With All Honor, Love and Respect
September 11: Chronology of terror
September 12, 2001 Posted: 12:27 PM EDT (1627 GMT)
8:45 a.m. (all times are EDT): A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines
Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the north tower of the
World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire.
Plane hits WTC.
9:03 a.m.: A second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston,
crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes. Both
buildings are burning.
9:17 a.m.: The Federal Aviation Administration shuts down all New York City
area airports.
9:21 a.m.: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey orders all bridges
and tunnels in the New York area closed.
9:30 a.m.: President Bush, speaking in Sarasota, Florida, says the country has
suffered an "apparent terrorist attack."
9:40 a.m.: The FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports, the first time
in U.S. history that air traffic nationwide has been halted.9:43 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a
huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately.
9:45 a.m.: The White House evacuates.
9:57 a.m.: Bush departs from Florida.
10:05 a.m.: The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting
into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly
drifts away from the building.
Pentagon burns.
10:08 a.m.: Secret Service agents armed with automatic rifles are deployed into
Lafayette Park across from the White House.
10:10 a.m.: A portion of the Pentagon collapses.10:10 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93, also hijacked, crashes in Somerset
County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh.
10:13 a.m.: The United Nations building evacuates, including 4,700 people from
the headquarters building and 7,000 total from UNICEF and U.N. development
programs.
10:22 a.m.: In Washington, the State and Justice departments are evacuated,
along with the World Bank.
10:24 a.m.: The FAA reports that all inbound transatlantic aircraft flying
into the United States are being diverted to Canada.
Pennsylvania crash scene
10:28 a.m.: The World Trade Center's north tower collapses from the top down
as if it were being peeled apart, releasing a tremendous cloud of debris and
smoke.
10:45 a.m.: All federal office buildings in Washington are evacuated.
10.46 a.m.: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell cuts short his trip to Latin
America to return to the United States.
First tower falls.
10.48 a.m.: Police confirm the plane crash in Pennsylvania.
10:53 a.m.: New York's primary elections, scheduled for Tuesday, are postponed.
10:54 a.m.: Israel evacuates all diplomatic missions.
10:57 a.m.: New York Gov. George Pataki says all state government offices are
closed.
CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT
11:02 a.m.: New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urges New Yorkers to stay at
home and orders an evacuation of the area south of Canal Street.
11:16 a.m.: CNN reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is
preparing emergency-response teams in a precautionary move.
11:18 a.m.: American Airlines reports it has lost two aircraft. American Flight
11, a Boeing 767 flying from Boston to Los Angeles, had 81 passengers and
11 crew aboard. Flight 77, a Boeing 757 en route from Washington's
Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles, had 58 passengers and six
crew members aboard. Flight 11 slammed into the north tower of the World
Trade Center. Flight 77 hit the Pentagon.
11:26 a.m.: United Airlines reports that United Flight 93, en route from
Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, has crashed in Pennsylvania.
The airline also says that it is "deeply concerned" about United Flight 175.
11:59 a.m.: United Airlines confirms that Flight 175, from Boston to Los
Angeles, has crashed with 56 passengers and nine crew members aboard. It hit
the World Trade Center's south tower.
12:04 p.m.: Los Angeles International Airport, the destination of three of the
crashed airplanes, is evacuated.
12:15 p.m: San Francisco International Airport is evacuated and shut down. The
airport was the destination of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.
Second tower falls.12:15 p.m.: The Immigration and Naturalization Service says U.S. borders with
Canada and Mexico are on the highest state of alert, but no decision
has been made about closing borders.
12:30 p.m.: The FAA says 50 flights are in U.S. airspace, but none are
reporting any problems.
1:04 p.m.: Bush, speaking from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, says
that all appropriate security measures are being taken, including putting
the U.S. military on high alert worldwide. He asks for prayers for those
killed or wounded in the attacks and says, "Make no mistake, the United
States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly
acts." 1:27 p.m.: A state of emergency is declared by the city of Washington.
1:44 p.m.: The Pentagon says five warships and two aircraft carriers will
leave the U.S. Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia, to protect the East Coast
from further attack and to reduce the number of ships in port.
The two carriers, the USS George Washington and the USS John F. Kennedy, are headed
for the New York coast. The other ships headed to sea are frigates and guided
missile destroyers capable of shooting down aircraft.
1:48 p.m.: Bush leaves Barksdale Air Force Base aboard Air Force One and flies
to an Air Force base in Nebraska.
Bush: "Attacks cowardly."
2 p.m.: Senior FBI sources tell CNN they are working on the assumption that
the four airplanes that crashed were hijacked as part of a terrorist attack.
2:30 p.m.: The FAA announces there will be no U.S. commercial air traffic
until noon EDT Wednesday at the earliest.
