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Quest Means Business
Manhunt In Maine; Overnight Raid In Israel; Maine Governor: 18 Killed In Mass Shootings, 13 Wounded; Sources: New Key Theory That Suspect Recently Broke Up With Longtime Girlfriend; Shelter-In-Place Advisory Expanded Amid Manhunt; IDF Conducts Tank Raid On Northern Gaza Before Withdrawing; IDF: Hamas Targets Were Preparing To Attack Israeli Forces; Arab Nations Accuse Israel Of Targeting Civilians; Netanyahu: Preparations Being Made For Ground Invasion; U.S. Army Identifies Maine Shooter As Long- Time Reservist; Hurricane Otis Leaves Acapulco Devastated; E.U. Leaders Meet To Discuss Israel-Hamas War; Sam Bankman-Fried Takes The Stand Without Jury. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired October 26, 2023 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:35]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Good evening to you. I am following two major news stories that are moving and unfolding in this hour.
In the United States, in the state of Maine, an urgent manhunt is underway to find a mass killer. Whilst in Israel, an overnight raid into Gaza could
signal preparations for a ground invasion have moved ever closer, and that could be about to begin.
But we will begin this hour in Maine where schools, stores, and other businesses are shut down as the police look for the suspect in two mass
shootings. The authorities have identified Robert Card who, they say, is a certified firearms instructor and should be considered armed and dangerous.
The manhunt began after a rampage on Wednesday night. It ended with at least 18 people dead. Hundreds of officers have now joined the search.
To bring us up to date, Omar Jimenez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A manhunt is underway after police say a gunman opened fire at a restaurant and bowling
alley in Lewiston, Maine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now we got multiple victims (inaudible), multiple victims. I need every unit you can find.
JIMENEZ (voice over): One witness describes people running from the bowling alley.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were kids that's, like, looking back, like that was probably the hardest part seeing just families, families pouring out of
their -- and knowing that that -- that happened in there while they were just probably trying to have a family night.
JIMENEZ (voice over): The Lewiston Police Department has named 40-year-old, Robert Card, and warned he's armed and dangerous.
MIKE SAUSCHUCK, COMMISSIONER, MAINE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: We have literally hundreds of police officers working around the state of Maine to
investigate this case, to locate Mr. Card.
JIMENEZ (voice over): The Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office released several surveillance photos of the man holding a high-powered assault-style
rifle and warning those in the Lewiston and other nearby areas to shelter in place.
SAUSCHUCK: Card is considered armed and dangerous. If people see him, they should not approach Card or make contact with him in any way.
JIMENEZ (voice over): Law enforcement officials tells CNN that Card is a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserve. The
officials say Card suffered with mental health issues, including hearing voices. He also recently made threats to carry out a shooting at a National
Guard facility in Maine.
Lewiston police following the shootings shared this image of a small white SUV founded in nearby Lisbon, Maine. The state police confirmed to CNN the
image is of the suspect's car.
The shootings have shaken this community, about 36 miles north of Portland, with Lewiston's mayor staying in a statement, "I'm heartbroken for our city
and our people."
The mayor of nearby Auburn, Maine, echoed that state of shock.
JASON LEVESQUE, MAYOR OF AUBURN, MAINE: I mean, at this point, this is a significant amount of shock going on with people that were actually
witnesses. Obviously, when I was bringing people in, they were looking for their loved ones. There's fear, there's panic.
JIMENEZ (voice over): Local officials say hospitals are overwhelmed as they handle a mass casualty event.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The two hospitals have called in every off-duty staff member that they could to deal with this. We are a town of about 39,000.
Our hospitals are not geared to handle this kind of shooting event, and they're doing the best we can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Law enforcement sources say they are working on a key new theory. They say that Card recently broke up with this girlfriend and apparently
went to the very places that the couple used to frequent.
Brian Todd is in Lewiston where the two shootings took place. Brian is with me.
This is a very different and interesting theory that's being now put forward. And I mean, but it doesn't really go to the issue of the mental
state of Card or, indeed, what was the trigger, in a sense, for him to go on a rampage.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Richard. And to add to what you just said about CNN's reporting, this coming from John Miller, our Law
Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, from those same sources, they said that police investigators believe that the former girlfriend that he had
just broken up with was signed up to play in some kind of a game or a tournament at that second shooting location, the Schemengees Bar, where
that second shooting occurred.
