Return to Transcripts main page
ANDERSON COOPER 360 DEGREES
Deadly Meat Cleaver Attack in London; Grieving Tornado Victim Speaks Out; Total Destruction at Plaza Towers Elementary School; Briarwood Elementary Destroyed; Tamerlan Tsarnaev Implicated in Triple Murder
Aired May 22, 2013 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Erin, thanks.
Good evening, everyone.
We have a lot to cover this evening.
Dramatic new developments in the Boston bomb investigations.
Also, late developments here in Moore, Oklahoma, including word that six people had been listed as missing and now accounted for. Five of them are alive. They made it. One of them did not. Also what we saw and the remarkable people we met while visiting an area hospital today. Also for the first time getting an up-close look at the wreckage at the Plaza Towers Elementary School.
We begin, though, tonight with a chilling image as you will ever see. An act of terror in England. A man with a meat cleaver, a kitchen knife, just seconds earlier on the streets of -- of a London neighborhood or a neighborhood called Woolwich, this man and an accomplice reportedly chanting "Allahu Akbar," God is great, hacked a man to death. The victim believed to be a British soldier from a nearby post.
Now police say the two men knocked him down with a car, descended on him with knives and cleavers and a gun and dumped his body in the road. Then almost, unbelievably, one of the killers approached onlookers and made a statement. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I apologize that women had to witness this today. But in our land, our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government. They don't care about you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: He went on to say, quote, "We swear by all mighty Allah, we will never stop fighting you."
He and his partner later confronted police who opened fire wounding them both. Britain's government quick to call the murder an act of terrorism. Prime Minister David Cameron sounding a defiant note.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We have suffered these attacks before. We have always beaten them back. We've done that through a combination of vigilance, of security, of security information of good policing. But above all the way we've beaten them back is showing an absolutely indomitable British spirit that we will not be cowed, we will never buckle under these sorts of attacks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: As I said, the attack -- the attack was brutal, horrific.
Joining us now with details, Nic Robertson in London.
Nic, I mean, this is really a stunning kind of terrorism. What is the latest we know about the victim and the man in custody?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't have a name for the -- for the victim yet. He is believed to be an active service duty soldier. We have very few details about the two men involved. They both appear to be relatively young, early to mid- 20s. Described as Afro Caribbean. Both quite tall. Beyond that, we have very few details. Both being held in separate hospitals at this time.
No indications yet other than -- other than what they've said about where they might come from. But that is perhaps the biggest clue. Their accents do appear to be very pronounced British accents -- Anderson.
COOPER: So, again, we don't know if they are British-born, raised in England. Do we know anything about kind of the level of planning of this attack?
ROBERTSON: Well, the indications are, and this really frenzied attack that was utterly brutal and going through it for them would have been a traumatic experience. The fact that they then stayed there for almost 30 minutes before the police arrived to take them on, and give statements, call on people at the side of the road to ask to use their cell phones to record statements is an indication they knew what they were going to do.
They had waited outside the barracks, waited for the soldier. We don't know if this specific soldier. Knocked him over, attacked and killed him and then paused, and then went to people on the street to ask them to record their message.
It clearly shows a level of planning. We don't know the extent of the planning. Security services concerned enough to be upping security at all the army bases in London which is a clear indication they're concerned that there may be a potential for more acts like this right now -- Anderson. COOPER: That's incredible. So wait. So they allegedly killed this man, brutally, and then asked passersby to videotape them, to take pictures of them?
ROBERTSON: They didn't run away. And all types of attacks -- of this nature, generally, the attackers will kill somebody, move on and try and get away from the police. We've seen this before with -- in this style of what appears to be a radical Islamist type of attack. That's the way they were defining themselves to the people there. The attackers would record a video before they go in for the attack.
Here, the men know, because they're waiting, they're going to be arrested by the police. And they know that this is their opportunity to get across their message. That does show that -- a brazen level of disregard for what they've done. Disregard for their own security, as we saw when the police arrived, they were shot -- Anderson.
COOPER: And a -- and a desire to send a message and a desire to make a point, which is why the British government was so quick to label it terrorism.
Nic, appreciate it.
We're going to talk to Nic and Christiane Amanpour a little bit later on in this hour because we want to get more details about this, how it compares to other attacks we have seen, not only in England, but elsewhere throughout Europe.
