Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Alan Rickman Dies at 69; Terrorist Attack in Jakarta Has Suspected Links To ISIS; Academy Award Nominations; Mass Graves in Sinjar; IAAF Accused of Doping Knowledge. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired January 14, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:12] BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: A terrorist attack in the heart of Jakarta's commercial hub. We're live at the Indonesian capital for you
this hour where at least two people are now confirmed dead.
Also ahead, dangerous liaisons: how text messages between Mexican drug lord El Chapo Guzman and a Mexican actress may have led to his capture. Live in
Mexico City for you.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN RICKMAN, ACTOR: That's all the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans. No more merciful beheadings and call off Christmas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Rembering Alan Rickman. His legacy, later this hour.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: A very good evening, just after 8:00 here in the UAE.
Our top story, deadly explosions and gunfire rock Indonesia's capital and ISIS has claimed responsibility for the carnage in Jakarta.
At least five attackers besieged a shopping district popular with westerners. Two civilians were killed. The violence comes, as you will be
well aware, just two days after an ISIS attack in the heart of Istanbul in Turkey.
Well, CNN producer Kathy Quiano joins me now live from Jakarta. At this stage, what do we know about the victims and those who may have perpetrated
this attack or these attacks?
KATHY QUIANO, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Becky, we know of the two victims who died, one was a foreign nation, one was an Indonesian and there were at
least 20 others injured from the attacks, very brazen attacks in the middle of the day in central Jakarta, as you said in a very busy commercial
section where many foreigners actually work around and they eat here. This is a place where there are restaurants and shops and this is the place that
was attacked earlier today.
And the police are saying that they will now be looking into who may have planned this attack, who may have funded it. It turns out to be a very
well executed plan. They're trying to identify the attackers, the five who were killed earlier today as well. They're going
to try to establish links they have with any networks here in Indonesia, particularly those now we believe may have some links or some links or
some sympathies with ISIS -- Becky.
ANDERSON: People have been concerned for some time, I know locally, about the rise of ISIS and what that would mean for homegrown groups.
I know that authorities just earlier said that the perpetrators -- they said imitated the Paris attack, as we've sadly seen a number of these
incidents of late. How do you assess the response from authorities?
QUIANO: Well, certainly the response to the actual attack was very quick. We have a very, very well trained police force, especially a
counterterrorism unit here, that is very used to dealing with attacks. Indonesia is not a stranger to terror attacks. Jakarta has had major
bombings here in the past decade. So they are very, very well trained.
But we do know that this may come as a surprise to them, because the threat of terror here was seen in recent years as quite low. But this attack
shows that there may be now groups in Indonesia operating here that are more capable, more determined, more trained, and perhaps may even include
people who traveled to Syria and got some training there.
But again, this had to be established as the investigation goes on, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, and that will be an ongoing investigation now for some time it seems, one assumes.
Kathy, thank you. Our coverage of these attacks in Jakarta picks up in about ten minutes time. One of my counterparts from CNN Indonesia joins us
live from the capital for an important local perspective. Stay with us for that.
Now, just two days after a suicide bombing rocked Istanbul's historic district, a blast in southeastern Turkey has killed at least five people
and wounded 39.
Now, local media say today's attack on a police station was a car bomb. The government calling the Kurdistan Workers Party the prime suspect.
Meanwhile, in Istanbul fresh arrests. Seven more people have been detained in connection with the bombing on Tuesday that killed 10 German tourists.
Joining me now from Istanbul is CNN's Ian Lee who's been following the developments on both of these attacks.
Let's start with the very latest, as it were, and move backwards. What more do we know about this attack and explosion in southeastern Turkey?
[11:05:19] IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, this attack happened in Diyarbakir. And what we're hearing now is that six
people were killed, five of them were civilians, including a toddler. Also a police officer was killed in that
attack.
And as you said, the government here is blaming the Kurdistan Workers Party for this attack, although we haven't heard any claim of responsibility.
It is in line with similar attacks that we've seen in the past. But southeastern Turkey has been in turmoil since the summer after that cease-
fire between the government here and the PKK broke down. It really all kicked off when there was the attack in Suruc near the border with Syria
near Kobani where 33 people were killed in an attack.
