The content of this article is written with authoritative sources, and the source and screenshots of the literature have been marked at the end of the article, please be aware.
On 11 September 2001, a tragedy changed the course of world history.
When two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, not only the collapse of the building ensued, but also the birth of countless doubts and conspiracy theories.
Facts and falsehoods are intertwined, and the government's official explanation does not seem to have completely quelled public skepticism.
First, Osama bin Laden initially denied any involvement in the incident, and then admitted in a questionable video that he orchestrated it. Is this video really believable?
Moreover, it is strange that just a few weeks before the incident, the new lessee of the World Trade Center had purchased billions of dollars in insurance for the building, including provisions against terrorist attacks.
Was this a disaster, or was it an elaborate hoax?
Event recap: The tragedy of 11 September 2001
On the morning of September 11, 2001, the sky was blue and transparent, and New York City was still immersed in the usual hustle and bustle. However, it all came to an abrupt end at 8:46 a.m.
American Airlines Flight 11, which took off from Boston International Airport and was supposed to fly to Los Angeles, was tragically hijacked and rerouted its deadly course.
The Boeing 767 airliner, carrying 92 people, including passengers and crew, flew at a high speed of about 490 miles per hour into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan.
When the plane hit the 94th and 98th floors of One World Trade Center, it was almost instantaneous.
The impact was so strong that the entire building was shaken, and the explosion of jet fuel was ensued.
The explosion not only produced extremely high temperatures, but also fireballs and thick smoke.
A large amount of jet fuel is burned, and the heat generated quickly spreads throughout the impact area and the surrounding floors.
Immediately after the impact, the building turned into a sea of fire.
The fire spread rapidly upwards within minutes, and smoke spread so thick that thick smoke could be seen billowing out even miles away.
From the outside, the upper part of the North Tower of the World Trade Center appears to be shrouded in a large black cloud.
Fires flickered through broken windows, and the sudden catastrophe stopped the heartbeat of the entire city.
On the ground, the situation is even more chaotic. After loud noises and shaking, people in the streets panicked.
Many people stopped and looked up at the sky, unable to believe what they were seeing.
As the fire intensified, sirens from police and fire trucks began to sound in the streets, trying to make their way through the congested traffic.
Rescuers moved quickly, and firefighters, dressed in full gear and disregarding their personal safety, rushed towards the burning tower.
Their mission is to rescue as many trapped people as possible. These heroic firefighters and first responders are constantly shuttling in and out of the building, facing extremely dangerous situations.
At the same time, the scene inside the World Trade Center is heartbreaking.
People trapped on the upper floors are in contact with the outside world through mobile phones and in-building phones to ask for help.
With some interruptions in electricity and communications, many people turned to wet towels or clothing to ward off the smoke that was constantly seeping in.
On the streets, crowds began to disperse away from the World Trade Center, some with dust and tears on their faces, many of them looking back at the building that was gradually engulfed in smoke and flames.
Police and rescue personnel tried to maintain order while directing passers-by to quickly evacuate possible dangerous areas.
At this point, the whole of Manhattan almost came to a standstill, and people picked up the phone to contact relatives and friends to ensure each other's safety.
New York City's emergency services system was pushed to its limits, and all available resources were mobilized to respond to this unprecedented disaster.
The germ of conspiracy theories
One of the main theories about 911 is that the U.S. government may have been informed of the attack plans in advance without taking proper precautions.
This claim has sparked widespread debate and speculation, with many likening it to the bitter ploy of Pearl Harbor during World War II, which may have been deliberately done by the U.S. government in order to provide a pretext for military intervention in the Middle East.
Proponents of this conspiracy theory often cite specific doubts to support their views.
For example, they would question how security on U.S. domestic flights at the time could have been so lax that 19 hijackers could easily hijack four planes with just a few knives and other simple tools.
This kind of lax security seems to them to be a bit strange, and some even wonder if it is intentional internally.
