A co-ordinated al-Qaeda attack on America on 11th September 2001 killed almost 3,000 people. Two hijacked planes were flown into New York’s World Trade Center, resulting in the collapse of the Twin Towers, while another crashed into the Pentagon. The fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania

HOW IT HAPPENED?

The airplanes hijacked on 9/11 begin taking off at 7:59 a.m. The first to depart is American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 that leaves Boston’s Logan International Airport for Los Angles with 92 people on board.

At 8:14 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 — a Boeing 767 with 65 passengers on board — leaves Logan for Los Angeles.

American Airlines Flight 77 leaves Washington Dulles International Airport at 8:20 a.m. The plane, a Boeing 757 with 64 people on board, is headed for Los Angeles.

Finally, at 8:42 a.m., United Airlines Flight 93 departs from Newark International Airport. The Boeing 757, which carries 44 passengers, is bound for San Francisco.

The first crash occurs at 8:46 a.m. when Flight 11 slams into the north tower of New York’s World Trade Center.

The second crash comes at 9:03 a.m., when Flight 175 flies into the south tower of the World Trade Center.

9:37 a.m.: Flight 77 crashes into Pentagon.

9:45 a.m.: Just minutes after Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, the White House and U.S. Capitol are evacuated.

9:59 a.m: After burning for 56 minutes, the south tower of the World Trade Center collapses at 9:59 a.m. The fall, which kills approximately 600 workers and first responders, lasts 10 seconds.

The fourth hijacked plane crashes at 10:03 in a field in Shanksville, Pa.

10:28 a.m: After burning for 102 minutes, the north tower of New York’s World Trade Center collapses.

5:20 p.m: Hours after the attacks that morning, the 47-story 7 World Trade Center building collapses from ancillary damage.

On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defined the presidency of George W. Bush.

WORLD TRADE CENTER

On September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors.

As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767—United Airlines Flight 175—appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center and sliced into the south tower near the 60th floor.

The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and onto the streets below. It immediately became clear that America was under attack.

The structural steel of the skyscraper, built to withstand winds in excess of 200 miles per hour and a large conventional fire, could not withstand the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel. At 10:30 a.m., the north building of the twin towers collapsed. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 other were treated for injuries, many severe.

OSAMA BIN LADEN

The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly financed by the al-Qaeda terrorist organization of Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden, they were allegedly acting in retaliation for America’s support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War and its continued military presence in the Middle East.

Some of the terrorists had lived in the United States for more than a year and had taken flying lessons at American commercial flight schools.

Others had slipped into the country in the months before September 11 and acted as the “muscle” in the operation.

The 19 terrorists easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through security at three East Coast airports and boarded four early-morning flights bound for California, chosen because the planes were loaded with fuel for the long transcontinental journey. Soon after takeoff, the terrorists commandeered the four planes and took the controls, transforming ordinary passenger jets into guided missiles.

ATTACK ON PENTAGON

As millions watched the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington, D.C., before crashing into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m.

Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to the structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete building, which is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense. All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon, along with all 64 people aboard the airliner.

2,996 PEOPLE DIED

A total of 2,996 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks, including the 19 terrorist hijackers aboard the four airplanes.

At the World Trade Center, 2,763 died after the two planes slammed into the twin towers. That figure includes 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors.

At the Pentagon, 189 people were killed, including 64 on American Airlines Flight 77, the airliner that struck the building. On Flight 93, 44 people died when the plane crash-landed in Pennsylvania.

HOW U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY HAS CHANGED SINCE 9/11

Arguably, the most significant difference is that the Department of Homeland Security didn’t exist before 9/11. Formed in November 2002 with the passing of the Homeland Security Act, the agency replaced the Immigration and Naturalization Service and became responsible for enforcing national security and protecting the U.S. from terrorism. The three main bodies created within the DHS consist of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The main duties they fulfill in the post-9/11 era include screening and collecting data on international travelers, additional screenings and interviews of people of certain nationalities, and sharing information with other countries.

Immigration Reform

While national security became a centerpiece of U.S. immigration policy after 9/11, undocumented immigrants’ entry into the country has remained a constant political issue.

Refugee Resettlement

The immigration debate in the U.S. has shifted to some degree in the last several years as the country considers whether it has a moral duty to welcome refugees ? and if so, how to ensure that they don’t pose a national security threat. The U.S. has admitted more than 800,000 refugees since the 9/11 attacks, if this year’s figures are taken into account. Only three have been arrested on terrorism charges, according to MPI. “The threat to the U.S. homeland from refugees has been relatively low,” Seth Jones, director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation, testified to Congress in 2015.

“Almost none of the major terrorist plots since 9/11 have involved refugees.”