let's head to ben wedeman, he's live in jerusalem with more for you. hi, ben. >> hi, carol. yes, the israeli emergency services received a call at 7:00 in the morning local time. when it turned out that the two men had entered this synagogue, people were there for morning prayers. these two men are two palestinians in their 20s, cousins from the palestinian neighborhood in east jerusalem. they entered not only with knives, axes, a handgun, it also appears from the pictures, they had meat cleavers as well. they starts to attack the worshippers. four of them were killed when these attackers were leaving with the synagogue, israeli police only took seven minutes to arrive on the scene. they engaged and killed these two attackers. now, we understand, as you mentioned, that three of those victims were -- three of the dead were israeli american citizens, dual nationality. the fourth is a british israeli national as well. so the fbi is going to become involved in the investigation. we don't know what british authorities are going to do. now, it was roundly condemned, this attack, b

in the meantime, i want to bring in my cnn colleagues, ben wedeman, deborah feyerick and joe johns. ben, first to you. this heavy-handed remark, are we getting any more indication on exactly what that is going to mean? >> reporter: we know that the prime minister will be speaking within the next half hour. but we've already seen a statement from the prime minister's office indicating that israel will demolish the homes of these two palestinian cousins in their 20s from the east jerusalem neighborhood. that seems to be one of the measures they're going to be taking to try to deter possible attackers in the future. this is a tactic the israelis have used in the past. in fact, it goes back to the days of the british mandate before the state of israel was created. so that's one of the steps. but it's important to keep in mind that these attackers didn't come from the west bank, they didn't come from gaza. nobody is making any direct link between them and, for instance, hamas. and, of course, east jerusalem is completely under israeli control. so there's only so much the israeli authoriti

ben wedeman will continue to report on that. and we'll bring you more information as soon as we get t. >>> cnn has learned that president obama has ordered a comprehensive review to the u.s. response to americans taken hostage by terrorists overseas. a focus will be on how families are kept informed. >> this comes after the beheading of another american. peter kassig was trying to help the syrian people. now his parents are speaking publicly about their loss. more from nick robertson. >> our hearts are battered, but they will mend. the world is broken, but it will be healed in the end. and good will prevail. >> reporter: peter kassig's parents are asking for prayers and privacy. the day after a video was released showing the aftermath of the beheading of their son, a u.s. aide worker. the 60-minute video also depicts the slaying of syrians. isis says the video was filmed near the turkish border, significant for them, as they say it's the site they predict for a final christian/must limb battle. >> there's this impression, this b

we have the latest from ben wedeman in jerusalem. ben, what can you tell us about the investigation. >> reporter: the israeli police are looking at two individuals as they identified as the perpetrators of the attack that occurred five hours ago. 7:00 local time at the synagogue in west jerusalem. now, they are focusing on the neighborhood in east jerusalem, a palestinian neighborhood. the two perpetrators in their 20s are cousins. they were, of course, killed just outside that synagogue in the morning. we understand that there are large presence of security forces at the moment. the israeli police spokesperson say they arrested nine people involved in riots with the israeli security forces. now the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said israel will use a firm hand to punish those behind this attack. now he and other israeli officials are pointing the finger of blame at hamas and also the palestinian president abbas for incitement for the tensions around on the temple mount. an area where we have seen cl h clashes for some tim

our ben wedeman joins us now from jerusalem live with the very latest. so ben, take us through what we know right now about this attack on worshippers in the jerusalem synagogue and how much authorities are learning about the two suspects who were shot and killed by police. >> reporter: yes. rosemary, we understand from the israeli police that two men from palestinian east jerusalem from the neighborhood of jebal mukabr came at 7:15 in the morning, that's less than three hours ago, to this synagogue behind me in the har nof neighborhood of west jerusalem. they entered the synagogue. they were armed with knives, axes, and a handgun according to the police. now, eyewitnesses tell us that they saw a commotion outside the synagogue shortly afterwards. one woman said she saw a man bloodied and wounded sitting by the front steps of the synagogue, and then she saw the attackers, the presumed attackers coming out and the police arrived very quickly on the scene afterwards and shot the two attackers dead on the steps of the synagogue. and just a moment ago i was w

