Washington Post

12 settembre

By Michael Grunwald

Terrorists unleashed an astonishing air assault on America's military and financial power centers yesterday morning, hijacking four commercial jets and then crashing them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside.

It was by far the most devastating terrorist operation in American history, killing at least hundreds and possibly thousands of people. It was also the most dramatic attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. The attacks created indelible scenes of carnage and chaos, obliterating the World Trade Center's twin 110-story towers from their familiar perch above Manhattan's skyline, grounding the domestic air traffic system for the first time and plunging the entire nation into an unparalleled state of anxiety.

U.S. military forces at home and around the world were put on a "go to war" footing, the highest state of alert next to actual military action. The Pentagon deployed a loose air defense network of warships along the west and east coasts, as well as an unspecified number of interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft to hunt for unauthorized planes and missiles.

The terrorists hijacked four California-bound flights from three airports on the eastern seaboard, suggesting a well-financed, well-coordinated plot.

First, two jets slammed into the World Trade Center. Then an American Airlines flight out of Dulles International Airport ripped through the newly renovated walls of the Pentagon, probably the world's most secure office building. A fourth plane crashed 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh shortly after it was commandeered and turned in the direction of Washington.

None of the 266 people aboard the four planes survived. There were even more horrific but still uncounted casualties in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, which together provided office space for more than 60,000 people. The spectacular collapse of the Trade Center's twin towers as well as a third skyscraper while the rescue operations were going on caused even more bloodshed; about 200 New York firefighters and at least 78 police officers are presumed dead.

No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but federal officials said they suspect the involvement of Islamic extremists with links to fugitive terrorist Osama bin Laden, who was implicated in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa and several other attacks. Law enforcement sources said there is already evidence implicating bin Laden's militant network in the attack, and politicians from both parties predicted a major and immediate escalation in America's worldwide war against terrorism.

In a grim address to the nation last night, President Bush said "thousands" had died in the attacks and promised to hunt down those responsible for them. "We will make no distinction," he said, "between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them."

The president said the attacks were intended "to frighten our nation" but had failed. He vowed that the government would continue to function "without interruption" and that both federal offices and financial institutions will be open today.

Bush started the day in Florida, but after the attacks flew to military bases in Louisiana and then Nebraska for security reasons before returning to Washington yesterday evening. Vice President Cheney and first lady Laura Bush were whisked away to undisclosed locations in the morning, and congressional leaders were temporarily moved to a secure facility 75 miles west of Washington.

Federal Washington was virtually paralyzed throughout much of the day, and the rest of the nation came to a near standstill as well. The White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, the State Department and the Treasury Department were evacuated, along with federal buildings across the country.

Private buildings also shut down, from the Space Needle in Seattle to the Sears Tower in Chicago to Walt Disney World in Orlando. America's borders with Canada and Mexico were sealed. The New York Stock Exchange and the United Nations were evacuated, too.

New York's mayoral primary was abruptly postponed. So was Major League Baseball's schedule for the night. Wireless networks buckled under the barrage of cell phone calls. The besieged Internet search engine Google told Web surfers to try radio or TV instead.

Last night, fires were still burning amid the rubble of the World Trade Center, and pools of highly flammable jet fuel continued to hinder rescue efforts. Health officials issued urgent appeals for blood donors. The Empire State Building went dark as a symbol of national mourning. And Republicans and Democrats presented a united front in condemning the attacks; members of Congress delivered a spontaneous rendition of "God Bless America" after a news conference on the Capitol steps.

The impact of the attacks reverberated not just in this country but in every every major capital. European and Asian airlines canceled all flights to the United States and recalled or diverted those already in the air. Flights over London, Paris and other capitals were re-routed over less populous areas. London's financial district was largely evacuated; security was bolstered around U.S. schools and embassies in many countries.

Panic buying caused oil and gold prices to soar while stock investors in all major foreign markets dumped shares in the most frenzied wave of selling since the 1987 crash. In the Middle East, China and the Yugoslav republic of Serbia, some people welcomed the attacks, but an array of international leaders pledged support for the victims. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon condemned the attack in blistering terms, and described it as a "turning point" in the global war against terrorism. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat condemned the attack as well, although some Palestinians in Israeli-occupied territories and Lebanon celebrated with glee.

