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The Rachel Maddow Show, Transcript 04/19/13

Guests: Mike Callahan, Charlie Pierce

RACHEL MADDOW, HOST: Chris Hayes -- it is 9:00 on the East Coast. And you`re looking at live images of Watertown, Massachusetts, where residents have flooded into the streets to applaud, to say thank you to law enforcement, to the massive law enforcement presence in Watertown, Massachusetts -- the end of a 28-hour lockdown, essentially in the city of Massachusetts. Nobody knew for sure it was going to end this way, but they got him. Boston police say they have taken their suspect into custody alive. They are bringing up an ambulance to transport him. They say he has believed to have suffered a gunshot wound and has lost blood. It was unclear how weakened he was. This follows obviously the shootout last night, not from this site in Watertown, just a few blocks over in the same neighborhood from the suspect`s older brother was killed in a firefight with police. But the younger suspect has been taken into custody alive. Just a remarkable ending, including these live shots right now. Remarkable, including the reaction of people of greater Boston and Watertown specifically. A remarkable ending to what has been an almost unbelievably tense week-long ordeal in Boston and day-long ordeal involving the lock down. Almost complete lock down of one of the largest cities in the United States. Joining us live on the ground in Watertown, Massachusetts, is NBC`s Erica Hill. Erica, what can you tell us about where you are and what kind of reaction you`re seeing? ERICA HILL, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Rachel, you may be able to hear we`re having some cheering. Probably because there are police vehicles behind me coming through. Every time a vehicle comes through, people start to applaud. There are more and more people coming on to the streets as you noted. We were in this neighborhood all day. It was eerily quiet. The only thing you saw was increased police presence near the helicopter overhead now and the media, because everybody else was obeying orders to stay inside. When it was lifted a little after 6:00, people slowly trickling out, but then as we know, there is another order to stay inside for those folks who run Franklin Street. That is where the suspect was apprehended and an officer leaned over to me at one point and said, hey, he`s in custody. They had him. So, again, every time they come through, very first police car that I saw come through, the officer who is driving had a huge grin on his face. As you mentioned, the suspect was captured alive. We believe it was a gunshot wound. It is not clear what kind of condition he is in. There was an ambulance went by. It did not appear he was in it but everybody is on the lookout to where he will be taken and find out what kind of condition he`s in, because ultimately, there are a number of questions that people want answered and he is the person who can give us those answers. MADDOW: Erica, from your vantage point there in Watertown, watching this unfold today, it was less than an hour after Governor Deval Patrick lifted the shelter in place order for all of Boston. Less than an hour later, when we heard that large volley of gunfire in Watertown and police just flooding that zone, starting what appears to have been the process that ended with the cheers you see in the streets tonight. Can you describe for us what you know about the law enforcement action that ultimately got to him? HILL: Well, those remarks (INAUDIBLE) just in terms of time line of things. I mean, we first started hearing things on the scanner at a house at 67 Franklin Street a little bit before 7:00. This wrapped up in about two hours. As you point out, though, it was right after that press conference wrapped, and I should point, we are expecting another shortly from the state police, but over my right shoulder we had seen a few SWAT vehicles there, and then all of a sudden, they peeled out of here. Once they started it move, a number of vehicles were coming through. Officers were moving so much more quickly than earlier under the day. There was a purpose to their movement. They were not making eye contact. They had no comment for anybody`s questions. But they were bringing in so many more officers. At least one bus load came in, two dozen officers, not to mention all of the cars that came through. And you can tell they meant business. They were clearly on to something and they wanted to get there as quickly as they could. MADDOW: Erica, in terms of what we are seeing on the streets. Can you give us a sense of what it like for residence in Watertown today? Even once the governor lifted the shelter in place order for all of greater Boston, the police did explain that doesn`t necessarily apply to you in Watertown. There will be extreme measures taken in the blanket presence of law enforcement in Watertown. How did people cope with not being able to leave their homes, knowing the suspect was in fact among them? HILL: Those cars go by. One of the things that is interesting, as you know, they were going house to house searching Rachel. They told us in that press conference, they searched 20 blocks, 20 streets. When they came to streets next to us, again they didn`t come making a huge presence. They were in full gear. They had guns out. They had K-9 teams but went calmly to each house. There is a balcony we could see. We saw two people come out on the balcony and it appears the officers said to them, we need to you get back inside. There were three officers stationed on the street throughout the rest of the afternoon. Everyone now and then, you would see talking to someone on the front stoop but they didn`t linger long. They went back inside. And even after the shelter in place order was lifted, as you mentioned, we heard that there`s still be an increased police presence here in Watertown. It is expected to last two to three days. The police chief here saying, look, I know there are a lot of events tomorrow, on Saturday. We are going to have them. But just with increased police presence. You can imagine the relief many people feeling tonight. Not only that they can come outside and be on the streets as you can hear them hear all around us. But also that tomorrow they can go to the event they have planned, perhaps without added police presence they were expecting. MADDOW: Erica Hill on the ground in Watertown for us -- Erica, thank you. I`m sure we will be back with you as residents fled out of their homes into the streets to cheer on law enforcement to congratulate them as Boston police say emphatically, we got him. Joining us now from Washington is NBC News justice correspondent Pete Williams. Pete, can you bring us up-to-date on how they got him and what happens now that they do have him? PETE WILLIAMS, NBC NEWS JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Pete, can you bring us up-to-date on how they got him and what happens now that they do have him. Well, it all started with the woman`s house that is who has the boat in the backyard. She alerted police that she saw blood on the tarp of her boat. She called police. They sent a helicopter overhead. Thermal imaging device on the helicopter detected someone on that