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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, business men 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 for our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and 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.
United Airlines Flight 93 was headed from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco, before crashing at around 10:20 a.m. ET near the small Somerset County airport, about 8 miles from Jennerstown. Officials involved in the rescue operation have said it does not appear there are any survivors. Government sources told ABCNEWS that during the flight, a passenger called 911 from a cell phone to report that the plane had been hijacked. According to The Associated Press, the man told officials, "We are being hijacked, we are being hijacked!" Emergency dispatcher Glenn Cramer said the man on board reported the plane "was going down. He heard some sort of explosion and saw white smoke coming from the plane and we lost contact with him." Information from the company Flight Explorer, which tracks the path of planes using Federal Aviation Administration data, showed the plane taking a hard turn south near Cleveland � meaning the hijacking presumably took place at that point � and then heading in the direction of Washington. ABCNEWS has learned that shortly before changing directions, someone in the cockpit radioed in and asked the FAA for a new flight plan, with a final destination of Washington. An FBI official said the crash "appears" to be an act of terrorism, but Pentagon officials firmly denied to ABCNEWS rumors that the U.S. military shot down the aircraft to prevent it from being crashed into Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, or another government facility. Adm. Craig Quigley told reporters the cause of the accident "was not engagement by a U.S. fighter aircraft." Terrorist hijackings are believed to be responsible for the plane crashes this morning that demolished the World Trade Center in New York and caused part of the Pentagon in Washington to collapse. Eyewitness Reports One eyewitness to the Pennsylvania crash, Linda Shepley, told television station KDKA in Pittsburgh that she heard a loud bang and saw the plane bank to the side before crashing. "It shook the whole station," said Bruce Grine, owner of an auto service center in Shanksville, about 3 miles from the crash site. "Everybody ran outside, and by that time the fire whistle was blowing." "I heard the engine gun two different times and then I heard a loud bang and the windows of the houses all around rattled," area resident Michael R. Merringer told The Associated Press. "Everything was on fire and there was trees knocked down and there was a big hole in the ground." The crash left a crater in a field surrounded by woods, below a hilltop strip mine. Investigators believe the plane crashed and disintegrated, spewing debris. "There's nothing in the ground you can see," Captain Frank Monaco of the Pennsylvania State Police told reporters. Monaco said of the crash site, "It just looks like tiny pieces of debris." According to United, there were 38 passengers and a crew of seven aboard the Boeing 757. Working With the FBI Another United plane, Flight 175 � a Boeing 767 headed from Boston to Los Angeles � crashed into the South Tower of New York's World Trade Center soon after 9 a.m. Additionally, two American Airlines planes crashed this morning. American Airlines Flight 11, from Boston to Los Angeles, crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center just before 9 a.m. ET, and American Airlines Flight 77, heading from Dulles Airport near Washington to Los Angeles, crashed into the Pentagon. United CEO James Goodwin said: "The thoughts of everyone at United are with the passengers and crew of these flights. Our prayers are also with everyone on the ground who may have been involved." Goodwin added: "United is working with all the relevant authorities, including the FBI, to obtain further information on these flights." For the first time ever, the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered all to be flights canceled nationwide. "This was a measure we took because we thought it was prudent," FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown told reporters. ABCNEWS' Lisa Stark and Dan Harris contributed to this report. United Statement About Crashes Statement of United Airlines about its two plane crashes: United Airlines has now confirmed that two of its aircraft have crashed. � UA 93, a Boeing 757 aircraft, departed from Newark, N.J. at 8:01 a.m. local time, bound for San Francisco, with 38 passengers on board, two pilots, five flight attendants. � UA 175, a Boeing 767 aircraft, departed from Boston at 7:58 a.m. local time, bound for Los Angeles, with 56 passengers on board, two pilots and seven flight attendants. United has confirmed it will dispatch a team to Johnstown, Pa., as soon as possible to assist, in every way possible, with the investigation and to provide assistance to the family members. "Our thoughts are with the passengers, employees and family members of those involved. Today's events are a tragedy and our prayers are with everyone at this time," said James E. Goodwin, United's CEO. Goodwin said United is working with all the relevant authorities involved in today's events and will provide further information as soon as it is available. Friends or family members who want more information about UA 93 or UA 175 should contact 1-800-932-8555. United also will post any information it has on its Web site, www.united.com.