Now, the PKK killed two police officers, Turkish police officers they say were partly responsible for this attack. The government here responded by
bombing PKK positions in Iraq and it really just escalated from there and we've seen this cycle of violence.
And despite calls for people to come together and try to find a solution to this violence, so far it has been unheeded.
ANDERSON: What's the atmosphere like in Istanbul this evening?
LEE: Well, earlier today, Becky, we went out to the site of the attack. There was a memorial there. Hundreds of people had gathered, laying
flowers, saying that the world needs to be -- needs to stand united, but we heard today from the prime minister saying that within
the 48 hours after this attack took place, the Turkish military fired artillery into Iraq and Syria, targeting 500 ISIS positions. According to
the prime minister, 200 ISIS fighters were killed.
So a strong, very strong response from the Turkish government, at least from what they're saying, in the aftermath of this attack.
Now, they have arrested seven people -- or detained seven people they say had a link, had
a tie, to this attack. But Turkey has also been detaining scores of people in the lead-up to this bombing, 220, in the aftermath, 68. It just really
shows, Becky, how entrenched it is perceived that ISIS is in Turkey.
ANDERSON: Ian Lee is reporting from Istanbul for you this evening. Ian, thank you.
Well, a damning new report claims that key members of the governing world of athletics,
the IAAF, knew about widespread doping in the sport.
Now, this report by the World Anti-Doping Agency says that corruption came from the top and there may be criminal repercussions.
Well, our Alex Thomas following the story, joining you out of London this evening.
The report's outspoken co-author promising a wow factor ahead of this. Did he come good on his word to your mind?
ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Didn't quite deliver, Becky, But it was clear that Lamine Diack, the former president of the IAAF, track and
field's governing body, has had his already slightly controversial reputation absolutely shattered by the claims of this independent
commission report, commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Lamine Diack is the former president of the IAAF. And this report says he was responsible for organizing and enabling the conspiracy and corruption
that took place in the IAAF. The report essentially said that he surrounded himself with an inner circle that was completely illegitimate
and sat outside the IAAF's normal governance structure and he used that structure to extort money from athletes, those that had recorded positive
doping results, of which there were many, especially in Russia after the introduction of the blood passport system, in order to get paid to cover up
those positive doping tests.
As far as the rest of the IAAF was concerned, the report said corruption was embedded in the
organization. It cannot be blamed on a small number of miscreants.
Bad news for Seb Coe, the current IAAF president, who was vice president under the former regime under Diack. Although Dick Pounds, WADA's first
ever president, and head of this independent commission, was slightly contradictory when it came to the IAAF and Coe's place going forward.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK POUNDS, FRM. WADA PRESIDENT: The commission has been troubled by the apparent unwillingness of the IAAF to acknowledge that the conduct does
indeed reflect on the IAAF and that it must assume its responsibilities for what went wrong.
There's an enormous amount of reputational recovery that has to occur here. And I can't think
of anyone better than Lord Coe to lead that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: So, Becky, on the one hand Dick Pounds saying IAAF's bosses should have done more to hold Diack to account when he was starting to launch this
corruption, on the other hand saying Coe, who was one of those that turned a blind eye, should be given the chance to fix the problem.
ANDERSON: CNN spoke to Sebastian Coe ahead on this report just earlier on this week. What did he say? And will he continue in his job at this
point?
THOMAS: After that backing from Pounds, he certainly has a much better chance of staying in his job. I think what Dick Pounds is essentially
saying is he wants to see a bit more contrition from Seb Coe. Completely disown Diack. And when Coe replaced Diack as president last August, Becky,
he still said he was a father figure and someone he would turn to for advice. And we've not heard him publicly disavow association with Diack.
He needs to do that and to say I've done it wrong. I should have done more to stop this.
He was a vice president. He only had a certain number of days a year when he was on those IAAF council meetings. But that won't wash with a sport in
absolute crisis.
Interestingly, we talked about criminal investigations being a possibility here. We know French prosecutors are already looking to Lamine Diack and
his son Papa Musapa Diack (ph) who was part of this inner circle created. And we know that Interpol have released an international wanted warrant for
Diack's arrest, for the son's arrest. And that has gone out earlier today. So really bad news for the Diack family -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Alex, thank you.
