Nineteen years ago, terrorist attacks in the United States on this day changed the world at large.
On September 11, 2001, two planes were flown into the famous twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. 19 terrorists associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. The third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, DC, and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Over 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The 9/11 attack triggered major US initiatives to combat terrorism.
19 years ago at 8.45 am on a Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north of World Trade Centre. The 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper was left burning and thousands of people lost their lives. Hundreds of people got trapped on the higher floors. 18 minutes later, a second Boeing 767 -United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the south tower of WTC and burnt a hole on the 60th floor.
9/11 attack was reportedly financed by the al-Qaeda terrorist organization of Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden.
September 11, 2001, led to a host of changes in the security outlook that included framing of new stringent laws at the expense of civil liberties, military actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Pakistan resulting in the deaths of dictators Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi, besides terrorist group Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Here is a list of facts that you didn't know about 9/11 attack:
1. Fires burned for 99 days
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The last fires at Ground Zero weren’t extinguished completely until December 19, 2001.
(Photo Credits: Reuters)
2. CIA warned President Clinton about hijackings in 1998
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The Central Intelligence Agency had told Clinton that “Bin Ladin was Preparing to Hijack US Aircraft and Other Attacks.” CIA updated the President on December 4, 1998, in his Daily Brief saying that he was planning to hijack planes to gain the release of Yousef and other terrorists.
(Photo Credits: AFP)
3. World Trade Centre had been targeted before
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On February 26, 1993, a bomb was planted in a van parked in the WTC's underground parking. The bomb exploded killing six people and wounding more than 1,000. “Ramzi Yousef, the Sunni extremist who planted the bomb, said later that he had hoped to kill 250,000 people.”
(Photo Credits: Reuters)
4. World Trade Center steel sold to China and India
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Over 185,101 tons of steel left at Ground Zero was used in memorials across the US, but some was also sold to China and India.
(Photo Credits: Reuters)
5. Three skyscrapers fell in New York
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Two planes were flown into the famous twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Not much can be found in coverage of World Trade Center Building 7, a 47-story building thought to have collapsed due to “ancillary damage” from the Twin Towers. However, the third plane had hit this building.
(Photo Credits: Reuters)
6. US tried multiple times to kill Osama bin Laden before 9/11
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CIA and other agencies developed a plan to capture bin Laden in early 1998, the report said. That was delayed and then revived, but it was hampered by concerns from military officials about relying on Afghan tribal leaders. Then-national security adviser Sandy Berger was concerned about what would be done with bin Laden if he was captured and whether the evidence against him could lead to a criminal conviction in a US court.
(Photo Credits: Reuters)
7. Passengers on planes provide critical information
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Passengers on four hijacked flights American 11, United 175, American 77 and United 93 had called their family members and friends from their cellphones to report the hijacking. This helped the authorities to understand why they couldn't track the hijacked planes.
(Photo Credits: Reuters)
