How did the 9/11 attacks happen? Memorial and new World Trade Center
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This September 11, 2001 in the USA(in the West, simply 9/11) is considered the bloodiest in all of world history. Most illuminated by the media mass media event of all time.
10 years ago, three terrorist-controlled planes crashed into the Pentagon near Washington DC and into the 110-story skyscrapers of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York, causing them to collapse. As a result of terrorist attacks, 2,977 citizens from 92 countries died.
By official version, the terrorist organization al-Qaeda is responsible for these attacks. Subsequently official version what happened was criticized by a number of journalists, scientists and witnesses of the tragedy.
Independent investigations were carried out, some of which were documented. According to one version, the attack on the twin towers was just a distraction, and customers should be sought not among Afghan terrorists and not in Osama bin Laden's lair, but much closer - surrounded by the US President.
The events of September 11, 2001 unfolded as follows. At about the same time, terrorists hijacked 4 airliners some time after departure.
1. Statue of Liberty. Manhattan is shrouded in smoke from the collapse of the World Trade Center skyscrapers. The photo was taken on September 15, 2001. (Photo by Dan Loh | AP):
At 08:45 am first Boeing 767-200 crashed into the North Tower of the 110-story skyscrapers of the World Trade Center approximately at the level of 94-98 floors. 18 minutes later at 9:03 second plane Boeing 767-200 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center approximately at the level of 77-85 floors.
2. "A second before." The second plane approaches the South Tower of the World Trade Center, New York, 9:02, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Sean Adair | Reuters):
3. Second plane Boeing 767-200 Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at the level of 77-85 floors, 9:03, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Sean Adair | Reuters):
4. There were 56 passengers (including 5 terrorists) and 9 crew members on board the 175th flight. (Photo by Spencer Platt | Getty Images):
5. Nearly 35 tons aviation fuel explodes on impact. (Photo by Richard Drew | AP):
6. A hole in the North Tower of the World Trade Center in the place where the first one crashed, New York, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Richard Drew | AP):
After the capture, some passengers were able to report on satellite phones about what was happening. According to them, the terrorists used edged weapons (probably knives), as a result of which several flight attendants and crew members were killed.
7. The twin towers of the World Trade Center after 2 airliners crashed into them. Ahead - Empire State Building, New York, Tuesday, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Marty Lederhandler | AP):
8. Satellite view of the burning skyscrapers of the World Trade Center in New York, 9:30, September 11, 2001. (Photo by USGS | AP):
9. People on the top floors of skyscrapers. They are locked in fire on the lower floors where the planes crashed. (Photo by Jose Jimenez | Primera Hora | Getty Images):
10. At least 200 people trapped on the top floors of the towers of the World Trade Center jumped down, preferring such death to death by fire. (Photo by Jose Jimenez | Primera Hora | Getty Images):
11. Their fall was observed by numerous witnesses. (Photo by Richard Drew | AP):
12. Some tried to get out on the roofs of the towers, in the hope of evacuation by helicopters, but the evacuation did not take place: the smoke and heat from the fire made it impossible to use helicopters. (Photo by Richard Drew | AP):
13. Third plane Boeing 757-200 American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 am. This is a picture from a surveillance camera. (AP Photo):
14. Fire in the Pentagon building, after crashing into it. 125 people in the building and 60 passengers aboard the Boeing were killed. (Photo by Will Morris | AP):
16. Part of the Pentagon building collapsed. (Photo by Kevin Lamarque | Reuters):
18. Aim of the 4th aircraft Boeing 757-200 may have been the Capitol. According to Flight 93 voice recorder transcripts, the flight crew and passengers attempted to regain control of the airliner after learning mobile phones that other hijacked planes crashed into the WTC towers. It is likely that the terrorists, who were losing the fight, decided to send the plane into the ground, where the crash occurred. The Boeing crashed into a field in southwestern Pennsylvania near Shanksville at 10:03 am. (Photo by Jason Cohn | Reuters):
19. The crash site of the 4th aircraft in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania, near the city of Shanksville. (Photo FBI | AP):
20. But back to the burning skyscrapers of the World Trade Center. The main events unfolded there. (Photo by Mario Tama | Getty Images):
According to the official version, about an hour after the skyscrapers crashed into the skyscrapers, buildings collapsed as a result of fire and melting of the supporting steel structures by burning aviation fuel.
The official version has been criticized by many experts who believe that the use of aviation fuel to melt 200,000 tons of steel (the amount of steel in one Tower) is an amazing discovery.