Still to come, terrorists strike at the heart of Indonesia's capital. We're going to get you back to Jakarta with the latest on those deadly
attacks.
Plus the Academy Award nominations are in. We'll break down which films are in the running for an Oscar.
Taking a very short break for you at this point. 12 minutes after 8:00 in the UAE. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson, out of Abu Dhabi. Welcome back.
The leader of one of the key Arab nations in the fight against ISIS says he thinks the group can be defeated, quote, fairly quickly.
King Abdullah of Jordan told CNN that the real battle is against what he portrayed as twisted
versions of Islam and the hold that they have on some people.
Well, the small kingdom is part of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS and the only Arab nation that has carried out air strikes in both Syria and
Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:15:04] KING ABDULLAH, JORDAN: Let's make the differentiaation when we say ISIS Syria or Iraq, or if we're saying this global war against Quaraish
(ph), the outlaws of Islam. So ISIS, Syria and Iraq can be defeated fairly quickly, but the global war, what I call the third world war by other
means, is one that is a generational one. hopefully the military security aspect is short term or the
military part is a short term. the midterm is going to be the intelligence and security aspect. The long term is the ideological one and the
educational one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, one country that knows more than most about that challenge is the small north African state often called the poster child of the Arab
Spring. Tunisia has seen its transition from dictatorship to democracy over the last five years. Shaken by terror attacks and a rise in support
for ISIS among certain young men.
In June, it once again made headlines when dozens of tourists were gunned down on a hotel beach.
Take a listen to what the head of parliament told me then, of you as relevant now as Ttunisians once again debate their future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Walking through the colorful old corridors steeped in history, it's easy to forget that this is also where Tunisia's young democracy is
forging ahead with ambitious transition.
There are those who are trying to destroy the project here. Will they succeed?
MOHAMMED AL-NASSER, TUNISIA PARLIAMENT MEMBER: We shall will as a people in our force -- our force is in solidarity of the population.
ANDERSON: But Tunisia needs help, and it isn't afraid to to ask for it.
AL-NASSER: All those who would like to encourage us to resist, let's do something. We must be at the level of the needs of Tunisia today. We have
needs in the economy. We have need in investment. We have need in opening markets to our products.
ANDERSON: You need the tourists?
AL-NASSER: We need tourists.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, also voicing what Tunisia needs. This Thursday, the thousands of people who once again thronged the iconic Boguiba (ph) Avenue
in the capital. People turn out to mark the overthrow of the long-time leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January of 2011 and also to protest the
current political and economic situation, reflecting the unhappiness in many quarters.
The Islamist Party, Ennadha released a statement on its Facebook page praising the uprising, but adding that security, economic and social
challenges and dangers require the doubling of all of our efforts in order to achieve the aims of the revolution and fulfill the expectations of our
people, particularly of youth.
Well, last month Sara Sidner spent some time in Tunisia in the town where the revolution first began and spoke to people about their hopes for the
future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Laid to rest in a simple grave, Mohammed Balzizi (ph) could never have imagined the impact his final
act of desperation would have on his country and the world. The street vendor never thought he would start a revolution.
It began after he set himself on fire outside this government building in city Bouzi (ph), Tunisia. It was an act of hopelessness. A government
inspector had seized his fruit cart.
"He was trying to work with his cart to avoid having to steal for his family. He was trying to work with dignity, but they didn't let him,"
Balzizi's (ph) aunt tells us.
Protests erupted over his plight under the Tunisian dictator's reign. The people were fed up with
their government. Their frustration spread from his small town to the capital and eventually across the Arab world. The Arab Spring had begun.
A different Tunisia has emerged. It has its first democratically elected government and the people are enjoying a freedom of expression they have
never had before. But all is not well. Even Balzizi's (ph) family laments the family's needs are not being met.
"We didn't even benefit, in fact we paid for it," she says. "There is no health insurance for
the poor, no jobs, even family members with a university degree, they can't get work," Ravi al-Balzizi (ph) says.
From the village fruit stalls to the country's richest tourist spots, life is hard. Inside this 500-year-old home that sells Tunisian wares, there is
no one to sell to.
