1979- Soviet forces invade Afghanistan. The national, communist government has been under threat of civil war and open rebellion after taking extremely harsh measures against political opponents, religious figures, and intellectual elites. The Khalq faction had been attempting to completely reform Afghanistan as quickly as possible, discarding old Islamic traditions and angering powerful landowners with the cancellation of farmer's debts.
However, it was the assault on traditional Islamic values that triggered an open revolt, and the Soviets feared what might happen if the pro-communist government collapsed. Osama Bin Laden, the son of wealthy Saudi Arabian elites, heads for the country to fight against the Communist invaders. He sees the war as a holy one, pitting faithful Muslims against the atheist Communists.
Bin Laden proved adept at organizing various mujahideen groups and was instrumental in resisting Soviet occupation forces. The United States and various partners funnel money and weapons into Afghanistan via Pakistan. However, despite concern by various military and political figures, there is little to no oversight of where financial and military aid goes, with little thought given to what group might be left in power after the end of the war, and how they might view the United States and its allies if they won.
While there has never been evidence of direct aid to Bin Laden and his extremist fighters, accountability is so low that it's impossible to rule the possibility out. And it seems the US looked favorably upon the up-and-coming international pariah, with papers allegedly writing very positive articles about him during this time. 1988- Bin Laden and other Afghan and Arab leaders come to loggerheads over the role of Arabs within the resistance movement.
Abdullah Azzam, head of Maktab al-Khidamat, later known as the Afghan Service Bureau, insists that Arab volunteers be integrated into Afghan militias. Bin Laden disagrees, and wishes to keep his Arab fighters separate from Afghan nationals. He also wishes to pursue a more military role.
The split leads to the creation of al-Qaeda, with the goal of quote- lifting the word of God, to make his religion victorious. Al Qaeda remains a secret for now, and it's believed that it was officially formed after a meeting of senior leaders from the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Abdullah Azzam himself, and Bin Laden. It's agreed that the group will pair Bin Laden's financial wealth with the skill and expertise of the Egyptian Islamic Jihadists to continue a global jihad after the defeat of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
1989- The Soviets withdraw from Afghanistan, prompting Bin Laden to return home to Saudi Arabia as a jihadist hero. He enjoys great influence and fame, and continues working for his family's construction business while leading opposition to the Saudi monarchy. Bin Laden attempts to use his al-Qaeda fighters to overthrow the pro-Soviet Yemeni Socialist Party in South Yemen but is stopped by the Saudi government.
He also tries to prevent Yemen from unifying by assassinating political leaders in the YSP, but is once again stopped by Saudi leadership. This only deepens the wedge between the Saudi monarchy and Bin Laden. Back in Afghanistan, Bin Laden's hope for a unified Afghanistan is slowly disintegrating as internal fighting amongst various Afghan factions heats up.
In March of that year, he leads 800 Arab fighters in the Battle of Jalalabad, during which the Afghan interim government sought to overthrow the Soviet-backed national government. Bin Laden's poor leadership however leads to the death of many of his own men and failure to secure strategic objectives. 1990- Bin Laden finds an unlikely partner in General Shahnawaz Tanai, a hardcore communist who wishes to overthrow the Afghan government led by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, whom Bin Laden disagrees with ideologically.
Bin Laden agrees to fund the coup attempt by bribing many Afghan army officials, but the coup ultimately fails. Instead, he turns to the Pakistani government and requests that they file a motion of no confidence against Bhutto's government, to which they disagree. Later that year, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.
This is a direct risk to Saudi Arabia, as the nation is ill-prepared to defend itself from Iraqi belligerence. Saddam Hussein is looking to rebuild his country economically after a disastrous war with Iran, and Saudi Arabia is the next logical stepping stone to that goal. With its abundant and developed oil fields and weak national military, the Saudi monarchy feared that it was next in line.
King Fahd of Saudi Arabia meets with US Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, who offers direct US military assistance in exchange for more influence in the region. King Fahd agrees, prompting Bin Laden to seek a meeting of his own with the monarch along with the Saudi Defense Minister. Bin Laden requests that the king reject American military aid, seeing it as an affront to Islamic religious and cultural values.
Instead, he offers to defend Saudi Arabia with his Arab legion. King Fahd presses Bin Laden, asking him how he would defend Saudi Arabia from Iraq's chemical and biological arsenal. Bin Laden responds that they will use faith to defend themselves.
King Fahd instead opts to take the Americans up on their offer. Bin Laden immediately voices opposition to the pending arrival of American troops. He denounces the Saudi government and claims that the Quran prohibits non-Muslims from setting foot on the Arabian penninsula.
Islam's holiest shrines, Mecca and Medina, should be defended only by faithful Muslims, not foreign infidels. Bin Laden pressures Saudi Islamic leaders to issue a fatwa a against the government's decision to allow US forces to deploy on their soil, but they refuse. On the other side of the world, on 8th November 1990, FBI agents raid the home of El Sayyid Nosair in New Jersey.
