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Activity Outside Prison Where Gary Graham is to Be Executed

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Joie Chen at CNN Center. We want to take you immediately to Huntsville, Texas. The planned execution of Gary Graham is coming up within the next hour. It was planned for there, but we understand now that there are late developments, some activity outside the prison where Graham is to be executed. CNN Charles Zewe is standing by.

And it looks, Charles, as though there are some arrest and some police action under way?

CHARLES ZEWE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Joie, several dozen protesters, anti-death penalty protesters, have just broken through the line here. They've being taken away. You can see them on the ground here. There are quite a number of police, many of them in riot gear. That happened just about 30 seconds ago. They broke through the police lines, running through the police lines, after what were very peaceful demonstrations, no incidents at all. All of a sudden running they started through the lines. As you could you see, they're being handcuffed with plastic cuffs, shouting free Shaka Sankova, free Shaka Sankova, of course the African Zulu name of Gary Graham.

This happened quite unexpectedly of course. It looks to be about maybe a dozen people that have been arrested here as a result. As I say, they are being taken off. This is the First incident of any type since the protesters gathered earlier in the day. There are about 400 or 500 protesters outside of the prison. They have been, for the most part, as I said, very peaceful. This is the first incident of its kind.

Right now, we are understanding that the U.S. Supreme Court has delayed for about another half hour any decision on whether it will accept the Gary Graham case. Graham saying, of course, that he was unjustly convicted, wrongly convicted on word, largely, of a single eyewitness, that he is innocent and should not be put to death. The people here who have been protesting on his behalf have been declaring all afternoon that George Bush, the governor of Texas is war criminal, a person who is guilty of suicide. They have been calling on Bush in the state of Texas to stop this execution. A little while ago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the witnesses who are here on Gary Graham's behalf were taken inside prison to begin the process. We understand now that there will be no execution at least until the Supreme Court makes up its mind. Just as Antonin Scalia refused to grant a clemency or any kind of stay in the case today. You can see the policeman now, the Texas State Troopers, along with the Texas Rangers and prison guards moving into position to prevent any further breakthrough in the line here.

There have been some pro-death penalty demonstrators on hand here, about four or five people carrying Confederate Flags. There had been threats, Some concern that the Ku Klux Klan might show up and try to take part in a pro-death penalty demonstration here, but that did not materialize.

Again, four or five people broken through the lines, perhaps as many as dozen. They have been arrested by police and taken off. The tensions here naturally high. But it appears right now that police have the situation back under control outside of the prison -- Joie.

CHEN: CNN's Charles Zewe. We'll ask you to stand by there in Huntsville, Texas as we follow the situation out there. And CNN's special coverage of the execution of Gary Graham will continue with a special report after the break. Please stay tuned.

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