VOA News on 9·11 新闻回顾


There have been a series of attacks on famous buildings in New York City and in Washington D.C. Two airplanes that reportedly were hijacked crashed into both buildings of the World Trade Center in New York. The buildings burst into flames. Later both buildings fell down. The two buildings were among the tallest in the world. There is no official estimate of the number of people killed or injured.

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Just minutes after that attack, an explosion was reported at the headquarters of the Unites States Defense Department near Washington. Reports say a plane was flying extremely low over the Pentagon building before the explosive. A fire there is said to be burning uncontrollably. An American official say a plane hijacked in Pennsylvania reportedly hit a helicopter landing area near the Pentagon. Smoke also was seen in the center of Washington. Many federal government employees have been ordered to leave their offices. Many people are fleeing the area. President Bush said the crashes in New York are an apparent terrorist attack. He ordered a complete investigation to hunt down those responsible for the attacks.
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The president was visiting the American state of Florida. Federal flight officials have halted all airplane flights across the United States. The World Trade Center was bombed in the terrorist attack in 1993. That attacked killed 6 people and injured more than 1000 other people. In addition to the plane crash in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, there has been another plane crash in the eastern United States. An official said a large passenger airplane crashed near the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was not immediately known if this attack was related to the others. There was also no immediate information about how many people may have been on that plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

Leaders of other countries are expressing horror and sadness at the serious attacks in the United States. French President Jacque Chirac says the people of France are completely at the side of the American people. British Prime Minister Tony Blair called the attacks a most terrible shocking event. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his sympathy to the American people; Mr. Putin condemned the attacks in New York and Washington.

China's president has sent a message of sympathy to the United States, following the devastating terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Taiwan's leader denounced Tuesday's violence. And both governments tightened security around U.S. facilities.
Large pictures of the collapsing World Trade Towers appeared prominently on the front page of China's official press, along with a straightforward and detailed account of the attack that leveled these symbols of U.S. economic strength. "Big news! Huge news! Thousands dead!" Says this man selling newspapers.

Another front page story details a midnight message of "deep sympathy" from China's President Jiang Zemin to President Bush and the American people. Chinese officials have increased security around U.S. diplomatic buildings. "Many ordinary Chinese said it was wrong for terrorists to attack innocent Americans," said a chinese man on the street. But others, like this man, said "America's military action against other countries and arrogance in dealing with other nations may have sparked the attacks".

Meantime, President Jiang said he was worried about the staff of Chinese businesses and institutions that had offices in the wrecked towers.
Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian "gravely condemned the violence" and ordered stronger security for U.S. businesses and institutions on the island, as well as more vigilance at airports and other key installations.

Former U.S. president, Bill Clinton, canceled a planned trip to Taiwan, and airliners flying from China or Taiwan to the U.S. were rerouted or ordered to return home as American authorities closed U.S. airspace for the first time in U.S. history.
The attacks began apparently when small groups of knife-wielding terrorists seized four civilian airliners Tuesday morning and crashed three of them into the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is asking the international community to help hunt down those responsible for Tuesday's terrorist attacks.
Secretary Powell says it is not just the terrorists who planned the violence who must be brought to justice. He says the Bush administration is calling on its international allies to help identify those nations who might have provided cover or safe haven to this terrorist group.

"We have to make the whole world understand that this is something that we all have to be involved in and not just see it as a discreet response to a single incident," Mr. Powell said. "We'll do that. But we have to realize that terrorism has been around for a very long time, and it is going to take a very long time to root it out. What the President was specifically focusing on last night is that there are nations, there are states, there are organizations that provide havens and these states and organizations cannot be given a free ride any longer."

In a nationwide speech Tuesday night, President Bush said the United States will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed what he called "mass murder" and those who harbor them.
Secretary Powell says the diplomatic response to the violence will focus on assisting investigators to find out who is responsible for the attacks. Once they do, he said President Bush will consider every response, including a military strike.

Mr. Powell says he understands the anger of the more than 90 percent of Americans who say they favor using the military to respond to these attacks, even if it means starting a war.
"We're mad. We were assaulted. But our spirit wasn't assaulted, and our fighting spirit was not assaulted, so we want to respond," he said. "You don't attack America like this and get away with it. So I can assure the American people that if the president is able to get the information pinpointing who it is and where they are and get targetable information, I am quite confident that he will look at every option available to him to respond."
Secretary Powell said he would not speculate on who is responsible for the violence. He defended America's intelligence community saying they have prevented many attacks in the past and may have important information now to help identify those behind Tuesday's violence.