My home, sweet home.
On the steps of the U.S. Capitol, men and women, black, white, and Asian, conservatives
and liberals and independents from all corners of this country, a spontaneous demonstration
of unity, a declaration of support for the President of the United States, and a very
important symbolic message to be sending around the world and to this country at this hour.
NBC's Tim Russert is our Washington bureau chief.
Tim, Washington has been riven in recent years by petty political divisions, but this is
bound to have a big impact on the ability of Congress, the Senate, and the House of
Representatives to say nothing of the other political players in this country to find
common ground.
Tom, the rancor and partisanship in Washington disappeared immediately.
Such national unity has just demonstrated in the steps of the Capitol.
Remember 24 hours ago, it was the Bush tax cut, the Bush budget, the Bush economy.
You don't hear any of that tonight.
It's America's enemy.
America's under attack.
Tomorrow the Congress will convene, almost an act of defiance saying, we are here standing
strong, Democrats and Republicans arm in arm.
It's a very, very important message, not only for the world and the terrorists, but for
our own nation as well.
And it's quite welcomed, frankly, by many people who have been covering a Congress,
constantly bickering with one another almost every issue.
Tonight they have found, in a very tragic way, a common bond because out of the necessity
of protecting our country and our values.
Thanks very much, NBC's Tim Russert.
Every generation of politicians has in its own way, Tim, a test of its steel and its
strength and its long view for this country.
But I think that it's worth also pointing out that whatever happens in Washington in
the next several days, that America is going to be changed by the events of this day.
Let's go to NBC's Jimmy Klochesky now, who is at the Pentagon across the river, of course,
from the nation's Capitol.
He was there in his office this morning when he heard an explosion and told us immediately
he didn't know for sure what it was.
We later learned, of course, Jim, it was the unthinkable, a hijacked airliner that had
crashed into that building.
Back here, fresh flames are flickering from the roof of the building.
Rescue workers continue to search the bombed out portion of the Pentagon.
Scientists believe that scores of dead are still buried beneath the rubble.
No exact death toll has been yet released here, but a temporary morgue has been set
up at the courtyard at the center of the Pentagon complex.
And the dead.
This was the second target in a well coordinated act of terrorism.
At 915, after the second plane hits the World Trade Center, the Pentagon puts together a
crisis action team to assess any additional threats.
930, American Airlines flight 77, a Boeing 757 with 62 people on board, takes off from
Dulles Airport for Los Angeles.
Believed hijack, it heads instead for the Pentagon.
938, flying low alongside the Pentagon at bank sharply 90 degrees, flips on its right
side and slams into the Pentagon's lower two floors on the southwest side, exploding
on impact as horrified commuters watch.
I saw a plane going down, big plane commercial liner type, going down full speed and just
inside the side of the Pentagon.
Panicked employees evacuate by the thousands.
The plane slices deep into the lower Pentagon, leaving a gaping black hole of destruction.
The upper floors later collapse, burying hopes any more survivors will be found alive.
At the opposite end of the Pentagon, well out of harm's way, Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld was at his desk.
Secretary Rumsfeld was in his office at the time the plane hit the Pentagon and proceeded
down towards the impact point in the building.
It actually went outside the building and was helpful in getting several people that
were injured onto stretchers.
It was four hours before the fire is brought under control and rescuers enter the building
in search of more dead or possible injured.
In a scene straight out of a war zone, F-16s scrambled by the National Guard fly cover
over the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
But the attacks appear over the unspeakable D-Done.
In a short time ago, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Hugh Shelton, expressed
America's resolve with a firm pledge to retaliate against those responsible, the number one
suspect Osama bin Laden.
Now, the military has always had contingency plans for attacks against a variety of bin
Laden targets.
Behind me in what's left of this building here tonight, the military is literally dusting
off those plans.
Tom?
NBC, Jim Mikulcheski.
Jim, around the world.
Is the American military forces still on the highest status of alert?
The highest state of alert, Delta.
And a short time after that, military commanders all around the world took the responsibility,
went to Delta, which puts those forces on a virtual war footing prepared for anything.
All right.
Thanks very much, NBC.
Jim Mikulcheski at the Pentagon tonight.
As New York was a target and thrown into chaos in Los Angeles, it was the city stunned by
the attack and the fact that three of the four hijacked airliners were bound for Los
Angeles, the other for San Francisco, California.
NBC's George Lewis is at Los Angeles International Airport tonight with some of the grieving
families and the latest on some of the crash victims that we know about.
George?
Yes, Tom, a lot of grieving going on here on the West Coast because all of the people
who were lost on those planes were bound for California.
Ordinarily, Los Angeles International has 2,100 flights daily, but tonight the airport's
completely buttoned up, nothing taking off or landing.
In grief stricken, the relatives of those aboard the hijacked flights rushed to the
airport where authorities quickly took them to private rooms.
Grief counselors from the Salvation Army joined airline personnel in trying to comfort the
families of the passengers.
It's just to be there and to say to them, we are here and we'll do whatever we can do
to help you through this trauma and this pain.
The first plane to crash into the World Trade Center, American Airlines Flight 11, was bound
from Boston to Los Angeles piloted by 52-year-old John Ogunowski.
This afternoon, his brother spoke to reporters.
I ask all of you, dear prayers, for his I, Brother John, ask you so please, I ask you
so please for our whole country.
We are going to have to take a short break from NBC's coverage of this terrorist attack
because of interference with our satellite linked to the United States.
It is a technical hitch caused by the alignment of the sun and the satellite.
It will only be a short break for us and we will return to that coverage in a moment.
But in the meantime, we will have a full bulletin again at 10 o'clock this morning, Eastern
Australian time.
But for now, the United States has put at least a 24-hour hold on all commercial flights
in and out of the country.
That is the news for now, but we can resume the NBC coverage, so we will go back to that.
By midday in Los Angeles, FBI personnel were swarming over the airport checking for possible
bombs, but none were found.
As a precaution, police and the FBI ordered the airport evacuated.
We are evacuating all terminals and we are stopping traffic all over.
An eerie scene at Los Angeles International tonight.
The airport completely empty.
And why were all of the hijacked planes California bound?
One theory is that the hijackers deliberately chose planes that would have been fully loaded
with fuel for a transcontinental flight.
Tom?
Thanks very much, NBC's George Lewis tonight.
Now let's go to the reaction around the rest of the country.
This day of terror rippling from coast to coast.
NBC's Jim Avila is at the Sears Tower in downtown Chicago.
Jim?
Tom, Chicago skyline intact but virtually empty tonight as America's skyscrapers were
evacuated through most of the day today.
That includes Chicago Sears Tower, the Arco Towers in Los Angeles, the Bank of America
in San Francisco.
All waiting for the all clear.
The nation's landmarks, America's gathering spots.
Today abandoned as potential terrorist targets from the Seattle Space Theater and L.A. City
Hall in the West to Disney World in the Southeast to the world's biggest shopping mall, the
Mall of America in Minneapolis, Clos.
And of course, at the country's tallest building, Sears Tower.
Terrorist in the world.
Bin Laden has declared the destruction of the United States his top priority.
He heads and pays for an extraordinary international network of Islamic militants.
And this evening, Israel's Prime Minister, Edward Barak, told the BBC he thinks Bin Laden
is probably to blame.
Most probably Bin Laden.
That means that no airplanes will be leaving any of the airports in the United States.
An estimated 200,000 passengers stranded at O'Hare, world's busiest, a line of jets held
on the runway for hours.
No open gates, but surprisingly few complaints.
Being upset about missing my plane, that's trivial compared to people that ruin a plane
and in the buildings.
Military planes like this one in San Francisco escorting the last of the commercial jetliners
safely to the ground.
But a crippled air travel system is more than inconvenience.
Aviation expert Mike Boyd.
Air transportation is part of our communication system.
Today it's shut down entirely.
People aren't moving A to B. Goods aren't moving.
Mail isn't moving.
And because of that, we're probably going to have a tens of billions of dollars hit
on our economy for this quarter.
Phone service strangled too.
America's largest cell phone network with cell towers atop the World Trade Center destroyed
reports call volume nationally double.
We can't compare today's events to anything that we've experienced before.
We've withstood earthquakes, hurricanes, significant floods, but nothing like today's
event.
It's a trail buster right here.
In Chicago, 800 miles from the attacks, Karen Davis, frustrated in her attempt to work at
home.
I could not get a single a signal on my way home and then I couldn't get a signal on my
home phone when I got here.
It's really frustrating not to be able to get in contact with anybody.
Among the events canceled tonight, Major League Baseball postponing games from coast to coast.
NBC's Tonight Show called off and the Emmys scheduled for Sunday canceled too.
We all could see the gravity of the situation and realize this is a true national nightmare
come true and that a celebration and a comedy show would just not be something that would
be appropriate for this country this weekend.
We cannot let it happen again.
Most of the nation's schools stayed open through the tragic day.
Students watching terrorism on their own shores for the first time.
And I just was asking myself over and over why they did this.
Who's trying to make sense of it?
There are other places in the world where this is commonplace and for us it's a first.
At this hospital in suburban Chicago, Americans responding by lining up to donate blood.
Midday church services more crowded than normal.
I guess I'm just looking for a peace in my heart and for peace in other people's hearts
and from all the destruction.
Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave.
At SMU in Dallas, older students sing the national anthem at an outdoor rally mixing
tears and patriotism.
Experts say Americans should expect a jump in the national anxiety level.
They may be irritable.
They may be really very acutely aware of their environment around them and any kind of threats
to them.
Also tonight some of the first effects of the fear in the economic fashion.
Already today there's been problems with gas gouging.
In fact, gas prices have gone up in Kansas to as much as five dollars a gallon.
Tom?
Let me see Jim Avila tonight reporting on the length and breadth of this country from
Chicago, the heartland of America.
Told now we have a tracking tape that shows the pattern of the flight that went into the
first of the trade twin trade towers.
It took off from Boston.
That would be flight 11 American Airlines.
And then you can see that sharp left turn as it heads for New York.
Well off course.
And the second plane, second plane headed now going from New York and then it land.
This is the second one that comes into New York.
The second one goes from Newark to Pennsylvania where it went down.
There's still some uncertainty about whether that was going to be directed by the hijackers
into one of the other many government or financial buildings that could have been a target for
it either in the Washington, D.C. or New York area.
We don't know for sure.
Of course, for many Americans tonight, the anger and the rage that they feel is directed
at one man that they have never seen except on some vague videotape.
Osama bin Laden, the world's best known Islamic extremist.
He's on almost everyone's list of the most likely suspects for today's attacks.
And NBC's Keith Miller has more on him tonight from London for us, Keith.
Tom, he is one of the most dangerous terrorists on the planet.
The U.S.
Government has put a five million dollar bounty on his head.
Osama bin Laden was last seen publicly this January at his son's wedding in Afghanistan.
Rare pictures of a man who reportedly travels only at night, often in disguise, surrounded
by bodyguards.
He made his reputation in the 1980s fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
He was involved in some horrific battles, which he said later gave him a sort of tranquility
and a sense of peace.
And it basically made him a pretty fearless guy.
Today the Central Intelligence Agency calls him the most immediate and serious threat
to U.S. security.
Bin Laden says the jihad against the United States and killing of Americans is the core
of his faith.
He was born into a family of wealth, power and privilege in Saudi Arabia 44 years ago.
It was during his days as a student studying economics that he turned to radical Islam.
He is linked to a series of global terrorist attacks.
February 1993, the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York.
Six dead, more than a thousand injured.
August 7th, 1998, the simultaneous U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, more than
200 killed.
And last year, the suicide bomb attack on the USS Cole, resulting in the death of 17
American servicemen.
He alone, probably within the Islamic world, has amassed and developed a terrorist network,
an international network, which will be capable of carrying out such an atrocity.
After the embassy bombing, the American government retaliated with missile strikes.
The missiles damaged Bin Laden's headquarters in Afghanistan, but he escaped unharmed.
The U.S. has demanded that the radical Islamic government in Afghanistan hand Bin Laden over
to American authorities, but the Afghans have refused, despite Bin Laden's declaration that
all U.S. citizens are legitimate targets.
He's targeted the U.S. because he sees America as the head of the snake, as he calls it.
The body of the snake is the corrupt governments in the Middle East that he has promised to
overthrow, and also Israel.
Meanwhile, his popularity in the region is reportedly increasing.
He and estimated 25,000 followers scattered around the world and prepared to engage in
a holy war against America.
From Afghanistan tonight, a statement from the government claiming Bin Laden didn't do
it.
Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence officials say he was last seen near Jalalabad in eastern
Afghanistan, but because he moves at least three times a week, he will remain difficult
to catch.
Tom?
All right.
Thanks very much, NBC's Keith Miller tonight.
We want to give you an update now.
The President of the United States will be addressing this nation on this difficult day
at 830 Eastern time tonight, and of course, we will bring that to you live.
There are people around the world who do not wish America well.
We know that as a result of today's attacks, but also on the basis of their reaction to
what happened here today.
Some of them are even celebrating.
With that story, here's NBC's Martin Fletcher in Tel Aviv.
Martin?
Tom, Israel's declaring a day of mourning tomorrow in solidarity with the United States,
but not all reaction here has been so sympathetic.
There's a sense here among some Palestinians that America had it coming.
These Palestinians in East Jerusalem today delighted at the bombings and American loss
of life, offering cakes and sweets.
Calling out God is great.
Thousands more celebrate in other West Bank towns until Palestinian police disperse them.
The Palestinian leader, however, stunned and sympathetic.
We are completely shocked, completely shocked, unbelievable.
But the voice of the street reflects anger at America's role, especially in Israel and
Iraq.
We should show America that they should learn and they should know what is to attack somebody
like Iraq.
There should be more.
And many Arabs furious at American support for Israel.
This man holds up an American-made bomb part fired by American-made aircraft used by Israel.
American support for Israel, some believe, makes America a legitimate target for terrorism.
Many also angry at years of almost daily American bomb attacks against Iraq, which didn't stop
with the end of the Gulf War a decade ago.
And U.S. troops still in Saudi Arabia.
Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in today's terror attacks, angry at American support
for what he calls a tyrannical government of Saudi Arabia, his homeland, and for America's
close ties with Israel.
Hello again from the Adelaide newsroom.
Joining me now, the Premier of South Australia.
And Premier, your reaction to this terrible attack on the United States?
One of disbelief.
Some thought you were watching a movie, not some real-life terrorism activity.
The fact that this can occur around the world, the fact that the magnitude of this attack
clearly indicates that you've got to be ever vigilant against a terrorist attack of this
nature.
One draws to mind, were there Australians, South Australians involved in any way, either
at the World Trade Center as tourists or there on business or on the aircraft, or they'll
understand that is not the case related to the aircraft.
Then the next step is, clearly, what do we do?
How do we ensure that our security is adequate?
And we've got people meeting at this moment to ensure that adequate precautions are taken
as it relates to American companies that are based in South Australia and to other measures
to ensure that Australia, which has been relatively free from this sort of activity, thank God,
remains that way.
Where were you and what were you doing when you heard or saw?
Well I got home last night about 10.30 and turned on the late night news and they did
a flash across saying, breaking news.
Then as I watched this plane, the second plane, go into the second World Trade Center tower,
it was almost as if this wasn't happening.
Can't be real.
It was unbelievable, wasn't it?
It was movie stuff, not real life where people are being affected in this way.
To have four hijacks coordinated in the way in which it has been, one's then got to ask
the question about the intelligence, the background information, the intelligence and how could
four planes be hijacked in this way and spread the devastation across such a wide area.
Well you travel as I do.
I really thought, especially in America, hijackings were a thing of the past with the security
they have.
