America Under Attack

America Under Attack

On Tuesday, hijackers crashed two passenger jets into the World Trade

Center in New York City, toppling the 110-story twin towers and killing all

aboard the jets and an unknown number on the ground and in the building.

In a similar attack, another passenger plane struck the Pentagon, leaving a

gaping gash in the nation's military hub, killing all on board the plane

and more on the ground. Within an hour, a fourth airliner went down near

Pittsburgh, killing all aboard.

According to the FBI, the planes involved in the trade center crashes were

American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 en route from Boston to Los

Angeles carrying 81 passengers, nine flight attendants and two pilots, and

United Airlines Flight 175, a Boeing 767 also headed from Boston to Los

Angeles. Officials said the plane was carrying 56 passengers, two pilots

and seven flight attendants.

On Tuesday night, FBI issued several search warrants on U.S. residents

based on preliminary information on how two of the planes were hijacked.

They said a flight attendant called authorities from the airborne American

Airlines Flight 11, reporting that two flight attendants had been stabbed

and that intruders had broken into the cockpit. The Christian Science

Monitor reported that air traffic controllers could hear the hijackers of

Flight 11 instructing the pilots in English.

A passenger on the United flight that crashed outside Pittsburgh called

authorities from his cell phone, saying the plane had been hijacked. A

senior FBI official told ABCNEWS that investigators received reports that

other passengers were able to call 911 or relatives, and described horrific

scenes of terrorists slashing throats.