Transcripts For CNNW Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer 201511

Cnn has learned that paris investigators have recovered a phone linked to one of the terrorists containing a message sent before the attacks began. Were also learning how isis operatives kept communications secret. And elusive killer, a hunt for the man planning multiple attacks and conspiracies across europe. Is this the new face of terror . We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the situation room. Announcer this is cnn breaking news. The breaking news, as the paris massacre spreads fear across europe, Police Evacuate a stadium in germany before an International Soccer match, saying intelligence under covered, quoting, serious plans for explosions. Players are rushed to safety. Fans are ordered home. The german chancellor merkel scrubs plans to attend the match. Among the other major developments, French Police are now searching for a second man suspected of involvement in the bloody paris attacks. Urgent manhunt is now under way for suspected attacker Salah Abdeslam. As security sweep continues across france, police in paris today found a vehicle he rented. What could be a major break for investigators, cnn has now learned they found a cell phone believed to belong to one of the attackers. Officials say it contains a message sent some time before the attacks, saying essentially, im quoting now, were ready. Were also learning the alleged mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud was known to intelligence agencies before the paris massacres, and a source says france and its allies have tried unsuccessfully to target him. Ill speak with Vice President bidens Top National Security adviser. And with congressman adam schiff. Correspondents, analysts and guests, full coverage of all of the days top stories. Paris, cnns john berman. A fastmoving story. Whats the latest information youre getting there on the ground . Tonight, europe very much on edge. A sevenhour drive from where im standing hanover, germany, soccer match canceled between the German National team and the netherlands. Why . Local Officials Say they had concrete intelligence that explosives will be set off during the game. People already inside the stadium told to go home. People outside told to go home. German media reports french intelligence passed on information there was some kind of sleeper agent who wanted to self off explosives during the game. Now, German Federal Officials Say a sent of the stadium and the area around has turned up no explosives at this point, but it does show you the concern. Here in germany, in belgium and tonight, in paris, there are new leads in the hunt for the people who pulled off the attacks here on friday. Reporter with this nation in a state of emergency, word tonight of a new suspect. There is now a strong presumption there is a second surviving terrorist connected to fridays attacks. This, in addition to alleged attacker Salah Abdeslam, last questioned by police but not detained, driving toward belgium hours after the attack. Tonight, raid and searches across france. Police scouring two Hotel Rooms Just south of paris, rented by abdeslam. Investigators recovered syringes, tubes and materials, that is being tested to determine whether it could have been used to help make explosives worn by the attackers. Today, another discovery, this black renault rented by abdeslam found in the 18th district. New information about his brother, evibrahim, one of the terrorists killed in the attacks. A brussels area bar owned by even broo bra heem shut down a week before the paris attacks. Officials also providing new insight into the man believed to be the mastermind of the attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, alive, at large, and now we learn, on the radar of u. S. Officials for months. Department of Homeland Security memo discussing the belgium citizens connections to previous plots in europe including a thwarted attack against Belgium Police in january and the attempt to attack a paris bound train in august, foiled by american passengers. A belgium counterterrorism source tells cnn the coalition tried, but failed, to target abaaoud in sira where hes believed to have close ties to al baghdadi. John kerry met with president hollande and pledged american cooperation, promising isis will soon Face Even Greater pressure. Feeling it today, they felt it yesterday, they felt it in the past weeks. We gained more territory. Reporter tonight, friend. Officials are asking for the publics help to identify one of the attackers not yet named. They have a picture, a fingerprint but, wolf, still no name. They posted a picture and asked anyone who might know this man to provide information as soon as they can. Thanks je much. Lets bring in Senior International correspondent clarissa ward. Youre there. What are you learning . Well, one of the most important things to come out of today is the emergence of the possible cell phone, wolf. Investigators telling cnn that they have found a cell phone on the scene, it not clear who it belonged to. But we know there was a text message on it that something to the effect of, okay, we are ready. Once again, we dont know who was the recipient of the message and we dont know who sent it. Whats