[15:05:08]
I am at the location right now where the first shooting occurred. Just behind me here and around that corner, you can't see it from where we are,
but we're -- you know, we're blocked here by the police is the bowling alley. It's called the Just-In-Time Recreation Center.
Just around the curb, that corner right there, that's where the first set of shootings occurred.
We also have some other sourced information from our John Miller from law enforcement sources, saying that Robert Card, he was a sergeant first
class, an Army reservist, that he spent some time at Camp Smith over the summer. That's in Upstate New York.
And while he was there, according to sources, he started making statements about hearing voices in his head and about possibly wanting to harm other
soldiers. So he was referred to a military hospital and spent a few weeks under evaluation there, under mental evaluation.
One former colleague in the Army Reserve told CNN that he is a very skilled marksman and an outdoorsman, who is one of the best shooters in his unit.
As for actually what unfolded at this bowling alley behind me last night, one witness gave a firsthand account. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRANDON, WITNESS AT THE BOWLING ALLEY: . inside and just a normal night of bowling, and out of nowhere he just came in and there was a loud pop. I
thought it was a balloon. I had my back turned to the door.
And as soon as I turned and saw that it was not a balloon, he was holding a weapon, I just booked it down the lane. And I slid basically into where the
pins are and climbed up in the machine, and was on top of the machines for about 10 minutes until the cops got there. I don't know how to explain it.
I don't think you're supposed to see that in real life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: And again, that account from a person who was at this bowling alley behind me last night when the shooter came in.
We can tell you also, Richard, that this county and the adjacent county and the -- what really encompasses the towns of Lewiston where we are and also
Lisbon and Bowdoin, if those towns are under a shelter-in-place order, of course, you know, we're approaching the 24-hour mark after these shootings
occurred, they still have not found the suspect, Robert Card. And there are a lot of law enforcement assets and hundreds of officers combing these
wooded areas and the towns around here looking for him.
QUEST: Right. Brian, I pick up on what you said a moment ago about not only him being an expert marksman, but also a very skilled outdoorsman. And in
that particular part of Maine and for that part of the country, highly rural, extremely difficult, very dense woodland and forest, this is going
to be quite an achievement and quite a task to find someone who knows what they're doing hidden away.
TODD: Absolutely, it will be, Richard. And he has another advantage, that he owns about some -- about hundred -- they say hundreds of acres of
land in Maine and possesses several legally purchased weapons. So he has the advantage of not only being in this rural area, but knowing it pretty
well.
So, you know, he is from this area. And, you know, he can navigate around here where maybe a lot of law enforcement personnel, especially those from
visiting states are not -- excuse me, from nearby states, are not going to necessarily know the lay of the land like he will.
So it is a tall task. It is very rural out here, and that probably gives him an advantage.
QUEST: The long-term, I mean, this goes to the heart in terms of another major firearms catastrophe. This is the worst this year. Politicians will
wring their hands, and I realize this is a subject arguably for another day perhaps. But we are now moving into the most intense political season.
TODD: We certainly are. And, of course, that debate is going to come up. As we just said, he's got several legally purchased weapons, and yet he
was reported to have these mental health issues.
QUEST: Right.
TODD: And, you know, whenever a shooting like this happens, and that is the case, and it's so often is the case, of course, the questions come up.
What where the signs that were missed?
Now, you know, the mental health issues of the Army base in the summer, maybe you don't put that together with the fact that the guy has weapons.
Who knew that he had all these weapons beforehand.
And was there a background check? Were there adequate background checks? Did the mental health issues come up in those background checks?
Clearly, something was missed by someone, and there are loopholes here that have to be addressed.
QUEST: Brian Todd, who is in Lewiston, and we'll continue to watch and monitor events. Thank you, Brian.
The IDF says its ground forces conducted a targeted raid in northern Gaza, using tanks and armored vehicles against Hamas targets before withdrawing.
Israeli media says it was the biggest incursion into Gaza since the war began. An IDF spokesperson told CNN the Hamas targets were preparing to
attack Israeli forces with anti-tank missiles. Peter Lerner said the operation also aimed to create better conditions for a ground invasion.
[15:10:09]
As the Israeli forces continue to take Gaza with airstrikes, they now say they've killed a top Hamas commander. The IDF is saying (inaudible) Bahbout
(ph) was partially responsible for the planning of the October the 7th attacks.
Nic Robertson is in Sderot. He is there for us tonight.
