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AT THIS HOUR WITH BERMAN AND MICHAELA

Obama Speaks on Bomb Explosions; Tri-State Bomb Suspect in Custody; Postman Describes Police Shootout with Rahami; Elizabeth, New Jersey, Major Addresses Media. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired September 19, 2016 - 11:30   ET

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


[11:30:00] BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And there's no better example of that than the people of New York and New Jersey.

You know, when I was speaking to Governor Cuomo and Governor Christie and Mayor de Blasio, one point that they all made is, you know, folks around here, you know, they don't get scared. They're tough, they're resilient, they go about their business every single day.

And that kind of toughness and resoluteness and the recognition that neither individuals nor organizations like ISIL can ultimately undermine our way of life, that's the kind of strength that makes me so proud to be an American, and that's the kind of strength that is gonna be absolutely critical, not just in the days to come, but in the years to come.

By showing those who want to do us harm that they will never beat us, by showing the entire world that as Americans we do not and never will give in to fear, that's going to be the most important ingredient in us defeating those who would carry out terrorist acts against us.

Thank you very much, everybody.

And as I said, you will be receiving, I'm sure, ongoing briefings from both the FBI and local law enforcement in terms of the details of the investigation.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: As you heard right there, President Obama speaking for the first time on these bombings, on the bomb explosions over the last 48 hours to hit the tri-state area.

Let's bring in Wolf Blitzer right now to talk about this.

Wolf, you heard President Obama there at the end saying you'll be getting briefings, be getting more details of the investigation from the FBI. But if he did know of the breaking news, he did not say it in terms of knowing that Rahami is now in custody.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: Right. The president wanted to send a message, as he often does after these horrific kinds of incidents, that yes, it's a serious matter. Yes, if you see something, say something, be on the lookout. But don't lose sight of the fact that the U.S., he wanted to suggest, is actually winning in this war against terrorism. If you take a look at what is happening in Iraq and Syria as far as ISIS is concerned, he says the U.S. is making significant progress, taking out ISIS leaders, although Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, still remains at large. And Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, is under the ISIS and remains under the control of ISIS. And Raqqa, the capitol of ISIS, the so- called caliphate in Syria, still remains the capitol of ISIS. So there's progress being made but there is still an enormous amount of work to do.

What struck me was his suggestion, Kate and John, that ISIS, al Qaeda, the other what he calls violent extremists, these terrorists have the ability to incite terrorists, homegrown terrorists on their own through the Internet. They have these capabilities. And these kinds of bombs, apparently, that we saw in New York and New Jersey, these are unsophisticated kinds of bombs. "Inspire" magazine, the al Qaeda magazine, had an article in how to build a bomb in the kitchen of your mom. They are encouraging followers to go out to build a bomb and do damage, if not a bomb, get a gun and kill infidels. If you don't have gun, get a car and drive over people. If not, just get a knife and go to a mall and start slashing as many infidels, as they call them, as they possibly can.

So there is an enormous threat out there. We have seen it unfold over the past 48 hours. But the president wanted to reassure the American public that law enforcement, the FBI, local communities, they have an ability to deal with this. Yes, it's a problem, but don't go overboard.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, we are looking at live pictures from Linden, New Jersey. This is 15 minutes from Elizabeth, where raids were taking place overnight, where the suspect is believed to have lived, Rahami. This is where a shoot-out took place. And he was taken into custody. If he decided to get there by train, very interesting.

I want to bring in Evan Perez, our justice reporter.

Again, Evan, it was evident and very interesting, Evan, as we learned of this man, the breaking news of the suspect taken into custody, we are also getting a statement from the president, who either didn't know or didn't talk about it. So either he didn't want to focus on it at all or hadn't yet been briefed.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: It appears he was not briefed just before he got in. This was happening as he was walking up to the podium. The FBI was working to make sure they have the right guy. There's a lot of work that goes into doing this. And I think the message was getting sent up from the arrest scene there in Linden, New Jersey, back to Washington, and then over to the White House. And I think that's perhaps the delay there. We'll hear quickly this has been confirmed and will hear the initial announcement from the FBI that they have arrested this man. But we were watching this happening as it was going down. And there were people, neighbors, who were able to see the shoot-out and were able to post pictures on social media. These are the times we live in. Sometimes the president gets information more quickly from social media than from the people who are supposed to be briefing him. It happens all the time. [11:35:34] BOLDUAN: It's amazing how it's playing out in real time

right now.

