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Manhunt Underway for Brown University Mass Shooter; Two Students Killed, Nine Others Injured During Saturday Attack; FBI Arrest Four People in Alleged New Year's Eve Bombing Plot; 15 Killed in Antisemitic Act of Pure Evil in Sydney; Rob Reiner's Son Arrested in Parents' Killings; Philip Rivers' NFL Comeback Dimmed by Seahawks' Narrow Victory; U.S. Identifies Two Soldiers Killed in Ambush in Syria. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired December 15, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:31:43]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": A significant turn of events as students at Brown University grapple with the reality of a renewed manhunt after Saturday's mass shooting on campus. Yesterday morning brought a short-lived sigh of relief when a person of interest was taken into custody. But then last night, officials released that individual saying the evidence now points in a different direction. Some students who spent hours under lockdown on Saturday now say they once again feel unsafe on campus.

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COLE FRANCIS, SENIOR AT BROWN UNIVERSITY: A lot of people found a lot of relief in knowing that the authorities had caught this person and recovered the weapons that this person may have used. And now, to know that he may still be on the street is extremely scary.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you feel safe here right now?

FRANCIS: I don't feel safe here whatsoever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Joining us now is Brown University student, Ethan Schenker. He's also a former intern here at CNN and was on lockdown on campus after the shooting. Ethan, thank you for being with us. We know that you guys are going through a lot here. The school and the Providence Mayor saying there's no immediate threat to the community. Does it feel that way though, to you and your fellow students?

ETHAN SCHENKER, STUDENT JOURNALIST, BROWN UNIVERSITY: I think that there's a sense of fear that was not there when people thought that this person -- that the person of interest who was in custody was in fact the person they were looking for. And I've kind of been talking to students on campus and my peers, I mean, people's hearts dropped at that press conference when they found out that this in fact was not the suspect that they had been looking for -- or person of -- this person of interest was not the suspect.

And I think that people are just now trying to get out of here and trying to go home. People are doing whatever they can to change their travel plans. There are alumni who are offering to booked train tickets out of the Providence Amtrak station, people offering their homes to students who just want to get out of Providence because they can't be in this space.

KEILAR: Tell us a little bit more about what they're saying. Are they -- what are they afraid of? What are their concerns here about what might happen?

SCHENKER: I think, there's just this sense of uncertainty now that we don't know. We don't know where this person is, if this person is around here that, that they don't have someone. The lockdown ended about two -- the shelter in place order ended about two hours after they announced that they had a person of interest that they had detained. And students I think kind of drew a connection to that. I spoke to a student who was in the room when the shooting took place and well, she still felt a sense of fear even after they had someone. It was in -- that they had detained. They -- she felt better. And now it's kind of just that sense is gone.

[13:35:00]

People are on -- a lot more on edge.

KEILAR: We have learned now the identity of the two students who were killed, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. Are you hearing anything about them from your classmates? Do you know anything about them?

SCHENKER: I want to be like very careful because I think that everyone is still processing this, but I have heard from people, I think a lot of people on campus have -- that know, that were friends with them. That I -- this campus is small. It is 8,000 undergrads and roughly 3,000 grads, but it doesn't feel like that. You see people you know walking around and you see people you know in your classes, like regularly between semesters. It is a small campus. It's pretty tight knit and this hits close to home for a lot of people. People are grieving and mourning their friends and trying to do so while leaving campus because they feel, in many cases, a sense of fear.

KEILAR: Yeah, no, it's heartbreaking. And these students should be heading home for their much deserved break as well. And you all shouldn't be in fear. You're a student journalist. I wonder if you -- you've been talking to a lot of people. Do you have questions for school administrators, for local leadership right now?

