Operation Spear; Search for Missing Boy; Missing in Aruba
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The search is intensifying once again in the mountains of northeast Utah for an 11-year-old Boy Scout who's been missing since Friday. And the search continues in Aruba for Natalee Holloway, missing now for three weeks. A live report from the island as the latest suspect prepares for a date in court. And in Mississippi, wrapping up the trial of a former Klansman accused of plotting the murders of three civil rights workers in the '60s. A live report from the courthouse on this</s>AMERICAN MORNING. ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.</s>S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody.</s>MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's good to be here. And good to be in New York City. And good to be with you.</s>S. O'BRIEN: It's nice to you have joining us.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Beginning with Iraq this morning, insurgent suicide bombers attacked two police stations this morning. Twelve were killed in Erbil and five more died in an attack on a Baghdad police station. U.S. and Iraqi forces are conducting a large-scale anti-insurgent operation near the Syrian border. Jane Arraf is embedded with the military. She joins us by phone from Karabila, Iraq, where the Operation Spear is in its fourth day. Jane, give us the latest.</s>JANE ARRAF, CNN SR. BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the latest is that the Marines have destroyed what they believe is a major car bomb factory. Early this morning, they fired tank rounds and then dropped a JDAM 500-pound bomb from the air on to a complex that they said had a dozen cars. Many of them, they're still trying to determine how many, rigged with explosives to be used as car bombs here along the Syrian border and elsewhere, sent elsewhere, into Iraq, they believe. They caused a massive secondary explosion. The explosions -- explosives inside the cars were detonated, which is how they knew that they had hit their target, they say. This is all part of an operation to crack down on what has become, according to the Marines, a haven for foreign fighters. They say that they have killed approximately 50 insurgents and foreign fighters. One Marine has lost his life. Six more have been wounded in this operation -- Miles.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Jane, that's obviously an important find, and I assume that the officers there are fairly pleased that they've been able to identify a target like that.</s>ARRAF: They are. They're particularly pleased, because this is one of the things that's happening with this insurgency, foreign fighters coming through Syria. And one of the other things they've found is a series of passports. We just had a look at some of these passports from Libya, from Saudi Arabia, from Algeria, people who went through Damascus and entered into Iraq without entry visas, meaning that they entered here illegally. These were found with large amounts of weapons and ammunition. This is a city that the Marines say has been taken over by foreign fighters and insurgents. And what they're trying to do is sweep through parts of the city where these people are hiding and capture or kill them. They say it will have an affect not just here, but in the rest of Iraq. They see this as essentially a transit point for some of these insurgents -- Miles.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Jane Arraf, embedded with the U.S. military. Thank you very much. Appreciate that. More news from Iraq. Carol Costello has that and the other top stories this morning for us. Carol, good morning.</s>CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That I do. Good morning, everyone. "Now in the News," Iraq is offering a $10 million reward for the capture of its highest ranking official still on the run. Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri was a deputy commander of armed forces under Saddam Hussein. He is number six on the U.S. military's list of 55 most wanted Iraqi officials. President Bush is meeting with European Union leaders this morning. Just over an hour from now, the president will host the group in the Oval Office. A number of issues on the agenda, including trade, Mideast peace efforts and the upcoming G8 summit. Senate Republicans say they will try again to confirm John Bolton to the United Nations. The senators are planning to call for a vote today to end debate and give Bolton the thumbs up or thumbs down. But some Democrats say they will delay the vote. And Tom Cruise gets splashed on the red carpet. We've been showing you video of the actor getting a soggy reception at the London premiere of his movie "War of the Worlds." But you can take an even closer look on our Web site. Starting today, just visit CNN.com, click on "watch" to see free video of our top stories. There are a lot of different stories in there. Stories other than Tom Cruise getting squirted in the face with a fake microphone.</s>M. O'BRIEN: But that's the one everybody's going to see anyway.</s>COSTELLO: It's still number one. It's still the most popular on CNN.com. It's been holding for an hour and a half now.</s>S. O'BRIEN: It doesn't surprise me at all.</s>M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Sure.</s>M. O'BRIEN: The fourth day of searching beginning at this hour for a boy missing in the Utah mountains. A 12-year-old boy was lost in the same area last August. He has never been found. Keith Oppenheim is following this latest search.</s>KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eleven-year-old Brennan Hawkins last seen Friday near his family's campsite at the Bear River Boy Scout Reservation, high in the Uinta Mountains of Utah. Hawkins was climbing this rock wall with a friend who returned to camp for dinner around 5:00 in the evening. Hawkins stayed behind. An hour later, a massive search was under way. His father tried to retrace his son's steps.</s>TOBY HAWKINS, FATHER OF MISSING SCOUT: Knowing his behavior, he probably got disoriented, frustrated, scared.</s>OPPENHEIM: Temperatures can reach extremes in the area, but over the weekend, they were mild.</s>SHERIFF DAVE EDMUNDS, WASATCH COUNTY, UTAH: He was wearing a pair of shorts and he was wearing a long-sleeve sweatshirt. So he didn't have a lot of provisional items with him and certainly wasn't dressed that warmly. But nevertheless, since it hasn't been that cold, that may not be a major issue.