A
Few Cases of Terrorism in The United States
World
Trade Center
The World Trade Center is housed in twin skyscrapers built from 1968 to
1973 in New York City by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and
designed by the architects Minoru Yamasaki and Emery Roth and the structural
engineering firm of Skilling, Helle, Christianson, and Robinson. Every
characteristic of these immense towers places them in a unique category: they
are 110 stories, or 411 m (1,350 ft) high, making them second in height only to
the Sears Tower in Chicago; they comprise 1.2 million sq m (13 million sq ft) of
office space; and the total building cost was $750 million.
The structural system, known as a braced tubular cantilever, is a form of
skyscraper construction that was developed in the 1960s but actually represents
a modern variant of that used in the Eiffel Tower adapted to extremely high
buildings. The problem in the construction of all large, framed structures is to
render them rigid against the force of the wind. This task is accomplished in
the twin towers by making each wall a rigid truss and joining the four trusses
at the corners. The result is a continuous tube of square section that resists
the bending and shearing forces of the wind through the rigidity of its outer
walls. The towers have elicited recurring controversy over their architectural
design, their location, their size, and the consumption of energy necessary to
maintain a stable internal environment. The only feature that is beyond dispute
is the advanced technology of the supporting structure.
On Feb. 26, 1993, a powerful explosion in an underground garage collapsed
walls and floors in the basement areas and destroyed the power distribution
system, forcing most of the 55,000 who work there to make their way down
lightless stairways within the darkened towers. Six people were killed, over
1,000 injured, and some $600 million in construction damage and business
disruption costs was caused by what was quickly determined to have been a
homemade bomb packed in a van that had been parked in the garage. Several men
belonging to a circle of Palestinian and Egyptian immigrants to the United
States and associated with Islamic fundamentalist groups were charged with the
bombing. The following represents a listing of those suspected of being involved
in the terrorist act.
Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, 55, an Islamic cleric and spiritual
leader of Gama al-Islamiya, a Muslim fundamentalist group seeking to overthrow
Egypt's secular government and install an Islamic state; accused head of a
terrorist network in America.
El Sayyid Nosair, 37, an Egyptian acquitted of murdering militant
Rabbi Meir Kahane in 1990 but imprisoned on related weapons and assault charges;
a follower of Rahman, accused of being atop member of the terrorist cell.
Ibrahim El-Gabrowny, 42,
Nosair's cousin; accused of being a core member of the cell; also a cousin of
Mohammad Salameh, one of the World Trade Center bombers
Siddig Ibrahim Siddig Ali, 32,
a Sudanese computer and security specialist; aide and translator for the
sheik; ringleader behind the plot to blow up the United Nations, the Lincoln and
Holland tunnels, and the George Washington Bridge.
Mahmud Abouhalima, 33,
the Egyptian-born New York City cabdriver accused of organizing the World Trade
Center bombing. Former aide and
driver for the sheik. Known as
Mahmud the Red. Prosecutors called
him the "Gentle Terrorist."
Mohammad A. Salameh, 25,
the mostly unemployed Jordanian of Palestinian descent who drove the
bomb-laden rental van into the World Trade Center parking garage.
Later went back to the rental office for a refund.
Nidal A. Ayyad, 25, a
naturalized American citizen, born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents; a chemical
engineer and Rutgers University graduate who helped build the bomb.
Ahmad Ajaj, 27, a
Palestinian with ties to Fatah and Hamas; arrested entering the country at
Kennedy International Airport with a bogus passport and bomb-making books in
his luggage. Was in prison when the bomb went off.
r.Ramzi Yousef, 25, explosives expert imported from Afghanistan to
make the World Trade Center bomb; arrived on the same flight from Pakistan as
Ajaj but escaped detection. Vanished
on the night of the bombing.
Abdul "Aboud" Yasin, 33,
American-born of Iraqi descent; an engineering student and Salameh's roommate;
questioned by the FBI after the bombing and fled to Iraq the next day.
The informant was Emad Salem, 43, a former Egyptian army colonel
who posed as the sheik's security adviser while working as an informant for the
FBI; star witness against a dozen men accused of plotting bombings and
assassinations.
Those involved from the US Government were:
J. Gilmore Childers, 38, the lead prosecutor in the World Trade
Center bombing and deputy chief of the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Criminal
Division.
Henry J. DePippo, 33,
Childers's co-prosecutor and also a deputy chief in the Criminal Division.
John Anticev, 35, FBI
special agent assigned to the joint New York Police Department-FBI
Anti-Terrorist Task Force.
Nancy Floyd, 32, FBI
counterintelligence officer assigned to the New York City regional bureau.
Those who died in the blast were:
William Macko, 47, of Bayonne, New Jersey.
Stephen Knapp, 48, of
Staten Island, New York.
Monica Smith, 35, of
Seaford, New York.
Robert Kirkpatrick, 61,
of Suffern, New York.
John DiGiovanni, 45,
of Valley Stream, New York.
Wilfredo Mercado, 37, of Brooklyn, New York.
On September 11, 2001, the towers were completely destroyed by airliners serving as bombers. See article as end.
Oklahoma
City Bombing
On April 19,1995, at 9:05 a.m., in Oklahoma City, OK, one car bomb
destroyed the Alfred Murrah Federal Building (this building is owned by GSA).