We'll take a moment and go to the scene. Drew Griffins down on the scene.

Drew, are you in Elizabeth or Linden? I'm sorry. I have a lot of moving parts here.

PEREZ: We are in Linden, where this apparently has ended. We know Ahmad Rahami is in custody. We are putting this together very roughly from eyewitnesses and people who were on the street. The suspect may have been spotted sleeping in the bar and that's when police approached him to see if he fit the same description. Another person said they hear three shots along with a massive amount of sirens. That's all we know at this point, Kate, other than Pamela Brown is reporting that the suspect is in custody. We're obviously waiting for police to get back to us here at this scene. You can imagine it is rather chaotic.

BERMAN: Drew, stand by.

Again, the news is that Ahmad Rahami is now in custody after a shoot- out not far from where Drew Griffin is, in Linden, New Jersey. Apparently, Pamela Brown reports one police officer was wounded in that.

If we have Art Roderick, a former official of the U.S. Marshal Service here -- do we have Art with us?

Let's bring Art into the discussion right now.

Art, this man now in custody. This happened remarkably quickly. The bomb was placed, the first bomb, was placed Saturday night around 8:40, a series of three explosions over two days. There was the picture going out a now he's in custody. That is fast, fast work.

ART RODERICK, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, it really doesn't surprise me. There was so much information and so many leads since this whole thing started, that it doesn't surprise me that they have him in custody already. When you look at the makeup of Terrorism Task Force, and also there's a very large Fugitive Task Force that operated in New York and New Jersey that is basically made up of all state, local and federal agencies, and they get co-opted by JTTFs in this.

Just the information we had in the public, I knew this was going to happen fairly quickly. Ere was just so much information that they probably got from the device that didn't explode that it led them to this particular individual.

And, you know, I know that this arrest is over, but I truly believe there is definitely quite a few others involved in this. When you look at the -- and I tend to agree with Anthony May, who was on the last block, the ATF bomb expert, that you've got eight pipe bombs in New Jersey, two pressure cookers. That means to me that there is more than one bomb maker involved here. But definitely more than one, more than two individuals involved in this whole thing.

So they are out right now banging the streets looking for a lot more other individuals that were involved in this particular bombing, both in New York and New Jersey.

BOLDUAN: And we've got a lot of information coming into us all at the same time here. Art, you can see right on the screen, we are told the first picture of this man, of Rahami, in custody on a gurney being put into the ambulance. This obviously would have been in Linden, New Jersey, as the shoot-out happened. Just really a short time ago as he was being taken into custody. Look at this.

Let's bring in Paul Cruickshank.

Oh, I'm going to check myself and go back down to the mayor of Elizabeth where the raids where the last known man was to live. He's speaking right now.

J. CHRISTIAN BOLLWAGE, MAYOR, ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY: I am not informed of their names. I have the Elizabeth police director trying to contact the NYPD to find the names of the people where they are and where they are from. If they are from the city of Elizabeth, that's not confirmed to me.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE QUESTION)

BOLLWAGE: I do not know who they are at all.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Were you alert odd of a possible terrorist cell in Elizabeth?

BOLLWAGE: No. No. No, the first time this happened was yesterday afternoon. There was word that came through that the NYPD was going through Elizabeth regarding the Chelsea incident, but there was no location or no business or no site at that time. And then we had our incident last evening and early morning at which time the stop occurred on the Verrazano Bridge that led to the search warrant here this morning.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can you just comment again about the arrest?

BOLLWAGE: Mr. Rahami is currently under arrest in the city of Linden. This occurred on Elizabeth Avenue in the city of Linden. And one police officer in the city of Linden was shot in the hand. Mr. Rahami also sustained shots and the ambulance has taken him away.

