the second attempt to rescue luke somers. t somers had apparently been moved before the operation took place. so now the second attempt -- remember, these operations are not done lightly. they're dangerous. they involve a tremendous amount of resources. it's a dangerous operation for the u.s. special forces that are involved. and two conducted in a short time frame to attempt this rescue. of course the very sad news that it failed and that somers was killed by his captors during the course of it. >> jim, earlier this week we heard an emotional appeal from his family urging the captors to shows mercy. and the captors said we want the u.s. to give us -- they had certain demands but didn't outline the demands. what were they demanding in return for luke somer's release? >> to be fair, any demands or ones that the u.s. would not consider credible, they wouldn't believe that, first of all, the demands wouldn't be ones that the u.s. could meet because it involves leaving the region. but even if they were met, remember, this is a gro

luke somers was murdered overnight by his captors, dying in a failed rescue attempt by u.s. commandos. somers and a south african teacher were shot. al jazeera's patty culhane has more. >> reporter: it was the second time u.s. special forces tried to rescue american luke somers. he died along side pierre corgi, south african, who was expected to be released. they were shot by their captors - al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, during a raid in the south-east of yemen. >> as a source told me, they started to kill him and tried to escape with him, but the operation was very strong and they were surrounded. so they killed him. >> reporter: according to media reports, hostages were wounded, but alive. one died en route. the other on the operating table aboard the u.s.s. makin island. u.s. officials are defending the operation. >> luke somers was murdered. he was taken hostage. his life was clearly in danger. >> reporter: u.s. officials believed somers was going be killed by his captors, al qaeda released a video saying he would be executed. the family released this video clear. >>

complicated rescue mission. >> like always in these efforts there is -- there's risk. >> my name is luke somers. >> reporter: the 33-year-old somers was a photo journalist kidnapped by al qaeda in yemen in 2013, ten days after the first rescue mission failed he was pleading for his life. >> i'm certain that my life is in danger. so as i sit here now, i ask if anything can be done, please let it be done. >> reporter: in that same video his al qaeda captors threaten to execute somers by the end of today. somers' family responded. his brother jordan pleading for his release while insisting luke had no part in the rescue attempt. >> he is not responsible for any actions the u.s. government has taken. please understand that we had no prior knowledge of the rescue attempt for luke, and we mean no harm to anyone. >> reporter: but u.s. officials feared somers' time was running out. at the white house, president obama received frequent updates. and in a statement today said additional intelligence indicated somers's life was in imminent danger. based on this assessment and as soon as there was reliable

remember, this is the second attempt to rescue luke somers. it was only on monday when another operation was conducted. that one, by the time u.s. special forces operations arrived at the locate, somers had been removed. they did rescue other hostages. one week, two attempts, sadly did failed. >> do we know, one what the demands were. and two, we are hearing that some of the terrorists were killed as well in this mission, that is correct? that's right. to the second question, first, a number of actors were killed -- public -- by officials, to be fair -- >> jim -- >> reporter: it's the general principle -- >> i'm sorry, i think we're having a technical problem. we're having a hard time hearing. wait, go ahead. let's see if we can hear this better. >> reporter: let me just go ahead, if you can still hear me, just so you know, i'm in the presidential palace in kabul. with the secretary of state -- let me just continue. demands were not made public but keep in mind aqap is not or does not negotiate with terrorists or make exchanges with terrorists

pierre kokie was executed alongside luke somers. many in korkie's family are wondering why they were not told ahead of the fact the raid was about to happen. >> nima, thanks. >>> defense secretary chuck hagel says he does not expect afghanistan security forces to buckle the way iraq's had. hagel spent the weekend in afghanistan. the final trip as secretary. he says the difference is afghanistan's government wants u.s. troops there to assist and advise and train. >> they welcomed us. they want us to continue to help them support them. that's a big difference between afghanistan today and where we were in iraq. >> cnn's jim sciutto spoke with secretary hagel in afghanistan. he will have that story live on "new day" later this morning. >>> six guantanamo bay prisoners transferred to uruguay. president obama since he was running for office vowed to close the base. >>> a top secret cia report. the explosive report details what the cia did following the 9/11 terror attacks. now there are fears the release of that report could lead to viol