So, where are all the tourists? Because we are the only ones here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Tunisia. No tourists.
[11:20:00] SIDNER: No tourists.
This shopkeeper, Bel Hassan al-Arabi (ph) says usually his store is bustling with chatty tourists
year round. Now, silence.
Outside, the sound of wind permeates the narrow street, not people's voices.
As it happened, the initial power vacuum of the revolution allowed terrorists to gain a
foothold. In an effort to destabilize the country, they began attacking tourism, one of its biggest industries.
"Terrorism is the first problem and a lack of security. This is what is scaring everyone the most. As a Tunisian, I am scared."
But in Mohammed Balzizi's (ph) hometown, it's joblessness that still plagues the people. Unemployment is higher post-revolution.
Since the revolt, a huge banner hangs with an image of the man who started it all and a symbol
of justice, his cart enshrined in concrete. But so far, the outcome of the revolution has not yet been fruitful for all.
Sara Sidner, CNN, City Bouzit (ph), Tunisia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: 20 minutes past 8:00 in the UAE, you're watching Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: New details have emerged about the six-month hunt for El Chapo. U.S. officials revealing they were watching Sean Penn, seen here on the
left, well before this infamous meeting back in October.
Well, at the same time, Mexican authorities were tracking actress Kate del Castillo and flirty texts between her and El Chapo that may have led to his
recapture.
Well, after their meeting, El Chapo wrote to her, I'm more excited about you than the story.
The actress later tells the drug lord, you make me blush.
Let's bring in our Nick Valencia for all the latest on this story. He's in Mexico City for you this evening.
Did these texts get El Chapo arrested there, Nick?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it seems inevitably it was the text messages along perhaps with some informants nearby that house that was
raided early morning on Friday just about a week ago.
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is said to be one of the most ruthless killers and criminals in the world. He's responsible allegedly for tens of
thousands of deaths here in the drug war that has raged on since 2006.
But in these text messages that were revealed by a newspaper here in Mexico, we see a little bit of a softer side. And inevitably it seems as
though love is what ultimately brought him down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALENCIA: CNN is learning the shocking visit by these two famous actors to the most infamous drug lord in the world, came to the attention of the U.S.
law enforcement long before their October encounter. This as sources also say U.S. officials were alerted about Sean Penn's meeting with Joaquin "El
Chapo" Guzman soon after he arrive
LORETTA LYNCH, ATTORNEY GENERAL: We're tremendously gratified that capture was successful. And we look forward to having El Chapo face justice with an
American court.
VALENCIA: Mexican officials say they intercepted text messages between El Chapo and Mexican actress Kate del Castillo dating back to September of
last year. El Chapo, writing "I really want to meet you in person, friend." The actress replies, "Well, me too, you are the best of this world." Text
El Chapo, "We will be great friends. I will take care of you more than my own eyes."
Castillo later asked El Chapo's associates to have Penn accompany her on the trip to which he writes to them "Have her bring the actor and if she
sees the need to bring more people, let her bring them as she likes."
After the meeting in Mexico, Castillo text, "I haven't been able to sleep much since I saw you. I'm very excited about our story. It's true. It's the
only thing I can think of."
On Wednesday, the actress took to Twitter defending herself writing "Many have chosen to make up items they think will make good stories and that
aren't truthful. I look forward to sharing my story with you."
Since the drug lord's capture Sunday, Guzman has been moved from cell to cell. Mexican officials hoping that will ensure the two time escapee from
turning into a fugitive once again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VALENCIA: And according to local reports, the Mexican government knew about the whereabouts of El Chapo by mid-September. Of course, that
meeting with Sean Penn and del Castillo along with El Chapo Guzman certainly pushed that along. But they did not want to launch a raid on El
Chapo in October, because they were scared that the two actors would be caught in the crossfire.
Of course, it took them an additional three months, Becky, in order to finally catch up with him -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Nick, we heard from Kate del Castillo there saying that she wants to be able to tell her story, wait for that she says. How should we
expect her to tell that story? And what are Mexicans saying about these latest texts?
VALENCIA: Well, certainly all media outlets involved in this story, to and including those
here in Mexico, the United States and beyond, have been trying to get in touch with del Castillo. Our CNN crew has reached out to her. And the
only comment she's given so far is a tweet late last night saying that the facts essentially have been twisted and her story will
eventually come out.
