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Source: Epstein Left Alone In Cell The Night Of His Death; At Least 8 Wal-Marts Received Threats Since El Paso Shooting; NRA Calls Kamala Harris Gun Plans "Ridiculous"; Dems Officer Sweeping Gun Control Plans On Campaign Trail; 5 Nuclear Scientists Killed After Blast At Military Site In Russia; 65-Year-Old Man Overpowers Suspected Shooter In Norway. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired August 11, 2019 - 15:00   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. This hour, new and troubling revelation surrounding the apparent suicide of accused sex trafficker and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

CNN has now learned that the 66-year-old was supposed to be checked on by guards every 30 minutes since he was taken off suicide watch late July and that did not happen on the night of his death. Epstein was also supposed to be housed with a cellmate and not left alone, but he was left alone.

And we're also learning that both guards that were on duty that night were on overtime. One of them working his fifth overtime shift that week alone. Katie Benner of The New York Times helped break this story and she's joining me right now. So Katie, first walk us through these protocols, what you learned about what is supposed to be in place, especially when someone attempt suicide.

KATIE BENNER, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT REPORTER, NEW YORK TIMES: Sure. We'll take a step back. Jeff Epstein, as we know last month, he was found in his cell unconscious and people who were at BOP were investigating whether or not that was an attempted suicide. In the meantime, he was put on suicide watch.

He met with a psychiatric evaluator every day and then on the 29th he was taken off of suicide watch. We don't know exactly why that happened, but we just know that best practices for that occasion, that means that he would have a cellmate, it's supposed to be a deterrent for self harm and that guards would look into his cell every 30 minutes.

WHITFIELD: And then his cellmate, he did have one for a period of time.

BENNER: Yes.

WHITFIELD: But that cellmate was moved. Do we know the circumstances? Was that supposed to be temporary? Do we know anything about the lapse of time? What's going on there?

BENNER: So that's one of the things that Bureau of Prisons and the Justice Department, the FBI and the Justice Department Inspector General are all going to be very curious about and they're going to investigate. Because as part of the condition of taking off of suicide watch, the warden at MCC told the Justice Department that this was happening and that the conditions would be a cellmate and periodic check ins.

Now, we don't know exactly why the cellmate was removed, but we do know that immediately upon him being taken off of suicide watch, he was paired with somebody. So things seem to be sort of going a pace per usual protocols for a couple of weeks.

WHITFIELD: So earlier on last hour, I spoke with a former deputy warden, not at MCC, but he has had some experience he said at MCC. And he said this is a reflection of a leadership problem perhaps at that facility. Is that anything that you've learned from officials there?

BENNER: Yes. We've talked about this for a several stories. BOP, first of all, they have an acting head and have had one for a long time. A lot of people say --

WHITFIELD: Bureau of Prisons.

BENNER: The Bureau of Prisons, excuse me, has had an acting head for a long time. People say he's doing a great job, but it's very difficult to be empowered to tackle some of the big thorny problems that have existed for a long time at the Bureau of Prisons when you are in an acting role.

And then if you look at some of the federal facilities, you see a lot of overtime, you see people working a lot and you see sort of rising crime within different federal facilities. That hasn't been a problem that the Bureau of Prisons has tried to tackle for a while.

WHITFIELD: And then Katie that this, at least, one of the guards that's being reported may have been on the fifth shift. Is there an inference there that someone may have been watching, but then fell asleep or the follow up question to that, too, is aren't there cameras and wouldn't there be a way in which to review what could have happened in terms of the watch of Epstein?

BENNER: Of course, so on the cameras issue first, if the cell block that Epstein was in looked like similar cell blocks, we have been told that certainly there would be cameras and so I think we're all very eager to see what the Justice Department has to say about that and what they find in any footage they may have. In terms of this one guard's overtime, we found that in our reporting as well. He'd been working his fifth overtime shift.

The question arises then, why is that guard guarding a prisoner who is considered in danger within the prison population and possibly in danger of harming himself and part of such a high profile case? Was it because there's nobody else? Was it because they're understaffed? Or, was it simply because people were not paying attention closely to the situation?