important about this, wolf it could lead to important clues about a Larger Network needed to facilitate and orchestrate this. As you know, as viewers know, one of the toughest things for officials and investigators when it comes to drilling down on this network, men are very technologically savvy, use encrypted software to communicate, talk through secret traps on telegram, dispose of cell phones to evade capture and evade being listened to. So this potentially a very important lead for french authorities. I guess the key question a lot of people are asking, so many isis operatives, they have been on the radar screen of authorities for a long time. Why have they been so hard to track . Reporter well, wolf, again, sorry, we have a minor disruption. Theres a lot of revers on the streets. A lot of the guys have criminal records. Talked about the mastermind, 27yearold belgium moroccan origin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a member of a street gang. And thats the same with many of them. Theyve all got rap sheets, all know how to avoid the police, how to get weapons, how to get under radar. That makes it difficult for authorities. Dealing with a toxic combination. A radical, a petty criminal. Clairissa ward, thanks very much. Joining us, colin powell, National Security adviser to joe biden. Thanks very much. Socalled mastermind of the plot, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, what do you know about him . I think your report captured it well. We know hes a belgiumbased operative. We think hes now in syria. He has ties back to plots that were disrupted back in january. And hes been on our radar screen for a while. Though we didnt have direct and specific evidence of the plot evidence pointing to his involvement is not surprising. Have you tried to capture or kill him in recent months . Hes on the list of folks wed like to get. Im not going to classified operations. But certainly hes on our list. You believe he was the mastermind of this paris terror attack . Well i think the Available Evidence that we have so far, we have to be cautious about jumping to conclusions, were still pretty early, sweer tracking the investigation closely, looks like hes deeply involved. Hes close to al baghdadi the leader of isis. If he is, presumably al baghdadi knew about this if not ordered the attack. Whats your assumption. We have to be cautious about what assumptions we make. Triangulating on the notion this was directed from syria but who directed it from sira is to be determined. Whats the latest information about the evacuation of the soccer stadium in germany where the chancellor of germany was to attend with thousands of others . The germans, as they said, got foreign intelligence, suggesting there might be a threat. I in an abundance of caution they cleared the areas but as german officials said they havent as yet found any explosives but i think everybody is being appropriately cautious in the aftermath of what happened in paris. The chair of the ranking democrat, i thoul say, Senate Intelligence committee, senator feinstein, said isis is expanding and have capable to hit the u. S. Yesterday john brennan expects more isis attacks, more were plots in his words, in the pipeline. Does the white house believe more attacks are coming, and maybe here in the United States as well . Well, something were looking at. We dont have any specific and credible threat reporting suggesting that a paristype attack is likely in the United States and washington or elsewhere. I know theres some discussion of that in the media i think the threat weve been mindful of lone wolves, inspired by isil. I think its worth viewers keeping in mind that the threat profiles a little different in the United States than europe. You have thousands that have traveled to the battlefield in syria, that have european passports and easy access back to europe. The type of organized plot carried out by individual whose went back and forth to syria is probably a greater risk in europe than here in the United States. But obviously, were vigilant against any possible threat stream here. When isis releases propaganda video saying their next target is the was they specifically mention washington, d. C. , do you take that threat seriously . We do. We take all threats seriously. Of course this isnt the first time that isil boasted by trying to attack us here in the United States. Were taking it seriously. The department of Homeland Security is batting up the hatches, Intelligence Community is on the case as director brennan suggested. We dont have any credible threat streams at moment that suggest theres an attack eminent anywhere in the United States. Just to be precise, have you uncovered the u. S. Government any isisrelated plots in the United States over the past 24 hours or 48 hours . No. I just wanted to be precise on that point. Stand by for us. We have more to discuss. Ive got take a quick break. Much more on the breaking news out of paris when we come back. How much protein does your dog food have . 18 . 20 . Nutrientdense purina one true instinct with real salmon and tuna has 30 protein. Support your active dogs whole body health with purina one. Oh no. under his breath hey man hey peter. unenthusiastic oh. Ha ha ha joanne . Is that you . Its me. 