9/11 20 YEARS ON
The morning of 11 September 2001 was bright and calm across much of the East Coast of the United States of America. In New York, many city workers began their days as usual with a jog, running beneath a late summer’s blue sky. In Florida, Commander in Chief President George W Bush did exactly the same, enjoying an early morning run ahead of a routine visit to a school. Twelve hours later, many of those same workers would sit in front of their televisions watching him promise to protect their nation following the deadliest terrorist attacks the Western world had ever seen.
As the joggers got ready for work, two men spoke to each other by phone from two different departure lounges at Logan International Airport in Boston. Mohamed Atta and Marwan al Shehhi chatted for around three minutes. It would be their last conversation. For several years, they had been part of a terrorist cell preparing for a string of attacks on targets across the US. They planned to hijack planes laden with fuel and fly them into high- profile targets. Atta, along with three other hijackers, boarded American Airlines Flight 11 while al Shehhi and another four conspirators headed for AA Flight 175. The planes took off within 15 minutes of each other, both bound for Los Angeles. They would never arrive. Within an hour, both