[15:05:10] WHITFIELD: Yes, powerful questions. All right, Katie Benner, New York Times. Thank you so much.

BENNER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk further on this. Joining me right now, CNN Law Enforcement Analyst and retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent, James Gagliano. Also with us, CNN Legal Analyst and former Federal Prosecutor Renato Mariotti. All right. Good to see you both, gentlemen.

So we've learned a little bit more since the last time we all spoke yesterday. James, what is most troubling, concerning to you and what we're learning about protocols that were in place but then reportedly not followed such as having a cellmate, every 30 minutes a guard to look in on and apparently that did not happen the night of his death.

JAMES GAGLIANO, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Fred, we spoke about this yesterday in the wake of this astonishing news and there's no other way that I can describe this. I spent 25 years in the FBI. I went to the MCC multiple times to interview prisoners or take parts in proffers.

The fact that this could have happened while this inmate was in the special housing unit, which means under special scrutiny and separated from the general prison population, there are cameras covering every inch of the MCC other than maybe some of the small conference rooms where inmates meet with their lawyers.

WHITFIELD: And because of those cameras, particularly, do you believe that there should be answers to some of those questions now?

GAGLIANO: I do.

WHITFIELD: By now.

GAGLIANO: And I am anything but a conspiracy theorist. So I look at it like this, there are two concurrent investigations going on. The Department of Justice's Inspector General and the FBI and I think we'll get some answers soon, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Renato, what troubles you most about this story? What are some of your most prominent questions here?

RENATO MARIOTTI, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes. I'm really concerned as to why he was taken off of suicide watch. There's supposed to be written documentation of that. We haven't seen that yet. I suspect, just like James just said a moment ago, that we're going to see that as part of the investigation.

And I have to say as well the fact that the protocol wasn't followed, he wasn't - you spoke a moment ago with the reporter, they weren't checking up on him every half hour. We had a guard who was overtaxed. Look, James and I, I think, both know that our Bureau of Prisons can be overtaxed at times. Things don't always work the way they're supposed to.

I had an escape. Unfortunately, I've had defendant who are harmed in custody, so it does happen. But in this particular case, very, very troubling.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And usually there would be documentation of rounds, I mean, at this prison or really any of them. And sources are apparently telling us that guards falsified documents saying that they did make the rounds and if that is indeed the case based on what sources are saying, does that now open things up, Renato, to a chance for any kind of criminal prosecution? I mean, yes, investigators are looking into what happened, but what happens if they find those egregious acts?

MARIOTTI: Well, the question is why did they do it. One of my initial thoughts of what might be investigated here is potential corruption. I know when I had an escape case with a prisoner who escaped, that was one of the first things we investigated was whether or not there was any potential corruption there by any prison officials.

So I think that would be definitely a potential charge if there was some other motive. If it's simply that they're lazy and they're covering their tracks, well, it's possible that you could make that into a charge, but more likely, I think, that would be a disciplinary action and a dismissal.

WHITFIELD: OK. So, Renato, you use the word corruption and that would mean covering up the track type of thing. But James, you mentioned the word conspiracy which means there is a concerted effort, it would involve a number of people so as to help facilitate the demise of Epstein. Give me more of your thoughts on that.

GAGLIANO: Well, first of all, let's understand what the Metropolitan Correctional Center does. It is a pre trial detention center. There's about 800 inmates there, males and females, and it's been open since about 1975. The rooms, the cells in the shoe are eight or nine feet tall. The beds are bolted to the floor and the prisoners inside of them are given sheets that are basically like tearaway paper.

So for this to happen, it just boggles the mind, especially in light of the fact that on July 24 he was unresponsive in his cell because he had tried previously to commit suicide. That would have engendered them putting him on a 24/7 monitoring watch which just, again, baffles me that he was allowed to be alone or not watched for that period of time to do this to himself.

