trapped inside by those who want to kill them. gregg: an al-qaeda affiliate taking responsibility for that, of course, we cannot confirm be it, nor can we tell you the fate of the americans at that hotel. more of our coverage coming up on "happening now" right now. martha: thank you, everybody. jenna: we're going to begin with a fox news alert, another terror attack, this time in the west african nation of mali. welcome to "happening now," i'm jenna lee. jon: i'm jon scott. the situation extremely fluid there. an al-qaeda-linked group is now reportedly claiming responsibility after terrorists armed with guns and grenades stormed a luxury hotel in mali's capital city. they were shoutingal lieu act bar at the time. they killed at least three people, taking well over 100 hostages. fox news confirms americans were staying at the hotel, and u.s. special forces reportedly are helping secure the scene.

mean time, in paris video emerging of the alleged ringleader of last week's dead deadly attack. we've got fox team kohage on all of this -- coverage on all of this with greg talcott live in paris. first, though, let's go to paul tilsley live in johannesburg, south africa, with the latest on the crisis in mali. >> reporter: jon, a local al qaeda group on twitter has claimed responsibility for this attack. isis isn't directly involved with local terror groups in the area, we understand, but most western, eastern african terror groups have claimed allegiance to isis. so there could be an involvement there. one of the gunmen also, interesting l i reportedly heard discussing with his colleagues how to arm his weapon just before the attack x this gunman reportedly was talking in english. a belgian man has been confirmed dead, his employers have named him, and as we first heard from greg talcott, the u.s. military

says that six americans have been released earlier during this siege. the state department says others may still be inside. the situation's very fluid. pentagon says u.s. special forces are assisting in trying to end this siege. there's a standoff, it appears. the terrorists are reported to be holed up on the seventh floor holding 124 guests and 13 staff. that's the latest we've gotten from the hotel management. but that situation, again, is extremely fluid on hostage numbers. in all, though, we can say that 80 in all have been released, 20 of those released by the gunmen themselves once they were able to recite, once the hostages were able to recite the quran. and there's a french connection too because al-qaeda has been pushed out of northern mali by the french, and so al-qaeda's been hitting back. and, indeed, we understand that a frenchman is among the dead and that there are french hostages. jon? jon: all right.

paul tilsley reporting live from johannesburg. paul, thank you. jenna: as we mark one week since the deadly terror attacks in paris, newly-released shows the mastermind on surveillance cameras on the subway around the time of the attacks. greg talcott is live in paris with the latest. greg? >> reporter: jenna, this is what we are putting together. for the first time, we can say that there is the possibility that the dead suspected mastermind of the horrible attacks here one week ago could have had blood on his hands. his name, as we've been telling you, is abdelhamid abaaoud, and now officials are saying he appeared on a closed circuit television video feed at a metro or subway station in eastern paris near where all those restaurants and cafés were shot up just after the time they were shot up. also that metro or subway station is near where police the

next day found a car abandoned which they believe was used by those shooters of the cafés. now, it has been thought inside that car and during the shooting abe rah him abdeslam who later killed himself and his brother salah, called now the eighth attacker and now on the run. but there have been many sightings of a third person in that car, a ninth attacker, but the identity of that ninth attacker up til todays has not been known. now the police are putting abboud near that scene. we put this to the police today. we are not confirming, they are not denying, but there are a lot of facts out there. we know that he went on and met his death, salah abdeslam, it's

believed he made his way to belgium. meanwhile, at that site on wednesday, the massive shootout which left the mastermind dead, also getting more details. the second person that was a woman, she was the cousin of the mastermind. she was, she detonated a suicide vest, and today we are learning there was yet another woman in that building killed during that raid as well. no identity on that. finally, folks, we are getting more information about what the suspected mastermind, abdelhamid abaaoud was doing the day after all that carnage. he was sitting outside that apartment building drinking whiskey, smoking marijuana, chatting with the people according to multiple sources as if nothing had happened, as if -- and we now know this -- 130 people of 27 nationalities were slaughtered in paris. amazing stuff. back to you, jon and jenna. jenna: something to think about,

for sure. greg, thank you very much. jon: isis has claimed responsibility for the attackings in paris, now word an al-qaeda-linked group from northern mali is claiming credit for the hotel siege in mali. remember, isis was originally known as al-qaeda in iraq before al-qaeda distanced itself from isis. joining us now, fox news military analyst, the chairman for the institute of the study of war and retired four-star general jack keane. general keane, you have to wonder, isis got all of this propaganda value, i guess, for pulling off those attacks in paris. is this potentially some kind of an al-qaeda strikeback to try to keep its own brand in the headlines? >> well, there may be some of that but, i mean, these al-qaeda organizations in mali exist for a very specific reason. they want to overthrow this government. they've got a bona fide sanctuary in the north.

