The 50 Worst Terrorist Attacks by Edward Mickolus & Susan L. Simmons

Author:Edward Mickolus & Susan L. Simmons [Edward F. Mickolus]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781440828287
Publisher: ABC-CLIO

September 11, 2001

Al Qaeda U.S. World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Pennsylvania Hijackings

Overview: And then the world changed forever. Every American who lived through that day can tell you where they were when they heard the news. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people from more than 80 countries. American response to the attacks included a massive reorganization of the U.S. government, creation of the 180,000-person Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and a host of airline passenger screening measures. The U.S. military and a coalition of the willing soon flushed al Qaeda and the Taliban from the safety of Afghanistan. Suspicion of Iraqi involvement with al Qaeda led the Bush administration to invade Iraq in 2003 as part of the War on Terrorism.

Incidents: On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four U.S. air liners and crashed them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center (WTC), the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people.

American Airlines Flight 11. A B-767 carrying 92 people, including 9 flight attendants and 2 pilots, and traveling from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport was hijacked shortly after its 7:59 a.m. takeoff by terrorists armed with box cutters and knives. The plane was diverted over New York and crashed into New York City’s 110-story WTC North Tower at 8:45 A.M., killing all on board. A fireball engulfed the tower as millions watched on television, certain they were seeing a horrible accident. Dozens of people jumped out of WTC windows. The building collapsed at 10:29 A.M., sending a 10-story cloud of smoke and ash throughout Manhattan. The fires burned for weeks.

The hijackers were identified as Mohamed Atta, Waleed M. Alshehri, Wail M. Alshehri, Satam M. A. al Suqami, and Abdulaziz Alomari. In February 2001, Atta inquired about crop dusters at Belle Glade State Municipal Airport in Belle Glade, Florida. (This piece of information, developed in September 2001, led the United States to ground all crop dusters in the country in hopes of stopping a possible chemical–biological attack.) The terrorists apparently had been told to blend in with U.S. society, not appearing to be too devout as Muslims and cut their beards to U.S.-style lengths.

United Airlines Flight 175. A B-767 flying from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport with 65 people, including 7 flight attendants and 2 pilots, was hijacked shortly after its 7:58 a.m. takeoff by terrorists armed with box cutters and knives. The plane was diverted across New Jersey, pulled sharply right, and just missed crashing into two other airliners as it descended toward Manhattan. The hijacker maneuvered to avoid colliding with a Delta flight; a third U.S. Airways aircraft descended rapidly after being notified of an imminent collision. United Airlines flight 175 crashed into New York City’s 110-story WTC South Tower at 9:05 A.M. The second crash was captured on television, which was covering the North Tower fire, further horrifying millions. No one on board survived the crash. The building collapsed at 11:10 a.

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