U.S. Shoots at Released Hostage's Car, Killing One; Syria Under Pressure to Withdraw from Lebanon
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Happening now: a developing story involving an Italian journalist, a former hostage in Iraq. Moments after being released, U.S. forces opened fire on the car carrying her and others to the airport. Tonight the Italian prime minister is asking for accountability. We're live this Baghdad, in Rome and at the Pentagon. Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.</s>BLITZER (voice-over): Eviction notice.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Syrian troops, Syria's intelligence services must get out of Lebanon now.</s>BLITZER: Will Damascus give in to the latest demand? Justice for all? American citizens caught up in an anti-terror campaign, are their rights being ignored? I'll ask the new attorney general, Alberto Gonzales. Desolate and decrepit. Just yards from North Korea, a close look at the Stalinist state from a slow boat in China. House arrest on a 153-acre estate. It's not a bad thing for Martha Stewart, except...</s>MARTHA STEWART, FOUNDER, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: I don't have an cappuccino.</s>BLITZER: No cappuccino.</s>ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, March 4, 2005.</s>BLITZER: It happened in a flash, euphoria turned to horror in the fog of war. An Italian journalist was freed today after a month as a hostage in Iraq. But on her way to the airport, U.S. soldiers opened fire on her car. In Italy there's shock and outage. CNN's Alessio Vinci will join us live from Rome. At the Pentagon, there's a search for answers. CNN's Barbara Starr standing by with the latest from there. But we begin in Baghdad with our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson. Nic, tell us how this day unfolded.</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Giuliana Sgrena had been in insurgent capacity for about the last month. She was picked up by them, by gunmen outside the University of Baghdad on the fourth of February. There she'd been interviewing people. She was picked up, bundled into insurgents' cars. Over the last month or so, there have been various indications that maybe she was going to be released. She was released today. She was released into the custody of Italian Special -- Special Forces agents here in Iraq. She was in a vehicle, after dark driving towards Baghdad's International Airport along a very dangerous stretch of road that links the center of Baghdad to that airport. Now what we know that happened next, the U.S. military says that about 8:55 in the evening, a car was approaching one of their checkpoints. A patrol at that checkpoint saw the car approaching. It was approaching at high speed, they said. They waved at it. They flashed white lights at it. They fired shots in front of it. And then they say they fired shots into the engine block. When the car stopped, two of the occupants -- one of the occupants had been killed, two were injured. Giuliana Sgrena had been -- is being taken and treated in a medical facility here. One of those that died was -- was believed, at least, being one of the -- one of the Italian Special Forces agents who'd helped negotiate her release, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right. Nic Robertson, stand by in Italy, where participation in the multinational force is not popular. There's been a full range of emotions, elation, anger and heartache. Let's go live now to CNN's Rome bureau chief, Alessio Vinci. Alessio, what's the immediate reaction from the Italian government?</s>ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The immediate reaction, Wolf, was to summon the Italian -- the U.S. ambassador to Italy, Mel Sembler, who we understand at this time is about to leave his residence here in Rome to go to the office of Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, Mr. Berlusconi saying that he needs an explanation about what happened, and he also said that someone must take responsibility for this incident. The Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has given a news conference about a couple of hours ago. He did not elaborate at which speed the car was traveling, but it did confirm that one of the occupants in the car, one of the security -- the secret service agents who was negotiating, had negotiated the release of Sgrena, was actually killed directly by fire, shots -- by shots fired from the U.S. side. He also said that all the other occupants in the car, two other agents, as well as Ms. Sgrena, were indeed wounded. Meanwhile in the newsroom here in Rome, of "Il Manifesto" newspaper, where Giuliana Sgrena worked, the mood clearly dampened when people heard of the news that she had been shot at. And therefore, there was a lot of apprehension, and I can tell you now, Italian newscasts here are going really crazy about this information. As you mentioned Wolf, this war was not very popular here in Italy, and this incident clearly an embarrassing moment for the Italian prime minister. Back to you.