25 years ago, America faces ‘darkest hour’ as 9/11 terror attacks unfold – SCMP archive
This article was first published on September 12, 2001. America’s nightmare by Greg Torode in Washington President George W. Bush this morning (September 12, 2001) told the United States that thousands had lost their lives after two hijacked airliners destroyed New York’s World Trade Centre and another smashed into the Pentagon in the most brutal terrorist attacks in the nation’s history. Mr…
On September 12, 2001, President George W. Bush addressed the nation, informing the country that the most brutal terrorist attacks in American history had occurred. Two hijacked airliners had destroyed the World Trade Center in New York and another had struck the Pentagon. The attacks claimed thousands of lives and left the United States in a state of shock.
As his top security team prepared the nation for war, officials quickly ruled out missile strikes on Kabul, Afghanistan, as the cause of the attacks. The first hijacked plane had struck the World Trade Center early on September 11, and just 18 minutes later, a second plane hit the same building. Within 30 minutes, another airliner had crashed into the Pentagon.
A fourth plane went down near Pittsburgh, raising fears that it was headed towards Camp David, the presidential retreat. Presidents Bush and Cheney, along with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, gathered in the White House's secure situation room as military and government installations across the country went on high alert. Vice President Dick Cheney urged immediate action, stating, "We need to be prepared to act as if we are at war."
Senators John Warner and Orrin Hatch called for a united front against terrorism, with Warner describing the attacks as America's "darkest hour." The attacks resulted in the collapse of the World Trade Center's 110-story towers, which killed about 40,000 people. New York's hospitals were overwhelmed with burns victims, and the city's firefighting union feared 200 firefighters had lost their lives.
International flights were diverted to Canada, and all commercial flights in the US were grounded. The Federal Reserve pledged to inject more money into the banking system to keep the financial system functioning, while the New York Stock Exchange was closed for two days. The White House, Pentagon, Supreme Court, and Capitol Hill were evacuated, with only emergency bunkers remaining operational.
The U.S. military and most sensitive agencies were placed on full alert, with extra security forces deployed. The White House, Pentagon, National Security Agency, and other key facilities were evacuated. The Red Cross requested emergency blood donations, and National Guard volunteers were summoned in Washington and New York. Roads leading away from the cities were jammed with traffic.
As investigations began, government sources linked the attacks to Osama bin Laden, who was believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. Analysts and experts praised the audacious nature of the attacks, which took a logistics operation from a terror group like none other.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
