Terrorists hijack four planes from "summary" of Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff
The morning of September 11, 2001, started like any other day for many people across the United States. However, within a matter of hours, the country would be forever changed. On that fateful day, terrorists executed a meticulously planned and coordinated attack that would go down in history as one of the most devastating acts of terrorism ever carried out on American soil. The terrorists, members of the extremist group al-Qaeda, hijacked four commercial airplanes with the intent of using them as weapons of mass destruction. The hijackers were not interested in negotiating for ransom or making demands; their sole objective was to cause death and destruction on a massive scale. The hijackers took control of the planes by using box cutters and other makeshift weapons to overpower the flight crews and gain access to the cockpits. Once in control of the aircraft, they altered their flight paths and set course for predetermined targets. Two of the planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing both towers to collapse in a matter of hours. The third plane crashed into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, causing extensive damage and loss of life. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was likely headed for a target in Washington, D. C., but passengers aboard the flight fought back against the hijackers. The heroic actions of these passengers led to the plane crashing into a field in Pennsylvania, rather than its intended target. The events of that day shocked the nation and the world, forever altering the way we think about terrorism and national security. The attacks of September 11, 2001, would have far-reaching consequences, shaping U. S. foreign policy, military strategy, and domestic security measures for years to come.
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