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Teen pilot expressed sympathy
to Laden in suicide note

T V Parasuram in Washington

The student pilot who rammed a small plane into a skyscraper in Tampa left a suicide note expressing sympathy for terror suspect Osama bin Laden and support for the September 11 terrorist attacks, police officials said.

Tampa police chief Bennie Holder said in the suicide note which was found in 15-year old Charles Bishop's pocket, the young pilot clearly expressed sympathy towards Osama bin Laden and September 11 terrorist strikes.

Declining to elaborate on the contents of the note, Holder said Bishop "clearly stated in it that he had acted alone without any help from anyone else."

"We can assume he was a troubled young man", the police chief said.

Bishop's grandmother had taken him to the National Aviation Academy flight school in St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, where he was taking lessons since March last, for an early morning flying session on Saturday, said Marianne Pasha, a police spokeswoman.

Bishop was told to check the Cesna 172 plane before starting the lessons but he took off in it without waiting for the flight instructor.

A coastguard helicopter caught up with Bishop over Tampa after he had travelled about 30 km and the crew signalled him to land but he ignored them and crashed into the 42-storey Bank of America building.

PTI

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