Eyewitness accounts describe a Helicopter Assault and number of fatalities of both hostages and terrorists. None of which can be confirmed by abc news. Intelligence Officials Say the situation is tense. It is a very serious matter when americans are taken hostage, along with others. Reporter the Terror Strike came without warning wednesday morning, when an estimated 20 gunmen, first attacked a bus carrying workers, escorted by two cars carrying security teams. At least one worker was killed. Then, the terrorists moved on to the compound, where they are now holed up with the american and other western hostages. Intelligence officials believe this is the mastermind of the attack, mokhtar belmokhtar, a ruthless, rogue al qaeda leader, who also runs an organized Crime Network that reportedly has made tens of millions of dollars from ransom from kidnappings and smuggling of diamonds, guns and cigarettes. His nickname is mr. Marlboro. Hes very, very cold. Very businesslike. Reporter canadian robert fowler, a former u. N. Diplomat in africa, was held for four months until freed in 2009. He says he is a man to be feared. I was afraid for my life all the time. I was afraid for my life when i woke up in the morning and when i went to sleep at night. Hes a very serious player. Reporter from the beginning both the terrorists and the algerian government said there would be no negotiations and that appears to lead to the decision to make a move. All right, lets get more from martha raddatz. Good morning, martha. Were so concerned about those american hostages, all of the hostages. Any more from the secretary and his team. Reporter well, i just spoke to his team just a short time ago and they just do not have any clarity about the situation on the ground. The algerians are clearly in charge. Secretary panetta told me a while ago, were trying to determine what the situation is, you can be assured were looking at all necessary steps we need to take in order to deal with that situation. I asked him what kind of steps that the americans would take, he said im not going to go into that but obviously were going to look at the situation is and how best address it and how can we bring our military assets to bear in order to deal with it and i think there, george, hes probably talking about surveillance, they certainly dont have boots on the ground as far as we know. So little clarity about this. Thats the question, whether the military will get drawn in, because theres the conflict malli. I asked secretary panetta about that. And how involved the u. S. Will get involved in that. He wants the african nations to take the lead. Americans have said they might provide some sort of air support or refueling capabilities. But he made it very clear that the u. S. Had no intention of putting boots on the ground there. Okay, martha thanks very much. Josh . Now, to the latest and bizarre story thats breaking about the notre dame superstar manti teo the individual story of the College Football season. But now, it turns out his relationship was an elaborate hoax. Were going to hear from one of the deadspin writers who uncovered this explosive story in just a moment. But first, take a look. Manti teo, the allamerican linebacker at notre dame. Was known not just for his play on the field but for his heart off of it. His story of overcoming the loss on the same day, of his grandmother and his girlfriend, lennay kekua. Foregoing her funeral to play at michigan. How would you describe your emotions on the field tonight . Theyre with me. Reporter the fame turned him into a contender for the heisman. And the raw emotion humanized him. She made me promise her, you promise that youre still over there and that youll play. And you know, you will honor me through the way you play. Reporter this morning, teo and notre dame say that while the love and the tears were real, the girlfriend was not. And according to the sports website deadspin, which broke the story, lennay kekua was a hoax. And the picture we all saw of her was actually another woman, who is very much alive and says she doesnt even know teo. This was a very elaborate, very sophisticated hoax, perpetrated for reasons we cant fully understand. Reporter in a Statement Released overnight, teo wrote, quote, to realize that i was the victim of what was apparently someones sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating, end quote. During this falls football season, notre dame star talked often about the girlfriend he says he knew for years. When you have somebody that you talk to every, single day, that you sleep with on the phone because shes she is going through a lot of things. And all of a sudden, it hits silence, that silence really eats at you. Reporter espn reporter Gene Wojciechowski interviewed teo. In october. Manti was acting that day, then he deserves a half dozen Academy Awards for that performance. Reporter overnight, notre dames Athletic Director said the school conducted an independent investigation and believes teo. The thing i am most sad about is that the single most trusting human being ive ever met will never be able to trust in the same way again in his life. An were joined by timothy burke, one of the two authors from the sports website, deadspin, that broke the story. What tipped you off to the story . We got an email last week that theres something fishy about lennay kekua, manti teos alleged girlfriend. You guys should check it out. We found different outlets reporting different days that she had died. We had stories saying they met in 2009. We now know from the south bend tribune said today, that brian teo, mantis father, is the one that told us they met in 2009. Thats not true because they never met in person at all. Again, a yearlong hoax. The big question this morning, why would this be perpetrated at all . You know, thats a great question, josh. And its one of those questions that its so hard to answer. And you think about the amount of time and energy it would take to pull off this hoax, to be on the phone, to have someone be on the phone that