Police Contain Terror Network; Tillerson Comments on Leaks
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking news out of Egypt. A group of gunmen have opened fire on a bus carrying Coptic Christians. They were en route to a monastery. We know at this hour that at least 26 people were killed, 25 other injured. And among the victims, women and children. Egypt's president, El Sisi, calling for an emergency meeting. The shootings being described this morning as a terrorist attack. We also have new details this morning about the very moments leading up to the bombing in Manchester. The bomber, Salman Abedi, spoke with his brother in Libya just 15 minutes before the attack. Apparently his brother knew of his plans but lacked details about when and where. Meantime, British police are trying to contain, they say, the network they believe is behind Monday's attack, having conducted multiple raids at this point and making what they're calling several significant arrests. Our international correspondent Muhammad Lila joins us now from Manchester. So they're - they're trying to contain, they say, this network. How big do they think it is?</s>MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Poppy, that's a really good question and that wording is key. They're talking about containing the network that they believe enabled the attacker to get away with that plot. And the U.K. security minister referred to that word "containing," believing that the more they contain it, the more they pull up leads on who may have been involved in that network. Eventually, they will be able to take it down. Police are describing it as a very fast moving investigation. Look, we're now into the fourth day after the attack and these police raids are still going on. The investigations began initially in the first few hours as a local investigation. Now we know it is a part of a much bigger international investigation, of course with ties to Libya. And the big news coming out of Libya is that there is a Libyan official who's part of one of the militia groups there. They were the ones that detained the suspect's brother. And they say that the suspect's brother admitted under interrogation that he and his brother were part of ISIS. He said that he was aware of the plot, except what he didn't know is exactly when it was going to happen. Also under interrogation the brother allegedly came out and said that he spoke with the attacker - his brother, the attacker, in Manchester just 15 minutes before the attack. So that is a crucial piece of evidence and a crucial testimony that investigators here will be very, very interested in. Poppy.</s>HARLOW: And we've learned that British intelligence services are now handling - is this number right - handling more than 400 active terror plot investigations?</s>LILA: Well, that's right. And that's not entirely unusual given the size of the U.K. And what we don't know is whether those 400 active terror investigations are connected to this week's attack or if these were investigations that were taking place beforehand. Now, in terms of the status of the investigation that's going on now for the attack, we know that police, so far, have made ten arrests. Two people have been released without charge. But there are still eight people currently in custody. And some of those people have been in custody for the last four days. So certainly officials here and security officials here believe that they are getting closer to solving the riddle of who was behind this plot. But I think the next few days are going to be key with information coming out very rapidly, both in Libya and here in Manchester.</s>HARLOW: Yes, and saying they're trying to contain the network. Muhammad Lila, thank you for the reporting, out of Manchester. Also this morning, a show of solidarity from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Here you see him in London. He is signing a book of condolences. He is writing in part that American's hearts are broken. A reporter, just moments later, asking him about the anger surrounding those leaks of intelligence here in the United States. Michelle Kosinski joins us now from London. She is traveling with the secretary of state. What did he say in response?</s>MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Poppy. Well, this sounded like an apology. It wasn't in so many words, but he did use the word "regret." And this was extraordinary. I mean how often do you see a U.S. official of his rank, secretary of state, get out publically next to your counterpart and say, we have to take responsibility for this. Listen.</s>REX TILLERSON, SECRETARY OF STATE: The president has been very strong in his condemnation and has called for an immediate investigation and prosecution of those who are found to have been responsible for leaking any of this information to the public. We take full responsibility for that. And we are - we, obviously, regret that that happened. This special relationship that exists between our two countries will certainly withstand this particular, unfortunate event.</s>KOSINSKI: So he said all the right things there. I mean it was brief, granted. It's not as if it covered every possible angle of this. But he made the right sounds to say that we are going to try to stop this from happening again. We regret this. We are going to work together. And this was an opportunity. I mean, when you look at the situation where they're both trying to prevent future attacks like this and dismantle terror networks around the world, you want to show solidarity. I mean that's really what they're talking about here. So this was a perfect time to very publically do that. What that means moving forward, of course, we're just going to have to see because leaks have been endemic within this administration. I mean it really sounds like they're going to step up the process of trying to root those out. But - but keep in mind, when you look at this relationship, this comes basically only weeks after the administration had to again essentially apologize, although that was behind the scenes, when the administration was making allegations that British signals intelligence was participating in wiretapping the White House.</s>HARLOW: Right.</s>KOSINSKI: That was another embarrassment. I mean a rare statement from GCHQ, British intelligence, that called that utter nonsense.</s>HARLOW: Yes.</s>KOSINSKI: And now here the U.S. is again saying, OK, we shouldn't have let this happen. We're going to try to stop this from happening again.</s>HARLOW: All right, important context, you're right. Michelle Kosinski, in London for us, thank you very much. Still to come for us, the White House says its budget plan is a taxpayer first plan. Under the blueprint, though, thousands - thousands of those who supported this president the most in the election could lose out and lose their jobs.