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They are turning up more clues, including a cell phone that apparently belonged to at least one of the attackers. Officials say it contained a message to the effect of, okay, were ready. But increasingly, isis is using whats called encrypted communications to foil intelligence agencies. Brian todd here watching whats going on. We are getting new information on the sophisticated methods isis has for hiding all of its communications. Were told investigators have had a difficult time finding electronic traces that these paris attackers left behind. Officials attempts to break the isis codes are starting to become a modern day version of the movie the imitation game. Reporter they planned coordinated, complex attack and theres new information tonight on tight Operational Security and communication among these terrorists. Investigators have found evidence operatives tied to the paris attackers frequently changed cell donts, switched cars, even searched for possible listening devices. According to counterterrorism and intelligence officials, theres evidence that they used encryption. May be using encrypted messaging apps they do a good job of hiding whatever youre saying from being intercepted from a government. Reporter conversations chopped up into a jumble by mathematical algorithms, code that u. S. Officials say nearly impossible to crack. We dont have the break strong encryption. We will lose them, so thats a huge worry. Reporter apps like one called signal encrypt phone calls. Telegram encrypt text. Matthew green showed us another way terrorists can make their texts disappear on the telegram app. You can program them to selfdestruct in a few seconds. I sent green a text to meet me somewhere. He reads it, then gone. Just like that, you got no record of the communication. Reporter telegram has an avenue, similar to facebook and twitter post public messages. Isis used telegram to claim responsibility for paris attacks and downing of the russian passenger plane in sinai. Isis coaching operatives how to use secure communication. English language publications, using android phone, hardest to crack for the intelligence agencies. Use particular applications that are anonomized, the dark net. Reporter isis may have made one cyber enemy. Anonymous, now vowing to unleash a wave of cyberattacks on isis in retaliation for the paris massacre. Matthew green says people at anonymous are probably better hackers than the ones isis has. But he doesnt think theyre going to be able to do much damage to isis and he says they certainly cannot break the enkrep enkrepe encryption, those, wolf, too well designed. Joining us ranking democrat of the house intelligence committee, congressman adam schiff of california. Thanks very much for joining us. What can you tell us about the encrypted communications that everyone suspects these terrorists were using . This is becoming an increasing big issue, the dark problem. We know as brian pointed out isis instructs operate ins to move from social media, once they recruited people, to these applications where they can encrypt and we cant even if we were to intercept the message tell what that message has to say. Its still early, wolf, to tell what role that may have played in the paris attacks, whether encryption accounts for why intelligence agencies didnt catch this planning or that plotting. But nonetheless, given these instructions from isis, it wouldnt surprise me at all if we ultimately find that encrypted communications used here. Its a real problem. What do you know about this bomb plot, the supposed bomb plot, that forced evacuation of the german soccer stadium, including the possibility of Angela Merkel would be there herself, she was planning on going . I dont know anything about it yet. About to be briefed by the secretary of the department of Homeland Security and other Top Administration officials, well have the briefing in the next 30 minute. We may get further insights on that. I assume, though, this is probably the basis of either a tip or a communication that was intercepted, some lead. We may or may not have received the information from the germans what the basis was for the decision to close down the soccer match. We usually get more finished intelligence products than raw material. We have yet to hear from our allies on that. What are you learning about the manhunt now under way for what is believed to be two terrorists who escaped . You know this is not surprising, wolf, when you consider the number of players part of the plot, the weapons they had, bombs they built. You imagine for every coconspirator part of carrying out the plot, many others responsible for getaway vehicles, providing material support, providing a place for these people to stay or financial resources. So undoubtedly, there are others that theyre going to go after. We may find a broadening net as indeed we get new information. There have been reports, as you mentioned, wolf, about a cell phone being seized. They will exploit the information on the cell phone. They will pass on, we believe, selectors from that phone. So our intelligence agencies can do a scrub and we may be able to share Additional Information with the french about other people that may be tied