September 11 attacks were four coordinated suicide attacks upon the United States in New York City and the Washington , D.C. , area on September 11 , 2001 . On that Tuesday morning , 19 terrorists from the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets . The hijackers intentionally crashed two planes , American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 , into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City ; both towers collapsed within two hours . Hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon in Arlington , Virginia . The fourth jet , United Airlines Flight 93 , crashed into a field near Shanksville , Pennsylvania , after passengers attempted to take control before it could reach the hijacker 's intended target in Washington , D.C. Nearly 3,000 died in the attacks , and the 9/11 attacks have had broad and lasting consequences to military policy , politics , and foreign relations . Effects have also been seen in literature , film , and popular culture
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Outline of the September 11 attacks