did that was an individual who captured his imagination. but picasso is an artist who worked so quickly and had so many ideas that -- >> i love it. >> we'reusing these canvases wa part of his process. >> susan franks, joining us live. i can't wait to see that in person. i bet you can't wait to see wolf blitzer. he starts right now. thanks for being with us. right now, the u.s. captures a key suspect in the benghazi attack that left four americans dead. a libyan militia leader is now in u.s. custody. the first arrest in connection with the 2012 attack. also right now, isis fighters move in closer and closer to baghdad. gun battles with the iraqi security forces are under way just north of the capital. our own anderson cooper is there. he'll join us live this hour. right now, hillary clinton getting ready to face what could be her toughest audience yet.

iraq, benghazi, clint on's new book, "fair game," all topics of cnn's exclusive town hall event. hello, i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. we start with the breaking news out of libya. one of the prime suspects in the 2012 attack in benghazi has been captured, and he is in u.s. custody. four americans died in the attack. the white house released a statement from president obama that reads, in part, this individual will now face the full weight of the american justice system. barbara starr's over at the pentagon. she's got details. our senior international correspondent arwa damon is standing by in iraq. this is the first arrest connected with the benghazi attack. give us the details. what is the pentagon saying?

wolf, more than just an arrest, this was a capture by u.s. special operations forces. they're not telling us which unit, but special operations forces means tier one guys. this is the level of s.e.a.l. team 6, delta force. these are the ones that go into these types of contested areas. we're told this happened near benghazi. not perhaps in the city center itself. suggesting perhaps that ahmed abu khattalah has been traveling or moving around. we know the u.s. military, the intelligence personnel and the fbi now had their eyes on him for some time. they were developing the very specific intelligence, when and where to move in. they had tried back in october to get him. that attempt did not work out. they've been keeping eyes on n benghazi very quietly for the last several months. we expect more details in the coming hours and days perhaps on how this mission went down.

but abu ckhattalah, now, as the president said, will face u.s. justice. he is expected, we're told, to be on his way to the united states in the coming days. charges in washington, d.c. have been unsealed. they include, i want to read them to you, killing a person in the course of an attack on a federal facility, providing and attempting and conspiring to provide material support to terrorism, discharging, brandishing, using, carrying firearms. i think arwa will tell you more about all of this and how it relates to what abu khattalah says happened at benghazi, quite different than what the u.s. charges are. they believe that this man was a major mastermind behind the september 2012 attacks that of course killed the u.s. ambassador and three other americans. wolf. >> i want you to stand by. arwa damon is standing by, in erbil iraq right now. you actually met this man, ahmed

abu khattalah, in libya, more than a year ago. you sat down with him. i want to show our viewers your fascinating report. it aired on cnn september of last year. >> u.s. officials have often suggested that they would be interested in speaking to a man named ahmed abu khattalah about the events the night of the attack. he's really not that difficult to find. we met with ahmed abu khattalah in public at the coffee shop of a well-known hotel here in benghazi for around two hours. he seemed to be confident, his demeanor most certainly not that of a man who believed he was going to be detained or targeted any time soon. and he agreed to let us film audio, but not video, of our conversation. he doesn't deny that he was there the night of the attack. [ speaking foreign language ]

he claims he didn't even know the americans had a consulate in benghazi. never mind having any information about a specific location. his narrative is unclear and at times seems to be contradictory. he says when he arrived at the perimeter of the compound, he saw men carrying rocket propelled grenades and medium guns and the gunfire prevented him from entering. by the time he managed to get

inside the compound, everyone, he says, had withdrawn. khattalah claims ambassador stevens suffocated because he was trying to burn important documents. [ speaking foreign language ] but in the long rambling interview, he also accuses the americans of using al qaeda as a boogie man whenever it suits them and adds --