He is directly linked to al-Qaeda, and the raid reveals vast amounts of evidence detailing planning and preparation for terrorist attacks against American targets. This was the first discovered terrorist plot of al-Qaeda outside of the Arab world. 1991- Bin Laden's continued denouncement of the Saudi government leads to him being placed on house arrest.
When this fails to deter him, he is finally exiled from his home. At this point, Bin Laden is officially under US surveillance, which utilizes local operatives, telephone intercepts, and collaborators to monitor Bin Laden's movements. Bin Laden moves to Afghanistan under exile.
1992- Bin Laden relocates to Sudan, where he starts up a variety of legal businesses including a tannery, two farms, and a road construction company. The Sudanese government, in a show of Islamic solidarity, allows Muslims to immigrate into the country without a visa. Thousands of former mujahideen take the opportunity, opening the door for Bin Laden to move many of his forces to Sudan.
He even pays for 480 veteran fighters to move from Afghanistan to Sudan after Saudi Arabia pressures Pakistan to remove the mujahideen from its shared border with Pakistan. Bin Laden's economic investments in Sudan earns him many further supporters within the Sudanese people. Bin Laden sinks large amounts of money into infrastructure, agriculture, and various businesses, and even works as an official agent in Sudan for the British firm Hunting Surveys.
Bin Laden hires many of his old fighters to build roads in Sudan, and is generous with the poor people of his new home. The United States government has followed Bin Laden's move to Sudan but refused to allow intelligence agents to act inside the country. This is a move that will come to haunt the United States.
Later that year, on December 29th, a bomb explodes in a hotel in Aden, Yemen, where US troops had recently been staying. The Americans were on their way to a humanitarian mission in Somalia, and were no longer present when the bomb detonated. Two Austrian tourists are killed, and two Yemeni Muslim militants caught in the blast are arrested for the attack.
US intelligence will later allege that this is the first terrorist attack directly sponsored by Bin Laden. 1993- On February 26th, a massive explosion rocked the parking garage under the World Trade Center. The blast came from a truck packed with explosives, and was meant to send a message as the buildings were seen as a symbol of American greed and corruption.
The blast creates a massive crater and kills six people, injuring up to a thousand. FBI investigators find a piece of vehicle wreckage that is so damaged, it indicates it must have been either the source of the explosion or very close to it. From the wreckage they pull a vehicle identification number, which they trace to a rented van reported stolen the day before.
Islamic fundamentalist Mohammad Salameh had rented the vehicle, and on March 4th he is arrested by FBI Swat when he attempts to get his $400 deposit back. The ongoing investigation reveals direct links to Bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Three more suspects are arrested: Nidal Ayyad, Mahmoud Abouhalima, and Ahmed Ajaj.
Investigators also discover a storage locker loaded with dangerous chemicals, and enough cyanide gas to kills thousands of people. Plots to destroy various other landmarks, including the UN building, the Holland and Lincoln tunnels, and the Federal Plaza in New York are also uncovered. The leader of the attack, Ramzi Yousef, remains on the run, and plans to simultaneously bomb a dozen US international flights are discovered and foiled.
1994- Following an intelligence trail started from the 1993 investigation of the World Trade Center bombing, FBI agents storm a warehouse in New York, catching several al-Qaeda connected terrorists as they are assembling various bombs. Meanwhile, US intelligence believes that Bin Laden is financing three terrorist training camps in North Sudan. Due to Bin Laden's continued opposition to the Saudi monarchy and support for extremist movements, the government revokes Bin Laden's Saudi citizenship and freezes his assets inside Saudi Arabia.
King Fahd also pressures his family to cut off his $7 million-a-year stipend. The United States declares Sudan an official sponsor of terrorism. As the Islamist political leader Hassan al-Turabi loses influence though, support for Bin Laden in the country wavers and Sudan seeks closer ties with the US- which it will refuse to grant until 2000.
1995 Ramzi Yousef, leader of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot, is captured by US operatives in Pakistan. In Sudan, growing discomfort over Bin Laden's extremism and a failed plot to assassinate the Egyptian president by an al-Qaeda backed group leads to secret talks between the Sudanese and the Saudis. The Sudanese wish to expel Bin Laden, but the Saudis refuse to accept him back.
At the same time, CIA officer Billy Waugh tracks down Bin Laden inside of Sudan. He plans an operation to seize Bin Laden and extradite him to the United States, but is not granted authorization- the United States still lacks solid evidence linking Bin Laden to various terror attacks, meaning he does not have a legal basis for prosecution. There is still no indictment against Bin Laden in any country.
Bin Laden meanwhile is growing restless in Sudan, fearing his life is in danger. He's already avoided one assassination attempt which he believes was planned by either the Egyptians or the Saudis, likely financed by the CIA. He has recently penned an open letter to King Fahd in Saudi Arabia, calling for a guerilla campaign to remove US troops from Saudi soil.
As the Americans are there by invitation, King Fahd naturally dismisses the letter. A bombing of a Saudi National Guard training center in Riyadh leads to the deaths of five Americans and two Indian nationals. Bin Laden denies involvement but praises the attack.
