25 years ago on September 11, 2001, four coordinated attacks struck the heart of the United States. In the space of two hours, the World Trade Center collapsed, the Pentagon was hit and nearly 3,000 people died. Story of a morning of terror that redefined global geopolitics.
It is a little after 8 a.m. in New York, this Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The late-season sky is blindingly pure. Nothing suggests that, in a few minutes, this clear blue will become the scene of the greatest tragedy on American soil since Pearl Harbor. In the space of one morning, nineteen terrorists from the Al-Qaeda organization hijack four airliners, transforming them into weapons of mass destruction.
Shock and doubt: Manhattan under fire
At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 collided head-on with the North Tower of the World Trade Center between the 93rd and 99th floors. Initially, confusion reigns. The televisions interrupt their programs, broadcasting the image of a gaping skyscraper from which thick black smoke escapes. We talk about an accident, a technical failure, the collision of a tourist aircraft.
This illusion is shattered seventeen minutes later. At 9:03 a.m., live before the eyes of millions of viewers, United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower.
“A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack. »
— Andrew Card to President George W. Bush, 9:05 a.m.
There is no longer room for doubt: the United States is suffering a coordinated terrorist attack. Meanwhile, in Florida, President George W. Bush hears the news in an elementary school class. His face stills.
The paralysis of a nation
At 9:37 a.m., the heart of American military power was struck: American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west facade of the Pentagon in Washington, killing 125 people on the ground in addition to the 64 occupants of the plane.
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) then took an unprecedented decision: a total flight ban (ground stop). All US airspace is closed.
In the skies of Pennsylvania, a fourth drama is playing out. On board United Airlines Flight 93, passengers, informed by telephone of the attacks in New York and Washington, understood the nature of their fate. Several of them lead an assault on the terrorists in the cockpit. At 10:03 a.m., the plane crashed in a field near Shanksville. The initial objective — presumably the Capitol or the White House — is missed. None of the 44 occupants survive.
Collapse and dust hell
In New York, the nightmare takes on an apocalyptic dimension. Struck lower in its structure, the South Tower cannot withstand the extreme temperatures of burning kerosene. At 9:59 a.m., after 56 minutes of fire, the 110-story building collapsed with a shattering roar. A gigantic cloud of toxic dust is spreading across lower Manhattan.
At 10:28 a.m., the North Tower also collapsed. In less than two hours, the New York landscape was wiped off the map. The site becomes “Ground Zero”. The emergency services – FDNY firefighters, police officers, paramedics – paid a very heavy price: hundreds of them perished during the evacuations. Late in the afternoon, at 5:20 p.m., the World Trade Center 7 tower, also weakened, finally collapsed.
| The 4 hijacked flights | Initial journey | Time of crash | Location of impact |
| Flight 11 American | Boston–Los Angeles | 8:46 a.m. | North Tower (WTC) |
| United Flight 175 | Boston–Los Angeles | 9:03 a.m. | South Tower (WTC) |
| American Flight 77 | Washington–Los Angeles | 9:37 a.m. | The Pentagon |
| United Flight 93 | Newark–San Francisco | 10:03 a.m. | Shanksville, Pennsylvania |
The day after
The human toll amounts to 2,977 innocent victims of 90 different nationalities, to which must be added the 19 terrorists.
That evening, at 8:30 p.m., President George W. Bush addressed the nation from the Oval Office. It lays the foundations for future foreign policy: “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them. »
Of Patriot Act to military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, including the tightening of global air security, September 11, 2001 opened a new era of global fight against terrorism, marking the real break entering the 21st century.