Other theories call into question that the nature of the collapse of the WTC towers corresponds to that which could be caused by aircraft hits and fires. The destruction of the towers is said to be more like controlled demolition. It has also been suggested that the September 11, 2001 attacks were not planned and carried out by al-Qaeda, but by US intelligence agencies.
International opinion, according to a survey conducted in 17 countries, paints such a picture. Overall, 46% of those polled place the main responsibility on al-Qaeda, 15% on the US government, 7% on Israel, and another 7% name other perpetrators. We will not delve into this topic. Those interested in these events can find materials on the net.
21. 56 minutes after south tower the second plane crashed at 9:59 am it starts to break down, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Gulnara Samoilova | AP):
22. (Photo by Richard Drew | AP):
23. Collapse of the 110-story South Tower World Trade Center. View from the street, September 9, 2001. (Photo by Doug Kanter | AFP | Getty Images):
24. As in from dust and debris. (Photo by Gulnara Samoilova | AP):
25. 102 minutes after north tower the first plane crashed at 10:28 am it starts to break down, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Diane Bondareff | AP):
26. (Photo by Primera Hora | Getty Images):
27. The collapse of the 110-story skyscrapers of the World Trade Center, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Greg Semendinger | AP):
28. A total of 2,606 people died at the World Trade Center. (Photo by Shannon Stapleton | Reuters):
29. 1366 people who were on the upper floors died north tower WTC, many of whom died when the plane collided with the tower, and the rest - due to fire and collapse. IN south tower at least 600 people died on the upper floors. At least 200 people trapped on the upper floors of the towers jumped down and crashed. (Photo by Greg Semendinger | AP):
30. On the streets of New York during the destruction of the WTC towers, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Suzanne Plunkett | AP):
31. Clouds of smoke, dust and debris spread throughout Manhattan. (Photo by Ray Stubblebine | Reuters):
32. (Photo by Gulnara Samoilova | AP):
33. (Photo by Gulnara Samoilova | AP):
34. (Photo by Daniel Shanken | AP):
35. 341 firefighters, 60 police officers, and 8 ambulance workers died in the fire. (Photo by Mario Tama | Getty Images):
36. In total, about 18 people were able to leave the hit zone in the South Tower and escape. (Photo by Gulnara Samiolava | AP):
More than 1,600 bodies were identified in New York, but about 1,100 people could not be identified. It was reported that "about 10,000 fragments of bones and tissues were found at the site of the tragedy, which is incomparable with the number of dead."
38. The streets of Manhattan after the collapse of the "twins" of the World Trade Center, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Boudicon One | AP):
39. On the site of the former 110-story World Trade Center, September 15, 2001. (Photo by Reuters):
40. The landing gear of one of the planes that crashed into the WTC buildings, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Shannon Stapleton | Reuters):
41. Search for possible survivors of the collapse of the "twins" of the World Trade Center, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Matt Moyer | AP):
42. The fire is still blazing at the site of the former WTC, September 12, 2001, a day after. (Photo by Baldwin | AP):
45. In addition to the destruction of the two 110-story towers of the World Trade Center, other buildings were seriously damaged or destroyed. As a result of the collapse of skyscrapers, about 1.5 kilometers of New York subway lines were damaged. Photo AP):
46. Rescuers work in the underground facilities of the collapsed World Trade Center, September 14, 2011. (Photo by U.S. Navy | Reuters):
The ongoing events have caused chaos throughout the United States. All commercial flights were canceled, landing of aircraft in the United States was prohibited. Aircraft arriving from other countries were diverted back to their departure airports, or were directed to airports in Canada and Mexico. Above major cities The United States was patrolled by Air Force fighter jets.
47. The ruins of the World Trade Center, September 11, 2001. (Photo by Doug Kanter | AFP | Getty Images):
On September 11, 2001, 2,977 people (not including 19 terrorists) became victims: 246 passengers and crew members of aircraft, 2,606 people - in New York, in the WTC buildings and on the ground, 125 - in the Pentagon building. Citizens of the United States and 91 other countries died, including 96 citizens of Russia and the CIS.
When the skyscrapers of the World Trade Center were destroyed, about 16,000 people were saved, who were in the towers below the impact zone of the aircraft. Most of them survived, being evacuated before the destruction of buildings.
On the site of the collapsed twin towers erected memorial Complex. Currently, the complex is being reconstructed, which is planned to be completed by 2012.
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Today marks the 16th anniversary of the most terrible and daring terrorist attack in the history of the United States and the whole world. In the United States on Monday, mourning ceremonies will be held in memory of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington. On this day, six minutes of silence will be announced.
