their forces to attack the City of Mosul.

They don't have the manpower yet to do that in order they have the technical expertise just yet. On the Syrian side, it depends on how much air power the Russians are willing to put in there. The Syrians are actually in better shape militarily than the Iraqis right now.

CHURCH: All right. As you say, an important first step here with the retaking of Palmyra. We will watch very closely to see what happens next. Many thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona. Good to talk with you.

Well, we are following several new developments in the investigation of the Brussels terror attacks. And Michael Holmes is in the Belgian capital. He joins us now live.

So, Michael, of course we were talking last hour about these weekend protests and the impact they've had on the morale there in Brussels but also, too, these raids and the impact they're having.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Rosemary. Plenty to talk about. When we come back, a peaceful vigil for the victims in Brussels ends with water cannon, dispersing hundreds of protesters. We'll explain what went wrong.

Also, new insight into the Abdeslam brothers. Friends telling CNN they partied, they played cards, went drinking and smoking and nightclubbing before the attacks that rocked Paris in November.

An exclusive interview with their inner circle coming up later this hour. We'll be right back.

[03:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN World Sport headlines.

We start with the World Twenty20, where host Indian berth a spot in the semi-finals after beating Australia by six wickets on Sunday. The Aussies put up a solid fight by posting a respectable 160 for 6 in their first innings.

But with an 82, Nathan, from Kohli which included nine, four and two 6's, the hosts were always looking like the eventual victors, and with the five fours remaining, full from M.S. Dhoni seal the deal. India en route to the semi-finals where they will face the West Indies.

However, the West Indies won't be going into the semi-finals with a lost of confidence. The Indies were shocked by Afghanistan in their final group game.

Credit where credit chief for the Afghan may be an entertaining to watch. And they thoroughly deserve their six-round victory in that pole (ph). For five strategy with everything the hard way, this is their biggest ever win against a test-playing nation.

And to Miami where things have been certainly heating up of late in the defending Australian Open Champion, Angelique Kerber was feeling the heat early in the match against Kiki Bertens.

The German struggled early dropping the first set six to one, but she would rally back in the second before the Dutch qualifier; Bertens would retire in the third due to illness. Kerber will now face Hungary's Timea Babos.

And that is a look at all your sport headlines. I'm Kate Riley.

HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone.

Well, it seems like all of Europe is on edge after the horrific attacks here in Brussels. Dutch anti-terror police have arrested a man at the request of French authorities on Sunday. Now, they caught up with him in Rotterdam on suspicion that he was part of a terror plot targeting France. He's expected to be extradited there soon.

Now, police here in Belgium carried out 13 raids around the capital Brussels on Sunday, and they are still detaining four people from those operations. Now, at the Place de la Bourse, they faced yet another problem. Nationalist protesters. You see there on your screen swarming what had been a peaceful vigil for days at this memorial for victims that still continues behind me.

Now, there were hundreds of these people all dressed in black disrupting the peaceful mourners. And there were some scuffles as well.

Our Phil Black was there to see it all firsthand. PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is what the Place de la Bourse has

looked like since the day of the Brussels attacks. Large quiet crowds honoring the victims. Sometimes applauding respectfully. That changed on Sunday.

Hundreds of men dressed in black with their faces covered invaded the square. "We're in our home," they cried. They surrounded the memorial site, unrolling flags and banners, screaming together. These were right-wing nationalists. Loud, aggressive, intimidating. Many drinking alcohol.

Some others in the square challenged their behavior. There were scuffles. Police struggled to keep them apart. We were broadcasting live when someone started letting off fireworks. Riot police moved forward, surrounding the crowd and slowly driving it out of the square.

Another rival group began chanting too, denouncing the men in black as hateful racists and cheering for the police as they advanced. The police used water cannon once they were clear of the square. It was all over in about an hour.

The memorial was quiet again, but some people here were left even more upset because of what they've just seen.

Daniel Hollenbeck (ph) says his 19-year-old daughter lost two legs in the suicide blast at Maelbeek metro station.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you see this, you know what I mean? It's not normal. My daughter don't have legs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:20:08] BLACK: The atmosphere of quiet sorrow was shattered only briefly, enough to expose a powerful divide in how people here are responding to terror.

Phil Black, CNN, Brussels.

