The Star Press from Muncie, Indiana • Page 34

Page designer K. Scott 11 to i :) im i jPHi mvim A United says two planes crashed. The airline said 1 10 people were aboard the downed jetliners Page 6 The Star Press Tuesday, September 1 1 2001 "I heard the engine gun two different times and then I heard a loud bang, and the windows of the houses all around rattled. I looked up and I saw the smoke coming up." Michael R. Merringer near crash scene in Pennsylvania By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SHANKSV1LLE, Pa.

Two United Airlines jetliners crashed Tuesday morning, one in western Pennsylvania and the second at a location the airline did not immediately disclose. A total of 110 people were aboard the two planes, the airline said. One plane, United Flight 93, crashed' north of the Somerset County airport, a small airport about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania crash followed the crash of two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City. American Airlines initially said its planes crashed into the twin towers but later said that was unconfirmed.

175 crashed into the Trade Center. But the airline had no immediate comment. Because of the attacks in New York, the Federal Aviation Administration had ordered all departing flights canceled nationwide, and any planes already in the air were to land a the nearest airport. The Pennsylvania crash came after the order was issued. According to Somerset County dispatchers.

Flight 93 crashed about 9 a.m. Muncie time about 8 miles east of Jennerstown, WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh reported. Michael R. Merringer was out on a mountain bike ride with his wife. Amy, about two miles away from the crash site.

"1 heard the engine gun two "It shook the whole station," said Bruce Grine, owner of Grine's Service Center in Shanks-ville, about 2V4 miles from the crash. "Everybody ran outside, and by that time the fire whistle was blowing." United said that flight, a Boeing 757, left Newark, N.J., at 8:01 a.m., headed for San Francisco with 38 passengers, two pilots and five flight attendants. A second plane. United Flight 175. a Boeing 767, also crashed, the airline said, but it did not give a location.

That plane left Boston at 7:58 a.m., bound for Los Angeles with 56 passengers, two pilots and seven flight attendants, the airline said. United's pilots union said Flight different times and then I heard a loud bang and the windows of the houses all around rattled," Merringer said. "I looked up and I saw the smoke coming up." The couple rushed home and drove near the scene. "Everything was on fire and there was trees knocked down and there was a big hole in the ground," he said. Earlier Tuesday, terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center and the twin 110-story towers collapsed.

A plane also hit the Pentagon in Washington. In Chicago, United CEO James Goodwin said the airline was working with authorities including the FBI. United said it was sending a team to Pennsylvania to assist in the investigation and to provide assistance to family members, a 'Today's events are a tragedy and our prayers are with everyone at this time," Goodwin said. At Boston's Logan Airport, Joseph Lawless, director of public safety for the Massachusetts Port Authority, said a family assistance center had been set up and families were arriving at the airport. The three passenger terminals at Newark International Airport were evacuated.

At 11:30 a.m., several hundred people were still clustered at the Terminal A baggage carousel, while shotgun-toting officers patrolled. Ticket counters were deserted. World watches in horror i. i it In the West Bank city of Nablus, thousands of Palestinians poured into the streets to celebrate, chanting "God is Great" and distributing candy to passers-by, even as their leader, Yasser Arafat, expressed horror over the attacks. i7 a 1 tfrt" AV iran trir -i I VjmAi- Y.iAfetojJKS ir 11 channels switched to live coverage.

'This is pure mass murder," one commentator said. "My government condemns these terrorist attacks to the utmost," German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said. Airlines including British Airways, Scandinavia's SAS and Belgium's Sabena canceled flights across the Atlantic and recalled planes that were already in the air. In Puerto Rico, people scrambled for news of relatives and friends in New York, where an estimated 2 million Puerto Ricans live. Groups gathered on the corners of cobble-stoned streets in the colonial city of San Juan, clinging to strangers in search of more details.

"Dios mio, have mercy!" exclaimed a whited-haired man, making the sign of the cross as he watched the second tower explode on TV. Broadcasters around the world broke into programming to show images of the disaster. "It's incredible, I thought I was watching a Hollywood movie," said Hong Kong school teacher Doris Tang-In the Nigerian capital of Abuja, aghast hotel workers at the local Hilton stopped their chores watch. "If this can happen in America, then the whole world is not safe," said one, Augustine Okweche. took special security measures, including partial evacuations.

"It is impossible to fully comprehend the evil that would have conjured up such a cowardly and depraved assault upon thousands of innocent people," said Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the American people, calling the attacks "terrible tragedies." "This mass terrorism is the new evil in our world today," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "It is perpetrated by fanatics who are utterly indifferent to the sanctity of human life, and we the democracies of this world are going to have to come together and fight it together." Queen Elizabeth II said she watched developments in "growing disbelief and total shock" and offered her prayers to Americans. President Jacques Chirac of France called the attacks "There is no other word for it," he said in a televised statement. Arafat and his top aides followed the events at his seaside office in Gaza City, gathered around a TV set.

