Return to Transcripts main page

Erin Burnett Outfront

NYC Subway Shooting Suspect Called In Tip That Led To Arrest; U.S. Sending $800 Million More In Security Aid To Ukraine; France Warns Russia Preparing "Large-Scale Offensive" In Eastern Ukraine In "Next Few Days, 10 Days Or So;" Video Appears To Show Blasts From Cluster Munitions In Kharkiv; NYC Subway Shooting Suspect Arrested About 30 Hours After Attack; U.S. Braces For Surge At Border As Migrants Who Have Been Turned Away For 2 Years Await Lift Of Pandemic Restrictions. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired April 13, 2022 - 19:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Thanks very much for watching.

Erin Burnett OUTFRONT starts right now.

ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OUTFRONT next, the breaking news, the suspect in the New York subway shooting calling the tip line himself that led to his capture, alerting police of his location as we are learning troubling new details about every move made in the hours before the terrifying attack.

Plus, Ukraine tonight bracing for a major offensive. Russia threatening to strike decision making centers in Kyiv where Zelenskyy is tonight.

And in a story you'll see only on CNN on the front lines in Kharkiv, the city under attack and now surrounded on three sides. Let's go out front.

Good evening. I'm Erin Burnett.

OUTFRONT front tonight, the breaking news. We are learning that the man accused of opening fire in a New York City subway car injuring 29 people actually call police on himself, tipping them off that he was at a McDonald's on the lower east side of Manhattan. And you appear to see him here just before he was arrested walking around the area even sat down for a bit. Police eventually swarming and just around 2 pm Frank James was taken into custody.

Video capturing the moment that that happened and they put the handcuffs on him, his arrest taking place about 30 hours after he allegedly disguised himself as a construction worker, boarded a Manhattan-bound subway train during the height of the morning rush hour and then open fire inside a cramped subway car.

Well in a moment, I'm going to speak to a witness who was there when James was taken into custody and filmed it. James' arrest comes as we're learning disturbing details about the hours leading up to the shooting. So investigators say they believe James visited a Philadelphia storage

facility filled with ammunition. And he did that on Monday night, so the storage facility filled with ammunition, that's Monday night. Then 4:11 am on Tuesday, according to the federal complaint, James can be seen driving a white U-Haul into Brooklyn, 6:12 am Another surveillance camera captures James in a yellow hardhat carrying a backpack in his right hand, dragging a suitcase in his left.

Moments later, a man believed to be James can be seen entering the subway. You can see him at that time, see him there, with the two bags and the hardhat.

Now roughly two hours would pass before police started receiving calls about a shooting. And at 8:40 am, a surveillance camera captures a man believed to be James exiting the subway at 25th Street, which is one stop from the location of the attack itself. And as official search for a motive in whether or not James was plotting any additional attacks, we're learning that he will make his first court appearance tomorrow. And prosecutors are already making it clear that James will be charged with terrorism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The statute is titled terrorism and other violent attacks in mass transportation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: If convicted, James could face a sentence of life in prison. Brynn Gingras is OUTFRONT in New York to begin our coverage tonight. And Brynn, you've been talking to your sources today following this investigation closely. What are you learning tonight?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Erin, police sources are telling me that James actually called in on that - to that tip line the Crime Stoppers while he was sitting in that McDonald. Then he left. And it was about an hour later when the police picked him up there on the street as we now know it.

This is the culmination really of a chaotic day and a half for the NYPD and its federal partners and an investigation that really spanned multiple states.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GINGRAS (voice over): The gunman in the Brooklyn subway attack now in police custody.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D) NEW YORK: Thirty-three shots, for less than three hours later, we're able to say we got him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS (voice over): Sources telling CNN 62-year-old Frank James reported himself to police by calling Crime Stoppers. Police later spotted him walking on the Manhattan Street.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEECHANT SEWELL, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: He was taken into custody without incident and has been transported to an NYPD facility. He will be charged with committing yesterday's appalling crime in Brooklyn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS (voice over): Authorities say it was James who set off smoke canisters and open fire into a crowded subway car Tuesday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEWELL: We use every resource at our disposal to gather and process significant evidence that directly links Mr. James to the shooting. We were able to shrink his world quickly. There was nowhere left for him to run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS (voice over): Investigators determined that the gun found at the scene of the attack was purchased by James in Ohio in 2011, elevating him from a person of interest to a suspect. Keys found at the crime scene led police to this U-Haul van investigators say James rented in Philadelphia, leading police to a storage facility and apartment there filled with ammunition.