this is the third incident this year. in march it was a restaurant, five dead. in august, another hotel, 13 dead. that had, certainly, nothing to do with the recent incident in paris. i mean, geopolitically their objectives are, certainly, to set up an emirates in the state of mali and try to spread that to other countries. this is a step in that direction. and like all radical islamic groups, they take advantage of the local situation, local grievances, lack of political reform here, lack of social justice, lack of economic opportunity. they feed on all of that to address those issues and go after this government. jon: there is a french connection here as well. mali used to be a french colony, and the french have tried in some spectacular ways to handle the terrorism problem there, have they not? >> oh, yeah, very much so. the french had to come in here in january 2013 because the sanctuary that was established

in northern mali -- by the way, that's where the desert is and, obviously, it can still be more isolated -- they came south, and they were heading towards the capital, and the government which was a military coup had taken over and appealed to the french to help them. 4,000 french made their way in there, paratroopers, to stop it. i think they still have pretty close to about a thousand military in mali and about 2-3,000 in some other countries in africa as well. the french have been very aggressive in trying to put down radical islam in africa, in countries that they've had a long-term association with and still have an economic relationship with. jon: the situation is fluid, we're getting conflicting reports about the number of hostages still being held, whether this thing might be coming to an end. are there u.s. forces on the ground, and might they be employed to help bring an evened to this thing? -- an end to this thing? >> well, we'll see if that happens.

i think u.s. policy is right on the mark here as much as we've been critical of it in dealing with isis in iraq and syria. we have a command called africom, and they're responsible for africa. and our policies here are to have u.s. troops, trained counterterrorist forces from these local countries. we know that none of these countries pose a threat to the american people at home, but we also know that a stable africa is in u.s. national interest, and we're attempting to help these countries help themselves. and i'm assuming that's what some of these troops were there for, either participating in some of that training or coordinating some future training event, and they happened to be there at the time of this incident. jon: there's been a lot of talk about safe havens in places like

syria. back in 1991, as you well know, the u.s. spearheaded a successful relief effort called operation provide comfort to help refugees return safely to northern iraq. could something like that work for syrians trying to escape the civil war in that country? >> yeah, well, for many of us who have analyzed this situation, we think so. i mean, provide comfort, very successful operation. remember, we were urging the iraqis to overthrow saddam after we pushed him out of kuwait, and he brutally attacked the shia and provided a shield from that brutality. we think the same thing could take place in northern syria up near the turkish border i. looks like there's some detailed coordination going on now between the turks and the united states and some kurds in terms of achieving that end. also we also believe that you can do another safe zone in the southern part, southwestern part of syria near the jordanian border. you can protect these on the ground with international forces and from the air, and you can also use missile defense, tuck

up the missiles from jordan and also from turkey close to their border to protect any air intrusion of those safe zones as well as you can fly patrols over them to protect them. that's very manpower intensive. we did that for almost 12 years in iraq in terms of providing an air capital over safe zones. so that's one of the things the united states military is, moves to very slowly because it is so manpower-intensive. but i do believe both of those safe zones would be an obvious refuge for people who are so burdened by this cats by that's happened in syria -- catastrophe that's happened in syria. jon: general, i know you have testified to congress half a dozen times this year, you did so again just this week. what do you say to the american people to reassure them about this sudden rise in, well, terrorism against soft targets? enter well, that's clearly their means. i mean, they certainly, they certainly want to fragment their muslim and non-muslim population. they want to undermine people's

confidence in their government. that's certainly what's taken place in france. one of the things i think we failed to do after the 9/11 commission, and it was one of their recommendations and something we've been talking about on fox for some time, is really come together to deal with radical islam as an entity and form a global alliance, put best minds on the subject and how do you undermine this ideology. we in the united states are not going to have the best minds on in this. the people in the region who are dealing with it, who are muslims themselves likely would have the best answers for that. and some of it, obviously, has to put down militarily, as we see in iraq and syria. but this is going to keep growing, and we have to take a much more sophisticated, global approach to a strategy and also to alliances where we can help each other similar to what we did with communism, you know, after world war ii with nato and the southeast asia treaty organization to contain what we believed at that time was an evil ideology that no single

