US on war footing
( 2001-09-13 11:23 ) (7 )

US President George W. Bush said Wednesday the terror attacks on the United States which killed thousands were an "act of war".

As rescuers searched through the rubble of the obliterated World Trade Centre in New York and the still-burning Pentagon in Washington, heavily armed FBI agents reportedly detained several people at a Boston hotel. Agents were also searching several homes in Florida, after having traced the movements of a group of Arab men down the east coast, the FBI said.

The raids were believed to be linked to the attacks. No further details were available.

Mr Bush said the US was prepared to spend "whatever it takes" to hunt down the perpetrators.

"The deliberate and deadly attacks which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror, they were acts of war," Mr Bush said at the White House after meeting members of his national security team.

"This will be a monumental struggle of good versus evil. But good will prevail."

Before Thursday morning's raids, Boston newspapers had reported that local authorities had identified five Arab men as suspects in the hijacking of the two planes flown into the World Trade Centre. Luggage that missed the flight was found to contain copies of the Koran, a flight instruction video tape and a fuel-consumption calculator.

Secretary of State Colin Powell earlier spoke of a tough military response to the attacks.

Mr Powell stopped short of a formal declaration of war in statements on morning talk shows but warned of a "long-term conflict" as the international intelligence noose closed on Islamic militant Osama bin Laden.

"The American people have made a judgment: we are at war and they want a comprehensive response. They want us to act as if we are at war and we are going to do that," he said. "That's the way they see it. You can't see it any other way, whether legally that is correct or not."

When asked if he personally viewed the situation that way, he said: "I do. We've got to respond as if it is a war. We've got to respond with sense . . . it isn't going to be resolved with a single counter-attack against one individual. It's going to be a long-term conflict."

Reports out of Pakistan and Afghanistan suggested that Saudi-born militant bin Laden was pleased with the destruction but denied responsibility. "The terrorist act is the action of some American group. I have nothing to do with it," Pakistan's Khabrain newspaper quoted him as saying through sources close to Afghanistan's ruling Taleban.

In Germany, the office of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder revealed that Western intelligence agencies viewed bin Laden as the culprit.

German, French, British and Israeli secret services believed "the choice of targets, the military approach, the apparent motive, the professional preparation, the extent of the financial resources involved and the repeat attacks indicate that the culprits can be found in the entourage of Osama bin Laden", the spokesman for Mr Schroeder said.

Mr Bush spent 20 minutes talking by phone to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The President earlier threatened action, "not just against terrorists, but countries harbouring them", a clear warning to both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The air strikes stunned global markets on Wednesday, with Asian stocks suffering heavy losses.

The Hang Seng Index plunged through the 10,000-point barrier, losing 8.86 per cent to close at 9,493.62 points, while Tokyo's Nikkei-225 Index fell 6.63 per cent to 9,610.1. But London stocks closed up 2.79 per cent at 4,882.1.

A concerted move by central bankers to shore up market confidence left the dollar steady at 119.31 yen and 90.49 US cents to the euro. Crude oil fell back after climbing to US$29.06. It stood at US$28.40 per barrel in midday London trade. America's markets remained closed but are expected to open Thursday.

In light of the attacks, negotiators in Geneva on Thursday decided to postpone until Monday a decision on admitting China to the World Trade Organisation.

As pressure intensified on Mr Bush to launch military retaliation, Mr Powell appeared to play down the threat of an immediate strike, claiming he did not know who was responsible. "We are far from selecting any particular military targets or how to go after those targets at this time. We've got to build a case," he said.

Estimates of the death toll after the attacks continued to climb as rescue workers sifted through rubble in Washington and New York.

New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani warned that the final death toll could be "horrendous" as New Yorkers awoke to a clouds of dust and smoke above the city.

International investment bank Morgan Stanley Dean Witter said it had yet to account for 3,500 workers. The financial house occupied 25 floors of the centre and was its biggest tenant. Fourteen Chinese firms were also registered as tenants.

Some reports indicated that people trapped by debris could still be alive. Some trapped victims had used cell phones to call relatives.

At least one police officer was pulled alive from the wreckage with severe burns.

It could be weeks before an accurate death toll is known. Already more than 70 police and up to 300 firefighters are feared dead in New York. Several senior FBI counter-terrorist agents are also feared dead after having rushed to the scene.

In Washington, officials said an estimated 880 military personnel were still unaccounted for at the Pentagon.