Six previously unaccounted for people here in Moore, Oklahoma, have been located. One of them, we know, has died, as I mentioned. There is no clear word yet whether that brings the number killed to 25. Right now the official death toll here is 24. Ten of whom, as you know, are children. The number injured now topping 350. And some of them are telling remarkable stories.
First, though, I want to tell the stories that people who can no longer speak for themselves.
Tawuana Robinson, who lived just a block away from Plaza Towers Elementary, with the storm bearing down from inside a closet, she called her daughter. She described her situation. She said, "I love you," and the phone went dead.
Tawuana Robinson was 45 and today we are just getting more of the names of those who have passed.
Terri Long loved aviation. She worked for the FAA, was air safety specialist. Terry Long was just 49 years old.
Megan Futrell was 29. She was riding out the storm in the cooler of a 7-Eleven. She hoped that would be a safe place. A cousin described her as the sister she never had.
This is Case Futrell, he was in his mom Megan's arms when he died. Four months old. He had a lifetime of stories and memories ahead of him. Kyle Davis was a rock of a little boy. His friends nicknamed him "the wall." Got good grades in school, he loved monster trucks. Kyle was 8 years old, one of seven children who died at Plaza Towers Elementary.
Antonia Candelaria was 9 years old, she leaves behind two sisters who loved her so much. Nicholas McCabe was a 3rd grader at Plaza Towers, he's described as a vibrant 9-year-old, full of life, full of smiles, who loved Legos.
We met Jenae Hornsby's dad yesterday and her aunt. He called her a ball of energy and love. Still can't believe she's gone. Neither can Jenae's cousin who tells her -- tells her mom, I don't want to sound crazy, but maybe she's going to call me. Her dad still hopes that somehow her daughter -- his daughter maybe still be alive, but he knows she is not.
The first thing people noticed about Sydney Marie Angle was her eyes and her smile. She loved playing softball, she pitched her first game recently. She loved her dog, Spundy (ph) and Charlie. She loved her classmates at Plaza Towers and they loved her. She died surrounded by love and that is some comfort to her family. Sydney Marie Angle was also 9 years old.
Seven can kids at that school died, 10 children in all. Another victim, Shannon Quick, was 40 years old and a mom. She leaves behind two sons, ages 8 and 13 years old. They were all together when the storm hit. The 8-year-old was hurt, as well. So was his grandmother, Shannon's mom, Joy Waldroop.
We met the mom and listened to her story earlier today at (INAUDIBLE) Hospital in Oklahoma City where she is recovering. She was sitting next to her daughter-in-law.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: How long did it feel like it went on for?
JOY WALDROOP, TORNADO SURVIVOR: Nine or 10 minutes, at least.
COOPER: And were you able to speak to each other during it?
WALDROOP: I just remember hollering. Asking God to keep us safe. But then it took the wall, and got the ceiling, and then I could feel it suck the wall out from behind us. And it felt like it was trying to somersault me, kind of had me all curved up in a ball and had (INAUDIBLE) or something hard hit me on the bottom of the foot. I remember that. I don't remember anything hitting my arm.
COOPER: Did you lose consciousness?
WALDROOP: I may have for just an instant, because the first recollection I have is Tanner, my oldest grandson, he was standing up. He -- the boys call me Ma instead of Grandma. I've always been Ma to them. He says, "Ma, are you OK? Ma, are you OK? Please be OK." And I don't know how long he'd been hollering at me. But I was kind of able to push myself up. I can't move that arm, but I kind of used my elbow to push up.
And then I saw Shannon and I started yelling for somebody to come help. A person came over there and called 911. They couldn't -- it was so bad they couldn't even get ambulances up in there to help her.
COOPER: As soon as you saw her, you knew she was in bad shape?
WALDROOP: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hole in the intestines.
WALDROOP: There was gas everywhere and there's a fire. I knew it was going to get blown up.
COOPER: Were you able to talk to her?
WALDROOP: She kept saying she was -- she couldn't breathe. And I think her lungs were filling up with fluid. She kept saying, "Tanner, Jackson, Tanner, Jackson." And I told her they were OK, just to lay real still. She kept saying she wanted to turn over so she could breathe better.
COOPER: What did you say to her?
WALDROOP: Told her she had to lay still so she didn't cause any worse injuries.
COOPER: When did you find out that she had passed away?