country could stand up against. jon: general jack keane, fox news military analyst. general, thank you. >> good talking to you, jon. jenna: certainly a lot more on this story to come. it's also one week to the day after the deadly terror attacks in paris, and now we have this hostage situation in mali and have a lot of questions about where it stands at this time. we'll have the latest on the deadly stand ah between -- standoff between these islamic terrorists and what this means for our security here at home and abroad. plus, judgment day for the florida postal worker who flew his gyrocopter onto the lawn of the u.s. capitol. remember this? and do you feel like president obama is on the wrong side of public opinion when it comes to the war on terror? visit foxnews.com/happeningnow and click on "america's asking. "

wanna take holiday decorations to the next level? use this. if you want to take holiday enjoyment to the next level, use this. aarp member advantages, the aarp credit card from chase and avis want to help you and your family enjoy more this holiday season with winning offers and exclusive opportunities for our members. that's what i'm talking about. visit wintheholidays.com and have a winning holiday season. jenna: preliminary information from the french news agency about what's happening in mali and this hostage-taking by terrorists there. according to one report quoting

mali security minister, there are no more hostages in the hotel at this time, but we have no information as far as deaths or injuries. we also have word from the security minister that the security forces in mali are in the process of tracking the attackers down. so that begs the question where are these attackers? are they still in the hotel? what is exactly happening on the ground, it's not clear. what we do know is an al-qaeda-linked group is now claiming responsibility for this terror attack. this is a luxury hotel in the west african nation of mali. it happened early this morning, 7:00 in the morning there. we know at least three people have been killed and more than 100 others taken hostage. we also know americans are staying at this hotel and that u.s. special operation forces are assisting local forces in securing the scene somewhat. let's bring in gillian turner, fox news contributor and former white house security council staffer member under george w. bush and barack obama.

i know this is a particular area of expertise when we look at the geography of the world. you woke up this morning to the same reports that we did. what stands out most to you about what we've learned so farsome. >> well, the organization currently claiming responsibility for the attacks is, as you mentioned, an al-qaeda offshoot organization. it's based out of algeria. it's not particularly high profile. it's sort of claim to fames are an attack on an algerian gas facility as well as just earlier this year an attack on a u.n. compound inside mali. like isis and al-qaeda -- like isis, it believes in the englishment of an islamic caliphate which means all non-muslims have got to go, either expelled from the continent or africa or otherwise killed. jenna: but you also say they're different from isis in the way that they treat fellow muslims. how so? >> yeah. you know, the initial reports this morning were that they were

starting to release muslim hostages who they were distinguishing from christians and others by having them report -- recite portions of the quran. and this is very much in keeping with their style. they like -- al-qaeda likes to distinguish itself from isis in their treatment of muslims. they like to spare muslim injuries and casualties whenever possible. so that's an important hallmark here that i'm sure national security experts are using toererfy these claims -- to verify these claims. jenna: i remember the attack in algeria because americans or one also there when these terrorists came in. what sort of threat does this particular group pose the united states? >> this particular al-qaeda offshoot, not much. as i said before, it's not very high profile, doesn't have a tremendous amount of resources. but the bigger picture here is that if this attack is verified as an al-qaeda attack, it's a reminder to the entire world that while isis has been the center of media attention this

year and it's been on the rise across iraq and syria, al-qaeda is alive and well, and its affiliate organizations are marching across africa virtually unfettered at this point. it's a very, very scary situation. jenna: i'm so glad you mentioned the bigger picture, because we certainly want to touch on that. as we take a big step away over the last week, we had the terror attacks, obviously here in mali we're learning more about, the situation ongoing in the middle east, the terror attacks in paris. this shows us the foot prints of islamic terrorists in many parts of the world. what does this mean in thele to? >> i really believe that last week's attacks in paris shattered the notion that isis has been contained in the middle east. i think that once those terrorists penetrated the capital of france and infiltrated there, it pretty much obliterated any other

