Series of airline hijackings and suicide bombings against U.S. targets perpetrated by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda. The attacks were planned well in advance; the militants most of whom were from Saudi Arabia traveled to the U.S. beforehand, where a number received commercial flight training. Working in small groups, the hijackers boarded 4 domestic airliners in groups of 5 (a 20th participant was alleged) on Sept. 11, 2001, and took control of the planes soon after takeoff. At 8: 46 AM (local time), the terrorists piloted the first plane into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. A second plane struck the south tower some 15 minutes later. Both structures erupted in flames and, badly damaged, soon collapsed. A third plane struck the southwest side of the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., at 9: 40, and within the next hour the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after its passengers aware of events via cellular telephone attempted to overpower their assailants. Some 2,750 people were killed in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 in Pennsylvania. All 19 terrorists died
September 11th 2001, day in the year 2001 on which a destructive attack of terrorism was launched against the United States by Islamic terrorists when two hijacked commercial planes deliberately crashed into the Twin Towers and destroyed them (approximately 3,000 people lost their lives) and another plane deliberately crashed into the Pentagon (189 people who worked at the Pentagon were killed)