CNN news 2013-05-31 加文本

cnn news 2013-05-31

We begin, though, with a fresh batch of terror related developments this holiday.

A scare today on New York's Brooklyn Bridge. The bomb squad called in to check out a suspicious SUV that was left in the middle of the span. Turned out to be nothing, thankfully.

But there were serious and substantial items, too. Police in Britain arresting a 10th person in connection with that brutal murder of a British soldier last week. The man taken into custody in the southeastern town of Welling is being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. As I said, the 10th suspect now in custody.

We're learning more as well about one of two key suspects who were shot and arrested at the crime scene. Michael Adebolajo, a British citizen of Nigerian decent, back in 2010. He was kicked out of Kenya after Kenyan Police arrested him near the Somali border on suspicion of planning to join Al-Shabaab, which is a group of Islamic extremists in Somalia that have carried out suicide attacks and many acts of terror.

Meantime, in France, the search is on for a would-be copycat(无主见的家伙；跟风者). Someone stabbed a soldier in the neck over the weekend just outside Paris. The soldier is recovering. And in Britain, anti-Muslim backlash is setting in in the coastal town of Grimsby. Somebody set a mosque on fire. Nobody was injured. Police arrested two men on arson charges. Joining us now is national security analyst and former George W. Bush homeland security adviser, Fran Townsend, who permanently sits on the CIA and DHS External Advisory Committees.

So they've already arrested this tenth suspect, you know, that we've heard so much about these lone wolves. If they, if authorities are accurate, though, this would seem to be not so lone.

That's right, Anderson. And we don't really know. Look, when we saw the attack perpetrated in that horrible video the inclination was to think it was a lone wolf but as we've seen too many times, first reports are usually wrong.

Right.

And so as the British begin to pick up these people in this network, the question is going to be, did they know about the attack in advance, were there indications, did they help him.

I mean, let's remember, you pointed out that he was picked up by Kenyan authorities and then thrown out of Kenya, comes back to the UK. We understand from British press reports that MI-5, their version of, the British version of the FBI, may have approached him about cooperating. You don't do that without looking at the network. Who does he have access to, could he be helpful, would it be credible in these circles.

They obviously judge that to be true. He would be credible and when he turned them down, there will be a lot of, sort of second-guessing and looking now about, what did they do? Did they investigate him, did they do wiretaps, did they refer him to Scotland Yard? All these questions remain unanswered, but as you see this larger network of individuals picked up, the question becomes, is he part of a large group?

There is also this extremist cleric who used to live in England who finally got deported, he's now living in Lebanon, who refuses to condemn what this man who actually follows some of his lectures did.

That's right. There's a real extremist problem, extremist threat in London, and British authorities have for over the last decade really been overwhelmed with it.

Bakri, the sheikh that you referred to, is one of them. There's Choudary, there's several of them. And let's remember, Anwar al-Awlaki, Nic Robertson had done a report some time ago, about Anwar al-Awlaki, the Yemeni preacher who's now been killed by a drone attack, was, he had his, his audiotapes of these sermons circulating in the extremist Muslim community in London so this is a real challenge for British authorities.

But also now this attack in, outside Paris. Authorities aren't saying for sure that it's an act of terror, though the terrorist squad is investigating and hunting trying to hunt down the man who is alleged to have done this, but it would, it seems pretty obvious it's some sort of copycat or inspired by kind of attack.

That's right. I mean it, we don't know, they don't have anyone in custody. We, they have not said if they've identified the individual that they're looking for. They are looking for an individual. It does seem because of the timing that it may be inspired.

Now I'll say, Anderson, now on this Memorial Day weekend, all of us are out sort of remembering the sacrifices of those who have given their lives. As you talk to military service members and to a person, they say, you know, it's a chilling reminder that when we interact with the public, if that could happen anywhere, it could happen here, it's not just a British or a French problem. It could happen anywhere.

And these attacks are very unsophisticated.

That's right.

And frankly, anybody can kind of do them if they, if they so, you know, are inclined.

That's right. I mean, you know, remember that video in London of the guy with the meat cleaver and butcher knife. Therefore it was horrible. But those are all things that are easy, readily available to somebody who wanted to commit one of these attacks.

Yes. Fran, appreciate it.