let's bring in cnn senior international correspondent nick paton walsh. g, nick, is this unprecedented at a hospital. >> yes, central kabul has been penetrated before but this is deeply symbolic. medical personnel got their way inside the hospital compound. this is the hospital right in the heart of the capital. a stone's throw from the american embassy where loads of afghan soldiers are taken for treatment. some civilians too. terrifying images showing people on the outside on balconies trying to get away from the attack. afghan commandos inserted now, they claim to have isolated the attackers and put most of the patients in a safe area. but this comes at a very bad time for the afghan military. about half of the country contested or taliban or controlled record casualties. 6,000 dead between january and november last year. that's way more than the u.n. suffered in the entire campaign. america's longest war. the question is who is behind the attack. the usual suspect, the taliban, it's not them. instead, isis, strong in the east and often claim the attack

we have cnn's nick paton walsh live in moscow.his is something that will be critical and key for russian authorities. >> reporter: they say the schedule is packed with other stuff at this point. they won't be watching james comey and mike rogers as they sit down today. you can be sure they have somebody aside keeping the tv on. the kremlin spokesperson is not expecting details to emerge and the allegations of the meddling into the campaign is a quote broken record with a futuristic song that doesn't relate to their current day reality. it will, of course, be on the kremlin to ignore or answer any detail that james comey will be under pressure to provide. you have to bear in mind, two ways of looking how this plays out for russia. they are relishing the idea and denying allegations of the election, but capable of being the puppet masters and pulling the strings behind who sits in the white house -- bear in mind, too, if they were hoping trump, absent in his criticism of vladimir putin and russia, that is rare for a candidate and fo

nick paton walsh is joining us from westminster. aton walsh, you're there on westminster bridge where the attack unfolded. what have you learned, first of all, about the attack? >> khalid masood, is his name, as you said. uk officials speaking saying it is too early to tell if isis suggests, he was one of their soldiers. and this official goes on to say, claiming attacks as being affiliated or part of it. this is the curb which masood mounted in his hyundai suv inflicting so many of those people -- 40 people's injuries, killing the american kurt cochran out right here. his wife melissa. they were here on their 25th wedding anniversary, in celebration. melissa hurt in the ribs and the leg and a second of the three victims killed here, aysh aysha frade, a spanish teacher. he then continued in his hyundai. some video shows terrifying scenes. people throwing into traffic. one woman thrown or jumping into the river thames. she was injured, fished out by authorities an hour or so later. he continued past now what is a makeshift memorial fo

let's break this down with rebecka and josh rogan and cnn corresponde corresponde correspondent nick paton walsh. and those ties with trump's orbit to russia, all of that really is on the table so nick, let me begin with you because what is the view from russia in terms of these crucial hearings taking place in the united states surrounding what would be behind all of these conversations and relations between trump's aides, associates, and russia? >> well, for a long time, they didn't meddle. they didn't have anything outside of normal contact between diplomats and officials in the circles of washington and the phrase hysteria is used to describe the internal scrutiny being given to the relationship inside the beltway right now in washington but on the tisoffici we heard from the kremlin spokesperson said they won't even be watching james comey and other senior officials at the hearings because they're busy doing other things. they don't expect new details and refer to the repeated allegations against them, quote, a broken record, carrying a futuristic song and perhaps, try to cast us as not bea

cnn's senior international corresponde correspondent nick paton walsh. word from russia ahead of this crucial hearing? >> reporter: ana, as always, distance and rejection of the claim they meddled in the campaign. the spokesman saying they're not even watching as this hearing is under way on monday. they expect no new details. they say and also go on to add that this repeated series of allegations against them like a broken record with a futuristic song suggesting they don't see anything corresponding to the present-day reality with what they hear coming out of washington but at the same time, too, i'm sure there will be people definitely glued to their tv sets to see if there's any kind of granular detail emerging from the testimony of james comey. his first public moment perhaps delivering on the details of the investigations coming forward so far but ana, it's not necessarily the outcome for moscow. they may have wanted, if you agree with the special litigations, to interfere with the campaign seeing donald trump as a more favorable alternative. it's

