US authorities scramble jets after New York plane crash

0 Comments | AFP, October, 2006

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Fighter jets soared above US cities just minutes after a small plane slammed into a New York building, a move that showed the security measures undertaken to avoid a repeat of the attacks of September 11, 2001. The aircraft scrambled "minutes" after the plane crashed into the Manhattan high-rise apartment building, the Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement.

Fighters and support aircraft flew above "many" US and Canadian cities, NORAD said, adding that despite indications that the crash was accidental the jets were deployed as a "prudent measure." "We reserve the right to exercise our capabilities, which is what we've done here," Admiral Tim Keating, NORAD's commander, told CNN, refusing to say the number of...