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[[File:National Park Service 9-11 Statue of Liberty and WTC fire.jpg|300px|thumb|The view of the burning towers of the World Trade Center from Staten Island, New York City, September 11, 2001]]

[[File:National Park Service 9-11 Statue of Liberty and WTC fire.jpg|300px|thumb|The view of the burning towers of the World Trade Center from Staten Island, New York City, September 11, 2001]]

[[File:Pentagon sept11.jpg|300px|thumb|The damage to the Pentagon, Washington D.C., September 11, 2001]]

[[File:Pentagon sept11.jpg|300px|thumb|The damage to the Pentagon, Washington D.C., September 11, 2001]]

The '''Islamic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001''' occurred when [[al Qaeda]] [[Islam|Islamic extremists]] hijacked four transcontinental airliners and used them to strike targets in the [[United States]]; two aircraft destroyed the twin towers of the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York City]]; the third crashed into a portion of the [[Pentagon]] in Washington, D.C.; and the fourth aircraft - in which the hijackers are believed to have targeted the White House or the Capitol Building - crashed into an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers fought back to re-take control.

The events of '''September 11''' / '''11th of September''' commonly shortened to simply '''9/11''' came to be known through grass roots usage as '''"the day the world changed"'''<ref>The phrase ''the day the world changed'' was frequently used by journalists, commentators, documentary producers, memorial organizers, politicians and ordinary people describing the events manifesting a [[Grass Roots Movement|grass roots movement]].</ref>  These events are officially recognised as '''Islamic terrorist attacks''' which occurred when [[al Qaeda]] [[Islam|Islamic extremists]] hijacked four transcontinental airliners and used them to strike targets in the [[United States]]; two aircraft destroyed the twin towers of the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York City]]; the third crashed into a portion of the [[Pentagon]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]; and the fourth aircraft - in which the hijackers are believed to have targeted the White House or the Capitol Building - crashed into an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania after passengers fought back to re-take control.

There were also plans for a fifth attack in England targeting either Parliament or Big Ben, although because of time zone differences, London found out about the attacks from 9/11 and made sure to lock down the airports and eventually apprehend the ones intending to conduct the attacks.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/06/11/uk.attacks/index.html Big Ben 'was September 11 target'], ''CNN'', June 12, 2002</ref>

There were also plans for a fifth attack in England targeting either Parliament or Big Ben, although because of time zone differences, London found out about the attacks from 9/11 and made sure to lock down the airports and eventually apprehend the ones intending to conduct the attacks.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/06/11/uk.attacks/index.html Big Ben 'was September 11 target'], ''CNN'', June 12, 2002</ref>