attention is now. no air travel. all national monuments are being evacuated. the president has been rushed back to washington, d.c. the pentagon has been attacked by an airliner, in effect. and on capitol hill, code red. the speaker of the house was taken to a very secure area because he's third in line. we are as we have been saying this morning n a state of war with terrorism. >> armed personnel will be guarding u.s. installations not only here in the united states but in other parts of the world. you're looking at the southern tip of manhattan island here in new york city. and if so many years we've been accustomed to seeing the world trade center standing there in the background behind the empire state building that you see in the foreground. those two towers no longer stand after a terrorist attack this morning.

morning. >> yes, i can, matt. if there is a war against terrorism that started outgoing right now it started here at a quarter to 9:00 this morning. the southern tip of manhattan island where they have stood for the last 25 years. 110 stories high. they are no longer there. just moments ago i spoke to chief of safety for the new york city fire department who is obviously one of the first people on the scene after the two planes were crashed into the side. we ea sum of the world trade center towers that used to be behind me over there chief albert told me he was here 10 or 15 minutes after the events that took place this morning. he said he had 10 alarms to equate to 200 to 225 new york city firefighters who are in the

building. this was ar the crash, trying to rescue civilian who is with in there. earlier this morning on the "today show" we spoke to the director of the world trade center. he said at that hour of the morning you can have upwards of 10,000 people in each of the towers. that would be 20,000 people total in each tower. the chief safety of the fire department of new york city told me shortly after 9:00 he had roughly ten alarms roughly 200 men in the building trying to effect rescues of the civilians in there. he received word of the possibility of a secondary device. that's another bomb going off. he tried to get his men out as quickly as he could. another explosion took place. then an hour after the first hit here he said there was another explosion that took place in one of the towers here. so according to his theory he

thinks the there were devices that were planted in the building. one of the secondary devices he thinks that took place after the initial impact. he was on the plane that crashed into one of the towers. the second device he speculates was probably planted in the building. that's what we've been told by the chief of safety for the new york city fire department. he told me that moments ago. we are continuing to hear explosions downtown. we've been told there are gas lines that occasionally are exploding down there. as you can imagine there are a lot of open gas lines in manhattan where the world trade center towers used to be. as far as the situation right here basically we have hundreds of new york city firefighters and other new york city rescue units who are massed here.

there is a cord just down there. wir not sure if some rescue workers tried to go beyond that point as of yet. wen we spoke to the head of the port authority police t organization in charge of the world trade center itself the port authority police chief told us they were at that point, i would say 40 minutes ago, about to make a decision on whether or not it was safe to send emergency workers back in there. according to the chief of the fire department he said he lost a great many men in the second dare explosions. he said there were hundreds if not thousands of people in those two towers when the explosions took place. he said everything above the 60th floor was extremely difficult to get to as you can imagine. >> pat dawson, thanks very much. we have video tape from the west

bank. these are palestinian celebrations in the wake of tuesday's terror attacks in the united states. palestinians took the streets chanting god is great. people were distributing candy to passers by. the u.s. government has become unpopular between the west bank and gaza trip because the palestinians feel the u.s. government has sided with israel. one man, fatta, wearing the long black dress through sweets in the air. actually that's a woman, pardon me saying she was happy because, quote, american america is the head of the snake. they always standby israel and the war against us. he said, we're completely shocked. it's unbelievable. we completely condemn this attack.

i convey my condolences. not only? my name but on behalf of the palestinian people. >> and this comes on a day, katie, in which obviously there's been a steady deterioration of the situation in the middle east. but yasser arafat was to meet today on the west bank. there has been criticism of the bush administration for not getting more involved in the peacemaking efforts in the middle east in the past few weeks, from within the republican party as well. >> because it has gotten increasingly volatile there, tom. >> there's been a steady escalation of violence. incursions by isz realraelis and declaring marshal law and pulling back. everyone thought that the bomb was ticking in the middle east. no one expected anything of these kinds of consequences to be visited upon this country in this horrific way. it's one more example, as we've

been saying this morning of events in far off places that have such an enormous impact here because the united states is in the eyes of so many people who are opposed to our system of our government a widespread attack carried out with the most chilling kind of efficiency on several great nerve scepters on our system of government and our way of life.