His motive in the attack still unclear, but investigators have pointed to repeated chilling rants by James on his YouTube account, the latest video posted on Monday where he talked about committing violence.

[19:05:06]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK JAMES, SUBWAY SHOOTING SUSPECT: I've been through a lot of (inaudible) when I could say I wanted to kill people. I wanted to watch people die right in front of my (inaudible) face immediately. But I thought about the fact, hey, man, I don't want to go no (inaudible) prison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS (voice over): James also advocating for mass shootings on social media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES: We need to see more mass shootings. Yes, (inaudible) no, we need to see more, actually more mass shootings to make (inaudible) people understand, listen, you're going down. It's not - no, it's not about the shooter. Nope. It's not about the shooter. It's about the environment in which he has to exist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS (voice over): Other videos included James claiming he had post traumatic stress and more rants about race, homeless, people and the policies of Mayor Eric Adams.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAMS: We are watching signs around us of those who are leaning toward violent actions and we are ignoring them. Why don't we identify these dangerous threats? Why aren't we being more proactive instead of waiting for this to happen?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS (voice over): Before James' gun jammed during the shooting, 10 people were shot and more than a dozen others were injured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think I could ever ride the train again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRAS (voice over): All are expected to recover physically, but the mental toll of the attack will likely weigh on the victims and everyday New Yorkers for some time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEWELL: We hope this arrest brings some solace to the victims and the people of the city of New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GINGRAS (on camera): And a little bit more about that call he made into Crime Stoppers, I'm learning from a source that he essentially told them I know you're looking for me before he was arrested. He is now in federal custody. Behind the scenes, Erin, there's still a lot of work to do. Investigators have to sift, continue to sift through all the evidence that they've collected, still go through all this social media hopefully to bring even more charges, maybe even zero in on some kind of motive even still. We know he's got that one federal charge and he'll be in federal court tomorrow. Erin?

BURNETT: All right. Brynn, thank you very much.

So I want to go now to Aleksei Korobow. He witnessed the NYPD arresting Frank James today. So Aleksei, thanks so much for telling me what you saw. You posted this video on Twitter and it shows what happened, it shows Frank James there, being taken into custody by the NYPD. This is what you saw and you filmed. What made you realize or think something big was happening and prompted you to take your phone out and start filming?

ALEKSEI KOROBOW, WITNESSED FRANK JAMES' ARREST, CAUGHT VIDEO OF IT: Yes, of course. First off, thank you so much for having me, Erin, very much appreciate it.

I was just going for a walk and I thought it was a beautiful day, I might as well go out for a stroll, get a coffee. As I was walking back to my apartment on the corner of avenue which is about a block away from where I live, I saw a pretty large police presence about four police vehicles driving very fast the opposite way of the avenue which is a one way lane, so I figured something must be going on.

And as I turned the corner, I saw a lot of police officers circling an individual. As I moved closer, it took me a few seconds, but I realized that was Frank James. So I pulled my phone out and started recording.

BURNETT: So I just spoke to Zack Tahhan, I know you saw him as well. He's the man the New York Attorney General thanked for spotting James and calling into the tip line. So he told me that he tried to warn people around him when he first realized it was James. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACK TAHHAN, SAYS HE TIPPED OFF NYPD TO SUBWAY SHOOTING SUSPECT'S LOCATION: I say, you know what, guys, just please listen to me this one time, like keep far from him. Like he was like feeling normal. Like he was, I don't know, like he think he doesn't do anything. He doesn't have (inaudible) I think.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So Aleksei, he says he was struck that James seemed to be acting so normal, that he wasn't violent. I mean, what struck you, what can you tell us about Frank James' demeanor as you saw the arrest happen?

KOROBOW: Yes. I mean, it's probably one of the most shocking aspects of the whole thing. It was really that he seemed very calm and almost accepting of the fact that he was going to jail and he was being arrested. I happen to make eye contact with him when I was filming that video and it was a pretty eerie feeling.

What was shocking to me also, though, is that somebody who committed such a horrific act was just casually strolling around New York in the middle of the day. You would think somebody like that would go into hiding, but I'm very glad he decided to make that decision to step outside, be out there, but still definitely a scary thing, but I'm glad he's now in custody.

BURNETT: So you mentioned that eye contact, which stands out to me as you say it.

KOROBOW: Yes.

BURNETT: I mean, how surprised were you or thrown were you to see the suspect in your neighborhood?

