Overview
9/11 is a common name for the terrorist attacks that occurred in the United States on September 11, 2001, when four airliners (American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, and United Airlines Flight 93) were hijacked and then used as suicide bombers.
In Japan, it is mainly referred to as the Terrorist Attacks on America (アメリカ同時多発テロ, Amerika dōji tahatsu tero) while in the United States, it is labeled as September 11 Attacks, but more often as 9/11.
The Attack
American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 hit the World Trade Center in New York City, and American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon in Virginia. United Airlines Flight 93 failed to reach its target and crashed near Pittsburgh.
The crime was as follows:
- Breaking into the cockpit of an airliner after takeoff with a boxcutter, which was allowed to be brought in at the time, and attacking and hijacking the pilot.
- While doing so, showing the passengers a bomb (even though it was a fake) to make them quiet, and driving them to the rear of the aircraft.
- The pilot, trained at a pilot training school, takes the control of the plane, and his accomplices protect the pilot and monitor the passengers and crew (stabbing them if necessary).
- Enter the target with a passenger plane and destroy it.
It was the first time since the attack on Pearl Harbor by the former Japanese forces that the U.S. mainland had been attacked on a large scale, shocking not only the American people but also the entire world. The attack was unprecedented in history, with the complete destruction of several iconic buildings and a record number of deaths caused by a terrorist attack by a small group of guerrillas, not by the regular military.
Impact of the Incident
Temporarily, there was an increase in distrust of aircraft worldwide, and the airline industry suffered a major business blow. Conversely, demand for automobiles surged, and in proportion to the increase in traffic, the number of deaths and injuries in traffic accidents also increased. This case is often used as proof of aircraft safety.
The incident also revealed the terrible power of aircraft when used as suicide bombers, and many safety measures taken in recent years, such as careful baggage screening and robust cockpit doors, were inspired by this incident.
The failure to prevent terrorism despite having the world's largest military force shook the U.S. motto of "strong," "big," and "just," and marked the end of the era of all-out nuclear war and total war that had continued during the Cold War.
After the incident, the U.S., advocating the "war on terror," launched the "invasion of Afghanistan" and the "war on Iraq" in the war against terrorism. Although the U.S. succeeded in killing Osama bin Laden, who was believed to be the mastermind of the attack, the situation in the Middle East became unstable as the war on terrorism became a quagmire. It was also a historical turning point that weakened the unipolar dominance of the United States that had continued since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and it had a major impact on international affairs in the first half of the 21st century.
Executioners
The perpetrators are believed to be 19 members of Al-Qaeda, a fundamentalist Islamic organization led by Osama bin Laden, many of whose members are scattered around the world and have carried out several anti-American terrorist attacks in the past.
Hijacked Airliner
American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767
Target
North Wing of the World Trade Center
Pilot
Mohamed Atta
Accomplices
- Abdulaziz al-Omari
- Wail al-Shehri
- Waleed al-Shehri
- Satam al-Suqami
Result
Had hit its target
Hijacked Airliner
United Airlines Flight 175 in a Boeing 767
Target
South Wing of the World Trade Center
Pilot
Marwan al-Shehhi
Accomplices
- Fayez Banihammad
- Mohand al-Shehri
- Hamza al-Ghamdi
- Ahmed al-Ghamdi
Result
Had hit its target
Hijacked Airliner
American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757
Target
Pentagon, Department of Defense
Pilot
Hani Hanjour
Accomplices
- Khalid al-Mihdhar
- Majed Moqed
- Nawaf al-Hazmi
- Salem al-Hazmi
Result
Had hit its target
Hijacked Airliner
United Airlines Flight 93, a Boeing 757
Target
Presumed to be the United States Capitol or the White House, the presidential residence, but the truth is unknown.
Pilot
Ziad Jarrah
Accomplices
- Saeed al-Ghamdi
- Ahmed al-Nami
- Ahmed al-Haznawi
Result
Failed to reach the target and crashed en route due to resistance from passengers and crew.
Anecdote
When incidents of this kind occur, conspiracy theories are often put forward (in fact, the Japanese version of this article was filled with conspiracy theories for a while), but these theories have many points that cannot be explained scientifically, may include the personal feelings of the proponents, and may not have clear sources, so they should not be taken seriously. Therefore, they should not be relied upon (for example, the General Headquarters' announcement during World War II).
On an urban legend level, there is an anecdotal story about Al-Qaeda that has been passed down.
Shortly before the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, there was this episode. A man was unknowingly asked for directions by Al-Qaeda members stationed in Japan, and he gave them directions because he was a foreigner.
"Stay away from the World Trade Center Building on September 11. I tell you this partly because I am Japanese, but also because you have been so kind to me. Let as many people know about this as possible. Thank you very much for offering us drinks and directions." (｢9月11日にワールドトレードセンタービルに近寄ってはならない。日本人だからと言うのもあるが親切にしてくれた君にだから教えるのだ。これをなるべく多くの人々に知らせるんだ。我々への飲み物の提供と道案内に深く感謝する。｣ )
Recently, however, it has become clear that they are linked to ISIL, and this incident is the beginning of all the events of terrorism and invasions, as well as the "invasion of Afghanistan" and the "war in Iraq" mentioned above.