[ speaking foreign language ] >> ahmed abu khattalah. that was an amazing report. you went to libya once again in 2013. that report aired on cnn around the time of the anniversary, 2013, of the attack in benghazi, killing those four americans. you see that now. it's pretty chilling. here's the question, how difficult was it to find him, because it's taken the u.s., clearly, a long time to capture this guy. he was one of the most wanted. >> well, it wasn't that difficult, wolf, as you saw in that report. we weren't the first journalists to speak to him. although we were the first television crew. there had been other print journalists, a handful of them before us, that had managed to reach out to him as well. this was not a man who appeared

concerned for his security either. he had a security detail with him. members of one of the other smaller islamist militias. now what might have been a factor in the duration of time it took for the americans to pinpoint him is, one, the political climate in libya. launching this kind of a snatch and grab operation is one incredibly difficult militarily speaking. also, the americans had a very tenuous relationship with the libyan government. the libyans themselves were reluctant to go after him. they obviously knew exactly where he was all along. we asked if the americans specifically put forward any kind of request for the libyans themselves to go after him. right now, the climate in benghazi is one that has really seen significant operations being launched. going after various other islamist groups. there's been this big backlash. perhaps creating a political

climate inside the country that would allow for less of a backlash after the u.s. launches an operation like this one. but then, also, there's the reality of intelligence gathering. after the cia annex were shut down after the attack, the u.s. lost a significant number of its assets on the ground. its eyes on the ground, its boots on the ground. no longer in benghazi, operating in the way they were. that might have been part of the fact they're contributed to the duration it took the americans to get their hands on him. >> before u.s. special forces caught up with khattalah, arwa damon caught up with khattalah. arwa, thanks very much. we're going to get back to you on what's going on in iraq and other news. stand by. up next, islamist militants pushing closer and closer to the iraqi capital. the latest on isis and its brutal march across baghdad. our own anderson cooper is on the scene. hillary clinton can expect a lot of questions today about the

benghazi terror attack, the capture of this key suspect by u.s. forces who we're now told will be brought before u.s. justice, u.s. court of law in the coming days. hillary clinton getting ready to appear in a few hours from now at a town hall event, moderated by our own christiane amanpour. irritated, itchy, summer skin?

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but the governor says baqubah has not fallen to isis militants. anderson cooper is there. what's the situation now? >> it's been a deadly day outside the capital and inside the capital as well. there were six bombs set off inside baghdad today. five roadside bombs. at least one car bomb in sadr city. at least 12 people killed according to iraqi police. dozens wounded in those multiple bombingings. there is very tight security here in the capital. we went out as soon as we got out of our vehicles, police were on us, asking for identity papers. that has not been enough, though, to stop the bloodshed within the city itself. as you reported, the fight for baqubah continues from all reports. if the -- if isis fighters are able to take baqubah, that will put them within 37 miles of baghdad. that's the closest they have gotten thus far.

and it's basically a straight shot from baqubah to the gates of baghdad, wolf. >> anderson, a top priority of course is protecting, what, about 5,000 americans in baghdad. some of the surrounding areas. most of them in the so-called green zone at that huge u.s. embassy complex. what's the latest on how the u.s. is preparing for whatever may come next, including the possibility of massive evacuations? >> well, as you know, 275 military personnel have been brought to the region. more than 100 sent already to the embassy, since the weekend. said to be about 100 more in the region. that's about all the u.s. military is saying. capable of dealing with airlifts, helicopter transport and the like. all of that really to protect the enormous u.s. embassy, which is really kind of a city within the city itself, inside the green zone. as you said, some 5,000 employees at that embassy. the largest most expensive

embassy that the united states has anywhere in the world. so to evacuate it, that would obviously be a massive challenge, which is one of the reasons they brought in these troops. combat ready troops, according to the white house. but obviously not directly engaged in the fight against isis. >> u.s. taxpayers spent, what, $1 billion, building that embassy complex in the green zone in baghdad. not far away from where you are, anderson. let me get your analysis of this amazing statement released today by prime minister nuri al maliki's office, accusing saudi arabia of appeasing terrorists, providing support to these radical groups. what's going on here? >> certainly saudi arabia, they make the case that the royal family in saudi arabia feels they are under athreat from isis, according to saudi officials. isis has been leafletting some areas in saudi arabia, trying to

get recruits. they view isis as a security threat. maliki is pointing the finger at saudi arabia. the facts on the ground right now is isis has made so much money from the fight in syria, taking over oil fields, exto extorting money, a variety of rackets, looting antiquities and selling them, very high-priced items. now that they have taken over mosul, as you know, they were able to raid government banks as well as private banks and take a lot of gold, hundreds of millions of dollars. this now may be, probably the most well-funded terrorist organization, jihadist organization, in the world with more money than al qaeda in the arabian peninsula or other groups out there. at this point, it seems they have no lack of funds and recruiting more people is probably going to be easier for them, now that they've had successes on the battlefield here in iraq.

