ARCHBISHOP of Wales the Most Reverend Rowan Williams (pictured) told how dozens of New Yorkers had asked him how God could allow the attacks on America to happen.

The Archbishop was in a neighbouring building 200 yards from the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in Wall Street when two hijacked planes were flown into them on Tuesday.

Speaking in a radio interview, Dr Williams said: "I think there is quite a lot of anger, understandably, but bewilderment as well. Certainly in New York itself, people have stopped me on the streets, asking why God allows this kind of atrocious violence, and I have had a number of conversations like that, just going about my business in the last 24 hours."

He said: "We were getting ready to record a religious programme here with a group assembled in New York for the day. Just as we were beginning to do that, the first plane hit the World Trade building and then, of course, things were very different.

"We weren't able to leave the building for a couple of hours. I think the worst of it was when the tower collapsed. We didn't know what was going on, we just heard a long roar of collapsing masonry and we didn't know if our own building had caught fire. The streets were like a war zone.

"We were evacuated shortly afterwards, as the building was filling rapidly with smoke, but had to wait in the basement until the street was apparently a little safer.

"Outside there was a gale of choking dust and debris and the sky was blotted out. "As we reached the end of the street, we were told of the risk that the second tower would collapse, and some of us took shelter in a Portakabin, along with a number of small children from the day centre in the basement of the building where we'd been.

"The second shock followed soon, but buses were commandeered by police to move us further away, and by 11.30pm we were back in the middle of Manhattan. "It was terrifying."