hello, everybody. we have breaking news this hour. we would like to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. >> breaking news, two prisoners executed in jordan. >> swift retaliation for the brutal isis slaughter of a downed jordanian pilot. plus, a deadly commuter crash in new york. jordan has executed two prisoners, retaliation for the isis murder of a captured jordanian pilot. >> one of those prisoners was z sajida al rishawi. >> jordan hoped to trade her for the fighter pilot, moath al kasasbeh. but any hopes for a deal were smashed on tuesday when isis released video of him being

burned alive while locked inside a cage. >> let's get the latest from the jordanian capital. >> so it is coming up to 7:00 in the morning there. people are waking up to this news. what is the reaction? >> reporter: we're still -- it's still quite on the streets of amman right now, but people are waking up to this news that is all over state television since it broke at 5:00 this morning here. and also on social media. we are expecting to see a reaction with many people relieved to hear this. many people satisfied with this kind of result. we did hear the calls on the streets of amman yesterday and even before when there was that threat to kill the jordanian pilot, moath al kasasbeh, who many in this country considered to be a national hero. there had been calls that the jordanian government should

retaliate, that jordan should execute jihadi prisoners, former members of al qaeda and those associated with isis, that they should be executed. of course, the name sajida al rishawi has been the one we have heard the most from jordanians, especially when the news came out about the apparent killing of moath al kasasbeh, many saying it should be the same fate, that she should also be executed. but is also important to note here that both these -- both sajida al rishawi and one other who have been executed by jordanian authorities, were both on death row, but had only stayed alive because jordan had an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty for the past few days. we're going to wait and see in the coming hours, expecting more reaction to this from jordanians. but so much anger on the streets

that we should expect many to be supportive of this move by the government. >> so where and how was this execution carried out? >> reporter: we have very little information at this point. this usually takes place at a prison facility here. there had been talk of the prisoners being moved from the prisons where they were being held to this prison where the executions took place. we expect to hear more with daytime, more official statements to come out and perhaps more details of how these executions that we do know that jordan carries out by hanging. but we should expect to hear more in the coming hours from jordanian authorities. >> you mentioned sajida al rishawi had been very much in the news, part of that potential prisoner swap which never happened. a lot of people want to know

exactly why was isis so interested in her? >> reporter: that's been the question here on the minds of so many jordanians. she had become a distant memory here, irrelevant to in jordanians. here is a look at who this woman was. sajida al rishawi, a convicted would-be suicide bomber, was tried and sentenced to death nearly a decade ago. in 2005, she was part of a group of jihadists dispatched by al qaeda in iraq to strike jordan. on november 9 of that year, the bombers, including al rishawi's husband, hit three hotels, killing 57 people in jordan's worst terror attack in recent memory. she was captured and she said her suicide vest veiled to detonate. >> translator: there was a wedding ceremony in the hotel. there were women, men and children.

my husband detonated his bomb, and i tried to set off mine but failed. >> reporter: an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty kept her alive. in her 40s, she was a prominent figure among jihadis. isis sought to gain the release of al rishawi in return for japanese hostage kenji goto. the negotiations went nowhere because the jordanian government never got the proof of life it wanted for its pilot, moath al kasasbeh. the terrorists released a horrific video of his death just days after the execution of goto. while those bombings of 2005 was described as a dark day in this country, many refer to them as

the 9/11 of jordan. many here in this country, when that possibility of a prisoner exchange came up, the possibility of releasing sajida al rishawi, something the government was offering to save the life of moath al kasasbeh when they thought at that time he might still be alive, many in jordan were happy to say they would not mind seeing the exchange if it meant their pilot would come home. and also again, we have heard many jordanians saying that they want her to be executed in retaliation for the execution of a man many described as a national hero. >> they wanted revenge, they got it. thank you. i want to get more now on this. phil black is joining us from irbil, iraq. i know you're in irbil, but is there a feeling on the ground in

