The September 11 Attacks

Setting the scene

By 2001, al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, had declared war on the United States for its military presence in Saudi Arabia, support for Israel, and sanctions on Iraq. The group had bombed US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the USS Cole in 2000. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed conceived a plan to hijack planes and crash them into symbolic American targets. Nineteen hijackers, mostly Saudis, entered the US legally and trained at American flight schools, learning to steer planes but not to land.

What happened

On September 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. At 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower, broadcast live worldwide. At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. At 10:03 a.m., United Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought hijackers. The South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m., the North Tower at 10:28 a.m. In total, 2,977 people were killed, including 412 first responders.

Why it still matters

9/11 led to the War on Terror, the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 to overthrow the Taliban, and the Iraq War in 2003. It created the Department of Homeland Security, the TSA, and the Patriot Act, expanding surveillance powers. The attacks transformed American foreign policy, led to 20 years of war, and killed over 900,000 people in post-9/11 conflicts. Bin Laden was killed by US Navy SEALs in Pakistan in 2011. The 9/11 Memorial opened in 2011 at Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers' footprints are now reflecting pools with victims' names inscribed.

Background

The event led to major U.S.