>> mosul alone, the second largest city in iraq, nearly 2 million people, they looted all those banks and they walked away, most estimates suggesting at least half a billion dollars, $500 million in cash and in gold among other priceless items. anderson, thanks very much. anderson will host -- will anchor a special edition of ac 360 once again live tonight from baghdad, 8:00 p.m. eastern, right here on cnn. he will interview, among tony blair, the former british prime minister. anderson, thanks very much. with isis fighters just miling from baghdad, i'll ask the former u.s. ambassador to iraq, james jeffrey, what needs to be done to make sure that compound is secure. replace your laptop? start with the best writing experience. make it incredibly thin. add an adjustable kickstand,

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comcast business. built for business. the heart of american operations in iraq of course is the u.s. embassy in baghdad. right now, the u.s. is mobilizing troops to protect the compound. there are hundreds more on standby as well as dozens of helicopters. our tom foreman takes a closer look at what's at stake. >> if you look at a map of iraq, you can see that baghdad is more or less in the middle of the country. baghdad, in the middle of the city, you can find the heavily protected green zone. that's where the u.s. emwabassy is, boarded on the south side by the tigris river. completed at the cost of $2350 million, biggest embassy in the world. it is guarded on all sides.

there are barricades. there are switch k bas. and there are guard posts at every place you might get inside this giant blast wall designed to protect it from any sort of attack. the man presiding over all of this is ambassador steven becroft. he lived inside here. there are half a dozen apartment buildings for staff. offices handle everything from trade deals to visas to agriculture. there are about 5,600 workers who labor each day behind these fortified walls, troops standing by to protect them in the event of an attack. they can't leave without heavy guard. as a result, this is a place where they have to have everything they need. there's a swimming pool. there are tennis courts. there's a cafeteria. there's even a movie theater. and the ability to generate their own water and power. all part of the cost of doing business in a very dangerous part of the world.

>> tom foreman reporting, thank you. what options does the united states have to make sure those people at the u.s. embassy are protected? there are other americans, lots of them, in other places of iraq. let's bring in the former deputy national security adviser and the former ambassador to iraq, james jeffrey. thanks for joining us. can you believe we're even talking about security at the u.s. embassy in baghdad right now, and the fear that those 5,000 americans who are there could be in danger, they have to be evacuated? what does that say to you? >> what it says is there's a breakdown in the overall security of the host nation. at the end of the day, the host nation has the primary responsibility. when that begins melting away, as we see now, the president and his top advisers are going to focus on this night and day. this isn't benghazi. they're doing everything they can under these circumstances to ensure the embassy remains safe.

but the underlying situation, particularly places like baqubah and to the south of baghdad falling under the sway of the isis is a danger to essentially cut off and besiege the city. that's worry number one. >> the president yesterday announced he wrote to congress as part of the war powers act, he was dispatching 275 combat equipped u.s. troops to the embassy area, the so-called green zone, to protect americans. 275 doesn't sound like a whole lot, but here's a question, i don't know if you know the answer off the top of your head. do these american combat forces who are now being dispatched to baghdad, will they have immunity from iraqi prosecution? because that was the big sticking point when all u.s. troops were withdrawn, as far as the status of forces agreement that never really materialized. >> it's a very good question, wolf. but in an emergency situation, the president, as commander in chief, can do everything under the constitution to protect

americans and that's the underlying reason why those american troops are now there. >> when i hear 275 are on their way, i begin to worry that could just be the beginning. there may be a whole lot more troops needed. is that your fear as well? >> it's not my fear. first of all, the president has promised no american boots on the ground, other than these. and that's a valid position. what he has to consider, and i'm sure they are considering, is to use air power to stop this drive on baghdad itself. if they can do that, that will stabilize the situation, relieve the pressure on us for the epbase and most importantly, preclude iran from intervening with significant ground troops on the side of the largely shia government. that's the immediate problem. the political situation and what to do with the huge chunk of iraq under isis control now, that's a longer term problem. >> you think it's the beginning