boat. So, they began to move in cautiously. We don`t know precisely how it went down. But we know from listening that there was some kind of exchange of gunfire. And then after a pause, the police in tactical gear assaulted the boat. They threw what are called flash bang grenades that make a bright noise and emit a bright flash and there was some pause after that. Then at some point, either he gave up or they talked him out, and he ended up being captured alive and has now been taken to the hospital. MADDOW: Pete, we are told there was a negotiator on scene. Presumably that would be then trying to talk him out of the boat, as you said. Was that key to the resolution of this? WILLIAMS: I don`t know. I think one thing that may be key to the resolution was the fact he was wounded. And we believe the wound is not from this encounter today. But that he was wounded last night in his hail of gunfire exchange with the Watertown police, in which authorities say 200 rounds were fired. And then he sped away. His brother was killed in that encounter. We were told by police he was wounded. We just don`t know how serious his wounds are, although the police say that he`s lost a fair amount of blood and is in a weakened condition. And that may have contributed to the resolution to this as well. MADDOW: Pete, the advice or the instruction that I`ve seen in terms of how to describe this, is that Boston police say that he is believed to have suffered a gunshot wound and lost blood. Do we know if they are being very specific that it is a single wound? Obviously, we are wondering if he is going to survive and if he is going to be in a position to be questioned and go on to trial. WILLIAMS: Yes. And I don`t think there is any reason to think that he won`t be in a condition to go on trial. But, you know, we don`t know how much blood he lost. He was able to hold them off for a while. We just don`t know. I think I wouldn`t read too much into the fact that they said a gunshot wound because I doubt he got a very thorough medical examination as they were getting him out of the boat and put him into the ambulance. MADDOW: Pete, do you know what will happen to him now in terms of where he is brought and whose custody he will be in? WILLIAMS: Oh, yes. He will be in federal custody. These bombing cases are a federal case by federal law. They give the FBI jurisdiction. The crime of domestic terrorism is a federal kind of crime. It trumps the state law. So, this will be a federal case. He will be in the jurisdiction and the control of the FBI now. They will, after he is treated and when he can start answering questions, they will try it start questioning him and with the goal of eventually putting him on trial for use of a weapon of mass destruction. MADDOW: Pete, is there any reason to believe he would be moved out of Boston? We`re used to terrorism trials, particularly high profile terrorism trials in this country, being held in the southern district New York or occasionally in Virginia. Those courts where they are described to us as being particularly capable of not only dealing with classified information but just with handling big high profile cases. Boston will presumably want it keep this one there. WILLIAMS: Yes, they will, of course. And there is a law that says a federal crime has to be tried in the jurisdiction in which the offense is committed. So, that`s the default -- that`s the government`s starting point. It has to be by law. Now, obviously, the defendant can ask for change of venue. Think of the Oklahoma City bombing trial. That crime happened in Oklahoma City but the trial was in Denver. So, there can be changes of venue. And there probably would have been a change of venue had Jared Lee Loughner ever gone on trial and didn`t plead guilty in Gabby Giffords shooting. That trial would probably have been in California instead of Arizona. But it never got to that. So, you know, who knows? It may be there. Zacarias Moussaoui who was charged being one of the would-be hijackers was tried not very far from the Pentagon, where one of the planes on 9/11 hit. So, you don`t always get a change in venue in the federal system. But you can. And so, we`ll see how that works out. MADDOW: NBC`s Pete Williams, thank you as always, Pete. It`s been great to have you here. WILLIAMS: You bet. MADDOW: We`re going to turn now to NBC`s Michael Isikoff. The word from Boston police is that the suspect is in custody. The hump is over. Justice has won. Hearing there from Pete Williams that this will be an FBI situation. We don`t know how bad the suspect is hurt. We are told that he does at least one gunshot, that has bled some. But the resident from the streets in Watertown are out applauding law enforcement for having this guy in custody right now. Michael Isikoff joins us now from Watertown. Michael, what can you tell us? MICHAEL ISIKOFF, NBC NEWS INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Rachel, I just got to say, this is a remarkable scene just over the last 20 minutes to half an hour, when word has gotten out that suspect is in custody. People have been out on the streets, watching and waving with their cell phone when the word came that he`s in custody. Cheers burst out from the crowd and as police exited here, people are giving a cheer for each vehicle. High-fives to the police -- high-five and cheers for police and fire, the fire department, first responders. You can hear it still going on. I saw policemen congratulating each other, waving to crowd. They were very much warmed by the kind of reception that they were getting. There`s a real sense of community here on the streets of Watertown. MADDOW: Michael, in terms of understanding the relief here. Obviously, the country is feeling relief because of not only this guy not being at large, but this being the first step toward justice, having him in custody so he can face justice for what authorities say that he has done. But in Watertown specifically, the catharsis is somewhat different, because of the relief that must be felt just from being able to get out. Can you talk to us at all about how heavy the law enforcement presence was? What it was like there? ISIKOFF: Well, look, I mean, this is such a community literally under siege from one guy, which is -- which is -- just how much terror and fear could be provoked in a community by two and just one individual. (INAUDIBLE) tonight. One man I was talking to said, when he heard gunfire tonight, and that`s what started this around 6:30 when the gunshots came out, and are hurt, he said, (INAUDIBLE) he`s heard gunfire. Last night, there were two other rounds that were fired by the two suspects at police. So it`s a lot for people here to have been through in just such a short period of time. And so, yes, there is a real sense of relief. But also, as I said, it is striking, the gratitude that people feel towards law enforcement for the job they did here. MADDOW: Absolutely. You can see the gratitude of people on the street for law enforcement. You can also see the relief of law enforcement. I think they are happy to be thanked, but you can see them turning to each other. Michael Isikoff in Watertown, on the ground for us, we`ll be coming back to you, Michael. Thank you very much. ISIKOFF: Thank you. MADDOW: I actually just