9/11
Making a Day of Terror
• The Plan:
– In an attack coordinated over a period of months
and years, Islamic Terrorists plan suicide missions
to hijack commercial airplanes and use them as
guided missiles.
• The Targets:
– World Trade Center Complex, New York
– U.S Capital Building, Washington, D.C
– The Pentagon, Headquarters of the Defense
Department, Washington, D.C
• The Goal:
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Kill as many American Citizens as possible
Disrupt the American Economy
Weaken the United States
Begin a Holy War
9/11/2001
• Armed with weapons that were allowed by airport
security, terrorists were able to successfully take
control of four 757/767 airplanes.
• One airplane was crashed into each of the World
Trade Center Towers in NYC
• One Airplane was crashed into the Pentagon in
Washington D.C
• One airplane missed its intended target and crashed
in Somerset County Pennsylvania (about 60 miles
southeast of Pittsburgh)
• 2,974 People – mainly American Civilians - died in
one day
Flight 93
• One of the hijacked airplanes was
intended to be flown into the US
Capital Building.
• Once the passengers on board
learned about the New York
crashes, they tried to retake
control of the plane.
• They never got control—However
the US Capital was saved
• Everyone on board died when the
plane crashed into an empty field
• Events have been put together
using cell-phone calls from the
plane
Who...? Why…?
• 19 terrorists were identified from airport
security tapes
• Identified as members of al-Qaeda, a
worldwide Islamic terrorist organization
• Motivation: Hatred of America, Americans and
all things associated with Western, Christian,
Jewish society.
• Hatred of American Cultural and Military Power
• Hated of American support of Israel
American Response: At Home
• Increase of security present in public places.
• Creation of the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA)
• Creation of the Department of Homeland
Security
• USA PATRIOT Act
– Gave the government dramatically new legal
tools to find and fight terrorists
– Increased surveillance
• More restrictions on everyday life
American Response: Abroad
• The War on Terrorism
– President George W. Bush declares a War on
Terrorism under the premise to hunt down
those individuals and groups funding,
supporting and participating in international
terrorism.
– Invasion of Afghanistan – October 2001
– Invasion of Iraq --- March 2003
– 2009-2012: President Obama continues the
wars in Afghanistan
– Number of Operations Iraq Freedom and
Enduring Freedom casualties
as confirmed by U.S. Central Command has
surpassed 6570 (9/10/2012)
Eleven Years Later
• No major terror attack has occurred on American Soil
– Policies working or Luck ?
• Terrorism still considered a major social, political and
economic issue
– London subway bombings – 52 Killed, Over 700 injured
• Worldwide debate over how to fight terrorism
• World Trade Center site in the process of
redevelopment
– 1 World Trade Center 1776 feet tall –
– To be complete Late 2013
Memorials
Pentagon
Flight 93
World Trade Center Memorial – New York
Death of Osama Bin Laden
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May 2, 2011
Continued search since 9/11/01
Intelligence located him in hiding in Pakistan
Shot multiple times and killed in a nighttime
raid by US Special Forces (Navy SEALs)
• Body identified by DNA, then ‘buried’ in the sea
• Raid was watched via video link by the
President and Military officials in the US
• Death yielded celebration in NYC, elsewhere
Meaning
• The Events of September 11, 2001
are over, but their consequences
are still unfolding.
• International Terrorism is
America’s new struggle
• Terrorism targets EVERYONE
• Understand how hate and
intolerance fuels violence
• Understand why our Armed Forces
are deployed and fighting overseas