KOROBOW: It's really hard to put into words, especially that this is a neighborhood I spent all my time in. I go out with my friends, go out grocery shopping, just go for casual walks. And to think that somebody that dangerous could have just casually been walking around, thankfully he was unarmed. It looks like he was just going to get a meal or whatever it was. But it definitely - it brought it a sense of fear to me.

[19:10:01]

But once I realized that there was nothing to worry about anymore, he's now in custody kind of brought a good sense of calm, for sure.

BURNETT: All right. Aleksei, thanks so much. I really appreciate you're taking the time to talk to me and sharing that video (inaudible) ...

KOROBOW: Erin, if I may one more thing.

BURNETT: Yes.

KOROBOW: If I may say one more thing, I just want to shout out the City of New York. I think this really proves how strong of a city we are. You saw it yesterday with the incident itself. You had New Yorkers helping people using their own clothes as tourniquets and then today with Zack and other individuals just being vigilant and it just makes me super proud to be in New York and want a shout out the whole city.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Aleksei. Appreciate that.

KOROBOW: Thank you so much, Erin. Take care.

BURNETT: So let's get to Jim Clemente, retired FBI profiler who consulted on the Unabomber case. So Jim, you hear Aleksei tell us what he saw when Frank James was arrested, sort of that - that he just was so struck by both of them, the calm that he displayed in this moment. And now we're learning James actually called Crime Stoppers himself after being on the run for 30 hours. Why do you think he did this?

JIM CLEMENTE, RETIRED FBI PROFILER: Well, I think he wanted to be in control of his own arrest. I think he realized he didn't have an escape plan. He wasn't very criminally sophisticated. In this crime, he did some horrific things. I mean, he committed violent acts. But he didn't plan it well enough to get a good escape plan. He left his key to his vehicle at the crime scene. He left his credit card. He probably didn't have enough money to even get out of the city and that's why he was stuck here.

But the reason why he was calm, I think goes to his motive. I think this is exactly what he was looking for. He was looking for a spotlight. He was looking for a platform. He may be an injustice collector. This is somebody who would, for his entire life, just keep a list of the people that he felt wronged him.

And then eventually, I mean, ranting on the internet is one thing, but it wasn't enough for him. BURNETT: So, okay, so I want to ask you about that. But first, just

what he did and what he attempt to do, obviously, it appeared the gun didn't work the way you thought it would. So you could have had a lot of people killed. You had 29 people shot, 10 injured. What do you make of the motive right now?

CLEMENTE: Well, I think that it is tied to the fact that he was an injustice collector. I don't know if he was actually trying to kill people. He was certainly trying to terrorize people. But to be in a closed environment with dozens of people and to shoot 33 times and only actually hit people 10 times and most of them in their legs, he may not have been actually aiming to kill. He may have been aiming to terrorize, so that he could get this platform.

BURNETT: Interesting. So, okay, so now to that point that you mentioned the videos. We have reviewed several videos that Frank James posted on YouTube, ranting about violence and mass shootings, using incredibly misogynistic and racist language. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES: I've been to a lot of (inaudible) when I can say I wanted to kill people. I want to watch people die right in front of my (inaudible) face immediately. But I thought about the fact, hey, man, I don't want to go to no (inaudible) prison.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: What do you read into this?

CLEMENTE: Well, first of all, I think he's boasting. I think he's trying to be expressing himself as more powerful than he actually feels. But the fact is that he is actually projecting blame. In the other video that you showed earlier, where he said, it's not about the shooter, it's about the conditions that he finds himself in.

And I think that projection of blame is also very consistent with an injustice collector who just wants to blame the world for everything that happens to him and doesn't take any responsibility for his own violent actions.

BURNETT: Jim Clemente, thank you very much.

CLEMENTE: Thank you, Erin.

BURNETT: And next New York officials on defense tonight and that is because of the nearly 10,000 cameras in the subway system, not one appears to have captured the attack in the aftermath at the actual station.

Plus, our other breaking story, President Biden just announcing a slew of new weapons that the United States is sending to Ukraine. And there's no offense defense here, it's everything: howitzers and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protective equipment.

And Russia intensifying its assault in Ukraine, our (inaudible) takes us to the frontlines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The soldiers want us to move very quickly, because Russian snipers are operating in this area. We've got to move.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:18:12]

BURNETT: Tonight, President Biden announcing he's sending new types of weapons to Ukraine. The list includes Howitzers, two types of radar systems, unmanned coastal defense vessels and chemical biological, radiological and nuclear protective equipment. Lots of ammo in there as well. It's a really long list and it comes as Russia threatened today to strike Ukraine's decision making centers, specifically mentioning Kyiv.