hello. i'm chris jansing. at ground zero an annual ritual with special significance this year as america remembers the day our sense of safety was violently taken from us on an attack of american pride and power, the world trade center. presidents obama and bush joined by their wives at the reflecting pools built over the twin tower imprints. they listened as family members read the names of the nearly 3,000 loved ones who died that day. >> arlene t.bobiquites. >> and my dad michael bavptch. >> and my sister elissa evette white. we love you. we miss you. we'll never forget you. >> at the same time those lost in a direct hit on the pentagon were also being remembered.

vice president joe biden and admiral mike mullen delivering a message of defiance. >> they could bring down the walls, but they could not bring down american. they could kill our citizens, but they could not kill our citizenship. >> they never imagined the sleeping giant they are about to awaken. they never imagined these things because they did not understand what enables us, what has always enabled us to withstand any test that comes our way. >> and in shanksville pennsylvania, time to honor the heros of flight 93 who fought their hijackers and forced the plane to crash before it completed a deadly mission on the nation's capitol. president obama visited the site a short time ago, meeting with family members of the 40 passengers and crew member who is lost their lives that day. we'll have a live report from shanksville in just a moment.

about an hour from now president obama will attend a wreath laying ceremony at the pentagon where 184 people died after american airlines flight 77 crashed into the building. we'll have that ceremony for you live as it happens and my colleague alex witt has been at ground zero. she joins us live. >> hello, chris. as i'm here and i look at this area teeming with life today, i think of trytriumph over tragedy. he turned his father's memory into a foundation benefitting so many these days. also we tackle the question of are we safer now than we were ten years ago. also specifically here at the ground zero area. are we safer here for the many that will come to visit the area. in addition, we'll talk with one of those heros one of the firefighters who nearly lost his life as those buildings came

tumbling down upon him. he got out, and we're going to talk with him, chris, about his remembrances. >> alex witt who has a remarkable view of the beautiful memorial. even as the construction continues around it. alex alex, thank you. we look forward to the interviews. just a short time ago president obama visited shanksville, pennsylvania, the site where united flight 93 came crashing down. the memorial is a tribute to all those on board who fought back against the plane's hijackers. the president laid a wreath in their honor. march mar ma mara is joining us live. >> the president's visit was not as somber or sad as may be expected on a day like today. they said it almost felt sell bra toir. they are finally seeing their loved ones honored in a way that is appropriate.

they appreciated the president and first lady taking time to come here on this first day. the first thing they did was lay the wreath in front of the first completed portion of the memorial here. it's a white mar bell wall. it's inscribed with the named of # 3 passengers and seven crew member who is died on flight 93 on september 11th. after they laid the wreath the president and first lady spent the vast majority of the time with the families of those lost on flight 93. it was over an hour they spent shaking hands, taking pictures. the first lady was hugging a lot of people. a lot of people seemed to really appreciate the president's presence here. earlier in the day there was a memorial service marking the tenth anniversary of the attacks here. there was a reading of the names of all the people who died on september 11th in flight 93.

there was a dedication of the first completed portion of the memorial here. overall there was a sense people were coming here this weekend to honor those who fought back. remember flight 93 was the only hie jack hijacked plane that did not reach the target on september 11th. president bush said the action of the passengers and crew that day was the first counter attack in the war on terrorism. the families and the people in the community have come out to honor the heroism of the day. mara, back to you. >> flight 93 is referred to as the hero's flight where passengers tried to overpower the hijackers and take kak control of the airplane. one of the peaks was mark bing ham. he called his mother shortly before the plane went down. mark's mother attended the ceremony in shanksville today. she joins us now. good afternoon. thank you for take the time to talk to us. >> good afternoon. thank you for asking me. >> i think it's astonishing for so many of us to look back and realize ten years have gone by. tell us a little bit, alice about how you're doing and how

