AUSTIN – An apparently disgruntled man crashed a small aircraft into a federal building housing US tax offices in Austin, Texas, on Thursday in what local officials said was probably a deliberate attack.
Two people were taken to hospital after the crash that set ablaze the seven-story building, Austin fire officials said. The pilot, identified as Joseph Andrew Stack, was found dead. The incident renewed fears of domestic terrorism and gaps in security for private aircraft. The White House said it had no reason to believe there was a link to foreign terrorism.
It was probably “a deliberate attack by one individual acting alone”, Austin police chief Art Acevedo said, downplaying the threat of more attacks.
US representative Michael McCaul of Texas called it “a deliberate and intentional attack against a federal building”. A rambling note posted on the internet and signed “Joe Stack” spelled out problems he had with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax agency.
A law enforcement source said authorities were investigating the note. “Well, Mr Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well,” the note said. It was not possible to independently determine the authenticity of the note, dated February 18th, or its authorship.
In the note, Mr Stack complained that he ran afoul of US tax laws when he failed to file a return after not earning any income one year. He also said he had trouble resolving undocumented income.
CNN reported the pilot had set his own house in Austin on fire before taking off in the aircraft and crashing it at about 10am local time. The authorities were also investigating that report, the law enforcement source said.
The aircraft, identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a single-engine Piper Cherokee, took off from an airport in Georgetown, and flew under rules that did not require the pilot to maintain contact with air controllers.
A Piper aircraft was registered to Joseph Stack under a Lincoln, California, address.
The damaged building housed IRS offices with about 190 employees, including the criminal investigation division as well as auditors and tax collectors, according to agency officials. An FBI office sits across the street.
As a precaution, two F-16 fighter aircraft were scrambled after the crash and patrolled above the Texas state capital, according to the North American Aerospace Defence Command, responsible for guarding US airspace.
US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner, whose department includes the IRS, expressed concern about the incident.
“We are closely monitoring the situation,” he said.
The attack is not the first on the IRS, which periodically draws the wrath of taxpayers.
“It’s something that has exposed a weakness we’ve seen since 9/11 – airplanes can fly into buildings,” Mr McCaul said.
In a separate incident, a United Airlines flight from Denver to San Francisco was diverted to Salt Lake City because of a threatening note found on board, according to local airport officials. The passengers, luggage and aircraft were rechecked and the flight was cleared to continue. – (Reuters)