The September 11 attacks
By Bento Bocayuva and Pedro Couto
What it was and how it happened
The September 11 attacks, were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks launched
by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda upon the United States in New York City and
the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, September 11, 2001.
Four passenger airliners were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists so they could be
flown into buildings in suicide attacks. Two of those planes were crashed into the
North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City.
Within two hours, both towers collapsed with debris and the resulting fires causing
partial or complete collapse of all other buildings in the WTC complex. A third plane
was crashed into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of
Defense), leading to a partial collapse in its western side. The fourth plane, was
targeted at Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, after its
passengers tried to overcome the hijackers. In total, almost 3,000 people died in the
attacks. It also was the deadliest incident for firefighters in the history of the United
States.
Suspicion quickly fell on al-Qaeda. The group's leader, Osama bin Laden, claimed
responsibility for the attack, he cited U.S. support of Israel, the presence of U.S. troops in
Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives for the attacks. The United States
responded to the attacks invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, which had harbored
al-Qaeda. Many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law
enforcement powers. Bin Laden was located and killed by U.S. in May 2011.
After the fourth airplane shot the Pentagon, the North American’s Air Space Control
ordered for every aircrafts on American airspace to land immediately, regardless of their
destinations because in this moment every aircrafts were becoming suspect.
more than 4.000 aircrafts flying together all the time started to land.
For the world, the attacks changed forever the way of each one live and think, and the
US’s safety and attention were reinforced dramatically for nothing like that happens again.
Before the attacks
After the attacks
Here is a testimony of a man that survived the World
Trade Center attack
Omar Eduardo Rivera, is a blind technician who worked
in the computer at the 71st floor of the World Trade
Center ( WTC ). He was saved by his dog, Dorado. When
the first plane crashed into its tower, Rivera was aware
that their chances of survival were low because it
would take too long to get out of the tower. “However, I
wanted to save my Labrador. I let him in the crowd so
he could leave the building.” “The noise and the heat
were terrible – but I had to give Dorado the chance of
surviving . So I took his leash and commanded him to
leave,“ says Rivera. Dorado was swept away by the
crowd that descended en masse, but a few minutes
after Rivera felt the dog's muzzle close to their legs the dog would not leave without his owner. Together
they descended the stairs and later a colleague gave
them assistance. After more than an hour they were
able to leave the building that a few minutes later
collapsed. Without Dorado, Rivera would not have
survived .