Bush was assassins' target

11.00 am

The White House said this morning it had "credible information" that President Bush's plane, Air Force One, may have been a target of yesterday's terror attacks and that the hijacked plane that hit the Pentagon was headed for his official residence, the White House.

And some of the hijackers who commandeered planes used in terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were trained as pilots in the United States, US Attorney-General John Ashcroft announced.

One suspect was named as Mohamed Atta, who is believed to have spent several months in flight training in Florida. He is thought to have been aboard one of two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center towers.

"A number of the suspected hijackers were trained as pilots in United States," Ashcroft told reporters.

"Four planes were hijacked by between three to six individuals per plane, using knives and box-cutters and in some cases making threats," Ashcroft said.

He confirmed the attackers also targeted the White House and and Air Force One. Bush was using the plane on a routine trip to Florida yesterday.

Those targets were not hit but the World Trade Center towers in New York City were toppled and the Pentagon, headquarters of the US military, was gashed and set aflame. A fourth hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

In other developments today:

WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush called the terror attacks in New York and Washington "acts of war" and vowed America would win out. He asked Congress for emergency authority to spend whatever it takes to recover from the worst attack on US soil. Officials said there was evidence the White House and presidential jet Air Force One had also been targets.

NEW YORK - Rescuers battled to find any survivors buried in the hellish ruins of the World Trade Center as the nation braced for a death toll expected to climb well into the thousands.

NEW YORK - Remnants of One Liberty Plaza in the World Trade Center collapsed, sending rescuers scurrying yet again from the site of the attack that destroyed the centre's twin towers. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

WASHINGTON - FBI Director Robert Mueller denied reports of arrests, but said a few people were being questioned about their immigration status.

DUBAI - United Arab Emirates official sources said two men who were reported to be suspects in the attacks were Saudi nationals with international driving licences issued in the UAE.

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States wanted to build a global coalition to fight terrorism, that would include not only Nato allies, Russia and China but also Muslim states.

BRUSSELS - Nato invoked a mutual defence clause for the first time in its history, pledging collective assistance to the US if it responds militarily to the attacks. The clause commits each member nation to take "such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area".

WASHINGTON - A grim Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said those who carried out the attack would get no advance warning of military punishment from the United States.

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon reopened for limited business as rescue teams searched through rubble for around 200 missing defence workers. Rumsfeld said earlier estimates that as many as 800 workers could be unaccounted for appeared much too high.

WASHINGTON - The US government cleared airlines for limited service and imposed tougher security requirements for airports and airlines, including a ban on knives and curb-side check-in. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said flights diverted during the attack would be allowed to fly to their original destinations.

BERLIN - Germany said its intelligence agencies agreed with those in France, Britain and Israel that Saudi militant Osama bin Laden was probably behind the attacks, but they did not have hard evidence.

KABUL - The ruling Taleban movement said any retaliatory US strikes would only sow hatred in the region. Security was tightened in Kabul and foreign aid workers began to leave.

NEW YORK - US stock markets will remain closed for a third day on Thursday. Full or partial equities trading will resume as early as Friday and no later than Monday, New York Stock Exchange Chairman Richard Grasso said. Trading in US Treasuries is set to reopen on Thursday.

WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund said it expected only a limited impact on the global economy from the attacks and that it stood ready to help countries that may need help.

PARIS - The world went on alert. More than 50 US missions were closed around the globe, troops and police guarded key transport points and airlines, US companies and other potential targets switched to top security. Flights to the US were cancelled en masse.

UNITED NATIONS/BERLIN/SANTIAGO - The United Nations compound in New York was evacuated after an unidentified threat to the complex, a UN spokesman said. There were also bomb threats at Germany's Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Qatar's embassy in Washington and US and Israeli targets in Chile.

LOS ANGELES - The co-creator of "Frasier", the widow of actor Tony Perkins, the wife of the nation's top legal officer and a man who had flown across the US to retrieve his family's dog, were among those killed in the attacks, officials said.

The New Zealand Herald will publish another special edition this morning with extensive coverage of the terrorist attacks in the USA. Look for your copy on sale throughout the Herald circulation area at noon.

Full coverage: Terror in America

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The fatal flights

Emergency telephone numbers for friends and family of victims and survivors

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 of victims and survivors

Air New Zealand flights affected

Air NZ flight information: 0800 737-000.