That's where Zelenskyy met earlier today with the leaders of four NATO countries: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. I want to go to Fred Pleitgen. He is in Kyiv tonight. And Fred, what is the latest there now?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Erin. Well, there's various things happening. First of all those weapons deliveries, obviously, that's something that can't come soon enough as far as the Ukrainian government is concerned. They've been asking for heavier weapons, especially as that offensive that Russia seems to be gearing up for is starting to take shape there in the east of the country.

It's quite interesting because the French government, the French Defense Ministry has now come out and said that they believe that offensive by the Russians could start in a matter of days. They say maybe it could be a week, maybe it could be 10 days, but it's certainly something they believe could be happening very soon.

At the same time, the Ukrainian is also under a lot of pressure in the town - port of Mariupol, we see some of the video on our screens right now. Some of that fighting that is still going on there.

The Russians now saying they control almost all of that city. However, the Ukrainians are still holding out and they say that the two groups that they have still defending that area have now managed to link up in one place. That's the Azov brigade and the marine battalion that was down there.

Apparently some of those Marines had surrendered to Russian forces but others had made it over to that Azov brigade and are now defending what they have left together. Obviously, very difficult for them because they don't really have much left in the way of ammunition and also food and medical supplies either.

[19:20:01] We see, again, the massive destruction caused there in Mariupol.

One of the other things that we just found out a couple of minutes ago and this is really something that is very fresh. The Ukrainians earlier today had claimed that they had shot two rockets at a Russian warship, the Moskva, which is a cruiser, a flagship of the Russian Navy down there in the Black Sea.

Russians, of course, not confirming that so far, but the Russians have now said a couple of minutes ago and this was on the RIA news agency that there was a severe fire on that ship. They say that some ammunition caught fire and that that ship had been evacuated.

So again, Russia is not acknowledging that but certainly acknowledging that there was some sort of really big incident on a warship that the Russians have in the Black Sea, Erin.

BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Fred. And a really important context, as Fred says, it's a flagship ship, an important ship, so thank you very much for that.

I want to go now to John Finer President Biden's principal deputy national security adviser. Jon, so obviously, you hear that news from Fred regarding the Moskva warship. It comes in the context of Russia threatening to strike Ukrainian what they call decision making centers. They mentioned Kyiv, specifically. They say that they're going to do that because the Ukrainians have in their word sabotaged and conducted strikes on Russian territory. How concerned are you, Jon, for President Zelenskyy's safety tonight?

JON FINER, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: Obviously, that's one of many concerns that we have, Erin, and that's why I think many reasons why, one of many reasons why the President's authorized such a large package of security assistance to the Ukrainians today, including a bunch of new capabilities. You just described them earlier in this segment that will help the Ukrainians continue to defend themselves.

They've been much more successful certainly than the Russians expected and then I think that much of the world expected in fending off Russian advances on their capitol. The Russians are now going to be focused on the south and the east as we've described many times, but they are going to retain the ability to strike even places like Kyiv in western Ukraine and we are going to do what is required to help the Ukrainians defend themselves and defend their governments.

BURNETT: So the list we have, Jon, is $800 million worth of weapons. It's a lot, right, ammo, all sorts of security assistance, as you point out, it's a laundry list. Some of that had not been provided before. Some of this now seems to be really ramping up. Why now?

FINER: Well, why now? I think it's not really the most relevant question, because we've been providing the security assistance, starting, frankly, even before the war began, almost $700 million in security assistance before the Russians invaded and we've only increased those amounts, as you've just described upwards now of $3 billion in security assistance, giving the Ukrainians the capabilities they need.

One thing that I think people don't appreciate enough is that we are making the decisions about what to provide in very close consultation with the Ukrainian government and with their military leaders ...

BURNETT: Yes, is it safe to say ...

FINER: ... giving them what they think they need to succeed against the Russians on the battlefield.

BURNETT: Okay. So but the reason I asked the question is they had been politely but critical, they said they wanted more than the U.S. was giving them and they want a different than the U.S. was giving them. They want additional. And now you're doing a lot of that.

So what I'm trying to understand is, is there no distinction anymore between offensive and defensive weapons, it's just going to be whatever they need and there's no distinction on the U.S. side, at least now?

