Indiana on heightened alert; governor urges calm

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The state of Indiana went on alert after Tuesday's apparent terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, tightening security at courts and government offices as residents watched in disbelief the surreal television coverage of the disasters.\nGov. Frank O'Bannon urged calm. "As we await more information on what has transpired, it's important that our citizens remain calm and avoid panic," he said.\nAll outgoing flights from Indiana's airports were canceled in accordance with a Federal Aviation Administration order, stranding thousands of passengers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Evansville and other cities.\nBy late morning, 19 planes had made unscheduled landings at Indianapolis airport in response to a federal order that all aircraft land as soon as possible, airport spokesman Dennis Rosebrough said.\nMeanwhile, capital police who patrol the grounds of the Indiana Statehouse and adjoining government buildings were advised to watch for suspicious activity.\nSimilar alerts were in place at Indiana's federal offices.\n"We're hoping and praying nothing happens here," said Doug Garrison, an FBI spokesman in Indianapolis.\nThe American United Life building, Indianapolis' second-tallest skycraper, was evacuated as a precaution, as was the Union Planter building a few blocks away. However, the state's tallest building, the Bank One tower, remained occupied.\nJennifer Charnstorm, an AUL worker, said she had no qualms about being asked to leave her workplace.\n"The chain of events that has happened this morning is so unbelievable that you never know what could happen next," she said.\nWhile the U.S. Courthouse in Indianapolis remained occupied amid heightened security, the nearby Minton Capehart federal building appeared empty. It wasn't immediately clear if it had been evacuated.\nRep. Steve Buyer, who was evacuated from the Capitol, said the wave of attacks, with hijacked aircraft striking the twin towers of World Trade Center and near the Pentagon, was "obviously a coordinated attack on targets and symbols of this country."\n"We have felt these types of attacks, on our embassies, or the USS Cole, and those living in the confines of this country, get numb to this. This will be a real eye-opener," Buyer said.\nIndiana residents gathered around televisions at home and work to watch the incredible coverage of the stunning attacks.\nKatie Potts, co-owner of Global Travel Planners in Seymour, said she and her staff were sickened by the morning's events.\n"I think this is the very beginning of something horrible," Potts said.\nSecurity was heightened at the city's Federal Building, but Garrison, of the FBI, said he knew of no suspicious incidents anywhere in the state.\nIn some schools, children watched events unfold on television. The Indianapolis Public School system increased security, Superintendent Pat Pritchett said.\n"We have asked our people to use great sensitivity in explaining these tragic events to our children," Pritchett said.\nSome of Indiana's other schools had placed school buildings under lockdowns as a precaution.\nAlden Taylor, a spokesman for the State Emergency Management Agency, said workers in the state's Emergency Operations Center were watching the television coverage of the attacks in total disbelief.\nHe said SEMA has sponsored classes on terrorism prevention for several years, mindful that someday terrorists might stage attacks here or elsewhere in the nation.\n"We have been afraid that this would happen for a long time," Taylor said. "This is something that finally came true in a big way"