What does that say about security now?
Well just how do you upgrade the security?
I remember a number of years ago I went to LaGuardia Airport in New York and there had
been an explosion in a small locker and how that had all been petitioned off and you feel
quite uncomfortable in that sort of surroundings because we're not used to this sort of activity.
What do you do to increase security?
We know how security now interrupts our daily lives but this just demonstrates how important
our security is, how important our anti-terrorism intelligence and activities are and how we're
going to have to simply upgrade and meet the challenge of these fanatical groups.
Our lives and indeed the people in America, it's changed forever hasn't it?
Well it will change.
This is a landmark event, this will change things across the world.
This is one of the most dramatic events in world history and what we will see from that
is actions taken, lifestyles change, mode of operating, business, trade links, all will
come under a different sort of scrutiny as a result of this activity.
You were heading to the United States next week?
Next week I was going to be...
In Washington?
We were in fact had appointments in Philadelphia, Boston, Washington and New York next week
and that's where all this activity has taken place.
When you were watching that last night you must have thought of what you were going to
be doing next week.
Well thank goodness it was a week out.
Yeah.
What will happen to those plans now?
Look I simply don't know.
We have had contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs, we'll be taking advice from
them.
There are some very important deals that we've been working on for two and a half and three
years to bring to fruition.
It might be that the meetings can continue.
I simply don't know at this stage, it's just such a state of uncertainty and we'll be taking
advice out of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra.
We had Bill Clinton coming here next year, we've got Chogham coming up in October in
Brisbane.
Will those things still go ahead?
Do you think that will have a domino effect on them?
Well clearly we will have to... the events will go ahead because you can't allow a terrorist
activity to stop what is normal meetings of government around the world because then you're
simply captive to the terrorists which is what they want.
You can't allow yourself to be put in that set of circumstances.
So it's double-edged, security plus you don't want to give in as you said to the terrorist.
So at Brisbane for Chogham that will be heightened.
Of course Bill Clinton is due to come here in February next year as part of the World
Information Technology Conference, the WITSA Conference.
Now we have been working for some weeks on increased security for that conference next
year given what has been happening around the world in a number of areas.
Well we'll just simply have to review all our plans, we might have to upgrade them and
of course significant cost flows from trying to put in place adequate protection and security
measures so that these events can flow without interruption and without this sort of devastation
and loss of life that we've seen in America.
Which we still don't know the impact of that loss of life.
There's still no estimates even.
They won't know for days and days I guess but it could be horrendous.
Well to hear some of the reports about a passenger on one of the planes phoning from a cell phone
on the plane indicating they'd been forced to the back of the plane, the fact that they
targeted buildings where a large number of people worked meant that it was a very carefully
planned operation.
I guess there needs to be an explanation, how come intelligence didn't realise it because
an event like this you can't plan in three months, six months, this has been in the planning.
And pull it off as well.
That's right, this has been in the planning obviously for some time, how it wasn't identified
in some form and some precautionary measures taken.
But as you say, I mean security in airports in the United States is exceptionally high.
How you now upgrade security to take account of measures like this is just going to be
a very difficult task.
Here in South Australia EDS brings to mind an American company, we've got numerous American
companies working in Adelaide and South Australia, I guess they come under the spotlight for
security as well.
Well we have an anti-terrorism group within the South Australian Police headed up by the
Assistant Commissioner in consultation with Canberra, we'll be working through any measures
that we need to take into account.
Obviously what measures we take, we will put in place those that we need to take but that
we might not be able to publicly identify those measures for, once again, security reasons.
Have you heard or been able to get in touch with the Prime Minister or indeed the acting
Prime Minister John Anderson?
No I haven't this morning.
Officials have been relaying messages and I'd hope later today to have some further advice.
And you're obviously waiting to find out too I guess any South Australians in New York
or in Washington?
Well at the first report and realising that these reports will be evolving over time,
the first reports would indicate that perhaps people weren't on the plane that was going
through to Los Angeles which connects with the Qantas flight coming into Australia, hopefully
that is the case.
But importantly if we have people who are holidaying, for example in New York, I mean
the World Trade Centre is a tourist location.
And Australians, South Australians who might be working in the financial districts of New
York, you just don't know.
And it's a matter of in an exhaustive way going through without creating uncertainty
and anxiety greater than there will be, trying to not compound confusion, trying to very
carefully work our way through the issues to assist people and get some answers as soon
as we can.
Premier thanks very much for your time.
Thank you John.
Premier John Olson joining us on today's dramatic events in the United States.
We'll be back with more local updates later and of course there will be the full roundup
at 6 o'clock tonight.
In the meantime it's back to our network coverage continuing live and commercial free right
through the day.
As the world reels to the most shocking terrorist attack of our time, right now 7 News comes
to you live from New York, Washington and throughout America.
Plus the worldwide resources of the 7 Networks, CNN and NBC will keep you continuously and
completely informed.
Channel 7 has suspended all regular programming as 7 News brings you every picture and every
breaking detail live as events unfold.
Exclusive coverage, live reports, on air now, 7 News.
Whatever our age, whatever our beliefs.
Tonight, we remind you we'll have continuing coverage.
We want to share with you now the images and the sounds of this unforgettable dark day
in America.
Let's go, let's go.
Easy, easy.
We can't let these evil acts in any way deter us from making it clear that the United States
is resolute and we are going to support the president.
And are you getting any new information from law enforcement out of New York about just
the extent of the loss in New York?
John, I don't think we even have an inkling of the devastation.
We've not really had the kind of coverage at ground zero that would show what I'm hearing.
You know, rubble sometimes up to your waist.
Our firemen and police officers wading through dangerous circumstances trying to see if there
are any survivors.
The numbers of people who are injured and who we fear are casualties I think will be
terrible once they are fully understood.
I'm very proud of New York City.
The mayor, the police, the fire, all the people working in the emergency front lines have
done a superb job.
But you know, New York is the global city.
It's the symbol of American leadership and you know, these terrorists made a direct hit
on who we are as a people.
New York has responded and the national government has to stand behind us.
Senator, you had told us earlier that you had spoken at length with the former president,
your husband.
What is Mr. Clinton saying?
Well, he's outraged and you know, deeply angry as I think all of us are.
But is absolutely behind whatever this administration chooses to do because he knows how important
it is to speak with one voice on behalf of our country.
This is something that he and I believe strongly having been on the other end of Pennsylvania
Avenue.
You know, and let me say too that our country not only has to retaliate directly against
those who perpetrated this attack, but we have to make it very clear that we cannot
permit any state, any government, any institution or individual to pursue terrorist aims that
are directed at the United States or any country with impunity.
So I'm hoping that this is the kind of dramatic, terrible catastrophe that unites the entire
civilized world so that it's not just an attack on the United States, it's an attack on everyone
who cares about freedom and dignity and justice and humanity.
Now we're told that the Congress has never been evacuated before, not during the War
of 1812, not during the Civil War.
This was an extraordinary day.
Of course you are coming back.
We had the display of unity on the steps of the Capitol.
But is any business really going to be able to be done here?
I mean, we've really, we've entered a new phase here, haven't we?
I don't think so, John.
I think that clearly because of the uncertainty that surrounded first the attacks in New York
and then the attack on the Pentagon, it was prudent for these buildings to be evacuated.
And I certainly went along with that, as did my staff.
I think though tomorrow you'll see that the Senate and the House will be back in session.
We will be debating a resolution that really expresses our very strong feelings of outrage
about this.
And then we're going to be getting down to the hard work of determining what we need
to do.
I've told my colleagues that this is the kind of devastating attack and loss of life that
is almost beyond imagination.
And New York is going to need a lot of help.
I was pleased that, you know, we asked for an emergency declaration of disaster.
I talked with the governor and he's been extraordinarily involved in all of this.
But we're going to need the federal government, the entire nation to stand behind New York.
Okay, well, Senator Clinton, we thank you very much for joining us.
We know you've got a busy, busy time ahead of you.
Thank you.
And we'll...
Hillary Clinton.
Senator for New York.
I don't know if you saw also scrolling underneath the screen there, there were some numbers,
200 firefighters presumed dead and some 78 police officers missing.
That's right.
Police officers missing.
They're the only official figure.
Well, we're not even sure they're official figures, but that's being attributed to CNN.
We're going to go now to another eyewitness, Rory Robertson, who used to be a Sydney-based
economic analyst, now with Macquarie Bank in New York.
Rory, you were actually in the building at the time.
I was in the very ground floor of the first tower that was hit at quarter to nine this
morning.
And what happened?
Did you go immediately?
I mean, what happened?
No, we had no idea.
We were sitting there.
The first speaker had started speaking.
We were sitting down having breakfast.
There was a bit of a noise.
There was a bit of shaking.
I don't know what other people were thinking.
I was thinking, maybe that's an earthquake.
Maybe I don't want to be in here with 110 floors above me.
Then it shook again.
And basically everyone...
No one said anything.
Everyone just ran for the door.
It was pretty orderly.
People filed out.
I noticed as I was coming out that the lift well, there was a lot of smoke and dust.
And I was thinking, well, maybe I don't want to be in here with 110 floors above me.
So I filed out, I noticed as I was coming out that the lift well, there was a lot of
smoke and dust coming out of the lift well.
And I thought, it's a bomb.
And then, so we all moved to the foyer.
And then we couldn't go out.
The hotel officials said, don't go out.
There's still debris coming down.
Maybe five minutes later they let us out.
And we were out in the street.
And we got to see the big hole in the building with all the fire.
But at that stage, no one really knew what had happened.
Someone said it was a missile.
Someone else said it was a helicopter.
So you're spinning between this was deliberate terrorism or this was just a terrible accident.
And it was only later when we found out more.
So you were outside when the second plane hit?
Yes.
I had spoken to my girlfriend and told people in the office that I was fine.
And I was going to hightail out of that area.
And I just started walking.
Maybe I was 200, 250 metres away from the building, the first building.
And I noticed an engine that addressed to cut this car in half.
And you could see bits and pieces of things on the ground that you'd expect to see after a passenger plane explodes.
And then suddenly another plane appeared overhead, immediately above me, maybe 150 yards above me.
And instantaneously at that time I just figured it's deliberate and here comes another one.
And I just ran.
I didn't look to see what was going to happen.
In my mind I knew it was going to happen.
And I just ran for the nearest cover, which was an alleyway with a building,
and I just had the idea of shielding myself from the debris.
And then as I was running I heard the explosion and I was petrified.
But I made the alley.
There was another Japanese lady came in.
She was beside herself, just crying and distressed.
And I grabbed her and we pulled her up against the wall.
And I just told her we were fine, we were okay, hoping that in fact was true.
But ultimately I've seen it on TV subsequently and all the debris went the other way.
The planes flew over me and all the momentum took the debris the other way.
So once that had happened I just basically hightailed, I just kept walking.
I think the disturbing thing is that a lot of people, tens of thousands of people came out of the buildings
of the financial center and I live on the island so I knew I could walk home.
Lots of people, all they could do was gridlock and knew that the subways weren't running.
And it was just an awesome sight to see these buildings on fire with holes in them.
I think it was maybe half an hour later when the first one, maybe an hour later when the first one collapsed,
I was nearly home.
But I think the tragedy will be that a lot of people who got out didn't get far enough away
because these buildings are just football fields full of rubble that became crashing to the ground
and then through the streets and the firemen and the policemen that were there,
you know, and a half an hour later sort of clearing people out of the air and doing their job,
the first building coming down must have been quite a surprise because I guess I was surprised
how the building didn't shake very much when the first hit occurred.
No, subsequently I found out it was an airline that went into it and I've seen it on TV.
It didn't shake very much and my brother when he called sort of asked me if the building was still standing
and at that point I was walking away, a mile away and I could see both buildings on fire.
I said, it's amazing, they're both still there, the foundation is rock solid.
And then as I got near home someone said, the World Trade Center just collapsed.
I said, no, it's been hit by two planes.
I said, no, it's just collapsed and by the time I got home I watched the second one collapse on the TV.
And Rory, did others that you were with at this conference, did everyone, to your knowledge, did everyone get out?
Oh, I have no idea. It was basically you got out and you thank your lucky stars.
But I mean there's 110 floors, the people who were above where the planes hit must have struggled to get out.
There was apparently 18 minutes between the first hit and the second hit so there was time to get out for a lot of people in the lower floors.
But the World Trade Center, if you've ever been to the top, you go, I don't know the numbers exactly,
but you go up about 70 floors and then you get out and get in another set of lifts to go the next 50 or 40 or whatever it is.
So it's a very complicated process of getting out of these awesomely tall buildings.
There were people talking about people having to jump. I didn't see any of that.
Well, you're home now. What is going through your head?
Sorry?
You're home now. Obviously you're safe. What's going through your head?
Oh, my head's spinning. How lucky I was.
I mean, between life and death, you know, it's a bee's dick between life and death and it's sort of random.
Just lucky to get out. Lucky I was on the ground floor.
Lucky I made the decision just to get out of there when after the second plane.
I think a lot of people maybe had nowhere to go because they couldn't get off the island,
so maybe hung around just to watch this awesome sight.
And then suddenly one of the biggest buildings in the world collapses with people one, two, three, 400 yards away.
I've seen some of it on TV.
A lot of people hadn't moved very far in the first 20 minutes.
Rory, just before we go, I don't know whether you can turn your mind to business matters,
but you obviously are a very well-known economist. What is this going to mean for world markets?
The main thing that's come to my mind initially walking home, the U.S. economy,
the economies are most vulnerable when they're weak and the U.S. economy stopped growing in the middle of the year.
And so it's vulnerable to shocks. And this is just an unimaginable shock where, you know,
the two tallest buildings in the heart of the financial district get taken out by two separate planes.
A plane managed to get into the Pentagon.
I mean, I was there, and so I guess I'm especially shocked.
But anyone who watches this on TV can't help but be like, they're shattered by it.
The world has changed. Suddenly it's a much more dangerous place.
And already U.S. business, consumer, and investor confidence was under a lot of pressure.
We've seen U.S. equity markets last week go to new three-year lows.
And the knee-jerk reaction – well, all the U.S. markets were closed all day today.
But the knee-jerk reaction around the world was that, you know, to sell equities and buy bonds,
to buy the short ends of all these interest rate curves on the idea that the Fed's going to have to ease further
and central banks around the world that have been easing are hopefully going to have to ease more than people previously expected.
All right, Rory. Thank you very much for joining us. We're glad you're safe.
You're welcome.
And we're waiting now for that address from the Oval Office at the White House,
from President Bush, who arrived back in Washington around about an hour ago from now.
And as he did, fresh reports from New York continue to arrive,
and all are telling more detailed stories of the horror on the ground as the scale of the disaster sinks in.
Now, before we roll this report, we should warn you that there are some images that you're about to see that may disturb you.
And if you – in light of what's been going on these past 10, 12 hours,
if you're feeling a little squeamish and you'd rather not look, that's perfectly understandable.
This report is from our Robert Penfold.
America's catastrophic day of destruction began with coordinated terrorist attacks on New York's tallest buildings,
the famous Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. They were packed with tens of thousands of people.
You didn't do it! What happened to you?
Just before 9 a.m., 11 p.m. on the east coast of Australia, the start of the workday in New York,
a hijacked passenger plane, a Boeing 767, plowed into the side of the skyscraper.
Move it! Come on!
Then, soon after, the horror continued.
A second hijacked passenger aircraft, a Boeing 757, appeared low over New York.
As far as authorities know, the terrorists on board had taken the controls of both planes.
While the rescue operation was just getting underway below,
this aircraft, too, was flown straight into the second tower of the 110-story building.