tried to rescue luke somers. on november 25th members of seal team six raided a hide out on a yemeni mountainside and discovered luke somers had been moved two days earlier. as a result of that mission, al qaeda threatened to kill luke somers by the weekend and warned the u.s. against another rescue. >> with somers and his family pleading that his life was in danger... ..president obama authorised another mission. >> this time they were unable to save luke. >> pierre corky's family was specting a different out come. he was kidnapped in 2013 with his wife. his wife was released in jan, he was expected to be released the morning after the failed raid. the charity had negotiated a $200,000 ransom. the u.s. and south african government have a policy of not paying ransom. the u.s. did not know about the ransom or the private plan to free pierre corky. 6am saturday pierre corky's wife received a text message saying the wait was over. two hours later she received a call that her husband had died. a message on the websit

luke somers was kidnapped in september of last year in yemen's capital. al qaeda had planned to kill somers today but u.s. special forces were unable to save him. peter doocy has more details. >> we have brand-new information about the daring raid carried out by american commandos to save luke somers, the president and chuck hagel approved the mission yesterday based on threats thursday from the al qaeda kidnappers that they would kill luke somers today if their demands were not met. at 5:00 p.m. eastern last night, 40 americans took os pray land craft to a site 10 kilometers from where they were being held and started walking towards the hostages but somehow were discovered 100 meters from the target. at that point officials believe the hostages were shot right away but were pulled out and treated by surgeons aboard the osprey aircraft. the associated press reports that luke somers survived the ride to the nearby nachvy ship but died from gunshot wounds soon after. the south african hostage died before landing at the ship. no other americans were injured

what went wrong to free luke somers and what does this mean? >>> and "rolling stone" magazine is backing down on the sexual assault case on university of virginia campus and says some of the items may not be true. we'll explain. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it is monday, december 8th. it is 4:00 a.m. in the east. breaking overnight. a new night of violence and protests in berkeley, california. one of the few places where violence have broken out in the killings of eric garner and michael brown. some hurled rocks and bottles at police and tried to set a patrol car on fire. looting and vandalism broke out. one hit in a hammer. the victim was taken to the hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life threatening. >> elsewhere across the country, the protests were peaceful. that can be seen on so many of the signs. there will be another demonstration at 8:00 a.m. this morning at u.s. capitol building. in new york, 300 arrests. on sunday, people gathered at times square and grand central s

he called it an imminent danger to luke somers. he called his murder a barbaric murder. now today in afghanistan, the secretary of defense, chuck hagel, had this to say. >> our prayers and thoughts go out to the somers' family. there was also another hostage who was also killed in that attempted rescue. and our prayers and thoughts go out to all the families involved. i do think, though, that this is further evidence of america's continued commitment to always find its american hostages, no matter where they are, and make every effort to get those hostages returned. >> reporter: president obama monitored the raid here at the white house last night and said the white house used every tool at its disposal to get somers released. back to you. >> what more do we know about the south african hostage that was killed? >> reporter: yes, the south african man is myier korkie. we know from his employer and a facebook posting, they call it the gift of givers, they were finalizing an agreement for his release on sunday. the u.s. state department, they say they did not know this secon

so we know that luke somers was taken off the streets. what was he doing that might have gotten him in trouble? >> actually, luke went to yemen about the beginning of the yemeni revolution. some were there to cover the revolution. he was recovering the protest and the aftermath. recently, i think, at the time of his kidnapping he was working as an english editor for the yemeni dialogue conference, the biggest dialogue that took place for the peace process, and the political process. >> if he was covering that story and the political process, what message do you think al qaeda was trying to send? >> in 2013. it was an area where many journalists and reporters were kidnapped, including a dutch and her husband. they were freed at the end of the day. so it's horrifying news. >> what happened. if the others were freed, why did this change now, after yemen is called a bastion of progress? >> we don't know what changed on the ground. maybe yemen, with the government, maybe they are using that as a leverage to have money and advance terror activit