WALDROOP: Well, the EMT guy was over there. And she'd been holding on to his pant leg. He was standing next to her and she had her fingers gripping his pant leg, and he kept talking to her. And all of a sudden her arm went limp and he had taken -- some military guy had taken his shirt off and had that over her chest to kind of keep her warm and then pull it up over her face. Kept telling she wasn't gone, she was breathing. But she wasn't.
COOPER: What do you want people to know about Shannon?
WALDROOP: I think people that know her already know about her. She was so good. There's not a soul that didn't love her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A loving mother.
WALDROOP: She loved her kids. Still so hard to believe, isn't it? Well, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. I appreciate it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Shannon passed away there on the scene in her family's home. She has two children, as I said, one of whom who is in intensive care at another hospital. A fund has been set up to help their family, not only in the immediate -- right now because they have no home, but also down the road with medical bills and the like. You can contribute by going to www.gofundme.com/30mh60. Again that address, you see it on the screen, at the bottom of the screen, is www www.gofundme.com/30mh60.
There's a lot of folks, no doubt, who are in need in the days ahead. We want to try to bring you their stories as much as possible.
There's also this. Last night a viewer saw our interview with Jenae Hornsby's dad and her aunt. Hearing them talk about their sweet and wonderful little girl, moved them deeply. So much so they got in touched with us offering to pay for her funeral. We connected them with the Hornsby family and thank them for their big part.
Well, you can follow me on Twitter, let me know what you heard about the stories so far tonight, @andersoncooper. I'll be tweeting in the hour ahead, although the spot -- the service here still spotty.
Up next a firsthand look at the devastation at Plaza Towers Elementary School. Our John King was permitted to tour the site. He joins us with his eyewitness account.
Also Briarwood Elementary School was destroyed. You know that, as well. But everyone made it out of that building alive. We're going to talk to the principal, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Hey, welcome back. We're live here in Moore, Oklahoma. You no doubt have heard by the now the losses, the devastating losses, the Plaza Towers Elementary School. It was ground zero for the tornado here in Moore. Helicopter video of the scene was horrifying. The school flattened, third graders missing under all that rubble.
We all hold our breath for the parents who waited hour after agonizing hour well into the night as rescuers searched for their kids, hoping they would be found alive. We now know that seven kids did not survive from that school. And what we have been able to see from up close was just how destroyed the school was, the level of destruction. Until today, that is.
Our John King toured the ruins with Sergeant Jeremy Lewis with the Moore Police Department who grew up in town, attended himself Plaza Towers Elementary. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): In terms of when people first responded here, I mean, where did everybody go?
SGT. JEREMY LEWIS, MOORE POLICE DEPARTMENT: We basically just surrounded the school and started running into different areas. Some of this has been cleaned out. Due to the search and rescue efforts. They're literally just climbing over debris. People were yelling for help, so just pulling people out as quickly as possible. And that went on literally for hours. KING: This was a hall of classrooms that led to --
LEWIS: There's classrooms on each side.
KING: That was connected, though. There was nothing?
LEWIS: That was a wall there. That was a classroom straight ahead.
KING: Right.
LEWIS: There was classrooms out here. You can see there's still tile.
KING: Right. This is gone.
LEWIS: This classroom is gone. These classrooms are all gone.
KING: There are more on the front side here, too. Anywhere we see there's tile a classroom.
LEWIS: Well, you can see the door leading into what was the classroom.
KING: That was the back wall of the classroom there, yes. With the board. That's the front wall of the school there.
LEWIS: Front wall would have been right there, yes.
KING: Is there a place in the school where people fared better, for a lack of a better way to put it?
LEWIS: Well, you can see just kind of see where there are still walls standing up. Obviously, that corner, the main part of the tornado came through this way. So this is the area that took the most as it went through this part here. So that's -- you can just kind of see where the walls are standing and where they're not.
A lot of 460-something students. Unfortunately, we did lose seven. But by looking at the damage, it's a miracle that we didn't lose a lot more. And none of this has been touched. This is what it looked like. There hasn't been tractors moving anything. This is how it landed.
KING: The people have been through and that region will be certain there's nobody left --
LEWIS: Yes. This has all been searched. This is what has taken so long. We had to go through all of this. And this goes for 15 miles the other way.
KING: Just 15 miles?
LEWIS: Of just like this.
KING: Fifteen miles just like this. LEWIS: Fifteen miles, yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: John King joins me now. I mean, to see it up close like that, it's just -- it's just gone.