wasnt his friend because he would have recognized his voice, presumably. To send all these messages, the letters that he supposedly sent her, or that she sent him before every football game. All of these things to pull this off. He would not have been able to have his own life because he would have been consumed being this fake woman that was manti teos girlfriend. Thats why i think a lot of people are suspicious when teo says he had no idea and he was just the sucker in this because, you know, why would somebody go to such Great Lengths to hoax him like this . As somebody who led this investigation, do you believe that manti teo was not at all complicit in this hoax . I think that there are some questions about when he became aware of it. We expect to hear from manti teo soon, perhaps as soon as today. What questions, then for you, do you need manti teo to answer . I want to know if he told his father this madeup story about how they met in 2009. And i want to know about the story about how she used to visit him in hawaii, if that was a manti fabrication or something in a brian teo made up to tell the press. It doesnt matter to me if he was a victim of a hoax or if he was in on it. I really want to know the truth about how the media came to report these things. Once the media reports something, it becomes part of the story, even if its not true. So, how did those things come about . Those are the questions i would want to ask manti. Part of the story, perhaps part of the myth. Timothy burke, we appreciate your time this morning. Thanks, josh. What a story. Now, to those sweeping new proposals of gun violence from president obama. The reaction has been swift and fierce from the nra and other gun rights supporters. One governor suggesting they wont enforce proposals even if they become law. Jon karl has the story. Reporter at a firearms trade show in las vegas wednesday, the reaction to the president s plan was almost universally negative. Im opposed to it. I really dont agree with obama. Reporter in texas, governor rick perry said he was disgusted by the way the president was using the sandy hook massacre. We need to be looking at the Mental Health issue substantially more than we are using the death of these Young Children to further a political cause. Reporter a texas state representative went further, vowing to write a bill that would make it a felony for anyone in the state to enforce new gun laws. In mississippi, the governor had a similar idea, urging the legislature to prohibit the enforcement of any federal laws obama could get passed. I support the current laws. I dont think we need to change anything at all. Reporter the ferocity of the opposition does not surprise the white house. Its been nearly two decades since any new gun laws have been passed. We suffered too much pain and we care too much about our children to allow this to continue. Reporter ban on assault weapons and require background checks on all gun sales are things the nra is adamantly opposed to and vows to fight. Theres people that care deeply about their Second Amendment rights and are not going to vote for politicians who sell them out. Reporter in recent polls, a significant majority of the public supports each of the major elements of the president s plan. Thats why the white house plans to launch an allout Public Campaign to support it, tapping into that Grassroots Network that helped the president win reelection. George . Theyre going to need everything theyve got. Jon karl, thanks. Were going to turn to the potentially severe consequences that Lance Armstrong faces after his confession to doping in that noholdsbarred interview with oprah that airs tonight. His legal headaches could be about to get a lot worse. Abcs Neal Karlinsky is here in times square studio, for the very first time. Thank you. Very good to be here. First time here. But youve been covering lance for a long time. For a long time. For a long time. Whats amazing here, is even before a shred of this interview has aired, theres been nearly a week of major News Coverage about it. And none of it has been good for Lance Armstrong, which begs the question, what exactly does he expect to get out of this . Leading up to the mostanticipated interview in recent history, Lance Armstrong tells the associated press, i have no idea what the future holds, other than me holding my kids. Then, specifically, regarding his confession to oprah, that he did in fact used performanceenhancing drugs i left it all on the table with her. And when it airs, the people can decide. Many have already decided. I think we all owe cancer an apology. Reporter Frankie Andreu was once armstrongs friend and closest teammate. This morning, hes the first one speaking out. Hes been lying for years. Hes lied to president s. Hes lied to larry king. Reporter andreu and his wife, betsy, saw their reputations attacked by armstrong, when they refused to lie under oath. I got ripped apart from the livestrong supporters. Reporter armstrongs sudden leap of faith is loaded with risks. Hes outlasted a statute of limitations for criminal perjury charges for lying under oath. But at least three major civil suits are in the works. Meaning a small army of lawyers will be dissecting everything he says. Sources tell abc news that if armstrongs interview matches what hes told people close to him, you can expect a confession that includes the argument that everyone does it, and not just in cycling, but the nfl and elsewhere. We will see tonight and well see what people think. I dont know. That didnt work with my parents. And it doesnt work with my kids. And if he gets too specific, he could face more legal action. He is walking a very delicate tightrope here. Because he doesnt want to get himself into more trouble. His p. R. Nightmare continues. But he doesnt want to pay out more money that he is already likely going to owe. Neal karlinsky, great to have you here. Now, lets turn to josh elliott with the very latest headlines. It will be the culmination of a years long campaign. Were going to begin with