luke's somers was kidnap in september of last year. he had been working as a freelance photographer. these are some of the pictures he filed for al jazeera. on wednesday a video was posted online with luke appealing for help and saying his life was in danger. his family released a statement pleading for his life possible spared. while luke somers' life was in imminent danger. >> the message was that the wait was almost over. three days ago we were told that pierre would be home for christmas. it was unfortunate that he was killed during an attack on al-qaeda property in an attempt to release other hostages. >> but now both men won't be coming home. stephanie dekker, al jazeera. >> au.s. defense secretary made the announcement on an unexpected stop in the afghan capitol kabul. tell us more about what chuck hagel announced today. >> well, as you say, it's unexpected visit by the outgoing defense secretary, an extra 1,000 troops to add to the thousand 800 that are going to be remaining here into 2015. a 11 attacks here, and a large attack

intelligence shows american luke somers would be murdered by saturday morning. president authorizes the rescue, giving no hint of the drama about to play out. just a few hours later, according to u.s. officials, two b-22 ospreys under cover of darkness touched down in a remote area of yemen, some six miles from the compound where the hostages are held. about 40 special force commandos, mostly navy s.e.a.l.s, move undetected over the rough terrain. but suddenly, everything goes wrong, when just 300 feet away, they are exposed, maybe by a barking dog. a firefight breaks out. and as a u.s. drone watches overhead, one terrorist runs back inside and shoots both hostages. u.s. forces kill five aqap terrorists. the rest flee. and in one of the most dangerous parts of the mission, a combat medical team needs to spend a tense half hour on the ground, trying to stabilize the two gravely wounded men. finally, they are flown back to the "uss makin island" off yemen's coast, but one dies on the way and another dies on the ship. >> you have to really look at this from a surgi

of the stunning details we're learning this morning about the mission to try to rescue american luke somers and fellow hostage pierre korkie in yemen. three navy s.e.a.l. teams fought off the captors. >> it was the second attempt in ten days to rescue somers, who had been held prisoner now for 15 months. we have more from washington this morning. good morning. what are you learning at this hour? >> reporter: good morning. this is the second mission president obama ordered in just two weeks and the second that failed, this time tragically. we're told the president monitored the mission at the white house, following along in real time with every tense moment. the mission extremely risky and made urgent when u.s. intelligence shows american luke somers would be murdered by saturday morning. by mid-morning friday the president authorizes the rescue, giving no hint of the drama about to play out. just a few hours later, according to u.s. officials, two v-22 ospreys under cover of darkness touched down in a remote area of yemen, some six miles from the compound where the hostages are held. about

al qaeda posted a video of luke somers pleading for his life. rning more about somers and a thwarted attempt to rescue him by the u.s. military. cnn is standing by live for us in london with the very latest. >> officials say this attempt, this rescue attempt was carried out after that received intelligence that the hostages were being moved. they saw an opportunity, they got line of sight on hostages being moved with blankets over their head and the special forces moved in. when they arrived, they realized that this perhaps could have been a decoy. that other hostages were being held in another location and now luke somers family is pleading with the hostage takers to not allow luke to bare the brunt for this failed attempt. take a listen to this, christine. >> luk is not responsible for the actions the u.s. government had taken. we had no prior knowledge for the rescue attempt and we mean no harm to anyone. >> we thank you for taking care of him. please show mercy and give us an opportunity to see our luke again. he is all that we have. >> al qa

government had a heads up about this raid but didn't participate at all, and we heard this morning from luke somers' sister who says her family was informed of luke's murder at around midnight eastern. patti ann? >> peter doocy, thank you. >>> outgoing defense secretary chuck hagual rifg in afghanistan today. he met with president ashra ashraf ghani. he's also making a major announcement about the future of u.s. troops in afghanistan. john is live with more. john? >> patti ann, back in may, president obama announced that the number of troops in afghanistan would be reduced. now we know those plans have changed. the u.s. military had planned to pull 1,000 troops out of afghanistan starting in the beginning of 2015, basically starting the new year, but that's been put on hold. secretary hagel says 10,800 troops will remain in the country. he made the announcement during a press conference today, as mentioned, with afghan president ashraf ghani in kabul. secretary hagel says there's been delays and this is really the reason for keeping the troops there. he says there's been delays with u.s. allies sig

