15 conspiracy theories spawned by 9/11
Twenty-one years after airliners slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field, the official consensus that terrorists were behind the September 11 attacks is still widely rejected. Instead, the 9/11 Truth Movement embraces the 15 conspiracy theories listed here, most of which claim that the U.S. government was behind it all. From unbroken and non-existent windows to mysterious underwing pods, all these so-called “alternative truths” are intriguing, inventive…and have been extensively debunked.
Plane carried a ‘military pod’
Moments before United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into the World Trade Center’s South Tower, photos and video footage captured what conspiracy theorists say is a “military pod” under the right wing’s fuselage. They variously identify the pod as a bomb, a missile, or as part of an air-refuelling tanker.
Air Force was ordered to stand down
Not a single fighter jet was scrambled by any of the 28 military bases within close range of the four hijacked flights. According to conspiracy theorists, this proves that the U.S. Air Force was ordered to stand down.
Plane lacked windows
In a live phone interview, FOX employee Marc Birnbach said he “didn’t see any windows on the sides” of Flight 175. Combined with low-resolution photos and videos of the fast-moving aircraft, this fuelled speculation that the WTC was struck by a windowless military cargo plane or fuel tanker.
Pentagon holes were too small
Conspiracy theorists claim that the two holes punched in the side of the Pentagon by American Airlines Flight 77—23 meters (75 feet) and 5 meters (16 feet) wide, respectively—were much too small to have been made by a 38-metre-wide (125-foot-wide) Boeing 757.
Pentagon windows didn’t break
Because many Pentagon windows surrounding the crash site didn’t break, including those just above Flight 77’s point of impact, conspiracy theorists concluded that a missile or smaller aircraft was involved.
No plane debris at the Pentagon
Despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, conspiracy theorists continue to claim that no plane wreckage was found at the Pentagon.
Explosives struck lobbies
Because the aircraft impacted more than 293 metres (960 feet) up—between the 78th and 98th floors—conspiracy theorists claim that explosives must have been responsible for extensive damage to the ground-floor lobbies of both Twin Towers before they collapsed.
Crashes could not have melted steel
Jet fuel burns at between 427 and 815 degrees C (800 and 1,500 degrees F), which isn’t close to the 1,510 C (2,750 F) needed to melt steel. Again, this has prompted conspiracy theorists to claim that only explosives could have caused the towers’ structural failure and collapse.
Dust puffs produced by explosives
Emboldened by misquoted comments from explosives expert Van Romero, conspiracy theorists blame controlled explosions for the puffs of dust and debris that shot out from the sides of both towers when they collapsed.
Seismic records reveal explosions
According to conspiracy theorists, seismographs at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory recorded the strongest jolts from the Twin Towers’ collapse before falling debris struck the ground. These seismic spikes, they say, provide proof that demolition-style explosions brought the towers down.
WTC 7 collapse was controlled
According to a preliminary report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the 47-storey WTC 7 building suffered relatively light damage before collapsing seven hours after its taller neighbours. This misleading description, combined with videos of the building’s diagonal fall, has convinced conspiracy theorists that WTC 7 was brought down by a controlled explosion.
White jet took out Flight 93
When a small white jet was spotted flying low over the Flight 93 crash site shortly after impact, conspiracy theorists posited that it played a role in the downing of the airliner.
Distant engine proves missile strike
After a police officer was quoted as saying that one of Flight 93’s engines was found “at a considerable distance from the crash site,” conspiracy theorists exaggerated the distance between engine and plane and concluded that it was caused by the impact of a heat-seeking missile.
Flight 93 broke up mid-air
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper correctly reported that Flight 93 crash debris was seen floating in Indian Lake, Pennsylvania. However, it incorrectly reported that Indian Lake is nearly 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the crash site—the actual distance is less than 2.4 km (1.5 mi). This discrepancy has been overlooked by conspiracy theorists, who claim that the plane must have been breaking up before it crashed to have produced such widespread debris against a northerly wind. However, weather reports that day reveal that the wind was actually blowing toward Indian Lake.
Flight 93 was shot down
The purported mid-air breakup of Flight 93 is claimed to have been caused by a missile strike, and, more than three years after the fact, retired Army Col. Donn de Grand-Pre added fuel to conspiracy theorists’ fire. On a widely broadcast radio talk show, de Grand-Pre stated that Flight 93 “was taken out by the North Dakota Air Guard. I know the pilot who fired those two missiles to take down 93.” This claim has been widely refuted since then.