want to go cross town back to Erica Hill, who is also out of town. Erica, I understand you have some new formation for us. HILL: Yes, Rachel. I`ve been talking to some people. One woman I spoke with who live literally just behind me, she said she was above the store, she was inside all day. She said she was so scared. And when the order was lifted, she thought, it is lifted but he is still out there. I`m not going outside. She was watching coverage on TV and when they heard the cheers down here on the street, she and her husband thought it`s safe to come out. And they came outside. She couldn`t wipe the smile off her face. I want to tell you, too, I know that you saw when we first came to you at the top of show, when you came to us, when the cars came by, you could hear the cheering. When the first SWAT vehicle came by, it was Boston P.D. SWAT vehicle and the officer inside put on the loud speaker and as he came down the street, he said, "It was our pleasure. It was our pleasure for turning your city back over to you." And chants of "USA" broke out. (CHEERS) HILL: We are expecting Rachel to get more information, a press briefing which we are expecting to happen around 9:30. We are hoping to get more questions answered that point. MADDOW: Erica, you are in the middle of a very good scene but it is a very a loud scene. HILL: Yes. MADDOW: It`s loud for all the right reasons. No, it`s great. It`s great to have you there. Thank you. We will be coming back to you. You know, it has to be said. For all of the different law enforcement agencies involved here, we have all seen on social media and on the news today in Watertown specifically, just the unbelievable multilayered presence of all of those different kinds of law enforcement. Obviously, it`s Watertown P.D. It`s Boston P.D. It`s the ATF. It`s the FBI. It all sorts of different tactical and SWAT teams. National Guard was on scene. I mean, we have seen so many different people involved in the law enforcement side of this on scene. And it has to be a very emotional situation for them. I mean, an MIT police officer was killed last night. An MBTA police officer was wounded in this fight. This has been combat for police in Boston. So they have been mindful of that, knowing they are the ones out there putting themselves in danger in the first instance trying to protect the public. Some of their own have been hurt and killed in this situation. So, their relief, not only that he did not get away -- he got away from the first dragnet last night, the one that killed list brother -- to have not gotten away another time to have finished this on their own terms. You have to imagine that for law enforcement themselves -- yes, Watertown is out there applauding them, but you have to imagine that for law enforcement themselves, this has to be a cathartic and very emotional time. Joining us now is former ATF special agent-in-charge James Cavanaugh. Mr. Cavanaugh, I have to imagine that it is gratifying for you to see the public turning and literally cheering in the streets for law enforcement. I just have to ask your overall reaction on how this has resolved thus far. JAMES CAVANAUGH, FORMER ATF SPECIAL AGENT-IN-CHARGE: Yes, this is the best resolution, Rachel, that this killer is alive, this terrorist is alive and he can be debriefed by the professionals debriefers at FBI and CIA even maintained for these terrorist targets, that we can glean some information. You know, it`s about now stopping the next attack. And so, whatever we can get from him, how he did it, how his methods were, how he was radicalized, that`s going to help. I predict that Boston medical will patch him up. I think he is hurt pretty bad. He has been bleeding all night. But they will patch him up and he will sing like he is on the voice. And they`ll get information from him and then face the bar of justice. And, you know, he has it get justice. It has to be a fair trial. It`s going to be a drawn-out process because it`s going probably to involve a death penalty case, terrorist charges, there`s also state murder charges. But he is facing a mountain range of evidence against him. But that all has to transpire in the bar of justice. He needs a fair trial. But it`s going to be a long process. MADDOW: How does law enforcement work out that balance in terms of needing to keep him alive. Needing to afford him humane medical treatment but wanting urgently to know if this plot is over, if there are any other devices out there. If there are any other people involved, how did they work with the medical, the medical folks in this situation? In terms of negotiating when they get to start talking to them? CAVANAUGH: Well, usually, it is not a problem because, you know, you are staying close with them pretty much. And the doctors, you know, they do like it push out. I mean, they`ve got to work on his injuries. But it depends on how critical they are. You know, can you get close to him? Can you talk it him pretty soon? They set aside of hospital rooms. They used to do it when I was a uniform policeman, waiting for them operate on someone we had to interview who is involved in some kind of violence. So, it`s pretty routine in law enforcement to deal with injured and shot people, blown up people. They will be able to do that. The FBI and CIA and intelligence community developed protocols to deal with these terrorist types and they are very good at extracting the information. They will get everything this guy`s got. He is not that sophisticated. He is 19 years old. He thinks he is big Mr. Terrorist of the world. But he`s going to give all of the information up we can get. The rest of it is going to be in the computers, Rachel, at his house. MADDOW: Yes, especially because we know he is an avid social media user, and his brothers as well. The live shot that you`re looking at here on the streets of Watertown Massachusetts. We are on the line with Jim Cavanaugh, former ATF special agent-in- charge. James, you may not know the answer to this. But I feel like I should ask anyway, one of the things that Bush -- excuse me -- the Obama administration did shortly after taking over from the Bush administration is that President Obama established an elite high value target special interrogation team, which he said that he would use for any high value terrorism targets that would be sort of the state of the art A-team on interrogations. This is a federal case. This guy is in FBI custody. Is this the sort of case in which the president`s A team on interrogation would be called in, or would this be handled by your standard professional FBI interrogation team? CAVANAUGH: I would say the high value target team would be in Boston already and they want to interview this guy. MADDOW: All right. CAVANAUGH: You know, these are U.S. citizens. And whatever the protocol that that high value team developed, it`s going to have to come into play. You remember, this guy came to the U.S. when he was 8 years old. So, he is a U.S. citizen. All of his rights are afforded but, yes, I`d say that team is there. And if they are not the ones doing the interview, they are standing outside the door talking to the agents who are doing the interview. MADDOW: James Cavanaugh, former ATF special agent-in-charge. We`ll be back with you, James. Thank you