SCHENKER: I mean, I think everyone -- I think there's so much unknown right now. I know this is not -- people want -- I've heard questions about cameras. I've heard questions about building security. I think right now, students, from what I'm hearing, their questions are, a lot of this is about, are you OK? I think that's right now what's going through students' heads. But I know also when they go home, they talk to their parents, when they like do kind of see what local elected officials are talking about, they're -- I don't want to make a huge generalization here, but I do think that students are kind of talking and asking different questions right now, then the kind of other people are asking of administrators because they're still just so processing is so raw, like so recently. I think --

KEILAR: Yeah.

SCHENKER: -- right now, it's just a lot of the questions are about communication. The rationale behind what was communicated to us, when and why, and looking back on this and when the emails came, because it was a really -- they have -- there's no playbook for these exact kind of situations, like at Brown. I mean, maybe there is, but I mean, you can only in your head prepare so much until this happens because you're hoping it never will. And I think everyone's going to be looking back and see -- thinking back in their head of what maybe could have happened. But right now, students are just dealing with what did happen.

KEILAR: Yeah. And they're heading home, right? I'm -- I assume they're heading home hoping that when it is time to come back, they won't have something to fear. Right? I mean, that must be part of it. They're hoping that someone -- that a suspect is found while they're at home.

SCHENKER: Yeah. I think students I've talked to are still -- one student I talked to who was in the lobby of the Barus & Holley Building when he heard gunshots, said he can't imagine going back into that building. And he doesn't know if that will change or when that will change. And I think, the student is not alone. I think -- I walked past that building this morning and I mean, I can't imagine for the people who were inside that building, like it is a core part of campus. So many people have classes there, and so many people knew people who were in there. And I think that coming back is going to be really difficult. I don't -- I think there is a -- it is a long road ahead, but people are --

KEILAR: Yeah.

SCHENKER: -- are still focused on like what's in front of them right now.

KEILAR: Yeah. You guys are just getting through the moment, which is a really terrible one. Ethan, we thank you so much. We certainly get a sense from you of what is happening on campus and we really appreciate it.

SCHENKER: Well, thank you so much.

KEILAR: And we do have some Breaking News, an alleged bomb plot averted in California. The Justice Department announcing today the arrest of four people for allegedly planning coordinated bombings that were set to take place around L.A. on New Year's Eve, we're told.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": And those four suspects have been identified as members of a group with anti- government ideology. CNN's Holmes Lybrand is here. And Holmes, walk us through the details of this alleged plot.

[13:40:00]

HOLMES LYBRAND, CNN REPORTER: That's right. So, the Justice Department announced the arrest of these four individuals. They're part of this group called "The Turtle Island Liberation Force." It's an anti-government, anti-capitalist group. These bombs, they actually were starting to test them in the desert. That's when the arrest happened. This group took supplies that they had got from the internet, from home goods stores, things like that. They went out to the desert to actually test these.

Now, what they had planned to do, according to the documents in the criminal complaint, they had planned to attack two U.S. companies on New Year's at 12 midnight to kind of blend in with the fireworks, so that no one would hear the explosions. Now, they weren't intent on hurting anyone according to the complaint and they were going to warn security guards in the area if they saw any. But, this is, quite the plot, and we'll see if any more news develops on this front.

SANCHEZ: Holmes Lybrand --

KEILAR: Do we --

SANCHEZ: Oh, go ahead.

KEILAR: I was going to say, do we know sort of next steps what's happening here?

LYBRAND: So, it's really interesting. This criminal complaint talks about a lot of other individuals in certain group chats that are part of other groups. Now, we know that Trump administration has kind of vowed to go after left wing domestic groups. We will see if this leads to more arrests, if this is -- if they're connected to bigger groups. Part of the problem is, these groups are so kind of disparate and disconnected that finding those connective tissues can be a challenge for investigators.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. Holmes Lybrand, keep us updated on what you find. Thanks so much.

Up next, the latest on the Bondi Beach attack that killed 15 people, including an octogenarian Holocaust survivor. We'll be right back.