Al-Qaeda militants seized four passenger aircraft and two of them were sent to the towers of the World Trade Center, the other two to the Pentagon, and also to the White House or the Capitol. All aircraft reached their targets, except for the last one. The fourth hijacked plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The attack killed 2,977 people, including 343 firefighters and 60 policemen. In addition to the Americans, citizens of another 92 states died. 2753 lives were claimed by the attack in New York, 184 in the Pentagon and 40 in Pennsylvania.
19 terrorists were also killed in the attacks, 15 of them were citizens Saudi Arabia, two - United Arab Emirates as well as Egypt and Lebanon.
The exact figure of the damage caused by the attacks is still unknown. In September 2006, the then head of the White House, George W. Bush, announced that the damage from the September 11, 2001 attacks for the United States amounted to the lowest estimate of $ 500 billion.
In November 2002, America created a special independent commission to investigate the September 11 attacks. Two years later, she published the final report on the investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy, which contained 600 pages. Experts acknowledged that suicide bombers took advantage of serious "administrative failures" in the work of US authorities and intelligence.
Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan origin, was the only person convicted in the case of terrorist attacks in the United States. He was arrested in August 2001 after he graduated flight school in Oklahoma and trained on a Boeing 747 simulator in Minnesota. In the spring of 2005, the court found Moussaoui guilty of intending to commit a terrorist attack, which on that tragic day was supposed to be the fifth in a row. The Frenchman admitted that on the personal instructions of Osama bin Laden, he had to seize the plane and send it to the White House. In May 2006, a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, sentenced Moussaoui to life in prison.
In 2002 and 2003, police arrested six other people suspected of involvement in the attacks. They spent several years in CIA prisons, and in 2006 they were taken to a camp at an American base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In early 2008, the US Department of Defense charged six prisoners with murder and war crimes as part of its investigation into the 9/11 attacks.
The investigation brought charges against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who, according to the authorities, was a central figure in the preparation of the attacks. Organizational support for the terrorists was provided by Ramzi Binalshiba (Ramzi bin al-Shiba) from Yemen. Mohammed al-Qahtani, according to the investigation, on September 11, 2001, was supposed to become the 20th hijacker of four American aircraft. Mustafa Ahmed Khavsavi, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Walid bin Attache were also accused of plotting the attack. In 2008, the charges against al-Qahtani were dropped.
In January 2009, the new US President Barack Obama promised to close, ordering the suspension of the military prosecutor's office. The military department had to drop the accusations of terrorists. Nevertheless, as you know, Obama's promise remained unfulfilled - Congress did not approve his plans. Therefore, already in the spring of 2011, he ordered the resumption of military courts against terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay.
In May 2011, the US Military Attorney's Office again charged five suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, with involvement in the September 11, 2001 attacks. And a year later, they were formally charged by a military tribunal with conspiracy, attacking civilians, intentionally causing physical harm, murder, violating the laws of war, causing destruction, hijacking and terrorism. All five remained silent at the trial.
In July 2014, a military court at Guantanamo concluded that Ramzi Binalshiba's trial should be held separately - military doctors found a "serious mental illness" in the Yemeni. To date, hearings on the case of those accused of involvement in the organization of the terrorist attack are ongoing.
Last spring, New York District Judge George Daniels ruled in absentia, ordering Tehran to pay $7.5 billion to the relatives and other members of the people who died at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The judge also determined that the authorities of the Islamic Republic must pay another three billion to insurers who covered property damage. Earlier, the judge ruled that since Tehran could not prove its non-participation in assisting the organizers of the terrorist attack, therefore, the authorities of this country bear a share of responsibility for the damage caused.
The US Congress in September 2016 passed a law that allows the heirs of the victims of the September 11 attacks to sue - most of the terrorists were holders of passports of this particular country. In early October last year, an American woman who lost her husband during a terrorist attack filed the first lawsuit against Saudi Arabia, and in the spring of this year, relatives of the victims in the United States filed a class action lawsuit against Riyadh. Later, dozens of insurance companies filed a lawsuit against two banks in the kingdom, as well as firms associated with the Osama bin Laden family - the amount of the claim amounted to more than $ 4 billion. Saudi Arabia, in turn, appealed to the federal court in Manhattan to dismiss 25 lawsuits. According to the authorities of the country, the plaintiffs have no evidence of the involvement of Riyadh or organizations associated with it in the 9/11 attack.
In 2011, on the site of the destroyed twin towers in New York, the World Trade Center Memorial appeared, which consists of two square fountain pools located right at the bases of the former twin towers. Streams of water cascade along the inner walls of these pools, which go into square holes located at the bottom of the fountains. The names of 2983 victims of the terrorist attacks are carved on bronze slabs that lined the parapets of buildings.
