To summarize:
Both WTC buildings have collapsed
Crash at the Pentagon with a big chunk ripped out and a fire
Fire at the Washington Mall
Four planes hijaacked (two American Airlines, two United)
Plane crash 80 miles near Pittsburgh (Somerset airport I think?)
All flights grounded
Airports closing
White House, etc. evacuated
An anonymous caller claimed responsibility by a Palestinian group but then later senior officials from that group denied it.
Sears tower and other major monuments evacuated
Most other states on alert for new attacks
I hope no one minds too much some violations of the copyright laws, but here is a full copy of the MSNBC report:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/627028_asp.htm
Day of terror in N.Y., Washington
2 hijacked jets
ram, topple
Trade Center;
another plane
hits Pentagon
An explosion rocks World Trade Center Tower 1 as Tower 2 burns from a previous plane collision.
MSNBC STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
NEW YORK, Sept. 11 — Americans reeled in horror Tuesday as the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history saw two hijacked planes crash into the World Trade Center, toppling the twin 110-story towers where thousands of people had just arrived for work. Within an hour, an explosion rocked the Pentagon in Washington, where the White House, the Capitol and all other federal buildings were evacuated. Military jets patrolled the skies while the FAA grounded all civilian aircraft nationwide, but not before reports of another plane crashing in Pennsylvania. President Bush vowed to “hunt down the folks who committed this act.”
‘People were screaming and crying, afraid to go outside because of the falling debris.’
— MARTIN WOLK
MSNBC.com reporter AMERICAN AIRLINES said two of its aircraft, carrying a total of 156 people, had been hijacked and were used in the attacks. One was a Boston-Los Angeles Flight, the other had left Washington for Los Angeles.
The fate of those in the twin skyscrapers was not immediately known. Authorities had been trying to evacuate the thousands of people who work in the towers when they collapsed, trapping rescuers and workers. Much of Manhattan was being evacuated.
“I have a sense it’s a horrendous number of lives lost,” Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said. “I don’t know yet. Right now we have to focus on saving as many lives as possible.”
Elsewhere, United Airlines said a Newark-San Francisco flight had been hijacked and crashed near Pittsburgh. The number of passengers was not immediately available. The airline said it was “deeply concerned” about another jetliner, which had gone missing en route from Boston to Los Angeles.
At the Pentagon, officials said an aircraft crashed into part of the sprawling complex. Walls were later seen to have collapsed.
At the State Department, an earlier report of a car bomb proved to be unfounded.
In New York, the aircraft struck minutes apart, starting fires and sending smoke billowing out of the skyscrapers. The top of the south tower later collapsed onto the street below.
The first crash happened shortly before 9 a.m. ET.
MSNBC.com reporter Martin Wolk, who was inside one of the towers, said the lights flickered and then a loud bang was heard. People panicked and started to flee the building.
When they reached the lobby, smoke started to fill the building and people could see debris falling and many cars outside were damaged. “It was sheer pandemonium, people were screaming and crying, afraid to go outside because of the falling debris,” Wolk said. “We looked up and it looked like the top 20 floors were in flames.”
Another bystander described a barrage of debris raining down on the sidewalk below.
Attacks on America
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The twin towers of the World Trade Center have collapsed, major federal buildings in the nation's capital have been evacuated, and all planes into and out of the U.S. are grounded.
Shortly after 9 a.m., a second aircraft was seen crashing into the other tower. Broadcast cameras already watching the scene filmed the second plane as it slammed into the tower and exploded in a huge fireball.
A half hour later, President Bush made a brief statement to reporters, calling the disaster a “national tragedy” and attributing it to terrorists. He did not cite any specific terrorist groups but vowed to “hunt down the folks who committed this act.”
The president, who had been in Florida, was en route back to Washington and an undisclosed location.
U.S. military jets reportedly took to the skies to shoot down any unidentified aircraft, and congressional leaders were taken to secure locations. A plane was reported to have been circling the Capitol building before the evacuation.
American Airlines later acknowledged that one of its flights had been hijacked Tuesday morning shortly after leaving Boston en route to Los Angeles.
The second plane might have flown out of Newark, a U.S. official said, speaking on
condition of anonymity.
In Pennsylvania, a commercial aircraft carrying 90 people crashed shortly after takeoff. It was not clear if it was liked to the terrorist attacks.
In New York, much of Manhattan was evacuating as rescuers tried to regroup after the trade towers collapsed.
Click on the image for reports of the terrorism attacks.
The center was the scene of an earlier terrorist attack: the Feb. 26, 1993, bombing that killed six people and injured more than 1,000 others. Terrorist Ramzi Yousef and three others were convicted of orchestrating the attack. Three other indicted co-conspirators remain at large.
Traffic entering New York City from New Jersey was at a standstill approaching the Holland Tunnel as motorists stood outside their cars watching the fire.
Across the country, highrises like Chicago’s Sears Trade tower were being evacuated as a precaution. Buildings were also being evacuated in London.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