It was indeed a suicide mission of enormous magnitude.
The doorman goes to me, wow, I've never seen a plane flying so low.
And we looked out at it, all of a sudden, boom, it seemed like it wasn't even real.
This is the same scene from another angle, something witnessed by the tens of thousands of people
all over New York, all watching a seemingly endless horror show happening right in front of them.
The plane is coming in from the left.
Oh my God!
On the ground, a cameraman captured the moment of impact as well.
Then he, with the thousands of others around him, ran to escape the deadly shower of debris.
At this stage, it's impossible to get any idea of the casualty numbers,
although the grim reality is the World Trade Center is the workplace of up to 50,000 people.
And on any given day, another 80,000 tourists visit the site, seeing lookouts at the top of the towers.
Although because it was early in the day, authorities are hoping the numbers of tourists may not have been at their maximum.
As soon as the building, as soon as it got hit, I was thrown to a window.
So I was very lucky to get out.
There's a lot of people that didn't get out.
There's a lot of people coming down the stairs, burnt up.
It's bad.
Oh, they're jumping!
Oh no!
Oh, shit! Oh, shit, they're jumping!
They're taking it! Oh, shit!
And then we saw the people jumping.
We saw what we thought was debris, and we realized it was people jumping.
They started jumping out of the window, like the 96 Ford.
One at a time, from different parts of the building.
I just started seeing people just drop, drop, and drop.
And I must have counted like 30 or 40 people, you know.
But the attacks were to continue.
South in Washington, another hijacked passenger plane, a Boeing 757, was aimed directly at the Pentagon.
This is the headquarters and strategic planning center for the United States military.
A section of the building was blown apart, no doubt causing more deaths and injuries.
It came in at such a deep angle, at such fast speed.
The severity of it, I was telling the gentleman, it was a real severe intention is what it had to it.
You could tell it was like a suicide bomber.
The recurring nightmare continued.
A fourth passenger plane crashed in open land, 120 kilometers from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
That too was thought to be a victim of the terrorists.
President Bush was not in Washington when the attacks occurred.
He was in Florida, and soon after, spoke to the nation and warned of difficult times ahead.
Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended.
Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts.
Immediately, the name of the international terrorist Osama bin Laden was on everyone's tongues.
He has recently been promising attacks of huge magnitude against the United States, and today that certainly happened.
A big explosion happened, some guy came out, his skin was all off.
I helped him out, this is him all over.
There's people jumping out of windows, I've seen at least 14 people jumping out of windows.
It's horrific, I can't believe this is happening.
The rescue operation was well underway, both towers were burning.
When the worst possible thing happened, the lower part of the first skyscraper, where many people were thought to be trapped, collapsed.
110 stories crashed to the ground.
And weakened by the continuing explosions, the second giant tower gave way as well.
Destroying many buildings for blocks around.
There's a woman in a wheelchair, and I got her in a strap wheelchair and just carried her down the steps and carried her down 68 floors, man.
These are the flights that were hijacked and eventually crashed.
An American Airlines 767 flight flying from Dallas near Washington to Los Angeles.
Another American Airlines 757 flying from Boston to Los Angeles.
A United Airlines 767 bound from Boston to Los Angeles.
And a United Airlines 757 from Newark near New York to San Francisco.
In America they're comparing this to the World War II attack on Pearl Harbor.
The series of horror attacks has created a warlike mentality amongst America's leaders.
And the worst news is yet to come.
The death toll will be huge of a scale never before seen in a terrorist attack in the Western world.
Just went downstairs, but there was tons of company given me days.
We lost tons of guys. Terrible.
But it wasn't over yet. Eight and a half hours after the first impact, another building, 47 stories high,
and part of the World Trade Center complex that had been burning all day also collapsed.
Now it's reported another building in the complex is also in danger of collapsing as well.
The feeling of loss and confusion here in the United States turned to anger
when pictures from the Middle East showed people celebrating the news of the attack.
Americans are seriously talking about being at war.
Hospitals in New York are overflowing with victims of the attacks.
People are gathering at airports realizing their loved ones were on those aircraft.
At the Pentagon in Washington it was five hours before they could get near the Inferno
and try to rescue any survivors.
And in New York the area around the World Trade Center is so badly damaged,
the threat of more explosions so real, a thorough search for any surviving victims is still too dangerous to begin.
And that report from Robert Penfold in our North American Bureau.
Now Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is in Adelaide this morning
and he joins us on the phone line now.
Minister, good morning to you.
Good morning Steve.
What's the latest you're hearing from our people in New York and Washington?
Well it's actually been staggered over 20 minutes rather than 10 minutes.
Nevertheless it's down as I say 3.75%.
There's no indication that the ASX would consider suspending trade here John if it continues that way?
No there isn't.
Listen the Reserve Bank put out a statement this morning saying that they would make sure that there was plenty of cash around
and that there wouldn't be a shortfall.
The ASX is saying the trading is going to continue as normally
but they deliberately staggered the opening just to try and get a fairly orderly market.
Now would you like to give you some of the shares, some of the big ones?
Yeah let's go through the major movers John.
Alright the major movers, the National Australia Bank is down 3%, Telstra is down nearly 4%, down 19 cents, 20 cents now
to $4.69, BHP is down 2.3%, News Corp is down more than 7%, down $1.10 to $14.
The Commonwealth Bank is down more than 3% to $28.33, Westpac is down 3.5%, ANZ is down 3.5%, Rio Tinto is down nearly 4%,
AMP is down 5.25%, down $1 to $18.11, Brambles is down 3%, Woolies is down 2%, Western Mining is down 2%.
The only one that's risen is Woodside, it's up 2.5% or 34 cents and that's because oil prices have risen overnight.
Also there's been a rise in the gold price, the gold price is currently up about $16.
Everyone going for a safe haven, John when you talk about those stocks and they are blue chip stocks all dropping
and this I suppose is reflected around the world, why is it so?
What explains such violent movements in our stocks given what's happened in New York?
Well the main reason is that the US economy which has been going through some bad times,
people are getting quite alarmist about it, that the impact on the US economy could be utterly devastating
and any suggestion that it's going to be in recovery as a result of these terrorist attacks is quite out of the question.
There's even talk around the markets that this could lead to a worldwide recession.
If that's the case all share markets are going to sell off, even safe havens, so-called safe havens are no longer safe.
You spoke earlier about gold price going up, do you have there on your screen how much it's gone up in recent times?
Yes I have, the gold price, sorry I'll have to just call that up, it was up as high as $286 a moment ago,
let me just, the screen is very slow, here it is, the gold price is up to $286.25 which is the rise of $16 from overnight.
John Lombard, thank you.
Well the terrorist attack has brought the world's largest financial centre to a grinding halt as John pointed out.
In the aftermath of a massive coordinated attack on several US targets,
world markets reacted with both panic selling of stocks and panic buying of commodities.
European stock markets sank after the double explosion at the World Trade Center with German markets closing early.
The Toronto Stock Exchange lost 4% before closing at mid-morning.
Meanwhile gold prices shot up $16 an ounce after the attacks and the price of oil companies stocks soared.
Brent crude oil prices rose $1.55 to $29 per barrel.
The jump in oil prices led OPEC's Secretary General to calm the markets, saying it was committed to ensuring stable oil supplies and prices.
OPEC rejected suggestions that any member of the cartel would use oil as a political weapon.
Following the attack, the dollar had a seven month low against the pound and the Swiss franc
and found a floor of around $91.70 after falling 2% against the euro.
All of the US financial markets will remain closed on Wednesday.
A dismal opening is believed to be in store when business eventually resumes.
The Twin World Trade Towers were among the world's most famous monuments.
Around 50,000 people worked there for multinational companies as well as international trade organizations.
A giant shopping complex lay underneath the towers which were in effect a small city.
The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center dominated the skyline of Lower Manhattan.
When the World Trade Center opened in 1973, they were briefly the tallest buildings in the world.
They were also potent symbols of global commerce and world prosperity.
Looking at these archive pictures, it's hard to believe they've been reduced to nothing more than rubble.
They were quite simply enormous. Each tower was 1,350 feet tall, 110 stories high.
The World Trade Center was the largest commercial complex in the world, effectively a mini city.
50,000 people worked inside, 90,000 visited the building every day.
1,200 companies had offices there including American Express, Salomon Brothers and Deutsche Bank.
There were also scores of international trade organizations.
Below ground was a huge shopping complex and even a subway station carrying thousands of people to and from the center.
So how could this have happened within an hour of the impact, the towers collapsing to the ground?
Unlike most conventional skyscrapers, the towers had no interior columns to give them strength.
It was the exterior walls which bore most of the load.
And so the direct attacks were enough to weaken them and make them topple.
This image is like a scene from a Hollywood disaster movie, yet it was happening for real.
Well, the Department of Foreign Affairs has just listed a new number for people to call
if they're worried about friends or relatives who may have been caught in the disaster.
It's 1800 00 2214.
That's 1800 00 2214.
And be warned, there are a lot of people trying to call it, but it is the correct number.
Across Europe, security has been reinforced at all NATO installations.
NATO ambassadors called an emergency meeting to discuss the attack.
Secretary General George Robertson declared that the attacks underlined the need for
international community and the members of the Alliance to unite their forces in fighting the scourge of terrorism.
This is an alliance, an alliance that defends values, an alliance that defends freedom.
That is what it has always stood for.
And at this moment in time, we met this evening specifically to express solidarity with an ally
that had been the subject of this kind of terrible, dreadful attack.
Jérôme Bernard, Agence France-Presse.
Did NATO receive threats recently?
And do you fear attacks, such attacks against NATO headquarters in Brussels and in Mons?
Well, I don't think you would expect me to answer that question.
We act prudently in here to safeguard the people who work here and for whom we are responsible.
But this is a defense and security organization.
And now here he is.
Good evening.
Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts.
The victims were in airplanes or in their offices, secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors.
Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.
The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger.
These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat.
But they have failed.
Our country is strong.
A great people has been moved to defend a great nation.
Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.
These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.
America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world, and no one will keep that light from shining.
Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the best of America, with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.
Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response plans.
Our military is powerful, and it's prepared.
Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington, D.C. to help with local rescue efforts.
Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks.
The functions of our government continue without interruption.
Federal agencies in Washington, which had to be evacuated today, are reopening for essential personnel tonight and will be open for business tomorrow.
Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business as well.
The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts.
I've directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice.
We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.
I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks.
And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance.
America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism.
Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered,
for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened.
And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace.
America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time.
None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.
Thank you. Good night, and God bless America.
And America's standing still while George W. Bush addressed them there. He condemned the attacks and promised retribution what he called a war against terrorism.
Well, another leader that well understands the horror of terrorism is country Israeli, is rather Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
He's promised that after today, terrorists will have nowhere to hide on the globe.
He's warned of a new wave of terrorism against which the world must unite.
He spoke to reporters a short time ago in Jerusalem.
It has exposed one of the greatest danger to civilization and humanity.
It was not attack only upon the United States, but an attempt to create a jungle instead of the rule of law, instead of the basis of values.
It can happen everywhere. Those people are merciless. They are killers. They are cheaters. They are liars.
They don't have any limitation. And we feel each of us today like an American.
The pain is deep and great.
But if there is anybody that can lead a real attempt to bring an end to this dangerous war or dangerous weapon, it's like a weapon.
It's only the United States of America with the help of all of us.
We have to do it. The sooner the better. Completely uncompromisingly so.
And we have to identify the countries that are hosting or supporting terror.
We have to call upon all the religious leaders, Jewish, Muslims, Christians, to stand up and condemn the suicidal bombers and people because they can cause an untold of damage.
It's a spiritual responsibility as well. It goes against the Lord in heaven and the Gospel in our hand.
We have to organize strategies and forces to prevent the terror before it happens. Afterwards it's too late.
And we have really to draw all the necessary conclusions.
Any idea who might be responsible?
I don't know. I don't have any idea and I don't want to accuse anybody just out of a guess.
But we know many sources of terror and we know many activists of it and we know many people are closing their eyes to it.
I think all of them should be said, enough is enough. It's almost like a Pearl Harbor. It cannot happen twice.
Well across America people watched and listened in stunned disbelief at the events unfolding in New York. Many fearing future developments rushed to be at home with their loved ones.
The Mall of America never opened today. In Chicago Navy Pier and the Lincoln Park Zoo were closed. In Orlando even the Magic Kingdom was shut down.
Just about any place in America where large numbers of people were likely to gather locked the doors and sent people home.
Nothing's going to get done today. It's going to be a miserable day.
With all of the nation's airliners grounded thousands of travelers were stranded.
I'd probably feel safer in Europe if I could actually get over there right now.
It's horrible and as Americans we're totally unprepared for that. We just don't think that terrorism is going to hit in our backyard.
In Los Angeles grief counselors were brought in to meet with family members of the three Los Angeles bound planes that were hijacked and used by the terrorists.
In San Francisco one of the few planes left in the skies, a flight from Thailand, was escorted in by fighter jets.
I'm really scared. I feel helpless.
The workday routine was disrupted the country over and rush hour extended through most of the day as people struggled to get home or just some place they perceived to be safer.
In Denver people did what they could for the victims thousands of miles away.
The blood banks were full of people eager to give.
Here in LA the entertainment industry has shut down production.
Madonna canceled one of the final concerts of her national tour.
The Latin Grammy Awards scheduled for tonight and the Emmy scheduled for Sunday are postponed indefinitely.
And across the country Major League Baseball has canceled its entire schedule.
The disruption is likely to continue for at least a few days.
Financial markets will remain closed through tomorrow and the post office says the US mail will be slowed but will keep coming.
And America's capital has been paralyzed in the wake of the attacks.
All government buildings were evacuated and key senators whisked to safety.
However national administrators say the business of government continues.
This report from American ABC.
With the Pentagon burning in the distance the nation's capital was evacuated.
This is the first time we had a mandatory evacuation of the capital in the House and Senate office buildings.
Bewildered employees got out as fast as they could while key congressional leaders were carefully whisked away to safe and undisclosed locations.
Top leaders from throughout the administration were immediately placed under special protection.
The leaders are in undisclosed locations for their own safety and to ensure that we can reconstitute decision making when that's appropriate.
The United States Secret Service immediately secured the President, the Vice President and the Speaker of the House and they are all safe.
It's all part of official Washington's Civil Defense Plan to ensure that the federal government continues to function smoothly even while the nation is under attack.
They basically have a playbook initially to assess how serious is this threat.
Do we need to have a lot of people move very far away from Washington or do we just need to have a few key backup people get outside of the immediate downtown area.
During the Cold War the federal government developed an elaborate evacuation plan to make sure top leaders would survive a nuclear attack by taking them to a series of secret bunkers just outside Washington.
Today that wasn't necessary but nonetheless the nation's top decision makers remain under very heavy protection.
Making sure that the federal government continues to function I think is very important in a time of crisis because it reassures the public that somebody is in charge and the situation is well in hand.
And in today's time of crisis Americans as well as many elsewhere in the world will be looking for that reassurance.
The tragedy has attracted condolences and condemnation from around the world but there has been some rejoicing in Palestinian communities.
The attacks brought universal outrage from leaders across the globe.
I'm afraid we can only imagine the terror and the carnage there and the many many innocent people that will have lost their lives.
From the US's most loyal ally there was resignation that the world had entered a dangerous new phase.
This mass terrorism is the new evil in our world today.
It is perpetrated by fanatics who are utterly indifferent to the sanctity of human life.
And we the democracies of this world are going to have to come together to fight it together and eradicate this evil completely from our world.
Fellow European leaders simply couldn't believe the early morning carnage in New York and Washington.