KING: It's gone. And the school was shaped like a U and essentially the two arms are gone and the flat crossbar, some of that is left. And that's where you had the one interior wall, the only piece that's left. And that will be the big debate. It should -- it's an older school. Should it have had some kind of underground shelter, should it have something more secure? If you're parents of one of the seven who perished, I'm sure your answer is yes.
COOPER: A lot of folks. But I mean, you know, I talked to the mayor last night, he was saying, he didn't think just the economics of building either a basement or a safe room or a shelter, that there was going to be a groundswell of people wanting that to happen.
KING: The finances will be the debate going forward. And part of the debate will also be, Anderson, on a full day, they don't know how many were there at the time the storm hit. On a full day, as the officer noticed, 460 students in that building. How do you build a room that big enough and most of them who were there survived. Some will make that argument.
It's kind of impossible argument to sell to the parents who lost their children. And if you go through that entire neighborhood, I mean, it is -- it is just amazing. They have been shut off even to residents because they're just turning the electricity and gas back on today and they think they've got it all shut off where they were supposed to but there were -- there's a risk of fire. You know, there's a line under one home, there's a risk of fire.
But if you watch, there are cars there that belong miles away. And there are beds and, you know, and the school is full of beds and furniture from the nearby homes. Vehicles that come from miles away. You get a sense when you go through there a lot has still been untouched.
COOPER: Yes.
KING: And you just -- it's just one of those things, you see how wide it is. And again, 15 miles. Fifteen miles.
COOPER: The other thing, you know, I mean, I think teachers are heroes every day in schools all around the country.
KING: Right.
COOPER: But we saw so many just heroic actions by teachers at that school, and Briarwood Elementary, and of the other schools getting the kids to safe places and also kind of staying with the kids and getting them through the storm. KING: And if you see how deep some of the debris has been moved, because of the heroic first responders, they said they heard screaming, cries for help. These are little kids crushed under these debris, classrooms collapsed on top of them. Things, buildings -- the fact that they had to move so much stuff to get people out but those teachers were able to protect those students at a place that it is -- it is gone. I mean, it's ripped off. Most of the school is just ripped off the foundation.
COOPER: Yes. John, appreciate it. Thanks.
Briarwood Elementary, as I mentioned, here in Moore was also destroyed by the tornado. The video at the scene of the school is equally as devastating as the scene as Plaza Towers, but amazingly everyone at Briarwood, students, teachers, staff, got out alive.
Shelley Jaques-McMillan is the principal at Briarwood. She joins me now. I got her right here.
SHELLEY JAQUES-MCMILLIN, PRINCIPAL, BRIARWOOD ELEMENTARY: Hey. Yes, nice to meet you.
COOPER: Nice to meet you. Thank God. I mean, what you and your teachers did is just extraordinary. I talked to some of them last night. How much warning did you have that the storm -- that the storm was coming that was big?
Well, we knew a lot -- we knew about it just because we were watching the weather channels and monitoring that. And sirens went off. And we had been planning all day for the storm to come. And so --
COOPER: Right. When it actually --
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: An hour? You know --
COOPER: When it actually hit, what did -- what did you do?
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: Well, we were watching it come. And I was just praying that it would go a different direction. But it didn't -- or lift.
COOPER: Right.
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: But it didn't. But OK, it's coming. This is it. So -- and we had a few parents and teachers still kind of watching and tracking it, and everybody getting in their safe spot and off to -- everybody went to their safe areas. They were already there, though. Once the sirens went off, I had everybody in from the gym, from the portables, and everybody was already in their spots.
COOPER: I talked to a teacher from Briarwood last night. "Finish strong" was the motto for her class at the --
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: Yes, Janice Brim. Yes.
COOPER: Janice, yes.
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: Yes.
COOPER: And I mean, she did a great job of getting everybody in a closet, also other folks in bathrooms. And she was so proud of her students for the courage that they showed during this.
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: Absolutely, yes. They were calm and we practice drills all of the time. And we talked about it.
COOPER: This is something you practice a lot.
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: All of the time, yes. At least monthly, you know. Fire, lockdown, tornado.
COOPER: Your school is a newer school. I mean, it's not a brand-new school, but it's newer than some of the other schools. And so it's built a little bit differently.
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: Yes, it's a pod school. So they're not -- it's not -- it doesn't have hallways. So they're each pod.
COOPER: Do you hope that some sort of change occurs, that schools are able to build shelters?
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: Oh, I think that would be great. Yes. There are so many that we have to protect. I think it would be a great idea. I don't know how financially if that's possible or not. I'm not in that end of it.