</s>BLITZER: All right. Alessio Vinci, stand by as well. As Italy demands answers, the U.S. military is trying to provide them. Let's go to our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. Barbara, what are they saying there?</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this could not have come at a more sensitive time, of course, for the Pentagon, for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the Bush administration. President Bush in the last few minutes, already expressing his regret at this incident and saying, of course, that it is under full investigation. As Alessio says the Italian government had had its political issues with support in that country for the war in Iraq. So certainly a difficulty here at the Pentagon. Now, this high-speed car that has been referred to by the U.S. military, the failure of the car to stop, the use of hand signals, of flashing lights and firing of shots in front of the car, those are typical tactics used by the U.S. military when they have a high-speed car coming at them at a checkpoint in Iraq and they have concerns that it may be a suicide car bomb attack. They did go to the next step which, again, is one of their accepted procedures -- to fire into the engine block to stop the car. They have a lot of concerns in the U.S. military in Iraq. They've had several suicide car bomb attacks, of course, and they use all the measures that they can if a car does not stop when it is approaching. These have happened before. The U.S. military has expressed its regrets many times. The investigation will certainly focus on what was the communication. How is it that this high-speed car could have approached, did not see the signals to stop? And how is it that the U.S. military was unaware, perhaps, of who was in the car -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: The fog of war indeed. Barbara Starr, reporting for us at the Pentagon. We'll be following this story. Terrible tragedy in Iraq today. After two decades of having its way, largely, in Lebanon, Syria has now come under extraordinary international pressure to withdraw its forces. And the pressure has just intensified. Let's bring in our Brian Todd with more -- Brian.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, many observers believe Syrian President Bashar Assad is facing his biggest political crisis ever. And today President Bush turned up the heat about as high as it can go.</s>TODD (voice-over): The language could hardly be more direct.</s>BUSH: Syria, Syrian troops, Syria's intelligence services must get out of Lebanon now.</s>TODD: The pressure on Syria's leader could hardly be greater. Even Arab states are piling on President Bashar Assad. Saudi officials say their Crown Prince Abdullah told Mr. Assad if he doesn't begin withdrawal from Lebanon as quickly as possible, Syrian relations with Riyadh will suffer. The new Palestinian foreign minister joins in.</s>NASSER AL-KIDWA, PALESTINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Obviously, now people understand that, at some point, somehow, there should be a Syrian withdrawal, and it seems that it's inevitable.</s>TODD: Assad himself told "TIME" magazine this week Syria should begin withdrawing its 15,000 troops from Lebanon soon. But how soon? A top official in Damascus, as well as Syria's ambassadors to Washington and the U.N. did not return our calls for comment. Assad is expected to deliver a speech Saturday to Syria's parliament. A former top Lebanese official tells CNN he expects Assad to announce a partial withdrawal and a redeployment of some Syrian troops in Lebanon toward the border. Analysts agree Assad may try to stall.</s>HISHAM MELHEM, CORRESPONDENT, "AN-NAHAR": He's going to backtrack a little. He would say, "Look, even logistically it will be extremely difficult for us to complete the withdrawal within a few months or, you know, within six months. Give me some time."</s>TODD: But how will that play, now that Russia, an historic Syrian ally, has joined the chorus and even the U.S. and France agree?</s>BUSH: When the United States and France and others say withdrawal, we mean complete withdrawal, no halfhearted measures.</s>TODD: Assad seems to have been caught off guard by the pace of events. Sparked by last month's assassination in Beirut of a former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, the most powerful figure to contest Syria's occupation. Thousands of Lebanese took to the streets, many blaming Damascus for the attack. Syria denied involvement. But the pressure now comes from much higher levels, and Mr. Assad's political survival may hinge on his response.