the family is doing ten years later. >> i know it's been a decade, but it seems a like a couple of days ago to me. not a day goes by i don't relive the death of my son. i have become all about the issues of his life and death. aviation security, since i'm a retired flight attendant. i still see egregious lapses in airline security. the eradication of terrorism. the reconciliation of more radical islam with the more moderate roots. my son was a gay man. i've become an unlikely champion for the lbgt community and advance their causes and my son was a rugby player and athlete and fortunately he was able to team up with a little group of guys in the back of that doom 757. other guys that knew how to use their bodies and team up and make a -- pick a team out of themselves and stand up and fight. everybody on board flight 93

played a role. dena burnett said that. whether it was remaining and praying in their seats or hiding in the bathroom or creating weapons for others to fight with or taking the effort and charging down the aisle and fighting terrorism at the roots there. they were able to defeat an ugly enemy and ugly plot with two years in the making with nothing but their first and a five-minute makeshift plan. i'm so grateful mark was there with tom burnett jeremy, todd beamer allen bevin and whoever else was able to stand and fight. 40 innocent people were on board. all of them were much loved and missed. there was a little group of guys on board that chose to fight. that made a difference for all of us. >> and they inspire sod many people, as you know. i can't imagine over the years the e-mails and the letters that you must have gotten, alice. your son did play that significant role during what has been a defining moment in our

history when they all fought back. i'm wondering, as you look at it now, because i've heard refer to what is happening today at all of these locations as a celebration. a celebration of their lives. a celebration of the way that people reacted the to personal tragedy. certainly you have done that. you have taken something that must still haunt you every day and turned it into so many positive positive directions. >> you're absolutely right. >> tell us how you do that. >> well it's wonderful to commune with other people. i've gotten to know tim brown who lost two of his dear friends on 9/11 and 90 other firefighter friends. we met in washington, d.c. along with other 9/11 family members to work on the issue of the park 51 project or what other people are pleased to call

the world trade center mosque. i'm frightened about the rise of radical islam within the united states of america. we are threatened within our own borders. i urge america to not become complacent after this tenth anniversary anniversary. let us be aware that there is an ugly enemy that lives close and within us and that we must be vigilant against the spector of terrorism. >> i've had a chance to talk to you that few times over the years. i've seen you interviewed many times for various causes over the years. >> thank you. >> you've become wik the articulate activist on many fronts. if you had an opportunity to talk with the president and first lady and if you'll share that conversation with us. >> i spoke with the first lady two first ladies. laura bush and michelle obama when they were here for the ninth anniversary. this anniversary i was happy to be tenth back in a bigback of

folks trying to get close to him. i look toward to sit down with president obama and speak of the issue which is he has done so well to address. i'm so grateful to him for giving the order that led to the careful takeout of osama bin laden. what a beautiful surgical strike that was. this ugly terrorist that killed 29077 of us on our own soil was dispatched with two bullets from the gun of a navy s.e.a.l. and at the order of president obama. i'm so grateful to our intelligence community that made that possible and to the navy s.e.a.l.s that had the courage to do that and to president obama for giving the order. i was so grateful to president clinton for starting the process. george w. bush took up the cause immediately after 9/11 and declared all out war and did his very best. it was president obama who now continues the fight. i'm grateful to all of them.

>> we are inspired by your activist, as we were inspired by your son's heroism. thank you for joining us today. >> thank you. >> let's go back to ground zero with alex witt. alex? >> all right, chris. what has been a tradition since the first year after the attacks, the reading of the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died that tuesday morning ten years ago. >> my name is peter. my father worked on the 88th floor of the world trade center. i was 13 when i stood here in 2003 and read a poem about how much i wanted to break down and cry. since then i've stopped crying but i haven't stopped missing my dad. >> we'll have much more from lower manhattan where it's been a very emotional day for everyone. we're going to bring you more personal stories of remembrance. yyou know there are germs on every surface in your mouth. but did you know those same germs can build up and form a resilient layer

