US releases names of 19 hijackers
( 2001-09-15 09:30 ) (7 )

The US Justice Department Friday released the names of the 19 hijackers involved in Tuesday's devastating attacks on New York and Washington.

Many of the 19, believed to have had pilot's training, had lived in Florida. Others were listed as living in New Jersey, California, Massachusetts and Arizona. All had Middle Eastern names.

The Justice Department had originally said there were 18 hijackers, but there were five hijackers instead of four on American Airlines Flight 77, which hit the Defense Department building.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched worldwide for possible suspects who had recent flight training, ties to the hijackers or their backers, or attempted to enter the United States recently.

On Tuesday, two hijacked passenger planes rammed the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. A third plane crashed into the western end of the Pentagon building in Washington and another plane crashed in western Pennsylvania. All 266 people onboard the planes were killed and thousands more are feared dead.