That Changed Lives The 9/11 attacks were a catastrophe Date: September 11, 2001 Location: New York New York City Pennsylvania United States Washington, D.C.
We present the narrative of this incident and the recommendations that flow from it to the President of the United States, the United States Congress, and the American people for their consideration. The September 11 attacks were a series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks committed in 2001 by 19 terrorists associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil; nearly 3,000 people were killed. The attacks involved the hijacking of four planes, three of which were used to strike significant U.S. sites. American Airlines flight 11 and United Airlines flight 175 were flown into the World Trade Center’s north and south towers, respectively, and American Airlines flight 77 hit the Pentagon. United Airlines flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers. The plane was believed to be headed to the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, suspicion quickly fell onto Al-Qaeda. The United States formally responded by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, which had not complied with U.S. demands to expel Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan and extradite their leader Osama bin Laden. Many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded the powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to prevent terrorist attacks. Although Bln Laden initially denied any involvement, in 2004 he formally claimed responsibility for the attacks. September 11 attacks, also called 9/11 attacks, series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks committed in 2001 by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda against targets in the United States, the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil in U.S. history. The attacks against New York City and Washington, D.C. caused extensive death and destruction and triggered an enormous U.S. effort to combat terrorism. Some 2,750 people were killed in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 in Pennsylvania where one of the hijacked planes crashed after the passengers attempted to retake the plane; all 19 terrorists died. Police and fire departments in New York were especially hard hit; hundreds had rushed to the scene of the attacks, and more than 400 police officers and firefighters were killed. The destruction of the World Trade Center and nearby infrastructure seriously harmed the economy of New York City and created a global economic recession. The U.S. and Canadian civilian airspaces were closed until September 13, while Wall Street trading was closed until September 17. Many closings, evacuations, and cancellations followed, out of respect or fear of further attacks. Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, and the Pentagon was repaired within a year. The attacks resulted in 2,977 fatalities, over 25,000 injuries, and substantial long-term health consequences.
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