But amid all the sadness and all the outrage, there were questions about lax security and inadequate intelligence, as Americans tried to fathom how such a catastrophe could happen with no apparent warning.

Counterterrorism experts have talked in recent years about cyber-attacks and biological attacks; security officials issued warnings just last month about bin Laden's threats to American installations abroad. But yesterday's attacks caught a vast security apparatus off guard. On at least one of the aircraft, according to federal officials, the hijackers were armed with nothing but knives.

The disaster began to unfold at 8:48 a.m., when American Airlines Flight 11, carrying 92 people from Boston to Los Angeles, crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, the landmark glass-and-steel complex at the southern tip of Manhattan that provided office space for 40,000 workers. Islamic militants detonated a bomb there in 1993, killing six people. Yesterday's terrorism turned out to be far worse.

Eighteen minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175, carrying 65 people on the same Boston-to-Los Angeles route, tore through the South Tower with an even larger explosion. The collisions shrouded New York's helter-skelter financial district in pallid ash, and created mass pandemonium inside and outside the towers. Workers were screaming, running for stairways, gasping for air. Several of them began leaping to their deaths from the upper floors.

But the scene soon shifted from America's financial mecca to its military fortress. At about 9:40 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77, carrying 64 people from Dulles to Los Angeles, barreled into the west wing of the Pentagon in yet another fiery collision, destroying at least four of the five rings that encircle the world's largest office building. A Pentagon spokesman called the casualties "extensive."

The Federal Aviation Administration promptly banned takeoffs nationwide, ordered domestic flights to land at the nearest airport and diverted international flights to Canada. But officials soon confirmed that a fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, carrying 45 people from Newark to San Francisco, had crashed in Shanksville, Pa. It had been hijacked as well, and had been heading in the direction of Washington when it went down.

Then it was back to the World Trade Center. Shortly before 10 a.m., the North Tower collapsed with an earthshaking roar. Smoke replaced steel as if the building had suddenly imploded. A half hour later, the South Tower collapsed. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani publicly urged New Yorkers to stay calm and stay put -- unless they were below Canal Street in Lower Manhattan.

"If you're south of Canal Street, get out," he warned. "Just walk north."

America's battle against terrorism, it seemed clear last night, will never be the same. The nation's airports are expected to reopen at noon today, but with new security measures. Congress will be back in session, and members of both parties declared that for all practical purposes, the nation is at war. At a briefing last night in the battered Pentagon, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld warned that America's enemies should not rest easy.

Government officials said they have strong evidence from multiple sources linking the attacks to bin Laden and his terrorist web, known as al Qaeda.

Journalists with access to bin Laden said he and his followers have been boasting about preparations for major attacks against the United States in retaliation for American support of Israel. But the intelligence all pointed to an attack overseas; the State Department warned travelers in an advisory on Friday, and U.S. military and diplomatic posts abroad have been on alert as well.

Bin Laden has already been linked to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, and last year's attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

Terrorism experts have repeatedly warned that U.S. airport security is very lax, warnings that have been backed up by a stack of studies. When Department of Transportation investigators tried to breach security at eight airports three years ago, they succeeded 68 percent of the time.

"The security of airports is pathetic," said Harvey W. Kushner, a Long Island University professor and terrorism consultant to several federal agencies. "It's very easy to have someone get on a plane and wreak havoc."

Today, at least, the debates over education, health care, Social Security and the budget surplus that have consumed Washington have been put on hold; perhaps for the first time since the Persian Gulf War, national security is at the top of the agenda. Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) was preparing to call for more military spending at a news conference at the time of the attacks. He did not miss the irony.

"This is a failure of the U.S. intelligence system, caused by a lack of resources and by complacency," he said. "Today, our government failed the American public."

But that was a discordant note in Washington yesterday. A bipartisan statement described the congressional leadership as "strongly united behind the president as our commander in chief." In his speech last night, Bush emphasized the nation's harmony, noting that "a great people have been moved to defend a great nation," and read from the 23rd Psalm.

He warned that "our military is powerful, and it's prepared." In closing, he proclaimed that even amid suffering and death, Americans will remain committed to their freedom-loving way of life.

"This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace," he said. "America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time."