tactical successes we've enjoyed in the middle east. everybody is now focused on europe and the united states, and i think the administration is going to have a lot of explaining to do this terms of -- in terms of matching up their claims with what recently happened. jenna: gives us a lot to think about, the timing as well. here we are one week after the paris attack in paris, it's on a friday, certainly have a lot of questions still about this particular attack, but your points are really important, gillian, about the bigger picture and what's to come. thanks so much, as always. talk to you soon. jon: he caused a major security scare just to send a message to lawmakers. now the legal system is preparing to send a message to the man who landed his gyrocopter on the front lawn of the u.s. capitol. plus, five syrians with fake pass ports stopped in honduras on their way to the united states. other syrians turning themselves into u.s. authorities at the mexican border amid the refugee controversy. we'll examine this new border security concern with ambassador

roger noriega.

noaa-and-a-half the florida postal worker who flew his gyrocopter onto the lawn of the u.s. capitol back in april is cutting a keel with prosecutors -- a deal with prosecutors. he will plead guilty to a felony charge of operating a gyrocopter without a license, punishable with up to three years of prison time, but the judge is free to give him less time. hughes said he flew from gettysburg, pennsylvania, to the u.s. capitol to protest campaign finance laws, i'm sure you remember that breaking news day. it was a unique one at that, and we'll find out his fate. jon: breaking now, as the house passes bipartisan legislation requiring new screening requirements on refugees from syria and iraq before they can

enter the united states, how are the mainstream media treating lawmakers as well as presidential candidates and the heated debate over the obama administration's handling of refugee policy? let's bring in our media panel today, judith miller is a pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter, author and fox news contributor, lynn sweet, washington bureau chief for the "chicago sun-times". welcome to both of you. all right, so give us your grades for the week, judy. obviously, tremendous concern in this country over paris-style attacks on soft targets. how are the media doing? >> well, the media are mixed because some people are doing very well. some of the reporting on the paris attacks as they unfolded were just -- that reporting was fantastic. and often times ahead of the actual police investigation. but in general, i have to say that there have been some pretty egregious cases of candidates

saying things that the media have quoted, and in that instance we have a real problem here. i mean, when you have the leading republican candidate suggesting that perhaps we ought to have muslims in this country wear identifiers or badges, what does that remind us of? or ben carson comparing some syrian refugees to rabid dogs, are the media not supposed to repeat these slurs? but these are slurs, and he was to be called out. i think everybody just has to get a grip. yes, everyone is fright beened but, no -- frightened, but, no, islamic militancy is not about to take down america, and we have to approach our reporting of this trend factually and without bias and, certainly, without impugning all muslim-americans or all muslims. that's 1.6 billion people on the planet. i don't think we want a war with them. jon: according to agents france

press, if i'm pronouncing that correctly, lynn, some of the paris attackers did sneak in, though, posing as syrian refugees. is it a legitimate concern? >> well, first, i think we have to in the press, and i want to just echo and back everything judy just said on it. but if i could go, take a different tack. in u.s. reporting, you have to break it down to the refugee situation in america which is very different from the refugee situation in europe where in america people are prescreened before they come here. it takes 18-24 months. while europe, european countries have just been accepting a tide of refugees flowing over the border. now, we could have a lot to say about the u.s. screening system, and we heard a lot of people in congress for people critical of it. but the first point, i think, of reporting here is to educate the

american public about what it is that our system is about. jon: the, on nbc nightly news, judy, they were talking about how republicans are fueling an angry debate here at home, that's a quote from andrea mitchell's reporting about the vote in congress and the refugee crisis. it was not an entirely republican vote. there were nearly 50 democrats who voted to buck their own party, their own president and say let's put this syrian immigration program on hold. >> exactly. and that is why msnbc and nbc's reporting on this has not been good. that headline of, you know, this being a republican campaign, no, the fear is universal. and the fear of an attack and being blamed for an attack affects both republicans and

democrats as we saw from that vote. and what the media need to do, as lynn suggests, is to step back, look at the facts and say is this fear justified, where are we vulnerable, where are we not and have a calm, civilized debate about whether or not we ought to permit refugees into this country. one fact that needs to be reported again and again is that of the more than 1,000 syrian refugees who have come here since 9/11, there have been no deportations and no arrests for terrorist attacks. jon: we had walter russell mead on our program yesterday, lynn. he wrote a fairly eloquent column in the american observer about the fact that -- american thinker, excuse me -- about the fact that president obama bears, in his view, some of the responsibility for this refugee crisis for drawing redlines that weren't answers, for allowing bashar al assad to bomb his own people. is that point ever coming up in the coverage? >> oh, i think there is plenty of coverage about the united states, obama administration approach to syria on what has worked and what hasn't. but i don't think, you know,