new details in the attempted rescue of the american hostage luke somers in yemen. ng the rescue attempt. senior u.s. military officials telling nbc news that two dozen navy s.e.a.l.s in two helicopters were involved in this operation. the s.e.a.l.s exchanged gunfire with a small group of al qaeda fighters. somers and a south african hostage were evacuated alive, however, later died of their wounds while en route to a u.s. navy ship. defense secretary chuck hagel in afghanistan today addressed the rescue mission's difficulties. >> this mission, which there will be more detail forthcoming, was extremely well-executed. it was a very dangerous and complicated mission, but like always in these efforts, there's risk. >> somers, a photojournalist, was abducted in yemen's capital of sanaa back in 2013. the south african hostage was pierre korkie. kristen welker is at the white house and joins us now. >> reporter: the white house tells me video of luke somers was released late thursday night into thursday in which aqap terrorists threatened to kill him. u.s. officials determ

he had been moved days before. >> my name is luke somers. >> reporter: on thursday al qaeda terrorists released a video of somers threatening to kill him within 72 hours. president obama said based on this assessment and as soon as there was reliable intelligence and an operational plan, i authorized a rescue attempt yesterday. >> i don't think the government had an option. president obama did the right thing trying to save this poor fellow's life. >>> the troops are staying. the u.s. will keep more troops than originally planned in afghanistan for 2015. that's according to u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel during his visit to that country today. they'll keep an extra 1,000 troops in the country. >>> coming up next, another wind for the surfers in a battle over beach access. >> the argument to keep the gate closed at martin beach. >>> by tomorrow morning, could see some patchy fog setting up. before the end of the day, we could see more rain spilling back into the bay area. how it will impact the rest of your weekend plans as we come right back. looking for one of these? yoplait. smoo

new details in the attempted rescue of american hostage luke somers in yemen. ls tell nbc news that two dozen navy s.e.a.l.s in two hecks were involved in this operation. gunfire was exchanged with al qaeda fighters. a handful of militants were killed in the exchange.

the body of luke somers will return to the u.s. tomorrow as they piece together how the militants were tipped off to location of navy s.e.a.l.s. nbc news jim miklaszewski is live at the pentagon. what do we know about what happened and what went wrong? >> u.s. military and d.o.d. officials we're talking to say this is a tragedy, the death of the two hostages that was apparently unavoidable. after all, the al qaeda there in yemen had threatened in a videotape to kill the american luke somers by the end of the day saturday, so, there was a -- there was a real urgency to try to rescue him. and they tell us also, they were unaware that the south african pierre korkie was there as well. they knew there was another hostage there, but they didn't know it was korkie. this leads to the tragedy. because korkie's caregive organization out of south africa had actually negotiated his relief by paying a $200,000 ransom that was to occur the very next morning. but they were sworn to secrecy. they could not tell the u.s. military that korkie was t

officials by the terror group and he says that in the statement this morning, he says that luke somersinistration reacting this morning, calling it murder. this morning in afghanistan, here's secretary of defense, chuck hagel. >> our prayers and thoughts go out to the somers family. there was also another hostage who was also killed in that attempted rescue and our prayers and thoughts go out to all the families involved. i do think, though, that this is further evidence of america's continued commitment to always find its american hostages, no matter where they are, and make every effort to get those hostages returned. >> and the president this morning also reacted, saying in a statement, quote, the united states strongly condemned the barbaric murder of luke somers at the hands of al qaeda terrorists, during a rescue operation conducted by u.s. forces in yemen, in partnership with the yemeni government. on behalf of the american people, i offer my deepest condolences to luke's family and to his loved ones. and it's clear in this statement this morning, fred, that president obama is c

we knew that they threatened on thursday to kill luke somers by saturday. this was our last chance to go ahead and save him. it was obviously very tragic in the sense that we were not able to save him. but it was not a failed mission in that we flexed our muscles because they were flexing theirs. it was a very challenging mission. as they get closer, obviously they're alerting the terrorists and there is only a few points of entry and their time frame to go in and get the hostages becomes smaller and smaller. so unfortunately, we're not able to save him, but again, why do these terrorist take american hostages when they know we won't pay the ransom? because the main reason for taking hostages is to a, get the money. and b, to flex their muscles to show their might, to show especially to america that al-qaeda is not on hiatus, they're not taking a break, and they're going to be he >> you mentioned paying ransom. european countries do that apparently. some of them deny. should we change our policy? it's always been from the reagan administration, we should no