HOLMES: And I can tell you that similar demonstrations popped up in France following the attacks there last November. You may remember anti-Muslim backlash at the forefront then and Muslims here in Belgium fear that trend could continue.

Our Saima Mohsin with more on that.

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Samoon Ahmed Khan had a lucky escape. He missed both the attacks at the airport and metro by minutes. He's in Brussels on a business trip and has barely left his hotel since the bombings. But not just because he's afraid of terrorist attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMOOD AHMED KHAN, FINANCIAL INVESTIGATOR: I stay in the hotel for two days. I even did not go out because I was scared what will be the people's reaction because of my beard or because I'm Muslim. I'm from Pakistan.

Second, I was scared because the control of forces, the police. They're doing their job. I'm not saying they're doing it for the people's safety. But I don't want to be in that trauma situation where they will be keeping me for four to five hours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOHSIN: His wife and family were concerned about racial attacks in a backlash against Muslims. His company advised him not to travel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KHAN: I was scared because of the bag, if I go from one train station to another with my suitcase and with my appearance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOHSIN: Samoon's fears are not unfounded. On Sunday, right-wing protesters charged through the memorial in the Place de la Bourse, stamping on flowers, raising Nazi salutes.

Just a day before, members of Brussels' Muslim community came out to show solidarity with their fellow citizens, laying bouquets of flowers for the victims. Muslim mothers brought their children to light candles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (TRANSLATED): For me, it's immoral and shameful. Not all Muslims are terrorists. We are against terrorists. We are nice Muslims.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): We are human beings. Our relationship with God is separate. We're not allowed to judge others. We should put our spiritual side aside and work together, build together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): There are two types of Muslims. There are those who are not good and those who are good. We are not all the same.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOHSIN: This little girl wrote a message saying, "I'm against terrorism. Why all this war?" Declarations and questions too big for a small child. For some in this community, it's unbearable that Muslims could carry out such a heinous attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SONIA CHAABANE, BELGIAN MUSLIM: It hurts. These are innocent human beings that are dead. It shouldn't happen. They shouldn't kill innocent people. They haven't done anything. It's not our religion that kills. It's got nothing to do with it. Islam is a peaceful religion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOHSIN: Among the flags of countries that too have suffered from terror attacks, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, France, a banner above them all reads "not in the name of Islam."

Saima Mohsin, CNN, Brussels.

HOLMES: Now the fight against fear at home may prove to be one of the most pressing issues facing countries going forward. Now, Serge Stroobants is the Brussels representative at the Institute for Economics and Peace.

And we've talked a lot over the last few days. We've seen these raids, a number of more than a dozen raids yesterday, Sunday. More people picked up. I'm curious how you see the security strategy unfolding here.

SERGE STROOBANTS, INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMICS AND PEACE BRUSSELS REPRESENTATIVE: Well, I would say after the attacks of Brussels last week, two measures need to be taken. First, assurance or reassurance measures so we need to really put the focus now on security, targeting those networks.

And this is what have happened even in Belgium but also throughout urn. The second phase would be a phase of adaptation, really drawing the lessons from what happened last week, from what happened in Paris and maybe come up with a new security strategy.

HOLMES: So, what do you think the Belgian authorities are looking for now as they do these raids? What -- who is it and what is it that they're looking for here?

STROOBANTS: In fact, currently they are looking at really pinning down the cells active in Belgium. Part of this I would say Europe-wide network. The French do the same with an arrest two days ago. And some of the arrests that have been made yesterday in other European countries are really linked to those both cells.

HOLMES: How strong do you see that cell now? I mean, do you see that cell as being whittled down? Do you see it as being broken up or is it still a threat and how real is that threat?

STROOBANTS: I would say -- I would say that the network is still a threat. Of course there is a terrible -- yes, a backlash for the cell even in Belgium and also the one that they are rolling up in Paris.

[03:25:06] But now the network will have to readapt and maybe reshuffle and maybe morph again. So, yes. There is, there has been a blow to those cells, but the network will reshuffle and readapt.

HOLMES: Yes. And really it does all point there and we saw the attack in Pakistan overnight there on another soft target, and when you're looking at airports, when you're looking at, you know, metro stations, you're looking at a park or something like that, or for that matter the people who were gathered down here this past week.

