New York: The hauting artefacts like cell
phones, pagers, airplane engines, a door from a police squad
car and a mother`s wallet that survived the 9/11 attacks will
soon be on display.
The Newseum in Washington DC is expanding its FBI exhibit
with a new display of artifacts from 9/11 and other terrorist
plots that have never been on display to the public before.
`War on Terror: The FBI`s New Focus` will open tomorrow in
plenty of time for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks,
CNN said in a report.
The Newseum selected 60 pieces of evidence the FBI had in
storage for use in terror trials, including huge pieces of an
airplane that survived ramming into the World Trade Center
towers.
"I think the most powerful pieces here are the most
personal," Cathy Trost, director of exhibit development at the
Newseum was quoted as saying.
"The things that people put in their pockets that morning
not knowing that this was going to be a day that changed their
lives forever."
Perhaps the most heart-wrenching items on display belonged
to Ruth McCourt of New London, Connecticut.
McCourt was taking her 4-year-old daughter, Juliana, to
visit Disneyland. They were aboard United Flight 175, which
was the second plane to hit the World Trade Center.
McCourt`s wallet was found in the debris, battered but
still intact. It`s on display along with three credit cards. A
picture of McCourt and Juliana at the beach is also shown, the
report said.
"A lot of family members want to make sure there are
public displays because they don`t want people to forget what
they lost that day," said Susan Bennett, a Newseum senior vice
president.
A sampling of the many cell phones and pagers are part of
the exhibit.
"It`s so sad because the families, the colleagues of the
people who were in the World Trade Center didn`t give up,"
Bennett said.
"They kept trying to call, and call, and call again with
just a glimmer of hope that somehow perhaps the people were
still buried underneath the rubble or had perhaps been taken
to a hospital. It was very emotional for the rescue workers
because they could hear the cell phones ringing."
Pictures of the 19 hijackers are also on display along
with some of their passports.
A seating plan for one of the flights shows where leader
Mohamed Atta and his co-conspirators were sitting, and a
letter all the hijackers left behind is included.
PTI