officials say after seeing this video of american hostage luke somers late last week, the pentagon concludeddanger of being killed. the u.s. scrambled for a last-minute rescue. by thursday the u.s. had satellite images of the compound where somers was being held. by mid-morning friday, the mission was a go. it would not succeed in the end. >> the president does not at all regret ordering this mission to try to rescue mr. somers. >> i commend the president for acting because the intelligence showed an urgency to get in where they were going to kill this american hostage anyway. >> reporter: it was the dead of night in yemen. u.s. officials say b-22 aircraft raced to a remote region in eastern yemen, about 30 commandos from s.e.a.l. team six and combat medics began hiking to the compound where luke somers and south african pierre korkie were being held. just yards from the target, dogs began barking. the u.s. says the s.e.a.l.s were spotted. a fire fight erupted with aircraft keeping watch, the s.e.a.l.s battled the terrorists. u.s. officials say one terrorist ran back into the compound shooti

today, luke somers' family feel the american strategy was wrong. ere's the statement they put out after this botched capture attempt. they said, we are sure luke would have given support to the ongoing discussions to secure his release in yemen rather than the conflict approach. there have been threats before that have not been carried out. my goal, luke's father, was quite angry, if there was not a rescue attempt he would still be alive. of course, it's impossible to know that, down the u.s. should rethink their strategy in terms of negotiateing with can'tors? >> certainly, your heard goes out to luke someer's family dealing with the loss of a son and a brother. it's a situation that's difficult. the u.s. is if a difficult situation. countries like the united states, south africa, britain, don't pay ransoms for tear hostages, other european countries do. so what happens is that you tend to be divided up by nationalalities. we seen this in iraq and yemen. the question i have is two to free luke somers, one on november 25th and this last one over the

the failed efforts to save american hostage luke somers. held by al qaeda in yemen just days after his family pleads for his release. >> please show mercy. >> what happened in the surprise u.s. strike overnight. abc's chief investigative correspondent brian ross is here with details. >>> terror on a train. a man armed with a knife stabs four people on an amtrak train in michigan. passengers running for their lives after spotting blood. >> i heard somebody screaming and yelling. just loud noises, yelling. >> now in handcuffs. were there signs he was ready to snap? >>> in a shocking twist, "rolling stone" now backing off its explosive story about an alleged gang rape at a university of virginia fraternity. that story sparked protests. but now the magazine says it's found discrepancies in the reporting. how the school and students are reacting. >>> and new overnight, hack attack. hit by leaks of the top movie the including "fury" and "annie." now dealing with threats to the employees. >> want to go kill kim jong-un? >> is it revenge for this u

luke somers was abducted more than a year ago in sama. ered him during the operation. his sister told the associated press today, we ask that all of luke's family members be allowed to mourn in peace. summe somers pleaded for help earlier this week. >> i was born in england but i carry american citizenship and have lived in american for most of my life. >> al qaeda threatened to kill him by this weekend if the u.s. did not meet their demands. they tried to rescue him before, and somers was not there and they tried again. >> they tried again, and we were talking during your report there, and you say that the chances of a successful operation are low, always. >> it's incredibly difficult. this part of yemen is very remote. it's central yemen. you can hear vehicles or helicopters coming from miles away, and there's not a lot of sound, ambient noise, and they are expecting that you are coming, and you have the hostage in a secure location of your choosing, of the hostage taker's choosing, and there already has been a failed rescue attempt and

and yemeni forces tried to rescue luke somers along with pierkorki held alongside him. they said they found them but neither made it out alive. >> the rescue operations started early morning saturday and they wanted to rescue him, but the al-qaeda was very alert and they, one of my sources told me they started to king him and they tried to skaim with him but the operation was very strong. they were surrounded. so they killed him. >> that operation took place in shabwa promise. barack obama planed the timing. >> earlier this week, a video announced that luke would be killed within 72 hours. other information also indicated that luke's life was in imminent danger. based upon this assessment and as soon as there was reliable intelligence and an operational plan, i authorized a rescue attempt yesterday. >> luke somers was kidnapped in sanaa in september, last year. he had been working as a freelance photographer. these are some of his pictures he filed for al jazeera. on wednesday, a video was posted online with luke appealing for help and saying his life was in danger. >>