President Chirac expressed France's solidarity with the United States adding his country's voice to those condemning terrorism.
In the Middle East, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was quick to distance his cause from violence on American soil.
First of all I am offering my condolences, the condolences of the Syrian people to the American president, President Bush,
to his government, to the American people for this terrible act.
We are completely shocked, completely shocked.
In the West Bank town of Nablus some Palestinians reacted with joy.
Undermining Mr Arafat's show of concern for a country which still holds the key to negotiating sustained peace in the troubled region.
The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan was anxious to convey its sorrow at the loss of life,
but will still face a tough task to convince skeptics it doesn't deal in terrorism.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has the difficult task of maintaining dialogue in a world where distrust is the common currency.
In such moments, cool and reasoned judgement are more essential than ever.
We do not know yet who is behind these acts or what objective they hope to achieve.
What we do know is that no just cause can be advanced by terror.
Leaders like Malaysia's President Mahathir are urging US restraint as the superpower looks to send a powerful message of retribution.
Once again we see terrorism, we see terrorists, people who don't believe in democracy,
people who believe that with the destruction of buildings, with the murder of people, they can somehow achieve a political purpose.
Colin Powell, as Secretary of State and war hero, is certain to be at the core of a response from a shocked and angry United States of America.
And the impact has spread around the world. NATO ministers are meeting in emergency session in Brussels.
There is no plane traffic across the Atlantic and stock exchanges have shut down across Europe.
Simon Santo, ABC News.
Well of course the Australian Prime Minister John Howard is in America and he was within sight of the attack on the Pentagon in Washington when it happened.
When that occurred Alexander Downer, our Foreign Minister, was soon on the phone to the Prime Minister and Mr Downer joins us now from Canberra.
Mr Downer you've spoken to the Prime Minister, I understand, what is he saying and how does he feel about what's happened over there?
Well obviously the Prime Minister is... I'm sorry there's an enormous amount of interference in the program.
Okay just bear with us while we rectify that, if you could we'll just wind down our systems.
I know it's been a rush and we thank you for coming in at such short notice.
I was saying that the Prime Minister is in Washington when the attacks occurred.
I'm wondering if you've spoken to him and what he's told you?
Well I mean the Prime Minister is obviously devastated by what's happened.
It's a matter of profound concern to Australia as a friend and ally of the United States that there should be such a grotesque act of terrorism against the United States.
And we would extend our sympathy and condolences to all those who have been affected.
We're naturally not very concerned that Australians may have been casualties.
We have no evidence of that yet but we would just statistically expect some Australians to have been casualties.
And so that remains a very substantial concern for us.
When are you likely to get some word on the Australian casualty list?
I'm sorry there's somebody talking across in the sound system and I just can't hear what's going on.
Alright well we might tell all our people to remain absolutely silent while we try and get this important information.
I can hear you now.
When are we likely to get some Australian casualty lists? Do you think that would be available by this evening?
Well we just don't know. I mean what we're doing at the moment is liaising with the American authorities
and once the American authorities have been able to establish themselves who the casualties are
then no doubt we will get some information on those who are Australians.
But at this stage extremely hard to get that sort of information.
The information we're getting is more anecdotal than anything else.
That is people who know they had a relation who worked in the World Trade Centre
and they can't get in touch with him or her. That sort of information at the moment.
But we haven't got much more to go on yet.
Yes of course Westfield Holdings recently purchased the naming rights for the towers
and there is some fear that there were many of their employees in the building at the time
but we have no word on that on their casualties.
As far as our embassies and other institutions around the world go, what sort of state of alert are they on?
Well overall certainly in Australia itself we have provided increased security for American consulates
and the embassy and there is a greater degree of vigilance.
Here in this country we have no reason to believe that there will be any terrorist action
that the situation has changed from what it would normally be.
But that's not to say we shouldn't be appropriately diligent.
I know around the world the United States has for the time being closed its embassies.
The Shimon Peres and many others, the Secretary General of NATO and others
have all spoken about a new phase in the world's fight against terrorism.
Do you see a united force now moving against terrorism in that way?
Yes I do. I see an enormous problem here.
I think that the consequences of this terrorist attack will substantially change the international political agenda.
The issue of terrorism will be now much more of a front of the mind diplomatic issue than it was before this happened.
It was of course an important issue already.
But I think the way the United States interacts with the international community will also somewhat change as a result of this.
Not by the way in a more defensive way, but the United States will certainly be reviewing how it's handling relations around the world.
That's inevitable.
Although we still don't quite know who has committed this act of terrorism
and who committed it will be a key issue in how the United States overall responds.
Do you know at this stage whether the Prime Minister is planning to come back to Australia on some sort of special aircraft?
Well he's certainly cancelled the rest of his appointments in the United States and is planning to come back.
It's not for me to go into the details of how that will happen.
But as you know commercial aircraft aren't flying in the United States at the moment.
But he is planning to return to Australia as soon as he can.
Just finally Alexander Downer, if you would, 1941 the bombing of Pearl Harbour, people are putting parallels with Pearl Harbour.
Do you see America changing the way it views the world and reacts to the rest of the world as a result of this horrible carnage in New York and in Washington?
Yes I do.
I actually think this is a watershed event in international relations.
I don't think there's any question about that.
Of course it's going to depend to some extent who committed these acts of terrorism.
And it's not for us to start speculating on that.
But I think the United States' approach will somewhat change as a result of this.
And I think other countries too will give issues like terrorism and national security generally a much heightened focus than has been the case in the past.
There's no doubt about that.
And beyond that you'd have to get into the area of speculating on who was responsible for this act of terrorism.
But that could have enormous implications depending on who it is.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, thank you for taking time out to talk to us.
It was a pleasure.
Australia has been quick to offer the United States assistance as well as condolences.
Defence Minister Peter Reath speaking in Hobart just a short time ago said Australia would do what it could to help the United States.
Well we've had a full briefing on matters.
Australia has obviously offered all practical assistance we possibly can, whatever that might be, to the US as well as obviously expressing our concern and sympathy for our friends in the United States.
We've had a briefing on all of the intelligence and information available to us in respect of this matter.
I can say that on all the advice that we have there are no concerns in respect of Australia's security situation.
But obviously the government has taken all necessary and sensible precautionary measures,
but there is no evidence or indication in any way whatsoever that affects Australia immediately or directly.
We are obviously very anxious about those Australians that may have been caught up in this in one way or another,
but there is scant information available to us on that.
I think Mr Downer will be giving you some idea of some of the information that he has at a press conference in the next hour.
Do you have any idea of how they are going to get the PM back to Australia?
There are discussions going on, practical discussions in terms of making arrangements in that regard, but that will be a matter for the PM to announce.
What practical assistance can Australia offer the US?
Well, obviously we are very keen to do anything we possibly can, but certainly from a defence side we have been in contact with them and made that offer and had some discussions, but obviously there is a lot going on.
Can you outline the defence precautions that are being taken in Australia?
There are various security measures that can be taken and have been taken in terms of ensuring that we are undertaking all necessary surveillance and other such matters.
Did you contemplate closing Australian airports?
Mr Anderson is responsible for aviation, but I don't believe that has been the case, no.
How would you personally describe his adversaries?
Well, I think I am like most Australians in a sense of shock when I first saw it on the TV in the middle of the night last night.
In one sense angry at the cowardly act, but so overcome by the shock of it to see it as we have seen it.
It is a state of absolute devastation in New York.
It is the sort of thing you see on the movies, not see in real life.
I was very pleased to hear the President say that this was an attack on freedom and freedom would be defended.
That was the most important thing to say because we obviously don't know who has perpetrated this dastardly act,
but we do know that the US has been subject to terrorist threat in the past
and as the leader of the free world it does carry that burden and responsibility of all the basic democratic freedoms
which we so greatly value in our society and in the US society.
John McCain described it as an act of war. Would you agree with that?
Well, it is of that dimension and we have not seen anything like it as the PM referred to in his comments last night.
We have seen nothing like it since Pearl Harbor and it does reinforce the point that acts of terrorism are a real threat
and from a defense point of view they can be of equal devastation to what we would otherwise think of conventional acts of war.
What ramifications would you see for Chogham out of this?
The view is that Chogham will proceed as intended.
Australia does have quite a bit of experience in managing large functions as it were in respect of the Olympics recently
and obviously we have been putting a fair bit of effort into the security arrangements for Chogham already.
How could US intelligence agencies...
I want to ask two questions and then I must go.
How could US intelligence agencies have actually failed to pick this up and how much of a concern is that for Australia's defence as well?
I can't answer that question because we don't know what's happened or how it's happened.
We don't know who the perpetrators of this act are and obviously there will be close investigation of all the events leading up to and surrounding it.
Peter Reath in Hobart earlier this morning. Australian Prime Minister John Howard was within sight of the attack on the Pentagon in Washington.
He was quickly on the phone home to Acting Prime Minister John Anderson to coordinate the Australian response.
Describing the attacks as an act of bastardry he pledged Australia's backing for any retaliation by the United States.
Panic in the streets of Washington at the State Department and on Capitol Hill.
Everybody on the other side of the Constitution.
And just outside the White House too, home of the world's most powerful leader.
But powerless to stop the horror unfolding at the Pentagon, known centre of the US armed forces.
Severity of what I was telling the gentleman, it was a real severe intention is what it had to it.
You could tell it was like a suicide bomber.
Upstairs in the Willard Hotel just three blocks from the White House, John Howard was briefing journalists on the Tampa crisis.
He began his news conference with a Sotto Voce comment on the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Don't say before I start any domestic things how horrified I am at what I've just heard regarding what's happened in New York.
I don't know any more than anybody else.
What the Prime Minister did not know was that as he was speaking, an airliner, American Airlines Flight 75, connecting with Quantis in Los Angeles,
was slamming into the Pentagon less than 10 kilometres away. The plume of smoke visible from an adjoining hotel window.
And I don't have any sense of scale at all. We know there are casualties. I can't give you a good number.
The Prime Minister was whisked to a safe area at the Australian Embassy about a kilometre away from his hotel.
From there he started to coordinate the Australian security response.
I've spoken to the acting Prime Minister John Anderson earlier this morning after these events took place.
Mr Howard lashed out at the perpetrators of the worst terrorist attack ever to hit the United States
through his weight behind whatever retaliations the Americans were planning.
We will help them. We will support actions they take to properly retaliate in relation to these acts of
bastardry against their citizens and against what they stand for.
Today's tragedy effectively ended Mr Howard's trip to the United States. His historic address to Congress tomorrow is off.
The question now is how to get the Prime Minister home promptly and safely.
With American airspace closed, the only realistic option is a US military aircraft.
Jim Middleton, ABC News, Washington.
As usual, and of course a lot of people have been talking today about the comparison between Pearl Harbor and this attack.
It is the most serious attack since Pearl Harbor, but that was a military attack on a military installation
and we knew exactly who was responsible for it at that time.
So this is a whole different order of magnitude and I'm afraid that this is going to be a very dark day in America
for a long, long time and the consequences are yet to be resolved for all of us.
We want to share with you now just what kind of a surrealistic day this was over lower Manhattan
after there is the plane that comes in for the second attack on the South Tower.
It appears to have gone all the way through. We don't know whether it was just the fireball that did that.
It was fully loaded with fuel for a transcontinental flight and that plane, which also had its origins,
as I remember now, in Boston, flew right into the South Tower of the World Trade Center
about 20 minutes after the first plane flew into the tower that you see just before you.
And then, of course, which was unexpected to many of us in terms of how swiftly it happened, they came down.
There are some haunting and poignant stories of people on cell phones calling two friends or loved ones
in the World Trade Center when all that was going on.
One woman, a nurse that Robert Buzell talked to at St. Vincent's Hospital, was online with her husband
who was in the first building on the top floor when it was hit and they had an exchange and then the line went dead.
There were other indications of people saying, I love you, and the line going dead.
And perhaps for me, at least, the most unsettling thought of the day of all was one man who described
going down through the darkened and very wet stairwell because of the sprinklers that had gone off
and seeing people who were trapped in their wheelchairs, the large mobilized wheelchairs that couldn't fit
into the stairwell and certainly the elevators were not working.
He got out and shortly after that, that building came down.
It was that kind of a day and there are going to be so many more of those stories, an untold number at this hour,
hundreds, perhaps thousands.
Dateline's Jane Pauli takes us through some of the horror of this day and what happened at the World Trade Center.
The mighty World Trade Center tumbling down.
Oh no! Oh my God!
Everyday New Yorkers had to run for their lives. How fragile the city seemed today.
We deployed a team of Dateline staffers to bring us images of a city under siege on handheld digital cameras.
What I saw today on the streets of Manhattan really were the extremes of New York.
It's the best and the worst of people.
I got 20 blocks away when the smell and the taste really hit me way in the distance, the huge cloud on the horizon,
but I could taste and smell something that was like the worst electrical fire ever imaginable.
They brought us a startling glimpse of what it was like to be at ground zero of a major terrorist attack.
What's it like down there?
I tried to save my presence, I tried to save her life.
First get away, then get home.
Businesses were closed and buildings evacuated.
Thousands upon thousands were left to negotiate a maze of closed streets and suspended services.
I think it disappeared and everybody stopped running. I didn't know if my dad was going to have a son or if I would have my husband anymore.
There was a real sense of panic on the streets among the tens of thousands of pedestrians.
It was easy to see why. Look to the horizon on the south and you see an enormous gray-black cloud from the explosion.
As they moved towards safety uptown, people tried to keep up with the flurry of events any way they could.
Even the wounded walked. This woman was on the 19th floor of the World Trade Center when the first explosion hit.
Behind me you can still see it burning down there. We are literally 10 blocks from the side. It's as close as you can get.
Further north from here, the entire area has been evacuated.
Everybody who lives down this way has been evacuated, asked to leave.
Believe me, I think if you live down here, you don't want to be staying around.
I just want to tell you that there have been no estimates of casualties so far, except to say that they're in the thousands.
However, it is confirmed that there are 200 firemen and 79 policemen confirmed missing and presumed dead.
They are still working the scene to try and locate survivors.
The likelihood of that, of course, is very, very small, if not impossible.
I also want to tell you that the National Security Council is meeting very soon again
and that at least two aircraft carriers are moving towards New York City Harbour, which is just here, of course.
They're on their way here now. I can tell you, though, that nothing is making anybody feel particularly safe right now.
We were at ground zero today and we were within a very short distance when the second tower came down
and we literally had to run for our lives.
It's a moment we'll never forget. It's a moment that's caused us a lot of anxiety, grief and tears.
We've seen a lot of people on their knees today, a lot of hysterical, a lot of broken people,
and I think that you're going to continue to see that sort of reaction across this island and across the US for some time to come.
They're likening it to December 7, 1941, of course, Pearl Harbor, but for those still here now, it seems much worse.
It seems like the US certainly is at war and that's the concern that everybody has, that what is next?
None of us feel particularly safe. I think that even if I wasn't working tonight, I wouldn't be sleeping
and I think a lot of people here trapped on Manhattan Island who cannot leave feel the same way.
Thanks. Michelle Stone, live from New York.
A shocked but resolute US President has given an unequivocal response to his nation.
There certainly are Australians who work in that part of New York and we would be fortunate indeed if there weren't any,
but I suspect that there will be Australian casualties and I think as a country we should prepare ourselves for that.
What is the Australian Government doing?
Well, we are working as best we can through our Consulate General and our Embassy, Consulate General in New York
and our Embassy in Washington with the American authorities as they begin the gruesome task of identifying the victims.
So as that gradually unfolds we will obviously know more about whether Australians are involved or not.
