On this day in 1993, a bomb detonated in the parking garage located beneath the World Trade Centre in New York City.
As a result of the severe explosion, six individuals lost their lives and 1,000 others sustained injuries, necessitating the evacuation of thousands from the Twin Towers.
Subsequently, an informant revealed that a group of Serbians in New York were responsible for the attack. However, upon monitoring this gang, the FBI discovered they were not terrorists but jewel thieves involved in a significant diamond-laundering scheme.
Fortunately, investigators discovered a piece of the van frame that had been central to the explosion. The vehicle identification number was discernible, directing detectives to the Ryder Rental Agency in Jersey City, New Jersey. Their documentation showed that Mohammed Salameh had rented the van and claimed it had been stolen on February 25.
Salameh was already listed in the FBI’s database as a potential terrorist, leading agents to believe they had identified their suspect. He further complicated matters by requesting the return of his $400 deposit from Ryder. Upon his return to collect it, the FBI apprehended him. A search of his residence and documents uncovered two additional suspects.
In the meantime, the proprietor of a storage facility in Jersey City reported having witnessed four men loading a Ryder van on February 25. When authorities inspected the storage location, they uncovered a significant cache of chemicals, including highly volatile nitroglycerin, sufficient to assemble another enormous bomb. Furthermore, investigators discovered videotapes containing bomb-making instructions that resulted in the capture of a fourth suspect.
Additional evidence indicated that one of the terrorists procured hydrogen tanks from AGL Welding Supply in New Jersey. Within the debris at the World Trade Center, three tanks labeled “AGL Welding” were located. Moreover, a letter had been sent to the New York Times claiming responsibility for the explosion. Fragments of this letter were found on a computer desk removed from a suspect’s office. Lastly, DNA testing of saliva found on the envelope corresponded with that of the suspect.
The abundance of evidence led to swift convictions, with each of the men receiving a sentence of 240 years in prison.
Then, on September 11, 2001…911…the World Trade Center faced another assault, this time from terrorists affiliated with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida who hijacked two jetliners, crashing one into each tower. The towers collapsed within hours, resulting in nearly 3,000 fatalities. A third hijacked airplane was directed into the Pentagon, claiming nearly two hundred lives, including those on board.
A fourth hijacked plane, seemingly headed for another target in Washington, D.C., went down in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers, aware of the assaults in New York and at the Pentagon, attempted to regain control from the hijackers. All individuals aboard perished.