You know, when you look at those soft targets, it really does point to you can't really stop that. So it is all about intelligence. What sort of structural changes do you see coming?

STROOBANTS: Well, I would say that, for example, in Belgium, after the Charlie Hebdo attacks last year in January, so 15 months from now, we continuously live under threats of level three up to four. So this a permanent situation.

After the Paris attacks in France, they live in a state of emergency. So, you cannot live in a state of emergency for six months, a year. So, I think maybe we should rethink the security situation in Europe, take this as the basic level, and increment from there.

HOLMES: I wanted to ask you about the protests we saw down here, the nationalists if you'd like. How organized are they, or are they, you know, a lot of us looked at it and thought well, they're just a bunch of skin heads. You know, football hooligans. Or are they more of a threat as the backlash rises?

STROOBANTS: I think that you have to look at them also as radicalized persons. Radicalized is not synonym for Islam. This is also a form of radicalism. So, people are thinking violence or extreme violence is a way to portray or at least to talk to the people to attain your goals. And I think this is also something that should be really fought.

HOLMES: Yes. Serge, thanks so much for coming in again. Serge Stroobants there.

Now coming up here on the program, we're going to look at the now infamous Abdeslam brothers in an exclusive interview some former friends explain what the terror suspects were like before they changed so dramatically. We'll be back after the break.

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes? All right.

CHURCH: This is CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church. Let's check the main stories we've been following this hour.

A splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban is claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least 69 people. The group says it intentionally targeted Christians in a park in the center of Lahore on Easter Sunday. More than 400 people were wounded.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is congratulating Syrian President Bashar al Assad on recapturing the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIS. Mr. Putin says Russian air support was key to the Syrian army's success. The army calls the victory a mortal blow to ISIS in Syria, and President Assad says the city will be rebuilt.

Police raids in and around Brussels led to authorities questioning nine people. Four of them remain in custody. But police have not announced what relation they may have to the attacks on Tuesday. The raids came a day after authorities charged a man they are calling Faycal C. with terrorist murder.

Let's get now back to Brussels and my colleague, Michael Holmes, in the Belgian capital. He is following the latest on the terror attacks investigation. Hello again, Michael.

HOLMES: Hi, Rosie. As the investigation in Brussels continues to unfold, we're seeing much of what happened after the November attacks in Paris repeat itself just in a new setting.

Our Nina dos Santos got an exclusive interview with former friends of the Abdeslam brothers, and the name Abdeslam of course now notorious and forever tied to the bloodshed last November. And you got some good access to his -- their inner circle, if you like, and they painted a remarkable. Tell us about it.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPPONDENT: Yes. Their inner circle here in Brussels. We're talking about a very sleepy street in the Moleenbeek part of town. That's where the Abdeslam brothers lived. And they actually owned a cafe and had many friends in the area.

Two friends in particular, Michael, spoke exclusively to me, and the pictures that they painted was one of disaffected young views. Many of them had been to prison, spent some time dealing drugs, soft drugs, et cetera, et cetera.

And they felt, they said, that with the Abdeslam brothers, they managed to create a family friendly network, but they had no idea that they would go on to commit the atrocities that they allegedly did. Take a look.

This was life before ISIS. Salah Abdeslam and his brother, Brahim, partying at a high-end nightclub in Brussels. It's February the 8th, 2015. Just eight months later, Brahim would blow himself up at a Paris cafe. Salah becomes Europe's most wanted man.

Two of their friends shot the video in the club. They talked to CNN on the condition we hide their identities.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): Salah took care of himself. He was very neat, someone who was funny, who you could have a laugh with. A bit of a ladies' man. It wasn't unusual for him to have a drink or two, but he didn't go out and get drunk. Brahim was a lot more intelligent. He was also better behaved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: Karim Hashid (ph), speaking under assumed names, say that they first began hanging out with the Abdeslam brothers in 2011, when they took on the lease to this bar, Le Beguine which is now shut following a police raid.