[11:40:18] UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Were they chasing him?

BOLLWAGE: I don't know the details. I just know the end result at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are they characterizing this as a shoot-out?

BOLLWAGE: I don't know. I don't have any details and don't know the hospital. I would --

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Were there any explosives found in the house?

BOLLWAGE: Behind me? The FBI has not reported me yet. I'm getting fully briefed by the FBI and ATF at 12:30 this afternoon, with Senator Menendez and Senator Booker.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Mayor, did he actually live here?

BOLLWAGE: We don't know if he actually lived here. We know his family is here. We know he stayed here. Whether this was his full- time address, I don't know at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you been told of another location?

BOLLWAGE: I have not been told about another location where he may have lived or not lived.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Have you heard if he has a son?

BOLLWAGE: I am not aware of where any of the other family members are at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE QUESTION)

BERMAN: All right. That was just the Mayor Chris Bollwage of Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was briefing the press on the latest information.

Again, the latest information is that Ahmad Rahami now in custody.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: Moments ago, if can we can see that video again, we got a very good look at this man, who was clearly awake and conscious. He had been shot but he was awake and conscious in custody in the back of the ambulance.

Let's just look at this. You see him being wheeled into the ambulance here. We saw another view. There we go right there. He's awake. He's conscious. He survived whatever the encounter was with police right there.

BOLDUAN: Let's actually jump down to Drew Griffin, on the scene close to where this all played to it in Linden, New Jersey. He has a witness there with him -- Drew?

(CROSSTALK)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Kate, just breaking to the local postman was on his route this morning --

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: Yes, yes.

GRIFFIN: -- when the shooting took place.

And, sir, go ahead and describe what you heard. You heard first two pops. UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: I heard two pops first.

GRIFFIN: It didn't sound like gunshots?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: I thought it was something falling off the back of a truck, like a palate or something.

GRIFFIN: And then what?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: And then I heard a voice from the -- there was laundry down there, and I heard somebody yell, are you OK? And they were looking in the direction. And again I didn't hear anything else. And then I heard another pop. More pops. And then it kept going and that is when I saw the police vehicles.

GRIFFIN: How many shots total, roughly?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: Maybe 12 to 15.

GRIFFIN: So would you describe it as a shoot-out as what you heard?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: That's what it seemed to be. It sounded like they were shooting at somebody. After the initial two shots, ere was a bit of a silence. Then it sounded like I heard more shots and like they were in pursuit of somebody.

GRIFFIN: For the report, this is not what you heard, you didn't see?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: I didn't see the shooting, no.

GRIFFIN: And the address or the location where you came from? Is this somebody you had delivered mail to?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: Yes, I got to 700 down on the corner and I saw the bullet casings on the sidewalk.

GRIFFIN: What was the business?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: Murdy's (ph), it's a tavern.

GRIFFIN: Were they closed at this time?

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: Yes, they are closed. The owner across the street saw more than I did. He kind of told me what happened.

GRIFFIN: So you believe the gun casings were in front of a closed bar.

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: Yes, there was one on the side and a partial fragment also on the sidewalk.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE QUESTION)

UNIDENTIFIED WITNESS: He saw a man asleep in the little entrance way in the vestibule. And I believe that's when the police -- I'm not sure exactly what happened then, but I think the police showed up at that point. And that's when the gunfire started.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE QUESTION)

GRIFFIN: Kate, that conforms to what we have heard from other witnesses, that this man was potentially asleep in the vestibule of a bar down the street when Linden police recognized him as being the suspect. This is obviously the postman recalling what he had heard on his route this morning. And as we get more information from this scene, we will certainly get back to you.

BERMAN: Amazingly quick police in Linden, New Jersey, a different town all together from Elizabeth where the suspect lived and where these bomb explosions have taken place over the last few days.

