World seeks answers

Americans reeling from history's worst act of terrorism are now demanding to know how four teams of hijackers could breach their national security to kill thousands of people.

Shockwaves from the attacks on New York and Washington were felt yesterday in financial markets, air travel and in security clamps at public facilities all over the world.

A global investigation involving numerous American and foreign security agencies is focusing on Afghanistan-based terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

Names of five suspects have been gleaned from passenger lists.

Information given by an airline attendant before she died may have led to raids last night on the homes of two passengers based near Miami who are suspected of having links to the terrorist.

A Pakistani newspaper, Khabrain, said bin Laden had denied responsibility.

"The terrorist act is the action of some American group. I have nothing to do with it," it quoted him as saying via "sources close to the Taleban".

America yesterday threatened retaliation against those responsible.

Last night the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise was being repositioned in the Persian Gulf, joining the carrier Carl Vinson.

US forces in the Gulf area were on high alert.

The death toll from the airborne attacks on New York and Washington remained unknown early today - but even before the sites could be safely searched, the numbers had reached almost 1500.

Many thousands more are believed dead or trapped in the wreckage of the calamity which rocked the nation's seats of finance and government.

Authorities have not released details of those dead or missing.

The New Zealand consul-general in New York, Jane Cunliffe, had no reports of Kiwi casualties but said up to 1000 worked in the environs of the World Trade Center.

In a nationally televised address, President George W. Bush pledged to hunt down and punish those responsible "for these cowardly actions".

"Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror," he said.

It is likely to be the deadliest day in American history, surpassing the worst event of the civil war, when around 4000 died, and the attack on Pearl Harbor, which killed 2390 Americans.

Last night New York resembled a bloodied war zone.

The area around the destroyed towers was sealed, even to rescue workers, for fear of falling debris.

National Guard troops, wearing helmets and bullet-proof vests, guarded major intersections and areas including the United Nations complex.

American skies remained no-fly zones overnight, and major financial markets were ordered closed for a second day.

Economists said the devastation could be felt by the world economy for years.

The Federal Reserve, aiming to protect the banking system, said it would provide extra money to banks if needed.

Initial shock has moved to concern at America's catastrophic failure to prevent the hijackings and kamikaze crashes.

Former Secretary of State James Baker summed up the growing alarm, saying the US had experienced no aircraft hijacking for 10 years - and now had suffered four simultaneously, three of which achieved their deadly aims.

Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, revealed that US intelligence had intercepted communications between bin Laden supporters discussing attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

He had been briefed and "we know that people on [one of the aircraft] appear associated with bin Laden ... I'm really ticked off.

"We should have bin Laden on the defensive so he would be thinking about how we are going to take them, rather than him plotting massive terrorist plots."

Secretary of State Colin Powell denied authorities knew of any specific threats, but an Arab newspaper editor in London revealed that he had received a warning from fundamentalists close to bin Laden of a "huge and unprecedented attack".

He had not taken the threat seriously.

The hijackers violated security measures at three eastern seaboard airports and stabbed American Airlines and United Airlines crew with knives and cardboard-cutters before taking control of the planes.

Chilling details emerged from the stricken aircraft through cellphone calls by passengers and, in one instance, a crew member.

One said the hijackers forced them and the pilots to the rear of the plane and ordered them to call their loved ones to tell them they were about to die.

All 266 people aboard the four aircraft died. Up to 800 defence staff are feared dead at the Pentagon and 300 New York firefighters and up to 85 city police officers are dead.

The world's airline system virtually ground to a halt yesterday as hundreds of flights were cancelled or diverted after the grounding of all civilian flights to, from and within the United States.

In New Zealand, the Government ordered the screening of domestic and international passengers at all main airports.

Full coverage: Terror in America

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The fatal flights

Emergency telephone numbers for friends and family of victims

These numbers are valid for calls from within New Zealand, but may be overloaded at the moment.

United Airlines: 0168 1800 932 8555

American Airlines: 0168 1800 245 0999

NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade: 0800 872 111

US Embassy in Wellington (recorded info): 04 472 2068

Online database for friends and family