On February 23, 1993 the two most touristic buildings in New York City were attacked, ending six precious lives and injuring more than a thousand people. These two touristic buildings were known as the “World Trade Center” or the as many people call it, the “Twin Towers”. Resentment and anger led al-Qaeda and his many accomplices to carry out a plan to tear down and destroy The World Trade Center in New York City. The thoughts of these angry men were to end the awful American government practice in the Middle East. New York City had no idea as to what was about to happen on that normal February day.

The Twin Towers became an idea 1966 and shortly after was constructed in 1973. For almost 30 years, each tower served as an attraction to many and a work place for many New York City citizens. On average, the “Twin Towers” held 200,000 visitors daily and served as a workplace for about 50,000 workers. It also served to provide a breathtaking view of the city from the highest level – more than 1,000 feet above ground level. (Raab par. 1)

In addition to the Twin Towers serving as something more than just a workplace for many, the Twin Towers also served as a revenge tool for Middle Eastern immigrants, Al- Qaeda, Ramzi Yousef, Eyad Ismoil,Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammed Salameh, Nidal Ayyad,and Abdul Rahman Yasin.  Al-Qaeda and his men worked together to construct a plan to destroy the Americans and their precious buildings. According to Al- Qaeda, "The American people must know, that their civilians who got killed are not better than those who are getting killed by the American weapons and support…” (Mitchell par. 5).

The Middle East thought that the killing of their people was not fair. They were angry that lives were being taken by these Americans. They didn’t agree with the way the United States brought forth their government actions into their territory. Filled with resentment al-Qaeda sent three co-conspirators to take down the World Trade Center. The terrorists started working on the bomb they thought would tear down these towers. They rented a van and went on with their day. The February day was just like any normal day to many people. The men drove the truck into the underground parking garage and lit the explosive bomb, leaving shortly after to watch this revenge take place. The truck was loaded with more than a thousand pounds of explosives. (World Trade Center par. 5) A 30-meter hole was opened by the explosion. The explosion also caused the main source of power to shut off in the Twin Towers. Men, women, and children were all entrapped in the smoke filled rooms and elevators. Evacuation of the building was much harder to do due to the thick smoke quickly filling up the rooms within the building. The terrorists thought that they had gotten away with something so big, but little did they know their plan had failed. The bomb brought loss of power into New York City for a week. The World Trade Center reopened after 20 days of being shut down, with more restrictions, and safety measures.  The revenge al-Qaeda had plotted against the United States had failed. Even though six lives were taken and more than a thousand injured, the buildings stood tall and even more beautiful. (Anderson par. 29)

            Despite fact that the terrorists’ plan to tear down the two towers failed, the FBI soon began with arrests of several of the men days after the investigation began. The FBI had concluded that it was a bomb that caused the explosion. One man, Yousef, packed up his belongings and left the country, headed to Pakistan. Another man, Mahmud, left the country and went to Saudi Arabia. Mohammed Salameh was arrested after asking for the refund on the can used to carry the explosives into the underground garage of the World Trade Center. Due to his careless action, his arrest led to the finding of the shed used to create the explosives which also led to the arrest of Nidal Ayyad and Abdul Rahman Yasin. This was an act of terrorism but was seen as a “criminal investigation” (Pusey par. 7). All the men arrested were sentenced to life in prison. 

            In conclusion, 1973 marked the beginning of a successful time period with the creation of the famous building called the World Trade Center, but also marked the beginning of terrorism and revenge. The World Trade Center or Twin Towers have been an attraction to many and a workplace for over 50,000 workers, but it also became a target to those wanting revenge on the American government. Through the use of explosive bombs, Middle Eastern immigrants create a plan to tear down these 110 story buildings. Although the plan failed and only a few lives were taken, the attempt still impacted our world. Later in 2001, the World Trade Center was attacked once again- this time it was much more tragic and much more intense. The plan to destroy the World Trade Center was a success to Middle Eastern immigrants and the World Trade Center came tumbling down as a plane crashed into it on September 11, 2001. The beauty of the building soon came to an end. Today, the original “Twin Towers” are no longer in existence, but has been replaced with a newer World Trade Center. As the building stood as a symbol of “economic imperialism” in 1973 when the idea was created, it still stands as a symbol of the strong and successful business today. We did not let such tragic attack bring our nation down. We did not let terrorism defeat our nation. (Anderson par.17)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

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     Look At New York (2016). MasterFILE

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Mitchell, Alison. "Letter Explained Motive in Bombing,

     Officials Now Say."

 

The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Mar. 1993.

     Accessed 17 October 2016.

 

Pusey, Allen. “Feb. 26, 1993: The World Trade Center Is

     Bombed.” ABA Journal (2016): 11.

     Business Source Premier. Accessed 17 October 2016.

 

Raab, Scott. “The Truth About the World Trade Center.”

     Esquire 158.2 (2012):142.

     MasterFILE Premier. Accessed 17 October 2016.

 

"World Trade Center." History.com. A&E Television

     Networks, 2009. Accessed 17 October

     2016.