of the end of nuri al maliki in iraq? >> i think he has an uncertain future as prime minister. >> his office issues a statement, accusing saudi arabia of being behind this isis terrorist attack on iraq. what do you make of that decision, by the office of the prime minister in baghdad? >> there's always been bad relations between the maliki government and king abdullah of saudi arabia and the fault has not been entirely on maliki's fault, on maliki's side. but nonetheless, the kurds are very unhappy at the relationship with baghdad right now. maliki's going to have to change his tune and do many things differently, very quickly of, wolf, if he wants to hold his country together. >> james jeffrey, the former u.s. ambassador in baghdad. ambassador, thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> thank you. just ahead this hour, president obama under a lot of pressure to respond to the

crisis in iraq. a democratic congressman says not so fast, mr. president. congressman adam shift of the intelligence committee standing by to join us live. also, hillary clinton prepares for an exclusive town hall event today, moderated by our ownmanp. what will clinton say about the arrest of a key suspect in the benghazi attack? get your all-time favorites like creamy chicken alfredo. plus unlimited salad and breadsticks and dessert. 2 for $25 guest favorites at olive garden. (music) defiance is in our bones. defiance never grows old. citracal maximum. calcium citrate plus d. highly soluble, easily absorbed. [ chainsaw buzzing ] humans.

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record a memo. idea for sales giveaway. return a call. sign a contract. pick a tie. take a break with mr. duck. practice up for the business trip. fly to florida. win an award. close a deal. hire an intern. and still have time to spare. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business. built for business. welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. we're following the breaking news, the capture by u.s. forces of a key suspect in the benghazi attack that killed the u.s. ambassador chris stevens and three other americans. cnn has learned the suspect identified as ahmed abu khattalah will be brought to the

united states within days and will appear in a federal court here in washington, d.c. perhaps no one has more at stake in this than hillary clinton right now, assuming she wants to run for president of the united states. she was secretary of state at the time of the benghazi terror attack and benghazi is certain to come up today when hillary appears in a televised town hall meeting that will be aired right here on cnn, 5:00 p.m. eastern. it will be not rate e moderated chief international correspondent christiane amm amanpo amanpour. our chief political analyst gloria borger. it takes place at 5:00 p.m. eastern, a fewer hours from now, brianna. how might today's arrest, this capture of this terror suspect, affect the dynamics of what's going to take place at the museum where you? >> i definitely think it's going

to come up. hillary clinton will of course welcome the arrest. i also think because it increases the chance that whatever she says on benghazi really makes a whole lot more news, that part might not be very welcome from her. polls show americans view her time at the state department as very positive. when you look at the issue of benghazi, that is a bruise on her resume. to that -- to that, i think she doesn't want to be talking about it a whole lot. so right now when you look at the polls, in fact, cnn's poll that was just out yesterday, 55% of americans are dissatisfied with how she handled benghazi. 50% dissatisfied with the obama administration. but overall, they're pretty pleased with her on all types of domestic and international issues. so this is really the one for her that kind of stands out as a negative. >> everyone remembers some of the testimony she had when she said those famous words, what difference does it make. she's been getting a lot of

criticism for that. these poll numbers, 55% say they're dissatisfied with the way she handled benghazi, 43% say they're satisfied. this is going to be a problem for her. >> yes, i think it's something that's going to dog her. one is that she was the ceo effectively. that she was not directly responsible for the security at every embassy. and secondly, she said, look, this is a great country. we shouldn't be paying small ball. we should be in the major leagues. and let's move on. and that the state department enacted every change that was recommended by an exhaustive study after benghazi. so she wants to kind of pivot off of this. now with this arrest today, as brianna points out, i think it will be more difficult for her to pivot off it. however, the administration did get the guy, so that does help her. >> one of the guys. >> and then you'll hear more of the story.