COOPER: Right.
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: But, you know, from a parent point of view, from a teacher, principal point of view, that would be fabulous.
COOPER: And you must be proud of your teachers for the way they --
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: Absolutely. Amazing, amazing. They're veteran teachers, so they've all been there quite a while and they know the students. They've had several siblings. So they knew exactly what to do. I had no doubt that they would keep them safe. All the faith in the world.
COOPER: And they did. I'm so glad.
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: Yes.
COOPER: Thank you so much for talking to us.
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: Yes.
COOPER: Really appreciate.
JAQUES-MCMILLIN: Yes, you're welcome. Thanks.
COOPER: All right. Thanks.
It is -- it's incredible that more people were not killed, frankly, here. I mean, 24 people, it's a horrible, horrible death toll, and this community will be forever changed by it. But when you see the path of the destruction, it's just -- it's a blessing that so many people survive.
We're going to continue bringing stories from Moore throughout this hour tonight, including two teachers who were rescued from Briarwood Elementary in a place where you would think no one at all could possibly survive. We're going show you some pictures that they -- of what they survived through.
Net, though, breaking news. Just gotten word that directly ties the dead Boston marathon suspect with a grizzly triple homicide back in 2011. This is a major development into the Boston bombing case. Authorities have been looking into this for weeks now. We even discussed this back when the bombings took place. Looks like they have come up with something big. We'll tell you what it is, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Good evening, everyone. CNN has just confirmed that authorities are now making a direct connection between the dead Boston marathon bombing suspect, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and the triple homicide back in 2011 that killed one of Tsarnaev's close friends.
It comes after an acquaintance of his reportedly confessed to taking part before authorities say he attacked and was shot dead by the FBI agent who was interviewing him.
A lot of bizarre developments in this story today. Susan Candiotti has been working her sources. She joins us now.
So, Susan, what's the latest? What have you learned?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We've learned that, as you indicated, Boston marathon suspect, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, played a direct role in that triple murder in 2011 outside Boston that you've been reporting so extensively about. Along with a Chechen who was killed can today during a confrontation with the FBI and Massachusetts State Police, while they were questioning him for any possible connection between him and the Boston marathon bombing.
So this man by the name of Ibragim Todashev apparently told police, according to a federal law enforcement official that not only he participated in slashing the throats of three men back in 2011 in a drug rip-off, but that so did Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Now he -- according to our source, apparently they were killed because the two men were worried that the victims would later be able to tell the police about what happened to them during this drug rip-off and therefore be able to identify them -- Anderson.
COOPER: So let me get this straight. Tamerlan Tsarnaev who is portraying himself as a devout Muslim, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, is involved in a drug rip-off, allegedly involved in a drug rip-off and then goes about murdering three people, slitting their throats with his friend? That's the allegation?
CANDIOTTI: They have been looking the longest time now for any possible connection in this case. That does appear to be the case. And they're currently waiting for the results of DNA testing to put Tamerlan, as well as this other man, at the scene.
COOPER: Do we know -- I guess another critical question is, is there any connection between this guy or any alleged connection between this guy who got shot today and killed and the Boston bombing.
CANDIOTTI: Well, see, you're right, Anderson. That is initially what our sources tell us led authorities to go talk to this guy in Orlando, Florida. They were looking for any possible connection because they found out that Tamerlan and this guy were friends. And so they went down there looking for any possible connection to that, but subsequently, had also learned that there might be a linkage to this murder as well.
And part of that had to do with information gained by my colleague, Deborah Feyerick. There were cell phone records that a connection was made between a guy in Orlando and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. So they went looking for that. So far, however, they have found no direct link between the man who was killed and the Boston bombing. But, of course, they're still looking, haven't found it yet.
COOPER: All right, and was he alone with an FBI agent when he was shot or were there multiple -- you said there were state police also in the room?
CANDIOTTI: Still unclear how many people were in the room at the time, but we are told that after he had confessed to being involved in the triple he murder, that he attacked, according to our sources, attacked an FBI agent with a knife. And so it was after -- it is unclear how many people were in the room.
It's unclear whether that knife has been recovered. Presumably it was, but whenever there is an FBI-involved shooting, the FBI agent then shot, allegedly, this man, because I am told that he was -- felt directly threatened, that his life was threatened. And so now a review panel comes in whenever there is an FBI shootout to look for -- to look at that shooting and how it took place.
