CNN news 2014-01-04 加文本

cnn news 2014-01-04

Hi, I'm Anderson Cooper, welcome to the podcast. Two bombings rescue questions about security the out coming Winter Olympics, also the New York Times David Pxx in his extensive investigation to Bengazi. Let's get started. 

We begin tonight with terror attacks that have shaken Russian and sent chills through out the world just 6 weeks before the Winter Olympics begin in Sochi. They happened in a city that seen epic bloodshed before, upwards of million people killed just in few months during the Second World War.

Today, Stalingrad, now known as Volgograd is on the front lines of another war. And Sunday, people there got hit first at the central train station. That's surveillance camera footage, capturing the second it happened even at distance it was horrific.  There's also video from inside shows the security checkpoint, where the bomb went off seconds before and splits seconds after. Now the equivalent, say authorities, of about 22 pounds of TNT. A suspected female suicide bomber setting off the device, killing 17 people including a police officer and a nine-year-old girl. Then, earlier today, another bombing also in the same city, apparently, also a suicide attack. This time aboard a trolley bus, at least 14 people  killed in that one.  No one claiming responsibility for either bombing. However, back in July, a terrorist group caucuses axx, a Chechnya separatist group, vowed to unleash maximum force  to disrupt the Winter Olympics in Sochi just 400 miles and 6 weeks away.

Former CIA officer Robert Baer and national security analyst Fran Txx who during the her time with the George W. Bush administration worked for the Greek government on security for the 2004 summer games. She's currently sits on the CIA home and security department external advise boards.

From back to back attacks, now what do you make of this?

Well, look, you know, Uxx, the leader of this Northern Caucasus ixx group, has demonstrated his capability, both in the past and now. He called for these attacks in 2010 and 2011, bombings in the Moscow airport and also on buses. Then there was a moratorium during the protests against Vladimir Putin. And then in July he calls for resumption of the attacks and directly trying to disrupt the Olympic games. The biggest sort of important factor, I think, about two attacks, is the second one. The fact that within 24 hours in Volgograd, where the city is teeming with police, investigators, security officials that they are able to acturally pull it off, is very telling. And it is a poke in the eye. It ought undermine people's confidence in Russian security services.

And Bobi, if it does turn out to be the work of Chechen rebels from the Caucasus, you were  assigned to that region when you were in the CIA. You've called it a black hole that Putin's never going to subdue. Explain what do you mean by that.

Well, Anderson, the Russian's never got a grip intelligence wise on the Northern Caucasus. It's a very complicated area. They took back rosily by sheer force. They flattened the city, they made these people run for it. But there's no sense that they had really truly dominated the North Caucasus in terms of knowing what's going on.And there are still large military sided groups that are moving around. And Fxx is absolutely right the fact that they could hit two targets in two days suggest a capable military organization which will strike almost surely during the Olympics.

You were involved in the planning for the Athens Olympics when the Bush family went over there. Explain what goes into security around something like the Sochi again?

Right, so the bilateral discussions between the United States and the host country begin a year, a year and a half before. American officials, I've spoken to sources in counter terrorism community. They've been to Sochi, they've walked to the venues. They've talked to Russian officials. And there's a standard list of things that you offer them in terms of assistance if they want it. Well, you know, you can't force it. It's a sovereign country, but you offer them things, intelligence cooperation. In Athens, we had  a joint threat center where we passed information back and forth and we helped the Greeks resolve threats. After these sort of attacks, you go back and you say we have this capability, are you sure we can't help you?But here's the problem, a lot of these discussions go  bilaterally, so it's between the host country Russia and their various partners. It goes on behind the scenes. Much of it they won't accept. And Bob knows as well as anybody, the intelligence relationship here where you'd really like there to be a fulsome sharing information has been scratchy in the best of times.