What are you going to be able to do?
Domestically, well what we are doing domestically is tightening up security around American facilities, also Israeli facilities
and we remain of course ever vigilant in this country about terrorism,
although we have no reason to believe that there is any threat to Australia.
Has the Cabinet hook up at all?
Yeah, the Cabinet had a phone hook up this morning. We had quite a long discussion about it.
Obviously the Parliament isn't sitting at the moment and so we are spread around the country,
but we did have a phone hook up and all of us were given a briefing by intelligence people about their assessments of the situation.
How are you personally feeling at this time?
Sorry?
How are you personally feeling at this time?
Well I think I am just like any Australian, any human being, you can't help but be shocked.
Given our close ties to the US, how much of a target are Australian sites now?
I don't think Australian sites are any more or any lesser target.
I think this act of terrorism was very purposefully and carefully directed against high profile targets in the United States.
It's not the first time the World Trade Centre has been targeted.
And you can only say that at this stage we are not sure who is responsible.
People have their suspicions but there is no firm evidence yet as to who is responsible,
but no doubt more of that will come to light as time goes on.
What are you referring to Chogham? Is Chogham going ahead?
Chogham will go ahead in the normal way.
All this does is remind us that terrorism is an enormous problem for the international community.
And the world has to do more to address this issue of terrorism,
not just shrug at shoulders and say well you know terrorism doesn't matter much to us.
It matters to all of us as human beings.
And this is uncivilised behaviour of the most brutal and the most callous kind.
And it shouldn't be tolerated by anybody anywhere in the world.
And we just have to be more vigilant as an international community in the stand we take against terrorism than we have been.
What more can Australia do?
I haven't personally, Mr Anderson spoke to him before we had our cabinet hook up this morning.
I understand the Prime Minister is proposing to try to get home as soon as he can.
Mr Downer, what's happening in Kabul at the moment? We understand there's fighting or bombing in Kabul.
Yeah, but to the best of my information in relation to Kabul,
this is part of the ongoing civil war in Afghanistan, seemingly so.
It's certainly not involving the United States. The United States has got nothing to do with it.
What are the wider implications after all? This has hit the centre of world business.
What are the wider implications?
Well I think the business implications, you know, that you'll see some variations in markets during the course of the day
in response to this as you do in response to any international crisis.
But I do think that the widest implication is that this will change quite substantially
the nature of the debate in international politics.
I think these sort of terrorism and what diplomats call trans-boundary issues
are going to become much more substantial issues.
They've been significant issues, they're often talked about.
But this gives a completely new dimension to the whole security debate.
And I think the world will want a better global response to these problems than we've seen.
And to attack the United States in this way, the world superpower, the sort of leader of the so-called West,
and to do so in such a cold-blooded, ruthless, cruel way,
I think is going to have enormous ramifications for the international community.
I don't think this is going to pass lightly.
Of course, the other aspect of that is that when it is established who is responsible for this,
there will be substantial international ramifications that will flow from that,
depending on who is responsible.
What are your intelligence people being told?
Has an attack from within been ruled out of the state?
There are suspicions about who might or might not be responsible for this attack,
but I'm certainly not getting into canvassing what intelligence agencies' views are at the moment.
That's for the Americans to talk about and for the Americans to conclude.
But we will do everything we can to help the Americans,
particularly through intelligence, through diplomacy,
in order to bring to account those people who are responsible for this.
And if the United States establishes who is responsible
and they decide to deal strongly with those people, we will support that.
May Australian troops be deployed?
We have to find out beyond doubt or beyond reasonable doubt who is responsible for it
before we can make any assessment of what the United States,
well, the United States can make any assessment about what they'll do.
And when we know what they'll do, then, you know, we'll have some clarity on it.
I shouldn't think so, though. I shouldn't think it would involve Australians directly.
What is happening with the American staff in Canberra?
Well, I understand the American embassies are closed for today,
and so they're at home, I have no doubt.
But we are providing additional security for American establishments here in Australia
in this circumstance.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer in Adelaide.
Now, there's a hotline for inquiries and concerned Australians
who have loved ones, friends in what?
Golf, and then fairly quickly impacted the targets.
That's not the case. For example, just a short time ago,
we learned more about the flight that hit the Pentagon that David Martin was just talking about.
This plane apparently was in the air for an hour and 18 minutes.
If you can imagine the kind of horror that must have been on board for the people on that plane,
this plane took off from Dulles.
The Pentagon's only 20 miles by air from Dulles, if it's that.
But the plane went all the way to the Ohio-Kentucky border, according to radar,
and then turned around and made a beeline back to Washington.
Just quickly, the two that hit the World Trade Center,
one flight was in the air about 48 minutes, according to preliminary radar data,
the other one about 40 minutes.
And then this is the worst of all, the plane that came down in rural Pennsylvania.
If the radar data is correct, we think it is,
the plane was in the air at least an hour and 40 minutes,
going all the way from Newark all the way up to Cleveland, Ohio,
looping around, heading towards Pittsburgh, and then crashing in the field.
It's also important to know that that plane may give us the best clues the quickest,
because the black boxes on all four of these jets, the cockpit voice tapes,
could tell authorities what happened in the cockpit, who was behind the attack,
and exactly how the takeovers were done.
The reason that plane is important in Pennsylvania is because the crash scene, I'm told,
is easily accessible, and it's hoped by the authorities that they have that cockpit tape very quickly.
Bob Orr in Washington with more details of the Terra in the sky.
Stabbings now confirmed on at least two of the hijacked planes, and possibly a third,
as those aircraft, in one case in the air for an hour and 40 minutes,
of the passengers and crew being terrorized by, among other things, at knife point.
We know that some, let me say we believe we know, there's credible information
indicating that some flight attendants on at least two of the airplanes were stabbed
while the hijackings were in progress.
The attack struck at the heart of New York's financial district.
That was one of the purposes of striking there, to strike at a symbol of American economic power.
It was timed at the rush hour for maximum impact and maximum casualties.
And the attack succeeded. It obliterated the World Trade Center,
and it spread terror block by block, as Byron Pitch reports.
848 a.m., mayhem in Manhattan.
We saw a plane coming very low, and everyone said, wow, that plane is very, very low.
I was walking to work, and all of a sudden I see a jet crash into the first tower.
An American Airlines flight loaded with 92 people crashes head on into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
And then we heard the crash, we ran to the window.
We walked into the building, it went into the Trade Center.
And we said, hit the Trade Center, we saw the shrapnel fall, and then we said, get out.
And minutes later.
Oh, there's another one. Another plane just hit. Oh my gosh, another plane has just hit.
I heard a roar, and I looked around thinking that it had to be a helicopter, and I looked up and I saw the second plane hit.
What the hell is that?
A second commercial plane, a United Airlines jet, also hijacked, carrying 65 people, plows into the south tower.
First one we thought was an accident. When we heard there was a second one, we definitely thought it was terrorism.
On the ground, witnesses could not believe their eyes.
Oh, they jumped in.
Seventy stories up with the building burning. Reason gave way to desperation.
New York's bravest never had a chance.
We really never even got that close to the building. The enclosure blew and it knocked everybody over.
Less than an hour later, the south tower came crumbling down.
It collapsed. The top floors collapsed down.
I saw it blow and then ran like hell. Thank God. I'm 69, but I can still run.
But it was far from over.
Now, tower two collapsed into tower one. Within minutes after that, we were ordered out.
When the dust settled, signs of life started to emerge.
It's chaos. It's just chaos out here. It really is. So the twin towers fall. It's amazing. It's crazy.
I can't believe this isn't happening. I really can't. It's a nightmare. It's Armageddon right here.
This was the worst act of terrorism on U.S. soil, but not the first.
Which are now the scene of horror and devastation. We'll cross to his news conference at the Adelaide Airport.
In light of what's happened over in New York as to whether we're going to have the press conference today,
we've decided to go forward with it. So, yeah, just got some questions to ask, Leighton.
Leighton, first of all, it's an awful shock for the world.
It must be an awful shock for you, what's happened in New York in the last 24 hours.
Yeah, definitely. We only found out sort of as soon as we landed.
We were about to go. Everyone was standing up on the plane in Sydney about to hop off.
And then the pilot came on and said he's got some bad news, some terrible news to tell everyone.
And everyone got told and then we had federal police coming on the plane
and wanting us to fill out sheets for them if we saw anything unusual in America.
Can you believe that even 24 hours, 48 hours ago, the euphoria and what the scene must be like there at the moment?
Yeah, it's unbelievable. Yeah, it really is shocking news. You can't get much worse.
And, yeah, obviously, I think everyone feels the victims and these people that have gone in there
and deliberately, you know, suicide, you know, hijacked the planes and that.
To think that I was at New York Airport going to Los Angeles,
like a few of those flights were, only probably five or six hours before those people.
And all day yesterday I was sort of travelling around in the car holding the US Open trophy around those streets.
Is it great relief to be back in Adelaide on home soil?
It's definitely nice. Yeah, I haven't been back here for about eight months.
It's a nice feeling to get out and walk off the tarmac.
Leighton, if this hadn't have happened, you walk in here as a hero and, likefully, you are,
this has taken some gloss off your wind, do you feel?
I mean, because we all here feel a sense of sadness. What do you feel?
Oh, you know, as soon as I heard, you leave a... you've got a sick feeling in your stomach.
You know, even though I don't personally know anybody who's been a victim, you know, so far that I'm aware of,
you know, it's just... it's a bad feeling. You know, no-one likes to see these kind of situations happen
and, you know, everyone's praying and thinking about, you know, everyone who's been injured in the whole, you know, the incident.
Leighton, you'll have to go... you'll be going back to the United States at some stage.
How do you feel about going back?
Well, it's... you know, I haven't really had enough time to think, but, you know, it's a...
you know, it's a shocking... shocking thing to happen.
Um, yeah, I don't know what's going to happen from here.
I'm sure America's going to try and put their foot down and, you know, try and do something about it.
When do you go back next? When will you be in the States?
Uh, yeah, on the schedule. There's no... no more tournaments till around next year, late February, early March.
As an international traveller and a regular one, do you feel that it's... you have some vulnerability,
as do all sportsmen and women, that you're travelling constantly and you feel pretty fragile in the current climate?
Yeah, there's not much you can do about it.
Um, yeah, there's going to be that added fear, I suppose, now a little bit.
Um, yeah, it sort of does hit home because we are travelling week in and week out.
Um, you know, very easily, you know, as I've been thinking over the last few hours since I've heard,
if this happened halfway through the US Open week, there could have been a lot of athletes,
a lot of tennis professionals travelling on those flights going to LA,
and it could have been them that got hijacked.
Laitin...
So, yeah, it sort of sets in.
Laitin, a lot of our sportsmen have moved overseas to live.
Um, has that ever entered your mind?
And secondly, part of the question, how do you feel about living in Australia?
Yeah, it has entered my mind, only because so many of the other guys, the older guys who I know have done it.
Um, but, you know, it hasn't really entered for long.
I love, you know, coming back to Adelaide, and that's one of the main reasons why I come back here,
and, you know, I just love putting my feet back out there, and, you know, there's no place like home, so...
Do you feel safe?
Yeah, I do, very safe.
Um, yeah, it's just, you know, it's just somewhere I know so well, everything's so convenient,
everything's just around the corner for me, so, you know, it's a place where I can, you know, put my feet up and relax.
Laitin, you didn't have Davis Cup coming up so soon.
Would you still be in New York, or were you always planning to come back?
Oh, I would have come back, you know, New York, after about...
I was there for about three weeks, just over three weeks.
It gets...
You know, I couldn't live there, that's for sure.
So that's about, you know, the longest I could stay in that city.
Laitin, you certainly had some ups and downs over there.
How do you feel now? Do you feel the pressure's off somewhat?
You look a lot more relaxed.
Yeah, well, you know, it's obviously a huge step, claiming your first Grand Slam title.
You know, a lot of people probably wondered, you know, when it was gonna happen, and...
Yeah, even though I'd been on the scene for nearly four years now on the tour,
you know, when I first sat down with Darren, we were sort of working on a game
that was gonna hopefully bring Grand Slam titles, you know, mid to late 20s.
And everything's just happened so quickly.
And then, you know, you find yourself in a situation where I was in a semi-final last year,
I'm back there playing Evgeny Kafelnikov this year in the semi-final,
and I learnt from that experience and I dealt with it better than I did last year,
and I took my chances in the semi-end, also, the final.
Laitin, you mentioned it was a dream come true.
What dreams and goals have you set yourself now? I mean, it's a huge achievement.
I haven't even thought about it.
Yeah, you know, the first thing on my mind is the Davis Cup, obviously.
You know, that's the next goal.
Winning a Davis Cup crown, like we did in 99, and winning Grand Slams, you know, it's on par.
So I'd love to have that feeling in a few months' time again,
but, you know, we've got a tough tie coming up to give us that opportunity in early December.
What's Pat said to you about winning?
Ah, no, nothing much. He said, you know, you thoroughly deserve it, and that was pretty much it.
Have you learnt anything on a personal growth level from what happened over there,
and your ultimate success? Has there been anything you've learnt as a person?
Ah, I don't know, probably when I sit down.
Yeah, I really haven't had much time to reflect just yet,
but I'm sure when I sit down and go through the whole, you know, even, you know, before the tournament started,
I really wasn't hitting the ball that well going into the tournament.
I wasn't hitting it as well as I've been going into, you know, especially the Australian Open
and probably Wimbledon this year, where I've won tournaments before.
But when I sit back, you know, over the next few days,
and probably more so after the Davis Cup, when that sort of gets out of my mind as well,
sit back and reflect, I'm going to learn a lot.
And that's, hopefully I'm going to learn from that experience
and try and take it into, you know, the Aussie Open and the next big Grand Slam for me.
Have you grown as a person?
I hope so. You know, I feel a lot more mature sort of out in the court now.
And, you know, I think I've learnt to handle myself better in Grand Slams as well now.
When I first came on the tour, it was tough, you know, handling, you know, best of five set matches,
because in juniors you just never played them.
I'm starting to learn, you know, how to handle the pressure to play best of five set matches
and when to get pumped up on, you know, big points in best of five set matches.
Would you say, Leighton, that's some of the best tennis you've ever played, especially in the final?
Yeah, it's up there.
You know, I play great.
You know, I was a little bit nervous at the start, like anyone would be, though.
You know, I walked out onto Arthur Ash Stadium standing behind a guy
who's won 13 Grand Slam titles and, you know, in my opinion, the greatest player ever to live.
And I'm out there for the first time and I had a few nerves,
and sort of that first set was huge.
And, you know, once I got that first set, I just thought, you know, I've got a real chance here.
And that's when it started to sink in and that's when I just got better and better
and tried to raise the level of my game and, you know, in the end I was seeing the ball like a football.
Leighton Hewitt, US Open tennis champ, home in Adelaide.
A few moments ago Premier John Olsen also spoke at the Adelaide Airport on the tragic events unfolding.
The Premier says it's still unclear whether he'll make his planned trip to New York later this week.
The process is unfolding.
At this stage we'll keep it on track, but that it might be well-counseled at short notice.
If the logistics simply to get around to the respective meetings make it impossible,
then the trip won't go ahead, which is rather unfortunate.
We've been working for two and a half years on this.
It relates to very significant investment and potential jobs in our state.
I would want to pursue that as soon as I can.
What were you planning on doing in the term?
It was a program that looked at in the education field, defence and electronics field,
investment opportunities in South Australia.
I've talked about the Centre of Naval Excellence in Australian Submarine Corporation
and positioning that for the future.
As I said, we've been working for two and a half years on that,
if the logistics are that I simply can't meet to...
