Synopsis:

This edit combines several sources of media to examine the series of events in the two decades prior to 911, such as the Taliban taking control of Iraq, Bin Laden's origins and involvement in the pre-911 attacks like the first WTC bombing, the USS Cole bombing, and the two African embassy bombings. As well as the political environment that caused the USA to overlook and in some cases completely disregard key pieces of intelligence pointing to an imminent terrorist attack prior to 911.

Intentions:

In this edit, I aim to use a mixture of footage from movies, TV series, documentaries, news reports, interviews, and amateur videos to paint a comprehensive picture of the precursors leading up to September 11, 2001, starting with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. When the USSR finally pulled out in 1989, their absence created a power vacuum that allowed the extremely oppressive Taliban regime to take control of the country. Afghanistan then became a safe haven for Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, leading to significant attacks like the USS Cole bombing, the Tanzania embassy bombing, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Most importantly, a major theme is the radicalization of Al Qaeda and their declaration of a holy war on the USA. A significant portion of the edit draws inspiration from the chapter titled "The system was blinking red" in the 9/11 Commission Report. It reveals the numerous early warnings and intelligence reports the USA received, indicating an imminent attack. Reports such as "Bin Laden Attacks May be Imminent," "Bin Laden and Associates Making Near-Term Threats," and "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." highlighted the severity of the threat. Despite these warnings, the US Government did not take appropriate action to connect the dots and prevent the attacks. The narrative builds up to the morning of September 11, 2001 to provide an understanding of the complex factors over nearly two decades that contributed to the attacks of 9/11.

Change List:

This edit is presented with some scenes letterboxed and some in full screen. Why? Well, I was unhappy with zooming in on the letterboxed footage to make it fit a standard 16:9 ratio. However, I was unwilling to place black bars on the 16:9 footage to letterbox it. Therefore, footage is presented in its original aspect ratio. Cuts and Additions: My source material ranged from dramatic enactments to more factual documentary type pieces. I took the main parts from each that focused on topics I wanted to cover and arranged everything into one massive narrative.

Other Sources:

Various news reports from Youtube and my personal collection Various images found online Essential Max Richter album Syriana OST Life on our Planet OST The Unknown Known OST

Special Thanks:

Thanks to those who provided feedback on my 9/11 Consecution edit, your ideas helped form this edit! Also big thanks to my previewers and those who contributed ideas along the way.