September 11 attacks put Lithuania on heightened security alert

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States prompted Lithuania to strengthen security at strategic sites, while President Valdas Adamkus was taken to a shelter during a visit to Washington, LRT reported in an archive-based retrospective.

The attacks began shortly before 9 a.m. in the United States, when it was after 3 p.m. in Lithuania. Television stations around the world broadcast apocalyptic images from New York as the attacks unfolded.

Four aircraft were hijacked. Two crashed into the World Trade Center towers, one struck the Pentagon in Washington and another crashed in an empty field in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew confronted the hijackers. Almost 3,000 people were killed, making the attacks the deadliest terrorist assault in history, according to the report.

Adamkus, who was visiting the United States, was urgently taken to a shelter. In Vilnius, officials and security chiefs gathered for an unscheduled meeting with then-Prime Minister Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas to discuss the security situation.

Lithuania did not declare a state of emergency, although then-Speaker of the Seimas Artūras Paulauskas referred to information that was causing concern but declined to provide details. Brazauskas said the situation was not dangerous, but that additional measures would be taken.

Security was subsequently strengthened at strategic facilities. The strictest measures were introduced around the Ignalina nuclear power plant, where access without special permits was prohibited and armed officers patrolled continuously. Attention was also increased at the port of Klaipėda and the international ferry terminal, while ships patrolled the sea.

Special security measures were introduced at Vilnius Airport. Transatlantic air travel was suspended in Lithuania and elsewhere, leaving many passengers stranded at airports. At the time, about 50 people a day travelled from Lithuania to the United States on connecting flights.

The attacks also changed air travel procedures. Security requirements were significantly tightened, baggage checks became more thorough and the list of prohibited items was expanded.

Fuel prices rose after the attacks. According to the report, petrol became five cents more expensive, while a petrol station representative said fuel sales had increased by 25 percent. No major economic shocks were observed in Lithuania during the first days.

LRT’s retrospective, based on archive reports from the programme Panorama, describes how Lithuania reacted to the attacks and how September 2001 changed from a month marked by teachers’ strikes, disappointment over basketball and hopes of NATO membership into a period of shared shock and heightened security.