Iraq has said that the series of terrorist attacks on the United States were the "fruit" of American crimes. "The American cowboys are reaping the fruit of their crimes against humanity, and (the attacks) are an affront to American politicians," an official statement read today.
US President George W Bush vowed to hunt down those responsible for today's attacks on US buildings. He is back in Washington to address the nation later today. He said the US Military were on high alert.
"Terrorism against our nation will not stand," Mr Bush said as he cut short a visit to Florida to return to Washington after two air planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York. The President called it a "difficult moment for America."
"Today we've had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Centre in an apparent terrorist attack on our country." He was speaking to schoolchildren, teachers and parents at Emma E. Booker Elementary School, where he had planned to talk about education.
"I have spoken to the vice president, to the governor of New York, to the director of the FBI, and have ordered that the full resources of the federal government go to help the victims and the families and to conduct a full scale investigation to hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act."
Mr Bush called for a moment of silence. "May God bless the victims, their families and America," he said, his voice breaking with emotion. Bush immediately returned to Washington where he was expected to convene a national security meeting on his arrival at the White House.
The President, Mary McAleese, has expressed her deep shock and horror at the unfolding terrorist acts in the United States of America today. Mary McAleese said this was a volcanic atrocity and said that she was numbed.
Speaking on Six One news, the President said this was not just an attack on the United States. She said it was an attack on "all humanity and all civilisation."
She also spoke of how many of our own people must be among those dead and injured in one of the most cosmopolitan cites in the world. Mrs McAleese said she was broken-hearted for the families who lives were destroyed forever as a result of this attack. She said all of this was a result of "crazed hatred, uncontrolled and unchecked".
The Taoiseach said that this was the worst act of terrorism anyone could imagine. Speaking on Six One news, Bertie Ahern said "It's unthinkable," describing as the worst atrocity witnessed by the modern world.
He said there would have to be a world-wide effort to try and find the perpetrators. He said the intelligence operations of the world would have to unite to try and find the supporters of those who carried out the act and he said that "our own people would even have some knowledge" in that area.
Mr Ahern said that the Department of Foreign Affairs would work throughout the night but he said it would be morning before the picture would become clearer.
Other world leaders have reacted with revulsion to attacks. The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, has said he condemned the attacks in the United States and he sent his condolences to the US President and the American people. But, despite his statement, Palestinians in Israel and the Palestinian territories rejoiced at news of the attacks.
The Afghan Taliban's ambassador to Pakistan has condemned the attacks on US installations as "terrorist acts" and demanded an investigation.
Israel has offered help to the United States. A spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon said: "Knowing our bitter experience of terrorism, if it turns out that the events in United States were a terrorist attack, Israel will do all it can, and expresses condolences to the victims of the tragedy".
EU External Relations Commissioner, Chris Patten, called today's attacks on US buildings "an act of war by madmen". "It is the worst attack on the United States since Pearl Harbour," he said, comparing the devastating attacks on New York's World Trade Centre towers, the Pentagon in Washington and other targets to the Japanese surprise bombing of a US naval base in the Pacific in 1942.
The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has joined other leaders in sending his condolences to Americans over the wave of anti-US attacks after holding an emergency cabinet meeting. "This terrorism is dangerous and we denounce terrorism. We denounce terrorism under any circumstances," he said.
The British Prime Minister expressed his horror at attacks in the United States on Tuesday and sent his condolences to US President George W Bush. "There have been the most terrible, shocking events taking place in the United States of America within the last couple of hours," Tony Blair said.
The German lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, suspended its debate on the country's 2002 budget in sympathy with the US. "We should not act as if we could just continue the debate," the acting speaker, Anke Fuchs said. Meanwhile, the US embassy in Berlin declined to comment on what if any measures it was taking in Germany.
The French President expressed outrage and assured the United States of France's support and sympathy. "France is deeply upset to learn of the monstrous attacks that have just struck the United States," Jacques Chirac said as he broke off a tour of the Brittany region in western France to rush back to his office in Paris.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell cancelled his planned visit to Colombia and will rush back to Washington.
The Russian President expressed deep sympathy to the people of the United States. Vladimir Putin called it a "terrorist act, this terrible tragedy".
An emergency meeting of the EU foreign ministers has been convened for tomorrow afternoon following today's US attacks. The meetings will be held in Brussels, which holds the rotating EU presidency.
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhoefstadt said that the attacks were a "tragedy for whole world". A special meeting of European Parliamentary leaders will also meet tomorrow.
