1993 World Trade Center Terrorist Attack

On February 26, 1993, a bomb underneath the northern tower of the twin towers blew up.  The terrorists behind the attack, orchestrated primarily by Ramzi Yousef, planned for the northern tower to collapse onto the southern tower, killing thousands in the process.  Although the effects of the bomb did not extend to such damage, six people were killed and over one thousand were wounded in the process of evacuation.

Yousef originally entered the United States with Ahmed Ajaj.  While entering, Ajaj made it as obvious as possible that he was a terrorist in order to distract officials from Yousef's forged passport.  The strategy worked, and Yousef was admitted while Ajaj was taken into custody.

Yousef immediately began to make the 1500 pound bomb that would later be used in the attack.  He lived in Jersey City, NJ during the entire process.

On the day of the attack, Yousef and Eyad Ismoli, drove a van into the parking lot beneath the northern tower of the World Trade Center.  Yousef lit the fuse, and evacuated with Ismoli.  Just twelve minutes after lighting the fuse, the bomb exploded, ripping a 100 foot hole through the concrete underground.  Six people ended up dead- five tower employees along with a businessman in the parking garage.  Additionally, hundreds received injuries upon evacuation of the northern tower.  The explosion cut the power to the northern building, also preventing many radio and television stations from broadcasting information for days.

Yousef fled to Pakistan the same day, but not before ensuring that his message of future terrorist attacks with better planning and calculations was heard by New York news agencies.