</s>TODD: The pressure also comes internally. Members of the Lebanese political opposition and some analysts say elements of the Syrian military and intelligence services have interests in Lebanon and are squeezing Mr. Assad to keep a Syrian presence there -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Brian Todd with the latest on that. We'll be watching that story. Brian, thank you very much. The president's comments on Syria came as he kicked off a 60-day, 60-city campaign to sell his Social Security reform plan. The president told a crowd in Westfield, New Jersey, that within just 13 years the money going out of Social Security coffers will exceed the money coning in. The president wants younger workers to be able to invest part of their Social Security taxes in private accounts, but according to recent polls that idea has at best only lukewarm support. The president began his day by nominating a new chief for the Environmental Protection Agency. Acting administrator, Steve Johnson, has spent 24 years at the EPA. If confirmed, he'd be the first professional scientist to head the agency. The president says he wants Johnson to press Congress to pass the Clear Skies Plan to reduce power plant pollution. The plan has stalled in the Senate. Critics say it doesn't go far enough. Martha Stewart is out of prison and back where she wants to be, at home. Perhaps also she wants to be in the spotlight, because she is. The home making maven, turned convicted felon, returned to her estate in Bedford, New York, overnight, appearing thinner, happier, and may we mention, a lot richer than when she went to prison only five months ago. CNN's Mary Snow is following all of these developments for us. She's joining us live from Bedford -- Mary.</s>MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, not only is Martha Stewart back in the spotlight, she's embracing it. She certainly seemed to savor her first taste of freedom from prison. And with so many wondering how she has changed since she's been in prison, it seems to be clear that one thing has stayed the same, and that's her resilience.</s>SNOW (voice-over): With cameras watching her, helicopters overhead, perhaps Martha Stewart summed up her situation best, as she set out to make lemonade out of lemons.</s>STEWART: People make jokes about making lemons into lemonade, but I actually really like lemons, and these are my first lemons in five months.</s>SNOW: Lemons to lemonade, convicted felon to media darling, Martha Stewart was out with her dog, petting her horses on her first day of freedom from five months in prison. With Camp Cupcake a memory, Martha Stewart returned to her role as host, offering hot chocolate to the press and sharing a story about the lack of cappuccino in prison.</s>STEWART: This is a funny story. We'd ask the guards every day for cappuccino just as a joke. And they'd come in with their cups of coffee and stuff. And so I get here, and I have a spot for a cappuccino machine, and it didn't work. So I don't have any cappuccino.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She doesn't have any cappuccino. She doesn't have any cappuccino. The cappuccino machine does not work.</s>STEWART: No, I didn't miss cappuccino at all. It's the idea I missed.</s>SNOW: Unlike her entrance to prison, Stewart made a very public exit with her daughter Alexis by her side, Stewart's company even going out of its way to accommodate the press, cameras capturing a smiling Stewart boarding a charter plane in Greenbrier, West Virginia, shortly after 1 a.m. in the morning. Stewart issued a statement on her web site, saying the experience in Alderson has been life altering and life affirming, adding, "You can be sure I will never forget the friends that I met here," saying, "I'm thrilled to be returning to my more familiar life." But as Stewart returned to her 153-acre estate in Bedford, all is not familiar. For the next five months of home confinement, she'll be allowed to leave for 48 hours a week, mostly for work, and she'll have to wear an electronic bracelet to monitor her movements.</s>SNOW: Now, Stewart has until midnight on Sunday to contact her probation officer. Once they meet, that electronic device, that ankle bracelet, will be attached to her. That will stay on the entire time of home confinement. And they'll also hammer out her schedule. Any kind of movement has to first be approved by that probation officer -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right. Mary Snow in Bedford, New York. Thanks, Mary, very much. When we come back, terrorism and a no torture policy, will the rules ever be changed?</s>BLITZER: When you capture a terrorist who says, "A nuclear or radiological bomb is in Manhattan, it's going to go off in 30 minutes, and I'm not talking," would you then torture that person?</s>BLITZER: Hear the answer when I go one-on-one with the new attorney general of the United States, Alberto Gonzales. Dangerous training: a Marine officer speaks out about risky training practices and what he calls a completes disregard for safety, a story you will see only on CNN. And later, a view few Americans have ever seen. We'll take you for a rare look inside North Korea.