The conspiracy theorists also point out that despite the vast intelligence network in the United States, including multiple intelligence agencies such as the CIA and FBI, these agencies failed to effectively prevent or warn of this catastrophic attack.
To them, this situation seems difficult to explain, unless there is a deeper political purpose in it.
In addition, such conspiracy theories often refer to the swift military actions taken by the United States government in the aftermath of the attacks, such as the rapid deployment of troops into Afghanistan and the subsequent military invasion of Iraq.
The swiftness and decisiveness of these actions have been interpreted by some as perhaps pre-prepared, and that 911 was just a trigger.
Conspiracy theorists also often cite certain government documents and statements from officials to support their views.
For example, some former government officials publish memoirs or interviews after retirement with vague signs or warnings that may have been used to prove that the government may have known something beforehand.
Moreover, some reports indicate that in the months leading up to the attack, some intelligence did suggest that terrorists may have been planning a large-scale attack, but these warnings were not heeded enough.
In addition, conspiracy theorists have noted the way the U.S. government handled certain key pieces of evidence after the incident.
For example, the recording and handling of the interrogations of some key people in connection with the attack, and the degree of disclosure of some intelligence documents that are considered critical.
They argue that this material could help clarify the truth if it is handled openly and transparently, and that some of the government's actions seem to be trying to avoid such transparency.
Despite such doubts and speculations, these conspiracy theories remain highly controversial.
Many official and independent investigations have pointed out that 911 was planned and carried out by outside terrorists and had nothing to do with the U.S. government.
However, for those who support conspiracy theories, their doubts will persist as long as there are unexplained doubts.
Financial operations raise suspicion
One particularly striking financial transaction in the complex narrative of 911 is the issue of usufruct and insurance for the World Trade Center.
In July 2001, less than two months before the incident, New York real estate tycoon Larry Silverstein was granted a 99-year lease of the World Trade Center.
The deal amounted to $3.2 billion, making it a huge deal in the market at the time.
Not only did Silverstein pay the huge rent, but he subsequently purchased $3.5 billion worth of insurance for the two iconic towers, which included provisions against terrorist attacks.
At that time, although global terrorism was a occurrence, it was inconceivable that a terrorist attack of this magnitude could occur on American soil.
As a result, this insurance arrangement appeared to be a routine risk management measure at the time.
However, the terrorist attacks on September 11 brought the deal to great attention and suspicion.
In the aftermath, many began to wonder if this implied that Silverstein had foreknowledge of the events to come.
After all, the fact that a terrorist attack is explicitly included in the insurance contract and that the amount of money is huge, which to some people may seem like "premeditated".
Silverstein and his company have vehemently denied such allegations.
They stressed that this type of insurance is standard practice in commercial real estate transactions, especially for an important asset such as the World Trade Center.
Moreover, they point out that the insurance was not purchased specifically for the Sept. 11 disaster, but was part of the routine process after the real estate transaction was completed.
In the aftermath of 911, the issue of insurance payments became a legal battle.
Silverstein's company sought to get double compensation from the insurance company, arguing that the two plane collisions should be considered two separate terrorist incidents.
After a lengthy period of litigation, the court finally ruled that some insurance companies should pay double the event, which greatly increased the total amount of compensation.
This legal battle and Silverstein's controversy over insurance compensation have sparked widespread public discussion.
On the one hand, it is understood that this is an unprecedented catastrophe and that the role of insurance is precisely to provide financial security in such situations.
On the other hand, there are also those who are dissatisfied with such huge compensation, arguing that it reflects the "profit" of capital interests in the disaster.
Doubts about official explanations
In the aftermath of 911, the U.S. government and its agencies gave detailed explanations of the reasons for the collapse of the World Trade Center tower.
According to official reports, when the plane hit the upper floors of the building, a large amount of jet fuel randomly brought in caused a violent fire.
The fuel burns not only on the impact level, but also on the lower floors, where the fire spreads.
The official explanation states that the structural steel inside the building is beginning to lose strength due to the continuous action of the high temperatures.
In particular, this high temperature significantly reduces the strength of the rebar and steel frame, which ultimately leads to the loss of structural support.
When these critical support structures were damaged enough to maintain the weight of the building, the building began to collapse, with the weight of the upper floor slabs crushing the weakened structure below.
This process is the result of a chain reaction, with the impact of the floor collapsing due to structural failure, and then affecting the floors below, eventually leading to the collapse of the entire building.
This phenomenon is known in engineering as "progressive collapse", in which the weight of the upper layer pushes the collapse of the lower layer layer by layer after the structural support force is weakened.
Although this explanation is based on the principles of physical and structural engineering, it does not completely dispel the public's doubts.
Many have questioned why similar high-rise buildings have never completely collapsed due to fires in history, especially considering that other buildings have remained structurally intact after prolonged fires.
This doubt has prompted some to propose other possible explanations and even speculate on the existence of other undisclosed factors.
In response, some experts and researchers have provided more technical details to support the official explanation.
They point out that the design and construction of the WTC was somewhat innovative at the time, but there were also potential weaknesses, such as the connection between its outer steel frame and the internal core support columns, which may not be strong enough in extreme cases.
In addition, the World Trade Center's fire protection, especially for steel structures, can be stripped off when an aircraft is impacted, resulting in direct exposure of the steel to extreme heat, which accelerates the damage to the structure.
Despite these technical additions, the public's doubts have not completely subsided.
For some, the official explanation seems oversimplified and does not fully cover all the factors that could have influenced the collapse of the building.
Therefore, there are still some people in the community who continue to discuss and question the specific causes of the collapse of the World Trade Center in the 911 incident, hoping that through more in-depth analysis and discussion, a more comprehensive explanation can be obtained.
The international response to the role of bin Laden
The international response to 911 ranged from shock and condemnation to complex political and military responses.
Inside and outside the United States, the pursuit of al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, has come into focus.
Soon after the incident, the U.S. government began pointing fingers at Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization, believing that they were the masterminds and perpetrators of the terrorist attack.
The accusation is based on previous threats against U.S. targets by bin Laden and al-Qaeda's track record of terrorist activities.
However, bin Laden initially issued a statement through Arab media denying that he and al-Qaeda were involved in the 911 incident.
Despite these denials, the United States and its allies soon began to hunt down bin Laden around the world, an action that led to the outbreak of the war in Afghanistan, in part with the aim of overthrowing the Taliban government that supported al-Qaeda.
The international community is divided on how to deal with this military action, with some countries supporting the United States' war on terror while others have expressed concerns about the legality and consequences of the military action.
The situation was further complicated a few years later, when the U.S. government released a video tape showing Osama bin Laden sitting in a modest room, discussing with others the planning of 911.
In this footage, bin Laden appears to admit that he was directly involved in the planning of the attack on the Twin Towers.
The release of the footage is intended to verify the direct responsibility of bin Laden and his organization, and to provide justification for counterterrorism measures by the United States and its allies around the world.
However, the authenticity of the tape was quickly questioned.
Some critics and conspiracy theorists have pointed out that the video of bin Laden is inconsistent with his previous public appearances, and they wonder if the video has been manipulated or faked.
Critics also point to the timing and political context of the videotape's release that are worth considering, possibly to further support ongoing military operations.
These controversies and doubts have led to a broader discussion about 911 and its aftermath.
In some groups, who are persistently skeptical of the U.S. government's explanations and actions, they seek more transparency and independent investigations to confirm the veracity of events and the accuracy of various public statements.
At the same time, it also reflects the general concern about the authenticity of information on a global scale, as well as the importance of information warfare and psychological warfare in times of crisis and conflict.
Resources:
[1] Chen Shuangyan.Airport security measures after the 911 incident[J].China Security Product Information,2003,11(4):55-55