The building normally housed
approximately 600 people, and it is estimated there were 250 visitors on the day
of the bombing. The following Federal agencies were located in the bombed
building:
Department
of Defense
Department of Transportation
General Services Administration
General Accounting Office
Health and Human Services
Social Security Administration
Housing and Urban Development
Department of Justice
Department of Labor
Office of Personnel Management
Department of Treasury
U.S. Army, Air Force, and Marine Recruiting Stations
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Department of Veterans Affairs
The nation was incensed as pictures revealed the injuries and death of
hundreds. Particularly upsetting, were the children in the day care center who
were injured and killed. On the first day, 47 deaths were reported. The toll
continued to rise as rescue crews continued to extract bodies.
The rescue effort was extremely noteworthy as volunteers came from all
over the US to assist. Timothy McVey was tried and convicted.
Khobar
Towers
A fuel truck exploded outside the northern fence of the Khobar Towers on
King Abdul Aziz Air Base near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, at 2:55 p.m. EDT, Tuesday,
June 25, 1996. Several buildings were damaged and there were numerous U.S.
casualties. Nineteen people were
killed and 64 people were hospitalized. Additionally, over 200 were
treated for injuries and released. The facility houses U.S. service members and
serves as the headquarters for the U.S. Air Force's 4404th Wing (Provisional),
Southwest Asia. Investigation continues.
The Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia
"There is a bomb in Centennial Park. You have 30 minutes."
Those were the only words spoken on a 911 call approximately 18 minutes before a
pipe bomb detonated in Centennial Olympic Park early Saturday morning, on July
27, 1996, resulting in the deaths of two people and injuring 110. Within a short
time, the “hero” who sounded a warning of a strange bag, was taken a prime
suspect in the case. William Jewell, a former law enforcement officer, was
thought to have committed the crime. The media over reacted and the FBI fixed on
Jewel. He was finally released and is no longer considered a suspect. An offer
of substantial rewards has brought many leads, but no arrests.
Twin Towers or September 11, 2001 (911)
Unanswered questions remain in September 11 probe
From Susan Candiotti CNN Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- They know who the hijackers were -- the 19 men who turned airliners into bombs at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
But six months later, the man overseeing the September 11 task force admits there are still holes in the case.
"We may never know everybody who participated," said Michael Chertoff, assistant attorney general in the U.S. Justice Department's criminal division. "But actually, I am encouraged by the fact that, as we have pulled together information that comes globally to us, we've filled in more and more pieces of the puzzle."
Investigators are convinced, for example, that the plan was hatched and developed mostly in western Europe and Malaysia, financed by Middle Eastern sources and executed by terrorists trained in Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda camps and at U.S. flight schools.
And it was carried out with remarkable secrecy.
"These are not people who are larger than life," Chertoff said. "They took advantage of the fact that something that was unthinkable on September 10 became, unfortunately, all too thinkable on September 11."
But in the last six months, only one suspect believed to have been linked to the attacks -- Zacarias Moussaoui, of France -- has been charged in the United States. Authorities still don't know for sure whether Moussaoui was meant to be the 20th hijacker.
In August, a flight school in Minnesota alerted the FBI that Moussaoui was so inept and intent on flying jumbo jets across the ocean that one instructor wondered whether he intended to use one as a bomb.
He was jailed on immigration charges a month before the attacks, but the FBI, despite suspicions, learned nothing more.
Focus shifts to Europe
Investigators say they linked Moussaoui and the hijackers to a money trail leading to the United Arab Emirates and on to Pakistan
They believe hijacking ringleader Mohamed Atta's former roommate in Hamburg, Germany, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, was a paymaster. He and others have been charged as co-conspirators on international warrants, but authorities don't know if they're dead or alive -- or whether other September 11 confederates are hiding in plain sight.
"Four thousand agents are still assigned to portions of the investigation, are still following leads to determine whether or not there are any associates, financial supporters or others who are still in the United States," FBI director Robert Mueller said.
While the FBI's September 11 case is not closed, sources say those U.S. leads have virtually dried up. The focus has shifted to Germany and other parts of western Europe.
The FBI's primary mission now is preventing another September 11.
"We're not so much focusing on making a criminal case as we are trying to understand what our national security risks are and then how we can harden American and our vital interests around the world from future hits," said Sen. Bob Graham, D-Florida, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Using national security as justification, the attorney general rounded up more than 1,000 mostly Middle Eastern men last fall. Six months later, hundreds remain behind bars. The Justice Department won't reveal most of their names, and civil rights activists are suing.
"For a country that prides itself on due process and civil liberties, it's just indefensible," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Anthrax mystery unsolved
After September 11, the United States also found itself vulnerable to biological warfare.
The anthrax letter attacks have stopped, but the FBI appears no closer to capturing the killer who claimed five lives and terrorized a nation.
"I will tell you we have no one person, specifically, that stands out at this juncture," Mueller said.
Letters containing the anthrax bacteria were mailed to several news organizations and two Democratic senators, Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy.
The disease killed five people -- Robert Stevens, a photo editor for the Florida-based National Enquirer; two Washington-area postal workers, Thomas Morris Jr. and Joseph Curseen Jr.; Kathy Nguyen, a New York hospital worker; and Ottilie Lundgren, a 94-year-old Connecticut woman.
Another 18 people were diagnosed with either inhaled or skin anthrax, and dozens of people were treated with antibiotics after tests indicated they were exposed to the bacteria in October and November.