COOPER: All right, more to learn there. Susan, thanks.
More now on the attack in broad daylight on a busy British street in the suburb of London, people watching in horror as two men run down their victim then hack him savagely with knives and cleavers.
The British government calling it the terror attack, one of the suspected killers saying so on camera, the weapon still in his bloody hands just seconds after butchering another human being, take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We swear by the almighty Allah, we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone. We must fight them as they fight us. And eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I apologize a woman had to witness this today. You people will never be safe. The government, they don't care about you. Do you think David Cameron is going to get caught in the street? When we have our guns, do you think they're going to be the average guy like you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Now that is the man who allegedly just committed a brutal homicide being videotaped talking about it. Already, there's been an apparent reprisal or at least one attempt at one. A man with two knives threw a smoke grenade in a mosque outside London. Obviously tensions running high if those two events are related.
I want to check back in with our Nic Robertson who is in London standing outside the British prime minister's residence at 10 Downing Street. And also I want to bring Christiane Amanpour, host of "Amanpour" on CNN International."
Christiane, what do you make of this? We have not seen this kind of attack certainly in England. There was the filmmaker in -- I think it was the Netherlands who got killed in a knife attack. British authorities haven't seen this kind of attack before, have they?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not in this particular manner, no, and it is really very bizarre. All the security experts have been telling us throughout this day. You know, the words that he is saying, this man who has been captured on cell phone video, are almost exact replicas of what the 7-7 bomber said in their video they left before they blew up in the underground buses.
It's almost an exact replica of what Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wrote on the boat before he was found at the end of the manhunt, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But the question is really is, are these people part of a bigger conspiracy, a bigger al Qaeda. And just about everybody that I've spoken to today says it does not look like that. This was very, very low-tech.
It seems to be home-grown. It seems to be lone wolf, if you like, even copy-cat kind of crime. It is terror, because it is designed to terrorize and to create fear and panic and these people even went so far as you have seen, to get themselves recorded. Now they have been captured alive. They have been taken into hospital. They were obviously wounded when they confronted police.
So presumably, we'll hear a lot more about it. But I think, Anderson, when we try to figure out what's going on, after this more than decade-long war against al Qaeda, by and large, massive attacks on the homeland, massive al Qaeda spectacular attacks have not happened again since.
And intelligence experts always told us that what it was going to be would be the al-Qaeda affiliates and franchises like AQAP in Yemen, like AQIM in the Islamic Maghreb Mali, et cetera, and also this is what we're seeing whether it's Boston or here today.
COOPER: And Nic, we don't know whether this person is a British citizen, whether they grew up in England. As you mentioned before, they do have what sounds like a pretty distinctive English accent. Had there been any prior concern or intelligence about British soldiers being targeted on individual basis in the streets of London, Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Perhaps not the streets of London. We do know in a town just north of London, Lutein last year, four men were convicted planning for Islamism radicals convicted planning to load a car with explosives and drive it under remote control into an Army barracks.
The clear intent there, to target soldiers at that barracks, just outside of London. And, of course, a few years ago in Birmingham, about 100 miles from London, there was a plot to capture a former British soldier, a -- a Pakistani heritage capture him, and then execute him by beheading him online. Of course, that plot was interrupted.
It has been the bigger, more spectacular of these types of plots that the police and the security services have been so successful in stopping and perhaps a realization is coming among the radicals now that if they want to get below the radar, it has to be small. That big isn't working. Perhaps that's part of the picture. Certainly will be something that the security services here will be asking themselves on this style of attack -- Anderson.
COOPER: Christiane, obviously one of the things that so concerning about this style of attack, it's not -- these people don't need to have direct contact with some foreign Jihadist group. They can -- been radicalized in England, and as you said, it's a very low- tech attack, and it's designed to make a statement, to make a point and to sow terror.
AMANPOUR: Exactly. Again, we have to say the Council of Muslims in Britain immediately came out again and totally, you know, condemned this and said they respect the Armed Forces. This has got nothing to do with them at all. So this part of the piece is also playing out right now. But the idea of terror is, if you can't kill a lot of people, kill a few people.
If you can't kill a few people, kill one person. That is in the words of a former FBI official, and indeed I spoke today to the former head of counterterrorism at MI-6, the British intelligence service. And that is what they're saying. These are -- appear, anyway, to be crazies who have committed murder in a spectacular way, and have decided to make it, you know, a very public way. And this is the essence of terror.
