More than half a million pager messages sent on the day of the Sept 11 attacks – some by security officials in New York and the Pentagon – are being leaked onto the web.

The intercepted exchanges are being posted online “as live” by the controversial Wikileaks website, with messages appearing in the order they were sent during the day.

The release began at 8am GMT and will continue for 24 hours. The majority of the messages posted in the first four hours offer little illumination, with most either automatic alerts sent by computers or anodyne personal memos.

Wikileaks has not revealed how it obtained the records. The site has an impressive track record of securing and publishing confidential documents, but has been criticised for taking a reckless approach to privacy.

“The archive is a completely objective record of the defining moment of our time. We hope that its revelation will lead to a more nuanced understanding of the event and its tragic consequences,” it wrote in a release announcing the project.

While Wikileaks states that “text pagers are usually carried by persons operating in an official capacity”, personal messages sent by members of the public who owned pagers in September 2001 are also included in the records.

One reads: “Mornin HoneyPot, I hope Peach made it to school today. She was dressed and ready when I left. Learn lots in class today, pay attention and stay awake!”

Conspiracy theorists are hoping that the messages will reveal a “smoking gun” showing that US intelligence agencies had advanced knowledge of the attacks, which left 3,000 people dead.

To help sort through the mass of information, Wikileaks is encouraging readers to post any interesting discoveries on a specially-created page on the social news website Reddit.

A preview of some of the most revealing messages trailed online yesterday included several moving eyewitness testimonies. Others messages reflect the panic and misinformation that swirled on the day of the attacks.

“It’s reported that a US military helicopter circled the building then crashed into or next to the Pentagon – it’s not clear to whether it was the White House or the Pentagon – they are being evacuated,” reads one.

(Source: Telegraph UK)