When the perpetrators are later discovered, they admit to having been influenced by Bin Laden- though this confession was under heavy coercion, it's not unrealistic to expect that the attack against the US-operated center was not heavily influenced by Bin Laden's virulent anti-US propaganda. The men are executed by beheading in Riyadh's main square. 1996- Under international pressure from both the United States and Saudi Arabia, Sudan officially expels Bin Laden.
Sudan wishes to grow closer ties to the United States, and hopes the move will open up diplomatic channels long blocked by a history of hostilities. Bin Laden is allowed to choose his destination as long as the country is willing to accept him, and he moves to Afghanistan. Bin Laden is forced to liquidate all of his businesses and equipment in Sudan, losing between $20 million and $300 million in total.
African intelligence sources will later claim that the expulsion gave Bin Laden no choice but to turn to terrorism full-time, an assertion that western intelligence quickly dismissed. Bin Laden arrives in Jalalabad with 300 Afghan Arabs, who join him as part of his burgeoning terror network. In Afghanistan, Bin Laden forms close ties with the founder of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar.
This relationship will be instrumental in the growth of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. President Bill Clinton meanwhile signs a secret order that will officially launch America's war against the al-Qaeda terror network. There is still no solid evidence linking Bin Laden directly to al-Qaeda's various terror attacks, but President Clinton's order authorizes the CIA to use any means necessary to destroy his terror network.
Shortly after the CIA receives secret authorization to pursue al-Qaeda and destroy it, on June 25th a large truck packed with explosives parks next to Building #131 of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. The facility is being used as living quarters for US and coalition partners assigned to Operation Southern Watch, a no-fly zone operation instituted against Iraq to prevent Saddam Hussein from launching further attacks against minority groups. Building #131 houses members of the US Air Force's 4404th Wing, pilots and support personnel from a deployed rescue and fighter squadron.
19 American airmen are killed and almost 500 coalition partners and civilians are wounded. Initially, al-Qaeda was blamed for the attack, but later it'll be discovered that a Saudi Shiite group was responsible, with funding from Iran. Iran will be ordered to pay over $800 million in restitution to the victims by the United States in 2020.
However, initial suspicion is that Bin Laden helped plot the attack, turning the heat up on the man quickly becoming America's enemy number one. In order to bolster the legal case against Bin Laden and authorize his capture or elimination, the United States assembles a grand jury in secret to begin a formal criminal investigation against Bin Laden. That same month, Bin Laden issues a Declaration of Jihad via a London-based newspaper, in which he outlines al-Qaeda's goals: drive US and partner non-arab forces from the Arabian Penninsula, overthrow the Saudi monarchy, liberate Muslim holy sites across arab lands, and support Islamic revolutionary efforts both at home and as far abroad as the Philippines.
Bin Laden implores Saudi citizens to strike at the Americans currently in the Persian Gulf. Interestingly, though, the fatwa against America is focused on its military forces and political leaders, Bin Laden does not publicly advocate for the targeting of American civilians. Three months later, Bin Laden is interviewed for a British documentary.
He uses the opportunity to address the United States directly. Bin Laden promises that if the United States and its Western allies do not remove themselves from the Middle East, he will wage an Islamic holy war against them. Bin Laden punctuates his threats by touting his success in the jihad against Soviet occupation forces in Afghanistan.
1997- CNN airs an interview with Bin Laden, where he accuses the United States of turning Saudi Arabia into an American colony. President George Bush Sr. had promised the Saudi monarchy that US forces would leave Saudi Arabia once Iraq had been neutralized.
However, by choosing to leave Saddam in power, the United States must act to contain his aggression against minority populations in Iraq. Saudi Arabia continues to grant the United States permission to remain within its kingdom, prompting Bin Laden to once again call for the removal of the monarchy whom he has seen as abdicating their duty as Muslims and becoming American puppets. In July, rumors circulate that the United States has financed a multinational mercenary force numbering as many as 1,000.
Its goal is either the arrest or killing of Bin Laden, and witnesses claim to have seen 11 black Land Cruisers and 2 helicopters crossing into the Afghan city of Khost. These allegations remain rumors and unsubstantiated. Meanwhile, Bin Laden is using his deepening relationship with the Taliban government to expand al-Qaeda's footprint in Afghanistan.
Cut off from much of his fortune, Bin Laden raises money from friendly sources who once financed Afghanistan's efforts against the Soviet occupation. Pakistan's intelligence services also help finance Bin Laden's growing network of training camps for mujahideen fighters, many of which are immediately radicalized. To move personnel and equipment around, Bin Laden takes over Ariana Afghan Airlines, a national Afghan airline.
He utilizes the private airline to ferry Islamic militants, weapons, cash, and opium from the United Arab Emirates to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ever the opportunist, Bin Laden reaches out to international arms smuggler Viktor Bout, a former Soviet translator who quickly became one of the biggest arms smugglers in the world. Bout helps Bin Laden operate his airline, which the CIA describes as a “terrorist taxi service.