"I send my condolences to the president, the government and the people for this terrible incident," Arafat said. "We are completely shocked. It's unbelievable." The leaders of Northern Ireland's joint Protestant-Catholic government, Reg Empey and Sea-mus Mallon, also 'offered condolences. "As a society that has suffered from the effects of terrorism for over 30 years, we have some recognition and understanding of the hurt being felt by the American people," they wrote. "It is hard to comprehend what could motivate anyone to cause such misery, destruction and deliberate loss of human life." In Berlin, Foreign Ministry officials huddled in a crisis meeting.

Virtually all German TV The Associated Press CELEBRATING: A Palestinian woman receives free sweets from a vendor as groups of locals in Jerusalem's Old City celebrate after hearing the news of a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Taliban condemns attacks in U.S., denies bin Laden's involvement By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON Astonishing terrorist strikes in the United States quickly reached a global audience Tuesday, with many around the world watching live coverage as both World Trade Center towers collapsed. In the West Bank city of Nab-lus, thousands of Palestinians poured into the streets to celebrate, chanting "God is Great" and distributing candy to passers-by, even as their leader, Yasser Arafat, expressed horror over the attacks. Audiences were transfixed by the awful images from New York and Washington, and world leaders expressed solidarity with an America that looked more vulnerable than ever, offering a stream of condolences. Key indexes sank on world stock markets and some European airlines canceled flights to the United States and recalled planes already in the air.

Canada closed all border crossings with the United States, although the border with Mexico remained open. Many countries beefed up security at American embassies, and in Oslo, Norwegians left bouquets of flowers in a park near the U.S. Embassy. U.S. armed forces in Europe and Asia were put on high alert, and Israel closed its airspace to foreign flights.

NATO and European Union institutions also Theme parks shut down as precaution THE ORLANDO SENTINEL ORLANDO, Fla. From the theme parks to Kennedy Space Center to downtown Orlando, Central Florida raced to take unprecedented security precautions Tuesday in the wake of the country's worst terrorist attack. Walt Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld closed, KSC shut down. Disney closed down its theme parks and shopping areas at 11:25 a.m., announcing the news on loud speakers to Quests and cast members, many who had been there since 7 a.m. All four theme parks, all three water parks, all shopping areas, including Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island closed.

Disney officials say they do not know how long operations will remain closed. Theme park and store cast members were told to go home, but hotel workers were asked to stay on. Chairman, 71 disruptive is too answers First, we people and consider and KellV vft tt wtl nv -i of thing. At the time we did not take the warnings seriously as they had happened several times in the past and nothing happened. 'This time it seems his people were accurate and meant every word they said." Atwan, who interviewed bin Laden in 1996 and has since maintained contacts with his followers, said he believed the attack on the World Trade Center in New York was the work of "an Islamic fundamentalist group" close to bin Laden.

But Muttmain, who is the representative for the Taliban's reclusive leader Mullah Mohammed Omar and one of senior Taliban officials, dismissed allegations that bin Laden could be behind the attacks in the United States. "Such a big conspiracy, to have infiltrated in such a major way is impossible for Osama," said Muttmain. He said bin Laden does not have the facilities to orchestrate such a major assault within the United States. Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, who espouse a harsh brand of Islamic law, have resisted U.S. demands to hand over bin Laden, indicted in the United States on charges of masterminding the bombings of two U.S.

Embassies in East Africa in 1998 that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans. By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS '-KABUL, Afghanistan Afghanistan's hardline Taliban rulers condemned the devastating terrorist attacks in New York and Washing ton on Tuesday and rejected suggestions that Osama bin Laden could be behind them. "We never support terrorism. We too are targets of terrorism," Abdul bin LADEN Hai Muttmain, the Taliban's representative in (lie southern city of Kandahar, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. After the attacks, a London-based Arab journalist said followers of bin Laden warned 3 Weeks ago that they would carry out a "huge and unprecedented Mtack" on U.S.

interests. Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of the Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper, 6aid he received a warning from Islamic fundamentalists close to bin Laden, but did not take the threat seriously. 'They said it would be a huge and unprecedented attack but they did not specify," Atwan said in a telephone interview in London. "We usually receive this kind 4: '4 Th AssocicitsrJ Prss WATCHING: A crowd gathers in a market in downtown St. Paul, on Tuesday to watch television coverage of the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.

"All of the Muncie Community Schools were told to be aware of the possibility of increased security. Right now that is all we are doing." Marlin Creasy, superintendent Muncie Community Schools "This certainly affects everyone. Some kids will take it harder than others. This is a very important, tragic thing that will be talked about in the classrooms for several weeks to come." John Robbins, principal Southside High School "Obviously, this will be of business, but it early to know any after such a tragedy. must think about the who have been hurt killed, then we need to national security what might be next." Stanley C.FCi Ontario Oirn 1 1t 1 fr U.S.

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