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US plane 'attack on tax office' Pilot air attack on US tax office
(about 3 hours later)
US law enforcement officials are investigating whether a plane that hit a building in Austin, Texas, was a deliberate attack on a tax office. The pilot of a plane which crashed into an office block in Austin, Texas left a note expressing his anger at federal tax authorities, police say.
The pilot of the single-engined plane that hit the seven-storey office has been named as Joseph Andrew Stack. Police are linking the apparent suicide note left online to Joseph Andrew Stack, the man named as the pilot.
Most employees were evacuated but one person remains unaccounted for, a spokesman for the Austin fire department said. The note criticised the Internal Revenue Service - based inside the office block and declared: "Violence is the only answer".
The White House said the crash did not appear to be an act of terrorism. Firefighters continue to search for one person who is still unaccounted for.
Grievance 'Leaping flames'
A US website has published an apparent suicide note attacking the US tax authorities and signed by the man suspected of piloting the plane. The single-engined Piper Cherokee airplane hit the second floor of the seven-storey building at 0956 local time (1556GMT).
However, at this point it is not possible to determine the authenticity of the note or its authorship. It had taken off from nearby Georgetown airport in Texas, and did not file a flight plan, Lynn Lunsford of the Federal Aviation Administration said.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama had been briefed about the incident. Twisted metal and debris seemed to be the only thing left on some floors
The Department of Homeland Security was investigating the crash, he added.
Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Houston, Texas, after the crash and were patrolling the area.
Heather Wills, from Austin, told the BBC that she was driving past when she saw the huge cloud of black smoke.Heather Wills, from Austin, told the BBC that she was driving past when she saw the huge cloud of black smoke.
"As I got nearer I could see flames leaping out of the building - the flames were two storeys high. I could hear the glass windows shattering from the heat."As I got nearer I could see flames leaping out of the building - the flames were two storeys high. I could hear the glass windows shattering from the heat.
"My first thought was that it was a fire. The traffic was backed up all along the freeway.""My first thought was that it was a fire. The traffic was backed up all along the freeway."
A law enforcement official told US media they were checking possible links to reports of a domestic dispute in Georgetown, Texas, and allegations that the suspect in that dispute burned down his home before allegedly taking off in the plane. Around 190 IRS employees work in the office complex and some were forced to climb out of windows after the plane burst into flames.
Lynn Lunsford of the Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot did not file a flight plan. Two people were taken to hospital, but it is not clear if they were seriously injured. There has been no official statement on the status of the pilot.
A spokesman for the Austin fire department said the plane hit the building at 0956 local time (1556 GMT). Grievance
He said two people had been taken to hospital, but it is not clear if they were seriously injured. Police are also investigating whether Mr Stack set fire to his house before crashing the plane.
The message on the website apparently registered to and signed by Mr Stack speaks of having problems with the IRS.
"Well, Mr Big Brother IRS man, let's try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well," the note reads.
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said there was no cause for concern and assured residents that it was an isolated incident.
The White House said the crash did not appear to be an act of terrorism.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama had been briefed about the incident.
The Department of Homeland Security was investigating the crash, he added.
As a precaution, the North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled two F-16 fighter jets from Houston, Texas, to patrol the area.
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