iraq this sort of retaliation by jordan could be used as a recruiting tool for isis? >> reporter: this is a region, zain, that takes an enormous interest in this sort of stuff, because sit a region living under the shadow of isis. this has been enormous interest in the fate of moath al kasasbeh, the jordanian pilot, and some distress at news that he has been executed in the way that he has, despite recent effort, the resent process of supposedly trying to negotiate his freedom. people have been watching and people have been intensely concerned about how that could potentially impact that here. this is a region where, 20 minutes outside of irbil where i'm standing now, kurdish fighters are trying to prevent the forward advance of isis. it is a territory where isis has

struck with suicide attacks. these are people who live under this threat, so very much concerned with further examples of brutality by isis. in terms of how that impacts upon the military campaign here, it is a different part of the isis strategy to expand and claim new territory here in iraq. but as i say, people immensely concerned and deeply shocked, despite the level of isis violence they have seen here, deeply shocked by the death of lieutenant moath al kasasbeh. >> phil, when you look at that video, isis is clearly trying to up the ante in terms of brutality and gruesome factor. just the fact that they burned alive moath al kasasbeh, clearly they're trying to increase their shock value. what is the feeling on the ground as to how isis is going to respond after this retaliation by jordan? >> reporter: here in this part

of iraq, somewhat they're concerned about is the ongoing, daily, military campaign, the attempt by isis to move forward and claim more territory. we know they occupy the city of mosul, and in various directions outside of irbil where i'm standing, isis is attempting to advance further. just recently last week, we saw them open and launch new strikes in the city of kircut to the south of where i'm standing, potentially a new front by isis in their efforts to expand and claim new territory, or perhaps an attempt to divert kurdish forces from their efforts at strangling that city of mosul, cutting it off from syria, which is the core of the kurdish strategy at the moment, trying to contain isis to cut its establishment within mosul off from being resupplied by a supply route to syria. that is the concern here, the

daily military struggle that continues to go on in this part of iraq. >> yes, the tension there is clearly increasing. a lot of people surprised jordan reacting to swiftly. phil black, we appreciate it. thank you. the hanging of two terrorists on death row by the jordanians is unlikely to be the end of the response. there is pressure on king abdullah to continue to react. let's find out what that might be. general mark hertling joins us with more live. when you look at what the jordanian's options are here, what do you see? >> john, i believe again king abdullah has given directions that he wants to calm the streets, that he wants to ensure that there's not an overriding protest to this that would cause danger and splinter his government with the tribes and

military. so the quick execution is critically important in this culture. it is an eye for an eye, and a retaliation against what happened to lieutenant moath al kasasbeh. it had to happen quickly. >> when you heard the government talking about revenge, earth shaking revenge, obviously there's more to it than just executing these two prisoners. the jordanians will be looking at their military options here. >> they are. i think, again, king abdullah has to keep the government together first. he will certainly increase his intelligence collection within syria. this is now not an enemy where there's a split feeling about it within jordan. everyone now is united against isis. and that's critically important, to see the protesters in the streets of amman, all protesting against isis. that's a very odd reaction in an

arab country to another muslim group. but that's the case now, because they realize that this isn't a political movement, this is an arab terrorist gang, abiding by the rules of criminality versus some political movement. >> let's just broaden this out a little bit. we've seen this united anti-isis movement in jordan. do you expect it to move on to other arab countries? >> truthfully, john, i was surprised at the execution of lieutenant moath, as he's called in jordan. but it hits the trifecta of causing people to go against isis. so you have now consolidated the political institutions in jordan with the tribal institutions, with the 43rd generation of the heraldry of the prophet muhammad and king abdullah and all the

iman's say thing is not an islamic organization. that is what we look forward to in northern iraq when i was there. you just heard the report, where we were trying to get the awakening movement going there. we had to combine the governmental institutions with the sunni tribes and the religious leaders to counter al qaeda back in 2006 and 2007. isis has allowed that to happen in one fell swoop by executing a jordanian pilot. >> we heard this before, though, when they carried out the executions on the american journalists and the british aid workers. but they're all westerners, so to be honest here, it didn't carry as much impact in the arab world, did it? >> very different, very different. i think even the japanese beheadings as well, john. this is a country that was providing aid to jordan for all the syrian refugees that were in that country, and there are