They say they came here to drink, to play cards, to smoke marijuana, and also to watch the brothers' favorite football team, Real Madrid, play on the TV. Things could get boisterous. Here, Brahim cheers on some drunken antics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): I used to go there after work to have a drink, have a laugh with friends, play cards, anything that involves betting with money really. Basically you felt at home, among family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: Also among that family, Hamza Attou and Mohammed Amri seen here in Rashid's photos. They were detained after driving Salah back from Paris following the attacks and remain in custody. The friends say they were duped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): I was with Hamza Attou, at around 10.30 or 11 p.m. he received a phone call from Salah asking him to come and pick him up in France because his car had broken down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: Not long after this party they stopped drinking and became more religious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:35:03] UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): They prayed more at the mosque, maybe only on Fridays. Otherwise, it was praying at home.

DOS SANTOS: Pray and plotting. No one, even their closest friends knows why the Abdeslam brothers changed so much so quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATED): Brahim got on with everyone. He didn't have any problems with black or white, from whatever race or religion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: He didn't until this.

HOLMES: All right. Back now to Nina. You know, what's interesting about this is how much they know about these guys within the community. Have they been spoken to by security?

DOS SANTOS: This is the interesting part of the story, Michael. They knew six of the Paris attacker suspects, including two suicide bombers, and one person who is still on the run, Mohammed Amri, who is on the run, who also was part of that cafe network.

And these two individuals have actually spent time in jail. One of them. The other one has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and then released saying that it was a false identity, the police got his identity wrong.

But despite the fact that they've had repeated brushes with the law, Michael, they have not been spoken to by authorities, they say, about the inner circle and what they knew.

Adding to this also, what we should is that one of them had a 15-year- old cousin who was prevented from going to Syria just the other day in another Belgian city. So, it just goes to show that authorities have not been speaking to these people. It's an interesting insight into the inner circle.

HOLMES: Yes. You have to wonder whether another ball is being dropped there in terms of counterterrorism in this country.

Nina dos Santos, great reporting as always. Let's take it back to Rosemary Church at the CNN center.

CHURCH: All right. Thanks so much, Michael. We'll take a very short break here. But still to come, a group of islands is at the center of a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. We will tell you which countries are laying claim in this power struggle. That's next on CNN Newsroom.

[03:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: A would-be suicide bomber in Cameroon is claiming to be one of the kidnapped Nigerian school girls. She was one of three young men stopped by locals Friday. One escaped. Boko Haram militants kidnapped more than 200 girls from the town of Chibok back in May 2014.

The Nigerian government will send a delegation to find out if the girls are indeed from that group. The delegation will include chibok community members and parents of missing girls.

A power struggle is brewing in the South China Sea. Several governments have long claimed different parts of that body of water, and now a group of islands, rocks really, are at the center of the disputed claims.

CNN's Ivan Watson was invited to one of the contested islands, which is guarded by Taiwan but also claimed by China.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The contested waters of the South China Sea, seen from a Taiwanese military plane. And this is what greets you when you land at Taiping, an island controlled by Taiwan.

Taiping is a tiny island. It basically runs the length of this runway. The Taiwanese government first laid claim to this place more than half a century ago, but this is the very first time the government says that journalists have been invited to see it firsthand.

And it's at a time when tensions are ratcheting up here in the South China Sea. At least six different countries have competing claims for this body of water. But China claims almost all of it. And to cement China's claim, Beijing has been building a series of manmade islands atop reefs and atolls in the hotly disputed Spratly archipelago. It's making the neighbors nervous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE LINGHU, TAIWAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: We are opposed to militarization, military expansionism in the area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Enter the U.S. Navy. We caught up with the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis shortly after it sailed through the South China Sea, performing an unmistakable show of U.S. force.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONALD BOXALL, U.S. NAVY: Just being there in the South China Sea shows that, you know, we believe we have the right to operate in international waters all ships, not just military vessels, but civilian vessels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Washington calls these visits freedom of navigation operations. They clearly irritate the Chinese.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the Chinese Navy. This is the Chinese Navy. Please, go away quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Last year, CNN accompanied a U.S. Navy spy plane that flew over China's manmade islands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You go!

WATSONZ: Beijing expressed outrage, issuing formal protests and calling these operations a very serious provocation. So, where do smaller claimants like Taiwan fit in?

On Taiping, officials showed off the island's chickens and goats as well as supplies of fresh water. If Taiwan proves Taiping can sustain human life, then the Taiwanese can make the case for a potentially lucrative 200 nautical mile economic exclusion zone around the island.