special forces tried to rescue american luke somers. he died alongside pooer corgi, expected to be released in the coming days. u.s. officials were shocked by their captors, al qaeda in the area of yemen. >> as a source told me, they started to kill him and tried to escape with him, but the operation was very strong, and they were surrounded. so they killed hip. >> according to media reports, the hostages were wounded but alive when evacuated. we apologise, we want to get the correct report from al jazeera's political contributor michael shure. let's listen. >> you know, it's hard to see. mary landrieu brought millions of dollars in this her final year into the state of louisiana, she got forgiveness for the loans dating back to katrina. but, you know, when she saw the drubbing the democrats took from all over the country, she had

journalist luke somers was murdered by al qaeda during a failed u.s.escue mission authorized by president obama. this morning, what we know about the dramatic attempt to try to save his life. >>> churning closer, that massive super typhoon taking aim at the philippines this morning. hundreds of thousands of residents running for their lives before the huge storm makes landfall. >>> terror on the train, several people recovering this morning after a knife wielding man stabbed them aboard an amtrak train in michigan. terrified passengers look on in disbelief. >>> and the glitz, the glamour, the thieves. miami's art basel event is one of the hottest parties around, drawing celebrities from around the rl

in terms of luke somers. he's 33 years old kidnapped last year. on thursday of this week al qaeda posted a video showing somers and threatened to kill him if the u.s. did not meet their demands. earlier this morning president obama issued this statement. it reads in part, the united states strongly condemns the barbaric murder of luke somers at the hands of al qaeda terrorists during a rescue operation conducted by u.s. forces in yemen in partnership with the yemeni government. the president also after offered his condolences to luke's family and loved ones. >>> two people are hurt after this car accident in philadelphia's east falls neighborhood. this is a live look. this is on lincoln drive near gypsy lane. police tell us three cars collided here just a short time ago. both victims were taken to temple university hospital. there's no word on their conditions yet. we're told that lincoln drive is closed in both directions between gypsy lane and writtenhouse street. you can see they're trying to tow those cars that were involved in the accident out

somers' sister lucy told the associated press today, we ask that all of luke's family members be allowed to mourn in peace. in a video released this week, somers had pleaded for help. >> my name is luke somers, i'm 33 years old. i was born in england, but i carry american citizenship and have lived in america for most of my life. >> reporter: al qaeda had threatened to kill him by this weekend if the u.s. didn't meet its demands. u.s. special operations forces had tried to rescue him last month as well, but that mission didn't succeed either. somers wasn't there, so the u.s., facing a deadline, tried again. and just a short while ago the president has issued a statement. it said earlier this week, a video released by terrorist captors announced that luke would be killed within 72 hours. other information also indicated that luke's life was in imminent danger. based on the assessment, and as soon as there was reliable intelligence and an operational plan i authorized a rescue plan. the callous disregard for luke's life is more proof of the depths of aqap's depravity. aqap the al qaeda in

american photojournalist luke somers and south african teacher pierre korkie.e killed saturday as the secret mission unfolded. sunlen sur-fah-tee reports. >>:the mission-- extremely risky. and made urgent when u-s intelligence shows american luke somers would be murdered by saturday morning. by mid morning friday, the president authorizes the rescue -- giving no hint of the drama --about to play out. just a few hours later, according to us officials, two v-22 ospreys - under cover of darkness touch down--in a remote area of yemen--some six miles from the from the compound where the hostages are held. about 40 special force commandos-- mostly navy seals-- move undetected over the rough terrain. but suddenly everything goes wrong when.just 300 feet away.they are exposed-- maybe by a barking dog. a firefight breaks out. and as a u.s. drone watches overhead-- one terrorist runs back inside and shoots both hostages. us forces kill five aqap terrorists -- the rest-- flee. and in one of the most dangerous parts of the mission -- a combat medical team needs to spend a