Evan Perez, our justice reporter, is here with new details about this man, Ahmad Khan Rahami, who we believe is in custody.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The local mayor there says the family ran a chicken restaurant in Elizabeth, New Jersey, there, right near where the scene where he was just arrested. And according to the mayor, they have had some problems with the town, code enforcement issues. The restaurant was open 24 hours for a period and apparently the neighborhood was upset with the family. The father ran the restaurant with two sons, including Rahami, who you see there. We believe, again, that he is now in custody. The FBI has not come out officially to announce this is him. They are still going through the procedures to confirm a positive identification, but we are told by sources that's him under arrest.

[11:45:10] It appears from the video we're showing that he was shot or had some kind of injury on his right shoulder. And that would be, that would -- that would fall in line with what we have heard from witnesses, that there was some kind of shoot-out, an altercation there before they arrested him.

Once they identified who he was yesterday, they started sitting on the restaurant, the home, they were sitting there for several hours trying to see movements, trying to see if he was trying to go anywhere. They were other sightings that might be him. So they have been looking for this guy all over the place, all over in northern New Jersey, before they finally put out that BOLO, that picture to try to make sure that everybody knew that that's who the FBI was looking for.

BOLDUAN: And when you think about it, and you mentioned it, John, just how quickly things have moved this morning. They just put that lookout out just a couple hours ago. And now in custody, as you see him, and conscious, being put into that ambulance.

Bob Baer, on that exact point, they now have this man in custody. He is believed to be connected to all three of these sites, all three of the bombing sites that we have been talking about. What kind of information are you looking to get from him right away?

BOB BAER, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: A wider network, Kate. It's very important. He may not have acted alone. There may be another stash of bombs. He was pretty good at making these bombs. They went off. They were fairly sophisticated. He's obviously prepared to get in a shoot-out with police. And often he will have compatriots that may be out there. And the police are still going to their metadata, all his connections. They are going to want to ask him who else is involved. That's what they want to know right now. What is the imminent threat? There may be none, but police don't know that yet.

BERMAN: First thing to do is make there isn't anyone else out there right now who could be a threat to the area.

I want to bring in Paul Cruickshank, our terror analyst here.

The profile of someone like this, connected to three domestic bomb sites with 10 or so crude or in some cases more sophisticated explosive devices, what kind of person, Paul, is this? And how does this kind of person fit in with what the international terror groups like ISIS are trying to accomplish?

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: We don't have many answers yet about what kind of person this is. Indeed, his motivation in trying to carry out these attacks or how he would be connected back to international terrorist groups, if there's a connection, the fact that he was Afghan born, came to the United States, it is an interesting data point. That if there is some kind of international connection, may point more towards the Pakistani Taliban that directed the Times Square bombing back in 2010 or, indeed, even al Qaeda. They will be trying to talk to get information very quickly to see if there are any co-conspirators that we know. We don't know if he acted alone or if there were others. That point is not clear. And investigators do not know that yet. We really need to sort of emphasize that to our viewers.

But somebody -- if he was a lone attacker, was able to put together rudimentary devices. These were not powerful high explosive devices. If this was somebody who had training in Syria or Iraq, he could put together a much more powerful bomb than he did. But even the device, he was able to put together in the pressure cookers, could have obviously killed people.

BERMAN: Just to be clear, we don't know if there's connection between this man and any international terror operation or what motivated him at all.

BOLDUAN: We do know his last-known address was in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He is now in custody, as we continue to show this amazing video of him being put into the ambulance.

Let's get back to Elizabeth, New Jersey. Our Jean Casarez is there where raids have been happening overnight through today.

Jean, what are you hearing there now?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are about three miles from Linden, New Jersey. We are in Elizabeth, just as you said. I want to show you, right behind me, is the First American Fried Chicken. This is where the FBI has been executing search warrants since the early morning hours here. They actually towed away two cars. They brought out at least one box of evidence. And I was able to confirm with the mayor that the Rahami family lives atop that fried chicken restaurant. And the father and the two sons operated the restaurant.

Now, the mayor of Elizabeth says that everyone in this vicinity knew the family, knew the family because, he said, there were issues with the city, the neighborhood and the family. They used to run this restaurant for 24 hours a day, which the mayor said violated code ordinances and noise ordinances. And the neighborhood was very upset because it was very loud at night and people would congregate in this area. And so they would go to city hall meetings and just complain the family. Well, the family fought back and they actually sued the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey. And in 2012, the mayor says that the city won that lawsuit. But that's what the city government remembers this family for.

