History glossary
September 11 attacks
the al-Qaeda hijackings and attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001.
- Category
- Terrorist attack
- Region
- United States
- Date range
- 2001
What it means
The September 11 attacks were coordinated al-Qaeda hijackings on 11 September 2001. Four planes were seized; two struck the World Trade Center in New York, one struck the Pentagon, and one crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers resisted. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and triggered the U.S.-led War on Terror.
Related terms
Stories using this term
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