WHITFIELD: And then quickly, this was already a big case, that he was facing. But now in his death, Renato, does that reveal that perhaps the case was even bigger than many people might have anticipated?

[15:10:05] MARIOTTI: Well, certainly he had every reason to be up despondent and want to exit the situation. I can understand why that was the case. But certainly I think this is going to have a renewed and intense scrutiny in some of his potential co-conspirators.

WHITFIELD: All right. Renato Mariotti, James Gagliano, always good to see you. Thank you so much.

GAGLIANO: Thanks, Fred. MARIOTTI: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, fear gripping shoppers across the country just a week after two mass shootings. Now, other Wal-Mart stores are being threatened. And later this hour, 2020 candidates take on the gun debate head on, but how will their plans for background checks and red flag laws be received by voters?

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[15:14:30] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Americans nationwide are still on high alert, one week after 31 people were killed in mass shootings, 22 of whom were murdered in an El Paso, Texas Wal-Mart. And since the tragedies, there have been at least eight threats at Wal-Marts across the country. And while the recent threats didn't involve an actual shooter situation, these incidents are reminders that many Americans are still battling fears that they may become the next victims of violence.

[15:15:01] CNN National Correspondent Natasha Chen is outside the scene of that mass shooting one week ago in El Paso. So Natasha, what are you learning about what people are feeling?

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Just to that pervasive feeling that there could be something that happens anywhere. I think many people across the country are sensing that and that's why we're hearing of a lot of people calling threats into police departments.

Luckily, in New York and North Carolina yesterday those turned out not to be shooters. But in other situations, there were more serious threats. The police in Winter Park, Florida, for example, have arrested 26-year-old Richard Clayton. I believe we have a picture of Richard Clayton.

He allegedly posted on Facebook August 6th saying three more days of probation left. Then, I get my AR-15 back. Don't go to Wal-Mart next week. Police there say that Clayton believes in white supremacist ideology and that he's known for posting threats on Facebook. And then you have Harlingen police in Texas saying that they arrested a man for making terroristic threats.

So while people are scared and they are on edge reporting potential threats to police, there are also situations where police are identifying individuals who are making actual threats they say to the stores. To that response, Wal-Mart has a statement. "We're continually focused on safety and security in our stores. We take threat seriously and provide additional security as appropriate. We will continue to help federal and local authorities with their investigations to determine the source and any credibility of the threats."

So you can tell that everyone is really reacting to this still one week later. We met a lot of people here coming to the memorial that has grown over the past week, including one relative of Jimmy Salazar who says that his cousin's husband died blocking them and saving them in the store. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY SALAZAR, COUSIN'S HUSBAND KILLED IN EL PASO SHOOTING: He blocked them and all fell to the ground and my cousin and the granddaughter were pretending to be dead and until the guy was away from them then they ran out. And they were trying to wake David and he's just nonresponsive.

CHEN: And so you see a lot of people still really grieving here but trying to stay strong and trying to stay together in this community, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Natasha Chen, thank you so much in El Paso. All right, coming up, the gun debate is taking an emotional toll on candidates on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW YANG, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was imagining was one of them that got shot and the other said ...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Candidate Andrew Yang breaking down when talking about gun violence with a woman whose daughter was killed in a shooting. The solution he and other Democrats are planning straight ahead.

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[15:21:35] WHITFIELD: In the aftermath of a pair of mass shootings which stun the country, several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are focusing on gun control this weekend in the key state of Iowa. The presidential hopefuls pushing for sweeping changes to gun laws in this country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN CASTRO, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I would maximize the executive authority because we know that we may face a Congress, a Senate that is still led by Mitch McConnell.

MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-IN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If more guns on the streets made everybody safe, we'd be the safest country in the world.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Assault weapons are not weapons used by the overwhelming majority of hunters. These are weapons designed to kill human beings in a rapid way.