Amid the contest for control of the South China Sea, Taiwan is trying to demonstrate that it too is a player and should not be overlooked.

Meanwhile, other small countries like Vietnam and The Philippines are reaching out to the U.S. for help at counterbalancing China as it continues to flex its naval muscle in this contested body of water.

A place that feels like a tropical paradise is instead becoming part of a much bigger regional power struggle.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Taiping Island in the South China Sea. CHURCH: Al right. We turn to the weather now, and strong winds and rain are affecting parts of France and the United Kingdom. Flights have been delayed and canceled due to some of the winds which have gusted over 100 kilometer or about 60 miles per hour.

And our Karen Maginnis joins us now in the weather center with more. This is very messy but not so unusual, is it, Karen?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No. We've seen that it's kind of a transitional time, Rosemary, but we've seen one system after the other. This one has really packed a punch with these gusty winds.

So, this is going to prevail throughout the rest of the morning and as we go towards the afternoon hours. You might see a couple of breaks, but you can clearly see on the satellite imagery just kind of the circulation that's taking place here.

What about those winds? Yes, in some instances well over 120 kilometers per hour, but not just along the southern coast of England. Also extending over towards the Brittany and Normandy coast of France. Very strong and

gusty winds there.

[03:45:12] So, a lot of impact can be felt. It looks like the winds do start to taper off as we go towards Monday evening, but they're still going to be fairly brisk. And there are yellow and amber alerts out for some sections of England, extending on down towards France.

But we're looking at the potential for the gusty winds to continue there as well as into the lowlands and into Southern Scandinavia as well. So, you can see a little bit of dry area intrusion is taking place here that occurred over the last 48 hours or so. But those were pretty brief. But a very vigorous and dynamic weather system.

It looks like some of the highlands, that changes over to some snowfall as well. But this has been a real unsettled time period, but not unexpected because we're trying to see that transition where the atmosphere goes from that wintertime pattern now to more springtime pattern.

I can better believe that you really don't feel like it's springtime with the wind blowing around so vigorously and that showery conditions. There's another area of low pressure that is expected to move right on in behind this.

So, if you're traveling into or out of Gatwick and Heathrow, you'll need some patience because it is going to be very dry. They have diverted some of the flights out from landing at Gatwick to an area just to the south.

We are seeing a number of tweets around that area that suggest that the delays are going to be ongoing. Into North America, the northeastern corner of the U.S. is going to be showery overcast and windy.

And mountain snowfall may prolong the ski season across some of the ski resorts across the Western United States along with some pretty blustery conditions. Snow levels lowering here as well. So, spring not coming in like a lamb, Rosemary. Back to you.

CHURCH: Indeed. All right. Karen Maginnis, many thanks to you. Let's take a short break here.

But coming up, Batman versus Superman soars at the Box Office despite lackluster reviews. Why critics are slamming the tale of two comic book legends. That is next.

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MAGINNIS: This is your CNN weather watch. I'm meteorologist Karen Maginniis.

Wow. All you have to do is look at the East Coast and the West Coast and in between just how quiet it is. And that is the scenario we're looking at over the next 24 to 48 hours.

Storm system brewing across the interior west while we start to see some of the moisture make its way into the northeast and New England. And, boy, will there be plenty of snowfall all the way from the Cascades, the Siskiyou, down into the central Rockies, the Wasatch, Uinta and into the San Juan the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

So, pretty much from Washington State to New Mexico, this is where we're looking at plenty of snowfall. Could see several feet in some areas. Look for Denver at 16 degrees. This is going to fare a lot better than what we have seen over the last couple of days anyway.

Chicago, 11. Look for New York with some rainfall. Montreal just about the same. And for Atlanta, Georgia, 22, so it looks pretty nice. But the pollen will definitely get you.

How about as we travel towards Central America? Belize City, 30 degrees. Nassau, Bahamas, at 30 degrees. And varying amounts of cloud cover expected there.

Look for some cloud cover, maybe some showers right around Mexico City, also Guatemala City and a few isolated showers right around the Turks and Caicos.

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CHURCH: The latest superhero movie is flying high at the Box Office. Batman versus Superman, Dawn of Justice nabbed the biggest March opening weekend ever, earning more than $170 million in North America.