” 1998- Libya issues the first interpol arrest warrant for Bin Laden, along with three of his associates. Libya is charging Bin Laden in the death of Silvan Becker, a German intelligence agent working in counter-terrorism, along with his wife while in Libya on March 10th, 1994. Soon after, the secret grand jury appointed by the United States indicts Bin Laden on charges of conspiracy to attack defense utilities in the United States.
The indictment also names Bin Laden as the head of al-Qaeda, and alleges that he is a major financial backer for islamic extremists worldwide. Bin Laden issues the first fatwa calling for the killing of American civilians. It’s delivered via joint declaration with the Islamic Group, Al Jihad, the Jihad Movement in Bangladesh, and the Jamaat ul Ulema e Pakistan, who join together under the banner of the World Islamic Front.
Bin Laden's proclamation calling for the killing of US civilians breaks from Sunni tradition, forbidding the targeting of civilians. Acting off intelligence investigating the growing presence of Islamic extremists in the Yugoslav war, a joint US-Albanian raid results in the arrest of two men believed to be employed directly by Bin Laden. The CIA retrieves many documents and computer gear.
Subsequently, US and Albanian forces conduct another raid two weeks later, this time arresting two Egyptian nationals believed to be linked to Bin Laden. The men are handed over to Egyptian counterterrorism officials. The Egyptian people were outraged a year earlier during the Luxor massacre, when terrorists killed two armed guards at the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut and trapped 58 foreign tourists.
They then used machetes to kill and mutilate the civilians before finally being caught. It's believed Bin Laden helped influence or finance the attack. An Egyptian Jihad group sends the United States a warning, claiming they will soon deliver a message which quote- we hope they read with care, because we will write it, with God's help, in a language they will understand.
President Bill Clinton's closest advisors convene to meet with the president. They warn President Clinton that Bin Laden is actively seeking to gain access to weapons of mass destruction and chemical weapons, with American military and civilian targets as the final goal. There is significant concern over the weak state of Russian and Pakistani nuclear security- years later after the invasion of Afghanistan by the United States, it'll be discovered that the Pakistani nuclear security service has been deeply penetrated by terrorist sympathizers.
Explosions rock the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The attack in Kenya kills 213, 12 of which are Americans, while injuring over 4500. The bomb in Tanzania kills 11 and injures 85, but no Americans die.
Two weeks later, the United States launches a massive cruise missile attack against al-Qaeda linked terrorist training camps in Afghanistan as retaliation. The attack misses Bin Laden by a few hours. America also targets a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, Sudan.
The US believes that the plant is being used to produce chemical weapons for Bin Laden, but the claim remains unsubstantiated. Later, the US admitted that it had no hard evidence Bin Laden was linked to the plant, though later financial documents would show Bin Laden was engaged in business with the Military Industrial Corporation- a company run by the Sudanese government. An Arabic newspaper claims that Bin Laden has successfully acquired nuclear weapons from former Soviet Central Asian republics.
However, the claims are completely unsubstantiated, and Western intelligence is very skeptical. In November, Bin Laden is indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on charges of murder of US nationals outside of the United States, conspiracy to murder US nationals outside the United States, and attacks on a federal facility resulting in death. The United States presents the Taliban government with evidence ranging from testimony from former al-Qaeda members and satellite phone records showing Bin Laden was in contact with the perpetrators of the bombings.
However, the Taliban decides not to extradite Bin Laden, citing that the US does not have enough evidence and further, that a non-Muslim court cannot try Muslims. 1999- The US Attorney's office files the most complete indictment to date against Bin Laden and 11 others. The indictment specifically names al-Qaeda as a tool of Bin Laden's terror network, and charges it with conspiracy to murder American citizens.
The CIA along with Pakistani military intelligence assemble a team of 60 Pakistani commandos with the goal of infiltrating Afghanistan and capturing or killing Bin Laden. However, the plan is aborted due to a coup d’eat launched by the Pakistani military, which succeeds in ousting the president and installing a military government. Meanwhile, the CIA finances various groups inside of Afghanistan, charging them with killing or capturing Bin Laden.
However, so far they have had no success, but the pressure has limited Bin Laden's ability to freely travel within or outside of Afghanistan. 2000- A group of foreign fighters, hired by the CIA, launches an RPG at a vehicle convoy housing Bin Laden. The RPG misses the vehicle Bin Laden is riding in and he makes his escape.
There is serious concern amongst US intelligence that Bin Laden is planning a major operation against the United States, but leads are proving difficult to find or follow. Unbeknownst to US intelligence, al-Qaeda operatives have already infiltrated the United States and begun preparing for the attack on the World Trade Center, scheduled for September 11th, 2001. The attack aims to exploit huge vulnerabilities in US airline security, and be launched in unison in order to gain the element of surprise.
September 11th, 2001- 5:45 AM- Hijackers Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al-Omari pass through the security checkpoint at Portland International Jetport in Maine. The two board a commuter flight to Boston Logan International Airport, from which they will board American Airlines Flight 11. Three other conspirators will join them in Boston before boarding their flight.