very much for your time tonight. I want to go back to NBC`s Michael Isikoff. He`s the national investigative correspondent for NBC News. But more importantly, right now, he is in the happiest place on the Eastern Seaboard. He`s in Watertown, Massachusetts, where residents are literally standing in the streets cheering and clapping for law enforcement as they go by. Michael, it seems like it is getting more crowded and maybe more boisterous. ISIKOFF: It`s certainly been festive. But if we can take the discussion to where you just were. MADDOW: Sure. ISIKOFF: There are a lot of important questions here that people are going to want answers to. The principal one is how did these two guys (INAUDIBLE) become radical. How did this happen? And we learned some new information today that actually is intriguing, that the older brother, the gone to Russia for six months last year. We don`t know where in Russia he went. But he went. We don`t know who he spoke to, who he met with. But when he comes back and within one month of his return to the United States, that YouTube account in his name pops up, August of 2012. And, suddenly, he has these radical jihadist postings on there. His video about the black banners of (INAUDIBLE), which is an al Qaeda cry, and the final battle between Islamic army from Central Asia against the infidels. Now, where did that come from? How did that happen? Was it inspired by or encouraged by people he met in Russia? That a serious question. Not just philosophically, in terms of policy dealing with radicalization, but even immediately. You know, were there others guiding these guys? Were there people who are giving him instructions? Like allegedly took place in Abdulmutallab, in Detroit bombing attack? All those are pretty important questions for U.S. intelligence as well as law enforcement. We still don`t know, did they have other accomplices here they were working with? They`re going to have the computers. They`re going to have the cell phones. The FBI will be dissecting these minutely, trying to see who they were contact with, who they made phone calls to. But there is a lot of work for law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the days and weeks ahead. MADDOW: And, Michael, I would just say, it would seem to me like tonight, before they get to the motivational issues and what may have motivated his brother who is dead now, there are still questions about explosive devices. I mean, these guys were able to put together a number of explosive devices. Not just the ones at the marathon but enough to check them out the window of a moving car at police as part of the standoff last night, just blocks away from where you are now in Watertown. Are there other devices? Were there other people involved? That stuff may be about the continuing safety of Bostonians tonight before we even get to some of the -- ISIKOFF: Right. I have to say, I mean, we know today that there were something like seven IEDs recovered in the last 24 hours since all this began. One of them was in Boston, apparently in Charlestown, not directly in proximity of these guys. So, how did they get there? And are there other IEDs that have been planted around Boston or stored some place that would pose a threat to public safety? I have to say, I was a little -- I found it hard to understand when Governor Patrick announced it was OK for people to go back on the street and how that was different from the situation a few hours earlier when he was encouraging, tell be everybody it stay inside. What changed? MADDOW: Yes. ISIKOFF: At that point, he was still in custody. But I always thought he was like the most dangerous part of it was the possibility there were more IEDs out there that law enforcement couldn`t account for. MADDOW: That decision may have just been because of the inability to keep a city as large as Boston locked down that tightly for any longer. But, we will, hopefully, more when we get to tonight`s press briefing later on. Michael, please stay with us. Right now, I want it go to Mike Callahan. Mike Callahan lives about a block and a half away from the house where the second suspect was apprehended tonight. Again, you see on your screen the big news tonight. Boston police, the simple statement, "We got him." Mike, thank you so much for being with us. Can you describe the scene for us, what it was like on your block before he was taken into custody? MIKE CALLAHAN, NEIGHBOR (voice-over): Right now, I`m in Mt. Auburn and Common Streets. MADDOW: OK. CALLAHAN: There`s about 150 people outside, every time a cop goes by, there is an eruption of cheers and thank yous. That this town can get back it a sense of normalcy. And this is a stressful day for everyone. And on the other end of the block down here, on Franklin Street, there`s another cheer -- I don`t know if you can hear people cheering now. But everyone is just so happy and ready to get back on with our lives. So happy we got him. MADDOW: Mike, tell me what it was like. Everybody is relieved. Everybody is happy to hear he is in custody. But in Watertown and especially you, being so close to where he was picked up, it has to be an emotional relief. Just a contrast in terms of what it was like earlier today. What was it like before you got him? CALLAHAN: Every street corner, there was a state trooper with his iPhone next to him, at every corner of my entire neighborhood, there was all day, starting from last night. Then today, after Deval Patrick said he was lifting the ban, I was literally on my way out the door to a friend`s house. Then there were cops on my street and then next thing we know, they knew where he was. And it was basically like I`ve been waiting it take a deep breath for 24 hours. I was like, finally, now the entire community of Watertown is jut breathing in and breathing out together. It is so relieving. The town hasn`t seen anything like there before. It is a quiet town. Everyone knows everyone. Now, we are out here joining together after this, just to celebrate that we can somewhat get back to normal. MADDOW: Mike, when you were in your house and you knew that was going on, did you feel like you could take shelter? Did you have a basement? Were you worried about straight bullet? CALLAHAN: Not at first. When I did hear the four shots fired, when they were closer to my house, it was alarming. I wasn`t sure -- there are reports going out, that was he on his feet or still stuck in the boat? That when I started to take more shelter but when the crime scene was a few streets up, I didn`t really feel unsafe. I knew I was in good hands. There were cops on every corner. It was more stressful than anything, just wanted it to be over. MADDOW: Right. Well, people, the relief, you can hear it on the street and I can hear it behind you over the phone. Mike Callahan, thank you. I`m glad it ended for you the way it did. CALLAHAN: Bye, thank you. MADDOW: Thanks for being with us. Joining us now is Charlie Pierce, who spent the day reporting in Watertown for "Esquire" magazine. Mr. Pierce, thank you for joining us. Can you give us your take on what`s happening right now, and your reaction to how this ended? CHARLIE PIERCE, ESQUIRE: I`m presuming you`re speaking to me. I`m sorry. MADDOW: Yes. Hi, Charlie. It`s Rachel. PIERCE: It`s good to