A detailed account of the 9/11 events has emerged from former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who took to social networking site Twitter to recount the mayhem that unfolded as America came under attack on September 11.
Fleischer, working alongside the then US president George W. Bush, said that he received a page on his pager telling him that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.
Recounting how the deadly attacks were initially perceived to be an "accident", Fleischer tweeted, "As soon as I got the page, I hussled out of my car 2 tell the Pres. He was shaking hands with school officials - none of whom knew the news. After the President finished shaking hands, Karl Rove informed him of what we thought had to be an 'accident'."
Fleischer wrote that President Bush went into a holding room and called the then U.S Secretary of State Condolezza Rice and instructed her to make resources available to help New York, still thinking that it was an accident.
At 9:03 am, Fleischer added, as the United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower the "White House Chief of Staff Andy Card interrupts the Pres to whisper in his ear - the second tower has been hit. 'America is under attack'."
"Just before Andy walked in, I got a 2nd page saying the 2nd tower had been hit. I knew instantly it had to be terrorism," Ari added.
Detailing how he prevented the President from speaking to the press, the former White House Secretary wrote, "I wrote on back of a legal pad "DON'T SAY ANYTHING YET". I wanted him 2b briefed b4 talking. I put my back to the press and held up the sign."
Fleischer went on to discuss how POTUS (President of the United States of America) George Bush addressed a group in the gym saying, "Today, we've had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country. I have spoken to the vice president, to the governor of New York, to the director of the FBI, and I've ordered that the full resources of the federal government go to help the victims and their families and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act."
Fleischer also recounted how the Secret Service did not want the President to return to DC and how the military kicked into Cold War training to protect former President Bush by flying at 45,000 feet in a random pattern.
Later, quoting Bush, Fleischer tweeted, "We're at war Dick (Cheney) and we're going to find out who did this and we're going to kick their a**."
According to Fleischer, Bush also told the First Lady Laura Bush, "If I'm in the WH (White House) and there's a plane coming my way, all I can say is I hope I read my Bible that day."
Bush also called Ted Olson, the Solicitor General, whose wife was killed on Flight 77 while Fleischer stepped out of the President's cabin so he could have privacy.
Flesicher also added that he didn't remember what time he got home that night. "It was a long day - and its ramifications, as world events today show, still haven't ended.