Of the group, three of the men are flagged by the FAA's computer passenger screening system, alerting airport screeners to conduct more thorough checks. However, FAA procedures call for the men's luggage to be screened for explosives, of which none are discovered. 7:30 AM (approximate)- Five hijackers who will board American Airlines Flight 77 pass through the west security checkpoint at Washington Dulles International Airport.
Three of the men, Nawaf al-Hazmi, Khalid al-Mihdar, and Majed Moqed all set off metal detectors, but security officers are unable to find the hidden knives the men are carrying. At the time, knives with blades shorter than 4 inches were permissible on board American flights. All five of the hijackers of Flight 77 are also flagged by the FAA's system for additional screening, but again, security personnel are only tasked with screening for explosives.
The men's luggage is held until they are aboard the aircraft, and no further screening is conducted. 7:59 AM – American Airlines Flight 11 takes off from Boston Logan International Airport, loaded with 76 passengers, five hijackers, and 11 crew members. All four planes hijacked are loaded with fuel for a cross-continental trip to California 8:15 AM- Flight 175 departs Boston, headed for Los Angeles.
The flight includes nine crew, 51 passengers, and five hijackers. The plane is loaded with 76,000 pounds of fuel and departs 14 minutes late. Simultaneously, aboard Flight 11, the hijackers enact their plot, taking control of the aircraft and turning it northwest, then changing course south directly towards New York City.
The men use pepper spray and knives to subdue the crew and passengers. 8:19 AM- Aboard Flight 11, the first casualty of the 9/11 attacks is a man by the name of Daniel M. Lewin.
He had served four years with the Israeli army, and it's believed that he attempted to stop the hijacking. One of the hijackers however is seated directly behind him and fatally stabs him. Flight attendant Betty Ann Ong aboard Flight 11 contacts American Airlines via an inflight phone and alerts them to the hijacking.
She informs ground personnel that she can't contact the cockpit, later it will be presumed that both pilots were killed. Ong remains on the phone with ground personnel for 25 minutes. 8:20 AM- American Airlines Flight 77, flying from Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles takes off.
It’s carrying six crew members, 53 passengers, and five hijackers (https://timeline. 911memorial. org/#Timeline/2/ImageEntry/529/null).
8:21 AM- Flight 11's hijackers turn off the plane's transponders. American Airlines is already contacting its operations center in Texas and making contact with federal officials. 8:24 AM- Aboard Flight 11, hijacker Mohamed Atta accidentally presses the wrong button and instead of broadcasting a message to the passengers aboard the plane, broadcasts directly to air traffic control and nearby aircraft.
The message further alerts personnel on the ground to the ongoing attack. Pilot of Flight 175, Victor J. Saracini, picks up the transmission and informs the FAA- unaware that soon his plane too will be hijacked.
8:30 AM- World Trade Center staff, employees, and visitors have begun to arrive in numbers. Hundreds of personnel are preparing for the pending work day. The massive complex includes the famous Twin Towers, hubs of finance, along with a hotel, four office buildings, a shopping mall, restaurants, a public plaza, and major transportation hub.
The planned activities for the day include a Risk Waters Group financial technology conference, a National Association for Business Economics conference, an evening dance performance in the outdoor plaza, and a Peace Corps information session scheduled for 6 pm. 8:32 AM – Flight attendant Madeline Amy Sweeney aboard Flight 11 has been attempting to contact personnel on the ground unsuccessfully when she finally makes contact with a friend, a manager at Boston Logan International Airport. For the next 12 minutes, she relays key details on the hijacking to ground personnel, including a description of the attackers.
8:37 AM- After picking up Mohamed Atta's transmission, Boston's air traffic control contacts the US Air Force's NorthEastern Air Defense Sector in Rome, New York. The Air Force quickly mobilizes Air National Guard jets at Ottis Air Force Base in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and tasks them with locating and then following Flight 11. 8:42 AM- Flight 93 experiences a major delay and takes off much later than anticipated by the hijackers.
The flight is headed for San Francisco, and was supposed to take off at the same time as the other planes in order to prevent anyone from getting wind of the plot. The delay will directly lead to the failure of Flight 93's hijackers. As it climbs into the sky, Flight 93 is carrying seven crew, 33 passengers, and four hijackers.
Simultaneously, Flight 175 is hijacked above northwest New Jersey, 60 miles northwest of New York City. The plane turns southwest briefly before turning back northeast. Flight 11 is already descending into New York.
8:46 AM- Flight 11 is piloted straight into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The plane hits the tower across floors 93 and 99, instantly killing all aboard the aircraft along with hundreds inside of the tower. The impact also severs all three emergency stairwells, trapping hundreds more above the impact site.
Many of those people will have no choice but to jump to their deaths to avoid the flames that begin to consume the tower. Lower Manhattan resident Susanna Kopchains captures the aftermath of the crash on home video tape An emergency response is immediately launched, though the responders believe this to be a freak accident and are unaware that it is a planned attack, and a second plane will soon be arriving. Witnessing the crash from 14 blocks north of the World Trade Center, Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer directs the New York City Fire Department to issue a second alarm.