These incursions, we sort of new that -- I mean, I guess the answer is, is this the precursor to the invasion? Is this a further example of the
Israelis preparing the ground, so to speak, for what comes next?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, Richard, it's exactly what you would expect if it was a precursor for a larger incursion.
It's not clear if they will go from this the full or step up again.
You know, we were watching that minor incursion last night over my shoulder here that was red, traced a fire from tanks going horizontally.
We found out this morning there were tanks. We were also hearing a heavy gunfire in the area. We're also hearing some detonations that we hadn't
really heard before so when we work up today and the IDF said, "Yes, we had an incursion. It was right over there." Easy to put two and two together.
Well, tonight, just before you are coming to us, there was a flare in the sky, heavy bursts of machine gun fire in that very similar area. And that
comes after just a few minutes ago.
There have been rocket warnings across much of central Israel because of rockets fired out of Gaza. So it does seem to be very active again here
tonight.
We're not seeing the tank fire at the moment. But if there's another limited incursion like this one that was last night, large in scale but
limited in the scope of what it tried to achieve, just getting a small Hamas operative cell according to the IDF, this would be a very much
military playbook.
Basically, you don't go in, take out a terrorist cell and maybe some tunnels that they're operating from, and then pull out and wait a few more
days before going back. Why not? Because Hamas is able to go back in and repair the damage or do take advantage of your low.
So it does feel that we're on that -- we're on the slope towards a fuller incursion. And certainly, the forces are in place for it still, Richard.
QUEST: Which the -- I mean, everybody is waiting, and watching, and wondering whether the political pressure that is now being put to bear,
whether we call in a ceasefire or a hold-and-wait, whatever you call it. But from where you are, Nic, is there any evidence that this external
pressure to hold off humanitarian corridors, whatever, is having any effect whatsoever on the Israelis?
ROBERTSON: You know, I think these are all pressures. The military side of it is one pressure.
Over the last weekend, just before the two American hostages were released, it was quite quiet. Gaza, the north end where we are, was quite quiet.
There were very few detonations and explosions through that day.
And it really gave the sense that real diplomacy was underway. And we understand that still diplomacy is underway in the background. But I think
the IDF and the military are ratcheting up the military side of the pressure on that equation.
Hamas wants the fuel. They want the humanitarian support. They want that humanitarian pause for the aid to go in. And the Israelis want the hostages
back.
The military facet of that, I think, is all part of it. Israel intends to keep up the pressure by every account that we can come across here. And
everyone that we talked to believes that there will still be an incursion.
A big percentage of the population is still in favor of it appears -- and it appears. And it also seems to be the -- what the prime minister and his
cabinet favor as well, Richard.
QUEST: Nic Robertson's in Sderot and will continue to report as and when we have more to come back. Remember there is more to report of these next.
A group of Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Qatar are accusing Israel of targeting civilians in Gaza. A statement says Israel's
right to defense does not justify what they call flagrant violations of international law.
Israeli prime minister has justified the airstrikes on Wednesday. He said the troops are preparing a ground attack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): We are raining down hellfire on Hamas. We have already eliminated thousands of
terrorists. And this is only the beginning.
At the same time, we are preparing for a ground incursion. I will not detail when, how, or how many, all the overall consideration that we are
taking into account, most of which are unknown to the public. And this is how it needs to be in order to safeguard the lives of our soldiers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[15:15:06]
QUEST: Now, news into CNN, the Pentagon -- US Pentagon says around 900 US troops either will deploy or already have deployed to the Middle East. The
forces, according to the spokesperson, who intended to support regional deterrence efforts, they will not be sent to Israel.
Lieutenant General Mark Hertling is our CNN Military Analyst, perfect man in the perfect place to answer the question. So what will they be doing?
LIEUTENANT GENERAL MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good day, Richard. Well, first of all, the deterrent force is part of the operations not only
to deter other nations from attacking into the area and widening this conflict, but it's also to support Israel.
You heard about the potential for -- there was a lot of publicity on the explosive ordnance detachments -- disposal units that were coming in, that
is to help in what is anticipated to be a lot of improvised explosive devices and how to handle them, especially the Iranian design ones like
EFPs, the explosively formed penetrators.
And that operation that you and Nic were just talking about probably was not only to gain intelligence, that's something that's doctrinally called a
reconnaissance-in-force or what we tankers like to call a RIF operation.