[11:50:14] He also says the city government believes, and we now know, that Rahami is wanted for questioning in relation to the Elizabeth, New Jersey, bombing attack, inside the backpack, and he believes, because it's about a mile away from here, that just wanted to throw away evidence, allegedly, of course. And there is no association or even delineation of the suspect in this. But wanted to throw away the bombs, because he knew police were trying to come after him.

But there was a backpack discovered at 9:30 last night about one mile away from here. Homeless people, I have confirmed, actually found that backpack, from the mayor. They saw there was a pipe and electrical wire. They dropped it, and they ran to the police department and told the police department what they found. And that led to the bomb squad coming in. Of course, one part of that bomb was detonated by accident. It's now in the hands of the FBI to be sent to Quantico, Virginia, for forensic testing.

BOLDUAN: Jean, thank you so much. Jean, on the site there. We'll get back to you, Jean, as things change.

We welcome viewers in the United States and around the world. If you are just joining us, a lot has happened in the last 51 minutes. Biggest, most important headline here is that the suspect that police, authorities, the FBI, they have been searching for, the man named Ahmad Khan Rahami -- there is confusion on his last name -- he has been taken into custody according to law enforcement officials. You're seeing there the man they believe is the suspect put into an ambulance. This all happening. He is connected, authorities say, to all three of the bomb sites that has happened, and, really, hit the tri-state area in the last 48 hours.

BERMAN: Take a look at that picture. Clearly, you can see he is conscious being loaded into that ambulance there.

We're getting new information about the final moments when he was taken into custody in Linden, New Jersey. There was a shoot-out.

Our justice reporter, Evan Perez, has the details on that -- Evan?

PEREZ: Right. The mayor of Elizabeth, New Jersey, is saying that apparently two officers sustained injuries during this gunfight that led to this arrest. One officer was hit in the vest and the second officer was struck in the hand. It appears from the video we're showing that Rahami sustained some type of injury, perhaps a gunshot there on his right shoulder. And, again, the importance is he is now in custody. The FBI can question him to try to figure out what happened here, whether or not there are other people who might be involved in these attacks, and whether or not he is the bomb maker.

Now, that's one of the reasons why, what Jean Casarez was showing there just a few minutes ago, was the scene of the FBI searching that home. The belief is that if there was a bomb lab, it would have been in his home. The question is, did family members see this? Did anybody see what he was doing? You can't put together this many pipe bombs without someone seeing something. That's the big question that the FBI and certainly the Joint Terrorism Task Force is going to be asking in the coming hours, as soon as they can stabilize him and are able to question him.

BOLDUAN: One important thing, one important question we've looked at his morning is, what led police to this man? How did they pick him up? We're getting a little more information with that.

Art, let me bring you in, Art Roderick, on this.

I'll read it, coming from our producer, Shimon. This is the new reporting coming out. "The police responded today after receiving a tip of a sighting of Rahami according to a law official." And this, "Officers first identified him Sunday afternoon, according to senior law enforcement officials, that they were able to I.D. him through a fingerprint, also the cell phone on the pressure cooker, found at the 27th Street location in Manhattan. That provided some clues."

That was the -- that was the undetonated -- the unexploded pressure cooker bomb picked up, Art?

RODERICK: Yeah. I think we all assume that that was going to be the key piece of evidence, is whatever they could take off that phone or whatever evidence they could pull off the tape as far as fingerprints. It seems to all be falling into place right now.

But when you look at this in totality, there seems to be a certain level of unsophistication, not only in the bomb making and placement of the bombs, but also the fact that he was sleeping in a doorway of a bar near his home. So I mean, this doesn't seem to be extremely well planned as we think about how terrorist cells, like, operate maybe in Europe, in the Middle East. So I think with all of the information that we know, as the public, and what's being put out from law enforcement sources -- you know, the JTTF and the task forces that are operating have a ton more information, and they're just running this down.