The oft-repeated argument that the World Trade Center collapsed in a strange way is not unnatural, since earthquakes are rare on the East Coast in the United States, and many super high-rises are built with the entire wall supporting the strength of the structure. In fact, this structure is prohibited in Japan, an earthquake-prone country (Japan must be supported by beams and columns anyway). The main reason why blast demolition is not widely used in Japan is that high-rise buildings in Japan are difficult to destroy by blasting.
Also, considering that the aircraft itself is made of duralumin (which is surprisingly flammable compared to steel and other materials) and that a large amount of aviation fuel was loaded into the aircraft when it entered, it is not unnatural that it ignited and burned at a very high temperature when heated.
The more fuel a building carries, the more powerful it will be in the event of a collision, and this in itself will increase the damage to the structure. The building's frame, walls, and other structural materials, which were not made of heat-resistant materials, were burned by the aviation fuel, and their strength was dramatically reduced because they could not withstand the heat.
The video footage from the time shows that it was more accurately described as "crumbling away" than collapsing, but this is because it had lost its strength due to being burned inside, and the "calculated inward collapse" method of demolition by bombing, the upper floors above the entry point remained relatively lumpy and could no longer support the weight of the building. The lower floors were crushed in a manner similar to the "leaving the upper part of the building as a lump and dropping it like a hammer to break it down," which is done to conserve explosives and prevent the scattering of debris during demolition by explosion.
Incidentally, the melting temperature of steel is 1500°C and the burning temperature of aluminum is about 2500°C.
The fires continued for a long time after the collapse of the World Trade Center, and were not completely extinguished until 100 days later.
Reaction in Japan
Only 10 days earlier, on September 1, the Kabukicho building fire had occurred, and in addition to this being an unsolved case of unknown cause, the Typhoon No. 15 and Typhoon No. 16 that had been approaching the previous day and the first reports of mad cow disease in Japan were in the midst of their efforts there.
It was just after 10:00 p.m. on September 11 in Japan. At that time, NHK's News 10 and TV Asahi's News Station were vying for supremacy in the 10:00 p.m. hour as news wide. Coincidentally, both began broadcasting live from New York.
However, the commercial news station finished its opening and went to commercials. Shortly thereafter, the first plane plunged in, and NHK News 10 was to broadcast the moment nationwide. At first it was thought to be a pure accident, but the second plane entered while the situation was being reported live. It turned out to be a terrorist attack, and NHK went into simultaneous broadcasting mode for all stations (HNK General TV, NHK Educational TV (now E Tele), BS1, BS2 (now BS Premium), BS-Hi (now discontinued), Radio 1, Radio 2, and FM).
Needless to say, they were the slowest to switch over among the Tokyo key stations.
Impact on U.S. Entertainment
After the incident, movies that were to be set in the World Trade Center and scenes reminiscent of the terrorist attacks have been affected by script changes and production cancellations.
- A Jackie Chan movie about window washers at the World Trade Center fighting terrorists was canceled.
- The script for Men in Black 2, in which the World Trade Center is the scene of a climactic battle, was changed.
- Ocean's Eleven had to be reshot because of a scene involving the blowing up of a hotel.
- The American comic book hero Spider-Man whose live-action movie had its release postponed due to revisions, and whose story about 9/11 was depicted in December, two months after the attacks, were condemned by the public for failing to prevent the attacks and were on their way to rescue themselves helplessly. (I maybe missing something here please fact check this.)
- Likewise, Superman was depicted looking up at the firefighters and rescuers actually fighting on the scene and exclaiming, "Wow!" and marveling at the firefighters and rescuers actually fighting on the scene.
- The English dubbed version of Mobile Suit Gundam (First Gundam), which was first broadcast on Cartoon Network at the time, was canceled due to the network's policy of eliminating war and violent content.
- On the other hand, the English dubbed version of Transformers: Robots in Disguise, which was also first broadcast on FOX, continued to air after cutting out some scenes involving the destruction of buildings.
Impact on US Sports
- Nascar postponed their race in New Hampshire and moved to Thanksgiving Day.
- World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks vs New York Yankees began later than usually on October 27th-November 4th due to delay of the regular season.
Related Articles
September 11 Terrorist Attacks on America Terrorist Attacks on America Incident 9/11 Terrorism ISIL Terrorist Terrorism Taliban Bin Laden Islamic Extremism
External Links
English
September 11 attacks - Wikipedia
Japanese
アメリカ同時多発テロ事件とは (アメリカドウジタハツテロジケンとは) [単語記事] - ニコニコ大百科 (NicoNico Encyclopedia)