It's not only to find potential targets that you can go after when you put a bigger force in, but it's also to see what kind of obstacles you might
run into when you're driving those Merkava tanks or personnel carriers into an area that you haven't been in for a long time. Certainly, those areas
are likely to be seeded with IEDs and specially these Iranian types of explosively formed penetrators, which are very deadly.
QUEST: When they do eventually go in, I mean, is it in your view an occasion where they go in, come out, go in, come out, or do they go in and
continue to force on forward unlike what we saw, I just say, in these reconnaissance raids?
HERTLING: Yes, well, and watching that film you just showed that Nic took of the night vision of the tanks rolling in on the road, that, to me, look
like about a tank company. Maybe about 20 or so vehicles.
They may send more vehicles in, certainly, tanks and infantry vehicles with bulldozers to clear the roads to have staffers clear the IEDs, but also
that they are connected with artillery fire.
They could go in in one, two or 20 different locations, Richard, under the command of one brigade or two brigade commanders, which are normally larger
forces. So it .
QUEST: Right.
HERTLING: . depends on what operational tactics the Israelis decide to use.
Truthfully from a perspective of having combat in the city, you don't want your force into an urban environment for a very long time because, as they
get tired, as they take rest plans and go to sleep, that's when some of the enemy can come up and sneak up on those vehicles. And also, it's extremely
difficult to conduct logistical operations for any kind of tank force that needs fuel, ammunition, food, water, those kind of things.
QUEST: Right.
HERTLING: So I would suspect that you're going to see a lot of units going in on different axes, at a bunch of different locations much like they did
during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge, when the Israelis went into Gaza. But they're not going to stay in for a long time.
QUEST: Right.
HERTLING: That would be my suspicion. They're going to go in, come out, although they may have some forces that stay in if they hit some really
good targets.
QUEST: General, Israel and the United States are among the closest allies militarily. So -- but in this occasion, I'm wondering how close do you
think and how well informed do you think the US intelligence and military is being kept in for? No matter what they've got from their own sources,
how much do you think the Israelis are telling the Americans?
HERTLING: Well, you certainly -- even as an ally, you're not going to tell your partners everything you're doing, Richard. But I think that's one of
the reasons why President Biden and the administration sent over Lieutenant General Glynn, a marine officer who has a lot of experience both in
Fallujah and in Mosul, a place where I fought.
He is not only going to provide some input and perhaps some even suggestions to their operations, but the other part is he's gathering
information on what they're going to do while he's providing them potential alternative courses of action.
Yes, to answer your question in a shorter format, you're -- as an ally, you're not going to get all the intelligence, but you are going to get a
general gist of the operation and what the Israeli force are attempting to do. And you're trying to persuade them to be very careful about civilian
casualties, because that is a weapon that Hamas will use against the Israeli force.
[15:20:10]
QUEST: Right. But though all that said, how easy or difficult is it going to be for those 900 deterrents and other forces that have now been brought
into the theater. Both the Americans and the British now have sent a -- some warships. How easy or difficult is it not to get drawn in?
HERTLING: Well, none of those ground forces that I understand are going to literally be inside of Israel. They are going to be in ships and in border
locations where they can react very quickly, much as you saw the USS Carney do the other night, intercepting those missiles before they had even become
part of the area of operation as they were heading from the -- through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea in the Gulf of Aden.
So just being in the area, the deterrent, going back to what I said earlier, is against larger nation-states, Lebanon -- Hezbollah, Lebanon.
QUEST: Right.
HERTLING: Rockets out of some of the PMF groups in Iraq and Yemen like we saw, the potential for Iran to get more involved than this and perhaps
launch their own launches their own missiles that can be intercepted by some of the pieces of equipment that the US has provided to Israel.
You know, Richard, even back in 2013 when I was commander in Europe, we would do exercises with Israel where we would flow some of our Patriot
missile systems into their land mass and help them out with exercises and planning for future .
QUEST: Right.
HERTLING: . contingencies. I think we're going to see a little bit of that with equipment, but not with technically US military human beings.
I never want to use that "boots on the ground" expression because I think that's anathema to anyone who knows what those soldiers are doing. But
truthfully, you're going to see the partnering and some of those that prepared to deploy forces that Secretary Austin has provided will be
helping, but they won't be in the fight.
QUEST: General, as always, it's just a wealth of information and analysis that you give us to help us understand what's going on for which I'm
grateful. Thank you, sir.