FINER: Our approach is to give the Ukrainians the capabilities they need to be able to defend their country. That's been our approach from the very beginning of this conflict as the conditions on the ground have evolved and as the Ukrainian requests have evolved. We have evolved the types of systems that we've provided with them and provided them with in very close consultation.

And as you say, they have made a number of requests of us as we would, if we were in a similar situation, defending our country, and I think we are making the decisions that they would make if they were in our shoes, providing them with the types of capabilities. We're each doing our respective jobs here.

BURNETT: So today, the Austrian Chancellor, who had met with Zelenskyy and Putin told CNN that Austria, Germany, Hungary, and other EU countries all agree that cutting off Russian gas right now is not possible. And his quote, exactly from Mr. Nehammer was sanctions must hurt Russia more than the EU.

But Jon, the reality of it is when you look at the numbers right now, Europe is sending Putin more than $1 billion a day to buy energy. And that money according to the EU's top diplomat, point blank, that's the EU's top diplomat is being used to fund Putin's war. This is got to be incredibly frustrating. Are you pounding the table about this?

FINER: So as you know, Erin, the United States has made the decision to stop importing Russian energy.

BURNETT: Yes.

FINER: We have also been very clear in the context of making that decision that it's frankly a harder call for the Europeans than it is for us. The Europeans have much more interdependence on energy issues with the Russians than United States does. We have the ability to produce much more energy here for our own consumption than most of the European countries do and we're going to continue to work on these issues in very close coordination with our European allies as we have throughout this process.

[19:25:00]

And the sanctions that we have put in place despite the fact that revenues are still going to Russia, the sanctions that we have put in place have done extreme damage to their economy and they're going to continue to compound that damage over the coming months.

BURNETT: Are you pushing Germany though? For example, Germany, they're the biggest country here in terms of all this. They have all the nuclear power plants. They could restart them and they could stop this essentially tomorrow. I'm only marginally exaggerating. They could do it incredibly quickly. We all know that. Are you pushing them to do that?

FINER: So these are national decisions and they are sensitive. We are working very closely with the Germans and with our other European partners on all the different ways that we can increase pressure on the Russians. The Germans did take, by the way, one very consequential decision, which was to shut down the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which has obviously gotten a lot of attention here in the United States and across Europe and we expect that there will be more steps taken in the days and weeks ahead.

BURNETT: All right. Jon, I appreciate your time. Thank you very much.

FINER: Thank you.

BURNETT: And next, we'll take you to the front lines of Kharkiv. A city that is being bombed day after day relentless shelling. Russian forces surround much of the city now forcing our crew tonight to head to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tens of thousands of Russian troops are believed to be amassing to come into Kharkiv to come into Ukraine from this direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Plus, Russia responds after Ukraine captures one of Putin's allies saying this man doesn't have any real connections to Putin. Really?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:30:21]

BURNETT: Video shared on social media shows one appear to be explosions from cluster ammunitions, hitting a civilian area in Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkiv. It comes as Kharkiv's regional governor says Russian troops, quote, continue to terrorize the civilian population by shelling residential areas.

In the past 24 hours, the governor says seven people have died, including a two-year-old boy.

Nima Elbagir is OUTFRONT in Kharkiv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Desolate, bear, lifeless. This is what it looks like after weeks of relentless Russian shelling. Soldivka (ph), the most densely populated district in Kharkiv, it's been bombed a day after day, night after night.

There are very few people left, the elderly mostly. One man stayed behind to keep his mother safe.

Igor says that he lives on the 16th floor of one of these buildings, with his mother. He says his mother is deeply religious and deeply committed to staying here, even though they are almost entirely surrounded. She won't leave, so he won't leave. But this is a front line under renewed pressure. The Russians are pushing hard.

That is so close. Those are Russian positions, shelling towards us. We are just over a mile away from the Russian forces. This is that route into Kharkiv, and on into Ukraine.

For now, this is the front line. That could change at any moment now. They are trying as hard as they can to push that frontline inwards.

The soldiers want to show us more evidence of the heavy bombardment.

The soldiers want us to move very quickly, because Russian snipers are operating in this area. We've got to move.

The rumble you here is the constant shelling.

The shelling has just been absolutely relentless. From the moment we've arrived, we have been hearing it. We have to be careful where we step because the Russians are also dispersing minds from the rockets that they are sending over into here.

The shelling has identified over the last few days. Regional officials told CNN this is evidence of the renewed Russian military push.

Yeah, let's go. So, from where we are, we are pretty much surrounded by Russian troops on three sides. Tens of thousands of Russian troops are believed to be amassing to come into Kharkiv, to come into Ukraine, from this direction. We've got to move.

