(Newswire.net — January 17, 2018) — Almost the whole world was shocked by the big terrorist attack in New York City on September 11, 2001. It is famously called the 9/11 attack. It was a series of terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group “al-Qaeda” on the United States on the morning of September 11, 2001. The attacks killed almost 3,000 individuals and recorded over 6,000 injuries on the said day. It also caused at least $10 billion in damage to infrastructure and properties.
Passenger airlines operated by the major US passenger air carriers, namely United Airlines and American airlines were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. Two of the airplanes of American Airlines and United Airlines were crashed into the two towers of the World Trade Center complex in Ney York City. Within several hours, both of the tall towers collapsed, which caused fires due to falling debris around the other buildings of the World Trade Center complex. Another American Airlines plane was crashed into the Pentagon, where the United States Department of Defense was located, in Virginia. And another United Airlines plane was initially planned to crash in Washington, D.C., but instead crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. As recorded in history, the 9/11 incident was indeed the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States’ history. The cause of the said terrorist attack was because the United States had planned a War on Terror against Afghanistan, the home of al-Qaeda.
Another well-known terrorist attack was the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013. On the said day, two homemade bombs were exploded near the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon on Patriots’ Day. The explosion killed three people and injuring many, including 16 individuals who lost their limbs. Days later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the two suspects as the Russian-American brothers, named Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. There was a manhunt to find the suspects, Tamerlan passed while Dzhokhar was taken into custody. According to the later, they were motivated by Islamic beliefs and the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan. They were said to have no connections with terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda.
Another notable terrorist attack happened on Independence Day on the year of 2002 where a lone terrorist openly fired gunshots at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California. That morning, Hesham Mohammed Hadayet, an Egyptian, approached a ticket counter at the said airport and began shooting at 90 passengers waiting in line. He killed two people and injured four others before he was killed by a gunshot by a security guard in duty. The said suspect was said to be involved in an Islamic group, Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya.
Since the United States has been experiencing numerous terrorist attacks over the years, dozens of local, state and federal agencies have worked together to simulate emergency drills and exercises to prepare the nation for terrorist attacks. This is to allow the citizens to become more vigilant and to help them know what to do during an attack. Some exercises were carried out at the San Diego Port and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. A San Diego criminal attorney, Gregory Garrison explained why it is important to have these drills in the city. He said, “I think when you see this worldwide coverage, it makes the exercise we’re doing even more important and relevant.” He explained that having awareness on what to do is very important for the nation and would allow citizens to become more aware with the actions to be taken if the event occurred.