Whilst we've been talking are the pictures that you're seeing are live pictures and (inaudible) the northern Israel a combination of flares which
have been going up, lighting up the area. Obviously, watching to see whether or not anymore tank raids, armored personnel carriers, APCs, go
into Gaza. The general there is helping us understand the reasons of what they're doing and how they're doing it, and how long they're likely to stay
there.
But all of this, there is -- there's another one. All of this is the precursor, if you will, to what the Prime Minister Netanyahu said,
preparations being made for a ground invasion.
The fire at the bottom right of your screen gives you some idea of the ferocity of what's going on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:25:46]
QUEST: Returning to our top story, the manhunt for a man as police search for a suspect in two mass shootings that took place on Wednesday.
In Lewiston, in Maine, all public schools are closed, along with grocery stores and other businesses are shut. The authorities are advising people
in the area to shelter-in-place, as they say.
The state's governor spoke at a press conference just a short while ago where she said officials are doing everything they can to find the suspect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOV. JANET MILLS (D-ME): The full weight of my administration is behind law enforcement's efforts to capture the person of interest, Robert Card, to
hold whoever is responsible for this atrocity accountable under the full force of state and federal law, and to seek full justice for the victims
and their families.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Now, Charles Ramsey is CNN's Senior Law Enforcement Analyst. He says he previously served as Peace Commissioner in Philadelphia, as well as
Peace Chief in Washington, DC. He is with me now. Good to see you, sir.
The manhunt, the difficulty of the terrain where it is -- they're very near the border, by the way, to Canada, how do you tackle that very wide area in
such difficult circumstances?
CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: It'll be a slow, methodical search. It is going to be very, very difficult. Of course, it's
getting late here in the States and, you know, pretty soon darkness will be taking over, which will halt the ground search anyway.
But it is very difficult. I mean, this is uneven terrain. It's heavily wooded, a lot of places to hide.
And as you mentioned earlier, this guy is skilled -- is a skilled marksman. He does have high-powered weapons. He's got a scope.
He'll see the searches before the searchers see him, which makes it very, very dangerous for the men and women out there conducting the search.
QUEST: There will be -- to use a sort of the quaint phrase, crumbs -- bread crumbs, if you will, if he needs food, if he needs water, if he needs, you
know, the -- will we get an idea of where he might have been? Because I know in previous hunts of this nature, it has often been local houses that
are suddenly broken into that give a better idea of where the suspect is.
RAMSEY: Well, they're doing door-to-door searches, by the way, because that is always a possibility. Even though the area .
QUEST: Right.
RAMSEY: . is remote and heavily wooded, there is an area nearby that is residential.
They also, I'm sure, have brought in bloodhounds, brought in dogs to try to pick up the scent. He left a car in Lipton. I'm sure they use that as a
starting point to see if they can track him.
But quite frankly, right now, it doesn't appear that they know exactly where he is. He could very well have had a boat or a second car there
waiting for him. They don't know that.
But right now, they're going under the assumption that he's still in that area. And so they're going to conduct a very thorough, methodical search,
but it'll be very slow. This isn't going to be resolved quickly.
QUEST: Now, Chief, interestingly, you say it slow, methodical. And I'm wondering what role will technology play in this. And suppose if this was a
sci-fi movie or a television drama, you know, you have a helicopter with a heatseeking whatever and it will be gone.
Is that just unrealistic? Does that even happen? Is this just fingertip search?
RAMSEY: Well, it does happen. I mean, thermal imaging is important at night, and they'll be using that. But because it's such a heavily wooded
area, you have a lot of animals there, too. So you'll get a lot of heat signatures not necessarily able to be able to distinguish a person from a
large animal, deer or what have you, but they'll be using that.
They'll be using drones. They will be taking advantage of anything that they possibly can.
But in the meantime, they are also searching his computer. I'm sure they've executed search warrants at his home. They've gone through that car,
looking for any forensic evidence. They've been interviewing family, friends, doing everything they can to try to find out what his pattern,
what his habits are, where he might have gone.
And all these things combined, along with technology, will be leveraged.
The FBI is there, ATF, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, the US Marshall Service. So they've got a lot of resources on the ground that bring a lot of things
to bear.
QUEST: Grateful for your time tonight, sir. Thank you very much.
When we come back .
RAMSEY: Thank you.
QUEST: . we'll continue our coverage of Israel and Hamas, and the EU's response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It's still to come. This is
CNN.