JOE BIDEN, FORMER UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Who in God's name needs a weapon that can handle a hundred rounds? For God's sake.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: So this morning on STATE OF THE UNION, Beto O'Rourke

talked about the need for the country to come together and warned against allowing the President to distract from the issue of national gun violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BETO O'ROURKE (D-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's changing the conversation and if we allow him to do that, then we will never be able to focus on the true problems of which he is apart and make sure that we get to the solutions, and whether that means legislation that keeps guns out of the hands of those who shouldn't have it or focusing on domestic terrorism of white supremacist that his own FBI Director warned us about.

And then reported this week that his department of Homeland Security has been begging the President to focus on the kinds of threats that we saw in El Paso and he's ignored them or willfully suppressed action on those ideas and those programs and those policies that could have saved lives in El Paso and across the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The NRA is firing back at some of the Democratic gun proposals. The powerful gun lobby called Senator Kamala Harris' plan, quote, ridiculous. They said that today and her campaign is now using the tweet to fundraise. CNN's Kyung Lah is covering Harris as she campaigns in Iowa. So Kyung, what else is Harris saying about her thoughts and the response?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, at every single appearance she's had here in Iowa and she is in the middle of a five- day bus tour across the state, she's been talking about gun violence. In part because a lot of the people coming to see her many of them are parents bringing their kids and they're all want to hear about gun violence in the wake of these shootings.

She's added to her stump speech this line about President Donald Trump saying that, "No, he didn't pull the trigger. But he's been tweeting out the ammunition," that is a quote. And then she also called on Wal-Mart, the retailer that has said it will stop displaying some violent video games. She called on Wal-Mart to stop selling guns. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will say on the issue of Wal-Mart, yes, they should stop selling guns. I do believe that. I mean, we need background checks, let's just start with that. We need background checks and we need people to be as I've said responsible in a way that they are selling guns.

So it's not about everyone needs to stop selling guns, but we absolutely need to have checks and balances on it and part of that is we need background checks and so that's where I begin and end. If they participate in background checks, then fine. But right now they're not and that's why I said that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[15:25:04] LAH: The Senator there speaking there to reporters at the Iowa State Fair. In addition to Senator Harris, a host of 2020 hopefuls have also called on the retailer to stop selling guns. Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Julian Castro and Kirsten Gillibrand have all asked Wal-Mart to stop selling weapons.

Now, I'm here, Fredricka, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. She is anticipated as Senator Harris is expected to arrive here in several hours where she will be holding another town rally. It's going to be in this park right behind me and surely to come up will be this very issue, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kyung Lah, keep us posted. Thank you so much. So presidential candidate Andrew Yang got quite emotional this weekend as he talked about preventing gun violence in America. He actually broke down while responding to a mother who lost her child to gun violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YANG: I have a six- and three-year-old boy and I was imagining it was one of them that got shot and the other saw it. I'm so sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Really getting just overwhelmed there. Imagining he said his own children who would succumb to gun violence just like the woman who told her story. So joining me right now, Alexandra Rojas, she is the Executive Director of Justice Democrats and a CNN Political Commentator. Also with me, Alice Stewart, who is it Republican strategist and a CNN Political Commentator. Good to see you both.

All right. So Alexandra, let me begin with you because you heard those very emotional words from Andrew Yang and there was also a lot of emotion coming from Beto O'Rourke. He is an El Paso resident, you heard and saw him last Saturday. He got off the campaign trail and immediately returned to the hurt city of El Paso.

So do you see this kind of compassion from these candidates helping to really provoke some movement or change as it pertains to gun violence?

ALEXANDRA ROJAS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Absolutely. I think that it's absolutely critical right now for politicians to not act that way. They have to act like what I think everybody in America is feeling and be true to this moment of people feeling lost, hurt and there's a big need for that, so I commend Andrew Yang and I think Beto O'Rourke for being courageous and speaking truthfully from the heart there.

And I think, yes, there's indications in 2018 that gun reform specifically was a big issue and that Republicans are largely absent for solutions that rise to this moment. And even when you have President Trump, for example, saying that he's willing to work on things like background checks, he also said that back when Parkland happened.

