| From top to bottom: the World Trade Center burning; a section of the Pentagon collapses; Flight 175 crashes into 2 WTC; a fireman requests help at Ground Zero; an engine from Flight 93 is recovered; Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon. | |
| Location | New York City; Arlington County, Virginia; and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. |
|---|---|
| Date | Tuesday, September 11, 2001 8:46 a.m. – 10:28 a.m. (UTC-04:00) |
| Attack type | Aircraft hijacking, mass murder, suicide attack, terrorism |
| Deaths | 2,996 |
| Injured | More than 6,000 |
| Perpetrators | al-Qaeda[1] (See also responsibility and hijackers). Wikipedia |
The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th, or 9/11)[nb 1] were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks upon the United States in New York City and the Washington, D.C. areas on September 11, 2001. On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists from the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets. The hijackers intentionally flew two of those planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City; both towers collapsed within two hours. The hijackers also intentionally crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and intended to pilot the fourth hijacked jet, United Airlines Flight 93, into the United States Capitol Building[2] in Washington, D.C.; however, the plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers attempted to take control of the jet from the hijackers. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, including all 227 civilians and 19 hijackers aboard the four planes.
Suspicion quickly fell on al-Qaeda, and in 2004, the group's leader, Osama bin Laden, who had initially denied involvement, claimed responsibility for the attacks.[1] Al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U.S. support of Israel, the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives for the attacks. The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban,
which had harbored al-Qaeda. Many countries strengthened their
anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. In May
2011, after years at large, bin Laden was located and killed.
The destruction of the Twin Towers caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan and had a significant impact on global markets. Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, and the Pentagon was repaired within a year. Numerous memorials were constructed, including the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York, the Pentagon Memorial, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. After a lengthy delay, the 1,776-foot-tall (541 m) One World Trade Center is expected to be completed at Ground Zero in New York by 2013.[3]Wikipedia
The 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.
President Obama and first lady Michelle ObamaOn the White House South Lawn, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama bowed their heads at 8:46 a.m., the moment the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. They later laid a wreath at the Pentagon, where the third plane struck. A flag was draped over the building to mark the day.
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President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle
Obama had a moment of silence at the White House Tuesday morning to pay
tribute to the 11th anniversity of September 11th, 2001. The President
and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta also spoke at a memorial service
at the Pentagon.
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At Arlington National Cemetery, the Obamas visited the graves in Section 60, one of the sections where those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq are buried under white marble markers.
They placed a “challenge coin” on a collective memorial to the victims of an Oct. 29, 2009, helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
At a ceremony in Manhattan, where One World Trade Center is under construction, the families of victims read the names of loved ones killed in the attacks, and traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange stood silent.
In Shanksville, Pa., where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in an open field after being hijacked by four terrorists, Vice President Biden spoke of the sacred, hallowed ground, weaving in his own experience of loss to comfort the families of the 40 passengers and crew members who died there.
“For no matter how many anniversaries you experience, for at least an instant, the terror of that moment returns; the lingering echo of that phone call; that sense of total disbelief that envelops you, where you feel like you’re being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest,” said Biden, whose first wife and baby daughter were killed in a car accident 40 years ago. “My hope for you all is that as every year passes, the depth of your pain recedes and you find comfort, as I have, genuine comfort in recalling his smile, her laugh, their touch.”
Thousands of miles away, in Kabul, troops prayed and reflected on the event that triggered America’s longest war.
In Reno, Nev., where he delivered a speech on foreign policy, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney shared his own memories from Sept. 11, 2001, when he was in Washington as the head of the Winter Olympic Games, meeting with members of Congress about security preparations for the Salt Lake City Games.
He said he watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center on a small television on his desk. Later, he recalled, he left Washington and passed by the Pentagon just after he crossed the Potomac River.
“Cars had stopped where they were and people had gotten out, watching in horror,” Romney said. “I could smell burning fuel and concrete and steel. It was the smell of war, something I never imagined I would smell in America.”
The Washington Post.
Download Image
› Full SizeNew York City on September 11, 2001
Visible from space, a smoke plume rises from the Manhattan area after two planes crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center. This photo was taken of metropolitan New York City (and other parts of New York as well as New Jersey) the morning of September 11, 2001. "Our prayers and thoughts go out to all the people there, and everywhere else," said Station Commander Frank Culbertson of Expedition 3, after the terrorists' attacks.The following day, he posted a public letter that captured his initial thoughts of the events as they unfolded. "The world changed today. What I say or do is very minor compared to the significance of what happened to our country today when it was attacked."
Upon further reflection, Culbertson said, "It's horrible to see smoke pouring from wounds in your own country from such a fantastic vantage point. The dichotomy of being on a spacecraft dedicated to improving life on the earth and watching life being destroyed by such willful, terrible acts is jolting to the psyche, no matter who you are."
› Culbertson's Letter from Sept. 11, 2001
› 2010 Video: Frank Culbertson Remembers 9/11 Ten Years Later
Image credit: NASA
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