[15:30:59]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
QUEST: Hello, I'm Richard Quest. I will have more from you from Israel in a moment and the manhunt in Maine. Before we get to those details, I'll
give you an overview of what's happening in the world.
This is CNN and here, of course, as you would expect, the news comes first.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
QUEST (voice-over): At least 27 people are dead in the wake of Hurricane Otis.
[15:35:00]
QUEST (voice-over): The hurricane made landfall across the popular Mexico resort town of Acapulco. More than half a million people and businesses
have been left without power. Otis grew from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane in only 12 hours.
The U.S. economy expanded to a robust 4.9 percent annual rate in Q3, more than twice the pace of the previous quarter. The GDP growth was fuelled by
strong consumer spending, despite interest rates at their highest level in 22 years.
The 41 day strike by autoworkers of Ford may soon come to an end. More than 16,000 strikers will return to work after the UAW reached a tentative deal
with Ford. The agreement includes a 25 percent boost in pay over the length of the new deal. workers at General Motors and Stellantis are still on
strike.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
QUEST: Let me show you live pictures from Israel tonight. Fires are burning and what looks like a rocket fire lit up the night sky. It all
happened in the last few minutes. The U.N. agency responsible for aid in Gaza, UNRWA, says it's paralyzed by the lack of fuel in Gaza, all of which
is adding pressure to an already dire humanitarian crisis.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz saw the stories of those living in Gaza. I need to warn you, this report contains disturbing images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A journalist some call the voice of Gaza mourns over the body of his teenage son.
"They're taking their revenge by killing our children," he cries.
Al Jazeera says its bureau chief in Gaza, Wael Al-Dahdouh, lost his wife, 15-year-old son, 7-year-old daughter and baby grandson, all killed in an
Israeli airstrike, the network says.
The reporter had moved his family south of Gaza City after an evacuation order by the IDF, believing it would keep them safe.
This conflict is taking a severe toll on journalists with at least 24 killed so far, according to The Committee to Protect Journalists. Reporters
are also facing threats, arrests and censorship.
No one and nowhere in this enclave is spared, Palestinians say. Death and funerals are constant, anguish and agony are on every corner. Every 10
minutes a child is killed, Save the Children estimates.
"Anywhere else in the world, it is sons who bury their father," this man says.
"Why is it different in Gaza, why do we have to bury our children before they've even grown?"
Families, desperate to keep their little ones safe, are taking refuge anywhere they can find. Packed U.N. shelters are turning people away.
"We can't live like this. We're 17 people living in a school classroom," this woman says.
"How long are we supposed to live like this?
"Tell us, world, how long?"
Eking out a living here is difficult and grim. Food, fuel, water, everything is running out.
"I don't even know what the point is of being here," she says. "We're still terrified and we have nothing, no help. We can bear it. We're grown-ups.
"But how are these children supposed to handle this."
There is no childhood left here for the more than 1 million kids now trapped inside this hellscape. And no way, Gazans say, to keep the youngest
safe -- Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: We've learned that the Al Jazeera bureau chief whom you saw there returned to work less than 24 hours after his family was killed. Then he
delivered this message to his viewers today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAEL AL-DAHDOUH, BUREAU CHIEF, AL JAZEERA (through translator): Thank you for all the messages of solidarity, the calls and for checking on us. The
solidarity and prayers were certainly something very important for us but we thought it was necessary to return quickly, despite everything.
The area is still burning, as you can see, from the raids and artillery bombardment. I saw that it was my duty, despite the pain and the bleeding
wound, to return quickly and to meet you through the camera lens and social networking sites.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: E.U. leaders have just issued their statement after a meeting of the council today. The bloc is calling for corridors and pauses to provide
humanitarian aid to Gaza. An issue that has split some leaders, most everyone agrees that aid is immediately needed.
[15:40:00]
QUEST: Some were hesitating over endorsements on the fighting, thinking it could hurt Israel's ability to protect itself from more terror attacks. The
E.U. is also facing longer-term challenges like the possible influx of refugees.
Carl Bildt is the former prime minister of Sweden and now co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations. He joins me now.
Carl, always good to see you, sir. I am grateful.
The situation for the E.U. is complex because they are now calling for humanitarian corridors, continuing corridors and/or if they can also have
pauses. Neither seems highly likely at the moment.
CARL BILDT, FORMER SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER: No, and (INAUDIBLE) before (INAUDIBLE) that the situation is of course complicated because we have a
big war elsewhere in Europe.
And at the same time, a big conflict on the very doorsteps of Europe. So European leaders are meeting under exceedingly difficult circumstances.
There is a huge concern with, as you said, getting aid into Gaza, to alleviate some of the suffering.
You can call it whatever, the difficulties are there, both political and military. But the urge to get humanitarian in is very strong.
And the second urge I would say from the European leaders, I know exactly how that is reflected in the communique, is to, at some point in time, we
need to open some political perspective.
This war did not start on October the 7th. This is the fifth war (INAUDIBLE) for Gaza. And we need to start thinking about the possibility
of getting something that brings somewhat more stability to Israel and for the Palestinians.
QUEST: It's paragraph 18 of the E.U. statement.
"The E.U. is ready to contribute to reviving a political process on the basis of a two-state solution. It welcomes diplomatic peace and security,"
et cetera, et cetera, "supports the holding of an international peace conference soon."
Now everybody -- I think there's a consensus that now is not the time and probably not in the near future because the well is -- I would say poisoned
but it's more than that.
But what role can the E.U. play, do you think?
BILDT: Europe has to play a role. I think Europe has, the E.U. has been fairly clear on the principles that must underlie a long term political
settlement. And it's not just Gaza. We shouldn't forget there's 3 million Palestinians on the West Bank. The situation there is extremely
complicated.
I think everyone now agrees that it has to move toward some sort of two- state solution. And the E.U. has to be there. This is at our doorsteps, this is our neighborhood. We are ultimately linked to all parts of the
region.
QUEST: A blunt question, which is coming up again and again to you, sir, the European Council, as part of its statement, emphasizes Israel's right
to defend itself under international law, et cetera, et cetera, import (ph) and ensure protection of civilians, et cetera.
So, sir, what do you think Israel should do, if it is going to continue to protect itself and follow self-defense and, at the same time, try to avoid
as many civilian casualties and follow international law?
What would you have Israel do now?
BILDT: Well, as you indicated, it's a very tough question. They have not only the right to defend themselves, they have a duty to defend themselves.
They have a duty to strike against the Hamas military infrastructure, to get rid of that as much as possible.
But do it not only as a raid but with a long term vision on where they want to adapt in terms of political approaches of that particular face, the
military face of this particular -- or the renewed military face of this particular conflict, not create more problems than they solve.
I mean, I agree; easier said than done. But I think it's very important to have that perspective. And if the Europeans can do anything, it is to both
give their aid and to insert that somewhat more long term perspective on how get out not only of the outrage of Hamas, not only out of this, the
fifth (ph) Gaza war, but start to get out of the conflict.
This might sound some -- slightly visionary. But I think we have to think long term. Otherwise, we end up in this again and again and again.
QUEST: I'm grateful for you, sir, tonight. Thank you.
It is CNN, coming up, we'll return to Maine. There authorities have got a manhunt of enormous proportions, trying to find the suspect of two mass
shootings.
[15:45:00]
QUEST: We'll bring you the latest.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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QUEST: The search continues for the man suspected of two separate mass shootings in Maine. The state is considered to be one of the safest in the
United States. But it does have loose gun laws.
Residents are allowed to own assault weapons. They can also carry weapons in public without a permit. And there is no law, safe law, to prevent those
who show signs of risk from owning firearms, passing on legislation that (INAUDIBLE) levels proved extremely difficult.
Earlier the U.S. vice president, Kamala Harris, spoke about the issue alongside the Australian prime minister. She said the problem could change
with the right laws in place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In our country today, the leading cause of death of American children is gun violence. Gun
violence has terrorized and traumatized so many of our communities in this country. And let us be clear, it does not have to be this way, as our
friends in Australia have demonstrated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Joining the search, the U.S. Coast Guard says it is searching for the suspect in air and on water. John Miller is with me, our CNN chief law
enforcement and intelligence analyst.
John, where does one start with this?
The man is extremely armed and -- armed and extremely dangerous. He has experience of sharpshooter. He's experienced in the outdoors, the places in
thick forests. And Canada's around the corner.
JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: So you start in each direction. There is a river right where he found -- right
where they found his car dumped.
Did he take a vessel up the river to put some distance between himself and the searchers?
Did he have a switch car that he's been able to get into and drive to the Canadian border?
Although they were alerted last night to be on the lookout.