I think over the next 24 to 48 hours, we could see a pretty good wrap- up of not only what his involvement was here, but also other individuals that were involved.

[11:55:28] BERMAN: Maybe not sophisticated, maybe not well planned, but it goes to show that without sophistication, even with a lack of sophistication, you can do something very, very dangerous.

RODERICK: But still very deadly, yes.

BERMAN: 29 injured. Could have been much, much worse.

Bob Baer, one specific question for you. If this man was identified -- again, you're looking at pictures of him, Ahmad Khan Rahami, being loaded into an ambulance. This is courtesy of WABC.

He was identified in part from a fingerprint on this unexploded bomb, would they have had to have some record of his fingerprint on file? Meaning he had a previous record and had their eye on him for some reason?

BAER: No. I don't think so. I think we would have found that out if he had been radicalized online, was on an FBI list, I think that would have come out by now. I think just good investigative work. They got into the cell phone, the second device. They got the metadata and the pictures. Once you get into that kind of database, after an attack, they can run you down quickly. The ATF, FBI and police have done a wonderful job. This mechanism kicks into work and you can't get away at that point. He made big mistakes, using any cell phones at all, getting his picture taken by CCTV cameras.

I agree with Art. It wasn't very sophisticated and we're still lucky no one was killed in these two attacks in New Jersey and New York.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

We're just getting a new image of the scene of Rahami on the ground clearly surrounded by law enforcement. This happening in Linden, New Jersey. This is about -- you know, just a few minutes from Elizabeth, New Jersey, where these raids have been going on where he was taken into custody.

When you look at this, Paul -- let me bring you back in. One thing Drew Griffin said he had been hearing that struck me is that if this is a suspect, who is on the run, whose face is all over the place, authorities have put this out, who knows what connections this person has, what kind of cell group we're looking at, that he possibly was found sleeping in the vestibule of a bar in Linden, New Jersey, it seems kind of baffling to me.

CRUICKSHANK: Well, he may have been on the move. May have needed to get in rest. But one guy who's been identified against the might of U.S. law enforcement and every single intelligence agency in the United States has got, is never going to get too much time before they're going normally be taken into custody.

BERMAN: Again, extremely efficient, and extremely quick that got him between Saturday night and today. You know, obviously, that unexploded bomb with fingerprints and a cell phone, they had clues to work on. No doubt about that.

Paul, I'm struck also by the fact that this guy, if he did make all of these explosive devices, he did make a number of them, and you can't do that in one night. I mean, it takes some time. It takes some purchasing. It's the type of thing that I imagine someone else must have seen or known about over time? I imagine there will be a lot of questioning?

CRUICKSHANK: Possibly. Did other people know about it, if he was, the bomb maker, could they have alerted authorities? We'll have to find that all out as we learn more, but we saw in the Boston attacks it's certainly possible small number of individuals to put together these rudimentary pressure cooker bomb instructions. Instructions are over the Internet. You can go to shops in this area, where we all live in, the New York City, New Jersey area, to buy all the components. These were not very powerful vices. They didn't have the signature of what ISIS trained their recruits to build in Syria and Iraq. They're the kind of devices we've seen in Europe, which were much more powerful, for example, at Brussels airport. This may have been inspired by some kind of terrorism group. But we don't yet know -- and I've got on to line this -- we don't yet know what the motivation was, because we haven't heard this guy's back story. Was he radicalized and so on and so forth? The answers will come.

BERMAN: We know he wanted to hurt people, blow things up and hurt people. That much is known.

BOLDUAN: But Paul points out something, Bob, and I want to get your last thought on this, is that, yes, one maybe phase of this, chapter concludes, but still an entire book of questions left. A suspect in custody but a whole lot we don't know.

BAER: Yes. Exactly. I mean, we don't know what ethnic group he is, for instance. Is he sympathizing with a group in Afghanistan? Very likely at this point. Whether connected to the Islamic State or not really doesn't matter, but he was almost undoubtedly politically motivated. We have to get to the bottom of that.

BERMAN: Just one of the questions left.

Bob Baer, everyone, thank you so much.

CNN's special coverage continues right now.