It also made an impressive $424 million globally. The fourth biggest worldwide opening in history. But despite scoring big with audiences, the movie has received a brutal takedown by critics. Batman versus Superman is produced by Warner Brothers, part of Time Warner, the parent company of CNN.

Kim Serafin from In Touch Weekly joins me now to talk more about Batman versus Superman, Dawn of Justice. Hey there, Kim. Lots of people very excited to see this movie, myself

included. I know you've seen it. But how much does this movie need to make to break even, and how is it likely to overcome some of these really bad reviews?

KIM SERAFIN, IN TOUCH WEEKLY SENIOR EDITOR: Yes, well, first of all you have to say record-breaking numbers at the Box Office this weekend. It was the fourth largest global debut in history, the sixth largest domestic debut. A $170 million domestically, $424 million globally.

So, it is making a lot of money and a lot of these bad reviews did not deter fans clearly from going to see it. But as you mentioned, it did cost a lot of money to make the movie, $250 million to make the movie. Plus, an additional $150 million to market it, so you have 400 million.

But what they're saying is, it needs to make at least $800 million to kind of recoup all the costs. But I don't think that's going to be a problem considering the debut that it had. It should easily, I think, make up to $1 billion.

CHURCH: And we'll see what happens. And of course, with so many fans enjoying the movie despite these bad reviews, you do have to ask how much do critics actually matter these days?

SERAFIN: It's true. I mean, it really did get some pretty bad reviews. I think it was a 29 percent review on rotten tomatoes. It was called joyless, annoying. Those are some of the nicer things that were said about it. But clearly it didn't deter people from going.

And I think that is a question. Do critics matter, and how much do they matter, especially in this age of social media, especially when word of mouth really carries a lot, and especially when you're dealing with such iconic characters. When you're dealing with Batman, when you're dealing with Superman, when there is so much buildup to this movie with Ben Affleck playing Batman and just people wanting to see this new whole universe of Justice League.

And that's really what this movie did. It really was a launching pad for this whole new kind of Marvel rival, universe of Justice League. You have more movies coming out. You have two Justice League movies coming out. You have the Wonder Woman standalone movie.

You got to get a glimpse of her in this movie. You got to see her in this movie. Aquaman has a standalone movie. The Flash. So, there is all these new characters coming into play. And I think that's what made people so excited to see this. Bad reviews cannot bring down Batman.

CHURCH: But it was interesting, as you were talking, we saw one of those reviews. It's a mess you've got to see. So, how the cast and the director reacting to the negative reviews?

SERAFIN: Well, it's funny because obviously they have been asked about some of these negative reviews. There's a very funny video. People have probably seen it online, the sad Batman movie that everyone the sad Batman meme that everyone is talking about.

Someone at a press junket asked Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck what they thought of these bad reviews. Henry Cavill goes on to say, you know, it's really about the fans, it's really about the fans. And Ben Affleck is kind of just sitting there.

They start playing the sound of silence over him and at the end he said, I agree.

[03:54:59] But they really clearly, it doesn't matter. Zachary Snyder has got the same thing. And Amy Adams, they say it's all about the fans, and I think that's really what it is about.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, you've certainly got have to thick skin, haven't you, to sort of deal with some of these reviews. And so many people getting involved in being critics themselves despite their background. So, people just have to move forward, and we'll be watching the movie and we'll make up our own minds, right? That's what we're expecting to do.

SERAFIN: That's exactly right. And remember how many people criticized Ben Affleck getting cast as Batman way back when. And clearly again, that did not stop people from going to see this movie. And it did stop him from being fun.

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: It did not. OK. Kim Serafin, many -- great to talk with you as always.

SERAFIN: Thanks so much.

CHURCH: Well, Donald Trump's inflammatory comments about Hispanics have given him quite a reputation south of the U.S. border. And so, Mexicans included him in a tradition, the burning of effigies.

Every year around Easter, Mexicans set fire to cardboard figures that look like politicians or celebrities they dislike. It looks like Trump made quite the pop.

For the record, U.S. President Barack Obama was also among the effigies this year as was el Chapo Guzman, the Mexican drug lord who escaped and was then recaptured.

I'm Rosemary Church. For Michael Holmes in Brussels and all of us here at CNN center, thanks for your company. Early Start is next for our viewers in the U.S. And for those of you elsewhere, more CNN Newsroom is coming up next.

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