Minutes later, while en route to the scene, he orders a third alarm, mobilizing 23 engine and ladder companies, 12 chiefs, and 10 specialized units to all respond. The Port Authority Police Department mobilizes, and calls on units from other posts to respond to the World Trade Center to begin evacuation and rescue efforts. 8:50 AM- US President George W.
Bush is visiting an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida, when he's alerted that a plane has hit the North Tower. He is assured that it was an accident 8:51 AM- Flight 77 is hijacked above southern Ohio, turning southeast. The transponder is turned off.
8:55 AM- South Tower is declared secure, and a public announcement by a Port Authority fire safety employee reassures people that the building is safe and that anyone in the middle of evacuating should return to their offices. The tragic announcement ensures that many more victims will become trapped later. George Mironis, who is an office manager for Dai Ichi Kangyo bank, takes a photo of the debris raining down from above him and falling past his window on the 48th floor of the North Tower.
He then evacuates successfully down the stairwell. On the 35th floor of the South Tower, Port Authority employee David Bobbitt takes this photo of the World Trade Center Plaza as debris from the North Tower rains down from above 8:59 AM- The Port Authority Police Department orders the evacuation of both towers. A minute later they will order the evacuation of all civilians from the entire World Trade Center complex.
In the north tower, evacuees are pouring down the stairwells. Firefighters have cut open vending machines and are handing out water. The injured are being brought down the stairs by volunteers and emergency personnel.
Many from the upper floors are severely burned and won't survive their injuries. One survivor would later recall passing firefighters climbing past him on the 40th floor, awestruck at their determination to climb as high as the 80th floor to reach survivors. He has no idea that many of those rescue workers were climbing to their deaths when the building ultimately collapsed.
Survivors above the impact site are being forced to make a horrible decision. They cannot be reached by emergency personnel as the crashed plane has completely severed all stairwells to them. The burning jet fuel and debris are reaching temperatures hot enough to melt the structure of the building itself.
They are faced with the choice of burning to death or jumping out of one of the windows. Many choose to jump, none survive. 9:00 AM- Aboard Flight 175, passengers Garnet Ace Bailey, Peter Burton Hanson, and Brian David Sweeney have called family members to let them know of the hijacking.
Brian David Sweeney leaves the following voicemail for his wife. 9:02 AM- An evacuation message is broadcast in the South Tower, though it does not make it seem as if the evacuation is mandatory. Instead, occupants are told that if the situation warrants it, they should start an orderly evacuation.
Many opt to, others don't. 9:03 AM- United Airlines Flight 175 is flown into the World Trade Center by its hijackers (https://timeline. 911memorial.
org/#Timeline/2/ImageEntry/525/null). The plane hits the tower through floors 77 through 85, instantly killing all passengers and an unknown number of people inside the building. Thanks to various evacuation prompts though, the casualties are less than those on the North Tower.
The impact severs all elevator cables and two out of three stairwells. Once more, many are trapped above the impact site, prompting more workers to jump to their deaths. It's estimated that as many as 200 people choose to jump rather than face the raging fires.
An ABC Live news chopper captures the moment of impact from Flight 175 as it strikes the South Tower. The live footage shocks Americans and a live audience around the world, who up until this point believed that the North Tower crash was a freak accident. 9:05 AM- President Bush is preparing to read a book to the assembled elementary students when an aide informs him, quote- “A second plane hit the second tower.
America is under attack. ” Later, the President would state that he chose to continue reading the book to the students in order not to alarm them. After excusing himself from the reading lesson, the president is moved to a nearby classroom, which is converted into a temporary communications center.
9:08 AM- The FAA bans all takeoff nationwide for any flight going to or through New York airspace. 9:09 AM- US Air Force F-15s, initially dispatched to locate Flight 11 are finally informed that the plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. The planes are released from their holding pattern over Long Island.
9:13 AM- The F-15s leave Long Island airspace and are headed for Manhattan, with orders to engage and destroy any aircraft that might pose a threat to civilians below. Civilian traffic is warned not to deviate from assigned flight paths. 9:17 AM- CBS News correspondent Jim Stewart is the first to name Osama Bin Laden as a suspect in the attacks.
9:19 AM- United 93 is currently over central Pennsylvania. United Airlines flight dispatcher Ed Ballinger begins sending warning text messages to all United flights, cautioning them about cockpit intrusions and that two aircraft have already been hijacked and have collided with the World Trade Center. However, as he is sending this message to 16 different flights, the message does not reach United 93 for another four minutes.
9:24 AM- An occupant of the South Tower either jumps or falls when attempting to climb down. They hit firefighter Danny Suhr, killing them both. Rescue personnel notice that fewer people are jumping from the South Tower than the North Tower, likely due to the early warning that they received.