Since 2002, September 11 has been celebrated in the United States as Patriot Day, since 2009 this date has also been referred to as the nationwide Day of Service and Remembrance.
Attack on the World shopping mall in NYC.
September 11 attacks, also called "9/11" - a series of hijackings and suicide attacks by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda against targets in the United States, the worst terrorist attacks in American soil in US history.
The main consequences of the attack
Some 2,750 people were killed in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon (Washington), and 40 in Pennsylvania (where one of the hijacked planes crashed). Police and firefighters in New York City were hit especially hard, with hundreds rushing to the scene of the attack, and more than 400 police and firefighters died.
All 19 terrorists were killed. The attacks became the basis for a massive U.S. counterterrorism effort.
Preparing an attack
In 1996, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed met with bin Laden in Afghanistan. He suggested that he carry out an attack on hijacked aircraft, which would be led by pilots studying in the United States. Al Qaeda was supposed to provide manpower, money and support. They calculated that this would change the whole situation in the Middle East. The participants in the conspiracy established a worldwide network; meetings were held in Malaysia, the participants in the attack studied in the US, the coordinators of the plan sat in Hamburg, money transfers came from Dubai, functionaries were recruited throughout the Middle East, and orders from the leadership were sent from Afghanistan.
Three of the killer pilots and one of the planners lived in Hamburg, where they were part of a local Islamist cell. In 1999, they were going to go to fight in Chechnya and came into contact with an Islamist recruiter. But he redirected them to prepare a terrorist attack against the United States and sent them to Afghanistan to bin Laden. He preferred to use jihadists trained in the West. One of the Hamburg terrorists named Atta was appointed commander of the operation.
The hijackers, most of whom were from Saudi Arabia, had established themselves in the United States, many long before the attack. They traveled in small groups, and some of them received flight training. Communication was maintained by email.
In preparation, links were maintained between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.
Attack
On 29 August 2001, the command was given to carry out the attack on 9 September. On September 5, chief planner Binalshib left Germany for Pakistan and sent a courier to bin Laden with a readiness report.
On September 11, 2001, groups of attackers boarded four local airlines at three East Coast airports. Shortly after takeoff, they killed the aircrew, possibly with bladed weapons smuggled in with them. The hijackers then took control of the planes, all large and bound for the West Coast with full fuel.
At 8:46 a.m., the first American Airlines plane to take off from Boston crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York. Most who saw it at first thought it was an accident: a small plane accidentally crashed into a building. The second plane, United Airlines, also from Boston, hit the south tower 17 minutes later. It was already clear that the United States was being attacked.
Both buildings were badly damaged by the impact and a fire broke out. Many people who were above the fires jumped from the windows to die not from the fire.
A third American Airlines aircraft, taking off from Dulles Airport near Washington, DC, hit the southwest side of the Pentagon (near the city) at 9:37 am. A fire broke out in part of the building. Minutes later, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide halt to all sorties.
At 10:03 a.m., a fourth United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, crashed near Shankville in rural Pennsylvania. Its passengers, who learned about what was happening on mobile phones, prevented the terrorists.
At 9:59 a.m., the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed, and the north tower fell 29 minutes later. Clouds of smoke and debris quickly filled the streets of Lower Manhattan. Office workers and residents fled in panic, trying to outrun the billowing clouds of debris. A number of other buildings adjacent to the twin towers suffered serious damage, and several subsequently collapsed. The fire at the site of the World Trade Center smoldered for more than three months.
Rescue work began almost immediately with the help of the whole country and the whole world. More than 400 New York City police and firefighters died in the first rescue effort. In total, almost 3,000 people and 19 terrorists died.
America's reaction
US President George W. Bush, who was in Florida at the time, was informed of the attack and taken to a military base. At 8:30 p.m., Bush addressed the nation from the Oval Office and laid out his administration's foreign policy principle: "We will not distinguish between the terrorists who did this and those who harbor them."
Television footage of the raid on the World Trade Center was seen by the whole world. The losses were great, the stock exchange fell, there was no air service until September 13th.
Al-Qaeda considered this their victory. There was a celebration in the Arab countries. In the Palestinian Authority, there were mass festivities with shooting in the air, sweets and leaflets were handed out on the streets calling on Muslims to be proud of their victory over the United States. Adults and children waved portraits of bin Laden. In containers of weapons sent to the Palestinian Authority, intercepted by Israeli customs in the port of Ashdod in June 2002, there was also a batch of "campaign" lighters depicting the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, along with the image of Osama bin Laden.