ben wedeman is live for me in jerusalem. and i'm hearing, i'm hearing crowds, ben wedeman.ning behind you? >> reporter: yeah, down in the street below me, there are approximately 150 to 200 israelis, many of them chanting against the arabs. earlier they were chanting death to the arabs and other obscenities. this is in reaction, obviously, to the killing of those four rabbis this morning. we heard when prime minister netanyahu did give this speech that he warned people to stick to the law, not to take the law into their own hands. and the worry is that the passions whipped up by these murders this morning -- we were watching as police on horse and on foot were trying to keep the crowd under control, keep them back. now the last time i saw an angry crowd like this in the streets of jerusalem just a few hours later, a young palestinian in east jerusalem was kidnapped and murdered. it gives you an idea of how volatile the atmosphere in jerusalem is at the moment, brooke. >> talking to the mayor of jerusalem. he kept talking about wanting peace, fears of retaliation in those at

we have more from ben wedeman on the latest. i know this is still a breaking story. what is the latest information? >> reporter: yeah, we understand that this attack took place at about 7:00 in the morning. that was two hours ago. two trackers, apparently -- two attackers, apparently both from east jerusalem, came to this synagogue here. they were armed apparently with a handgun, as well as axes and knives, according to police spokesmen. they went inside the synagogue, killed four of the worshipper, sick others are wounded. they -- police quickly came to the scene, killed the two attackers. two policemen were wounded, as well. of course, the israeli police are describing this as a terror incident. of course, it's been a tense atmosphere in jerusalem for weeks now. this is just one more on inthat's going to add -- incident that's going to add to increasing tension in the city. errol? >> it seems as though this attack could be in response to one of the previous attacks you've just mentioned. i know new information coming out still in this early breaking story. what wil

ben wedeman is now live in jerusalem. have the israeli police identified the attackers or any group they might belong to? >> reporter: yes. the two attackers are from the jerusalem -- east jerusalem neighborhood and are in their 30s. they are cousins. and beyond that, there haven't been any real believable claims of responsibility. there was a statement put out by the marxist secularist popular front for the liberation of palestinian, plfp, claiming that perhaps they were members of the organization. but even israeli officials themselves are downplaying that claim. they seem to be tending to the belief that these individuals had no political affiliations that they found so far. now, the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, has issued a statement earlier today in which he said today that their houses would be demolished. the israeli police apparently have taken into custody several of their relatives for questioning, as far as we know at this point. but as i said, there has been no claim of responsibility. hamas, as

here's our ben wedeman. >> reporter: the flag, the symbols make the point. israel is a jewish state. but prime minister benjamin netanyahu and his political allies don't think that's enough. his cabinet recently voted 14-6, for a bill that would put into law that israel is a nation state of the jewish people. israel, he told his cabinet, has equal individual rights for every citizen, and we insist on this. but only the jewish people have national rights. a flag and anthem, the right of every jew to immigrate to the country. and other national symbols. these are granted only to our people in its one and only state. he and others have been at pains to stress that all israeli citizens, more than a fifth, are muslims or christians, aren't entitled to equal rights. opponents say the nation state bill has another purpose. >> to send a message to the other citizens that you are a second-class citizen. >> reporter: this man runs a group fighting for civil rights for israel's minority. a proposed law he believes sends all the wrong signals. >> if you are an american,