The soldiers wanted us out of their. It was becoming too intense.

Just 30 minutes later, we saw one. This warehouse was in the south of -- it took a direct hit. This is an area, that after the initial aborted invasion, has been beyond the reach of troops. Now, once again, nowhere is safe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: Nima joins me now.

And, Nima, I know you are continuing even now to hear air sirens. Tell me what's happening.

ELBAGIR: Well, as you can see, we are having to come to you from indoors. We've got minimal lights on, the curtains are shut. Literally I've been counting between strikes, it's about 60 to 80 seconds. This is the heaviest night of shelling so far. People are really afraid that any light could drawing fire, which is why we are in the position we are in everywhere in the city. It really brings home what we are hearing from Ukrainian officials. They believe that de facto, the big renewed Russian military offensive into the east of Ukraine has begun here.

BURNETT: All right. Nima, please stay safe and thank you so much for that report.

ELBAGIR: Thank you.

BURNETT: And next, top Putin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza, he is arrested and sentenced in Moscow. Bill Browder, who is Russia's most wanted man for many years, tells me why he fear is now for his friend's life.

Plus, New York's mayor praising the NYPD for arresting this away shootings suspect after 30 hours. But did a major breakdown in the city surveillance system slow the investigation?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:38:48]

BURNETT: Tonight, the Kremlin trying to downplay a major victory for Ukraine which is the detention of Putin ally, Viktor Medvedchuk, claiming that he is simply an opposition politician who, quote, never had any behind the scenes relations with Russia. That's patently absurd. Despite repeatedly, of course, meeting with Putin over the years, including all public appearances you see on your screen.

Putin actually acknowledged to Oliver Stone, the director of Medvedchuk, quote, we know each other well, because he is the godfather of Medvedchuk's daughter. But, hey, barely know each other.

All right. OUTFRONT now, Bill Browder, a longtime Putin critic who has been called Putin's number one enemy and the author of the new book, "Freezing Order: A True Story of Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath".

So, Bill, so much to talk to you about. Let's first start with Medvedchuk, right, and how big of a fish is he in Ukraine. He's an important guy. He's a really wealthy guy.

BILL BROWDER, PUTIN CRITIC: He's a wealthy guy who was on the Russian side. I mean, I find it funny that they are hanging him out to dry. It shows there is no great incentive to be a Russian sympathizer in Ukraine, right now. BURNETT: Right. No one -- no one is really coming to his assistance

or --

[19:40:02]

BROWDER: Right, exactly. He's an enemy of Ukraine and the Kremlin wants nothing to do with him. So, I think there is a good lesson there for other Russian agents in Ukraine.

BURNETT: And his daughter's godfather, who is running the entire war, is doing nothing at this point.

All right. So, that's what happened to him for now. You also talk, and I know you know, about in your book -- who was arrested in Moscow this week after he was suspected to be poisoned twice by Putin. You are in constant contact with his wife after those poisonings. Poison experts to try to keep him alive.

You say he changed your life and that he reminds you of a young Nelson Mandela, in terms of his charisma and his talent. So, last month, he was briefly in the United States. I spoke to him. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR KARA-MURZA, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN: There is a growing certainty among many people in Russia, not only on our side, on the opposition side, but also on the pro-regime side, that this is going to be the last war that Vladimir Putin launches. He really overstepped this time and there won't be a way back for him and his regime.

At the end of the day, the only solution to this will be when Putin is out of power and only Russians in Russia will be able to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: So, he did that interview. He was in Washing -- he gets on a plane, and he goes back to Moscow. Now he is in prison. How worried are you about him?

BROWDER: Well, actually, after hearing that interview, he stopped in London where I live.

BURNETT: So, you. Yeah.

BROWDER: I had dinner with him. He told me he was going to Moscow. I was there during all of his -- I was not in Moscow -- but I was talking to his wife every ten minutes during the poisonings and thinking he was probably going to die.

And so, I said to him, don't -- I begged him -- don't go back to Moscow. Don't go. It's just too dangerous. I almost fell out with him, I was so emphatic.

He said I'm an opposition politician. I'm asking the Russian people to stand up to Vladimir Putin, what message would that send if I was afraid to go back?

BURNETT: Now you have Navalny, you have Kara-Murza, they go back. I understand, I don't know that I would have that degree of courage, whatever word you want to use, but they have done it. And now, who knows what's going to happen to them?

