Al Qaeda's Preparation for 9/11
Who is Osama bin Laden?
Notorious Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is most often remembered for his role in the devastating 9/11 terrorist attacks. Bin Laden was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1957. As a teenager, bin Laden was involved with both Islamic study groups and radical groups. Bin Laden was influenced by several Muslim professors who highlighted the importance of jihad, fighting a “holy war” to protect Muslim lands from foreign enemies. The 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is when bin Laden became a full radical. He left Saudi Arabia to fight for the Afghan mujahideen (those engaged in jihad).
Bin Laden spent the 1980s supporting the mujahideen insurgents with his inherited fortune and funds he had raised for their cause. In 1988, bin Laden formed the terrorist organization Al Qaeda. He was devoted to jihad against all enemies of Islam. The terrorist organization was headquartered in Afghanistan and trained the operatives involved in the attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. Bin Laden also financially supported Ramzi Yousef who was responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing. Bin Laden’s Declaration of Jihad in 1996 explained that Al Qaeda’s goals were to eradicate the US forces in the Arabian Peninsula, free holy Muslim sites, overthrow the Saudi Arabian government, and support radical Islamic groups around the world.
In 1996, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) met with Osama bin Laden in hopes of collaborating on a terrorist attack against the U.S. KSM shared a number of ideas for potential terrorist attacks with bin Laden. KSM admired the power and strength of Al Qaeda and would need their manpower, financial support, and connections to pull off his attacks. In late 1998 or early 1999, Osama bin Laden approved KSM’s plans for “the planes operation.” KSM’s initial idea entailed crashing ten planes into important buildings on both the east and west coasts. Bin Laden knew that this idea was too complex and large scale, therefore Al Qaeda began planning to attack four targets in America.
As the leader of Al Qaeda, bin Laden was highly involved in the preparation for 9/11 from selecting the hijackers to coordinating where the planes would strike. After the attacks on September 11, the U.S. strived to overthrow terrorism in Afghanistan. In December 2001, U.S. troops had located bin Laden in Afghanistan’s Tora Bora cave complex, but he evaded capture. U.S. troops spent the next seven years searching the Afghanistan-Pakistan border for bin Laden. In October 2004, bin Laden randomly released a video of himself taking credit for the 9/11 attacks.
Finally, U.S. Navy Seals killed Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, at his military compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Al Qaeda announced three weeks later bin Laden’s loyal deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri would become the next leader of the terrorist organization.
Timeline of Al Qaeda's Preparation for 9/11
This interactive timeline works through Al Qaeda's years of planning leading up to the September 11 attacks.
Why the Twin Towers and the Pentagon?
Al Qaeda leaders meticulously selected symbolic targets for the September 11 attacks. Their goal was to spread panic and fear throughout the U.S. and to make America seem weak to the rest of the world. In New York City, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center symbolize America’s economic power, capitalism, freedom, and globalization. The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense and is a symbol of military power. While we will never truly know Flight 93’s target, it is believed that the plane was heading for the Capitol Building, the center of American democracy.