this is actually the second failed attempt to rescue luke somers. what kind of intelligence did these special operations folks have going in? >> reporter: it's obviously never perfect, dan. the raid in november was the best example of that. somers had been moved nearly a week before the raid took place, but this time they had the intelligence from drones, from communications intercepts and possibility human intelligence as well. but the s.e.a.l.s were on the enemy's time line. they felt they had to go in before the deadline and that put them at a disadvantage, not being able to choose a better moment for the operation, clearly the hostage takers expected a raid which is why they opened fire as soon as the s.e.a.l.s were detected. >> we're talking about al qaeda here not generally known for executing their prisoners. are they now ripping a page out of the isis playbook? >> reporter: it's very unusual for this branch of al qaeda. usually they use hostages for ransom. this does make you worry that they're learning from isis that killing a hostage gets y

luke somers was injured once commandos got to his location. he later died on a navy ship. ent obama says he ordered the raid because somers was believed to be in imminent danger. >>> hundreds of protesters took to the streets in manhattan for a third straight night over the eric garner grand jury decision. blocking traffic and staging die-ins at macy's and apples flag ship fifth avenue show. >>> police in michigan arrest a suspect accused of stabbing four people last night on the amtrak train including the conductor. all four victims are listed in stable condition. >>> chuck hagel making a surprise visit to afghanistan today and announcing a change in u.s. plans to reduce troop levels there. instead, the pentagon will keep a larger force level in afghanistan for the first part of next year. >> they could remain in afghanistan through the end of this year and for the first few months next year. but the president's authorization will not change. it will not change our troop's missions or the long-term time line for our withdrawal. >> so what does this change mean and will the

embassy in yemen after luke somer's death was confirmed. t sentiment has been expressed by so many other whose say that somers really loved the country and turned it into his second home in the two years he spent there taking photographs. we can see some of them here, they're really quite beautiful. in some cases we see protests, political meetings. but we also see the ordinary lives of people there trying to live their lives amid conflict. earlier today on cnn, one of the other journalists who spent time in yemen spoke about somers, here is what he said. >> was really dedicated to yemen. and he spent over two years there continuously telling the stories and documenting the people that he met. and he really truly seemed to enjoy it. >> along with taking photographs, somers also sometimes worked with the yemen times. it is an english/yemen newspaper in the country. and this week after the al qaeda militants threatened to kill him, the newspaper came out with an editorial calling for his release. they wrote this, luke loves yemen and wants the

citizen luke somers was said to be running out of time.r by hour, closer to the day his captors would finally take his life. the united states doesn't pay ransom to the shadowy networks of kidnappers fighting government as cross the world. that official policy is based on the conviction that americans would be put at even greater risk of kidnapping. somers was killed by the men who were holding him, as an american military mission unfolded. this time on "inside story," how you make a decision with the potential for terrible consequences. >> my name is luke some, he i am 33 years old. >> reporter: from. >> from this video and other pieces of intelligence, american official believed al qaeda hostage luke somers had 72 hours to loaf. the u.s. attempted to rescue him once before, but failed. he had been a captive since september 2013. on saturday, around 40 special operations forces tried again and descended upon the province of yemen, but the militants heard them coming. >> translator: there was an attempt to save them. but unfortunately they

tearers threatening to kill somers saturday unless their demand were met. >> our heart are sad luke somers was murdered. >> as they approached a fire fight broke out and tourists affiliated with al qaeda shot somers and south african hostage pierre querky. >> they before unable to save luke. >> they med vakd two wounded hostage and one died on nearby u.s. warship and other onship's operating table leaving unfulfilled a wish by luke somer's mother. >> i wanted to see him again and have i safely in our arms. >> lyndsey janice. "abc news," new york. >> president obama underwent a ct scan today at a military hospital and apparently everything is okay. commander-in-chief had a few tests done after complaining of sore throat. doctors at walter reed noticed inflammation and decided to go ahead with ct as precaution. white house says everything came back normal and problem seems to be linked to acid reflux. >> meanwhile federal lawmakers and clergy members gathered in the nation's capitol say good-bye to merion barry he died november 23 at the age ever 78 dubbed mayor for life and expanded economi

