Washington, September 10: On the fateful day of September 11 in 2001, 19 terrorists of Al-Qaeda, then headed by Osama Bin Laden, carried out one of the most dreadful attacks on the United States of America, leaving the entire world in shock and fear. Known as 9/11 attacks, the strikes targetted the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon outside Washington DC. Terrorists highjacked four planes to carry out the infamous 9/11 attacks. The world literally witnessed two of the hijacked planes crashing into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. 9/11 Attacks: Wild Conspiracy Theories Behind WTC Twin Tower & Pentagon Plane Crash That Stunned Entire World on September 11, 2001.

  • Nineteen terrorists of Al-Qaeda hijacked four planes. They crashed two of the aircraft - United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11 into the twin tower of the World Trade Center.

  • The terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, and the fourth plane crashed into a field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after a struggle between the hijackers and passengers.

  • Though Al-Qaeda, which was founded in Pakistan, claimed the responsibility for the 9/11 attacks, investigations revealed that the hijackers were terrorist belonging primarily to Saudi Arabia. Terror groups from other countries in the middle-east also helped.

  • Osma Bin Laden, the co-founder of Al-Qaeda, was named the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. Noor Bin Ladin, Niece of Osama Bin Laden, Endorses Donald Trump in US Presidential Elections 2020; Know All About Al-Qaeda Terrorist's Kin.

  • Their motive behind the attack was said to be America’s support for Israel, the alleged support to the Persian Gulf War.

  • It is believed that the US military's presence in the middle east was a unifying force for the terrorists to come under one roof to carry out one of the most dreadful attacks of the 20th century.

  • Though Al-Qaeda claimed the responsibility for the 9/11 attacks, many still don't rule out 'inside job'.

  • Ten years after the 9/11 attacks, the US Navy Seals killed Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad city in the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.

Close to 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks. The deceased included people from 78 countries. The event not only led to the US declaring its "war on terror" policy, but also became the defining legacy of George W Bush's presidency.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 10, 2020 05:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).