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god guide us to our reunion in heaven. god bless the united states of america. >> a somber scene at ground zero this morning. president barack obama and first lady michelle obama, beside former president george w. bush and laura bush. both men offering their words. president obama read a passage from psalm 46 of the bible. george w. bush read a letter from abraham lincoln to a widow who lost five sons in the civil war. brian williams had a chance to speak with president obama yesterday ahead of today's tenth

anniversary. >> mr. president as the day arrives, what does the day on the call devon, 9/11 mean to you? >> i always think back to where i was that day. sasha had just been born. she was only a couple months old. we were still in diaper changing mode and burping mode. i still remember it was gorgeous in chicago just like it was in new york. we were driving down lake shore drive. i was driving to go to a meeting in the state building. and heard the first report about a plane going into the towers and assumed it was a cessna or somebody who had an accident. by the time i parked my car, got into the meeting that i was attending, the reports were starting to come in that this had been a jet liner and that many people had been killed. at that point we started evacuating the building, and then going to my law office and watching you know, the towers

come down. and, you know, the images of people. falling from the skies and the clouds of smoke and dust settling on everyone. and then going home and holding sasha, you know, rocking her to bed as i was watching the reports of what had happened. and i think that for me, like for most of us our first reaction was and continues to be just heartbreak for the families involved. the other thing that we all remember is how america came together. and so ten years later i'd say america came through this thing in a way that was consistent with our character. we made mistakes. some things haven't happened as quickly as they needed to. but overall, we took the fight to al qaeda. we preserved our values. we preserved our character.

>> and yet you hear that? you think about it differently now. it's just a jet going in a national airport. here we are surrounded by the ma machinery of office. this is your home base, and yet they consider you at your most exposed. it was a game changer, and it remains that we will always listen to that sound differently now. >> well, you know, i -- there's no doubt that airport are a lot more inconvenient. pennsylvania avenue is shutting down. but what i am struck by is how much continuity there is. you know, there are folks who are still working in office buildings in manhattan. new york is still this incredibly vibrant, dynamic place full of diversity. immigrants are still pouring in from all around the world because they want that piece of the american dream. you know, the truth of the matter is that there have been some changes. since 9/11.

some innocence perhaps has been lost. but our core values, our core character, how we interact with each other, our love of this country, and our ability to work through issues in a way that's peaceful and democratic, that's a testimony to the strength of the american people. >> and you can all see more of brian's interview with the president on nbc nightly news this week. chris, back to you in the studio. >> alex, thank you so much. and coming up a look at some of the controversy that has surrounded the design of the 9/11 memorial at ground zero. and as we go to break, one of the many moving momenting from today's memorial, paul simon's "the sounds of silence." almost tastes like one of jack's

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hello. i'm chris jansing. welcome back to our special coverage this sunday, the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that killed 2,977 people in new york, pennsylvania, and the pentagon. we are expecting president obama at a wreath laying ceremony in about an hour from now at the pentagon. we will have that for you live. right now live pictures of the crowd at ground zero. family members of the 9/11 victims have gathered there. tomorrow the general public will be table to get their first look at this memorial. even ten years later the design and construction of this memorial evoke raw emotions. here's nbc's lester holt. >> there were times we couldn't

look away and times it seemed we couldn't bear to look anymore. but the gaping physical and emotional pit that became the icon for a national wound has slowly been erased. >> i thought i was going to see the big pit that i saw on the news a couple years ago. >> and while curious eyes these days are drawn upward at the rapidly rising tower known as one world trade center, unseen to tourists and passers by until now, the 9/11 memorial black reflecting pools framed with waterfall where is the twin towers once stood. >> this is sacred ground because of the loss that was suffered here. >> joe daniels is president of the national september 11th memorial. >> a terrible fact that should never be forgotten is 40% of all the victims from 9/11 from the world trade center were never found. 40% of all the family never got to go through the traditional right of burying the dead. >> i can tell you it's incredibly emotional to walk up