BROWDER: It's terrifying. So, they tried to kill him twice and he is now in the custody of the people who tried to kill him. I mean, it's terrifying. I mean, you couldn't get worse than that.

BURNETT: So, you know, it's really hard to understand, hard to find the word, but I know they feel so strongly about it. It comes in the context of what is happening to the wealthiest in Russia. I understand that's a small sliver of the story. I would argue that it's more important that the Germany and the EU are giving a billion dollars a day to Putin.

But the oligarchs are important. And today, the self governing isle of Jersey, which you are familiar with from London, froze more than $7 billion of money suspected to be connected to Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch. Now, Zelenskyy has asked the U.S., don't sanction him because he is involved in our negotiations. He is ostensibly still close to Putin, it's unclear.

Where do you think his loyalties lie?

BROWDER: I think his loyalties lie to Roman Abramovich, to himself. His loyalties lie to not getting on any sanctions list. And I think from my perspective, this is all just a ruse to try to stay off the sanctions. He has for the Americans, but he hasn't for Putin or the EU.

By the way, we watch these shows every night on TV where there's yachts being seized here, there and everywhere, if we added up all those yachts and all those planes, they would get you nowhere near seven billion dollars that has been frozen in one fell swoop in the Channel Island of Jersey. That is huge.

BURNETT: Right, it is significant. As you pointed out, it's not the most visible things, it's like the iceberg the Titanic hit, right? It's what you see -- what you don't is what's --

BROWDER: The Cayman Islands also seized $7 billion. And there is now $14 billion of Abramovich's money frozen, Cayman Islands, Channel Islands.

BURNETT: Well, Bill, as I said, has a new book, "Freezing Order: A True Story of Money Laundering, Murdering and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath". Thanks so much, Bill.

And next, 10,000 cameras are in the New York City subway system, 10,000 cameras. In fact, there were 600 near the site of the attack. And yet, cameras at the station were not transmitted to the police at the time of the shooting. How come?

Plus, a massive surge of migrants about to inundate the southern U.S. border, as more Democrats split with Biden on his decision to lift restrictions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:48:52]

BURNETT: Tonight, New York City officials placing questions about why cameras at the Brooklyn subway station where a gunman opened fire were not working properly, despite there being 10,000 cameras across the subway station and nearly 600 in this specific area of Brooklyn, where the attack occurred.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH COREY, NYPD CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT: The camera systems in the subway system are not NYPD cameras. They are owned and maintained by the MTA. We have access to them. We do regularly look and see which ones are working which ones are not, but the responsibility for those cameras belongs to the MTA.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Well, this comes amid growing fears about crime, which is on the rise across New York City.

Josh Campbell is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COMM. KEECHANT SEWELL, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: Frank Robert James was stopped on the street and arrested by the New York City Police Department.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A massive manhunt coming to an end after a gunman opened fire in a Brooklyn subway tunnel Tuesday during the morning rush.

Police crediting new technological advances with helping identify dangerous gunman and eventually getting him off the street.

JAMES ESSIG, NYPD: This case was quickly solved using technology, video canvassing and getting that information out to the public.

CAMPBELL: But while some members of the community are breathing a sigh of relief after the suspected shooter's arrest, it's becoming clear the city's massive surveillance video system, 10,000 cameras in the subway system alone, couldn't stop the attack before it occurred.

[19:50:12]

And some New Yorkers say Wednesday's arrest gives them little solace.

DARIEN BONNER, BROOKLYN RESIDENT: I mean, it's in the back of your mind. There is always in the back of your mind. I mean, you had to be vigilant. You have to be cautious of your whereabouts.

ARIYANNA WATSON, BROOKLYN RESIDENT: Since yesterday, I've been really terrified because of what happened. I've seen video of people being injured. All I can say is I just pray I get off the train safely. I'm just going to keep my eyes open.

CAMPBELL: Some crime levels rising over the last two years. Shootings in New York are up 72.2 percent. Transit crime is up 68 percent, compared to last year.

Examples of recent violence are numerous. In January, a woman was pushed to her death in front of a Times Square subway train. In March, a shooting spree allegedly targeting five homeless men killed a victim in New York, and another in Washington.

And just this week, three members of the Sikh community attacked in the same New York neighborhood in the span of days.

How James was able to buy again is the first question many are asking, but law enforcement experts believe updating outdated surveillance camera systems could make rioters feel safer.