Two days later, enhanced security measures were put in place and work resumed air transport. The whole world showed solidarity with the US; even in Tehran there was a mourning demonstration. The perpetrators were quickly identified: al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden. The Afghan government, which consisted of the Taliban extremist group, refused to extradite them.
On the basis of the NATO charter on assistance to a member of the bloc subjected to aggression, a joint military operation against the Taliban was carried out. Within months, thousands of militants were killed or captured, Afghanistan was liberated, and Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders were forced into hiding. They were never able to take control of an entire country again. However, the war in Afghanistan dragged on due to the unwillingness of local resistance forces to the Taliban to establish effective government in the country.
In addition, the US government has engaged in an intensive search for other agents and al-Qaeda sympathizers around the world and has placed the fight against terrorism at the center of its foreign policy. The captured terrorists were stored in a prison at the US Navy base at Guantanamo, leased from Cuba, where Cuban laws apply. At first there were 800, by 2011 there were 175 left.
Security measures within the United States have been significantly tightened at locations such as airports, government buildings, and sports centers. To facilitate this, Congress quickly passed the US Patriot Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Establishing the Appropriate Mechanisms Needed to Prevent and Suppress Terrorism of 2001), which significantly but temporarily expanded the search and surveillance powers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other law enforcement agencies. In addition, the Ministry of National Security was created.
In 2002, the US took steps to destroy Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, which aided the most diverse terrorist forces in the world. In 2003, an international coalition toppled Saddam's regime and purged Iraq of his supporters as part of the concept of pre-emptive strikes against terrorist regimes.
The Commission of Inquiry, set up in 2002, submitted a report two years later. She identified numerous cases of lack of interaction between the services responsible for national security. As a result, criminals known to the CIA were allowed into the US and not neutralized because they were not reported to the FBI. Some of the criminals who were preparing the second wave of attacks came to the attention of the FBI, but were not properly verified. Measures were taken to establish cooperation under the leadership of the Ministry of National Security.
Bin Laden was searched for 10 years. All this time it was assumed that he was hiding in the area of the Afghan-Pakistani border, controlled by unsubordinate tribes. In 2011, he was found at a Pakistani military base in the city of Abbottabad, living in a house under the protection of the Pakistan Army. On May 2, 2011, a SEAL special forces unit landed there and eliminated the criminal.
Declassified Details
In 2013, Wikileaks, an organization dedicated to disclosing classified information from governments and individuals obtained through hacking, posted a large amount of US government documents on the Internet.
Among other things, documents relating to the activities of Islamic terrorists were declassified. In particular, it turned out that the financing of Al-Qaeda structures comes from Saudi Arabia, and the US government cannot get the Saudi government to do anything against this.
In addition, a group of people from Qatar, possibly involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks, were seen in the United States in 2011. Their movements were monitored and reported, but no action was taken against them.
Having received no support in Congress, the head of state in early March 2011 ordered the resumption of military trials against suspected terrorists held in Guantanamo Bay prison.
In early April 2011, US Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed that defendant Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other defendants in the 9/11 case would not appear before a US civilian court, but before a special military commission at Guantanamo Bay.
On May 31, 2011, the US Military Attorney's Office again charged five suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, with involvement in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
On May 5, 2012, a military tribunal formally charged five suspects with involvement in organizing the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in the United States. They are accused of organizing a conspiracy, attacking civilians, intentionally causing physical harm, murder, violating the laws of war, causing destruction, hijacking and terrorism.
All five defendants refused to answer whether they plead guilty.
New York District Judge George Daniels ruled in absentia that Iran must pay $7.5 billion to the relatives and other members of those who died at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The judge determined that the Iranian authorities must pay another three billion to insurers who covered property damage and other material losses. Earlier, Judge Daniels ruled that Tehran was unable to prove its non-involvement in assisting the organizers of the attack, and therefore the Iranian authorities bear a share of responsibility for the damage caused during it.
On the site of the destroyed Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2011 was the World Trade Center Memorial. It consists of two square pools-fountains, located right at the bases of the former twin towers, along the inner walls of which water streams cascade down, leaving into square holes located at the bottom of each of the pools.
The names of the 2,983 victims of the attacks (including the six who died in the 1993 World Trade Center attack) are carved on the bronze slabs that line the parapets of both fountains.
The new World Trade Center complex was opened. It is the fourth tallest skyscraper in the world - its height is 541 meters. Construction began in April 2006 on the corner of a 65,000-square-meter site where the twin towers of the demolished mall used to stand.
Celebrated in the United States as Patriot Day, since 2009, after the approval of Act 111-13 of the General Law of the United States, this date is also referred to as the nationwide Day of Service and Remembrance.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources