On the morning of September 11 , 2001 , al-Qaeda carried out four coordinated attacks on the United States , employing four commercial passenger jet airliners that were hijacked . The hijackers – members of al-Qaeda 's Hamburg cell – intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City . Both buildings collapsed within two hours from fire damage related to the crashes , destroying nearby buildings and damaging others . The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington County , Virginia . The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville , Pennsylvania , after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane , which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington , D.C. , to target the White House or the United States Capitol . No flights had survivors . In total , 2,996 people died , including the 19 hijackers , and more than 6,000 others were injured in the attacks . According to the New York State Health Department , 836 first responders , including firefighters and police personnel , had died as of June 2009
coordinated attacks
September 11 attacks
United States invasion of Afghanistan