WILLIAM BRATTON, FORMER NYPD POLICE COMMISSIONER: The cameras below ground in the subway system, many of them are very, very old. I propose to them in 2014, that they equipped any one of those cars with closed circuit cameras to see what was going on in the 10,000. They did not spend the money to put those cameras in those new train cars.

CAMPBELL: The MTA tells CNN that subway cars operations are not equipped with cameras. Officials say there are nearly 600 cameras in the Brooklyn section where the attack occurred, yet many were not transmitting during the shooting. Despite the assault and attacks occurring in the subway system, many New Yorkers are left with no other choice.

What do you think stepping on that train, how is that going to feel?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's kind of weird knowing that everything that happened here. But -- I mean, I got to get home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAMPBELL (on camera): And now, Erin, we know New Yorkers are famously resilient and tough. Even still, some Brooklyn residents were very candid in describing the anxiety they still feel going into the city subway system. This is a city that is blanketed in surveillance cameras.

Video footage is helpful to investigators after the fact in locating a subway, but as this subway attack showed, technology alone cannot prevent crime before it happens -- Erin.

BURNETT: Yeah. All right. Thank you very much, Josh.

And next, of the thousands of migrants that are lining up, and they are doing it because they're waiting for Biden to lift a rule that allowed officials to turn migrants away. Now they are waiting. Rule lift (ph), they come in. There are now fears of a surge that has more Democrats breaking with their president. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:56:29]

BURNETT: Tonight, the first class of migrants from Texas arriving in Washington, D.C., sent there by the Republican Governor -- as a rebuke to Biden's reversal of an immigration role that allows authorities to turn away migrants at the southern border.

It's, though, not just people like Greg Abbott, Republicans. It's Democrats now who are also criticizing the president. Beto O'Rourke, who is also running for governor of Texas, and Senators Maggie Hassan and Mark Kelly also sounding the alarm about an imminent surge in border crossings on America's southern border.

Rosa Flores is OUTFRONT.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

"SANDY", MIGRANT FROM GUATEMALA: It's amazing. Look at all these people. It's a life, every single one of them.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sister Norma Pimentel visits migrants in Reynosa, Mexico, every week, where she says more than 7,000 of the tens of thousands along the entire border U.S. officials say have been waiting.

More than seven months.

For the lifting of Title 42.

More than eight months.

That's the pandemic health order that is set to end next month. For the last two years, Title 42 has allowed U.S. immigration agents to swiftly expel more than 1.7 million migrants to Mexico, including everyone here.

And this woman from Guatemala. She asked us to call her "Sandy" and not show her face because she fears violence after two members of her family were killed. Sandy says she praised God when she made it to the U.S. because she and her eight-year-old son nearly suffocated.

She says at some point, people were passing out --

In the tractor trailer they traveled in to reach the border. She says she was swiftly returned to Mexico by U.S. immigration agents to Reynosa, a kidnapping hot spot.

What are you afraid of?

They all say that they are afraid of kidnappings.

Since Biden has been in office, Humans Rights first has identified nearly 10,000 cases of kidnapping, torture, rape, or other violent attacks from people blocked or expelled to Mexico, under Title 42. The migrants here feel blessed to live within a faith-based shelter, but capacity is only 1,200, Sister Norma says.

With an additional 3,000 migrants living here, in a dangerous plaza turned tent city.

SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL: The people of the plaza are in grave danger.

FLORES: To meet demand, Sister Norma shows us how the faith-based shelter that she helped fund is expanding to a second location.

What's the capacity going to be here?

PIMENTEL: We're hoping that it can shelter 3,000 people.

FLORES: It is being built by the migrants themselves, including this women, who for her safety, we will call Nora.

Your emotional tell me about that?

Nora says she fled Honduras after her daughter was kidnapped and beaten. She says she's been at the border for one year, waiting for Title 42 to be lifted. And recently, she has seen Ukrainians arrive at the border and swiftly be allowed to enter the U.S.

She says she is not opposed to Ukrainians entering the U.S., being exempt from Title 42, because she understands their country is in war.

At the end of Title 42 approaches for these migrants -- whose destination is the United States? They write their desperate pleas for help on little pieces of paper for Sister Norma, hoping for an end to life in limbo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES: So, how is it going to work once Title 42 lifts? According to Sister Norma, she is in contact with the board director of the international bridge you see behind me. They are trying to figure out details, capacity. She says because there are thousands of people waiting, it could take days, it could take weeks for all of them to be processed.

But at the end of the day, she says she hopes it all happens in an orderly fashion -- Erin.

BURNETT: Rosa, thank you very much.

"AC360" starts now.