Rescue workers search through rubble at Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks in New York City (Image Credit: Wikipedia)
September 11, 2001, was the day the United States witnessed its deadliest terrorist attacks, as 19 militants associated with the extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked aircraft and conducted suicide missions. They attacked New York City and Washington, DC, killing close to 3,000 people, including more than 400 police officers and firefighters, and wounding thousands of others. The attacks also reduced the Twin Towers to rubble and caused severe damage to the Pentagon, while a hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought to regain control.
The attacks were planned by al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden, driven by a conviction that America was weak and exposed. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the plot's mastermind, conceived the plan of hijacking planes and turning them into weapons, one that bin Laden promptly endorsed. Al-Qaeda's operation was international in scope, with planning sessions held in Malaysia, operatives trained in the United States, financing routed through Dubai, and recruitment of suicide operatives from around the Middle East.
Most of the planning for the plot took place in Hamburg, Germany, where some of the top operatives, including leader hijacker Mohammed Atta, were radicalized. In 1999, they went to Afghanistan, where bin Laden named Atta to lead the operation. The hijackers, who were primarily Saudi nationals, entered the US many months before the attack, going through flight school and making arrangements in secret. Atta employed encrypted emails to make reports to co-conspirators, concealing the real nature of their activities. In the morning of September 11, the hijackers took over four commercial planes, converting them into precision-guided missiles aimed at the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and planned targets along the US East Coast.
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At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower, 17 minutes later followed by United Airlines Flight 175 crashing into the South Tower. The Pentagon was struck at 9:37 a.m. by American Airlines Flight 77. United Airlines Flight 93 subsequently crashed in Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m. after passengers tried to overtake the hijackers. The towers' collapse covered Lower Manhattan in smoke and debris, destroying nearby buildings and bringing the city to disarray. Ground Zero blazes continued for over three months, representing the deep human and architectural cost of the attacks.
The 9/11 attacks not only killed thousands but also rewrote international security, giving rise to the US-led War on Terror and widespread counterterrorism efforts globally. The attacks showcased the potential of a global terror network and left an indelible impact on the American and global collective psyche.