let's -- i don't think the productive conversation, though, is about blaming the united states' president for the crisis triggered by a murderous dictator in syria plus civil wars by various factions. so i think you have to have a sense of proportionality here, and i think what you need to also talk about when you talk about the refugee crisis and terror in the united states is a very big question that congress didn't address yesterday. it's that we have visa programs that allow people in without even getting fingerprinted. so contrast that to the multiple layers of security that syrian refugees go through for more than a year, you know, you might ask why isn't the conversation then about all the vulnerabilities, not just one? jon: there are too many of them, it seems. lynn sweet, judy miller, thank you. >> thank you, jon.

jenna: some major comets in the -- developments in the case of the pregnant wife of a pastor's wife found murdered. who the police are talking to and why, next. i am totally blind. and sometimes i struggle to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. this is called non-24. learn more by calling 844-824-2424. or visit your24info.com.

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the men were held in the capital of honduras late tuesday. separately, though, members of two syrian families turned themselves in to the united states in laredo, texas, at the mexican border. there's also a report a syrian woman was taken into custody in costa rica. here's some examples, what do they all mean? ambassador roger noriega, former u.s. ambassador to the united states focuses on this part of the world. we read these headlines, this is your work, this is what you done -- you've done. what do you think when you hear these reports? >> well, they're very troubling, you know? for americans watching the news of these terrorist attacks in paris, it's all over there, and these examples are right here in our hemisphere. and it emphasizes the need to have good partners here in americas, because these people

who have been detected in certain cases precisely because some government officials caught them. on the other hand, there are other examples where they crossed across borders, received phony documents in brazil, moved over into argentina, and those show vulnerability that we need to clear up. jenna: and that's what you're particularly focused on when it comes to these five syrian men that are being held, were held in honduras. you say they were able to get from syria -- we don't really know the path, but brazil was the starting place in americas x from there what does that tell you? >> yes. well, apparently, they received phony documents in brazil. it tells you this was part of a smuggling operation, and they knew that they could move easily across the border into argentina because they don't need to show passports moving into argentina. and then they were able to travel up through central america. it shows there's a certain level of sophistication. and these smugglers, they do

have this capability, and they sometimes are moving innocent migrants up through -- jenna: and i want to ask you about that because, certainly, we know about the smuggling rings, especially going to the islands in greece. these are innocent people paying a lot of money trying to get out of syria. that's what these five individuals say that they are, just innocent people trying to find a better life. what are the chances that, indeed, they are just innocent folks part of a smuggling ring trying to get somewhere with different? >> well, quite frankly, it's probably more likely that they're not terrorists, and they are innocent people. but the problem is that terrorists use these same routes, use these same networks. and they're able, they're able to move money across, explosives, arms and people using these same networks. jenna: so you're particularly concerned not necessarily about brazil orsos that' ca, even honduras. your concern remains venezuela because of what we've seen over the past several years. why is venezuela the place you think people really need to focus on?

>> it's a blind spot for us. since 1998 the venezuelan regime has made common cause with some of our worst enemies including with syria and assad as well as with the iranians and hezbollah. and given safe haven, allowed them to fundraise, allowed them to recruit and train in venezuela. margarita island is an area of serious concern. venezuela has become a safe haven. and with a friendly government that is being used by these networks. one example, venezuelan diplomat operates a cell, operates as a venezuelan diplomat, was assigned to damascus for years stamping passports of syrian people, hezbollah, and then from venezuela they can move easily

across the borders right here in our hemisphere. jenna: there is that fear, that anxiety that we're watch b all of our borders. just about 30 seconds here, what cowe do about this? -- do we do about this? especially if a family shows up on the border in texas, as we saw them do just this week? >> clearly, the canadian and mexican borders are the most important for us, and we have to have good, solid relationships and partners. they probably couldn't be much better than they are, but it's a primary responsibility of the government to keep us safe by securing that border. and then we need to call a spade a spade in what's going on in venezuela. unfortunately, the obama administration has turned a blind eye there and really said to congress, for example be, looking into this that this isn't a problem. i think they have to come clean, shoot straight not only with the american people, but with our neighbors and say that venezuela is a problem. jenna: ambassador, great to have you on the program. thank you very much. jon? be. jon: there is another twist in the case of an indianapolis pastor's pregnant wife found

shot in her home. what police say they have found that could lead to the killer. plus, fast-moving developments concerning the terror attacks in mali as we get reports that government troops have now cleared the luxury hotel where more than 100 people were being held hostage. big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern.