</s>OPPENHEIM: Officials say the greatest safety risk is the river. It runs over a man's head in places with strong currents.</s>EDMUNDS: We're going to be back with our swift water team searching in the Bear River. We're going to search that very meticulously today. We also have horses -- horse units, mounted units, four-wheelers and ground-pounders as well. Once again, going to hit it with everything we have.</s>OPPENHEIM: Another concern, wild animals. A search helicopter used thermal sensors to scan the woods overnight, but no luck.</s>HAWKINS: My greatest plea at this time, and the way that we can find my boy, is for anybody and everybody to come out and help.</s>OPPENHEIM: Kevin Bardsley knows what Hawkins' father is going through firsthand. Last August, Bardsley's 12-year-old son went missing from a Boy Scout campsite in much steeper terrain, about 15 miles from the Hawkins' camp. His son was never found. Brennan's disappearance a painful reminder.</s>KEVIN BARDSLEY, SON MISSING SINCE LAST YEAR: Every day.</s>OPPENHEIM: In addition to the search operation, county officials are also conducting a criminal investigation as a matter of standard procedure. But they say there's no evidence of foul play. Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Los Angeles.</s>M. O'BRIEN: More than 1,400 people searched for Hawkins over the weekend. Rescue workers are concerned they may not get as much help today, on a weekday -- Soledad.</s>S. O'BRIEN: A fourth suspect in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager is set to appear before a judge in Aruba today. It's been exactly three weeks since Natalee Holloway disappeared on that Caribbean island. Chris Lawrence live for us this morning in Palm Beach, Aruba. Chris, good morning. What's the latest on this investigation?</s>CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, police are definitely looking more closely at one family, the Dutch teenager who hit it off with Natalee the night she disappeared, and his father, who was questioned by police on Saturday and then brought back for more talks the next day.</s>LAWRENCE (voice-over): No charges have been filed in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway. Over the weekend, police in Aruba questioned this man, but only as a witness. Paul Van Der Sloot rushed home after speaking with investigators for hours. Van Der Sloot is a judge on the island. His teenage son Joran is one of the suspects being held.</s>ALLY SANTOS, FRIEND OF JORAN VAN DER SLOOT: He's a very sweet boy.</s>LAWRENCE: Ally Santos practically grew up with Joran Van Der Sloot.</s>SANTOS: It's very weird that everybody seems to be thinking that he could have done something to Natalee or something, because he's usually very protective with girls.</s>LAWRENCE: Natalee's friends haven't seen her since she left the bar three weeks ago with Van Der Sloot and two brothers, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe. A judge decided all three could be detained another week, even though no charges have been filed against them. Police picked up a fourth suspect Friday, a local man who worked as a deejay on this party boat. Steven Croes' boss told CNN, Croes knows one of the brothers from a local Internet cafe.</s>LAWRENCE: We'll be in court later this morning. According to Aruban law, prosecutors have to prove why he should be detained another eight days without actually bringing formal charges against him -- Soledad.</s>S. O'BRIEN: Chris Lawrence for us this morning in Aruba. Chris, thanks for the update -- Miles.</s>M. O'BRIEN: In Lebanon, results of Sunday's elections are being seen as a major victory for Lebanese opponents of Syrian domination. A coalition led by the son of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, killed by a car bomb in February, is expected to capture a majority of parliamentary seats. Brent Sadler is in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Brent what is the significance of today's election results?</s>BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning. It is enormously significant on a number of fronts, not least the U.S. policy of trying to democratize this region. What's actually happened is that after 29 years of virtual Syrian domination here, particularly in the last 15 years over Lebanese politics, where Syria's effectively been able to pick and choose who goes to parliament, that for the first time since the Syrians pulled out at the end of April, that the Lebanese have been able to have a free and fair election, which was a cornerstone of U.S. policy all along since the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February. On the streets of Tripoli and the north of Lebanon, celebrations for the electoral list of candidates made up of Christians, Muslims and Druze, a list that's headed by Saad Hariri. Now, he is very interesting. He's the 35-year-old son and political heir of the assassinated Rafik Hariri. Saad Hariri could well become the next prime minister here. And he's only been in politics for just a few weeks. Businessman turned politician, and he is a Sunni Muslim, and he is now hoping that his alliance, quite clearly after these results are officially confirmed, will have the largest block in parliament, and the Lebanese parliament will then effectively be free with an opposition alliance majority for the first time in the last 15 years. So enormously significant change on the political climate here -- Miles.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Brent Sadler in Beirut. Thanks very much -- Soledad.</s>S. O'BRIEN: Ten minutes past the hour. Time to get a look at the weather this morning. Chad Myers at the CNN center for us.</s>M. O'BRIEN: All right. We've got some kinky stuff coming. Like, did you know the tenth Commandment, according to Kinky, thou shall not covet thy neighbor's mud flaps.</s>O'BRIEN: No, I did not know.</s>M. O'BRIEN: How is that for Texas, Kinky? Is that OK?</s>S. O'BRIEN: How's the accent, Kinky? Eh?</s>M. O'BRIEN: Not so good. All right. We'll talk live with the singer, author and now candidate for Texas governor, Kinky Friedman.</s>S. O'BRIEN: And part one of our special series on kids and sports, "Surviving the Game." Today we've got some advice on how to handle a coach who wants to win at all costs. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in just a moment.