Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri, who helped Osama bin Laden plot the September 11, 2001 attacks, was killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan this weekend. After the years of quietly assembling the suicide attackers, funds and plans for the deadly 9/11 attack, Zawahiri and lieutenants ensured that al-Qaida survived the global manhunt that followed the terrorist attacks.
In his televised address, US President Joe Biden said that he hoped Zawahiri's death would bring "closure" to families of the 3,000 people killed in the 9/11 attack.
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also called 9/11, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by the al-Qaeda in United States.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial flights with the aim of crashing them into prominent US buildings. The first two planes were crashed into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, while the third struck the Pentagon – the seat of USA’s defence department and a symbol of American power.
The fourth plane could not hit the federal government building, its intended target, thanks to a passenger revolt against the hijackers. Instead, it crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.
Osama bin Laden - the man behind 9/11
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was considered the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, although Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the one who did the operational planning.
Laden was at the time the chief of al-Qaeda. Born in 1957 in Saudi Arabia to a wealthy family, Osama bin Laden later became known as one of the world’s most recognisable terrorists.
He was killed by US security forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2, 2011. The United States Navy SEALs raided bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad where he spent the last few years of his life.
The man once listed as No. 1 on the FBI's most-wanted list was killed by a gunshot wound to the head.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - the principal architect
Although Osama bin Laden is considered the mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed – or “KSM” – was the “principal architect” of the attacks, according to the 9/11 Commission.
Mohammed was tracked down to Pakistan’s Rawalpindi and arrested on March 1, 2003 by the USA’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
He and four co-defendants are now on trial in the United States for aiding in the 9/11 attacks. They are all being held at Guantanamo Bay.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s four co-accused
According to The United States Department of Defense, the four accused, besides KSM, are Ammar al-Baluchi, Walid bin Attash, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, and Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi.
Ammar al-Baluchi stands accused of plotting to crash a plane full of explosives in the US consulate in Karachi and acting as a courier for bin Laden.
Walid bin Attash has been formally charged with selecting and training some of the hijackers who carried out the attacks.
Ramzi bin al-Shibh acted as an intermediary for the hijackers and was selected to be the "coordinator" for the September 11 attacks.
Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi supported al-Qaeda as a facilitator and financial manager. He allegedly helped with the funding of the 9/11 hijackers.
Mohammed Atta – the lead hijacker
Mohammed Atta was selected to head the 9/11 attacks. He was the hijacker and pilot of the American Airlines flight that crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre.
Born in Egypt, Atta was 33 at the time of the attack, making him the oldest hijacker to take part in the plot. He died piloting the flight to the WTC.
There were 18 other hijackers who carried out the coordinated attacks.
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