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New York City - Source: Reuters -
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One of President Barack Obama's official planes flanked by an
Air Force fighter jet flew low over the Statue of Liberty for a
photo opportunity that reminded startled New Yorkers of the
September 11 attacks.
The White House Military Office apologized for the mission, which
infuriated New York City officials and prompted hundreds of
financial professionals to flee their office buildings.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticized the federal
government and his own administration for failing to warn the
public, which was shocked by the image of a jumbo jet flanked by an
F-16 flying near the World Trade Center site.
"The good news is it was nothing more than an inconsiderate, badly
conceived and insensitive photo op with the taxpayers' money,"
Bloomberg told reporters.
"They should know how sensitive people would be if they had
low-flying planes down around the World Trade Center site," said
Bloomberg, adding that he was furious.
New Yorkers remain sensitive to any incident evocative of the 2001
attacks, which involved hijacked airliners that destroyed the Twin
Towers of the World Trade Center.
The US Air Force said the aerial photo mission involved an F-16
fighter jet escort and one of the Boeing 747s designated as Air
Force One when the president is aboard, which he was not.
Police and the Federal Aviation Administration said three
aircraft were approved for the mission.
Police said federal authorities told them not to disclose the
information and to direct any inquiries to the FAA. Bloomberg
blamed a breakdown in City Hall communications, saying he would
have protested had he known in advance.
Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, said in
a statement he approved the mission and took responsibility for the
decision.
"While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state
and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that
the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take
responsibility for any distress that flight caused," Caldera
said.
Employees at the New York Mercantile Exchange, Goldman Sachs,
Merrill Lynch and other institutions evacuated their buildings, and
hundreds of others called the 911 emergency response line, City
Councilman Daniel Garodnick wrote in a letter of complaint to the
FAA.
"Thousands of people filled the streets in lower Manhattan, fearing
the worst. If we had had advance warning, we could have advised our
constituents not to be alarmed," Garodnick said.
Dominick Caglioti, an independent commodities trader who works next
to the site where the Twin Towers formerly stood, said, "We took it
upon ourselves to leave the building. We asked police downstairs
about it, and they said they didn't know anything. It could have
caused some real panic."
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