TERRORISM HITTING HOME

Recent reports by Governor King suggest two of the accused hijackers were in the state of Maine prior to the attack on the World Trade Center. It is said they flew from the Portland Jetport to their Boston destination. The rental car they found suggesting this, a Nissan Altima, was rented in Boston, Massachusetts, and driven back to Maine. It is currently being held at the State Police crime lab for further investigation. The hijackers left Maine on a commuter flight at 6:00 a.m., according to bags found on US Airways flight 5930 (Boston Globe).

One of the terrorists said to have been in Maine, MOHAMED ATTA, is believed to have spent a considerable amount of time in the Portland area. It is also believed he had a relationship with a thirty-one-year-old woman, according to newscasters this morning. Following the crashes at the World Trade Center, she called authorities.

Little else is known about these two terrorists, aside from the fact that they carried New Jersey driver's licenses and they rented a room at the Comfort Inn in South Portland. Focus is being placed on the flight they took out of Portland, and the crime lab is searching for more evidence in the car they left behind.

Due to the terrorist attacks, the Brunswick air shows will be canceled. The Blue Angels were scheduled to put on a show at the Brunswick Naval Airbase later this month. Because of the tragic events that have taken place, Captain Keith Koon doesn't feel it would be right to hold the show. Koon states, ". . . his base must maintain 100 percent readiness and that the air show would interfere." Many of the aircrafts to be featured in the show would not be able to attend even without the cancellation because they are needed elsewhere.

The Boston Globe's headlines state that the planning behind this could have started as many as five years ago. Does that mean the terrorist attackers have been living and working among us all this time? Does this mean that our communities had relationships with the very men on a mission to kill so many of us? What does this mean for the future of the United States and the "melting pot"?

Maine residents have been banding together in spirit and support in the wake of all this news. Portland public schools show concern for their children by channeling their fears into creativity. Churches all across the state hold vigils opening prayer for the many people touched by this tragic event. Blood donations skyrocket to the most blood donated in Maine's history.

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