hundreds of thousands of them in turkey and jordan. so for japan to step forward and say we're going to give you relief aid, then to have two citizens killed, to see the reaction of the very peaceful japanese government and the way they reacted, was incrementally dangerous to isis. now you have the same thing happening with jordan and the rest of the arab world seems to be joining jordan's cause in this. they saw what happened and are contributing to it, as well. >> it could be a turning point. maybe that's the case. we appreciate you being with us. >> thank you, john. i want to go now to our white house correspondent who joins us live on the phone from washington. michelle, clearly this is an eye for an eye response by jordan. any idea how the white house will react? >> reporter: we don't expect to hear from anyone tonight within the top levels of the administration. but they're going to have to

craft a response and i think that's going to be really interesting to see. to be honest, that's why taking a little bit of time, since we first heard news of it. and then perhaps a response that works for both sides. it's shocking to many american sensibilities to see this kind of retaliation, taking more lives. however, the fact that they were on death row already, the u.s. can say justice served its course. that they were treated to the course of law, whatever that is in jordan. so they're going to say something certainly in support of jordan. i think it's unclear how much detail they're going to get. i think that was interesting earlier today when we heard from the state department. they were asked specifically about these cases that could lead to executions. this has been talked about

throughout the day as a real possibility. many expected this to happen, but the state department didn't want to go that far just yet. they staid we don't want to prejudge. we don't want to get out ahead of what might happen. but what we have heard consistently from the administration today is strong phrases of support for jordan. iron clad support in the words of the readout from a meeting between the vice president and the jordanian king today. iron clad support for jordan, and the reinforcing of the resolve for these countries together to fight isis. >> we're going to see clearly support from the white house for jordan, but also the white house is likely going to ask jordan to increase the coalition, those air strikes there. >> the question is, the king

arrives back in about noon local time, 5:00 a.m. eastern, so it's just under five hoarurs. it will be interesting to see the reception he gets. and what he does next, h he address the country, will he up the commitment to the coalition. maybe they will carry out their own military action. it seems like all options are on the table right now. >> jordanians waking up to this news, it's just there 7:00 in the morning there. we have other news to report. in the united states, at least seven people have been killed in a commuter train crash north of new york city. >> officials are saying -- look at this video. you can see the train on the tracks there. i believe a fire erupted. we know that seven people were killed. one of those people that were killed was in the vehicle. the other six were on the train. this is the devastating aftermath you're watching there.

you can see smoke. this is clearly a wreck, massive disaster there in new york. we know another 12 people were injured, as well. u.s. safety officials are investigating the cause of this crash. the train collided with a car on the tracks there. >> keep in mind, this is a commuter train, so it would have been packed full of commuters when it collided with this suv. right now, the death toll stands at seven. >> 12 people injured so far that we know of. okay. and there is breaking news out of taiwan, as well. a transasia airways plane has crashed. eight people were killed in that crash. >> aviation officials say the twin engine regional airplane was on its way from tie way to kinman when it lost contact and crashed near a bridge. rescuers are on site and some

passengers have already been pulled to safety. most passengers are accounted for, but reports are still saying there are ten people still awaiting to be rescued. with that, we'll take a short break on cnn, but much more on the breaking news out of jordan. the jordanian government executing two prisoners on death row. my tempur-pedic made me fall in love with mornings again. i love how it conforms to my body. with tempur-pedic the whole bed is comfortable. we actually got our bed as an engagement gift from her parents. maybe that's the secret to marriage. you're gonna stay together if you have a tempur-pedic bed. i told our friends, this is the best investment i've ever made. it's helping to keep us young. i love my bed. (vo) visit your local retailer and feel the tempur-pedic difference for yourself. quicken loans paid a year's worth of mortgages for every hole-in-one at a pga tour event.

this year, the mortgage we pay could be yours. enter today for a chance to win a year's worth of mortgage payments from quicken loans. for over 19 million people. [ alex ] transamerica helped provide a lifetime of retirement income. so i can focus on what matters most. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica.

welcome back to our breaking news coverage. jordan has responded to that act of brutality by isis with the hanging of two terrorist prisoners. one was a would-be suicide bomber, sajida al rishawi. >> the excuses come a day after isis released video showing the murder of captured jordanian fighter pilot moath al kasasbeh. the video, of course, is too graphic to show on television, but it does show the pilot locked in a cage where he's subsequently burned alive. >> we're joined now by a former statehouse adviser. if the jordanians wrap up their military here and go after isis, isn't that what isis wants? >> i think isis was probably trying to probe them and see if they had resolve.

isis, in its terror, even though it seems insane to us, that's not always the case. if you look at their march into iraq and the terror tactics they used, it did work in intimidating a lot of sunnis and actually leading to isis successes. however, if the jordanians react, it's important to keep in mind their ability to do so is limited. they have a lot of problems on their hands. they have more than a million refugees already inside their borders from the syrian civil war and they cannot single handedly defeat isis. that requires not only the participation of other arab states but frankly the involvement of the united states beyond what we've seen of what's been a fairly ineffective military operation. >> jordan has problems and divisions within its own country. those support the u.s.-led coalition and those that don't. where do those fault lines lie, i guess, in the country? >> well, with any of these

countries, jordan is mostly sunnis, something like 95%. but it looks like early indications are that there is a tremendous amount of resolve to fight against isis. there are sympathizers within jordan of the muslim brotherhood, which isn't exactly isis, but is still an islamist political organization that wants to replace monarchies or democracies with theocracies. but this is a government that i think is showing resolve and by acting quickly, and still within the rule of law, these two people executed had due process, were found guilty, were on death row. i think this is -- the decisive action will probably keep jordan together. >> they were on death row, they just did it 24 hours after that video was released is the point here. a lot of people are saying the

brutality of isis, this is going to be their undoing essentially, that they will lose support across the arab world. do you agree with that assessment? >> no, unfortunately i don't. the main benefit of isis is its magnet effect. you have jihadis from all over making the journey to fight with isis. they reach a point of natural exhaustion, when they got to the brink of shiite territory in iraq. but they are still effectively fighting iraq, and they are taking ground in syria, in contrast to what the pentagon said. the pentagon putting a happy face on progress so far. aside from the lifting of the siege of kobani, it's hard to find progress in the last five

months of u.s.-led military operations against isis. so the brutality, it will make them an attractive place to go for many jihadists. >> who looks at that video of the pilot being burned alive and says, i want a part of that? i want to join those guys, how does that workrecruitment? >> it's frankly something we need to get our arms around. it's al qaeda, al shabab that hit us in libya. who could look at life under the taliban and think that's the civilization i want to be part of. but it does speak to a significant number of disgruntled people who are on the outskirts of whatever society they are in, and it's something we have to address and

combat. our allies in this are muslims. people who are essentially turn on these other more radical people. you know, part of this is fighting back against isis. but part of it is drawing back and thinking more about radical islam. >> yeah, it is a big complicated, scary picture. christian, thanks for being with us. we'll take a short break. when we come back, we'll look at the jordanian pilot, moath al kasasbeh, the one burnt to death inside a steel cage. you're watching cnn.

jordan has just hanged two prisoners, payback for the latest act of brutality by isis. one was sajida al rishawi, who isis demanded jordan set free. >> just to recap. jordan had hoped to trade al rishawi for captured jordanian fighter pilot moath al kasasbeh. but isis, of course, smashed any hope for any kind of deal on tuesday when it released a video showing this man you see on the screen being burned alive. >> mt. moath al kasasbeh came from a high ranking jordanian family loyal to the king. >> there's going to be protests today in amman.