I met with the NRA later that night and still we haven't seen movement on that. So I think that you're going to continue to see Democrats go on the offensive, especially on this issue when they know that the GOP and Trump himself really have failed to rise to the occasion in this moment.

WHITFIELD: And no one is questioning the sincerity of Beto O'Rourke and Andrew Yang seeing that emotion. But compassion really has been absent a big way in politics and so folks are seeing it how this gun violence, how the mass shootings, I should say, has really touched so many people.

So Alice, you are a card carrying member of the NRA, a strong supporter of the Second Amendment but you wrote an opinion piece of this week for CNN.com saying, "Enough is enough." And calling for new gun legislation on background checks, red flag laws and a ban on assault weapons. So is it your feeling that this might be the kind of turning point that people thought had happened after Sandy Hook or after Parkland?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I do, Fred. I think we have gotten to a point to where we cannot turn a blind eye anymore. And myself, as you say, I support Second Amendment rights and I think we need to protect Second Amendment rights, but we also need to make sure and protect people from another situation just like this.

But I can push back, we have taken action since this president has been in office. After Las Vegas, we addressed bump stocks. After Parkland we addressed the Fix NICS system. And after this weekend of mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, I do expect that we will find consensus and common ground which means Republicans and Democrats.

Red flag laws is a critical component and this is imperative and that it allows police and family members to go to the courts and address someone who shouldn't be in possession of a firearm and prohibits them or temporarily restrains them from purchasing a firearm. But the key to this is making sure that there are due process protection.

[15:30:00] You cannot just indiscriminately prohibit someone from seeking a gun, making sure that due process is in place and if they are deemed a threat to someone or mentally ill, we need to get them the treatment necessary, so that is something.

There is bipartisan support. The NRA is willing to have the conversation provided there are protections in place and this is a very good first start.

WHITFIELD: So Alice, isn't part of the problem that people hear gun violence reform and they conflate that with removing Second Amendment rights and that's not what is at issue. The President himself said that he's in support of meaningful background checks. His daughter tweeting out there needs to be more efforts placed in red flag laws.

However, the President also heard from the NRA who said that his base doesn't have the appetite for that. We also heard from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who says he's not quite ready. So who is leading on this? Is it the President? Is it the NRA? Is it the Senate Majority Leader?

STEWART: I would like to think, Fred, the public sentiment is leading right now and I think it's important that the elected officials in Washington listen to what the public sentiment is. And you made a great point, Fred, when people hear about efforts to curtail gun violence, it cannot just be about gun control, it must be about crime control and all of these components need to be taken into effect.

ROJAS: And I think it also ...

WHITFIELD: Alexandra.

ROJAS: ... yes, absolutely. Well, I think that it's not, to your point, that's very surface level. Yes, we need to do those things but we also have to stop the rise of white nationalism and call it out for what it is and that for the past multiple mass shootings, it has been domestic terrorism acts. It's also needing to take on the multi- billion dollar lobbying operation that the NRA has inflicted on the United States government in order to help progress on this issue for many years.

So I think if we actually want to take this issue on, we have to take on the special interests that have been halting progress for decades on this issue in addition to tackling the rise of white nationalism in this country that is literally killing hundreds of Americans each year.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alexandra Rojas and Alice Stewart, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much, ladies. I appreciate it.

STEWART: Thank you.

ROJAS: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, an explosion rocks a Russian military test site, killing several scientists. This follows a string of recent blast forcing evacuations in the country. More after this.

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(SPORT)

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[15:47:34] WHITFIELD: A mysterious and powerful explosion at a military testing site in northern Russia killed five nuclear scientists last week. Russia says they were killed while testing a liquid jet propulsion system. Local authorities released a statement saying there was a radiation spike following the explosion, but that statement has since been deleted from the official website.

Our Fred Pleitgen is in Moscow. So Fred, you can't help but think about Chernobyl right away. What is going on? FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. You

can't help think about that and you can't help to think about the messaging from back then and the messaging right now. Certainly, with some of the things that are coming out of the Russian Federation right now, very much reminiscent almost of the Soviet Union.

