On Tuesday September 11, 2001, suicide bombers hijacked American airliners and crashed them into two New York City skyscrapers, killing thousands of people.
This attack remains one of the most traumatic events of the century, not only for America but for the rest of the world.
What were the targets?
Four planes flying over the eastern part of the United States of America were simultaneously hijacked by a small team of hijackers.
They were then used as giant guided missiles to hit the iconic buildings of New York and Washington.
- Who is Hamza - the murdered son of Osama bin Laden
- Jihadists in Mozambique cut off children's heads
- Retired French generals predict a "bloody civil war", and what does the state say?
Two planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York.
The first one hit the North Tower at 08:46 EST (13:46 GMT).
The second one hit the South Tower at 09:03.
Buildings caught fire, trapping people on the upper floors, and enveloping the entire city in thick smoke.
In less than two hours, both 110-story towers collapsed in a huge cloud of smoke.
At 09:37, a third plane destroyed the west wing of the Pentagon - the huge headquarters of the US military near Washington, the capital of the country.
A fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m. after passengers resisted.
It is believed that the hijackers intended to attack the Capitol building in Washington.
How many people died?
A total of 2.977 people lost their lives (not counting the 19 hijackers), most of them in New York.
- All 246 passengers and crew members on four planes died
- In the Twin Towers, 2.606 people died - on the spot or later from injuries
- 125 people died in the Pentagon
The youngest victim was two-year-old Christina Lee Henson, who died on one of the planes with her parents, Peter and Sue.
The oldest was eighty-two-year-old Robert Norton, who was on another plane with his wife Jacqueline, with whom he was traveling to a wedding.
When the first plane hit, it is estimated that there were 17.400 people in the towers.
No one survived above the impact zone in the North Tower, but 18 of them managed to escape from the floors above the impact zone in the South Tower.
Among the victims were citizens of 77 different countries. New York lost 441 emergency responders.
Thousands of people were injured or later developed illnesses related to the attacks, including firefighters working in the rubble.
- Confession of the boy who threatened Trump on behalf of the Islamic State
- The body of a murdered archaeologist who protected the ancient city of Palmyra was found
Who were the attackers?
The attacks were planned from Afghanistan by the extremist Islamist network Al Qaeda.
Led by Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda blamed the US and its allies for the wars in the Muslim world.
The hijackings were carried out by nineteen people, working in three teams of five and one of four (on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania).
Each group had someone who had undergone pilot training.
They completed it at flight schools in the USA itself.
Fifteen of the hijackers were Saudis, as was Bin Laden himself. Two were from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt, and one from Lebanon.
- 'Like al Qaeda on steroids': The new rise of the Islamic State
- Norway remembers - 10 years since the massacre of Andreas Breivik
How did America respond?
Less than a month after the attack, President George W. Bush led an invasion of Afghanistan - backed by an international coalition - to root out Al Qaeda and find bin Laden.
However, it was not until 2011 that the US military finally located and killed Bin Laden in neighboring Pakistan.
The alleged mastermind of the 11/2003 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, was arrested in Pakistan in XNUMX.
He has been held in US custody at Guantanamo Bay ever since, and is still awaiting trial.
Al Qaeda still exists.
It is strongest in sub-Saharan Africa, but even now has members inside Afghanistan.
American troops left Afghanistan this year after nearly 20 years, sparking fears among many that the Islamist network could return.
The legacy of 11/XNUMX
Flight security has been tightened around the world in the years since 11/XNUMX.
In the US, the Transportation Security Administration was created to increase security at airports and on airplanes.
It took more than eight months to clear "Ground Zero" - the place where the Twin Towers collapsed.
There is now a monument and a museum at that location, and the buildings have been rebuilt, but with a different appearance.
The completed central building - World Trade Center One or "Freedom Tower" - is even taller (541 meters) than the original North Tower, which was 417 meters high.
Renovation of the Pentagon lasted just under a year, and staff returned to offices in August 2002.
Watch the video of the US military attack on the hideout of one of the leaders of the Islamic State
Follow us on Facebook i Twitter. If you have a topic proposal for us, contact us at bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
Bonus video:
