Timeline of the September 11 attacks

The September 11 attacks timeline is a chronological list of all the major events leading up to, during, and immediately following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington that day. The timeline starts with the completion of the first World Trade Center tower in 1970 through the first anniversary of the attacks in 2002.

Background history

• 1970: The North Tower of the original World Trade Center is completed.
• 1973: The South Tower of the original World Trade Center is completed.
• 1988: Osama bin Laden founds al-Qaeda.^[1]
• 1993: World Trade Center bombing.
• 1994: Al-Qaeda-connected militants attempt to crash passenger jet into Eiffel Tower.^[2]
• 1995: Operation Bojinka is discovered by Manila police on a laptop computer in an apartment after a fire.
• 27 September 1996: The Taliban, a radical Islamic movement, rises to power by conquering Kabul in the Afghan Civil War (1992–1996).
• 1996: Passenger plane suicide attack narrowly averted.^[3]
• 1998: Bin Laden expands religious edict against US and allies.^[4]
• 1998: Suspect claims 'extensive network of al-Qaeda sleeper agents' is planning 'big attack' inside US.^[5]
• 7 August 1998: The 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania are carried out by Al-Qaeda.
• 8–10 August 1998: In Mazar-i-Sharif, the Taliban and Al Qaeda's 055 Brigade massacred between 4,000 to 8,000 people, including 11 Iranian diplomats. Iran threatened to intervene, but relented after mediation by the United Nations.
• 20 August 1998: Operation Infinite Reach, U.S. cruise missile strikes on Al-Qaeda training camp in Khost, Afghanistan, in retaliation of Al-Qaeda's U.S. embassy bombings two weeks earlier.
• 1998: 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta and associates are monitored some by US and Germany in their Hamburg apartment.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]}
• 1999: Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacked. One passenger dies while the others are released.
• 1999: Suicide pilot crashes commercial airliner into ocean.^[14]
• 2000: The USS Cole is bombed in Yemen by Al-Qaeda.
• 9 September 2001: Al-Qaeda assassinates Ahmad Shah Massoud, commander of the Northern Alliance in the Afghan Civil War (1996–2001).

Planning

• 1992: Mohamed Atta arrives in Germany.
• 1994: Planning on Operation Bojinka begins in the Philippines.
• 1995: Operation Bojinka foiled, Said Bahaji and Ramzi bin al-Shibh arrive in Germany.
• 1996: Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah arrive in Germany.
• 1997: Zakariyah Essabar arrives in Germany.
• 1998: Recruitment of terrorists in Germany starts.
• 1998: Bill Clinton warned 'bin Laden preparing to hijack US aircraft' inside US.^[15]
• 1999: Hamburg cell is fully formed.
• 1999: Germany monitors call to 9/11 hijacker al-Shehhi, shares information with CIA.^[16]
• 1999: Germans monitor call mentioning key al-Qaeda Hamburg cell members, including 9/11 hijacker Atta's full name and number.^[17]
• 1999: 9/11 hijacker Jarrah has unofficial wedding; photograph later suggests German intelligence has informant.^[18]
• 1999: Three 9/11 hijackers obtain US visas.^[19]
• 1999: Hani Hanjour gets pilot's license despite dubious skills.^{[20][21][22][23]}
• 1999: German intelligence records calls between 9/11 hijacker al-Shehhi and others linked to al-Qaeda.^[13][17]
• 1999: Saudi ambassador's wife gives funds that are possibly passed to 9/11 hijackers.^[24]
• 1999: President Clinton warned about al-Qaeda operatives living in US.^[25]
• 1999: Watch list importance is stressed but procedures are not followed.^[26][27]
• 1999: NSA tells CIA about planned al-Qaeda summit involving future hijackers.
• 2000: 2000 al-Qaeda Summit in Malaysia, pilots head to the United States and train in flying schools.
• 2001: Remaining hijackers go to the United States, Zacarias Moussaoui goes to the United States and is arrested, other cell members flee Germany.

September 11, 2001

All times are in local time (EDT or UTC − 4).

• 7:59 A.M.: American Airlines Flight 11 takes off from Boston Logan International Airport, bound for Los Angeles International Airport.
• 8:14 A.M.: Flight 11 is hijacked.
• 8:14 A.M.: United Airlines Flight 175 takes off from Boston Logan, also bound for Los Angeles.
• 8:20 A.M.: American Airlines Flight 77 takes off from Washington Dulles International Airport, also bound for Los Angeles.
• 8:42 A.M.: United Airlines Flight 93 takes off from Newark International Airport, bound for San Francisco International Airport.
• 8:42-46 A.M.: Flight 175 is hijacked.
• 8:46:40 A.M.: Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower of the World Trade Center between the 93rd and 99th floors.
• 8:50-54 A.M.: Flight 77 is hijacked.
• 9:03:02 A.M.: Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower of the World Trade Center between the 77th and 85th floors.
• 9:28 A.M.: Flight 93 is hijacked.
• 9:37:46 A.M.: Flight 77 crashes into The Pentagon.
• 9:59:00 A.M.: The South Tower collapses.
• 10:03:11 A.M.: Flight 93 crashes into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.^[28]
• 10:28:22 A.M.: The North Tower collapses.

Rest of September

• September 13: On the personal orders of Queen Elizabeth II, The 'Star-Spangled Banner' is played during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, marking the first time a foreign national anthem was played outside Buckingham Palace on an occasion other than a state visit. Russia observes a minute's silence.
  Further information: September 11, 2001 attack memorials and services
• September 14 to September 21: Worldwide stock markets plummet.
  Further information: World economic effects arising from the September 11, 2001 attacks
• September 15: CIA director George Tenet presents the Worldwide Attack Matrix.
• September 20: George W. Bush announces that the US is at war.
  Further information: U.S. government response to the September 11, 2001 attacks

October

• October 1: Rudy Giuliani speaks to the United Nations General Assembly.
• October 7: U.S. Attack on Afghanistan commences.

Beyond October

• March 2002: The Tribute in Light project begins.
• September 11, 2002: First anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks commemorations are held throughout the world, particularly the U.S.

References

External links

• "Complete 911 Timeline" - Provided by the Center for Cooperative Research.
• "White House whitewashers" (written 27 September 2001)
• "Attacks prompt widespread closings" (written 11 September 2001)
• Barter, Sheila, "How the World Trade Center fell". BBC