cnn's ben wedeman has the latest. >> reporter: christine, at 7:15 in the morning, two men from palestinian east jerusalem entered the synagogue during more than prayer. the synagogue was full of worshippers. the two men were armed with a pistol, axes and knives. they killed four worshippers and wounded six others. we are told the police arrived quickly on the scene. there was a battle that ensued. the two attackers were killed on the scene. now, of course, this is just the latest in a series of incidents in jerusalem. the mayor of jerusalem telling us that they want the people of jerusalem to be extremely vigil about the situation. he put the blame for this attack on hamas. other palestinian radical groups and the palestinian authority led by abbas. he says they have been inciting to launch attacks against israelis. >> condemning that attack. we will following that story all morning. >>> turning to the battle against isis. the islamic terror group's beheading of peter kassig leaves just two known western hostages. one cantile. we have cnn's erin mclaughlin with more. erin, the most recent

cnn international correspondent ben wedeman is live in jerusalem. ve been chants going on behind you last night and earlier today. israelis on the street shouting death to arabs. how strained are things in jerusalem right now? >> reporter: very strained, jake. we were driving around jerusalem today and it's very strange. normally, a very bustling, busy city. many fewer cars on the street, less people on the street and when you go into east jerusalem where the palestinian population is concentrated there are lots of checkpoints, lots of police and lots of border guards checking cars, checking papers, asking questions. overnight, of course, the israelis did demolish the home of the family of the man that killed a 3-month-old baby and the woman next to the light rail system. when they blew up their apartment some of the debris fell down and destroyed a neighbor's car. this sort of really underscores that even though individuals and their families may be the -- on the receiving end of some of these measures, a lot of other people are paying the price. th

ron pross is here and ben wedeman joins us from jerusalem. ben, i want to turn to you. give us the latest on the situation. it's been a very, very tense day there. >> it's been very tense since about 7:00 this morning when this attack took place when these two palestinians from east jerusalem burst into morning prayers and killed those four people. there were actually about ten or possibly a dozen people inside this synagogue, six remain in very serious condition, one of them was one of the police officers who responded to the calls for help, arriving on the scene just seven minutes after it happened and, of course, they were able to kill those two attackers but we are expecting the israeli prime minister benge men netanyahu to make a statement in about 1:15 fro now on the situation in jerusalem which, of course, is very tense. he has come out and said that they -- the israeli security forces will be demolishing the homes of those two palestinian attackers. he has come out also earlier in the day condemning what he callcall called incitement by hamas as well as the pale

ben wedeman has the latest. >> reporter: israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu condemning the deadlyror attack inside the synagogue. >> translator: today in the middle of morning prayers while covered in prayer shawls, four rabbis were massacred. four jews. >> reporter: two palestinian men armed with butcher knives and a pistol entered the building in an orthodox neighborhood in west jerusalem. the assailants traveling from east jerusalem killing five men. three americans with dual citizenship including the son and grandson of renowned boston rabbis. also killed, a british man with israeli citizenship, and a police officer who was critically wounded at the scene and died later in the hospital. seven others were injured. this video shows israeli soldiers trying to enter the synagogue to stop the attackers who were then shot and killed by police. israeli authorities calling this one of the deadliest terror attacks in the city in years. >> we saw the slaughter of innocent people while they were praying in a sin going. -- a synagogue. if the world doesn't unite and give zero excuses for

ben wedeman is on the scene for us. ben, explain to us what happened for viewers who might just be tuning in right now. >> reporter: what happened is just before 7:00 this morning, wolf, there were around a dozen men in this synagogue in west jerusalem when these two palestinians from a palestinian neighborhood in east jerusalem burst into the room as they were praying. these men were armed with knives, with axes and we saw pictures which would indicate they also had butcher's knives as well as a 9 millimeter pistol and they started to attack these worshippers. four of them were killed immediately. and within seven minutes, the israeli police were alerted to this attack and arrived on the scene as the two attackers were leaving the israeli police opened fired and killed the two attackers. six people were injured, some of them severely in this attack, including one of the police officers who we understand is now in critical condition. the israelis have, of course, reinforced security around jerusalem. they did dispatch fo

