World Trade Center Attack: An Investigation - Research Paper Example

?World Trade Center Attack History has brought forward lethal events in the of the world which cannot be forgotten till One of the most lethal events that took place in the beginning of the twenty first century was the World Trade Center attack. On 11th September 2001 a terrorist attack struck the whole world when two airliners crashed into the World Trade Center. Ever since a lot of questions have arisen as to how the attack took place in one of the most developed country of this world ? The American government claims that the notorious organization known as Al Qaeda carried out the attacks because of its extremist policies. However many people have rejected this notion on the basis of different opinions. It is because of these opinions that different organizations were asked to come together to collaborate in forming an investigation for the attacks. Different investigations were carried out by different organizations after the attack to find out how the attacks took place and who was involved in the attacks. This essay would further present a research on the World Trade Center attacks (Popular Mechanics 2005; The Commission Report). Popular Mechanics designated a team of investigators to find out about the claims made by different people regarding the attacks on 9/11. The extremists believe that the attacks were a conspiracy of the government itself and the plane crashing had a missile pod on it when it struck the tower. However the pictures analyzed by the experts help in understanding that it is only a shadow and not a missile pod. At another instance the opponents of the government’s side of story point out that the explosives were already laid down in the area which were set off when the airplane crashed with the building. However this has been denied by the investigators of Popular Mechanics who found out that the crash laid down oil in the whole building jamming the elevators along with the doors and thus harming the overall structure of the building. Moreover steel of the building lost its integrity because of the burning of kerosene oil from the airliner. The researchers also found that the buildings were severely damaged by the airliners because of which it could not survive the impact and fell down. It can be concluded from the report of the Popular Mechanics that a government laid conspiracy was not possible as the attacks could not have been avoided. The government did not play a role in laying down the faults of the building which occurred due to the crashes (Popular Mechanics 2005). The Federal Investigation Bureau ever since the attack on the World Trade Center has also played an active role in finding out leads to the individuals who carried out the attack. The efforts of the FBI can be clearly witnessed in the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui who was convicted in April 2005 for playing a role in the September 11 attacks. After the attacks on the World Trade Center the FBI launched an investigation named as ‘PENTTBOM’. The investigation helped to identify the hijackers who were involved in the attack and form preliminary opinions as to how these hijackers carried out the attack. The aggressive investigation linked down Zacarias by finding him related to the people who were involved in the 9/11 attacks. Finding Zacarias to be highly active in aviation skills the FBI was able to track him down and link him to the attacks. He indicted soon after for life imprisonment because of his involvement. Thus it can be said that the Federal Bureau also played an active role in the investigation of the 9/11 attacks (FBI 2011). One of the most important investigation that took place for the 9/11 attacks was an investigation by the government officials themselves. Elected individuals from both parties played a role in presenting the report of the commission. Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al Omari have been cited as the suspects by the commission in the 9/11 attacks for one airliner. Two airlines namely the American Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 lost contact with the control tower and crashed into the world trade center to make an enormous explosion. The report cites that as soon as the attacks took place a number of officials along with civilians came with a brave attempt to save the people from the effects of the attack. The FDNY, NYPD, the Port Authority and WTC employees all worked together to cope up with the attack and because of their efforts many of the civilians in the World Trade Center were able to go to a safe ground. The Commission blamed Osama bin Laden behind the attacks as he was the leader of the notorious Al Qaeda. According to the report the plan to attack the World Trade Center was being formulated long time back by the organization and this could not be detected by the US authorities because of lack of heed. The measures taken by the US authorities were not enough to foil the attack as put down by the report. The continuous threats to the integrity of the United States were never taken seriously by the leaders as no effective measures were made to find out about the people of Al Qaeda operating America. According to the report Al Qaeda was openly threatening the United States but even then the State of Defence never took an action against them. Other organizations such as the FBI also did not play a significant role in foiling the attack (Commission Report; BBC News 2004). The investigation also pointed out the missed opportunities because of which the attack could not be avoided. Two known hijackers Midhar and Alhamzi were not put under surveillance despite of their notoriety. Zacarias was arrested in 2001 before the attacks and his interest in flight training was never linked to an air attack on the buildings. Other preventive measures were never taken by the respective authorities which could have helped in avoiding the attack. The security check points according to the report were very weak as the terrorists only had to go through the check up in the airports. Homeland defence security system of the nation was also very weak as the respective authorities could not do much when it came to the breaching of the limits by the airliners (Commission Report; BBC News 2004). The Report has put forward recommendations for the government of United States to tackle such events in the future. It recommended a formation of a National Counter Terrorism center which would look into the strategic intelligence of the country so that such events can be detected prior to their happening. A network based information sharing system was also recommended by the commission so that the chain of command could be reached out easily in such critical times. The report also put forward that the FBI should have a national security unit which would be able to look upon any threats that the country may face. This would help to find out about any attack that would be formulated by the terrorists. Moreover it recommended a global strategy against the extremist organization Al Qaeda so that it could be dismantled. The ties with Islamic world were also laid down to be important by the report which would play a great role in developing strategic alliance in the future (BBC News 2004). Ever since the country has taken different measures to tackle down the terrorist threats that the country is facing. Since the September 11 attacks it has been seen that the United States has not undergone such a major disaster again. The independent commission has been praised by many as one of the affected by the 9/11 attacks stated that the report recommends the right things on the right time. The 9/11 attack shook the whole world along with the foundation of United States. It was after the war that the United States launched an aggressive against the notorious Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Ever since, the organization has reacted in a vigorous manner by carrying out different attacks in different countries all over the world. The attack has laid down many questions regarding the security system of the United States. The witnesses have their own accounts regarding the attack and it has been seen that many extremist groups still deny these investigations. Although many years have passed to the attacks the memorial for the people who died still takes place. The investigations carried out by different organizations have helped in understanding the basics of the attack and the flaw in the security system of the United States. Lessons can be taken from these investigations to enhance the security system further so that such an attack can be foiled (Kean et al 2004). Bibliography The 9/11 Commission Report. Top of Form National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States., Kean, T. H., & Hamilton, L. (2004). The 9/11 Commission report: Final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. Washington, DC: National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. 9/11 report: Key findings. BBC News 2004. 9/11 Investigation (PENTTBOM). 2011 9/11 panel report: 'We must act'. Cnn Politics 2004. Debunking the 9/11 Myths: Special Report – The Pentagon. Popular Mechanics 2005. Bottom of Form Read More