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On September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists linked to al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger planes flying from the US East Coast to California. The attacks took place in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
At 8:46 a.m. local time, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York. At 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower, making clear that the attacks were coordinated.
At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense. Five minutes later, the US Federal Aviation Administration ordered all aircraft in the country’s airspace to land as soon as possible.
At 9:59 a.m., the South Tower collapsed, less than an hour after it was hit. Four minutes later, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. According to the 9/11 Commission, passengers and crew attempted to resist the hijackers after learning about the events in New York.
At 10:28 a.m., the North Tower collapsed. A total of 2,977 people were killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.
Who organized the attacks?
The 9/11 Commission concluded that the attacks were organized by al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden. The commission’s report said bin Laden opposed the deployment of US troops in Saudi Arabia and Washington’s policies in the Middle East.
Al-Qaeda had previously carried out attacks against US targets. These included the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.
The US response
On September 20, 2001, President George W. Bush addressed a joint session of Congress and called on the Taliban to hand over bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders. The United States and its allies launched a military campaign in Afghanistan on October 7 against terrorist targets as well as the Taliban’s military and political positions.
Kabul was captured on November 13, and the Taliban was removed from power. However, the conflict developed into a protracted war. The United States remained involved in Afghanistan for nearly two decades. In February 2020, Washington and the Taliban signed an agreement providing for the withdrawal of foreign troops.
The Taliban returned to power in August 2021, after the United States and allied forces completed their withdrawal.
Changes in security policy
The attacks made counterterrorism a top national security priority in the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation described the investigation as the largest in the agency’s history.
In October 2001, the US Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act, expanding the powers of intelligence and law enforcement agencies. New measures were also introduced in aviation and homeland security, and the Department of Homeland Security was established.
For nearly a decade, Osama bin Laden remained one of the top targets of US intelligence. In May 2011, US forces raided the compound where bin Laden was living in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed him during the operation.
The September 11 attacks led to long-term changes in US counterterrorism and national security policies, as well as in international relations. The event remains one of the most significant turning points in modern US history.