Meanwhile, Mexicans here locally that we've spoken to, they think that this has all turned into a
bit of a sideshow, and distracted from the real issues, the struggling economy, the tens of thousands
of deaths related to the drug war. Not only that, but all the unsolved cases, the disappeared, they believe that it's really distracted from real
conversation about what's happening in this country and it's played out to be a telenovella, if you will -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, no, and one can understand the Mexican's reaction to all of this.
OK, Nick, thank you. Out of Mexico City for you this evening, Nick Valencia.
This is CNN. You're watching Connect the World from the UAE.
More of the day's top stories for you just ahead. I'm going to be right back, taking a very short break at 27 minutes past the hour here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:31:23] ANDERSON: Well, let's get you back to our top story this hour. The terror attacks in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. ISIS has posted a
statement online claiming responsibility for those attacks. Andrew Stevens reports on the day's events.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Terror returns to the streets of Indonesia, as multiple explosions erupt in the capital,
Jakarta targeting a busy intersection near the United Nations building.
Police blame ISIS-linked militants for the coordinated attacks, which left multiple casualties, including foreigners. First, a suicide bombing hit a
Starbucks cafe. Then, moments later, according to police, two other militants seized a pair of foreigners and began shooting at people on the street before killing one of the hostages.
Police arrived on the scene and opened fire before the hostage takers hit back with grenades.
Then, police say two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a nearby police post. Panic spread through the streets as confusion grew over the number
of attackers and their location.
JEREMY DOOP, EYEWITNESS: So, we ran into the building. A third bomb went off and then we -- this is really bad -- we got up to our office and then
we heard a fourth and a fifth and a sixth bomb. And we heard exchange of small arms fire in front of the building.
STEVENS: A massive deployment of the army locking down the area as they hunted for more suspects. In that search, authorities uncovered half a
dozen unexploded bombs in the area. Indonesia's president, who is currently visiting West Java, urging people to stay calm.
JOKO WIDODO, INDONESIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We condemn these attacks that have disturbed the peace of society and we want to spread this
message to the nation and society. We as a country, we should not be frightened by what has happened, this attack. We should stay calm because
everything will be under control.
STEVENS: Indonesia is no stranger to the threat of terrorism, but this is the first major bombing since 2009 when the Ritz Carlton and the J.W.
Marriott hotels in Jakarta were hit in simultaneous attacks, killing seven people.
Deadly bomb attacks also ripped through the popular tourist island of Bali in 2002 and again in 2005.
These previous attacks were blamed on a Jamiah Islamiah, a Southeast Asian militant group linked to al Qaeda.
But the police announcement that Thursday's attacks are linked to ISIS suggests a dangerous new threat in Indonesia's fight against terror.
Andrew Stevens, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN Indonesia Putri Ayningtyas joining us now from Jakarta.
And a city, sadly, no stranger to attacks, but still people will be shocked at just how brazen these attackers were, Putris. There have been concerns
for some time about the rise of ISIS and what it means for homegrown terror groups. Who are we talking about? And how big a threat are they?
PUTRI AYNINGTYAS, CNN INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT: So, Becky, yes. First of all, what we know so far, there are seven bodies. One of them is a Canada
national, all male, and six others are Indonesians and five of them police are sure that they are the
suspects.
And Jakarta police chief Tito Karnabian (ph) already stated earlier that the attack was plotted by a mastermind militant named Bahroon Naim (ph).
He is allegedly part of an ISIS cell in Southeast Asia, that includes Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand.
And Tito (ph) also said that all ISIS leaders in Southeast Asia are now competing to be the chief of a ISIS cell in Southeast Asia. Tito (ph) also
said that actually ISIS already warn -- or spread some rumors and threatened to all parts of Southeast Asia that they will have --
and after Paris attack, they will have another attack in Jakarta around December and January, but most of the authorities in Indonesia thought that
it would be on the New Year's Eve.
We passed New Year's Eve safely already and instead it happened now today in Jakarta.
