September 11, 2001 also known as 9/11 was a sequence of four coordinated terrorist attacks launched by 19 members of a terrorist group called al-Qaeda. These terrorists hijacked four U.S. airplanes and used them to strike various targets on the East Coast. These attacks caused at least $10 billion in property and infrastructure damage and killed almost 3000 people making it the worst attack on the United States in history.
The attacks launched by the Islamic terrorist group was against the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The plot originally called for hijacking 10 planes and attacking targets on the eastern and western coasts of the United States. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the plot, planned to have nine of the planes crash into the FBI and CIA headquarters, the Pentagon and the White House, as well as nuclear plants and the tallest buildings in California and Washington state. The hijackers of the 10th plane, which Mohammed planned to pilot, would contact the media, kill all of the adult men on board and then make a statement denouncing the United States before freeing the women and children.The plot also called for hijacking and blowing up 12 airliners in Southeast Asia, but al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden ditched that part of the plan because it was too difficult to coordinate operations on two continents.
Bin Laden scaled back the plot in the U.S to the four planes that were eventually used in the attack.
They narrowed down the list of targets to the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and either the White House or the Capitol. He wanted to hit the White House, but Mohammed and Mohamed Atta, the leader of the hijackers, favored the Capitol, because they felt it would be an easier target.
Bin Laden had wanted the attack to occur as early as mid-2000, after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount tunnel, which preceded a Palestinian intifada. But the hijacker-pilots were not yet fully trained. He then pressed for a date earlier in 2001, such as May 12, the seven-month anniversary of the USS Cole attack, or in June or July, when Sharon was due to visit the White House. Again, the hijackers were not ready.
The plot cost an estimated $400,000 to $500,000, not including the hijackers' training in Afghanistan. The hijackers spent about $270,000 in the United States, mainly on flight training, travel, housing, and vehicles
"Operation Enduring Freedom" is the official name used by the U.S. government for the War in Afghanistan, together with a number of smaller military actions, under the umbrella of the Global "War on Terror". The operation was originally called "Operation Infinite Justice", but as similar phrases have been used by adherents of several religions as an exclusive description of God, it is believed to have been changed to avoid offense to Muslims, who are the majority religion in Afghanistan. U.S. President George W. Bush's remark that "this crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take a while", which prompted widespread criticism from the Islamic world, may also have contributed to the renaming of the operation.
The September 11 attacks transformed the first term of President George W. Bush and led to what he has called the Global War on Terrorism. The accuracy of describing it as a "war" and the political motivations and consequences are the topic of strenuous debate. The US government increased military operations, economic measures and political pressure on groups it accused of being terrorists, as well as on governments and countries accused of sheltering them. October 2001 saw the first military action initiated by the US. Under this policy, the NATO invaded Afghanistan in order to remove the Taliban regime (which harbored al-Qaeda) and to capture al-Qaeda forces. The war, however, is ongoing and has not been won.
Al Qaeda wanted to expel westerners, more specifically, Americans. They also want to drive out the U.S. from Muslim lands. They believe American influence is one of the biggest impediments to the establishment of non-Islamic governments.
The first two events occured when terrorists flew two planes into two identical skyscrapers, known as the twin towers at the World Trade Center in New York City causing the buildings to catch fire and collapse. Another plane destroyed part of the Pentagon (the U.S. military headquarters) in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Officials believe the terrorists intended to destroy either the White House or the U.S. Capitol but failed when passengers on the plane fought the terrorists and prevented them from reaching their goal.
Two weeks after the September 11 attacks, the Federal Bureau of Investigation connected the hijackers to al-Qaeda, a global, terrorist network. In a number of video, audio, interview and printed statements, senior members of al-Qaeda had professed responsibility for organizing the September 11 attacks. The hijackers were 19 men and 15 of the 19 were citizens of Saudi Arabia. The others were from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Lebanon. The hijackers were organized into four teams, each led by a pilot-trained hijacker with three or four "muscle hijackers" who were trained to help subdue the pilots, passengers, and crew. It is believed that Osama Bin Laden, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and Mohammed Atef were the ones who plotted the attacks after meeting together in 1999. It is also believed Khalid Sheikh Mohammad was planned the attacks and that Atef organized the hijackers.
8:46 am – Mohammed Atta and the other hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 11 crash the plane into floors 93-99 of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, killing everyone on board and hundreds inside the building.
9:03 am – Hijackers crash United Airlines Flight 175 into floors 75-85 of the WTC’s South Tower, killing everyone on board and hundreds inside the building
Even though 9/11 occurred 13 years ago it has still affected my life today. Being afraid to fly, and racial profiling are both ways 9/11 have affected me. Even though racial profiling is a bad thing to do I admit I do take part in it. For example if I'm in a grocery store and I see a person with a head scarf and long drape-like clothing I tend to think there up to something or may cause harm to me or people surrounding me.
One 9/11 theory that I believe is that Jewish People Knew Attack Was Going To Happen. I believe this because about 4,000 Jewish employees took off from work on September 11, 2001. Some of the first people to record the attacks on camera were Jewish also.