>> reporter: moath al kasasbeh was just 27 years old. shown here in his uniform, clean shaven, a serious face shown to the camera. he was a lieutenant, and pilot in the royal jordanian air force. when he was captured, his father told a newspaper his son was a very modest and religious person. he came from jordan southwest of amman. part of a high ranking tribe, considered especially loyal to jordan's monarchy. he graduated from king hussein air college. the family's nightmare began when he was captured by isis after his jet crashed in northern syria. it's unclear whether the plane suffered a mechanical failure, but isis says its heat seeking missiles were responsible and published these images to prove

it. his father pleaded with the jordanian government to help free his son. >> translator: i firmly ask them to fight outside of jordan to bring back moath and liberate him. >> reporter: jordanian government spokesman called him a model of heroism. the death of moath al kasasbeh is sure to resonate with king abdullah, not just as a pillar against the fight against isis, but as a former air force pilot himself.

my name is marjorie reyes, i'm a chief warrant officer. i love the fact that quicken loans provides va loans. quicken loans understood the details and guided me through every step of the process. i know wherever the military sends me, i can depend on quicken loans.

welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the world. >> let's straight to the headlines right now. >> jordan says it's just executed two al qaeda prisoners. one was a would-be suicide bomber, sajida al rishawi, an iraqi woman that isis demanded be set free. >> jordan's move was in retaliation for the isis murder of captured jordanian fighter pilot moath al kasasbeh. the militants released a video on tuesday showing him being burned alive. in eastern ukraine, residents of donetsk lined up to receive humanitarian aid. fighting between ukrainian forces and pro-russian rebels has intensified. the u.n. puts the number of civilian deaths at 220 in the past few weeks. at least seven people are dead and a dozen injured when a commuter train hit a jeep near new york city.

six of those killed were train passengers. the female driver of the car also died, as well. the collision considered after gates at a rail crossing came down on the jeep, which was stopped on the tracks. the woman tried but could not get out of the car in time. across jordan, there is outrage after the horrific execution of pilot moath al kasasbeh. news of his murder was met on the streets of amman with disbelief and demands for immediate revenge. >> multiplying that anger was the revelation of jordan's military that moath al kasasbeh had likely been killed on january 3rd, well will have isis even threatened to execute him. >> let's get the latest from the jordanian capital amman. so jamani, 7:30 local time.

many people waking up to this news. >> reporter: they have been calling for this. we have heard from many jordanians since isis threatened to kill moath al kasasbeh, many here in jordan said jordan should retaliate if this happens, that jordan should execute jihadists in its jails, members of al qaeda in iraq that are behind bars in jordan who have been on death row for a few years, and those include sajida al rishawi, who, according to the jordanian government, were executed by hanging early this morning. of course, we expect reactions here of some who are going to be relieved, people who will support this decision by the government. we did hear the people on the streets yesterday evening, shortly after the news broke of that apparent killing of the pilot, moath al kasasbeh. hundreds took to the streets here in amman, and also in the

south of jordan in the hometown of the jordanian pilot, who had been calling for revenge. they said the blood of moath al kasasbeh should not be wasted, that there should be revenge. we did hear the jordanian military promising an earth shaking retaliation. they said their response is going to be a revenge that is going to be equal to the tragedy of jordanians. and perhaps this is only the beginning of the response we are going to be seeing from the jordanian government. >> we heard from a number of people saying the jordanians are united as one against isis. but is that correct? because there does seem to be pockets of support for the militant group in jordan. unfortunately, we have lost her. we have a few -- we have her back right now. so we've been hearing from a lot of people saying that the jordanians are united against

isis after the execution of the jordanian pilot. but is that correct? because there's also pockets of support for isis? >> reporter: jordan has had -- >> i think we're having a few technical problems there in amman. so we'll try to speak with her soon. but let's leave that for now. we have lieutenant colonel rick francona, a former military attache in the middle east. he joins us by skype in california. colonel, when we look at the military options on the table for the jordanians, how soon do you expect action here and what will it be? >> i don't think we're going to see anything immediately. i know there's a demand among the jordanians that they do something, something be done quickly. the king has a mandate now, i believe, to do something.