to these pools for the very first time, to see the footprint of exactly where the building stood, and to see the thousands of names etched in bronze. the bronze panels surrounding the pool bearing the 2,983 names were finished weeks ago. paula berry who lost her husband on 9/11 was among those who helped choose the design. >> i do hope it's therapeutic. i hope when people do come they can punctuate or feel differently about their grief or it moves them in a certain way. i think that's for all of us, not just family members. >> everything from what kind of memorial to what kind of office tower should rise here has been mired in controversy these last ten years. and feelings still run strong. >> we've ended up with a central building of supreme finality. >> i think it would be better

off if they left a scar in the grounds as a reminder of what hatred can do. >> planners say that story and the events of 9/11 will be told in the 9/11 museum going up next to the memorial. >> i'll tell you the day after the tenth anniversary we're going to reset the downtown clock that we have in the office for 365 days so on september 11 2012 is where we open the museum one year later. >> alex, i sat where you are sitting on friday. when you look over that window that people can see behind you it's impossible really to take your eyes away. it's so compelling. whether you think it's been beautifully done, whether you think there should have been anything there, the memories it evokes are just so powerful. >> it is so true. you know, i've got my own personal memories having covered it down here ten years ago.

we'll get to that later in the show ch as you know chris, this day has been filled with so much emotion at ground zero with relatives who died sharing poignant stories. >> my dad was never there to see me drive, ask a girl on a date and see me graduate from high school. and a hundred other things i can't even begin to name. >> another hero of 9/11 is ronald fazio. he lost his life helping coworkers on the 99th floor of the south tower by holding the door open to help them get out. his son robert fazio started the foundation hold the door for others. rob is joining me here now on this beautiful set. good day. i'm so glad to be here with us talking about your father. i know your father was a gentleman and thought about others. look at what he did. >> absolutely. i mean, you couldn't say it any better. he was a gentleman. he was a gentle person. that's the way he lived his

life. it's so great that we have this story of how he was helping others and holding the door. >> and tell me about your most poignant memories of your father. i mean, you were at least at an age where you lived a fair amount of your life your father was table to inspire you by his own and with his lessons he taught you. what's most important in your mind about him? >> most importantly is he was around. i mean, he was an executive. but he loved his family. he loved his food. we ate sunday dinners together. it was such a meaningful lifestyle that we had with him. and every day when he went into the city he would call me. my mom would too. i said i just talked to dad. can't you talk to each other? not use any cell phone minutes. so what's most pointgnant for me is i remember a time i was having trouble in school and there was a girl i liked. >> oh. >> yeah, right. and believe it or not she didn't

like me back. he didn't know what was going on. he took me to rudy's and grabbed a slice of pizza and just talk. i remember that as a kid. those moments always happened. >> yeah. tell me about hold the door and the foundation. what's it about? >> hold the door is about helping people live with loss. so many people were down there today in such pain. we try to help them turn the pain into purpose. when people done know how to get out of bed in the morning. when they're so devastated by a loss or their grief, we try to help them live day by day and teach them that tomorrow can be a better day than today. >> that extends beyond your 9/11 family certainly. you've reached out over the past ten years to many, many others. >> absolutely. from big events like the shooting at virginia tech or hurricane katrina or even around the world, in thailand when things have happened, we help people deal with loss regardless of their situation. we've developed a lot of resources over time.

we've done a lot of research. i can tell you firsthand it works. i'm not only tb founder, i'm also a member. >> you are indeed. we hear so many wonderful things about it. rob fazio, we wish you continued good luck with all of this. we hope to see you at another wonderful anniversary. >> thanks, alex. good job today lauren. >> good for lauren. >> thank you so much uchlt. >> chris, back to you in the studio. >> never ceases to amaze how people turn tragedy into something positive. we'll see you shortly. we'll talk to a new york lawmaker standing up for 9/11 first responders. part of a group of congress people petitions to add cancer to a list of diseases covered as part of the september 11th health benefits.

