Jeff Sessions Speaks on National Security; New York Attack Details
BERMAN: All right, you're looking at live pictures of the attorney general of the united states, Jeff Sessions, right now. He is talking about terror investigations and what he wants to see in general going forward. We'll check in with this in just a moment. Actually, you know what, let's listen in right now to what the attorney general's saying.</s>JEFF SESSIONS, ATTORNEY GENERAL: On the first precinct, its quick response, courageous action, under pressure, prevented the attack from getting worse. He's rightly regarded as a hero today. Not just in New York, but across America. He symbolizes the best in law enforcement. I remember at the Capitol a number of years ago I saw a young officer just racing past me. And there was a shooting outside the Capitol. He didn't know what was out there. Could have been a gang of terrorists with automatic weapons and things. He was going to the fight. That's what our law enforcement officers do. We need to validate them. We need to affirm them. And we need to -- if somebody in a department does wrong, they need to be punished. But we need to affirm steadfastly the great officers who serve us every day and put their lives on the line for us. This morning, I attended the roll call with officers from the 13th Precinct, some of whom responded to the 9/11 attacks.</s>BERMAN: All right, the attorney general right there, Jeff Sessions, talking about the hero police officer, Ryan Nash (ph), who saved uncounted number of lives here in New York City by taking down the assailant, the terrorists, in lower Manhattan two days ago. We are learning new details about this killer. Let's go to New Jersey. CNN's Athena Jones is in Patterson, where the suspect most recently lived. Athena, what are you learning?</s>ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, John. Well, we know that the suspect appeared in court last night. He didn't say much in that initial appearance. He did not enter a plea according to a source. But he is talking to authorities. Authorities, investigators, have learned he had been planning Tuesday's attack for a year. According to the criminal complaint in this case, Saipov told investigators that he decided two months ago to use a truck in order to, quote, inflict maximum damage against civilians. Now, yesterday, I, and along with a few other reporters, spoke with a neighbor of Saipov, Carlos Batista, who mentioned having seen a Home Depot truck, similar to the one used in Tuesday's attack, parked in and around this neighborhood over the last couple of weeks or more. Listen to our discussion with Carlos Batista.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How long have you been seeing him around?</s>CARLOS BATISTA, SUSPECT'S NEIGHBOR: Since I've been here. About a year.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So for how long you see this truck backing</s>BATISTA: Oh, the truck's been here for about three weeks, on and off.</s>JONES: And you believe it was at least a similar truck, if not the same truck that was --</s>BATISTA: It has to be the same truck. It has to be the same truck.</s>JONES: And tell us again about when you would see it, where you would you see it.</s>BATISTA: In front of the house. It would be parked by his, you know, his parking lot. It would just be all over this block. It would just be all over.</s>JONES: So this was Carlos Batista talking yesterday about having seen that truck. And, in fact, he was able to capture a photograph of that truck on October 22nd. That's about ten days before the attack, ten days or so before the attack. We know from the criminal complaint that Saipov rented a truck -- rented the truck on October 22nd to practice making turns, to practice getting a handle of driving it. Batista said he happened to be taking pictures of a vehicle he wanted to sell and he captured this Home Depot truck in the background. I believe we have those pictures. You can put up on the screen. They are exclusive to CNN. Batista also says that he saw Saipov in that truck before and after that photo was taken, again, on October 22nd. So some interesting details emerging from right here in this neighborhood, from witnesses and neighbors who knew of Saipov and who saw him frequently. John.</s>BERMAN: All right, Athena Jones, thanks so much. We do want to tell you that all eight of the victims in the deadly truck attack here have been identified. Five of them part of a group of friends visiting from Argentina, Hernan Ferruchi, Alejandro Damian Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij, Hernan Diego Mendoza, Diego Enrique Angelini. Those five men killed. They were part of a reunion here in New York City. So sad. There is also Anne Laure Decadt, a 31-year-old mother from Belgium, who was vacationing with her family. Her husband says she was a fantastic woman and a brilliant mother to their children. Thirty-two-year-old Darren Drake of New Jersey. He served on his local school board. The school's superintendent says Drake was a good man with a huge heart and unwavering commitment. Hearing his father talk about him is heartbreaking. And Nicholas Cleves, a 23-year-old from New York City, recent graduated from college, from Skidmore. Got an engineering job in the city. Our hearts go out to all of them and their families. We'll be right back.