It is yet -- yes, it is a very sad and shocking moment here in Jakarta. It is the capital of Indonesia. So far five grenades, one FN gun (ph) and one
IED already seized from the scene.
There is no lockdown. Lockdown only happened for six hours after the attack and there's no curfew, but security is definitely tight in all parts
of Indonesia. Most of them, to all entrance to Indonesia.
Bali, Battam (ph), borders of central and West Java area, Surabaya International Airports, Makasa (ph) International Airport and even the
borders between Indonesia and Malaysia.
And it is now 10:37 p.m. in Jakarta. The identification still ongoing right now, Becky.
ANDERSON: With the very latest details for you from CNN Indonesia, my colleague Putri Ayningtyas is from there. Thank you.
Well, a man has been arrested in Florence in Italy in connection with the death of Ashley Olsen, a 35-year-old American woman. The suspect arrested
in his home after DNA evidence found at Olsen's apartment linked back to him.
We'll get more on this police investigation. Let's turn to CNN's contributor, Barbie Nadeau.
What else do we know at this point, Barbie?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, we've got an arrest. We've got
DNA that apparently matches the suspect. This is a 27-year-old man from Senegal. He was an illegal immigrant. He was not documented here in
Italy. He didn't have his fingerprints on file.
But he was at a very posh club where he met Ashley Olsen, according to the prosecutor. The two hooked up there and went back to her house. The
prosecutor explained in detail that this was not a sexual assault. Instead, he said this was consensual sex. In fact, the DNA was found and a
condom and cigarette in her house.
But whatever transpired to turn it from a consensual event into a tragic murder is something that investigators is very keen to find out.
He has answered questions, but we have not been privy to the transcripts of that interrogation yet. But we expect at an arraignment maybe next week or
the week after we're going to have some of those details about just how things went so terribly wrong, Becky.
LU STOUT: Barbie Nadeau on the story out of Florence for you this evening.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World.
Coming up, tributes pour in for Alan Rickman, one of Hollywood's most known movie villains. He died at the age of 69.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:41:17] ANDERSON: This is CNN and Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson, Welcome back. 41 past 8:00 in the UAE. The U.S. defense
secretary says a new force of special operations troops has arrived in Iraq.
Ash Carter says the force is getting ready to work with Iraqi troops to target ISIS positions. Around 200 are expected to take part.
Meanwhile in northern Iraq, there is more evidence of ISIS brutality. Among the horrors an open air mass grave of those who refused to side with
the group. Nima Elbagir has this exclusive report from the town of Sinjar. I have to warn you, though, some of the images in her report are some
that you may find disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The road into Sinjar town, almost two months after liberation from ISIS it's still heavily guarded.
Sinjar's mayor has traveled with us today to show us what remains of this city.
When ISIS swept through the Yazidi homeland, it's along this very road where the men, women and children, rounded up from the surrounding
villages, were driven. The mayor takes us to the other side of the earth defenses encircling the town.
This was the site of an ISIS massacre.
It breaks his heart, he says, to leave the bones exposed like this to the elements but no one has come to investigate. No one has come to document.
So they don't want to undermine any findings.
This grave is one of the hundreds, he tells us. Here is where they buried the women and the children. The young boys who refused to accompany ISIS,
who refused to be conscripted as child soldiers.
Surviving eyewitnesses tell CNN the victims in these graves, more than 130 people had originally been singled out for transport to the nearby ISIS
town of Tal Afar. They refused. You can still see the cloth ties that bound the victims' hands, both young and old, the prayer beads clutched until the
final moments, the bullets fired by the executioners.
A refugee camp in Northern Iraq: those who managed to flee ISIS have found refuge here. Kurdish authorities tell CNN they have evidence of the
abduction of approximately 600 children from Sinjar and the surrounding Yazidi villages. Around 200 have since escaped and are sheltering in camps
like this one across the Kurdish region, returning to describe the brutality.
Eleven-year-old Nordi Fela (ph) is one of the lucky ones. His family were abducted the day of the Sinjar massacre. Once in Tal Afar, he refused to
join the training. ISIS fighters brutally beat him, breaking his leg in three places. When it healed, he could only limp.
"They asked me go to the mountain," he says, "and I refused. Again, then, they broke my leg. That saved me. The other children were taken by force."