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for the family members i know what it's like to receive that call out of the blue. that the dearest thing in your life is gone. >> and that was vice president joe biden this morning at the pentagon. one of three places today where nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks were honored. at the world trade center site in lower manhattan as the names were read, those who lost friends and family toured the memorial and the two pools in the footprints of the towers. there you see them laying their hands on the names etched in those stones. joining me now, one of the lawmakers at the ceremony who founded the 9/11 commission caucus. thank you so much for coming in. we were talking. you were up at 5:00 this morning

starting with the service down at battery park, and then you were at the ceremony today. tell us a little bit what it was like down there. >> well, it brought back many memories. sometimes it brought back very raw memories, and it almost felt like it was yesterday. for me the most moving part was to see the families for the first time go to the memorial, to the reflecting pools and see the names of their loved ones etched in stone. it was profoundly moving. also when they rang the bells. when they remembered when the towers were struck and the pentagon struck. the whole day was filled with many memories, but also for all the world that is watching us, they can see that we're rebuilding. they can see the resilience of the american spirit, that it has turned into a memorial. it is new office buildings and

residential buildings. and fundamentally our whole government has been changed. after 9/11 we totally reorganized our intelligence gathering. we recreated the home security department. we took 17 different intelligence agencies and forced them to talk to each other and share information and i truly do believe the best defense against terrorism is an improved intelligence system. >> many positive things have come out of this. i was talking to alice who lost her son. she talked about the various activist groups she's involved with and founded. we heard from a young man who lost his dad who also founded another organization to help people who have been victimized by such tragedies. but there are things that have not been done. and there's one in particular that's of interest to you. and that's putting cancer on the list of 9/11 diseases that allow first responders to get health care. tell us where that stands right now, congresswoman. >> well first, i'm very pleased that we were finally able to

pass the health and compensation act. which provides health care and monitoring for everyone who is sick and exposed to the deadly toxins. but we had to base it on science. and at the time the science wasn't clear even though common sense told you that cancers would be caused by need deadly toxins. now with the new reports that are coming out there's more scientific evidence. so i petitioned dr. howard, who is the head of the program. in the law we wrote in a procedure for adding new illnesses that would be covered. he has now 60 days to review the scientific evidence and make a determination. >> so this is not a political football. this is purely a scientific determination. are you confident? >> i believe eventually it will be covered. it took us years to prove that smoking caused cancer.

we can't afford to wait that long now. people are sick. people are dying. cancers are evolving every day. i met with many responders today who now have cancers. i'm hopeful the determination based on the scientific evidence will come very quickly for our men and women who were there for us. we need to be there for them. >> congresswoman carolyn maloney, a very long day for you and emotional one as well. alex witt is back at ground zero now. alex? >> chris thank you so much. as we mark ten years since the horrible attacks, we still struggle with the impact on the country and the american people. here at ground zero the new memorial and tower one will serve as reminders of the day for years to come. a few blocks for here there are communities and neighborhoods that remain deeply affected by the evens of 9/11. here's rehema ellis. >> reporter: back to school at new york city's ps 234, a school marked by being in the shadow of

history. >> we heard the boom. we heard the plane crash. our teacher said it's probably construction. >> over the years nask geographic kids has documented what happened to these children. >> it's september 11th 2001. >> teacher pat carney's classroom, just four blocks for the world trade towers. september 11th was a day seered in the memories of he and his mole he fourth graders. >> the events didn't happen at ground zero, they happened in their neighborhood. >> hanna remembered her mother, very upset suddenly came to take her out of school. >> she was still crying when they sat down. i had a sweater. i started wiping her makeup which was now floating down her face. >> what happened a few blocks of here on the morning of september 11th profoundly impacted students lives and helped shape who they have become. >> hanna and ian children of 9/11 are young adults today.