COOPER: Yes. Christiane Amanpour, appreciate the reporting. Nic Robertson, as well.
Up next, the horrifying experience of two second grade teachers at Briarwood Elementary School here in Moore, Oklahoma as the tornado smashed into their building. We'll hear how they, their students and their own kids survived the impact. They were together. We'll also see how four-legged friends are bringing comfort to the littlest survivors here in Moore.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Looking around at the level of destruction here in Moore, it's almost hard to believe that so many people survived, and thank God they did. It appears that the quick action right after the twister hit and even before the searching and digging through the rubble for their neighbors played a key role in helping people make it through.
So many neighbors pitched in, even before first responders were able to get there. One man in Moore who saved a life is Juan Alava. Take a look at the CNN I-Report video that he sent us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is anybody here? There you can smell the gas. Watch out. Is anybody here? Take them over there. Is anybody there? My God, is there anybody here? Can you say something?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm here!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you say something, please? Is there anybody here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like a hurricane through here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, this is all bad, bro. You got it going? Here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go that way, bro. Over here! Over here! Here! Where are you at?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right here!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where? We're going to get you. We're going to get you! Give me a hand! There's somebody in here!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call for help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help is right here!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That's incredible. The man they rescued survived. He put down his phone, started digging and saved a life. Cheers to you, Juan Alivo, if you are watching tonight. Briarwood Elementary School was really completely destroyed. Somehow everybody got out alive and has a lot to do with the teachers there.
Here with me are two second grade teachers who were trapped when the building collapsed. They were with their students, making matters worse for Annette Brown and Gina Janssen. Their own children were also with them at Briarwood when they were trapped, as well. First of all, how are you both doing tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're doing well.
COOPER: How is your arm? Your arm got trapped.
ANNETTE BROWN, SECOND GRADE TEACHER, BRIARWOOD ELEMENTARY: Yes. It's fine. Has occasional numbness, but -- other than that, it's fine.
COOPER: Explain what it was like during the storm.
BROWN: Scary. We just didn't really know what was going to happen next. We just kept talking to the students and reminding them to be calm and to pray and think about their angels.
COOPER: What room did you put them in?
BROWN: We put them in the bathroom -- the hallway, and we have a small hallway where there are bathrooms and a water fountain and we put them in there.
COOPER: How about for you? What was it like?
GINA JANZEN, SECOND GRADE TEACHER, BRIARWOOD ELEMENTARY: Yes, it was just terrifying. We had our kids lined up in our rooms against the inner walls, is where they're supposed to be. But my room is the furthest west so that's the outer -- like, took a direct hit. So I decided to move on to the bathroom. And Annette did too, so moved them into the bathroom with their dictionaries on their heads.
COOPER: So nothing would hit their heads.
JANZEN: Right and we sang songs.
COOPER: What songs were you singing?
JANZEN: Row Row your boat and they wanted to sing God Bless America. They were practicing for a show we were doing today.
COOPER: So you were singing God Bless America when the storm came in.
JANZEN: Yes.
COOPER: Wow.
JANZEN: Yes.
COOPER: Did you think you might not make it out?
BROWN: I definitely thought -- yes.
JANZEN: Totally. BROWN: Especially after everything fell and we couldn't move, and had very hard time breathing. I -- I really didn't think that we would last long enough to be dug out.
COOPER: You had a hard time breathing. You had so much stuff on top of you.
BROWN: Yes, very much.
COOPER: Because things were on you.
BROWN: The entire room caved in on us. The cinder blocks and the steel beams fell on top of that, just everything. It was all on top of us and with every breath we took when we would exhale, the pressure would increase. It just kept getting heavier and heavier. And toward the end, it got so that I could not talk to my students anymore and --
COOPER: You had -- both of you had your kids with you. Not only your kids you teach, but your actual kids, your children. Did -- did you -- were you happy that they were there with you? I know you had called so they would be there with you.
BROWN: Right.
COOPER: Given what you went through, were you glad they were there with you?
BROWN: I was. Because buried underneath it, I didn't -- I just assumed that the rest of the school was in the same condition that we were. And it was very comforting to me to know where my children were and to be able to hear my youngest son's voice. I couldn't hear my older son, but my younger son was telling me he could hear him talking.
And I just -- as I was thinking how thankful I was, my heart went out to those parents who didn't know where their children were or whether they were safe. Because even if I passed, I at least knew that I could hear their voices and that I knew where they were.
