The events of 9/11 seared the American psyche. All told, close to 3,000 people were killed and 6,000 were injured.
The fourth, intended for the White House or the Capitol, crashed in a field in Pennsylvania when passengers, who had learned of the other attacks, struggled for control of the plane. Over the next days and weeks, the world learned that 19 militants belonging to the Islamic terrorist group, al Qaeda, armed with box cutters and knives missed by airport security, had hijacked four planes. Its twin soon succumbed to the same fate.įire fighters on scene after the 9/11 attack. Not long after, in the fourth shock of the morning, the South Tower of the World Trade Centre unexpectedly crumbled to the ground in a few seconds, its structural integrity destroyed by the inferno set off by the plane’s thousands of gallons of jet fuel. The scale of the assault became apparent about 40 minutes later, when a third jet crashed into the Pentagon. Suddenly, it was clear that the United States was under attack. At 9:03am, viewers watching the smoke billowing from the gash in the building were stunned to see a second jet plane dart into view and fly directly into the South Tower. In it, our authors examine how and why an event unfolded, its impact at the time, and its relevance to politics today.Īt 8:46am on a sunny Tuesday morning in New York City, a commercial jet plane flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre, cutting through floors 93 to 99.Īs the news was beamed around the world, shaken reporters wondered whether the crash had been an accident or an act of terrorism. This article is part of our series of explainers on key moments in the past 100 years of world political history.
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