>> i'm sure we'll be hearing. brianna, you're there, getting ready for the town hall event. what's the process for people who may be watching right now to submit possible questions? >> well, this is one of the really cool things about this, wolf. this is the only network televised town hall meeting. and people can get engaged in this. cnn has partnered with tumblr. you can go to cnn.com/townhall and you can submit questions. some of these questions have been curated but we're still looking at questions. also, during the -- during the town hall, go on twitter and do that, use #cnntownhall. hillary clinton, we expect, will be asked about a lot of things from folks in the audience. as well as from the folks on tumblr and also christiane. there is a team of editorial

staff working right now. they have a very close hold on the questions they've got so far. secretary clinton isn't aware of what they are. there are going to be a lot of topics. really, nothing's off the table. >> the town hall will take place from 5:00 p.m. eastern, until 6:00 p.m. eastern. it will be followed by a special "situation room" from the neuseum. i'll be heading over there myself. we'll do a one-hour special "situation room" after the town hall. we'll speak to some of the people who actually asked questions. as brianna just said, no questions will be off limits. see you later on that. up next, what to do about the crisis in iraq. a democratic congressman says the president should be very wary of calling for air strikes. representative adam schiff of the intelligence committee. he has deep concerns about the u.s. launching air strikes. ♪

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u.s. forces have captured a key suspect in the attack in benghazi, libya. a u.s. official says a lib yab militia leader charged in the attack was arrested over the weekend. congressman adam schiff of california is on the subcommittee investigating benghazi. thank you very much for coming in. what do you make of this capture, this arrest, he's being brought here to washington, d.c., ahmed abuhl khattalah. he's being charged with planning the killing of these four americans. you must have been surprised when you heard it. >> i was surprised, very pleased. this is someone i think we've had our eyes on for quite some time. it's a difficult operating environment. also in terms of making the grab that we did -- >> he's not the only one though, right, there are a bunch of

others the u.s. is looking for who worked allegedly with him. >> absolutely. he's one of the key leaders of ansar al sharia which is one of the main militant organizations responsible in that attack. a great many militant organizations but he's one of the key players in one of the key militant organizations. >> here's what i don't understand. maybe you can explain this. you've been investigating benghazi literally from day one. why has it taken so long? especially, we had a report earlier, arwa damon was in libya, may of last year, 2013. she interviewed this guy. she caught up with him. other journalists have caught up with him at a coffee shop in benghazi. it's taken this long for the u.s. to find this guy. >> it's been very frustrating. i think there were several factors at work. first, we had to make sure we had the evidence to go after this guy. it took a long time to sort through the events of that horrendous tragedy and figure out who was responsible what roles they played what witness, we had what evidence we had. then we had a very impermissive

environment. yes, reporters were able to get to him. it's one thing for a reporter to be able to get to a swaggering culprit who's willing to sit down with them. it's another to get in, to grab someone and get out without getting our people killed. and then finally, you have the potential of really disrupting the libyan government itself that i think was a concern and i think is less of a concern now. >> that libyan government doesn't seem to be much of a government. the place seems to be falling apart. correct me if i'm wrong. >> no, absolutely, in far worse shape than it was during the time of the benghazi attack. think ultimately we concluded that whatever impact it would have on the libyan government was just not going to sway us. >> let's talk a little bit. because i assume -- hold on, the president of the united states is about to make a statement. >> -- on a consulate office there. i said at the time that my absolute commitment was to make sure that we brought to justice those who have been responsible.

and yesterday our special forces showing incredible courage and precision, were able to capture an individual, abdul khattalah, who was -- who is alleged to have been one of the masterminds of the attack. and he is -- [ applause ] -- he is now being transported back to the united states. i say that, first of all, because we continue to think about and pray for the families of those who were killed during that terrible attack. more importantly, it's a message to the world, that when americans are attacked, no matter how lock ng it takes, we will find those responsible and we will bring them to justice.

regardless how long it takes, we will find you. i want to make sure everyone around the world hears that message very clearly. my duty as commander in chief is to keep the american people safe. there are a lot of danger, out there and a lot of challenges. our diplomats serve with incredible courage and valor in some very difficult situations. they need to know that this country has their back and will always go after anybody who goes after us. now, with that in mind, let me get to the point of this gathering here today. i want to thank mark and jim for the great work -- >> all right, so you heard the president, deviating from his earlier comments, scheduled comments, to make a statement, obviously praising the u.s. special operations forces who

went into libya and captured this terror suspect, ahmed abu khattalah. one of the so-called masterminds of the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi in november of 2012, on 9/11/2012 that killed an american ambassador and three other americans. adam schiff, on the select committee on the benghazi com t investigation, is still with us. you think what he just said is really going to quiet the critics of the president, the secretary of state, on this whole benghazi terror attack? because the criticism sense it occurred has been very intense. >> no, i don't think so. the criticism has not only been intense, but it's been populated with conspiracy theory that migrate as each one is deburnnk, on to a new one. so there's nothing the president can do or say. but i do think in terms of the american people, they will be

very grateful, i think we all are, that one of those that was a mastermind of this has been captured and will be prosecuted and brought to justice. i think it's very positive news. >> they're bringing him to a federal court in washington, d.c. where he will be interested. they're not sending him as an enemy combatant to guantanamo bay. are you surprised by that? >> i'm not surprised. the last person we picked up in libya was brought to federal court. i think the administration wants to move away from using military tribunals. and wants to show us, indeed, past prosecutions have, that the criminal courts are capable of handling terrorism cases. they've got a much better track record than do the military commissions in guantanamo. >> you issued a strong statement. you were here with me last week as well, saying to the president, not so fast as far as authorizing air strikes in iraq against these isis forces. why are you so concerned about that possibility? >> i think the biggest problem,

the shiite government has excluded the sunnis. if we jump in on the side of one, we will be perceived by the sunnis as another part of the problem. it won't solve why isis has been able to track these sunni ghu communities. maliki and his government have pushed them into the arm, of isis. lobbing bombs is not going to make a difference and it may embitter people on the ground further against the united states. >> they're only 40 miles from baghdad. >> that's true, but i think we're beginning to see the resistance stiffen. as the shia military, as the shia militias find this is the battleground. i think isis is going to find getting territory much more difficult. the key is to break away those sunni communities from isis in the north. i think we can do that, but we

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hard to believe but in iraq, militant isis fighters are less

than 40 miles away from the capital of baghdad. they are moving closer and closer. they are also battling for control of baquba, that's 37 miles to the north. they have looted the police station there. the government insists the insurgents are not in control of the town. let's get some serious analysis. i'm joined by tara mallor of the new america foundation and cnn's chief national security correspondent, jim sciutto. is it really possible, i asked the former u.s. ambassador to baghdad, is it really possible these guys could take baghdad? >> it's not very likely for a few reasons. one, it's the capital. big concentration of iraqi forces there who want to defend it. two, you have had a call to arms for shiites, from shiite clerics who are coming in. there is a run on iraqi military uniforms, you hear, because people want to volunteer for the fight. three, also because baghdad is very much a shiite city. the sunni population down to 15% after clashes going back to 2008 and the isis has advantages in the areas where it is a sunni

majority population. that's been the case so far in the northern part of the country. very different when you get to baghdad. >> how serious is this fear? you understand iraq very well. that the civil war we have seen over the past three years in syria, where more than 100,000 people have been killed, maybe millions have been made homeless, refugees, three million outside the country, four million internally, a similar situation could develop in iraq? >> well, i don't know that as bad as we have seen it over the past year or so, however, there is a lot of reason to be concerned. you saw in syria groups taking large swaths of territory where they are getting financial gain through oil fields, they are getting population gain through recruiting fighters and getting weaponry. you do have potential for that to develop in parts of iraq, where insurgents have taken over. i agree with jim i don't think that's likely for baghdad mostly because of the demographic breakdown and the size of the i is it itself. almost nine million people. mosul is only around two million. >> you have been doing great

reporting in "the washington post." how good is u.s. intelligence what's going on inside iraq? >> we want to know how close the tribal people, the sunnis are the key group in this case, how much are they supporting the isis folks. if you remember back in the middle of the last decade, isis or its predecessors had trouble with sunni tribes. they sort of split with isis. now it's the other way. the sunnis are supporting isis and helping them actually move forward and take over cities. so the question intelligence wants to know is how good are the ties. >> the fact that nuri al maliki's number are now accusing saudi arabia of basically fomenting this kind of terror attack on baghdad and other cities in iraq, what do you make of that? >> it's kind of a loose charge. all along, some of the folks on the shiite side have been saying the gulf arabs have been sending money and weapons in support. i think the saudis are trying to