ben wedeman, cnn, jerusalem. >>> we'll take a short break now. but up ahead, a u.s.dge and divided. the protests and preparations as ferguson, missouri waits to find out if a police officer could be charged after killing a teenager. here's some news you may find surprising. we're for an open internet for all. we're for creating more innovation and competition. we're for net neutrality protection. now, here's some news you may find even more surprising. we're comcast. the only isp legally bound by full net neutrality rules. >>> welcome back, everyone. well, a u.s. grand jury deliberating a controversial police shooting is expected to reconvene monday. the 12-member panel is deciding whether a white police officer from ferguson, missouri should face criminal charges for killing an unarmed black teenager this summer. protesters were back in the streets demanding the officer's arrest. people in ferguson and the surrounding areas remain largely on edge while they wait for the grand jury's decision. well, that waiting is forcing ferguson to face the discord within the comm

let's begin with our senior international correspondent ben wedeman joining us from jerusalem. his report will con tame some very graphic images. tell our viewers, ben, what has occurred. >> reporter: what occurred is just before 7:00 in the morning, wolf, as these worshippers were in the synagogue in west jerusalem when two palestinians from east jerusalem, the neighborhood burst into the room where they were praying. these men were armed with butcher's knives and a pistol. and we understand they started to -- they shot and they started to stab the worshippers in there, killing four of them. three rabbis. one was a british israeli national and three were u.s. citizens. moments after the shots were fired, israeli police were alerted and they were on the scene within seven minutes. now, the pick tures that are coming out of that slaughter really are disturbing. blood all over the place, all over prayer books, it's really the worst attack in jerusalem in six years. in jerusalem, mourners watched in grief as the rabbis' bodies were carried outside and a massive crowd gathered for t

our cnn's ben wedeman is reporting from jerusalem. >> reporter: the flag, the symbols make the point. but netanyahu and his allies don't think it's enough. his cabinet recently voted 14-6 for a bill that would put into law that israel is the nation-state of the jewish people. "israel," he told his cabinet "has equal and individual rights for every citizen and we insist on this but only the jewish people have national rights. a flag, an anthem, the right of every jew to emigrate to the country and other national symbols. these are granted only to our people and its own and only state." he and others have been at pains to stress that all israeli citizens more than a fifth are muslims or christians, aren entitled to equal rights. opponents say the nation-state bill has another purpose. >> to send a message to the arabs citizen that you are a second class citizen. >> reporter: this man runs a group fighting for civil rights for israel's arab minority. the proposed law, he believes, sends all the wrong signals. >> if you are american, imagine that in the law american constitution will be -

ben wedeman shows you what's at risk as the terror group takes over more of the country. >> reporter:ew are the lands that can boast a history as deep and rich as iraq. and nowhere is that more apparent than in baghdad's iraqi museum. the director takes us on a tour. this is from 3,000 b.c., he says, pointing to an sumerian mosaic. the people mastered the first mathematics system, literal and law. its past is threatened by the nightmare of its present. the group calling itself the islamic state, isis, is not only at war with the state of iraq but the very identity, blowing up religious shrines, executing its enemies. and what it hasn't destroyed, isis is selling on the black market. they cut these relieves and sell them to criminals and antique dealer, usually they cut off the head, leaving the rest because the head is the valuable part. the area around mosul is replete with ruins, now in paeril. this comes from a city that isis took over a few months ago. >> they are now using the site to store weapons, train fighters and execute prisoners. their palaces, statues and isis is living a

