For anyone who was alive and is old enough to remember Sept. 11, 2001, it clearly stands as a day that a ‘reset’ button was hit on America’s foreign policy, international security and global politics.
Much of the Western world stood glued to their TV sets, horrified by the images of the smoke billowing out of the first of the twin towers to get hit, and likely tuned-in just in time to see the second plane strike.
Reports from various corners of the world, released afterwards, would also show images of some societies celebrating the ‘success’ of the attack, in a David-vs-Goliath anti-West spirit.
The attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. was carried out by 19 hijackers who commandeered four passenger planes to crash into the aforementioned buildings.
Sept. 11, 2001 left 2,997 dead in New York City, and unleashed the fury of America’s formidable armed forces through a retaliatory attack against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and a manhunt for its leader, Osama bin Laden, under the orders of then President George W. Bush and his administration.
According to official scientific reports on the aftermath of 9/11, an additional 10,000 people located around the Twin Towers on the day of the attack were later diagnosed with some form of cancer of the respiratory system, due to toxic smoke inhalation from the burning debris of the towers, while another 2,000 deaths were attributed to diseases in connection with the attack.
The about-face in U.S. defence policy in the wake of the attack to one of pre-emptive war, set-off waves of military conflict in the Middle East and social upheaval, and has since then redrawn the rulebook on combatting global terrorism.
An article from the TO VIMA, TA NEA historical archive, as seen below, revisits the fateful day.
Rescue crews work next to the WTC after its been hit by a terrorist attack. Sept 11, 2001 in Manhattan, New York City, NY. Two commercial planes were hijacked and crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City. (Photo by GARY FABIANO/SIPA USA)No Use Germany.
“TO VIMA” of September 12, 2001, writes:
“Yesterday, the U.S. experienced the worst national tragedy in its post-war history following the coordinated terrorist attacks, which left thousands of dead and injured, spreading destruction and panic in New York and Washington.
The attacks demolished the symbols of U.S. economic and military power, destroying the twin skyscrapers of the World Trade Center in New York and the southwestern part of the Pentagon in Washington.”
The September 11 Attacks Minute by Minute
Everything happened in a matter of minutes.
08:46 a.m. (local time). First attack.
The hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11 crash the Boeing 767 between the 93rd and 99th floors of the “World Trade Center 1” skyscraper, the World Trade Center.
09:03 a.m. Second attack.
The Boeing 767 of United Airlines Flight 175 crashes in the same way between the 75th and 85th floors of the second skyscraper of the World Trade Center.
09:37 a.m. Third attack.
The hijackers crash American Airlines Flight 77’s Boeing 757 into the western wing of the Pentagon in Washington. All those on board the Boeing and another 125 military and civilian personnel in the Pentagon lose their lives.
09:59 a.m.
The skyscraper of the Twin Towers, “World Trade Center 2,” collapses.
10:07 a.m.
Hijackers have taken control of American Airlines Flight 93. The passengers, informed about the fall of the other three planes, attempt to retake control of the plane. They do not succeed but force the hijackers to crash the plane on the spot before reaching their intended target.
The plane crashed in Pennsylvania, killing all 43 passengers. It is believed that the hijackers’ original target was the White House or the Capitol.
10:30 a.m.
The second skyscraper of the Twin Towers, “World Trade Center 1,” collapses. The Twin Towers no longer exist. As “TO VIMA” of September 12, 2001, reports, for hours, downtown New York sank into chaos, as all bridges and tunnels to and from Manhattan were closed.
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani ordered the evacuation of Manhattan, stating: “The number of people who lost their lives will be terrifying.”
Saudi-born dissident Osama bin-Laden is seen addressing a news conference in Afghanistan, where he and his organisation are based, in this May 26, 1998 file photo. The U.S. on Thursday started to gear up for what it called the first war of the 21st century, naming bin Laden as a suspect in twin terror attacks that stunned New York and Washington. The leader of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban movement on Friday defended bin Laden against accusations he masterminded the devastating attacks. REUTERS/Str/File photo
Conspiracy Theories
The hijackers were quickly identified, and as it was revealed, they were members of the Islamist terrorist organization Al Qaeda, acting under the orders of its leader, Osama bin Laden. A few weeks later, a spokesman for Al Qaeda even declared: “The Americans must know that, with God’s permission, the storm of attacking planes will not cease.”
The global shock caused was immense, and soon, as is often the case, various conspiracy theories began to emerge about who was really behind this inhumane terrorist attack.
As Irene Psycharis and “TO VIMA” of September 11, 2011, state: “On YouTube, hundreds of videos, watched by millions of people around the world, analyze or simply present their ‘undeniable’ evidence—usually accompanied by eerie post-apocalyptic music—for how everything is part of a larger conspiracy.”
“The enemy is not some Arab extremists who hate the United States but the U.S. government itself, which either organized and executed the attacks or, according to the more ‘moderate’ views, knew in advance about them but did nothing to prevent them.”
The objective of such an action is unclear and sparks a multitude of speculations: an invasion of Arab states to satisfy the “thirst” for Middle Eastern oil or the inherent tendency of the United States to impose its power on a global scale, exploiting the new “Pearl Harbor” that they themselves caused. There is also the version that claims Israeli Mossad agents were behind the ‘slaughter’ of September 11.”
‘The Jews were warned’ conspiracy theory rears its ugly head
“Why,” conspiracy theorists say, “didn’t approximately 4,000 Jews who were estimated to work at the World Trade Center not show up for work that day? ‘Obviously,’ they answer, ‘because they had been warned about the impending attack.’ This particular theory finds its ‘roots’ in a statement by the then Israeli Foreign Minister that ‘there were 4,000 Israeli citizens in the attacked cities.’ Of course, they ignore the fact that about one in 10 victims of the attacks was Jewish—something entirely normal in New York, the largest Jewish city in the world.”
RETRANSMITTED TO IDENTIFY VICTIM Rescue workers carry fatally injured New York City Fire Department chaplain, the Rev. Mychal Judge, from the wreckage of the World Trade Center in New York City early September 11, 2001. Chaplain was crushed to death by falling debris while giving a man last rites in the trade center. The twin towers collapsed on September 11 after being struck by jetliners. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
‘The Twin Towers were demolished with explosives’
The “queen” of conspiracy theories about 9/11 is the one that claims that the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center did not collapse due to the impact of the passenger jets and the subsequent conflagration, but from “controlled demolition with explosives” placed at the base of the buildings by the U.S. government.
However, an extensive investigation conducted by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) concluded that the planes destroyed the support columns and the fire safety system of the buildings. Moreover, as experts point out, in the case of a controlled demolition, the collapse of the buildings starts from the bottom.
“The Pentagon was hit by a missile”
“Why is the hole in the building circular,” conspiracy theorists ask, “and why isn’t the plane visible in the early videos from eyewitnesses?” They claim that the hub of America’s armed forces and defense was hit not by a plane but by a missile.
Some even claim that later a tail from a dismantled plane was dragged to the site of the supposed attack to support the cover-up. They overlook both the bodies of the crew and passengers recovered from the wreckage and the testimonies of dozens of people who saw the plane crash into the Pentagon.
The less extreme proponents of this theory argue that indeed the plane crashed into the Pentagon, but it was controlled by the U.S. government, not by Al Qaeda. After all, how could an amateur pilot perform such a complex maneuver and guide the plane with such precision to its target, they wonder?”
