9/11 Twin Towers Attack
What was the background to the 9/11 attack?
The Twin Towers were considered a massive landmark in New York City since they opened in 1973. At the time of their completion, the Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world. The twin towers stood at 110 stories each, leased the space to around 430 companies and employed 50,000 workers. A World Trade centre brings together businesses involved in international trade from around the world.
In October of 2004 was the first time Osama Bin Laden directly claimed responsibility for the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001. The militant Islamic group decided “we should destroy towers in America” because “We are a free people… and we want to regain the freedom of our nation,” Bin Laden said.
Osama has also said “Every Muslim the minute he can start differentiating, carries hate towards Americans, Jews, and Christians, this is part of our ideology. Ever since I can recall, I felt at war with the Americans and had feelings of animosity and hate towards them.”
The Islamist extremist group Al-Qaeda did not have the capability and readiness to destroy the US militarily so they decided to attack the twin towers as a symbolic target instead as they were landmarks of the world and were symbols of America’s power and influence. Al-Qaeda hoped that by attacking these globally known symbols of America, they would advance fear throughout the country which would ultimately support and promote their political and religious goals in the Middle East. They were also allegedly attacking America over their support of Israel and its involvement in the Persian Gulf War. Al Qaeda is an international Islamist extremest terrorist group that was formed around 1988 and lead by Osama Bin Laden. Al-Qaeda was originally formed to support Muslims in Afghanistan fighting against the then Soviet Union during the Afghan War. When the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, the organisation disappeared but continued to protest what they considered corrupt Islamic government. Al Qaeda’s first terrorist attack was in Yemen in 1992. They planted a bomb at a hotel where US troops had been staying while en route to Somalia, the troops had already left when the bomb exploded, however. The terrorists targeted a second hotel where they believed American troops to be staying. The bomb mostly stayed within the car park of the hotel around the same time as the other bombs explosion, killing two Australian tourists.
What happened during 9/11?
At around 8:30 am on September 11th 2001, 19 terrorists from the Islamist extremist terrorist group Al-Qaeda hijacked 4 commercial planes. 2 of them were flown into the Twin Towers in a suicide attack, the third hit the Pentagon just outside Washington DC. The passengers on the fourth hijacked plane fought back and the plane was crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania. The impact of the crash into the north tower of the World Trade Centre left a massive, burning hole near the 80th floor instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. 18 minutes after the first attack which was initially thought to be an accident, s second plane sliced into the south tower near the 60th floor. This collision caused a huge explosion that showered burning debris over the closest buildings to the Twin Towers in New York City. The plane fuel caused an extreme fire which produced an intense amount of heat in the Twin Towers. Around 15 minutes after the first attack on the Twin Towers, the south tower collapsed due to immense structural issues. In total, 2977 people were killed as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11th. At around 9:30, 1 hour after the initial attack, US President George Bush announced publicly to the people of America “We have had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the world Trade Centre in an apparent terrorist attack on our country.” The immediate reaction of the citizens of the US was to mourn and commemorate the victims and demonstrate their dedication and patriotism to America. There were Americans who flew the flag from their porch while sports teams postponed their games and celebrities organised concerts in benefit of those who lost their lives in the attacks. People began to lay down wreaths and candles in memory of the people who died.
How did 9/11 affect the lives of people?
Short Term
People began to stray away from unnecessary airplane travel shortly after 9/11 as they were afraid of the security or safety risks. American and United Airlines also suffered a severe loss in their income following the Twin Towers attacks. Many airline workers also quit their jobs because of the fear of the possibility of what might happen to them. After a while, and some more security measures were put in place on airlines and in airports, people began to feel safer in airports and on airplanes.
Long Term
– Because of the planes that were hijacked on 9/11, now travellers have to add in time to their travel for security lines and a pat down if necessary. Before 2001, it wasn’t uncommon for you to show up 30 minutes before a domestic flight and not have to take off your shoes, or go through a metal detector or even having to show an ID.
– Many families have developed a “family disaster response plan” just in case there is any sort of emergency or catastrophe so they would know what to do.
– The privacy of citizens of the US has decreased following the USA Patriot Act of 2001, which made it easier for people like the police or detective associations to search through your medical, phone and financial records.
How has 9/11 been of significance to New Zealanders?
Economy – $64 million in lost income was a huge economic result due to the attacks 9/11. There were fewer tourists that came to New Zealand as an effect of the planes that were hijacked by terrorists. This would be of significance to New Zealanders as if the economy falls, many jobs are lost for workers due to the lack of revenue coming into the country. Whereas if the more the economy increases, the more people have jobs and can afford the daily necessities in life.
Afghanistan War – The US knew that the Al-Qaeda base was in Afghanistan and that it was possible that their leader Osama Bin Laden was hiding out there. The Taliban, who controlled Afghanistan at that time, refused to turn over Bin Laden and other members of the Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda. In reprisal, the US and its allies went to war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. This was of significant to New Zealanders as NZSAS troops were sent to Afghanistan to fight as we were one of the United States allies.
New Laws – In 2002, the New Zealand Parliament passed the Terrorism Suppression Act which made it illegal to finance a terrorist act or partake in a terrorist act or organisation. Unlike many other countries new laws, this act doesn’t allow the police to search through your phone records when they deem necessary or permit long periods of interrogation or confinement without charge. This was of significance to New Zealanders as if they thought they wanted to fund or support a terrorist organisation, these laws have made it a criminal offence.
Loved Ones – While there were just 2 New Zealanders who lost their lives in these attacks, there were people of New Zealand with loved friends and extended family who would’ve lost their lives or been affected by these attacks. Once news of the collapse of these significant buildings reached New Zealand, there would’ve been many people who were worried sick about the safety and whereabouts of people they know who live or work in New York.
Loyalty – There were few positive effects of 9/11 that was of significance to New Zealanders, however, the fact that New Zealand held true to its alliance with the US and helped them in the Afghanistan war made the international relations between New Zealand and America even stronger.
The attacks on the Twin Towers were the largest loss of life by a single force in an attack on US grounds. Nearly 3000 people died on September 11th and around 400 of those people were police officers and firefighters. These terrorist attacks were one of the most publicised media events of all time due to the immense scale of the buildings and the multitude of innocent lives lost.