2:49 p.m.: At a news conference, Giuliani says that subway and bus service are
partially restored in New York City. Asked about the number of people
killed, Giuliani says, "I don't think we want to speculate about that --
more than any of us can bear."
3:55 p.m.: Karen Hughes, a White House counselor, says the president is at an
undisclosed location, later revealed to be Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska,
and is conducting a National Security Council meeting by phone. Vice President
Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice are in a secure
facility at the White House. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is at the
Pentagon.
3:55 p.m.: Giuliani now says the number of critically injured in New York City
is up to 200 with 2,100 total injuries reported.
4 p.m: CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor reports that U.S.
officials say there are "good indications" that Saudi militant Osama bin Laden,
suspected of coordinating the bombings of two U.S. embassies in 1998, is
involved in the attacks, based on "new and specific" information developed
since the attacks.
4:06 p.m.: California Gov. Gray Davis dispatches urban search-and-rescue teams
to New York.
4:10 p.m.: Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex is reported on fire.
New York Mayor Giuliani
4:20 p.m.: U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Florida, chairman of the Senate Intelligence
Committee, says he was "not surprised there was an attack (but) was surprised
at the specificity." He says he was "shocked at what actually happened -- the
extent of it."
4:25 p.m.: The American Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the New York Stock
Exchange say they will remain closed Wednesday.
4:30 p.m.: The president leaves Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska aboard Air
Force One to return to Washington.
Soot-covered man
5:15 p.m.: CNN Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports fires are
still burning in part of the Pentagon. No death figures have been
released yet.
5:20 p.m.: The 47-story Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex
collapses. The evacuated building is damaged when the twin towers across the
street collapse earlier in the day. Other nearby buildings in the area
remain ablaze.
5:30 p.m.: CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King reports that U.S.
officials say the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania could have been headed
for one of three possible targets: Camp David, the White House or the U.S.
Capitol building.
6 p.m.: Explosions are heard in Kabul, Afghanistan, hours after terrorist
attacks targeted financial and military centers in the United States. The
attacks occurred at 2:30 a.m. local time. Afghanistan is believed to be where
bin Laden, who U.S. officials say is possibly behind Tuesday's deadly attacks,
is located. U.S. officials say later that the United States had
no involvement in the incident whatsoever. The attack is credited to the
Northern Alliance, a group fighting the Taliban in the country's
ongoing civil war.
6:10 p.m.:Giuliani urges New Yorkers to stay home Wednesday if they can.
Stunned onlookers
6:40 p.m.: Rumsfeld, the U.S. defense secretary, holds a news conference
in the Pentagon, noting the building is operational. "It will be in business
tomorrow," he says.
6:54 p.m.: Bush arrives back at the White House aboard Marine One and is
scheduled to address the nation at 8:30 p.m. The president earlier landed
at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland with a three-fighter jet escort. CNN's
King reports Laura Bush arrived earlier by motorcade from a
"secure location." 7:17 p.m.: U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft says the FBI is
setting up a Web site for tips on the attacks: www.ifccfbi.gov
. He also says family and friends of possible victims can leave contact
information at 800-331-0075.
7:02 p.m.: CNN's Paula Zahn reports the Marriott Hotel near the World Trade
Center is on the verge of collapse and says some New York bridges are now open
to outbound traffic.
WTC devastation7:45 p.m.: The New York Police Department says that at least 78 officers are
missing. The city also says that as many as half of the first 400 firefighters
on the scene were killed.
8:30 p.m.: President Bush addresses the nation, saying "thousands of
lives were suddenly ended by evil" and asks for prayers for the families
and friends of Tuesday's victims. "These acts shattered steel, but they
cannot dent the steel of American resolve," he says. The president says
the U.S. government will make no distinction between the terrorists who
committed the acts and those who harbor them. He adds that government
offices in Washington are reopening for essential personnel Tuesday
night and for all workers Wednesday.
9:22 p.m.: CNN's McIntyre reports the fire at the Pentagon is still
burning and is considered contained but not under control.
9:57 p.m.: Giuliani says New York City schools will be closed Wednesday
and no more volunteers are needed for Tuesday evening's rescue efforts.
He says there is hope that there are still people alive in rubble.
He also says that power is out on the westside of Manhattan and that
health department tests show there are no airborne chemical agents
about which to worry.
10:49 p.m.: CNN Congressional Correspondent Jonathan Karl reports that
Attorney General Ashcroft told members of Congress that there were
three to five hijackers on each plane armed only with knives.
10:56 p.m: CNN's Zahn reports that New York City police believe there are
people alive in buildings near the World Trade Center.
11:54 p.m.: CNN Washington Bureau Chief Frank Sesno reports that a
government official told him there was an open microphone on one of the
hijacked planes and that sounds of discussion and "duress" were heard.
Sesno also reports a source says law enforcement has "credible" information
and leads and is confident about the investigation.
