What was the Timeline of the September 11, 2001 (9/11) Attacks?

On September 11, 2001, one of the worst terrorist attacks unfolded on the soil of the United States of America (US). At 8:45 on the morning of September 11, 2001, four coordinated terrorist attacks were launched in the U.S.

Nineteen militants belonging to the al-Qaeda terrorist group hijacked four domestic airlines that were to be crashed into selected and high-profile targets in the country. Two of these planes crashed into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City, while the third one crashed into the Pentagon causing damages to the building. The impact was disastrous and in less than two hours, both the 110-story WTC towers collapsed. The fourth plane was flown towards Washington DC, but due to the heroic efforts of its passengers who tried to overpower the hijackers, the plane missed its target and crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Reason for the 9/11 Attacks

The terrorists involved in what came to be known as the deadly 9/11 attacks belonged to Saudi Arabia and some other Arab nations. The terrorists were financed by al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization led by the Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden. The main reasons for the terrorist attacks were the United States’

support to Israel, military presence in the Middle East, and involvement in the Persian Gulf War.

Timing of the Attacks

At 8.45 a.m. on September 11, 2001, the first attack took place when an American Airlines Boeing 767 crashed into World Trade Center’s north tower, located in New York City. Eighteen minutes later, a second Boeing 767-United Airlines Flight 175-appeared to strike World Trade Center’s south tower.

The third plane crashed into the Pentagon military headquarters’ western side at 9.45 a.m. A little while later, at 10:03 a.m., the fourth plane crashed in Shanksville, Pa. In the latter case, upon hearing news of the attacks on the World Trade Center from their loved ones on their cell phones, the passengers had decided to fight back and divert the plane from its target.

Facts regarding 9/11

• The 9/11 attacks in New York caused massive fires and it took firefighters 100 days to put out the flames.
• Due to the deadly attacks, 2,996 people were killed directly. This included 19 terrorists and 400 policemen and firefighters who perished in the rescue efforts in the aftermath of the attacks. Three people died due to smoke inhalation.
• In addition, it is said that 11 unborn babies also died in the attacks.
• It is estimated that the attacks caused a loss of $100 million of art. This included the works of Picasso and Hockney.

Today, the phrase Ground Zero is used for the site of the World Trade Center. However, the term was originally used for the site of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. In the United States, September 11 is remembered as Patriot Day. This is in memory of those killed in the attacks.

In less than a month, on October 7, 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom began. It was an American-led international effort to defeat the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network based there.

Below is the table giving the timeline of the September 11, 2001 (9/11) Attacks:

Related Links:

• Main Conflicts in the First Decade of 2000

• Impact of Terrorism Around the World