COOPER: And you could hear your kids as well.
JANZEN: I could not hear mine, but I did -- I was brought down with the wall on my head. But when I looked up, I saw them free my son and then somebody yelled at me that my daughter had been freed. So I never saw them until we went to the play ground.
COOPER: Just incredible. Well, I mean, everybody I've talked to, parents and -- everybody has just praised the actions of teachers like yours yourselves. Thank you for talking to us tonight. We appreciate it. It's really an honor. Thank you. We heard so many remarkable stories. Next, some comforting faces here in Moore with wet noses and the kids they are helping right here. We will explain, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: There are some very welcome visitors here in Moore, Oklahoma, their job to be the calm after the storm, comfort dogs. Gary Tuchman visited some of the youngest victims of the tornado.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six golden retrievers and their handlers in a mission to help the way only dogs can.
(on camera): This is the children's hospital at the Oklahoma University Medical Center and these are the comfort dogs. They have come here to comfort. This, Becka and this is Ruthy, and this is Barnibus, the oldest, 3-years old, a veteran. Kai. This is Zeke. Their name tags are here, I can't always see them. And this is Lila, the youngest of the group, 9 months old, she is in training.
(voice-over): These dogs are trained and sponsored by Lutheran Church Charities, only the most obedient and docile dogs qualify. They show up at national disasters like the Oklahoma tornado to help comfort victims. The 8-year-old Courtney Brown, a second-grade student at the Plaza Towers Elementary School, fractured her skull in the tornado.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Courtney. This is Ruthy.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Hi, Ruthy.
TUCHMAN: Courtney went to the same school where seven other children were killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you have peanut butter today? She is sniffing peanut butter.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.
TUCHMAN: Courtney's dad sits beside his daughter, so grateful she is alive and able to talk to Ruthy and the handler.
COURTNEY BROWN, SECOND GRADER AT PLAZA TOWERS ELEMENTARY: I'm sorry about how my school was -- was destroyed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want to tell.
BROWN: About the tornado.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.
BROWN: Yes, OK. I was on the ground, and I was on my knees and doing this. And I hit my head on the back and here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go.
TUCHMAN: But it's not only children, and not only victims the comfort dogs visit. Many of the doctors and nurses want to see them too. Courtney, who broke her arm before the tornado, says she got to visit with two comfort dogs, Ruthy and Lila.
(on camera): Do you know Lila is only 9 months old, she is a puppy and the same size as Ruthy.
BROWN: I know. I think she was smaller.
TUCHMAN: A little smaller, but she's still bigger than you.
BROWN: True if she was on her two legs.
TUCHMAN: Yes, maybe next time she can stand on her two legs and walk through the door.
(voice-over): The comfort dogs have indeed greatly comforted Courtney and plenty of other victims in this hospital.
BROWN: I love doggies.
TUCHMAN: Canine mission accomplished.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: So amazing. I also just want to point out. You were not asking the kids about the experience they actually went through. She was just talking to the dog about it.
TUCHMAN: Just talking to the dog and the dog's handler. We talk to her about the dog.
COOPER: Yes, it was so great to see and we saw this in Newtown, I remember those dogs coming as well.
TUCHMAN: Those same dogs in Newtown and the same dogs in Boston for the Boston marathon bombing. They travel in a van. They're like rock stars, travel around the country and do great things.
COOPER: How is the little girl doing?
TUCHMAN: She is doing very well. She fractured her skull just two days ago and they expect she'll be able to get out of the hospital tomorrow. It's also sad and poignant, their house was destroyed and they had two dogs and they're missing. They haven't been able to find them. So when this dog came into the room today she was so elated to see a dog she could cuddle up to and you see it working. You sit there and see it work with employees, the doctors and nurses and most importantly, the children.
COOPER: What joy for the handlers, too, to bring that kind of comfort to people.
TUCHMAN: It's an awesome job, traveling with those dogs to get the reaction.
COOPER: I want that job.
TUCHMAN: So do I. COOPER: I'm going to stop doing this -- when I get fired, I'll --
TUCHMAN: I'll join you.
COOPER: Gary, thanks for the report, amazing stuff. Great to see you. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: A whole lot of new interviews to bring you in the 10:00 hour, 10:00 east coast time so one hour from now, an interview can with Toby Keith here trying to lend a hand as well. So join us one hour from now, in our live edition of 360. "PIERS MORGAN LIVE" starts right now.