...know what's going to come down, at which point we heard a rumble like I've never heard before.
Rolling blast of fire, a rolling column of fire towards us.
A firefighter ran towards me. We ran as fast as we could.
I lost my shoes, I fell down, he picked me up and slammed me into a wall and covered me with him.
There are still people in there... excuse me, I breathed a fair amount of soot.
The personnel, the police and the fire working in there are doing so against really dangerous odds.
Dan, one of the things that after we thought we were safe by the CBS satellite truck,
I began to make my way back here to the broadcast centre and suddenly there were firefighters again running, yelling,
a gas main is going to blow, emergency vehicles began turning and racing away and I banged on the door of one of them,
six guys inside let me in and took me to 42nd Street where a bus driver stopped his empty bus and got me here.
All along the way, the most awe-inspiring part of this was that people remained so calm, so resolute,
anguished but clearly purposeful in doing the right thing, in being civil, in trying to help.
It was beyond sort of awesome to me.
And when one sees the photographs of those mostly young firefighters, police and other rescue workers,
we now have the realisation that some of them may very well be dead because they were going back inside the scene.
And I think of this one firefighter whose name I don't know who did everything he could in the midst of that to offer me protection
and I don't know to this moment if he is one of the ones who turned back and went back in.
Carol Maureen, thanks.
On the other side of the country, anxious relatives today were awaiting word of loved ones on planes that would never arrive in California.
CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes is live in Los Angeles. Sandra?
Dan, the Los Angeles International Airport remains closed at this hour.
Family members of the victims of the United and American flights gathered at two nearby hotels
where the mood, according to grief counsellors, is somber, not hysterical, but very sad.
Now, just a few minutes ago there was a press conference that was held by airport officials.
What they were explaining was that there are 178 planes still grounded here at LA International Airport.
And so I believe that we do have the videotape for my piece.
Let's go to that right now and that's talking about the family members of these victims of the flights.
Please.
Can you dig a hole, please? Dig a hole.
Families of the American Airlines victims surrounded by tight security were whisked to a private area to be counselled by grief specialists from the airline and the Salvation Army.
There's very little that one can say that's at a time like this.
We simply want to be with them and to comfort them as best we can.
But some people just needed to hold on.
Confused passengers looking for guidance stood stunned.
Most turned away as all domestic flights were cancelled.
International flights were to be diverted to nearby Ontario Airport until it closed too.
And I got here and I read the board and everything was cancelled.
So you have no idea what I'm going to do.
Most had just heard the news of the plane crashes and wondered how many had been killed.
The scene was chaotic.
Police tape held back anyone who tried to get inside the United Terminal as the LAPD bomb squad suited up outside.
At a nearby power plant, a suspicious package brought panic.
It was nothing.
By mid-morning, the entire airport was evacuated.
The FAA mandated early on that we close down LAX and Ontario airports in California, which we have done.
And as officials are saying tonight, they're still waiting for word from the FAA on when they can reopen Los Angeles International Airport.
Dan?
Sandra Hughes.
Holy shit!
Holy shit!
Holy shit!
Holy shit!
Holy shit!
That was the first plane, the first plane smashing into the World Trade Center.
We've seen video throughout the day of the second plane that went into the World Trade Center.
When you see that, Commissioner Kelly, when you see these horrific pictures that none of us can comprehend,
how do you explain what this enormity of this tragedy was?
Well, you can't explain it.
It is, the enormity is just mind-boggling.
We think in the abstract of terrorist attacks.
But when you see this, when actually you see the film of plane one, plane two, and then the collapse of the buildings,
I mean, the world witnessed this.
Terrorist attacks often happen in the dark of night.
But here, everybody throughout the world, the civilized world, has seen this.
And it's just incredible.
And is it fair to assume, Commissioner Kelly, that life in New York City will never again be the same?
Well, I don't know. New Yorkers, Americans, are pretty resilient, pretty tough.
I think certainly for the short term, life is going to change significantly.
But I hope it doesn't change too drastically, because then the terrorists have won.
They've accomplished what they set out to do, and that is to significantly alter our way of life.
So I think we have to certainly pay much more attention in the short term to security issues.
I think it's clear that security at the airports was obviously breached.
To get these hijackers on the aircraft, I think tomorrow you'll see that significantly strengthened throughout the country.
I think life in New York, certainly below 14th Street for the foreseeable future, is going to be different.
Tremendous cleanup has to be done.
There's no power in much of that area.
There are gas leaks that are happening now.
It's a dangerous environment.
It is certainly for the foreseeable future going to change life in New York.
I hope it's not permanent.
Raymond Kelly, the former commissioner, the police commissioner in New York City, thanks for joining us on this terrible night.
Our Washington bureau chief, Frank Sesno, has been checking his sources.
He has some additional information.
Frank, what have you learned?
Well, Wolf, I've been talking with someone this evening who was very much in the middle of all of this,
a government official who was very carefully briefed throughout the day.
And what he makes clear with the additional information that he's providing is that the confusion and the chaos
and the speed of these events unfolding today revealed a situation that remains really, truly breathtaking and incomprehensible,
but that there are some leads.
Let me tell you what this official said.
First of all, on one of the planes that was hijacked, Wolf, and we don't know which one,
there was a keyed microphone open, so there were sounds and some discussion and some noise in the background, apparently, that was heard.
This official, who has been carefully briefed on this, describes what was heard as duress.
And of course, investigators are going to be listening very closely to that.
Secondly, this official says there is, quote, credible information and leads that are being developed and pursued
that gives law enforcement a feeling of some degree of confidence that their investigation will move forward.
It would not provide details.
We've heard just a little while ago of some arrests in New Jersey.
I can't tell you whether those pieces of information are related.
Beyond that, some more information, again, as to the speed with which things occurred.
There were four hijacked jetliners today, as we know.
This official says there were no transponder codes indicating hijacking activity punched in on any of those planes.
There's a four-digit code, Wolf, that pilots can punch in, so it's almost a covert notification that a hijacking is underway.
That did not happen in any of the cases today.
This official says that at one point, government officials today feared there were as many as seven hijacked jetliners.
Obviously, there turned out to be just four.
But four is way too many and has led to this terrible tragedy that we've witnessed here today.
So, Wolf, the investigation continuing in rapid fire.
This official says that a judgment will be made in the morning,
looking very carefully at the airports and airspace across the country as to when air traffic in the U.S. can resume.
Frank Zezno here in Washington. Thank you very much.
Our Jeff Greenfield is standing by in the...
That plane hitting the World Trade Center about 20 minutes after the first one.
The first one hit just shortly before 9 o'clock, about 10 minutes too.
Again, that's a reverse angle, one that we've not seen before.
And you looked, and earlier we could hear the sounds of the people in Battery Park looking onto this, screaming,
just seeing more of this horror unfolding in their city that led to the destruction of a landmark, of new buildings.
The destruction of a landmark of New York this day, and perhaps has forever changed the way Americans are going to look at whether or not they are isolated from the issue of terrorism.
This has changed a lot.
As one member of government said earlier today, the days of talking about terrorism for the United States, he said, are over.
There was a lot of reaction from all around the world.
There was a reaction coming in the form of shock, dismay, and sympathy for the American people.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared Wednesday a day of mourning in Israel.
Flags there are going to be flown at half-staff, and emergency rescue units are being sent to the United States.
The 21st century. Russia has experienced terrorism, and that is why we exactly understand the feelings of the American people.
And the people of the United States, on behalf of the people of Russia, I would like to say that we are with you, and we share and feel your pain in full.
We support you.
It is with enormous emotion that France has just learned of these monstrous attacks.
There is no other word that has struck the United States of America.
And in these unbelievable circumstances, the entire French people, I can state, are with the American people.
I express our friendship and our solidarity in this tragedy.
I assure President George Bush, of course, of my total support.
France, you know, has always condemned terrorism and condemns it unequivocally and believes it must be fought in every way.
That is why I'm asking you to excuse me immediately.
I have to return to Paris.
This is a declaration of war against all civil societies.
Whoever helps these terrorists or protects them goes against all fundamental values on which the coexistence of nations is founded.
The German people support the American people in this hour that is so difficult for the people in the United States.
We remain strongly committed to the United States of America.
An act of unspeakable violence took place today.
And this is a moment where people are reflecting on the nature of that tragedy and standing firm against that kind of violence and with the people who have suffered from it.
I want to express in the name of the European Union our entire solidarity with the United States, with our American friends and with the American people, with our allies.
Perhaps you can imagine how much the attack on the World Trade Center has unnerved global financial markets, already feel fearful of recession.
And of course, some of those markets around the world are open now.
Richard Quest in London has been monitoring the situation there for us. Richard.
Good morning, Colleen.
This was, of course, an attack right on the very heart of the World Center for Capitalism.
So it's not surprising that as soon as the news became clear, there were very sharp falls in share prices across Europe.
And that's been seen again in Asia overnight.
Let me update you briefly. Tokyo's stock market is down around 6.2 percent in Hong Kong.
The market there down also around nine and a half percent following on from what was seen in Europe.
The U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, he's in Japan at the moment and is to return to the United States.
He's had discussions not only with the chairman of the Fed, Alan Greenspan, but with the various securities regulators.
Their key goal now, of course, to restore confidence in the system, to maintain confidence in the business and markets of the United States.
And to do that, the Fed has made it clear it will pump whatever money is necessary or needed into the system.
I understand that discussions have taken place about not only providing cash to ATMs, to banks across the United States,
where there may be massive withdrawals of cash from people worried about being able to have access to funds,
but also the Fed will be standing behind companies, banks in case there's some form of credit crunch.
That's what could cause the recession in the U.S.
CNN's Richard Quest, thanks very much in London. Jim?
President George W. Bush is trying to...
Thank you very much too, Mark. Let me go get your mother.
I got on the phone, Mark, and he said, hi, Mom, this is Mark Bingham.
That would be his last thing. And he said, I want to let you know that I love you.
And I'm flying. I think he said, I'm in the air. I'm calling you on the air phone of the airplane.
In his seat.
I presume so. He said, I want you to know I love you very much.
And I'm calling you from the plane. We've been taking over. There are three men that say they have a bomb.
And I said, well, who are they, Mark? And he said, he repeated that he loved me.
And he said, I don't think he said, I don't know who they are.
He just, he became distracted there as if someone was speaking to him.
And he said, it's something to the effect of it's true.
And then the phone went dead.
Authorities in New York City not giving up hope of finding more survivors.
CNN producer Rose Arcee is on the scene in Lower Manhattan. Rose?
I'm right across the street from Two World Trade Center, which is still surrounded by a plume of smoke.
And in the foreground you can see where a building on VZ Street is still on fire.
But for the first time tonight we're actually seeing rescue workers inside Two World Trade Center.
All day they've been behind barricades, being pushed farther and farther back because of falling debris.
And now for the first time they're actually on the catwalk that surrounds the, it's like right above the first story of World Trade Center.
There's only about maybe seven or eight floors of the building left above them.
It's just been shaved off at the top. It's completely black and the windows are dark.
And there's really no sign of anything going on in there.
But they're walking around in there, they're going through the windows. It looks like they have some access, at least to what is the second floor now of the building.
And they're looking around inside there. You can see some flashlights, you can see someone walking around.
Rose, you're describing the situation there for us very well, but there's no power in the area, is there?
And this is indeed a very dangerous operation, isn't it?
Yes, there is. There actually is power in one building across the street.
I don't know if it's a generator or a...
Alright, we were talked.
The entire area is only lit up by emergency lights. It's virtually a ghost town in lower Manhattan, you know,
except for just the area right around where the plane hit the building and where there is debris and, as I said for the first time, an active rescue operation.
How many people are in the building? Any idea?
As far as rescue workers, I've only seen maybe a half.
Like I said on this catwalk, and then down on the ground there are just hundreds of firefighters that have reached here for the first time
and are trying to clear through the debris in the adjoining buildings.
There's also a triage center that's been set up across the street from Two World Trade Center where you can see several dozen people getting oxygen.
And there's some flying glass, there's this thin flying glass in the air that seems to be getting in people's eyes, so they're trying to clear them.
Alright, Rose RSC, CNN producer, down at the scene in lower Manhattan.
Bear with us, but 18 minutes later in a terrorist operation of excellent different angles, hundreds of people ran for their lives, debris showered lower Manhattan.
Well, you know, as we look at the skyline now, Colleen, and see it darken and we've heard reports that yes, there are some rescue crews that have gone down into that area
that are looking for some of the debris. There's only about eight stories or even less remaining of World Trade Center Building Number 2.
CNN's Deborah Farik reporting even that cadaver dogs haven't been able to do their jobs there because that coating of dust is so thick.
Looking like a nuclear winter after this devastating strike, an audacious strike involving the hijacking of four separate airliners in one single day.
For the cases that we know about, those hijackers were using knives or cardboard cutters, utility knives, which actually a razor blade, perhaps in plastic,
perhaps that the way that they got them through the security checks at airports. But an incredible day.
And actually, you know, one of the things we've been hearing later this evening is that there's even maybe cell phone calls coming from that area.
So still lots to sort out in New York. But right now we want to go to CNN's Bill Hammer, who's got a look at the day's terrible events. Let's look.
Eight forty five a.m. East Coast time, an airliner smashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center.
Minutes later, nine oh three a.m., a second jet slams into the south tower. You can see the people jumping out the window. They're jumping out the window right now.
Officials in New York close airports around the city. Tunnels and bridges shut down.
At nine thirty, President Bush tells the world the U.S. has been hit by an apparent terrorist attack. Within 10 minutes, the FAA shuts down every airport in the country.
The first time this has ever happened. Nine forty five, an explosion at the Pentagon after another plane slams into the headquarters and the symbol of the U.S. military.
Ten o'clock New York City, the south tower, the World Trade Center collapses, raining debris onto the street.
Less than 30 minutes later, as evacuations continue, the North Tower falls.
Here it comes. I'm getting behind a car.
In that same half hour back in Washington, part of the Pentagon collapses further west outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a plane crash reported in Somerset County.
Fans go into effect to protect the government. Much of Washington is shut down. Federal buildings and the White House are evacuated.
Members of Congress point to the possibility the attacks are the responsibility of Osama bin Laden, a Saudi millionaire blamed for other terrorist attacks.
As part of emergency measures, the president cut short his trip in Florida, first making a stop in Louisiana, declaring the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible.
He's later flown to Nebraska, where he convenes with security officials.
One forty four p.m., a state of emergency declared in Washington, D.C.
Two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and five other warships leave Norfolk, Virginia, headed to the New York City area.
The FBI says it believes the four missing planes were hijacked and is working on the assumption the morning's events were a coordinated terrorist attack.
Then about six o'clock Eastern Time, explosions rock Kabul, capital city of Afghanistan.
The White House denies this was any sort of retaliatory strike, but rather part of the ongoing civil war in that country.
Bill Hemmer, CNN, reporting.
They didn't flinch. What we want to do now is share again some of these images, but also with the words, the thoughts and the experiences of that person who took those pictures.
His camera operator, Tom Newchill, and here's what he saw and what he lived through today.
When I started filming the Trade Center towers this morning, I thought I had woken up in a nightmare.
The flames, all these people running, trying to get out of Manhattan already.
Then the first tower collapsed.
Then day turned to night.
A man turned up covered in soot, still carrying his briefcase.
People were crying. Some just stood, not knowing where to go.
I kept thinking about my family, my colleagues, whether they were all right, whether I would see them again.
It felt like the end of the world.
Then I looked and the second tower collapsed. It was gone.
It looked like an exodus. People were coming out of nowhere, covered in towels.
A barman closed his bar in front of us.