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[13:46:03]

SANCHEZ: We're continuing to follow new developments in that horrific anti-semitic attack this weekend in Sydney, Australia. At least 15 people were killed, dozens more are in the hospital. The victims killed range in age from 10 to 87, and that includes a Holocaust survivor who died while shielding his wife from gunfire. Police say a father-son duo opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, which has a Jewish population 34 times Australia's national average. The country's prime minister calling the attack an act of pure evil. We're joined now by Gil Preuss. He is the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Thank you so much for joining us today. Obviously, this attack comes right at the start of Hanukkah, and I wonder what significance you draw from that.

GIL PREUSS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER WASHINGTON: So, Hanukkah is a holiday where the Jewish people celebrate the victory over evil, over people who sought to destroy us 2,000 years ago. And having this attack happen on that exact same day reminds us of the challenges that we face as a world and as a Jewish people, and with the people who continue to seek to destroy and kill us.

SANCHEZ: I wonder if as a result of this attack, you think that synagogues and other Jewish organizations should ramp up security.

PREUSS: So, security is important year-round for synagogues. Obviously, in response to something like this, we always worry about copycat attackers. But given the history of attacks at Jewish institutions in this country and around the world, we must stay vigilant no matter what. And so, we encourage every institution to have their protocols in place and to maintain them on an ongoing basis.

SANCHEZ: I want to get your thoughts on something that the CEO of the Australian Jewish Association said regarding anti-semitism, arguing that it needs to be addressed at its source. Why do you think it is that we're seeing what appears to be a wave of growing anti-semitism?

PREUSS: So it's been growing for the past 10, 15 years around the world. I mean, we've definitely seen in this country, and I think part of it has been the unwillingness of so many people to take on the anti-semites. There's been an increased willingness to be apologists for anti-semites or to excuse away their behaviors, which has led to the growth and legitimacy within common discourse, within the common community. And so, what we must do is, as a people, as leaders, we must challenge anti-semitism regardless of its source and regardless of the level. I don't understand why it takes a violent attack of murdering 15 people on a beach celebrating a holiday for suddenly the world to react to anti-semitism.

SANCHEZ: There's also -- and speaking to a lot of Jewish friends, a conflation among a lot of people for criticism over some of the policies enacted by the Israeli government and anti-semitism overall. Can you speak to that?

PREUSS: Absolutely. I mean, criticism of the Israeli government is completely legitimate. Friends of mine, family members of mine are very critical of the policies of the government. And that's fine, that's true of any government around the world. But when people call for the elimination of Israel, when people deny the right of the Jewish people to live in their own homeland and to live -- and to live in peace, that's when it crosses over into anti-semitism.

And when people call for globalizing the Intifada, a violent attack against Israelis, but they call to globalize it, well, the person saying it may use it metaphorically, but there are a lot of people out there who actually take it literally and say, I will now use physical violence to achieve these goals. And so, it's a very slippery slope between attacking, not Israeli policies, but Israel as a country and anti-semitism.

[13:50:00]

SANCHEZ: When you speak about the desire for leaders to express themselves more forcefully in regard to anti-semitism, I wonder specifically what you want to see some of these leaders do.

PREUSS: So I would like political, religious, civic, business leaders, across the board, when they see anti-semitism, when they hear it, to publicly denounce it. Even if they may agree with a speaker on 90 percent of the other policies as leaders, as moral leaders in this country and in this world, they have to say something out loud. And that's the basic expectation that we should have of any person, of any leader that we have, anyone who we put authority in or that we give any respect to. And that really is a charge that we need to have of people right now.

SANCHEZ: Gil Preuss, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate you doing so on a holy week, especially in light of this attack and giving us some perspective. Thanks.

PREUSS: Thank you so much for having me, of course.

SANCHEZ: Now to some of the other headlines we're following. Still to come, new details on what appears to be a murder investigation and at the deaths of director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele, the couple's son, Nick, now linked to their killings. Stay with us.

