 | September 11 attacks: In a coordinated strike on the United States, terrorists crashed hijacked commercial jetliners into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, in New York City, and the Pentagon. A fourth hijacked airliner crashed in Pennsylvania. The unprecedented attack destroyed the World Trade Center, killed more than 3,000 people, and shook the nation to its core. The al-Qaeda terrorist network of Saudi Arabian exile Osama bin Laden was soon identified as the group responsible for the attack. |