see again. MADDOW: Good to see you, too. PIERCE: I was standing in the very same cemetery as Michael Isikoff, not 10 feet from him, only half an hour ago. It`s been a day of almost, you would use the word absurdity if it wasn`t so serious. I mean, from the press conference where they announced they didn`t have a suspect and lifted the stay in your house order and then, five minutes later, I saw five police cars make those screaming cop movie U-turns right in front of me. All of a sudden, there was a helicopter. Then the entire denouement starts almost on queue. It was funny because I began the day in Washington. I was in Washington doing some work yesterday. I came up in the middle of the day today. And this is, this area, is right where my family used to live a long time ago and where I do most of my work from is this small office in Watertown square. So to see the geography of your life all over television with armored personnel carriers and everything was a little bit daunting. MADDOW: Charlie, I`m going to interrupt you just for a second because the police press conference, including Governor Deval Patrick is just about to start. So, we`re going to go to that right now. We`ll come back to you Charlie, stand by. PIERCE: OK. COL. TIM ALBEN, MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE: I thought you all went home. We are so grateful to be here right now. We are so grateful to bring justice and closure to this case. To those families that lost loved ones or suffered injuries that they`ll live with the rest of their lives, for a police officer, a young man starting a career at MIT and a police officer with MBTA who almost lost his life, and from neighborhoods that lived in fear for an entire day, we are eternally grateful for the outcome here tonight. We have a suspect in custody. I want to thank all of the partners who worked tirelessly over the last four days, including the FBI, the transit police, our brothers with the Boston Police Department, U.S. attorney`s office, and the support that we`ve gotten from our governor over the last four days. We`re exhausted, folks, but we have a victory here tonight. But let`s not forget those people along the way. Thanks very much. Governor? GOV. DEVAL PATRICK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Thank you, Colonel. Well, on behalf of Krystle and Martin and Lingzi, on behalf of the MIT officer who was lost last night and the transit police officer who was injured, on behalf of the hundreds of people who were hurt by the explosions at the marathon, I want to say how grateful I am to the colonel, to the special agent in charge, Rick Deslauriers, to all the law enforcement who worked so well and so hard together, together, to bring us to tonight`s conclusion. It was a very, very complicated case, a very challenging case, and there are still some questions remaining to be answered. But as the colonel said, because of that extraordinary collaboration and cooperation by all of these law enforcement resources and assets and more to the point, people, professionals, who brought their "A" game, we have a suspect in custody tonight. I want to also just thank all of the members of the public for their extraordinary patience. Their participation in this investigation by reviewing photographs of their own and others that were up through the media, and we thank you for that, and helping us narrow in on these suspects. They were helpful and patient and we are grateful for that as well. It`s a night where I think we`re all going to rest easy -- Carmen. CARMEN ORTIZ, U.S. ATTORNEY: Good evening. I`m United States Attorney Carmen Ortiz. And I have to say that both the governor and the colonel have put it tremendously well. Tonight, we feel a tremendous sense of gratitude and relief. The ordeal that this community, especially this neighborhood, has endured over the last 24 hours, tonight we can sleep a bit easier. And all of the unpredictable, horrific and yet heroic acts that have occurred over the last several days starting with the terrible bombing attacks that occurred on Monday, here we are and not forgetting the victims of the crimes that have occurred over the last several days. The victims of the bombings, as the governor said, Martin, Lingzi, Krystle, two officers have been hurt, one who lost his life, Sean Collier, Richard Donohue who is fighting for his life. Our thoughts and our prayers are with their families. Tonight, you are going to have many questions but I want to say as I have said the last several days, this has been a very active and ongoing investigation. And although for some of you, tonight is a closure, for me, the journey continues. And so this will continue to be an ongoing and active investigation as we sort all the details, continue to evaluate a tremendous amount of evidence and file our formal charges. But I will say this: I have never been prouder to stand with a tremendous group of law enforcement here, from the colonel to the commissioner to my federal colleague, Rick Deslauriers with the FBI. All of the federal agencies, the state and local departments that have worked so hard, so hard since the attacks on Monday, so committed and putting their lives on the line as we fought the last 24 hours to try to get a suspect into custody. And so my journey and my office`s journey begins, and this investigation will continue so we will not be able to provide the details that you may want at this time. But as the days continue, you will get answers to those questions. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mayor Menino? MAYOR TOM MENINO, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: I just want to say very briefly -- thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you to the law enforcement officials who worked together, state police, Boston police, FBI, all working together. That`s when government works the best. I want to thank also the citizens out there. For the last week, unknowing what`s happening out there because of the bombing at the marathon, but today, because of the hard work of so many individuals, by Boston police working together with the state police, we have a conclusion that we`re all satisfied with. Also, folks -- remembering the folks that lost their lives this past week. We shall go on. We`re a better city than what happened this past week and we`ll get better. To all of you folks in the media, thank you for the support you gave us for this past week. It wasn`t easy. Some days you said to us why. Let me tell you, they were working hard. I spent a lot of time with law enforcement officials. They worked so hard this week to come to a conclusion. Tonight is a night we say thank you to them. The work they did, tracing down every one of those leads that we got. It`s so significant that we came to the end of this case today. Now, it`s up to her job. I feel so good about this, I tell you. I`m so happy because the people in the greater Boston area will be able to sleep tonight because of the work of these individuals. RICK DESLAURIERS, FBI SPECIAL AGENT-IN-CHARGE: Good evening. My name is Rick Deslauriers. I`m the special agent in charge of the FBI`s Boston division. It seems like many months since Monday, April 15th, the day of the Boston marathon bombings. Yet it has been merely