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[13:55:52]

SANCHEZ: A granddad took the field in an NFL game this weekend and he looked OK. 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement, starting at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, doing his best to turn back the clock and put his team in a position to win the game. KEILAR: CNN's Sports Anchor Don Riddell is with us now on this. All

right, Don, so Rivers was coaching high school football when he got the call from the Colts saying they needed him. It's like made for a movie here. How did he do?

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: He did OK, maybe not quite the result he was hoping for, but he almost pulled it off. And you are absolutely right, Brianna. This really was something of a fairytale. It's exactly the kind of thing that Hollywood makes films about. He only had a few days to prepare. He hadn't played in the NFL since he retired in January of 2021. He admitted he was a bit scared and a bit nervous. As you can see, he got roughed up a little bit, but he showed that he still can produce when he has to.

He threw for a touchdown as he acknowledged afterwards, the first time he'd done that in 1,800 days. And you referenced the high school kids that he's been coaching in Alabama, this was their reaction when they saw what Coach Rivers was still able to do on the bigger stage. Now, he got them into a winning position with just 47 seconds remaining. He got them into position for that 60-yard field goal, which put the Colts up by a point. But unfortunately for them, the Seahawks still had enough time to score a field goal of their own from 56 yards. So, Seattle won it by 18-16, but just an incredible day and certainly, an inspiring one as an emotional Rivers put it afterwards.

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PHILIP RIVERS, COLTS QUARTERBACK: I think of my sons and those ball players, that I'm in charge of at the school, that they'll say like, crap, coach wasn't scared. You know what I mean? It's like shoot, sometimes you -- there is doubt and it's real. And you -- again, you can -- you can -- the guaranteed safe bet is to go home or to not go for it. And the other one is shoot, let's see what happens.

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RIDDELL: Isn't that just wonderful? How inspiring. So what happens next? We don't know. One thing we can say for sure is that he's not going to (inaudible) again to the Hall of Fame for another five years because you have to be inactive for that amount of time. He almost was in, but he's now going to have to wait. Maybe he's going to get another game. It's Monday Night Football against the 49ers next. Will they go for him again? They might have to. So maybe he can get the win next time.

KEILAR: It's important for the hero's arc, for the movie.

RIDDELL: Yeah.

KEILAR: That he has this struggle and then he has this other chance that's -- it's essential.

SANCHEZ: Yeah. Dark Night of The Soul and then he rises to --

KEILAR: Correct.

SANCHEZ: -- potentially win a Super Bowl, the Colts, they're -- they could be playoff bound on.

RIDDELL: Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I mean, this next game is must win, but let's manifest this to happen. I think we all want it to happen, so let's hope he gets another game.

SANCHEZ: Manifesting indeed. Don Riddell, thank you so much. Now to some of the other headlines we're watching this hour, the U.S. Army has identified the two American soldiers killed over the weekend in Syria in an apparent ambush. They are 25-year-old Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, and 29-year-old Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, both men members of the Iowa National Guard. An American civilian interpreter also killed in Saturday's attack. The Defense Department says the troops were ambushed by a single ISIS gunman who was then killed by partner forces. Syria has arrested five suspects in connection with the attack. KEILAR: Also, a controversial nativity scene at a church in Charlotte, North Carolina eliciting this response from one resident. The nativity shows statues of ICE agents. You see them there looming over the figures of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, a message aimed at President Trump's recent immigration crackdown in the city. Despite the response, the church's pastor is defending the nativity scene saying it "is a parable for our times."

And the Pentagon says it's reviewing a near collision involving a JetBlue flight in the U.S. Air Force refueling tanker. This happened off the coast of Venezuela on Friday. The JetBlue pilot says the military plane crossed its flight path without its transponder turned on and that forced the JetBlue pilot to stop his climb. In a statement to CNN, U.S. Southern Command says it's aware of the report, it's reviewing what happened --