As seen from the New Jersey Turnpike near Kearny, N.J. smoke billows from the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. (Gene Boyers/AP Photo) In Their Own Words Eyewitnesses Describe New York Attack; World Leaders Speak Out N E W Y O R K, Sept. 11 � Following are quotes from eyewitnesses and world leaders to the terror attacks this morning. "We went outside. It was complete pandemonium. People were crying, screaming, running. At that instant, I turned back toward the North Tower, and two-three seconds later saw the whole top of the building start to fall. I lost track of the person I was with, and everyone was now running north, and I proceeded to run north up West Broadway toward Greenwich Village � It was completely terrifying." � Neil Glass, a Wall Street equities analyst who works across the street from the World Trade Center "I stood in the area to see if someone needed help and it looked like a bomb but they told me it was another plane. It was the worst thing I ever saw in my life." � Richard Rivera, eyewitness "I'm sitting down and I'm crying and I couldn't believe that something like this could actually happen. Then about 10 minutes later the whole building just started to collapse and now two seconds ago both of them collapsed and now there's no more World Trade Center. It's � this is ridiculous. I don't believe this." � Tony Bristow, an eyewitness who works on a nearby pier in lower Manhattan "People just kept jumping and jumping and jumping and you could still see they were alive because they were flailing around." � Kenny Johannemon, who was inside One World Trade Center when the first plane hit the building Lucky to Be Alive "I ran into a fellow, Tom Coulden, who was on the 64th floor of the North Tower when the first plane hit. He said everything was orderly. They were evacuating. But when the second explosion occurred and they lost power, lost lights, it was pandemonium. He said they just rushed down the stairs, firefighters were there to try to lead them out. He came out dazed, covered with soot, covered with ash. Staggering away from the building, lucky to be alive." � ABCNEWS reporter Al Jones "Someone on the train noticed that there was smoke above the World Trade Center and said, 'Do you see that smoke over the World Trade Center?' None of us really looked up. I even remember thinking how it's funny you don't get alarmed about these things. Then within five-10 minutes, the person sitting next to him said, 'Oh my God, a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center!' and we all rushed to window and watched it burst into flames." � Kavita Menon, 28, commuting from Brooklyn to Manhattan on the F train, which runs above ground at certain points "I was looking at the smoke and saw a plane heading low over lower Manhattan. It banked and headed straight for the middle of the other tower. It looked like it flew right through the building." � Jennifer Tammi, 33, a doctoral student taking an elevated subway train from her home in Brooklyn to Columbia University in upper Manhattan "People are running like crazy. People are screaming and running like crazy. It's a stampede. I've never seen anything like this." � Corey Goldman, ABCNEWS.com reporter outside the World Trade Center, moments after the second tower collapsed �I�m So Scared� "Have you ever seen bodies piled up covered in soot? Contorted? You never forget something like that." � Unidentified witness speaking to ABCNEWS "I was at work at 46th Street and I ran all the way down here after I called my father. I'm so scared. I'm so scared. I'm so scared." � Another unidentified man speaking to ABCNEWS "This the top of the list, it couldn't get worse than this." � Tyron Johnson, a fireman with Ladder Co. 24 "It took an hour to get out. Sometimes it was calm and orderly, other times it was complete bedlam." � Tom Grassi, a Port Authority employee working in Tower One of the World Trade Center "I thought it was an earthquake at first." � Tani Hironaka, who was on the 80th floor of Tower One when the plane struck the building "They were lying on the floors, coming down the stairs. A lot of people had asthma attacks while they were coming down. � It was bad." � Debbie Troy, who was working on the 56th floor of One World Trade Center when the plane crashed into the building about 10 floors above "That's what's got to be most upsetting. The firemen and people in the building. 'Cause I know they didn't make it. I know they didn't make it." � Bill Heitman, who was working in the towers at the time of the attack. A New York City emergency response center was in one of the towers. Outrage From World Leaders "The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts." � President Bush "First of all, I am offering my condolences, the condolences of the Palestinian people to the American President, President Bush, to his government, to the American people for this terrible act." Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat "Commending the victims to almighty God's mercy, I implore his strength upon all involved in rescue efforts and in caring for the survivors." Pope John Paul II in a letter to President Bush "This is our second Pearl Harbor, right here in the nation's capital and New York City." Sen. John Warner, R-Va., after his office building was evacuated "This is the second Pearl Harbor. I don't think that I overstate it." Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. "It was the most horrific scene I've ever seen in my whole life." NYC mayor Rudolph Giuliani "This mass terrorism is the new evil in our world today." British Prime Minister Tony Blair