hostage luke somers, a journalist who killed. >> our hearts are full of sorrow tonight. our prayers and thoughts go out to the somers family. >> it was the second attempt to rescue somers in less than two weeks. the family has yet to make a public statement. >>> it's referred to as a date which will last in infamy. today marked the 73rd anniversary of the attack on pearl harbor. nearly 400 japanese home planes attacked the united states pacific fleet. the results were devastating. five battleships, three destroyers and seven other ships were sunk or severely damaged. more than 200 aircraft were destroyed. about 2400 americans were killed. another 1200 wounded. as a result of attack the united states entered world war ii, a four year effort costing more than 400,000 american lives. there will be two ceremonies today in alameda. one at the coast guard base at 8:30 and another at 11:00 a.m. >>> surfers may have won the court battle to access martin's beach but the silicon valley mogul who owns the gate hasn't unlocked it. this is video where a gate blocking public access to

luke somers now bloopleading fo help.nd this evening, an urgent new plea from his family, as well. abc's chief investigative correspondent brian ross tonight. >> reporter: the white house today acknowledged that 33-year-old american hostage luke somers was the key objective of a u.s. rescue mission in yemen nine days ago that failed to free him. >> my name is luke somers. >> reporter: his hostage plight became public today after al qaeda posted this video, threatening to kill him three days from now. >> i'm looking for any help that can get me out of this situation. i'm certain that my life is in danger. >> reporter: u.s. officials say somers was moved just two days before the november 25th rescue mission in a remote area of yemen, led by navy s.e.a.l. team six. a number of other hostages being held by al qaeda in a mountain cave were freed. >> this is one of the hardest military operations you can do. >> reporter: a senior administration official told abc news today, the navy s.e.a.l. rescue plan for somers was approved

american luke somers and south african pierre korkie were shot to death by their captors. began again in cities around the u.s. in an interview with the bet network, the president urged calm and said racial progress is "going to take some time." >> ifill: on the newshour online right now it's the season for giving and so we here at the newshour are giving something special to our fans. every day for the next twelve days we'll be posting a gift on our homepage and on facebook, everything from a newshour ringtone, to a newshour-themed crossword puzzle. today we're kicking it off with an ultra h.d. yule log video that you can stream on your phone, tablet, or tv. find that, and check back every day for the latest gift. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. on tuesday, we'll look at, new technologies to help humans talk and listen to dogs. i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. we'll see you on-line... and again here tomorrow and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us here at the pbs newshour, thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs news

somers was murdered by al qaeda when u.s. special forces tried to rescue him. >> this time they were unable to save luke. >> late last month the u.s. tried to rescue him. that initial mission failed. then this video appeared, somers pleading for his life. >> i'm certain my life is in danger. as i sit here now, i ask if anything can be done, let pit be done. >> also in the video, somers captors threatened to execute him as early as yesterday. nbc news is told the president a proved the mission knowing the time was short and u.s. had intelligence on somers location. in the dark of night, u.s. seals landed with fighter bombers and drones circle ngs the skies bo. they soon reached the isolated cluster of buildings. u.s. officials say as the seals closed in on the building was somers was eld, the gun battle broik out. in the intense fire fight, seals killed six to nine cap tar tors. luke somers and pierre korkie were found shot by captors. both died of their wounds. colleagues are remembering a young man who sacrificed so much. >> luke is by far not the person this should have happened to. he was a passion that the, kind, thoughtfu

it ended in the death of luke somers and pierre corky. on the sunday television shows it was agreed, the decision to launch the raid and the intelligence was good. president obama called the murders barbaric. secretary of state john kerry said event like these bring nations together against terror. >> as we were tragically reminded of american murders in yemen of lukers somers and pierre corky. we are seeing the emergence of a regional alignment. with little in common, but a shared aversion to extremists >>> south african officials are not blaming the u.s. for the death of corky. they had been working towards the release of corky, but he was killed yesterday. corky and somers were shot by their captives during the raid. we'll talk about how commandos train for and carry out raids like these. >> 70 afghan migrants died in the red sea off the coast of yemen. most were from ethiopia. it's the latest fatal accident involving african refugees. more than 3,000 migrant deaths at sea have been reported this year. more than the combined total of t