On September 11, 2001, terrorists associated with al Qaeda hijacked four US commercial airliners, two of which were flown into the Twin Towers of World Trade Center in New York City, with a third hitting the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The fourth plane went down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after a struggle between the hijackers and passengers. The attacks spawned an immediate tightening of aviation security regulations, led the passage of the Patriot Act, and resulted in a global War on Terror. The War on Terror has resulted in significant controversy over the past decade, as the conflict in Afghanistan launched immediately after the attacks is still ongoing, and the controversial detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has yet to be shut down despite efforts by the administration of President Barack Obama.

Address by President Barack Obama marking the tenth anniversary of 9/11

Learn more about the legal ramifications of 9/11 from the JURIST news archive.