Chronology of terror

September 12, 2001 Posted: 7:53 AM EDT (1153 GMT)

8:45 a.m.: A large plane, possibly a hijacked airliner, crashes into one
of the World Trade Center towers, tearing a gaping hole in the building and
setting it afire.

9:03 a.m.: A second plane, apparently a passenger jet, crashes into the
second World Trade Center tower and explodes. Both buildings are burning.

9:17 a.m.: The FAA shuts down all New York City area airports.

9:21 a.m.: New York City Port Authority orders all bridges and tunnels in the
New York City area closed

9:30 a.m.: Bush, speaking in Florida, says the country has suffered an
"apparent terrorist attack."

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< !--===========CAPTION==========--> Plane hits WTC. < !--===========/CAPTION=========-->

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.: An aircraft 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.

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< !--===========CAPTION==========--> Pentagon burns. < !--===========/CAPTION=========-->

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 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.

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< !--===========CAPTION==========--> Pennsylvania crash scene < !--===========/CAPTION=========-->

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.

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< !--===========CAPTION==========--> First tower falls. < !--===========/CAPTION=========-->

10.48 a.m.: Police confirm the crash of a large plane in Somerset County,
Pennsylvania.

10:53 a.m.: New York's primary elections scheduled for today 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  VIDEO/AUDIO Exclusive video of crash at WTC Sights and sounds  MORE STORIES Terror attacks hit U.S. Blast rocks Pentagon Industry, media figures among crash fatalities World shock over U.S. attacks  EXTRA INFORMATION Chronology of terror Partial list of those killed in Tuesday's attacks penWindow('/interactive/us/0109/terror/frameset.exclude.html','620x430','toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=no,wi dth=620,height=430')" style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 9px">Photo Gallery CNNFN: Special Report  RESOURCES Text of Bush's address Quotes from witnesses and leaders Emergency contact information

11:02 a.m.: 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
Airport to Los Angeles, had 58 passengers and six crew members aboard. Flight 11
slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.

11:26 a.m.: United Airlines reports that United Flight 93, en route from
Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, has crashed in Pennsylvania, southeast of
Pittsburgh. 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. Emergency
personnel at the scene say there are no survivors.

12:04 p.m.: Los Angeles International Airport 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.

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< !--===========CAPTION==========--> Second tower falls. < !--===========/CAPTION=========-->

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, 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.: President Bush leaves Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana aboard
Air Force One and flies to an undisclosed location.

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< !--===========CAPTION==========--> "Attacks cowardly" < !--===========/CAPTION=========-->

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.

2:49 p.m.: At a news conference, Giuliani says that subway and bus service
are 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 an Air Force base in Nebraska, and is
conducting a National Security Council meeting by phone. Vice President ****
Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice are in a security 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 bin Laden 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 City.

4:10 p.m.: Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex is reported on fire.

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< !--===========CAPTION==========--> New York Mayor Giuliani < !--===========/CAPTION=========-->

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.

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< !--===========CAPTION==========--> Soot-covered man < !--===========/CAPTION=========-->

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 the home
of Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, who U.S. officials say is possibly behind
Tuesday's deadly attacks. U.S. officials say later that the United States had no
involvement in the incident whatsoever.

6:10 p.m.: Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urges New Yorkers to stay home Wednesday if
they can.

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< !--===========CAPTION==========--> Stunned onlookers < !--===========/CAPTION=========-->

6:40 p.m.: U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld 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 with a three-fighter jet escort. CNN's John 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.

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< !--===========CAPTION==========--> WTC devastation < !--===========/CAPTION=========-->

7:45 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. (all times are EDT): 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 shatter
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.

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