>> i remember we were sitting right there. >> hanna is a college sophomore, majoring in journalism and documentary film making. >> on 9/11 my mother turned to me and said you have to look at this. this is history. from that point on i really understood that when things happen you have to stop and pay attention. >> ian also in college is concentrating on environmental studies. >> every time i hear a plane going over me, no matter where it is, i will look and stare at that plane for maybe ten seconds. or if i hear a really loud sound, i have to take a moment to think about what that might be. >> contrary to what some might expect he says september 11th made him more tolerant. >> i've grown and learned from 9/11. especially in the ways that i think about other people. >> pat carney still teaching at ps 234 is proud of the young adults her fourth graders have become. >> i remember pretty well how scary it was for them, but how strong the kids were at the time about it.

how matter of fact they were about it. when i see them now they seem to have gotten through it. >> it definitely put a big before and after in our lives. >> for hanna and ian even though ten years haved they say there's no such thing as closure. at least not yet. still both say now they've now learned to live without fear. >> the president and first lady michelle obama placing a wreath at the flight 93 national memorial. paying their represents to the 40 passengers and crew who died in the fate l hijacking one decade ago. this is also a day where we are on especially high alert. when we come back we'll discuss how much safer we are today than we were ten years ago. ♪ ♪ [ doug ] i got to figure this out. i want to focus on innovation. but my data is doubling. my servers

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angela susan. >> scott mitchell schertzer. steven frances schlon. >> karen elaine schmidt. >> ian schneider. >> and from there right now at our area we are looking at air force one just landing at andrews air force base. the president and first lady coming back from attending some ceremonyies in shanksville, pennsylvania. they are up to the pentagon next to make their respects there. so as we watch there air force one having safely landed now at andrews air force base. and welcome back everyone, to msnbc special coverage. marking ten years since tb 9/11 attacks.

i'm alex witt. we are live at the world trade center hotel. the attacks on new york, washington, d.c. and pennsylvania changed new york forever. we got a stark reminder of that this week as the government issued an alert about a possible car or truck bomb plot either here in new york or in washington, d.c. michael sheehan is here at the hotel with me. thanks for being here michael. >> thanks for having me alex. >> we talked about it over the years as to whether or not we are safer now than we were on september 10th 2001. how much are we in we are? >> alex, there's no doubt about it, we are safer. when al qaeda attacked us on 9/11, they attacked our embassies, the u.s.s. coal. for ten years taif been unsuccessful to reattack us again. nobody would have predicted that on september 12th. that is right due to this the cia, fbi organizations, nypd.

they have really done a great job of protecting us. al qaeda has been stymied. >> we think about faisal shahzad. that was due to vigilant people. >> it was. also sometimes we get lucky. that luck is as a result of tremendous work. he could not reach out to a support network in the u.s. to help him build a good bomb that worked. he got poor training and poor support here. that's due to our effort and a little luck. >> let's talk about your personal effort michael. we think about where we are now in this gleaming beautiful tower one behind us. a lot of people suggested wow, this is target rich right here. can you imagine the symbolism were anyone to attack here. what kind of safety measures did you talk about implementing as you were involved in the design? >> nypd and i personally got involved early on.

we got involved to look at the security around the tower. when we looked at the original design, we saw it was really a target. they called it the freedom tower. it was close to the west side highway. it comes next to the building. we helped to redesign the structure of the building. to pull it back from the highway which has the 18-wheelers going by. and to put in the base of the tower you can see the concrete. we want to make sure this building was safe from any truck or car bomb which is a current threat. this building -- or the predecessor's building was attacked twice. 1993 and in 2001. al qaeda would love to come back here. so nypd has the challenge of how to protect the site yet make it inviting to tourists and people and families. >> we call it tower one in large part because you did not like the name freedom tower.

>> we didn't from the beginning. so tower one is much more in inocuous. that's an extraordinarily strong building. and i think it's in good shape. >> the whole site is tremendous. many thanks my friends. let's send it back to chris in the studio. >> thanks to you and michael. we have much more ahead on this special coverage of the anniversary of 9/11. we'll hear from a firefighter who miraculously survived when the towers collapsed. president obama will be making the trip over to the pentagon, laying a wreath with some family members the there along with the first lady.

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