He says the fighters deemed him useless. That saved his life.
Nordi's (ph) 5-year-old brother, Saman (ph), was terrified from the very beginning, subjected to daily beatings. Their life in the ISIS camp is
something no one, no child, should ever have to endure.
The children's grandmother, Gauda Halaf (ph), says the boys described watching as militants murdered other children who refused to train.
Gauda (ph) tells us, "They are utterly traumatized. Nordi (ph) wakes up terrified through the night, screaming that he's being choked and Saman
(ph) still suffers from seizures."
Traumatized and too broken to march in the militants' ranks, they were, by some miracle, released by ISIS.
Back at the outskirts of town, in the distance, we can see smoke rising from a mortar strike into an ISIS encampment. Mass graves, we're told,
honeycomb the valley leading to the boundary of their territory.
On the ground, the mayor spots a fragment of what appears to be a child's skull. Delicately, reverently, he places it on top of the grave. One day,
he tells us, he hopes it will be safe enough here for forensic investigators to come and help them identify the children under this rubble
Nima Elbagir, CNN, Sinjar.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:46:45] ANDERSON: And a lot more of Nima's reporting from Iraq is online for you. That is CNN.com, CNNcom. You'll find videos and photo
galleries from the recently liberated town of Sinjar there.
All right. CNN has exclusive new details now about those ten navy sailors whose vessel strayed into Iranian waters. The incident led to their
capture. This video is of the moment it happened when they were taken into custody by the Iranian revolutionary guard.
The nine men and one woman were held for several hours before being released unharmed.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has an exclusive on their condition as well as
what officials are learning,
Barbara, about their capture.
BARARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky.
Well, they are back on shore being debriefed by the U.S. navy, clearly exhausted and upset from their ordeal. That video shows just the strain
they were under.
But we now have some additional detail of what the Pentagon thinks may have actually happened here.
By all accounts from the initial reports they're getting, one of the two navy boats put out to sea and began to experience some engine problems. It
wasn't operating at an optimal level, couldn't move as quickly as maybe it should have been able to. At the same time, crews were drifting into
Iranian territorial waters and probably didn't realize how close they were getting. They came actually within three miles of Iran's Farsi Island, and
of course that is a military installation for the IRGC, a very sensitive area.
And it was at that point that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps ships came out and attempted to basically take control of the two navy vessels.
Listen to a little bit of how the U.S. navy commander described it on Iranian TV.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Iranian patrol boat came out when we were having engine issues and had weapons drawn, so we tried to talk to them until more
boats came out and took us in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Now, it should be said, of course, that this statement by the U.S. sailor made while in
Iranian custody so he is not speaking clearly of his own free will.
All of this information will have to be assessed. But what we do know is that the navy came to understand when the sailors missed a scheduled radio
call in, when the navy didn't hear from them, they launched a search and rescue mission and in fact a U.S. navy ship then went back into Iranian
waters to look for them.
They thought maybe they had gone overboard, maybe they have had a catastrophe. The Iranians were told that the navy was coming in, there was
no problem there. Diplomacy clearly took over very quickly when it became understood that the IRGC had control of these folks.
I have to tell you, though, going back to that video now that the world has seen inside the highest U.S. navy circles, there is an understanding,
they're thrilled they got their sailors back, that there was no confrontation here, but a lot of dismay about seeing these sailors put on
their knees clearly with threats against them -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Barbara Starr out of Washington for you this evening. Barbara, thank you.
The very latest on that story.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. Coming up, from Hans Gruber to Severus Snape, we take a look at the career of Alan Rickman who
has died at the age of 69.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11;51:29] ANDERSON: Tributes are being paid to the British actor Alan Rickman who has died at the age of 69. From the villainous Hans Gruber in
Die Hard, to the brooding professor Snape in Harry Potter, Rickman's career spanned four decades. He died after a short battle with cancer.
Well, Erin McLaughlin is in London for you with more, Erin, on his death.
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORREPSONDENT: That's right, Becky.
He, of course, was known for playing the villain. He had this incredible stoicism, this incredible wicked sense of humor that he would bring to his
roles. Perhaps most famous of course playing Professor Snape in the Harry Potter series, the half wizard/villain
turned hero.
