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Terrorist Attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

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Colton Pittman
07-20-14
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Terrorist Attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

According to the intelligence authorities in the United States and the Philippines, the September 11 attacks originated with Operation Bojinka, which was conceived by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his nephew, Ramzi Yousef. The first stage would be the assassination of Pope John Paul II. The second involved the bombing of eleven airliners bound for the United States. The third stages called for a small airplanes loaded with explosives to be crashed into the CIA headquarters and possibly other buildings in major cities across the U.S. The plot was discovered by Manila police on January 6, 1995 and Abdul Hakim Murad was arrested. Ramzi Yousef was arrested in Pakistan in February 1995. Wali Khan Amin Shah escaped after his arrest, but was re-arrested in Malaysia in December 1995. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed escaped, and Riduan Isamuddin, also known as Hambali, was overlooked.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed first presented the idea for the September 11 plot to bin Laden in 1996 in Afghanistan. However, nothing came of the idea at the time. At that point, bin Laden and Al-Qaeda were in a period of transition, having just relocated back to Afghanistan from Sudan.

Mohammed moved to Qatar. Before the government there could arrest him, he fled to Afghanistan. The leaders of Al-Qaeda liked the idea of the modified Phases II and III Mohammed presented to them. Instead of using small airplanes loaded with explosives, as Murad planned to do, Mohammed planned to use commercial airliners. Mohammed and Abu Zubaydah became the managers of the plot. During late 1996 and 1997, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed stayed in the Czech Republic, as the Taliban allegedly did not approve of his womanising. German officials believe that the leaders of Al-Qaeda planned almost the entire September 11 plot in Afghanistan. Six

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