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.
20 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 Center. 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.
World Trade Center, Before 2001
The Twin Towers were the centerpieces of the World Trade Center complex. At 110 stories each, 1 WTC (North Tower) and 2 WTC (South Tower) provided nearly 10 million square feet of office space for about 35,000 people and 430 companies. They were the tallest buildings in New York City, and for a brief period upon their completion, they were the tallest buildings in the world. They attracted roughly 70,000 tourists and commuters every day.
The North Tower rose 1,368 feet—1,730 feet with a large antenna—and the South Tower stood 1,362 feet high. On a clear day, views extended 45 miles from the top of the towers in every direction—far enough to see all five New York City boroughs, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
The towers were massive. Each weighed more than 250,000 tons, contained 99 elevators, and had 21,800 windows. Each floor was an acre in size, and there was enough concrete in the towers to build a sidewalk from New York City to Washington, D.C. The complex even had its own zip code: 10048.
The two towers were surrounded by five other buildings that comprised the WTC complex. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had a police desk in 5 WTC, while 3 WTC was a hotel with office space.
The Twin Towers were completed in 1973, though tenants began to arrive in December 1970. The other buildings were built over the next 14 years.
In February 1993, terrorists with links to an Islamist extremist group detonated explosives in a van parked underneath the WTC. Six people were killed and thousands were injured.
via 911 Memorial & Museum