jenna: we do have some reports that government troops in mali appear to have cleared that hotel where gunmen took well over 100 people hostage. mali troops searching the hotel floor by floor, helping remove hostages to safety, though we are getting reports there are those injured coming out of the hotel. several americans reportedly among those who have gotten out, but we don't have a final count or confirmation that this is over or numbers attached to those dead or injured. still very much a developing story. joining us on the phone is editor-in-chief of the journal in middle east and africa, specifically an expertise in this part of the world.

peter, you say you're not surprised. sadly, not surprised by this terrorist attack. why? >> well, for several reasons, jenna. one is despite the fact that we focus on attacks in places like paris that we're more familiar with, the largest number of victims has been in this area, the sahel. last year alone and reported, just came out this week, boko haram, another militant group, killed more people than the so-called islamic state did all last year. it's an area of increasing violence. unfortunately, the victims are primarily african, and it happens in places that don't get our attention. they do get our attention when like today, unfortunately, a hotel like the radisson blue which houses a lot of foreigners, international aid workers, airline personnel gets hit, and then we pay attention. jenna: sure. >> but the group that's been doing this has actually been ramping up all this year. earlier, just a few blocks from this hotel in march, they

attacked a popular bar killing a belgian and a frenchman. in august they hit another hotel in a different town in mali killing 11 people including five u.n. workers, two ukrainians, a nepali and a south african. so this is a group that's been very, very active, raising its profile, and it's not surprising it comes a week after the attacks in paris. the two attacks aren't linked, but they're link inside a perverse logic. extremists need to up their game, show they're effective, because that's what brings recruits, and recruits bring resources. and the group that is claiming responsibility, it's not confirmed yet, but claiming responsibility for today's attack, an offshoot of al-qaeda, has been at, if you will, a communications war with other radical groups in the same area which have pledged allegiance to the so-called islamic state. and so they needed to -- with the islamic state getting all the publicity in the last week or so, they needed to up their

game, and the opportunity was provided by this hotel. jenna: interesting to hear about a rivalry sparking this, but the timing is not lost on us because, as you mentioned, a week after the paris attacks. if you could connect us a bit, peter, we've talked about this in the past. the weapons that were noted this libya -- not secured in libya and our angsts in libya -- our actions in libya, there is a tie and the resources they've been able to gain because of that. what can you tell us about that part of the puzzle as we look at north africa overall? >> well, the collapse of the gadhafi regime -- though not lamented by anyone, the demise of the mad dog of africa -- that's not lamented, but what is lamented is the vacuum that occurred. the colonel had stashed away years' worth of weapons, weapons which now flow openly throughout this whole region, weapons, experienced fighters he had recruited who are now looking for other employment.

add that to a mix of radical ideology and money coming to this region. drug smugglers, some originating from latin america. mali has become, if you will, the highway for cocaine to get to europe, transiting through this area. so you've got money, weapons, fighters, and a radical ideology all coming into the space which has been left empty by the collapse of the gadhafi regime. and you've got a recipe for disaster. jenna: it sounds like you're saying things are going to get worse before they get better. even though there's not a direct threat from this particular area to the united states, what do you think is the role of america in all of this? >> well, the united states' leadership is critical. many of the countries in the area are fragile. they're allies, they're trying, but this is a desperately poor region. one of our nest allies in the region is niger -- best allies in the region is niger. mali itself is just recovering from a period when islamist