It was quite interesting to see because on Thursday, the Russians came out and said that yes there had been this explosion at the military testing range, I would say it's about 1000 miles north of Moscow, in the Russian Arctic. And originally they had said that this was a jet or cruise missile engine that blew up while it was being tested and they said that it was liquid fuel that blew up.

Then, the messaging really went all over the place, Fredricka, and that's really what has a lot of people concerned. At the beginning, the authorities said there was no spike in radiation. Then, local authorities came out with a statement saying that yes, there was a short-term spike in radiation for about half an hour but then it went back to normal level.

That statement, as you said, was then deleted and the Russian military then came out and said that there had never been a spike in radiation. And then now the Russian authorities are coming out and saying that in fact five workers for Russian state run nuclear agency, ROSATOM, were actually killed in this blast. I want to read to you a part of the statement that they put out, it's quite interesting.

They said, quote, the tragedy occurred during works related to the engineering and technical support of isotopic sources in a liquid propulsion system. Now, why radioactive isotopic systems or sources would be needed in a liquid propulsion system is absolutely unclear. What exactly the Russians were testing is absolutely unclear.

One clue might be that Vladimir Putin, I'd say about a year and a half ago in March 2018, was talking about the fact that the Russians are developing a nuclear powered cruise missile that could fly indefinitely and evade American anti missile systems. Whether it was that, we don't know. Again, the messaging right now all over the place, Fredricka.

[15:49:54] WHITFIELD: OK. Fred Pleitgen, keep us posted in Moscow. Thank you so much. And we'll be right back.

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[15:53:27] WHITFIELD: As fears of gun violence grows in the U.S., people in Norway are dealing with the aftermath of a mosque shooting which could have been much worse if not for one man's heroic actions. Authorities say a Norwegian man in his 20s accused of opening fire at a mosque in Oslo Saturday had expressed right wing sympathies online. And according to police, there were three people inside the mosque at the time the shots were fired, but it was a 65-year-old man who jumped into action and save lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ABDUL-SATAR ALI, COUNSEL FOR MOHAMED RAFIQ(through interpreter):

Mohamed acted immediately when the shooter entered the room. He toppled the shooter and pinned him to the floor, sat on top of him. After a while, board member from Mustaq came and help holding him down. Then, police arrived and arrested the man. That is all I can say now due to the investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The suspected shooter has also been charged with murder after his 17-year-old step sister was found dead inside his home. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER(voice-over): On the eve of a Muslim holiday tragedy strikes. At about 4:00 pm local time, Saturday, a man in his 20s, a Norwegian citizen entered the Al-Noor Islamic Center by shooting through the mosque's locked glass door.

According to local media, witnesses say the shooter was wearing all black, had on body armor and carried a shotgun-like weapon and a pistol. What happened next made 65-year-old worshipper Mohamed Rafiq a hero to his community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:55:01] ALI(through interpreter): Mohamed acted immediately. When the shooter entered the room, he toppled the shooter and pinned him to the floor, sat on top of him. After a while, board member Mustaq came and helped holding him down, then police arrived and arrested the man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ(voice-over): Afterwards, the suspect's home was searched by police and another terrible discovery made. The body of a 17-year-old woman, the gunman's stepsister. Police say the man is suspect in her murder.

The mosque shooting is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism after it emerged that the gunman had expressed right-wing sympathies online.

On Sunday, mosque members were forced to celebrate the most important Muslim holiday of the year, Eid al-Adha, at a local hotel. The country's Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, visited the group and vow to battle the rise of the radical right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERNA SOLBERG, PRIME MINISTER OF NORWAY: We are trying to fight this, but it is also difficult, but the police is having a higher priority against hate speech and harassment on the internet. So, we are trying to combat it but it's a challenge. I think it's a worldwide challenge.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ(voice-over): Yet, another worldwide leader struggling to contain the rapid spread of hate and fear.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And coming up, the shocking death of accused child sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein. Many are calling for an investigation including some from the highest reaches of the U.S. government. More in a moment.

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