i've talked to people in the jordanian air force today. they're anxious to do something. but this is not something that you can just throw a switch and do. they have to plan what they're going to do. they have to dpagather the intelligence and coordinate this with the coalition. we don't want the jordanians running off and conducting independent operations. it's better if they do it in the umbrella of the coalition. they can use coalition refueling, intelligence, electronic warfare, other support of the units in the area. we would also like to see increased jordanian cooperation. everybody would welcome more jordanian involvement. the jordanians bring a lot to the table, but they have to bring it to the table smartly. we want to be effective. we want to deal a devastating blow to isis but need to do it smartly. >> just a quick question for you. there are some estimates that

roughly 1500 jordanians are fighting alongside terror groups in syria and iraq alongside isis. how are the jordanians going to work to root out terrorism in their own country? >> if you look at the parent organization of isis, it began with the jordanian, just north of amman. so there is a lot of support in jordan for isis. the jordanian internal security service is very effective. they've got a handle on who's there and what they're doing. but the jordanian services are overwhelmed. the social services, the intelligence services and the security services, they're dealing with this huge influx of refugees in the north. so they're going to have to sort this out. i think they're going to try to divorce this from the military operation. but the jordanians have a mul

multitude of problems. hopefully this unity can give the king the political power he needs to operate to address this. >> colonel francona, we appreciate your insight. thank you. >> sure. a big part of the battle against isis involves tracking so-called homegrown terrorists, sympathizers who may train abroad and return to their countries to carry out attacks. >> it's a daunting effort. in this interview with pamela brown, the head of the fbi's counterterrorism division admits the unknown is what worries him the most. take a listen. >> reporter: have you seen people in the u.s. coordinating to launch an attack? >> we have seen individuals collaborate, of course. >> in the u.s.? >> yes. >> so are there isis cells in the u.s.? >> there are individuals that have been in communication with groups like isil, who have a desire to conduct an attack, yes. >> that are living in the u.s.

right now this >> correct. >> reporter: the head of the fbi's robust counterterrorism division says in many cases these groups are a few individuals loosely associated. >> i think the term sleeper cell is overly simplistic. the threat is much more diffuse. >> reporter: a refinder, the paris attacks. they went on separate rampages. are you concerned in light of what we saw in paris that there could be an american here in the united states who may have had similar training as the kouachi brothers who we didn't have visibility on? >> of course i am. i'm worried about individuals that we don't know about that have training. i'm worried about individuals that just see what happened in paris and want to follow with similar acts. >> would you tell us how many

americans are right now fighting, training with terrorists overseas? >> i won't discuss numbers, i'll say that the fbi, in partnership with the intelligence community, we tracked several buckets of individuals. >> are you not telling us a number because you're not willing to or you don't feel confident that we know all the americans who have come and gone? >> the answer is both. i'm not telling you a number because i don't want to tell you a number. and i'm for sure underestimating the true number. we know what we know. but there's a number greater than that, that we don't know. >> there was a case, the florida man who went back and forth to syria undetected. he ended up dying over there fighting. are there other similar cases like that, where we have lost track of americans going back and forth? >> i would be lying to say that

there's not. of course. >> reporter: he admits u.s. law enforcement alone cannot stop a deadly attack on the homeland. >> in the majority of cases, we no that someone recognizes that change in behavior, that radicalization, that family member or friend chooses not to intervene. by not getting involved, the story ends in a similar fashion, and that's death. >> thanks to pamela brown there for that report, an insight into the real dangers of homegrown terrorism. coming up next, seven people killed when a commuter train slams into a car just north of new york city. >> we'll have details on how that crash might have unfolded coming up after the break. the latest developments from taiwan where a plane crash has taken a tragic turn. next.