five days since the tragic explosions that took three lives, critically injured over 180 spectators and instilled terror and fear among the citizens of the city of Boston, the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and elsewhere. Today, the city of Boston, the city of Cambridge and the city of Watertown, and many other communities can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that two perpetrators who caused so much pain and anguish are no longer a threat to our personal safety and to our communities. Together, with the action and support of our Joint Terrorism Task Force partners, many of which are on the stage with me this evening, the FBI and our partners remain vigilant and continue to follow through thousands of leads and sifted through hundreds of tips, through thousands of man-hours to reach this moment. This was truly an absolutely intense investigation and I do emphasize a truly intense investigation. As a result of that, justice is being served for the victims of these terrible crimes. I want to personally express the FBI`s profound thanks to each of our partners for bringing us to this moment here this evening. No one agency alone accomplished this critically important task of keeping the city of Boston and the commonwealth of Massachusetts safe. Thank you very much. And I support you -- I thank you for your support of our media campaign the other day which publicized the photos. I thank you very much for the support the media provided us on that. It was phenomenal. I think each and every one of you tonight. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Commissioner Davis? ED DAVIS, BOSTON POLICE COMMISSIONER: Four days ago, my city was ruthlessly attacked. There`s no explaining the savagery involved here. There`s no explanation for it. I spent the last several days looking at hundreds of hours of videotape. I got to see how brutal that attack was over and over and over again. But more importantly, I got to see what the Boston police officers who responded to that scene, along with the medical personnel and the other first responders did to put people back together. Tourniquets, stemming the bleeding with their hands, putting a man who was on fire out with their hands -- these are the kind of things that came out of this savagery. It makes me proud to be a Boston police officer. It makes me proud to be a part of this team. Rick Deslauriers from the FBI could not be more cooperative. We`ve sat together almost hour for hour for the last four days, sharing every single bit of information in a real team. Colonel Alben, the same way. Carmen Ortiz with us all the time. And then, to bring the governor and the mayor together, leading the city of Boston in responding to this. I finally just want to say that the citizens of this city have been incredible. They have been patient with us. They have endured an enormous amount of heartache and aggravation over the last four days. We`re very happy to try to put this back together. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Watertown Police Chief Deveau? ED DEVEAU, WATERTOWN POLICE CHIEF: As the police chief of Watertown, I can`t be prouder of my community and the men and women of the Watertown Police Department. What they`ve been through, what we`ve been through the last 24 hours, I wouldn`t want to see another police department go through. The support that we`ve had from all the different agencies mentioned tonight over the last 24 hours has been incredible. To see so many agencies work together with the governor, with the mayor of Boston, and our officials in Watertown, has been really great. I have spoken to the people in Watertown before but I can`t thank you enough. The community stood strong and it was a call from a resident in Watertown, we asked you to remain vigilant and you did. We got that call and we got the guy. So we can`t thank you enough. You`ve done everything and more that we`ve asked. Extremely proud of law enforcement today and what we`ve accomplished. Thank you. REPORTER: Chief, did you have communication with the suspect? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excuse me. We`re not done. Chief MacMillan from the MBTA? CHIEF PAUL MACMILLAN, MBTA: I just want to thank all those who sent their thoughts and prayers to Officer Donohue and his family. Please know that it was deeply appreciated. Thank you. I also want to commend all of the law enforcement agencies who took part in this. This is truly dedication and commitment at its best. I`m proud to be part of it. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Special agent in charge of the ATF. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name (INAUDIBLE) special agent in charge of the ATF. Today, the entire world witnessed this law enforcement community`s commitment to apprehending these offenders. Make no doubt that this combined effort will never cease in its protection of every city, every town and every neighborhood in our nation. The prayers from every ATF employee will continue to go out to the victims as they heal from this senseless act of violence. May God bless the citizens. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Suffolk County district attorney Dan Conley. DAN CONLEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Thank you very much. I was listening to the police action all afternoon on the radio, and I would like to join my voice or add my voice, I should say, to those who came before me to say what an extraordinary police operation across all jurisdictions that I was able to listen to and witness today. I was down at the scene early on and in our business, Carmen, myself, it`s about accountability and I can`t say how happy I am, how pleased I am, that the second subject was taken alive. This will really ensure accountability for the victims and their families, so congratulations to all law enforcement for a job very well done, and now the task ahead for accountability. Thank you. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`ll take questions. REPORTER: How did the events transpire at the boat? DAVIS: There was a call that came in to the Watertown police, three Boston police officers along with state troopers and FBI agents responded to Franklin Street. A man had gone out of his house after being inside the house all day, abiding by our request to stay inside. He walked outside and he saw blood on a boat in the backyard. He then opened the tarp on the top of the boat and he looked in and saw a man covered with blood. He retreated and called us. We set up a perimeter around that boat and over the course of the next hour or so, we exchanged gunfire with the suspect who was inside the boat, and ultimately, the hostage rescue team of the FBI made an entry into the boat and removed the suspect who was still alive in the boat. (CROSSTALK) REPORTER: Can you talk about the imperative of taking him alive? DAVIS: We always want to take all the suspects alive. REPORTER: I understand that, sir. But can you talk about it in the context of this particular individual? Can you talk about accountability? Can you talk about why you wanted to take him? DAVIS: We always want to take somebody alive so we can find out what happened, why it happened, and we can hold them for justice. REPORTER: How badly -- how badly injured -- (CROSSTALK) DAVIS: The hostage rescue team actually did work in trying to negotiate him out of that boat. They did try to talk him out although from what I understand, he was not communicating. (CROSSTALK) REPORTER: Have they aided and abetted the suspect? DAVIS: Actually, I don`t have that information. REPORTER: Commissioner Davis, can you talk about the suspect`s injuries? REPORTER: Are there other suspects out there? Have you got your guy? This is it? DAVIS: I think based upon our investigation at this point in time, the citizens of the city of Boston and this area can be confident that the threat has been removed. REPORTER: What kind of condition is the suspect in? DAVIS: Suspect is in serious condition at the hospital. REPORTER: How do you know these are the suspects you were looking for? They didn`t rob the 7-Eleven so how did you know they were there at the same time? DAVIS: The suspects came to our attention after a vicious assassination of a police officer at MIT and a subsequent robbery that occurred where we got videotape from a gas station. The robbery actually was a carjacking. The car was taken from the scene. Officers engaged that car from the Watertown police department along with other officers. We were then able to put the case together. (CROSSTALK) REPORTER: -- was the suspect shot when you were apprehending him at the boat? Was he shot by police officer? DAVIS: The man who found him at the boat said that he was covered with blood. We assumed that those injuries occurred the evening before. There was an exchange of gunfire at the boat. I don`t know if he was struck. (CROSSTALK) DAVIS: There was a house in New Bedford the hostage rescue team went into for the FBI because we felt it was important to the investigation but the suspect was not found there. REPORTER: Given that he was still out there and armed -- DAVIS: I`m sorry. REPORTER: Can you talk more about the assassination of Sean Collier? Was he shot and killed (INAUDIBLE)? What do you know about that? DAVIS: My assessment of that particular incident is that he was assassinated in his cruiser. REPORTER: Do you know what he was doing there? DAVIS: He was responding to a call for a disturbance. REPORTER: Given that he was out there, still armed, was it a mistake to give the all-clear, let people go outside? Could they have been at risk? DAVIS: We certainly did not give an all-clear. We made it clear that people and Colonel Alben is here and spoke eloquently to this. This is a very serious and dangerous situation. We had no information that the suspect was still holed up in this particular area. He managed to elude us by being just slightly outside of the perimeter that we set up. But in truth, we told everybody that this was a dangerous situation and they should be cautious. This is a very dangerous time in the world. We have to use caution. That`s what we asked people to do. Thankfully, this man who found the suspect called us right away, did the right thing, got on 911. We were able to come in and take care of the situation. REPORTER: Did he have explosives with him when he was captured? DAVIS: There`s no report of explosives with him at capture but I got to tell you, I was at the scene last night just after this incident occurred. There was an exchange of over 200 rounds of gunfire. There were improvised explosive devices and hand-made hand grenades thrown at officers at the scene. This is the stuff in an urban police department, it`s almost unheard of. So these officers acted heroically, courageously. They protected the community. And they protected the -- each other when they responded to this scene. I`m so proud of the actions of the Watertown Police, state police, Boston Police. It`s been an incredible team. (CROSSTALK) REPORTER: Did he have a weapon -- DAVIS: He did. You know what, I can`t say -- I was told that there was an exchange of gunfire. I was not there when he was taken out of the boat. REPORTER: No Miranda warning made public (INAUDIBLE). Could you explain that for us? DAVIS: Actually, the United States attorney may -- the FBI may want to explain that. It`s a federal issue. REPORTER: Had the boat been searched earlier -- ORTIZ: Just a minute. We`re going for the question. DAVIS: No, it did not. ORTIZ: What was the question? REPORTER: There was no Miranda warning given, they were claiming a public safety exception. Could we get an explanation? ORTIZ: There is a public safety exemption in cases of national security and potential charges involving acts of terrorism. And so, the government has the opportunity right now, though I believe that the suspect has been taken to a hospital. We`ll start there. Thank you. Yes? I`m sorry -- REPORTER: Will you seek the federal death penalty? ORTIZ: You know, what I indicated earlier is that this is still an active, an ongoing investigation. We`re going to be reviewing all of the evidence before that kind of a decision is made in terms of whether or not to seek the death penalty, you review all of the evidence, and it`s a very thoughtful, long process that is engaged. And it`s the attorney general of the Department of Justice that makes that final decision. REPORTER: Commissioner -- (CROSSTALK) ORTIZ: I`m sorry. Karen? REPORTER: Straight to the boat and then can or the colonel talk a little about what happened when you were on the scene. Was he moving around, how did you know it was finally a chance to take him into custody? Yes, I`m going to -- DEVEAU: We know he didn`t go straight to the boat. We -- when we set up the perimeter with the best intentions with a lot of information. We found blood in the car that he abandoned, we found blood inside the house behind the perimeter. So, we had no indication that he had gotten outside of the perimeter. As we said, it was very chaotic early this morning. We had an aide, police officer, who was shot, bleeding. So there`s a lot going on. We thought we got the perimeter solid, and we pretty much did that, but we were about one block away. So -- he had to be moving a little bit after he was behind a house for a period of time that we know. (CROSSTALK) REPORTER: How did you know that you could take him into custody? Had he been moving around -- ALBEN: Sure. The reason we knew this is our helicopter had detected the subject in the boat. We have a -- what`s called a forward looking infrared device on the helicopter. It picked up the heat signature of the individual even though he was underneath what appeared to be the shrink wrap or a cover on the boat itself and there was movement from that point on. The helicopter was able to deliver the tactical teams to the area and ultimately take him into custody. REPORTER: Was the boat searched during the day on the perimeter? ALBEN: Yes, it was outside the perimeter during the day. It was not searched. This was the act of a citizen who went out and discovered this individual in the boat and ultimately called the Watertown Police Department and resulted in this -- our response. REPORTER: What were the suspects doing at MIT? Were they -- (CROSSTALK) REPORTER: Is there a chance the suspect won`t make it and won`t live to tell what happened? ALBEN: I`m sorry? REPORTER: Is there a chance the suspect won`t make it? ALBEN: I don`t know. I did not see him when he was taken into custody. I know he`s in serious condition, but I don`t know to what extent. (CROSSTALK) ALBEN: I think we`ve taken enough questions for now. Thank you. Thank you very much. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. MADDOW: Press conference in Watertown, Massachusetts, wrapping up, hearing from the governor, from the mayor of the city of Boston, from head of the police department in Watertown, to the U.S. attorney, to the special agent in charge of the FBI, the special agent in charge of the ATF, it was the round robin of all the agencies involved. We got the most from the commissioner of police, Ed Davis, that gave us a number of granular details about what happened to take this suspect custody. I should tell you that as I run down these details, that we are awaiting President Obama who`s due to speak live on this matter within a matter of minutes. So, we will go to that as soon as it happens. In terms of new information that we just learned, the most remarkable thing is how they found him. The Watertown police chief got up his turn at the mike, said we got that call from a Watertown resident and that`s how we got the guy. We`re told that a resident once the shelter in place order was lifted stopped sheltering in place, went outside. His boat was parked outside the house. He noticed blood on the tarp that covered the boat. The resident approached it and pulled the tarp back and saw the suspect hiding inside the boat covered in blood. The resident retreated, called 911. Police immediately screeched to the scene, set up a perimeter, and flew a helicopter over the site. A helicopter that was equipped with thermal imaging technology so they could use essentially the suspect`s heat register, they could tell there was a live body inside that boat. They knew there was then a reason to go in. Ultimately, we`re told that it was the hostage rescue team of the FBI that tried to talk him out of the boat. He was described as non-communicative, presumably talking didn`t work. We don`t know how they got him out. We`re told that there was exchange of gunfire. Shots were fired at the boat at that time, but they do not know if that`s where the suspect sustained his gun shot wounds. Since the resident saw him covered in blood when he first pulled back the tarp, imagine that moment when they make the movie of this, since the guy was already covered in blood, they presumed that he was already wounded from previous exchange of gunfire last night, although it could have been somebody else`s blood, we don`t know. They don`t know if he was hit again. He`s described as being in serious condition. Apart of being asked if there might be other assailants, if there might be people on the loose that pose a threat to the people of Boston, the answer from police commissioner was essentially not a direct answer, but he said sort of vague terms that he believes that Boston can feel safe tonight with this young man in custody. Again, this is detail that we didn`t necessarily have at this point, in terms of how he got away last night, interestingly, what they`re saying, the Watertown chief giving the most detail on this, essentially saying they set up a perimeter, it was a firm perimeter. They don`t believe they lost anything out of the perimeter they set up but it was too small. He eluded the perimeter by one block. And that is how he eluded capture until that shelter in place order was lifted and law enforcement could once again count on members of the public to help them get this guy. Wow. Joining us now, NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker. Kristen, how did the president find out about the capture? KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rachel, I can tell you according to administration sources, FBI Director Robert Mueller made the president aware of tonight`s arrest. Of course, this is the phone call that he has been hoping to get all day and really all week, if you think about it. Robert Mueller has been keeping the president up- to-date not only through the day briefing him, but really briefing him the past several days during this developing story. Now, the president also held a briefing with his entire national security team early this morning, Rachel. And, he`s continued to monitor the swaying. We haven`t really heard from anyone from the White House today on camera. That is by de. They didn`t want to speak about it because it was evolving, there were so many unknowns. And before any top official here came out and said something on the record, they wanted to be sure they understood exactly what was happening. I can give you a sense of what was going on behind the scenes, Rachel. Administration officials were watching not only our newscasts but local feeds as well so they could monitor exactly what was happening and have a tick tock as we were doing all night long, watching this incredible scene unfold. But as you point out, President Obama is expected to speak. He wanted to wait for the press conference in Massachusetts to wrap up. We expect him any minute now -- Rachel. MADDOW: Kristen Welker at the White House -- thank you. I want to bring in to this discussion, my friend Richard Engel. Thank you for being here, Richard. We have since learned since we started talking this suspect, when he`s well-enough to be questioned, will be question by a federal government team called high value detainee interrogation group, consists of FBI, CIA, and the Defense Department and Obama administration officials telling NBC News tonight that no Miranda warning is going to be given when he`s physically able to be interrogated. They`re going to invoke the public safety exemption is something they can only do for about 48 hours or so. RICHARD ENGEL, NBC NEWS CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it`s a public safety exemption that`s designed to get immediate actionable intelligence. Are there more bombs out there? Do you have suspects, are there other suspects on the loose? Are you working with anyone? Those are the immediate questions. Two pieces of very good news that came out of this tonight. One, that he was taken alive. MADDOW: Yes. ENGEL: All day I have been speaking with counterterrorism officials, their number one priority was get this guy alive because they want to know was he part of an international terrorist organization? Does he have other colleagues out there? Are they still working on other kinds of attacks? The second was that reaction we saw, the applause. Because in the forums that celebrate terrorism, and there are many of them all day, they were saying this is great thing. These jihad forums, that people are afraid, they`re spending millions of dollars for the city in lockdown. And instead of seeing a city cowering, they saw a city clapping. MADDOW: A city in the street, this live shot in Watertown, the people in the street relieved to be out of their homes and applauding, tearfully applauding and cheering every law enforcement vehicle that goes past. We will be back live at midnight Eastern with a live look what happened today. MSNBC`s rolling coverage continues. Stay with us. Lots to come, including the president`s remarks from the White House expected in just a moment. END THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. END