9:25 AM- USAF F-15s establish an air patrol pattern over Manhattan. 9:26 AM- The FAA grounds all aircraft across the United States. At the same time, Flight 93's pilot, Jason Dahl, confirms receipt of the message warning about the hijacked aircraft.
9:28 AM- Hijackers aboard Flight 93 storm the cockpit and overpower the pilots before killing them. The struggle is overheard by flight controllers in Cleveland as it's broadcast over the radio. 9:29 AM- President Bush makes the first public statement on the attacks from the elementary school he is currently visiting.
9:32 AM- Flight controllers at Dulles International Airport make radar contact with Flight 77, observing that it is tracking eastbound at a very high rate of speed. 9:33 AM- Reagan National Airport contacts the Secret Service operations center at the White House and informs them that Flight 77 is heading straight for them and not communicating with ground control. The Secret Service begins to evacuate the White House when they are notified that the plane has changed directions and is instead approaching Reagan National Airport.
9:35 AM- The President's motorcade heads for Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, where Air Force One is waiting. Meanwhile, Flight 93 changes course from its filed flight path and begins to fly eastwards. At the White House, news that flight 77 had once more changed course prompts the Secret Service to evacuate the Vice-President.
9:36 AM- Cleveland advises the FAA Command Center it is still tracking Flight 93 and inquires if the military has launched interceptor aircraft. Air National Guard pilots Lt. General Marc Sasseville and Heather Penney have rushed to waiting F-16s and taken off in pursuit of Flight 93.
Believing it too would be used to attack civilians on the ground, the F-16s are in hot pursuit- but there has not been enough time to arm them. Sasseville and Penney decide that if need be, they will physically crash their own F-16s into the passenger jet and force it down. 9:37:46 AM- Flight 77 crashes into the west side of the Pentagon at 530 mph (853 km/h).
The section of Pentagon impacted has recently undergone renovation and is thus, largely empty. Only 125 personnel inside the Pentagon are killed, along with all 64 aboard the aircraft. The crash is captured by a security camera on a nearby checkpoint.
9:39 AM- Aboard Flight 93, hijacker Ziad Jarrah presses the wrong button and accidentally transmits a warning to the passengers to remain seated over radio. 9:40 AM- Associated Press photographer Richard Drw captures an image that will soon become a ghoulish symbol of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center. Photographing the upper floors of the North Tower, Drw captures 12 photos of a man falling to his death, referred to only as 'The Falling Man.
' To date, attempts to positively identify the anonymous victim have been fruitless. 9:42 AM- As the situation at the Pentagon is becoming more widely understood, Senior FAA traffic manager Ben Sliney issues the execution order for SCATANA- or Plan for the Security Control of Air Traffic and Air Navigation Aids. This is a national preparedness plan meant to be issued only under case of dire national emergency, grounding all air traffic in the United States and shutting off American air space to any incoming aircraft.
It includes plans to be executed by the Department of Defense, the FAA, and the Federal Communications Commission. September 11th would be the only time that this plan has ever been implemented in its entirety, the other times being only partial implementations under exercise conditions. 9:43 AM- The White House and Capital building are both fully evacuated and closed.
9:45 AM- United States air space is shut down. Civilian aircraft are barred from taking off and all civilian traffic is ordered to immediately land at the nearest airport that can accommodate them. All incoming international flights are diverted to either Canada or Mexico, with exceptions for aircraft dangerously low on fuel.
Canada follows suit and accepts incoming international flights redirected from the US, but shuts down its air space as well in order to help protect northern American cities and potential targets. The US and Canadian Air Forces immediately begin to launch combat air patrols in accordance with joint preparedness plans. 9:51 AM Chief Orio Palmer and Fire Marshal Ronald Bucca reach the 78th floor of the South Tower.
They report pockets of fire and scattered bodies, but no survivors. Both men will lose their lives when the tower collapses. 9:52 AM The National Security Agency intercepts a phone call between a known associate of Osama bin Laden and someone in the Republic of Georgia.
The caller is located in Afghanistan and states that he's heard the good news, finishing with the revelation that a fourth target would soon be hit. The NSA immediately contacts the US Air Force, with suspicions that Flight 93 is also going to be used in an attack confirmed. With the World Trade Center hit twice, and now the Pentagon, it's believed that Flight 93's target will be either the Capitol building or the White House.
9:55 AM- Air Force One departs from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. The plane circles for 40 minutes as an ultimate destination is discussed. If an attempt on the President's life is forthcoming, he is safest aboard the aircraft which is directly linked to all parts of government and the Department of Defense.
9:57 AM- Passengers aboard Flight 93 have been corralled to the rear of the plane by the hijackers. Prior to this, they have been in contact with friends and family on the ground, learning of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The passengers and crew take a vote, and decide that in order to spare more civilian deaths and foil the terrorist's plans, they will fight the hijackers.
A struggle ensues, recorded on the cockpit voice recorder and later recovered from the plane's black box. 9:59 AM- The South Tower collapses 56 minutes after being impacted. The collapse is captured live and broadcast to audiences around the world, with some fearing that yet another aircraft has struck the tower.