Today there would be no business as usual, although somebody started to clean his fire escape around Wall Street.
After we saw this woman call her family, we called ours too to let them know we were OK.
People stopped to tell us what they saw.
People were running, their hair on fire. People were jumping out of the World Trade Center.
Jumping out because they don't know what to do. So, I mean, they were dead by doing that.
This man was taking this boy away from the scene.
This couple was reunited and fine.
We were invited into a hotel on Wall Street, which was serving food in a makeshift room.
We met the lucky ones too. This man overslept and he didn't get to work on time.
He worked on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center.
From what I understand, my whole office is dead. Everybody died up there, jumped out, were burned.
When we got to Wall Street, the stock exchange was closed.
The police were blocking our way.
We found a policeman two blocks away from the World Trade Center who was guarding a piece of one of the planes.
He was waiting for a forensic team to come and pick it up.
I felt the nightmare was just carrying on.
When we got closer to the World Trade Center, policemen were getting more and more nervous.
Then we finally saw it through the smoke.
The remains of the World Trade Center looked like a broken fence.
It felt like covering a volcano eruption.
Dust everywhere, inches thick, pieces of paper covering the ground from the buildings.
Again, it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon on Broadway.
It felt like a very bad horror movie.
On the way back to the office on the empty highway uptown,
I thought about all this senselessness, about these terrible acts, and about the freedom to do evil.
The pictures, the thoughts, the experiences, the stay of camera operator Tom Mutio,
truly one of the real reporters on the front line of this tragedy.
Back to you, Jim and Cully.
All right, Gary Cutley, thank you for that.
But strangely enough, after my appalling experience, I went out and brought gas masks,
not little dust masks for my wife and daughter, thinking the whole island is going to be covered.
But in essence, it's not. It's really remained down to the south.
And the other thing about this city is so quiet.
It's like everyone's just taken a big... everyone's at home tonight.
There's no restaurants, there's no parties, there's no nothing.
There's nobody on the street. I've never seen this.
Obviously, no one's ever seen anything quite like this in America, indeed, not probably in the world either.
Do you... tell us about the city itself.
You describe a standstill there.
I presume it's going to be like that for days to come, perhaps, especially in that district.
Yeah, I mean, Giuliani, the mayor just got on the TV and said,
nobody go to work tomorrow.
And, you know, they probably won't.
But again, this is New York City.
They amaze me today, just walking down there.
They will survive this.
They'll take a big risk, you know, a big server, look at this and just go,
well, you know, guess what, we are the best city in the world and we will continue.
And New York is a tough, abrasive town, but they will pull together and they will survive.
But tomorrow, nobody will go to work.
There's going to be people lining up.
We went out today, as well, to line up to give blood.
There's, you know, hundreds and hundreds and thousands of people just lining up to give blood.
There's people, you know, volunteering to go down and drop off clothes and blankets
and doing whatever they can to actually, you know, help the people down in the south end of the island.
Scott, we've seen almost phases of the psychology of the city since the attack.
First, stunned disbelief.
You've just captured some of the help, the people wanting to throw it in
and try and do all they can to help their fellow New York citizens.
Is there a sense we're moving on to the next stage?
Is there anger out there on the streets as well?
Are people talking about retribution, revenge?
Not in New York City, because in the city itself, I think they're beyond that.
I think you, like anything, everybody's angry and, you know, appalled by it.
In New York City, I don't think that.
I think they're too sophisticated to do that.
Outside of New York City, of course, America's a very scary and strange place.
On the streets here, no.
I mean, everyone's gone, okay, this has happened.
There's definitely anger there.
There's obviously sadness.
But I don't think you're going to see marauding crowds going around
and breaking windows and pulling up people.
I mean, of course, it's to say that it won't happen in small factions,
but it's not an overall sense of that at all.
No calls for blood in terms of Osama bin Laden
or any of the terrorist groups that might have been suspected to be involved in this incident?
I mean, you're always going to get people calling from him.
There is that, but there's no sort of pain for blood burning of FHs and stuff like that.
It is quite restrained.
Scott, tell us, I know early days, you did mention there that you were working on a series
about firefighters in the city.
Is there a chance that some of the people you've been working with on this documentary
are going to be the same guys caught in that building?
Without a doubt.
Without a doubt.
I don't want to make matters worse.
Just beforehand, I did a show with the NYPD Emergency Services Unit,
and one of the first on the scene today was a very close personal friend of mine,
one of the most highly decorated New York City policemen.
He's been shot five times, survived, he's 32 years of age, he's an amazing hero.
I called his cell phone all day, wanted to get down there with him.
I wanted to go down there with him, and he'd beat me there.
I called all day, and at five o'clock this afternoon I got through on his mobile telephone
and it was an emergency services unit.
An EMT worker picked up the call, and he said, I just found this phone down here.
And I've talked to his wife since.
His wife's just had a baby, a third son that he's got,
and he was one of the first into the first building.
And I knew that he would have been there.
And I just sort of multiplied the anguish that I felt when those buildings started coming down.
Scott, our thoughts are with you.
You are going to be among obviously hundreds of thousands of Americans
who are going to go through some extensive mourning period these next few days and weeks.
Is the city, is the country ready for that?
They'll band together.
America's a strange yet wonderful place, I guess, like that.
The biggest fear, the personal fear that I think I share with many New Yorkers is it's happened.
Where do we go from here?
If there's retaliatory steps by the government, are they going to hijack more planes?
We live minutes away from the Guadalajara Airport.
Are we ever going to be safe?
Are they going to be driving airplanes into our apartment block next?
I think that's a huge fear that I share with a lot of New Yorkers.
A quiet, silent fear, but it's definitely pause for reflection when you start thinking,
OK, tomorrow at noon they're going to be flying again.
And at the moment there's F-16s circling New York City, which is fantastic.
It makes you feel very safe, very secure.
But they're not going to be doing that for the next week, month, year.
And I think that what happens from now is a very scary time when you think about it like that.
Scott, tell us where you're from, what state, what town,
and have you had a chance to talk to family back here yet?
Yes, I actually used to work for Channel 7 in the newsroom there in about 1988.
But I'm a Queensland boy, grew up way up in the middle of nowhere near Kana Mala,
and I did speak to my family after a long while today.
They, of course, didn't know that I was down there and ordered my wife here for a number of hours.
But I've talked to them.
They've also, I've got many back out of Somalia and Bosnia and places like that over the years,
so they're sort of used to it.
But I think this one shocked me just with the enormity of it.
Had that building toppled over sideways, I'd be laying underneath it tonight,
as a great many other people would have been as well.
But it was just the sheer uncontrollable size of these buildings coming down,
which, again, everyone says it's so cliched, it's ridiculous,
but you would never ever have expected it or could imagine it,
which is why we were trying to get so close to it, which in hindsight is actually quite stupid.
That's your job, mate, I guess.
Tell us, what's the immediate future now for you, for your wife?
Do you think you'll stay in the city?
I think so. I have an amazingly beautiful French wife and a little six-year-old daughter.
My first recent rationale for that was to get out of the city,
because I just thought, for me it's OK, but for them it's a big thing.
But we sort of sat down, we talked about it, that the city was basically closed anyway,
and we wanted to be at home and whatever.
But I think we'll stay.
We'll move back to Paris, but to move back to Paris you've got to fly an aeroplane.
I don't think anybody's going to be flying into any aeroplanes,
my immediate family just yet.
But again, this is New York City, there is nothing like it.
It will survive, it will get bigger and better from it.
It's just going to be a tough few months.
And I tell you, when these planes start flying it, off my territory,
I see the Guadalajara Airport every single day.
There's going to be a lot of worried eyes up in the sky.
Scott, just finally and quickly, one last housekeeping question, I guess.
Other Australians, have you managed to communicate with the rest of your expat network there?
Are we all safe and accounted for?
Yeah, very much so.
In the ten years that I was a war cameraman,
there was only a very small group of people that do this in the world,
and out of the dozen, about eight or nine of us were Australians.
A number of them actually live here right now,
sort of giving it up and doing different things.
We were all around there, but everyone's just fine.
There was a lot of worried phone calls being made and not being picked up.
But we've all got together, and we'll be definitely having some beers later on
during the week to sort of talk it out
and do our own little bit of psychoanalytical experiencing.
Alright, Scott Hilliard, we're going to have to leave it there.
We thank you so much for your time.
We're so happy to be talking to you, our thoughts,
particularly from the Channel 7 newsroom with you tonight.
That was Scott Hilliard, live in New York.
Now, don't forget, we have a full 90-minute wrap of today's events
from our 7 newsroom at 5 o'clock.
A horror movie, but unfortunately it was real,
and real people were hurt and suffering.
Now, we did see pictures of Palestinians rejoicing in the streets.
How did you react to that?
First of all, we must put things into perspective.
The overwhelming majority of Palestinians are horrified of this,
and they condemn this horrific act of terrorism in the strongest way.
The few kids who went into the streets joyful,
they do not represent the feeling of the Palestinian people.
No, I'm not suggesting they did, Mr. Kazak,
but I'm just wondering what are we to make of a vision like that?
There were some adults there too.
Yes, and there were some adults who were standing by
and were not showing the joining with them as well.
But the point is that I can understand some kids who have heard
the news of a terrorist act in the United States
to feel joy because those kids are under this sort of acts of terrorism
for all their lives. This is all what they know.
So they feel incredible frustration over the continuing intifada?
Absolutely. Not only, you know, they feel anger and frustration
from the United States because you should remember that
Israel is bombarding our cities and oppressing our people,
maintaining its occupation with United States weapons and missiles.
It's assassinating Palestinian leaders with Apache American-made helicopters
and F-16s, and not only that, but also the United States is the one
which is giving the international cover and protection
to this sort of Israeli atrocities and terrorism.
All right, Mr. Kazak, you are talking as if Palestinians
would regard America as a very, very great enemy.
Are you saying that this could have been done by Palestinian terrorists?
No, I'm not saying that. Far from it.
We don't have anything to gain out of this act,
and we have condemned it in the strongest possible way.
But what I'm trying to say is that the United States should learn
the lesson out of this.
Surely, those who did this horrific act of terror, you know,
they feel so much hatred towards the United States.
There are reasons behind it.
Now, and we all know that there are people around the world
who hate the United States and hate it for good reasons,
and I do hope that the United States will learn a lesson out of this
and put an end to its hypocrisy and double standard
and implement the same set of principles on all countries, including Israel.
But, Mr. Kazak, are you saying by that, I mean,
a lot of the world watching on to these horrific attacks in New York today
would say, yes, America perhaps should learn,
but of course they're going to retaliate and retaliate very strongly.
Are you saying they shouldn't?
Well, I think, you know, they should do exactly what they did towards McVeigh,
the American terrorist, to find out those who committed this horror
and bring them to justice.
You're saying through the court system
rather than through a military response that might take out innocent people?
Absolutely, because, you know, retaliation and revenge
would not solve this problem.
We have seen it, how well organized, and I think, you know, this is horrific,
and we don't want to go into this sort of the 21st century
with this sort of model of terrorist acts and terrorism.
But are you saying, would you agree with those commentators,
and I think the Americans are being very cautious about finger pointing,
but would you agree with many who are at least indicating
that it is an Arab terrorist or an Arab terrorist group?
I don't think it's correct to pinpoint fingers at anyone.
We have seen it done before in the Oklahoma City bombing,
and then the whole world saw that it was an American who was behind it.
And I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was also American right-wing groups
who are behind this sort of acts.
Mr. Kazak, I know you know Yasser Arafat personally.
How did you feel about his very strong condemnation of these acts?
Well, he was extremely moved.
I mean, I've never seen him the way he appeared today.
You know, he was devastated with this.
And also, he is worried.
We are all worried that now General Sharon will use this
and world attention focused on the United States
to continue with his plans, military plans,
to commit some sort of horrific act in Palestine against our people.
You know, when I was watching yesterday, when the news came out,
I was following up the news in Palestine
where the Israeli army was bombarding four of our cities.
And the entire district of Jenin, which with over 200,000 people,
were under concentration camp situation,
and they were bombarding them at that very moment.
Mr. Kazak, just two very brief points.
I just wanted to ask you, is it your feeling then from what you're saying is
that really perhaps the cause, the underlying cause
of these horrific attacks on America have been in Palestine and in Israel?
I think that plays one of the major role of people
feeling frustrated and hatred towards the United States.
Because, you know, just recently we saw it in the anti-racism conference
in Durban in South Africa where the United States withdrew from that conference
and blackmailed everyone mainly to prevent the condemnation,
the world community's condemnation of Israeli racism and atrocities.
Mr. Kazak, just finally, should America or the West in general
expect more attacks, perhaps of this savagery, still to come?
My feeling says that if we are going to continue with this double standard
and hypocrisy, yes, and worse, because believe me,
there are so much anger and frustration around that, you know, that, look,
I mean, what more hypocrisy do you want to, you know,
than the United States playing the champion of freedom and democracy around the world?
And we've seen it even with Mr. President Bush, you know, speech.
And yet denying an entire nation of its freedom and democracy.
How can you explain that to people, kids in Palestine,
who all they know is oppression and have no freedom whatsoever,
not even to go to their own schools?
You sound like you're blaming the United States for these things.
Well, don't you think the United States have to shoulder responsibilities also?
For these particular attacks on all these innocent people in New York City?
Absolutely. Politicians, politicians can be blamed on this.
I mean, yesterday when I was watching the news, all what I could say,
and I felt so much angry towards the politicians we have today.
And yet you condemn it on the other hand?
Absolutely. Absolutely.
I mean, the politicians are the ones who should be blamed,
the ordinary people in the United States.
I mean, this is absolutely terrible, you know, devastating,
for innocent American people to bear the brides for the policies of their leaders and their politicians.
Okay, Mr. Kazak, we will leave it there.
Thank you very much for sharing your views with us.
Thank you.
And that was Ali Kazak, the head of the Palestinian delegation in Canberra.
After the initial New York attacks, there were fears the building might collapse.
As people were still being evacuated and rescue workers were trying desperately to control the situation,
the threat of collapse became a reality.
Clouds of dust and debris turned a sunny lower Manhattan morning into something like a volcanic explosion.
The scene was captured dramatically by Dr. Mark Heath, who, armed with a video camera, went in search of help.
Phone calls from victims trapped in the remains of the World Trade Center,
but those emergency crews are also beginning to find thousands of bodies.
The world is shell-shocked, people around the globe struggling to comprehend the scale of the disaster,
which began as a United Airlines jet approached lower Manhattan.
There was no warning as the first hijacked aircraft, a Boeing 767,
slammed into the World Trade Center just before nine in the morning.
It was a terrorist attack that struck at the heart of America.
The 110-storey skyscraper engulfed in flames.
As smoke billowed from the building, up to 50,000 people who worked there began evacuating
as fire raged through the upper floors.
On any scale, this was already a major disaster, but then the unthinkable,
another hijacked passenger jet came screaming in, aimed directly at the second tower,
the aircraft disappearing inside the building on impact and exploding.
No words, no reason.
And we saw the plane on the other side of the building and there was smoke everywhere
and people jumping out the windows.
Wreckage blasting out of the upper floors, sending tons of debris plunging to the street below.
The fires raging out of control, panic on the street below
as office workers began fleeing in terror from New York's financial district.
I don't know.
It's believed more than 20,000 people were still trapped inside,
some appearing at windows, pleading to be rescued, others plunging to their deaths,
as flames forced them to jump.
Something else has just happened at the World Trade Center.
One of the towers.
One of the towers either has come down, perhaps something else has happened.
The billow of smoke that we have not seen, the tower is down completely,
according to our producer, the side of the tower has come down on the street.