♪ expected wait time: 55 minutes. your call is important to us. thank you for your patience. waiter! vo: in the nation, we know how it feels when you aren't treated like a priority. we do things differently. we'll take care of it. vo: we put members first...

join the nation. thank you. ♪ nationwide is on your side welcome back. the jordanian government has hanged two prisoners in apparent retaliation for the murder of captured pilot moath al kasasbeh. one of the prisoners was sajida al rishawi, who jordan was willing to exchange for the pilot. but then isis released video showing moath al kasasbeh being burned alive inside a locked steel cage, ending any hope for a deal and sparking outrage across jordan. meantime in the u.s., at least seven people were killed in a commuter train crash just

north of new york city. take a look here. this is the aftermath, just incredibly tragic, fiery crash there. you can see a vehicle on the tracks badly burned. the train struck the suv after it stopped on the tracks tuesday evening. one of the people killed was the driver of that vehicle. 12 people were injured in that crash. new york's governor andrew cuomo spoke to reporters where he reacted to the grim news of this crash. take a listen. >> most importantly, you have seven people who started out today to go about their business, and aren't going to be making it home tonight. and it's a painful reminder to all of us how precious life is, and sometimes how random it can be. this is a truly ugly and brutal

sight. the track, the third rail of the track, came up from the explosion and went right through the car. so it is truly a devastatingly ugly situation to see. >> new york governor there andrew cuomo. and breaking news out of taiwan. nine people are dead after a plane crashed into a river in taipei. the twin engine regional airplane crashed shortly after takeoff from taipei. 58 people were on board. officials say the plane crashed into the river, and most of the passengers have been accounted for but there could be ten people still waiting for rescue. daniel mckenzie joins us with the latest. what do we know about the rescue so far? >> reporter: what we know is that the rescue may be ongoing now. the dramatic pictures of the plane, a transasia flight that

left mid morning from tie way on its way to one of the islands surrounding taiwan. it seems to have crashed soon after takeoff. pictures are being circulated of a dramatic dip of the plane towards that river. it at least clipped the side of an aerial -- in ttaipei, and it seems the plane is partially submerged. live pictures have been coming out showing this plane in the water. rescue officials rushing to the scene in small boats and trying to pull people out of the wreckage. miraculous in a way. they say at least eight people have been killed in this crash. several rescued and there might be some who are still in the process of being rescued. this is the second crash of this airliner, transasia, in less than seven months. more than 48 people died in a

crash on outlying islands of taiwan in bad weather last july. the reasonings behind those crashes haven't been confirmed yet, but a very dramatic day in taipei this morning. >> and a look at the weather conditions, what was happening at the time, any clues as to what may have caused this plane to go down so quickly after takeoff? >> reporter: no, there's no clear indications yet. of course, soon after this incident happened and the rescue efforts seemed to be ongoing, you had people crowding next to the riverside there and live pictures being broad cast as they try to pull people out of the door. the fuselage was halfway out of the water. so incredibly that anyone made it out. the plane clearly made a very dramatic bank to the left.

early reports that a may day might have come out from the pilots. out here, who was killed in the crash, a large percentage of that plane, some 30 on board were from one group of mainland tourists who were on that ill-fated plane. but this is certainly unfolding as we speak. >> david, thank you for the update. we'll take a short break. much more on our top story when we come back. all the details about the execution of the two prisoners in jordan. help make secure finl tomorrows a reality for over 19 million people. [ mom ] with life insurance, we're not just insuring our lives... we're helping protect his. [ female announcer ] everyone has a moment when tomorrow becomes real. transamerica. transform tomorrow.

transamerica. i love my shows, sit around all day. that's why i have xfinity. their cloud based dvr lets me take everything i recorded, anywhere i go. which is perfect for me, [whispering] because i have responsibilities. ...i mean that's really interesting, then how do you explain these photos?! [people gasping] objection your honor. sustained. with the x1 dvr library you could take anywhere, xfinity is perfect for people on the go.