Nobody inside of the tower survives the collapse, including dozens of rescue workers. There is confusion in the aftermath as massive clouds of dust sweep over lower Manhattan, with many fearing an additional attack. Due to the unique construction of the World Trade Center towers, the floors collapse in on themselves in a pancake-like fashion, pulling the entire tower down the moment floors underneath the impact site begin to buckle.
The steel supporting the impact site has been weakened by fire fed by tens of thousands of gallons of jet fuel. The softened steel eventually collapses in on itself, causing 25 stories to fall 12 feet onto the next floor below the impact zone. That floor inevitably collapses from the incredible strain, leading to a rapid pancake effect where each floor below the next is trying to hold up the weight of every floor above it coming down on top of it.
Victim 0001 of the September 11th attacks will be Father Mychal Judge, a Franciscian Chaplain supporting the fire department. He is struck by falling debris while in the lobby of the North Tower and dies instantly of blunt force trauma to the head. 10:00 AM- FDNY Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer, who is currently inside the North Tower, orders via radio the immediate evacuation of all emergency personnel from the tower.
Various factors ensure that only a portion of the emergency responders hear the order to evacuate. Some are told by others who've received the radio call, while others never hear it at all. 10:01 AM- FAA Command Center advises FAA headquarters that another aircraft has spotted Flight 93 waving its wings dramatically.
Inside the hijacked aircraft, the passengers are launching a vicious counterattack against the hijackers, and the desperate pilot is trying to subdue the passengers as they make their way to the cockpit. 10:02 AM- The Presidential Emergency Operations Center receives confirmation from the Secret Service of an inbound aircraft heading towards Washington- this is Flight 93. The Vice President is informed that the only defense against the hijacked plane is a pair of F-16s cruising on afterburner towards the rogue plane, and without any armaments, the pilots have resolved themselves to crashing their fighters into the plane to bring it down.
However, it's unknown if the F-16s will reach Flight 93 before it reaches Washington and delivers another devastating blow. 10:03:11 AM- Flight 93 crashes into the Pennsylvania countryside outside of Shanksville. Cockpit recording confirms that passengers had successfully neutralized three of the hijackers, and were now attempting to break their way into the cockpit.
The pilots decide to crash the plane before the passengers can take control, failing in their jihad. The passengers of Flight 93 successfully end the September 11th terror plot before it can claim more victims, just 18 minutes flight time from the terrorist's intended targets. 10:07 AM- Due to poor communications, the North Eastern Air Defense Sector, which has a pair of fighters loitering over Washington, finally learns of the hijacking of Flight 93- four minutes after it's confirmed to have crashed.
In the aftermath of 9/11, a focus on vastly improved communications and awareness will fall on the US military in its duty to patrol and defend North American airspace. The terror attack has shown a weakness in quickly responding to threats from within, as opposed to an expected threat from outside of American airspace. 10:10 AM- The National Military Command Center moves the entire US military into Threat Condition Delta.
All across the globe US forces- most of which are still unaware of the attacks in the homeland- scramble in preparation for immediate combat action against an unknown enemy. US diplomats scramble to message various nations who might see the sudden move to a combat-ready posture as a direct threat to their own national security. 10:13 AM- The United Nations complex is evacuated.
10:15 AM- Vice President Cheney, still unaware Flight 93 has crashed, authorizes US fighters to engage any inbound aircraft if they believed it to have been hijacked. 10:28 AM- In the same fashion as the South Tower, the North Tower collapses. Unlike the South Tower, 16 personnel inside the building are later rescued.
The collapse destroys the Marriot Hotel at the base of the two towers, and causes 7 World Trade Center to begin to burn. 10:30 AM- US Air Force F-15s and F-16s patrol the skies over Washington D. C.
and New York City. They have orders to immediately shoot down any aircraft that do not comply with radio instructions. Later, a radar contact feared to be a hijacked aircraft is revealed to be a medevac helicopter on its way to the Pentagon impact site.
The September 11th attack would result in the death of 2,977 victims, with up to 25,000 injured. In the years to come, the United States would launch a campaign of retribution against the al-Qaeda network and Osama Bin Laden, who surprised by the ferocity of the US response is forced into a life of hiding until his death in a US raid on May 2nd, 2011. Al-Qaeda as a network would be systematically dismantled by US and allied forces, in a clandestine war that would span from the deserts of Afghanistan to western Europe, and the South China Sea.
Today, al-Qaeda is a shadow of its former self. It has found temporary refuge inside an Afghanistan once more controlled by the Taliban, but even there it's not safe- as evidenced by the elimination of its senior most leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, at the hands of the CIA. The organization is struggling to rebuild financially after two decades of persecution by the United States, but is suffering from not just a catastrophic loss of finances, but also of leadership given that most of its veteran cadre have been systematically eliminated by Western forces.
Despite an end to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, a vengeful United States continues to put pressure on al-Qaeda, determined to drive the group into extinction. Now get the rest of the story with What Happened Immediately After 9/11, or click this other video instead!