cnn's ben wedeman is in jerusalem with more with the very latest and the aftermath of what's going ons going on, ben? >> well, wolf, what we've seen throughout jerusalem is stepped-up security on the eastern side where most of the palestinians live. there are a lot of checkpoints, a lot of police checking papers, stopping cars. where the homes of the two attackers of yesterday's synagogue attack come from, there are cement roadblocks blocking some of the roads. what you see is a lot less people in the street and a lot less cars going around. we haven't had the sort of angry anti-arab demonstrations that we saw just below us yesterday, but certainly there is this residual tension from yesterday. the israeli police are, of course, eager to prevent any further attacks, but also to prevent any sort of revenge attacks by israelis and palestinians. >> ben wedeman in jerusalem. we'll stay in constant touch with you and our entire team in jerusalem. >> coming up, exploding air bagses. the u.s. government is urging a recall that would cover millions of american cars. the list of vehicles is co

ben wedeman, cnn, jerusalem. >>> we have live pictures for you right now of pope francis.st touched down in istanbul after spending his friday in ankara there in turkey. his time in istanbul marks the middle of a three-day visit to this predominantly muslim country and this is being called the most challenging trip of his papacy. he's urging for religious freedom and religious tolerance in the middle east. he's the fourth pope to visit turkey and we'll have more about his comments and his stay there in istanbul as we push on here this weekend. >> it's a very significant arrival. and another as well. the french president is now the first western leader to visit ebola-hit west africa. he said he made the one-day trip to guinea as a show of international solidarity. now more on the significance of his visit. >> president hollande stopped for just a few hours, but the presidential palace here said it was a very important stop for him to have made, both for symbolic and for practical reasons. on the practical side, basically the french have been giving a lot of money to west af

yesterday, my colleague ben wedeman saw a number of police points where they were checking people, stopping them for identity checks. this the a largely palestinian part of town. so that's the mood in the city. in the meantime, israeli authorities are continuing now with this policy of demolishing the houses of those who have carried out the attacks. for example, yesterday, the man who carried out the october 22 attack, ramming his car into the railway station, killing two people and a baby, his home walls reduced to rubble. and now the israeli authorities have issued more notices that they will demolish the homes of other attackers. so that policy is going ahead. so far the city remains calm, and that's good news. >> i guess, atiki, the fact that homes are being demolished speaks to these being understood to be lone wolf style attacks and the fact that nothing else can be done. the religious sensitivities, the animosity and the anger between palestinians and israelis is almost a constant. when you see it flare up, you do wonder when the next incident will take place. other than the demolis

let's go to our senior international correspondent who is there, ben wedeman in jerusalem. and so we heard from prime minister netanyahu vowing reprisals against the group or groups who ordered this attack. might this been, might this be the case of where they were sent by no one, simply acted alone. >> yes, it seems to be the case, brooke. and this is not the first. there have been a series of attacks leaving six israelis dead that have been committed by individuals with no apparent political affiliation. now, there was a statement put out by the marxist palestinian front -- popular front for the liberation of palestine suggesting that these two individuals from east jerusalem were somehow affiliated with the group. but that has not been confirmed yet. this is the problem, you know, obviously -- has a very close eye on east jerusalem on the west bank, on gaza, looking for people with affiliations with groups like hamas or islamic jihad. but when the individuals are acting alone with no clear links to any groups, it's very difficult or much more difficult to -- the kind of

ben wedeman is live for us in jerusalem. ben, what do we know?t is that the tensions are really focused on jerusalem itself, unlike the conflict this summer with gaza. and this is, as far as we can tell, the worst attack in jerusalem in six years. breaking overnight, a deadly terror attack shattering the peace of early morning prayers inside a jerusalem synagogue. they used axes and knives to attack the people. police say two palestinian men armed with knives, axes, and a handgun entered the building in an orthodox neighborhood in west jerusalem. >> this is -- simply has no place in human behavior. >> reporter: the assailants traveling from east jerusalem, killing four israeli civilians and injuring six others, including two responding police officers. this video shows israeli police trying to enter the synagogue to stop the attackers, were then shot and killed by police. >> israeli authorities calling this one of the deadliest terror attacks in the city in years. >> what you saw today is slaughter of innocent people, while they're praying in a s