On the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the terrorist network al-Qaeda published a book on the lead-up to the large-scale attack. Named as the author is the Egyptian Abu Mohammed al-Masri, a high-ranking al-Qaeda member believed to have been assassinated in Iran in 2020. The approximately 250-page book states that al-Qaida had been preparing attacks on American targets since the mid-1990s.
The goal was to drag the United States into a war of attrition that lasted for years. On September 11, 2001, terrorists sent three hijacked planes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington. Another hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania. About 3000 people died. The attacks sparked the US-led international military intervention in Afghanistan that would last 20 years.
Pilot students had no idea at first
According to the book, the idea for the attacks goes back to an Egyptian pilot. He suggested flying a passenger plane into an “important and symbolic American building.” Al Qaeda members who had signed up for flight schools were initially unaware of the plans. They were led to believe that after completing their training, they would fly the private plane of Al-Qaeda boss Osama bin Laden in the future.
According to the book, Europeans or American citizens should have piloted the planes according to the original plans, because then they would have easier access to flight schools. However, after discussions with many members, few had expressed any interest in a suicide bombing. Only then did al-Qaeda begin to look for possible candidates from Yemen and the Gulf region. The first training for the attacks took place in December 1998.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