control what goes into the groups in syria. it's a bit of a loaded charge. >> a lot of americans worry about getting dragged in once again into iraq given the experience that started back in 2003. this president really doesn't want that to happen. >> no. he's made that clear, one by saying he won't put boots on the ground but two, you can say based on the pace of the response so far, this has been several days now where the administration has been considering options, having late night meetings, looking at the pluses and minuses. they are clearly not in any rush to act, particularly when you're talking about more kinetic things like air strikes, et cetera. clearly they will do something, intelligence sharing, this kind of thing. but in terms of kinetic military action, they have no rush. they are in no rush. >> you agree. >> i agree, but i also think the administration is losing time to do whatever it is they're going to do. i don't know that anything that's going to develop in the next 24 or 48 hours will change that calculus. if behind the scenes they are putting stronger demands on

maliki, we aren't seeing that. we haven't heard the administration come out with what they are asking maliki to do. >> hold on for a moment, guys. i want to continue this conversation right after this break. humans. even when we cross our "ts" and dot our "i's", we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness with our auto policies. if you qualify, your rates won't go up due to your first accident. because making mistakes is only human, and so are we. we also offer new car replacement, so if you total your new car, we'll give you the money for a new one. call liberty mutual insurance at... and ask us all about our auto features, like guaranteed repairs, where if you get into an accident and use one of our certified repair shops, the repairs are guaranteed for life. so call... to talk with an insurance expert about everything that comes standard

with our base auto policy. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? sea captain: there's a narratorstorm cominhe storm narrator: that whipped through the turbine which poured... surplus energy into the plant which generously lowered its price and tipped off the house which used all that energy to stay warm through the storm. chipmunk: there's a bad storm comin! narrator: the internet of everything is changing how energy works. is your network ready?" once again, we are joined by jim sciutto. the this whole idea of isis

terrorists developing agents or terrorists who could come not only to europe but actually to the united states and plot terror attacks here, how realistic is that? >> you know, when baghdadi, the current leader, was released from prison in 2009, he had been held by our forces for several years, one of his parting words to the american forces was see you in new york. >> i believe the exact quote was i'll see you guys in new york. >> exactly. for the time being, this goes back from the early days in iraq, they were very focused on local issues. they like to get assad out of syria. they have other plans locally. eventually, they have broader ambitions. no question about it. >> there are a lot of foreigners working with them, including americans, who go there and train and potentially could come back. >> absolutely. both in syria and iraq, one of the main concerns from the u.s. perspective is that areas can be used as terrorist safe havens and groups can use those as training grounds to recruit terrorists. it only takes a few individuals to carry out attacks overseas by a well-funded group. >> if the u.s. is going to launch air strikes on isis targets in iraq, why not launch

air strikes against isis targets also in syria? >> several officials have made that case. we know there has been disagreement. some of them former, some of them current. kerry and others have been pushing for that kind of action. i have been told by intelligence officials it is not just some distant thought from isis militants about attacking the u.s., but there is training, there is aspiration, there is coordination with al qaeda core leadership about picking out targets, encouraging them to pick out targets not only in europe but also on the u.s. homeland. >> what are you hearing? you think that will happen? >> absolutely. if you look at social -- >> absolutely what? >> there is planning and talking, discussing. >> you haven't heard it's going to happen? >> haven't heard it's going to happen. you do see constantly on social media discussion about what can we do, what are the targets that are ripe for plucking. they do talk about that. >> guys, thanks very much. this important programming note to our viewers out there. please be sure to tune in 5:00 p.m. eastern for a cnn exclusive town hall event with hillary clinton moderated by christiane amanpour.

it will be followed by a special "the situation room." we will assess what has just happened. that's coming up later today. thanks very much for watching. "newsroom" starts right now. wolf, thank you. crazy busy news days. let's get right to it. for almost two years, the u.s. has been trying to bring to justice the terrorist behind the raid on the consulate in benghazi, libya. even though cnn could locate one of the suspects, the u.s. apparently could not. in fact, we talked to him in public inside a cafe. finally today, that suspect is in u.s. custody. authorities say they arrested ahmed abu khattalah over the weekend and are now holding him in a location outside of libya. the fbi and military carried out that raid. i should also tell you we are waiting for more details as we await this pentagon daily briefing, but we will tak