9/11 Changed the World Forever
Ten years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, four coordinated attacks by the terrorist organization al-Qaeda brought much of the world to its knees and ushered in a new-normal sense of security, where no one is above suspicion.
On that surreal day, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four large passenger jets with one unimaginable purpose in mind—inflicting as much death, mayhem and fear on the American public as possible.
Two of the hijacked jets were deliberately flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and a third plane was purposely crashed into the Pentagon. A fourth jetliner presumably targeted at the Capitol Building or the White House crashed into a field near Shankesville, PA, after some of the passengers fought back against the hijackers on board and attempted to regain control of the airplane.
The attacks on the World Trade Center killed, 2,753 people, including more than 400 firefighters and police officers. The injured numbered more than 6,000. Had the burning towers collapsed sooner or perhaps fallen sideways, the carnage could have been much worse. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) estimated that 17,400 people were in the Twin Towers when the terrorists struck.
Thousands of tons of toxic dust entered the atmosphere when the towers fell and numerous deaths have since been linked to exposure to these materials.
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed by American forces in May 2011, at first denied responsibility for the attack, but in 2004 he admitted overseeing the plot.
In response to the 9/11 attacks, the George W. Bush administration swiftly announced a “war on terror” with a goal of bringing Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda to justice.
The United States and Britain began bombing Afghanistan for harboring terrorist groups, beginning Oct. 7, 2001. Other countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Denmark, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Norway and Bulgaria followed.
The Bush administration enacted the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The Act created the Department of Homeland Security, whose mandates include preventing terrorism and enhancing security and securing and managing US borders.
Also created was the USA Patriot Act, which gave the US government the power to detain foreign terror suspects without charges, along with the ability to monitor terror suspects’ telephone conversations, emails and Internet use.
In an attempt to better secure commercial airplanes against high jacking, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) assigned sky marshals to flights and mandated the reinforcing of airplane cockpits to prevent unauthorized access.
Also, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act transferred airport security operations away from airports and to the federal government.
The world breathed a collective sigh of relief with the news that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been shot dead by US forces in May, 2011, but it would be naïve to believe that al-Qaeda no longer poses a threat to the US and other countries which have fought against extremists since 9/11.
The threat of another attack very much remains, as does the need for people to watch for and report any behavior that seems suspicious, both at work and in their neighborhoods.