cnn senior international correspondent nick paton walsh has more. >> the they won't even be watching,remlin spokesperson saying we don't expect new details and we're busy doing other things and a colorful quote saying this series of allegations repeated again and again that russia meddled in the 2016 electoral campaign is like a broken record. they want to give the impression they don't see anything corresponding to their present-day reality in those allegations. i'm sure there will be people in the kremlin watching the hearings for any detail delivered by james comey or other officials, and we'll see if they choose to react to it directly. look at the broader picture here. if you believe the idea that the kremlin was trying to interfere in the electoral process to perhaps assist donald trump, as many u.s. officials have alleged they may not necessarily have got the outcome they wanted. if you think they were looking to get someone in the white house whose opinions may be closer aligned to those of vladimir putin, remember donald trump conspicuous in his absence of the criticism of th

nick paton walsh is live in london for us. who has been taken into custody? don't know at this point. but it is rare for scotland yard, british police, to use the phrase "significant." obviously it comes after they have had at least 40 hours now to start combing through the identity and connections of this man. they've seized 2700 items they're now searching through, which contains a lot of computer data. as of this morning they were still going through five addresses, searching those. a huge dragnet being put out now. nine people have been arrested. eight still in custody at this point. more being known about khalid masood, the attacker. he converted to the islamic faith at some point, unclear whether it had to do with this crime, whether he was radicalized at some point or is simply psychologically unstable. he hired a car, traveled to brighton, the southern coastal town, and on the day of the attack, on the westminster bridge, teeming with people, drove onto the curb, the sidewalk, and down towards where he crashed it into the parliamentary railing before

nick paton walsh, cnn, beirut. >> and that's all for "the lead" tonight.ohn berman in for jake tea party. time now for wolf blitzer in "the situation room." >> happening now, breaking news, secret meeting. the republican chairman of the house intelligence committee reveals he met with a source inside the white house complex just a day before briefing the president on intelligence he says points to surveillance of the trump transition team. did anyone on president trump's staff know what was going on just steps from the oval office? what classified information was disclosed? we're standing by to talk to chairman devin nunes who will be joining us live. >>> kushner to testify. the leaders of the senate intelligence committee now say president trump's son-in-law jared kushner, one of the president's closest advisers, will testify about newly disclosed meetings he had with a russian

nick paton walsh, cnn, moscow. >>> french officials say the man behind the attack at the air part wasnown to authorities. he was in prison several times for violence and theft. he was shot and killed saturday after he tried to grab a soldier's rifle and put a gun to her head. he is also believed to have shot a police officer earlier in the day. melissa bell has been following this story, live on the phone with us in paris. what's the latest that you have heard? >> reporter: what we heard from paris who went in forensic detail into this explanation of precisely what was known with about him beyond his common law charges. he had been in and out of prison. he had clearly come across intelligence radar as being someone who was radicalized. his house had been searched in 2015 after the terror atax in paris that left 130 people dead. nothing found that suggested the level of surveillance needed to be increased. yesterday, he went on this rampage. the investigation continues into precisely what he was hoping to achieve. he ended up holding that weapon to the soldier's head over the airport y

. >>> we look ahead, let's talk to our panel, nick paton walsh, and cnn international correspondent,od could have you with us. and donald trump's relationship with vladimir putin going to be scrutinized. trump has not once criticized putin, we should point out. he describes him as a leader and characterizing his relationship. >> don't know him, but certainly he is a tough cookie and i don't now he's doing for russia, we will find out one day, i guess. >> that directly contradicts a november 2015 interview where candidate interview said i got to know him well, because we were on "60 minutes" and we were stable mates and did fine. is there a sign between president trump's relationship now with putin? >> i think without doubt, obviously, trump may have been wishing he tush a slighter position with russia, and it has been a complicated place because the volume of scrutiny over collusion is at the heart at the discussion right now, and that level of scrutiny will be unleashed all over again, and that statement about putin being a tough cookie is like health care being complicated is a bli