In fact, J.K. Rowling -- he loved to tell this story -- J.K. Rowling in convincing him to take on that role, she actually gave him a clue as to
Snape's fate before she had even written the final book. That's just how important it was seen to her that he take on that role. And of course he
played it magnificently.
He burst onto the U.S. film scene in 1988, the very first Die Hard film opposite Bruce Willis. His charm of that villainous character brought him
critical acclaim, but he also had this softer side that we got to see in 1995 with his portrayal of Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, one of
my personal favorites.
Women around the world swooning, following that portrayal. So, this is a very sad day for
members of the film world as well as for the theater community.
ANDERSON: Yeah, an illustrious career spanning more than three decades. How have people been reacting to the news?
MCLAUGHLIN: Yeah, well, Becky, the tributes are flowing in from his friends as well as from his fans.
J.K. Rowling tweeting out there are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to
hear of Alan Rickman's death. He was a magnificent actor and a wonderful man.
Steven Fry, the British comedian, tweeting what desperately sad news about Alan Rickman, a man of such talent, wicked charm, and stunning screen and
stage presence. He'll be sorely missed.
And people here are in shock. His illness was not widely known. And keep in mind people here also still reeling from the death of David Bowie, also
died of cancer earlier in the week, also 69 years old. The comedian Eddie Izzard tweeting I do not want my heroes to die. Alan Rickman is dead and
he was another hero. Alan, thank you for being with us. We are sorry you had to go.
We expect more reaction in the coming hours, Becky.
ANDERSON: Erin McLaughlin on the story from London for you.
Well, your Parting Shots this evening, a look at this year's nominees for the Academy Awards. They were just announced a few hours ago. Frontier
survival story, The Revenant leads the pack with 12 nominations. Those include best picture, best director and best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio's
role.
Mad Max: Fury Road follows closely with ten nominations, including best picture.
Well, the much talked about film, The Danish Girl failed to earn a best picture nomination but the film tells the story of a transgender Danish
artist and it's been banned here in the UAE and several other nations in the Middle East.
The filmmaker spoke to CNN's Neil Curry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDDIE REDMAYNE, ACTOR: You will not tell anyone about this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello there! We're going to call you Lily.
TOM HOOPER, DIRECTOR: It was considered a hard film to finance, a hard film to get made, and now people say it's a timely film because so much has
changed in seven years. I mean, in terms of story telling, we've had you know incredibly beautifully written and directed and acted shows like
Transparent. We've had Orange is the New Black. We've had Caitlyn Jenner sharing her story with the world in this incredibly generous way. And it's
like -- there's a tipping moment in transgender narrative where suddenly the mainstream audience is embracing it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lily, you're exquisite.
UNIDENIFIED MALE: You're different from most girls.
I feel I need to ask your permission before I kissed you.
NEIL CURRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course transgender stories are on networks like CNN as part of news stories all the time. But how far do you
think we've got and how far do you think we need to go on dealing with these subject?
REDMAYNE: It is almost 100 years since Lily's story and some of the things she has to deal with of discrimination, of violence, in that amount of time
there has not been that much progress. In The States you can still be fired in 31 states for being trans.
The amount of violence against trans women, particularly transwomen of color, is pretty extraordinary. Plus, in the past year or two I feel that
the conversation of people like myself of being educated is changing and shifting. I think there is a great amount of
progress to be made.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly what happened last night?
REDMAYNE: There was a moment when I wasn't me. There was a moment when I was
just Lily.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But Lily doesn't exist.
We were playing a game.
ALICIA VIKANDER, ACTOR: It came on less than two years ago to this project and it's been interesting to see even in that small amount of time I can
feel like you coming in as a journalist talking to me, asking about, well, this
feels like it's a movie of the time. And that was just not the case two years ago really. And even though I feel like it's been a major social and
cultural change over the last few years and finally it's a conversation starter, it's awareness, it's educational. And this film itself for me,
I've learned so much.
REDMAYNE: This is not my body. I have to let it go. I love you because you're the only person who made sense of me, who made me possible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: A nomination for Eddie Redmayne for that.
Best of luck.
I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World from the team here. It's a very good evening.
END