Or did he walk off into the woods, off the trails of the trailhead and use his skills from the Army to hide out and lay in wait for searchers?
[15:50:00]
MILLER: And our guess is as good as any. But police have basically built their search for any possibility.
QUEST: In this scenario, do you think we are looking at a long manhunt?
Or from your experience, does something usually give, some hint, some trick, some trap usually falls?
MILLER: Well, it depends on Robert Card, the suspect, and his skill. But also Richard, his intent. Most active shooters are caught within a few
minutes if not during the incident. They're either captured or killed by law enforcement or themselves.
In this case, he had a desire to attempt to escape.
And we have to ask, is that because he has more to his plan?
Is he going to strike again somewhere else?
Is there another target?
Or does he really expect to get away?
You know, I think back to the Atlanta bomber, who was also a former Army person, who was an outdoorsman, Eric Robert Rudolph. He disappeared into
the Nantahala Forest and hid out there for a period of years before he was caught. So we've seen every version of this.
QUEST: Grateful to you, sir, for your experience, thank you.
At CNN, coming up, disgraced crypto king, Sam Bankman-Fried, takes the witness stand in his fraud trial. The details ahead.
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QUEST: The disgraced founder and former chief exec of FTX is speaking at his fraud trial without a jury present. Sam Bankman-Fried was scheduled to
testify today. The judge sent the jurors home to first decide what portions of his testimony are admissible.
This is interesting. Miguel Marquez joins us from New York.
What was the issue here?
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a fairly rare issue came up. This judge, who's been no nonsense all the way, as the
defense called Sam Bankman-Fried and began discussing who they were -- what they were going to talk about during his testimony, the prosecutors began
to say, well, you can't call this lawyer.
You can't call that lawyer. It sounds like Sam Bankman-Fried's lawyers want to basically say he had lots of lawyers.
[15:55:00]
MARQUEZ: He paid them good money. He asked them their advance and they told him all of this was OK.
The judge basically said, I don't have enough information on all of, this to be able to tell, whether this is OK. So I'm going to send the jury home,
we are going to hash this out now. And, we are going to hear from you.
So, we have already heard from the defense, talking to Sam Bankman-Fried. Fairly narrowly, talking about his legal advice, the use of Signal and all
of these apps that he was chatting, with all of these individuals with.
The chats, which the prosecution presented, which are damning, in many cases, the prosecutors are now starting to talk to him. And, just really
going after him about the Signal app, for instance, and when he had a conversation with his lawyers about whether or not it was OK to put on
auto-deleted on these chats.
And, him being very evasive in this and prosecutors nailing him down but he never really did have that conversation. Richard.
QUEST: But interesting, of course. I mean, perfectly entitled to give evidence and perfectly entitled -- a constitutional right not to give
evidence. And, so many defendants decide not to do it.
And yet, his lawyers and himself have obviously given the equation a great deal of thought, that, in their view, he is better off going in the stand.
MARQUEZ: Yes, this is a massive risk on his behalf. I mean, in American football, they call it a Hail Mary pass, at the end of the game. You are
down by three, points you throw the ball all the way down to the end zone and maybe they catch it.
They are hoping that he can turn this around, because there has been so much evidence from his friends, from his colleagues, from his closest
associates who flipped and worked with the government to provide information against him, that, all the way along, Sam Bankman-Fried knew
that he was moving money from an exchange, to Alameda Research.
He okayed it, he okayed even more money going and more money, until that hole was $8 billion big. And now, he has to somehow explain all of this,
Richard.
QUEST: Miguel Marquez with the analogies. You teach me the rules of American football, I'll teach you the rules of cricket. It's a fair
exchange.
(LAUGHTER)
QUEST: Thank you, sir.
MARQUEZ: Forget it, I've tried.
QUEST: This --
(LAUGHTER)
QUEST: -- this is CNN, we'll be back in a moment.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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QUEST: An intensive manhunt is underway for a man suspected of two mass shootings in the U.S. state of Maine. Authorities say they're looking for
Robert Card. They found a vehicle of interest, in a town not far from the shootings, which killed 18 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE SAUSCHUCK, COMMISSIONER, MAINE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Our reality for today is that this suspect is still at large. And, we want to
provide community support for the victims, for the families in the communities across the state.
But we also have an incredibly strong, laser-like focus on bringing this suspect into custody and ultimately to justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Israel's defense minister says a ground invasion of Gaza is not far off.
END