let's go to cnn's nick paton walsh with the latest. this consumed the air waves here. e, nick? >> reporter: i think at least on the surface, saying the kremlin won't be watching today. that is the reflection of the scornful distance we have seen about the allegations. they say they have better things to be doing. i'm sure somebody within the quiet walls of the kremlin will keep a careful eye on what james comey has to say. on the record, spokesman says they are clear they consider the allegations to be quote a broken record with a futuristic song. that is what he said a few days ago. there is granular details from the fbi director or nsa mike rogers, they may take a step back and look at how this is playing for them. i'm sure some of them are relishing the idea. although they deny they are able to manipulate the election from the other side of the atlantic. you have seen the report into allegations of assisting hacking and vladimir putin directly ordered it. if they were hoping in the years ahead extra trump will be more persuadable of the pro-moscow policy, i think the

senior international correspondent, nick paton walsh getting reaction, and good morning to where you has been clear, they will not be watching as the hearings get under way tomorrow saying, quote, they are too busy in referring to the constant allegations they were meddling in the elections that it like a broken record. they deny it and it makes them look good on the global stage, and at the same time, too, they have to be realizing the kind of scrutiny on trump and russian relations makes uthard for the white house if he wanted to generate policies, and the u.s. administration, it's going to be difficult to do that, because he is getting scrutiny if anything they remotely do seems to benefit russia. >> on the streets there, do russians care and are they paying attention? >> i think to some degree, state tv plays to this as well. you know, you have to bear in mind what donald trump said just a matter of hours ago about vladimir putin, calling him a tough cookie. that is obviously a statement, if you compare that to trump, a man born with a large amount of money, and putin rose throug

nick paton walsh, cnn, beirut. >> and that's all for "the lead" tonight. i'm john berman in for jake tea party. time now for wolf blitzer in "the situation room." >> happening now, breaking news, secret meeting. the republican chairman of the house intelligence committee reveals he met with a source inside the white house complex just a day before briefing the president on intelligence he says points to surveillance of the trump transition team. did anyone on president trump's staff know what was going on just steps from the oval office? what classified information was disclosed? we're standing by to talk to chairman devin nunes who will be joining us live. >>> kushner to testify. the leaders of the senate intelligence committee now say president trump's son-in-law jared kushner, one of the president's closest advisers, will testify about newly disclosed meetings he had with a russian diplomat and a controversial russian banker. he'll answer questions as part of the senate investigation into senate meddling in the presidential election. tonight, new questi

nick paton walsh following the developments for us on the streets of london. his close to the horrifying spot where kirk cochran lost his life. this is westminster bridge. only in the last hour reopened. it was down this bridge that the one attacker, a british national, said to have been known by british security services for previous links to extremism but considered a, quote, peripheral figure, according to british prime minister theresa may, that's where he drove his 4x4 car. this is presumably where he hit kirk cochran and melissa, his wife. just imagine, they're on their 25th wedding anniversary celebrating in london, this popular tourist spot. she is now in hospital with a broken rib and other injuries to her limbs and a cuff to her face as well, we understand. this too where the third victim we know of, a spanish citizen, a 43-year-old, a spanish teacher who lived in the uk for some time, lost her life as well. further down here is where that car continued and crashed into the fence, the attacker jumping out, running around the corner. that's where his t

nick paton walsh is live at the scene. police have just identified the suspect.t do we know about him? >> reporter: his name is khalid masood, according to scotland yard, london's police force. he's 52 and lived in the west midlands where the focus of their arrests were. a key city here in the united kingdom. and a man with a record of petty crime, of violence, which may perhaps explain some of idiotically violent rampage that began here just over 24 hours ago when he took a car he had rented up onto the pavement here, a hyundai, and plowed into 40 people who received injuries. it's here that two of his victims, two of his three victims lost their lives. one of them kurt cochran, a man from utah here on his 23rd anniversary with his wife. she's in the hospital with a broken leg and injuries to her face. one tragic loss of life there which president trump has called the loss of a great american. and another individual, a spanish teacher age 43, aysha aysha frade. a large collection of tourists, people just coming to see this big ben, a key london landmark attached