2000: 9/11 Bombing of the World Trade Center

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked, or took control of, four airplanes in the United States. 

They flew two of the planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing the towers to catch fire and collapse.

Another plane destroyed part of the Pentagon building (the U.S. military headquarters) in Arlington, Virginia. 

The fourth plane, Flight 93,  crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and was thought to be headed towards the Capital Building at the White House. 

All told, nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks. The events of September 11 (often called "9/11") have been described as the worst-ever terrorist attacks against the U.S. 

The hijacked Flight 11 was crashed into floors 93 to 99 of the North Tower at 8:46 a.m. 

The hijacked Flight 175 struck floors 77 to 85 of the South Tower 17 minutes later at 9:03 a.m. 

When the towers were struck, between 16,400 and 18,000 people were in the WTC complex. Of those, the vast majority evacuated safely. As they rushed out, first responders rushed in trying to save those still trapped or injured. 

The fires from the impacts were intensified by the planes’ burning jet fuel. They weakened the steel support trusses, which attached each of the floors to the buildings’ exterior walls. Along with the initial damage to the buildings’ structural columns, this ultimately caused both towers to collapse.

The World Trade Center was a 16-acre business complex in   Manhattan that contained seven buildings, a large plaza, and an underground shopping mall that connected six of the buildings. 

The centerpieces of the complex were the Twin Towers. They  were the tallest buildings in New York City. At 110 stories each, the North Tower and the South Tower provided  office space for about 35,000 people and 430 companies.  

New Yorkers covered in ash

Investigations revealed that the hijackings were carried out by 19 men — five on each of the first three planes and four on the last. All 19 were reportedly linked to the terrorist group Al Qaeda (ahl KAY-dah). The group's leader, Osama bin Laden, operated out of Afghanistan. 

The U.S. government identified bin Laden as the main planner of the attacks. Fifteen of the 19 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia. Two were from the United Arab Emirates, one was from Lebanon, and one was from Egypt. Al-Qaeda was based in Afghanistan. They operated training camps there, and openly lived in the country with the support of the Taliban, an Islamist group that ruled  the country. 

The terrorists did not have the capacity to destroy the United States militarily, so they set their sights on symbolic targets instead. 

The Twin Towers, as the centerpieces of the World Trade Center, symbolized globalization and America’s economic power and prosperity. Al-Qaeda hoped that, by attacking these symbols of American power, they would promote widespread fear throughout the country and severely weaken the United States’  standing in the world community, ultimately supporting their political and religious goals in the Middle East and Muslim World.

Watch this video narrated by a girl who was present at the time of the plane crashing into the WTC.

One more 2 minute video presenting basic 9/11 information.

This video shares information about Flight 93 as passengers realized that hijackers were in control of the plane and decide to try to stop them.  

Blog: What do you feel or share your thoughts after  reading this blog and watching these videos?