[Cooper:] We've reported today brought a new threat from ISIS, the terror group releasing yet another video threatening attacks on New York, nothing really new there. Security had already been increased in New York and other major American cities following Friday's attacks here in Paris. Congressman Adam Schiff is the ranking democrat of the house intelligence committee. I spoke to him just before the program this evening. Congressman Schiff, this new video threat from ISIS to New York previously obviously they've made a threat earlier in the week against Washington D.C., do you believe there is an imminent threat against the United States from ISIS?
[Rep. Adam Schiff,  House Intelligence Committee:] I don't think there's an imminent threat of the kind of attack that we saw in like Paris. We're a hard target to reach and ISIS has made it clear. They put a focus on attacking Europe because of its proximity and the number of foreign fighters that have gone back to Europe. But there is a risk in New York and elsewhere that people are inspired by the Paris attacks, home grown radicals heed the call to lash out, so that is really primarily the danger we're focused on right now.
[Cooper:] In terms of cooperation between European intelligence agencies, European law enforcement and American, how close is it? Are you satisfied with the level of cooperation because clearly, there is problems within Europe, with data sharing between governments here.
[Schiff:] There is a problem in sharing between governments. We have a very good relationship with the French. We have a very close relationship obviously with the British and others, nonetheless it can be improved. I think the level of cooperation with France is going to intensify in the wake of this, but it's a real challenge and I think even with the best of intelligence sharing, as long as ISIS is allowed to maintain that ground in Iraq and Syria as long as they have the luxury to plan and plot from there and have the resources to do it, even the best of intelligence isn't going to be enough to stop them every time and that's the real heart of the matter.
[Cooper:] In terms of refugees, we've seen a number of governors obviously in the United States saying they do not want to accept and will not accept Syrian refugees inside their state. France's president despite all that is going on here has said that they will move forward to accept some 20,000 refugees from Syria over the next two years. Do you see a real security threat from refugees coming from Syria into the United States?
[Schiff:] You know, I understand people's concerns about this and people watching in Paris are appalled at the level of violence and want to make sure we're doing everything possible to avoid any kind of repetition of that in the United States. But the refugee program has not been the problem for us. Among the 2,000 or so refugees we've taken over the last several years from Syria, not a single one of them has been arrested on a terrorism-related offense and in fact, of the 34 of a million refugees we've taken in since 911, a very few if any problems have occurred within that refugee population. For whatever reason, Anderson, the problem we've had here in the United States has been homegrown radicals inspired by ISIS, but the refugees who are fleeing violence or fleeing for their lives have not been the problem and frankly, there are much bigger security risks than that one and I hate to see us turning our back on this population that's so desperately in need.
[Cooper:] Finally, the picture that was put out by ISIS of what they say is the device which brought down the Russian plane in the Sinai, how confident are you that TSA in the United States would be able to catch such a device that would whether or not that would show up on radar and screening by TSA?
[Schiff:] Well, this is a grave concern of mine and frankly, I think it's a much bigger risk than anything having to do with the refugee program and that is when we test our TSA, all too often they fail and that is when we do blind tests of whether we can smuggle weapons or explosives in all too often TSA fails to meet those tests and that has to change. We have a new director of TSA and I think he's very well-regarded and respected and I think he is trying to change that but until I see different results, I'm going to continue to press on this because it remains, I think, a real vulnerability for us.
[Cooper:] Congressman Schiff, I appreciate your time. Thank you.
[Schiff:] Thanks, Anderson.
[Cooper:] A real vulnerability he said, a grave concern. Those were his words according to Congressman Schiff. Let's take one more look at that image released by ISIS of the device that says brought down the Russian airliner over Egypt. A soda can and the components of a bomb ISIS says was inside. I want to bring in CNN security and intelligence analyst and former CIA officer Bob Baer. I mean, the bomb that they claim, you said it could be legitimate, it's a relatively simple device. It's I mean, not particularly complex, a small amount of explosives but do we have any idea if I mean, if it really is for real and I mean, I think a lot of people find it hard to believe that something that small could bring down an enormous aircraft.
[Robert Baer, Former Cia Officer:] Well, Anderson, clearly a bomb of that size could easily bring down that aircraft, that airbus very easily and in fact, you could do with a lot less explosives. Frankly, I think what we're going to find out and it's just a guess is that they're going to find forensics on the ground that matches that can and the detonator. Let's wait and see on that. But that's a crude bomb and I think the TSA could probably catch it. It's the other ones that they failed at. As you've mentioned before, 95%, there are bombs that I've seen that you could get through TSA with 100% certainty. They're so well disguised, the wiring, the explosives. Even the explosives themselves are nearly undetectable and very small detonators. So aviation security is a real threat. Now the question is, does ISIS have this capability in this country or even in Europe, but for me, what bothers me now is the ground staff both in this country and Europe is not completely vetted and that's the easiest way to get it in and it doesn't matter how crude the bomb is, you can still bring an airplane down.
[Cooper:] Yeah, and we've seen that in the United States. I mean, there was the case in Atlanta of a baggage handler who was shipping weapons around the country using his access to get cargo on to an aircraft, which is just stunning and if it was guns, it could have been anything else.
[Baer:] And the young guy in Minneapolis who was a baggage handler who went off to Syria and was killed in a raid. Yes, so that's a real possibility at every airport in this country, you have unvetted people and, you know, it's aspirational at this point and clearly, if they were a threat, we would hear about it. What concerns me, Anderson, always is the continued violence in the Middle East increases the risk in this country and I'm not going to say they're going to eventually hit us, but the likelihood of it goes up by the day, more violence there is.
[Cooper:] Bob, appreciate you being on. Just ahead, new details about the assault on ISIS in Syria. Adversaries and allies coming together to bombard a common enemy. Nick Paton Walsh got the reports on what he saw.