welcome back. we're going to continue with our breaking news here on cnn. jordan responding to that stunning act of brutality by isis by hanging two al qaeda prisoners. one was a would-be suicide bomber, sajida al rishawi. she's an iraqi woman who was demanded by isis, set free by the jordanians. >> the executions came less than a day after isis released video showing the murder of captured jordanian fighter pilot moath al kasasbeh. the video, of course, is too graphic to show on television, but it shows the pilot locked in a cage and burned alive by isis fighters. >> isis claims to be the true defender of islam and has slaughtered fellow muslims who do not share their extreme interpretation of the faith. >> but a former isis captive says the militants didn't appear

to be interested in religion and didn't even have a koran. this french journalist spent nearly a year in isis hands in syria. >> and he spoke to cnn's christiane amanpour. >> i want to pick up on what you're talking about. we all focus on the western jihadis who are going over. you just said that the local tribes, those are the jihadis that are most important. but i want to ask you about these westerners. people like jihadi john, who has been seen in these videos, knife to the throat, people believe that he's the one that has committed the executions. he's clearly english. did you ever meet him? >> yes, of course. >> what was he like? >> you can see on the video, not somebody you want to deal with. >> was he your guard? >> one of them. >> did he threaten you? >> of course he did. >> some said the brits were the most appallingly prosecute lly.

>> all of them had a way to put you under their thumbs. that's what they want. basically they want you to give away your freedom, your freedom, your will. they want you to accept, to be under their orders under everything. they don't like it when you start to ask, demand. we are calling them the beatles. >> the beatles are the british -- >> that is what we called them.

of course, when you beat someone, he has -- >> obviously, he first came to global prominence with that horrendous video with james foley. do you believe he was the killer? >> yes, i do. >> you do. how did they treat james foley? james foley was with you in the same cell. >> yes. >> how did he get treated? >> well, again, that's what i'm saying. james was an amazing friend. he never gave up. he had a fantastic heart. he was great. he was always trying to get things for the others, asking for some bread or water when

that is one of the beatles, john, was asking, do you need something? he didn't expect any of us to say yes, we need something. but james would say yeah, we need vegetables. of course, he would never be punished. i think they didn't like the fact that he was not broken. and that's the reason why he was getting more beatings, because he was not broken. he was still fighting in his way. >> just heartbreaking, he talks about james foley having a positive outlook, not giving up and sharing his food with the other prisoners. >> of course, the deaths of foley and a bunch of others who have been executed by isis with the decapitation. many thought they couldn't get worse, but they've managed to up

the ante with this horrific execution of the jordanian pilot. that is the story we're following. a lot more coming out of jordan in the next hour. please stay with us. sir, we're going to need you on the runway later. don't let a severe cold hold you back. get theraflu... ...with the power of three medicines to take on your worst pain and fever, cough and nasal congestion. it breaks you free from your toughest cold and flu symptoms. theraflu. serious power. but now that we have the tempadjustable base,ile, it's even better. [alex] when i put my feet up on this bed, my stress just goes away. [evie] i go up...heeeeyyy...

[donna]our tempur-pedic is the best thing in our house, 'cept for my husband. [lauren] wait,wait,where are you going? [announcer] visit your local retailer and discover how tempur-pedic can move you. ♪ expected wait time: 55 minutes. your call is important to us. thank you for your patience. waiter! vo: in the nation, we know how it feels when you aren't treated like a priority. we do things differently. we'll take care of it. vo: we put members first... join the nation. thank you. ♪ nationwide is on your side

...the getaway vehicle! for all the confidence you need. td ameritrade. you got this. hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. ahead, jordan retaliates after the brutal killing of one of its own. also, a passenger plane slams into the water in taipei. we'll have details on the crash. a commuter plane plows into an suv in new york. we'll have the latest on that investigation. we start in jordan where two prisoners have been executed. al qaeda prisoners in retaliation for the isis murder of a jordanian fighter pilot. one of the prisoners was sa