more troubles news for boeings newest plane, the 787 dreamliner. European regulators have now joined the faa in grounding the planes until overheating batteries can be addressed. Yesterday, passengers had to slide down emergency chutes after an Emergency Landing in japan. This is a huge blow for boeing, which released the following statement, were confident the 787 is safe and we stand by its overall integrity, end quote. An unusual problem for the u. S. Navy overnight. One of its warships, the uss guardian minesweeper ran aground. Became stuck on a reef in the philippines. No crew members were hurt. Right now, theyre trying to figure out how to loosen the ship without causing damage to the reef. A utah skier has been released from the hospital four days after being buried alive in an avalanche. She went down in a 700footwide snowslide. She said she felt a strange serenity while trapped under the snow. And her boyfriend managed to free her quickly. But she was already turning purple. Decided the best situation for me is to meditate and breathe really slowly. It was like i was having a little nap. And i remember being woken up by sweet kisses. It was far more serious, however. She actually stopped breathing. Malloys boyfriend performed cpr, wrapped her in jackets and then slid her down the mountain for some two hours until a rescue helicopter could reach them. Also this morning, a 100,000 reward being offered for tips in the burglar known as the ak47 bandit. Hes wanted for holding up five banks across california, washington and idaho, shooting a Police Officer in the process. However, they didnt need a reward to catch this guy. A burglar in louisiana forgot his mask before breaking into a restaurant. What . Yep. No. This is a hoax. So, he threw a bucket on his head to hide his face. Perhaps, not surprisingly, he was arrested a short time later. There are times a bucket. There are no words. I have no words. Oh, sam, save us. With a bucket. No followup. I love the mug shot with a bucket. Good morning, america. Hey, by the way, jackson, mississippi, good morning to you. If you get two to four inches of snow out of this, its one of your topten snowfalls ever. Let me show you what it looks like north of jackson, look at the snow falling there. Were getting facebook and twitter pictures in. This is mississippi. If you think that chicago looks at these pictures and they feel a little bad and sad and lonely because theyve only had an inch of snow, theyre about 13 inches below normal. While every snowstorm this season seems to have been targeted in the south. Heres who gets snow today. Jackson to birmingham. Birmingham usually gets 1. 5 inches of snow a year. This will be double their yearly snowfall. Then, you get in the mountains of north carolina, all the way into the mountains of virginia, and youre likely to get a foot of snow out of this thing. It barely clips southern new jersey. It gets the cape on the way out. But a southern snowmaker. Things are quiet on the west coast. Even in the middle of the country now, there are signs that will unlock arctic air for the northeast. This week and next week, another deep pocket will go to the south. Enjoy this while youve got it. There are some places that want snow. The dakotas, minnesota, all the way into chicago. Theyre in a snow drought. Theyre more than a foot below normal so far this year. They can have ours. Thank you, sam. Coming up on gma, dramatic, new details in the breakup murder trial. The stunning entries from the personal journal of jodi arias. Also, the former teacher trying to get her job back after her previous job in adult entertainment. And inside a stunning, new book. Behind the scenes of scientology. And inside a stunning, new book, behind the scenes of scientology. Transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. So you see everything the way its meant to be seen. Maybe even a little better. Visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. Experience life well lit. Ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you. Body washes with paper that reacts like skin. If others can strip this paper, imagine how harsh they can be to your skin. Oh my gosh. [ female announcer ] dove is different. Its new breakthrough formula changes everything. New dove. This is care. She would help her child. No. No no no no no. Mommys here [ male announcer ] with everything. But instead she gives him capri sun superv. With one combined serving of fruits and vegetables. Capri sun superv. Ohohoh, oh, oh sometimes i get a good feeling yeah get a feeling that i never, never, never, never had before no, no, i get a good feeling [ female announcer ] all this. Only on royal caribbean. Call 1800royalcaribbean today. For ages 3 and up the everyday collection. By target. [ male announcer ] you dont have to be a golf pro to walk like one. When you walk 10,000 steps a day, its the same as walking a professional golf course. Humana. Health and wellbeing partner of the pga tour. Now from abe 7 news. New this morning people dining out in San Francisco will soon be able to access a restaurants Health Rating at their fingerprints. Today, the site yelp will post Health Ratings for the City Restaurants online. The partnership will be announced at the National Mayors conference in washington, dc, saying it is a good way to get government information to the public. Trouble on the bay bridge. The san mateo bridge is the alternate beside bart and it is getting busy from hayward to foster city at 20minute drive. The problem with the bay bridge was an early stall that had things backed up behind the lights. Southbound 680 at 24 four cars involved in the early accident. The damage is done and slow great concord, southbound, and north 101, an accident cleared to the shoulder. Thank you very much. When we come back our check out this picture as we look back, it is hazy, so our first item, yes, spare the air day, more poor air quality possible across the bay and all of us have no burning of wood. Also have fog to the north and the possibility of black ice as temper