Claim: Al-Qaeda executed the September 11 attacks.

Al-Qaeda -LRB- -LSB- ælˈkaɪdə -RSB- or -LSB- ˌælkɑːˈiːdə -RSB- القاعدة , -LSB- ælqɑːʕɪdɐ -RSB- , translation : `` The Base '' , `` The Foundation '' or `` The Fundament '' and alternatively spelled al-Qaida , al-Qæda and sometimes al-Qa ` ida -RRB- is a militant Sunni Islamist multi-national organization founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden , Abdullah Azzam , and several other Arab volunteers who fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s .   Al-Qaeda operates as a network made up of Islamic extremist , Salafist jihadists . It has been designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization -LRB- NATO -RRB- , the European Union , the United States , Russia , India , and various other countries -LRB- see below -RRB- . Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countries , including the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings , the September 11 attacks , and the 2002 Bali bombings . The U.S. government responded to the September 11 attacks by launching the `` War on Terror '' . With the loss of key leaders , culminating in the death of Osama bin Laden , al-Qaeda 's operations have devolved from actions that were controlled from the top-down , to actions by associated groups and lone-wolf operators . Characteristic techniques employed by al-Qaeda include suicide attacks and the simultaneous bombing of different targets . Activities ascribed to it may involve members of the movement who have made a pledge of loyalty to bin Laden , or the much more numerous `` al-Qaeda-linked '' individuals who have undergone training in one of its camps in Afghanistan , Pakistan , Iraq or Sudan . Al-Qaeda ideologues envision a complete break from all foreign influences in Muslim countries , and the creation of a new caliphate ruling over the entire Muslim world .   Among the beliefs ascribed to al-Qaeda members is the conviction #Noun that a Christian -- Jewish alliance is conspiring to destroy Islam . As Salafist jihadists , they believe that the killing of non-combatants is religiously sanctioned , but they ignore any aspect of religious scripture which might be interpreted as forbidding the murder of non-combatants and internecine fighting . Al-Qaeda also opposes what it regards as man-made laws , and wants to replace them with a strict form of sharia law .   Al-Qaeda has carried out many attacks on targets it considers kafir . Al-Qaeda is also responsible for instigating sectarian violence among Muslims . Al-Qaeda leaders regard liberal Muslims , Shias , Sufis and other sects as heretics and have attacked their mosques and gatherings . Examples of sectarian attacks include the Yazidi community bombings , the Sadr City bombings , the Ashoura massacre and the April 2007 Baghdad bombings .   Since the death of bin Laden in 2011 , the group has been led by the Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri .