Hunter Stevens
9/18/13
Who destroyed the world trade centers and the pentagon on 9/11/01?
Three planes commandeered by unknown hijackers slammed into the Pentagon and New York's landmark World Trade Center on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 sending towering symbols of America's financial and military might crumbling into rubble and burying thousands of people alive. President Bush speaking after a day that saw America reeling under its worst attack since the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, vowed to stand firm against terrorism and bring the perpetrators to justice. The twin 110-story World Trade Center towers, which drew as many as 40,000 workers a day, lay toppled and in ruins. The Pentagon, the nerve-center of the nation's military, was severely damaged with flames still burning late into Tuesday night.
Bush, in the first official confirmation of what could be a staggering death toll, urged vigilance as U.S. forces worldwide went on highest alert. ``Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror,'' Bush said in a televised nationwide address. ``Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings ... they cannot touch the foundation of America,'' Bush said. ``These acts shattered steel but they cannot shatter the steel of American resolve. ''Bush said the search was underway for those responsible, adding ``We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbored them.''
With the nation in shock and disbelief, major U.S. financial markets were ordered closed for a second day on Wednesday. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicions centered on an implacable U.S. foe -- exiled Saudi Osama bin Laden, who is being sheltered in Afghanistan by the Taliban government. Explosions lit up the night sky in the Afghan capital of Kabul and reports said there were missiles flying across the city. But a Pentagon...