militants occupied two-thirds of the country, and it was only staved by a timely french intervention. so these are countries that are in desperate need of help. now, the help doesn't mean boots on the ground necessarily, but it means training, equipment and, certainly, better intelligence. to be quite honest, i'm shocked that this attack occurred, but i'm not shocked at the same time. the, there should have been better security. a major business conference was held at the radisson this week. africa's richest man was at that hotel. fortunately, he didn't spend the night, so he wasn't there when the attack occurred. but when you have people that prominent, when you have foreigners, airline crews staying there, this is a place that should have been much more secured than it was and, unfortunately, this is what happens when vigilance is lacked. jenna: one report in "the new york times" said, and this is just one report, that the license plate that these terrorists used on the vehicle was a diplomatic license plate, and as soon as the guards let

the gate up, they were able to start their attack. we'll see if that's later confirmed, but it just proves the point that you're making, peter, that perhaps it was easier than it should have been. and it's something we'll consider. great to have your expertise as always. thank you. >> thank you, jenna. jon: well, helping bring wounded warriors together with their families in their time of urgent need, the same organization behind that effort is working to make sure no service member spends upcoming holidays alone. you'll meet the people behind luke's wings. during sleep trais "thanksgifting" sale

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♪ ♪ jon: when our troops are wounded in battle, their loved ones should be by their side, that is the concept fueling the organization luke's wings, that gives family members a chance to

visit during a service member's hospitalization and rehabilitation. and as the holidays approach, luke's wings is also working to insure no service member has to spend the holidays alone. joining us now is fletcher gill, chairman of the board, ceo and co-founder of luke's wings, and lindsay gill, executive director of corporate sponsorship for the organization. many people, i would assume, think that if you get hurt, you wind up in walter reed or one of the convalescent centers for the military, that the government is just going to fly in the whole family as many times as needed. doesn't work that way. >> it does not work that way. first off, thanks for having us on, and our hearts and prayers go out to everybody around the world who is dealing with islamic terrorism right now and all of our friends in france. and to answer your question, it does not work that way. the government will provide three airplane tickets. and will provide continued support for one person who wants

to stay on as what's called the nonmedical attendant for the wounded warrior. now, the issue there is that when they fly home, that coverage ends. so you get moms and wives who instinctively want to stay by their loved one's bedside, so they quit everything back home, and they stay there indefinitely. so we step in and create rotation plans for the family to they don't have to wore toly about that. jon: there was a shot, lindsay, of you and me at an organization event some time ago which is where we met and, you know, i heard a little bit about luke's wings. so you're bringing corporations in, ordinary americans in to make donations to make sure that our troops who are wounded don't have to go through the holidays alone. >> correct. the event that i met you at, we're very grateful for. we do corporate sponsorships with hamilton here in new york city, but, of course, a $5 contribution means just as much to us because the reality is our

service members are recovering for much longer than most people realize, two or three years given a variety of factors is not uncommon. so when we're providing 30 or 40 flights for a family, $5, $10, $1,000, it all adds up. jon: and you have expanded the reach of the organization to take care of the veterans of world war ii and korea. >> that's very true. because of generous support, as lindsay mentioned, from srs distribution and other companies, we're able to sometimes provide flights for world war ii and korean war veterans in hospice care. it's the final salute to the greatest generation, making sure they're never alone when they pass away. jon: luke'swings.org, give them a hand if you can. lindsay, fletcher, thank you. >> thank you. jon: we'll be right back. big id our truck? it's touring across america telling people

about idaho potatoes. farmer: let's go boy. again this year the big idaho potato truck is traveling the country spreading the word about althy s and making donations to local charities. excuse me miss, have you seen our truck? you just missed it. ahhh! aw man are you kiddin' me? hii'm here to tell homeowners that are sixty-two and older about a great way to live a better retirement... it's called a reverse mortgage. call right now to receive your free dvd and booklet with no obligation. it answers questions like... how a reverse mortgage works, how much you qualify for, the ways to receive your money... and more. plus, when you call now, you'll get this magnifier with led light absolutely free! when you call the experts at one reverse mortgage today, you'll learn the benefits of a government-insured reverse mortgage. it will eliminate your monthly mortgage

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jon: you can give a christmas card, and it contains -- you pay for a flight for a wounded service member. lukeswings.org. . jenna: "outnumbered" starts right now. harris: we begin with a fox news alert on a hostage crisis at a luxury hotel. an al qaeda-linked group reportedly claiming responsibility. islamic extremists, radical islamists, armed with guns and throwing grenade stormed a hotel in the country of mali it's land locked and next to nigeria. six americans who were there were rescued and we are told taken to a secure location. this is "ou