The collapse caught on tape by an amateur cameraman.
I hope I live. I hope I live.
I hope I live. It's coming down on me. Here it comes. I'm getting behind a car.
Lower Manhattan blanketed by an enormous cloud of dust and smoke,
the entire drama played out live on television around the world.
Crushed beneath the rubble, hundreds involved in the rescue effort,
at least 300 firefighters are dead or missing, along with more than 70 police officers.
This is the terror of the collapse witnessed by this man inside the remaining tower.
I was on the ground floor of the building, sitting in a chair,
waiting for somebody to turn up, as you do. There was a huge bang.
It felt to me like somebody dropped a skip full of rubbish,
a great container full of rubbish from a very great height.
30 minutes after the first collapse, the second tower began to crumple as well,
crashing from the top down.
As you can see, perhaps the second tower, the front tower,
the top portion of which is collapsing.
Good Lord.
There are no words. You can see large pieces of the building falling.
You can see the smoke rising.
On the ground, more panic, shocked rescuers running for their lives.
The collapse of these towers once the world's tallest buildings,
sending thousands of tonnes of rubble into the streets,
trapping workers in nearby buildings, crushing cars,
leaving the world shocked at the scale of the attack.
As Americans struggled to comprehend the enormity of the disaster unfolding in New York,
a third hijacked jetliner crashed into the Pentagon building in Washington,
the headquarters of the US military, supposedly impenetrable,
with the impact sending the aircraft spearing through the building into the inner courtyard.
More than 800 people at work inside the Pentagon are believed to have lost their lives.
A woman aboard this plane managed to make two phone calls before the crash,
telling of men armed with knives forcing all the passengers and one of the pilots to the rear.
Aviation authorities closed US airspace,
leaving an estimated 4,000 aircraft to land at the nearest airport.
US warplanes were scrambled, streaking over New York and Washington.
The terrorists behind these attacks had hijacked a fourth jet, a Boeing 757,
which crashed near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Their speculation its intended target was the presidential retreat at Camp David.
All up, two United Airlines flights were hijacked,
along with another two planes belonging to American Airlines.
None of the 266 passengers and crew aboard the four airliners survived.
Amid fears the attacks would continue,
the US Secret Service threw a security cordon around President Bush.
Terrorism against our nation will not stand.
And now if you join me in a moment of silence.
He was hurried aboard Air Force One, lifting off for a secure destination,
as US forces around the world were placed on high alert.
Back in New York, rescuers made their way into the impact zone,
a virtual moonscape dusted with debris.
These are professionals. They're coming out of there looking literally stunned, in shock, many of them.
Hundreds of ambulances on standby, all hospitals in the greater New York area
are now reported full, with thousands of people injured in the attack.
Authorities unable to predict how high the eventual death toll will go.
The numbers are going to be very, very high.
Just if you think of the number of people that were in the building at the time.
The terrorists striking not only at the US military,
but also paralysing Wall Street, the world's busiest stock market.
Returning to the White House, President Bush vowing the US won't rest
until those behind the terror attacks are caught.
The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts.
I've directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities
to find those responsible and to bring them to justice.
We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts
and those who harbored them.
On any assessment, this attack on the United States was an outstanding success for the terrorists,
and a monumental failure for US intelligence agencies,
which had no hint of the disaster about to befall them.
But America remains unified in its determination to fight terrorism,
members of Congress from both sides of politics coming together on the steps of the Capitol.
God bless America, my home sweet home.
John Hill, 10 News.
These are the fatal flight paths taken by the four planes involved in the attack.
The first plane, a Boeing 767, American Airlines Flight 11,
left Boston at 7.45am local time, destination Los Angeles.
Less than half an hour later it slammed into the World Trade Center in New York.
92 people were on board.
The second plane, United Airlines Flight UA175, also a Boeing 767,
left Boston at 7.58am local time, destination again Los Angeles.
An hour later it crashed into the World Trade Center.
65 people were on board.
The third plane was a Boeing 757.
American Airlines Flight 77 left Washington at 8.10am, destination Los Angeles.
It dived into the Pentagon in Washington less than an hour later.
64 people were on board.
The fourth plane was another Boeing 757.
United Airlines Flight UA93 left Newark at 8.01am, destination San Francisco.
It crashed southeast of Pittsburgh two hours later.
45 people on board.
A total of 226 people were on the four jets.
The first of the many personal stories are starting to emerge,
some relatives dealing with the attacks as they were happening.
A man on board one of the jets called his mother from the aircraft as it was being hijacked.
That I love you very, very much in case I don't see you again.
I said that?
That the plane has been taken over by hijackers.
And then I said, well, we love you very much too, Mark.
Let me go get your mother.
I got on the phone, Mark, and he said, hi, Mom, this is Mark Bingham.
That would be his last name.
And he said, I want to let you know that I love you.
And I'm flying.
I think he said, I'm in the air.
I'm calling you on the air phone of the airplane.
In his seat.
I presume so.
He said, I want you to know I love you very much.
And I'm calling you from the plane.
We've been taken over.
There are three men that say they have a bomb.
And I said, well, who are they, Mark?
And he repeated that he loved me.
And he said, I don't think he said I don't know who they are.
He just became distracted there as if someone was speaking to him.
And he said, it's something to the effect of it's true.
And then the phone went dead.
Most of the world has spoken as one in condemning the act of destruction.
World powers have united in their resolve to fight terrorism.
It's hard to imagine anyone celebrating the wholesale loss of life.
But throughout the Middle East, they're dancing in the streets.
Men, women and children screaming with delight at the thought of thousands of Westerners
killed or trapped under massive piles of rubble.
On the West Bank, they're handing out lollies.
The attack, they say, is a suite from Arab terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.
But as America mourns, it's appealed for a united front against its invisible enemies.
We call upon the entire world to step up and help because terrorism is a common end to all.
And we're in this together.
The United States has borne the brunt, but who can be next?
It's a message already understood by America's closest allies.
This mass terrorism is the new evil in our world today.
It is perpetrated by fanatics who are utterly indifferent to the sanctity of human life.
And we, the democracies of this world, are going to have to come together to fight it together
and eradicate this evil completely from our world.
Today's events in the United States went beyond national boundaries.
It was a brazen challenge to humanity, to all the civilized people.
Like the rest of us, the world's leaders have watched the shocking events unfold on television.
There can be no doubt that these attacks are deliberate acts of terrorism, carefully planned and coordinated.
And as such, I condemn them utterly.
Terrorism must be fought resolutely wherever it appears.
Those people are merciless. They are killers, they are traitors, they are liars.
They don't have any limitation.
The leaders of the Western world agree terrorists have opened fire on democracy.
This is a declaration of war against the entire civilized world.
I want to tell Americans they have the solidarity of the French people, especially to the families of the victims.
What happened in the United States concerns all of us.
Even old enemies are making a joint stand against the cowardly killers of innocent Americans.
In this most difficult hour, all Israelis stand as one with the American people.
Our hearts are with you and we are ready to provide any assistance at any time.
Terrible act. We are completely shocked, completely shocked. Unbelievable.
Belgium holds the presidency of the European Union.
For what's happened today in the United States, it's an act, it's all acts of barbarism.
The US government's been inundated with messages of support from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to Chinese Premier Jiang Zemin.
The superpowers are united in their anger.
There's even been an offer of medical and humanitarian aid from America's foe of almost 50 years, Fidel Castro, who says Cuba expresses...
...its most sincere condolences to the North American people for the painful and unjustifiable losses of human lives caused by these attacks.
Very few countries are taunting America in its moment of pain.
Iraq's Saddam Hussein says the American cowboy is reaping the fruits of his crimes against humanity.
But like Pearl Harbor in 1941, it would take a foolish nation to awaken a sleeping giant.
There's only one way to begin to deal with people like this and that is you have to kill some of them even if they are not immediately directly involved in this thing.
Vengeance is expected to be swift but with a long-term purpose.
America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world.
And we stand together to win the war against terrorism.
Sean Feuings, 10 News.
An Australian working inside the World Trade Center says it took him nearly an hour to escape.
He's one of many Australians who witnessed the carnage firsthand.
Australian Adam Hoff was working on the 73rd floor when he heard a deafening roar followed by chilling screams.
I just assumed it was a bomb.
When you feel something like that you can't know that it's a bomb, a missile, a plane crashing into you.
Like hundreds of his colleagues, the landscape architect fled to a stairwell.
It took us approximately 50 minutes to get down and that's just walking down the stairs and stopping for congestion because people are coming out from other floors.
Many of those people were seriously wounded.
The 37-year-old says a strange calm then took hold but once outside he realised the magnitude of the devastation.
I hope I live, it's coming down on me.
It was carnage. It was a Steven Spielberg war movie around the base of the building.
Everything was smoking. There was blood and body parts.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Noel Perry fled his Manhattan hotel and watched both towers crumble from the Brooklyn Bridge.
People around me crying and screaming a little bit. Some people getting a bit anxious but fortunately common sense prevailed.
A lot of us yelled out, stay calm, just walk, just walk.
Like thousands of visitors, Mr Perry is now stranded in New York, missing the safety and comfort of Australia like never before.
I intended to go back and go to the United Airlines office within the World Trade Center this morning at Hapa Estate but fortunately we slept in. Otherwise I might have been there myself.
Martin Griffiths, 10 News.
10 Reporter Michelle Stone is in New York and has witnessed the horror unfold.
Now Michelle, I understand there are now some details about the men who committed these acts.
That's exactly right. The latest information and keeping in mind this has been coming from people on those doomed jets who've been calling in from the planes, telephones to their loved ones to say a final goodbye.
I have described the hijackers as men, three possibly five of them armed with knives.
There are two separate reports from two separate planes detailing these hijackers simply that they are men and that they were armed with knives.
One woman rang her husband and asked him seconds before her plane crashed into the first tower, you know, what do I do?
I'll also tell you that they thought that it was averted a George Washington Bridge attack. They have detained men for questioning in a car they caught on a highway just out of Manhattan in New Jersey.
I'll also tell you that right now behind me the rescue effort continues. There are thousands of people beneath lots of rubble and they do believe that there are some survivors calling from mobile phones from beneath that rubble.
And certainly there may be survivors in nearby buildings. Now there are people lined around the block all over Manhattan to give blood. And this is a scene being repeated across the nation.
Of course, there is an extreme shortage in blood supplies and that will only worsen as each hour ticks by.
I'll also tell you that it's becoming key, the passenger manifests. They are now available. The FBI has traced names on at least one of those manifests to locations in South Florida.
They're following up those tips and I believe that raids are or have already taken place.
And I will tell you that America is very different following this tragedy. Commentators and the government are repeating calls for people here not to blame communities such as those from the Arab nations, those from Islam nations, not to blame communities for the acts of individuals.
And also that in the cold light of day we may find out that the number of tragedies is more than anybody can bear.
Now Michelle, you literally yourself had to run from the blast. Is that not right?
That's exactly right. We got downtown fairly quickly when we heard about the first plane going into Tower 1. We got there in time to see Tower 1 collapse and we were very close.
When Tower 2 collapsed we had to run. The plume of smoke and debris was coming through the boulevard as if you can imagine. I'm sure you've seen the pictures. It came up through like it would through a canyon and we had to run for our lives.
Cameraman Paul Atkinson and I had to leave some gear behind and we just took off. My thoughts were immediately what should I do? Where should I go?
I thought perhaps of hiding behind a truck, perhaps underneath. I saw a garage open and a mechanic in there so I raced inside and took cover there. The poor man inside was on the telephone hysterical to his family.
It just becomes a point where I guess survival kicks in. At first I was rooted to the spot because it was such a phenomenal sight. You'll never see anything like it if you're lucky. And we're just very pleased to be here to be telling you the story this evening.
And so are we. Thank you Michelle. Michelle Stone reporting there from New York.
Officials have no way of accurately coming up with the death toll but here's an indication of the number of people thought to be in each of the areas involved.
Ten thousand people worked in each of the World Trade Centre towers which were hit. There's just no way of telling how many people were on the ground when they both came crashing down.
Around 260 people were on board the four planes that crashed. 285 firefighters are thought to have lost their lives trying to rescue people from the World Trade Centre towers as they collapsed.
65 police are also believed to have died doing the same thing. At the Pentagon up to 800 people are feared dead.
And the agonising wait for contact with relatives and friends possibly caught up in the US tragedy continues here at home. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra has established a crisis hotline.
Already 15,000 callers desperate for news of loved ones have registered.
Missions in the US are liaising with local authorities and airlines to establish just how many Australians are involved.
There are a number of Australians working in the World Trade Centre and it's possible that some Australians could have been on some of those aircraft.
The crisis hotline numbers to call are 1800 00 2214 and 1300 555 135.
You're watching a special 19 minute edition of 10 News America Under Attack.
Now updating the day of horror and the streets of New York were bustling with business people and tourists when the catastrophic chain of events began.
Tuesday morning New York City for the people of the Big Apple a glorious start to the day.
The grand twin towers of the World Trade Centre piercing clear blue skies.
Then out of the blue the unimaginable.
It was 845 local time quarter to 11 last night Eastern Time Australian when a packed passenger plane slammed into the North Tower.
Confusion and panic take hold but no one was prepared for what was to happen next.
18 minutes later 903 local time a second plane is seen approaching the South Tower.
The world watching in disbelief.
America was under attack.
Just as the magnitude of these terror attacks began to sink in yet another hijacked plane was on a collision course.
940 AM the Pentagon America's military hub erupted into a fireball.
Back in New York people scrambled for their lives disoriented hysterical unsure where to run survivors inside the twin towers tried to escape the inferno's gutting the buildings.
Most wouldn't make it 950 AM the South Tower the second attacked crashes to the ground.
Just 10 minutes later 10 AM US time another aircraft crashes this time in Pennsylvania.
No buildings are hit the passenger jet slamming straight into the ground.
There's no clear reason why one theory its pilot crashed his craft unwilling to follow terrorist orders.
Thousands dead thousands injured but still more were to lose their lives.
Its partner obliterated its foundations rocked the North Tower collapses.
Its 1029 an hour and 45 minutes after that first attack.
Shell shocked but defiant the US president vows to find those responsible.
The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts.
As night fell that thick cloud of ash and dust that hung over New York all day was still visible an eerie blanket glowing through the bright lights rescue workers continuing their difficult grim task.
They call New York the city that never sleeps tonight it was an entire nation.
Extraordinary amateur video has emerged of the disaster.
Dr. Mark Heath found himself in the midst of the chaos.
I hope I live I hope I live.
It's coming down on me here it comes and getting behind the car.
It's incredible.
Okay I had to go find people who need help.
I don't think I'm one of them.
You okay sir.
Okay.
Can I just get a toot off your respirator.
Can I get a toot.
I'm seeing a couple of clean breath.
That's good.
Okay.
Back to you.
This is the car I hid behind it saved my life.
Wait maybe it was this one.
There's all these noises I think I don't know what it is.
They say someone needs help.
Anybody need a doctor.
Don't have oxygen.
Hello doc.
Okay.
They told me just to wait here.
I don't know if I can go any closer.
No one can go in to get the people out.
There's small explosions still going on.
So far I've seen some people who needed oxygen from the dust.
No point in talking.
I'm not going to go any further.
I'm going to wait here until they get the people out.
That almost made it work.
Looking north on the west side highway.
You guys going in.
Yeah.
Come with you.
I'm going to go a little bit closer.
There's more buildings to come down.
We're not going to help anybody.
Wait right here.
Station up right here.
Why don't we set up.
Okay.
The consensus is it's too unsafe to go in there.
Okay.