Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror

On September 11, 2001, the two airplanes (Flight AA 11 and Flight UA 175) crashed at the Twin Towers, shocking the citizens. The episode then traces back to the Cold War era in 1979 when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. President Ronald Reagan and CIA director William J. Casey sent out troops to Afghanistan to fight against the Soviets and support the weapon supplies to the Mujahideen. Mujahideen form a militaristic Islamic and Jihadist group to oppose the Soviet Union. The Mujahideens then began competing with each other to form a fundamentalist group, including Gulbuddin Hekmatyar who was criticized for his dictatorial roles in persecuting women and silencing public media. In 1988, a group of young arabs and muslims from separate countries joined the Sunni Jihadist group, forming what was now known as Al-Qaeda, founded by their leader Osama bin Laden. After the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989, Osama bin Laden began to view the United States as a major threat to the muslim community after the American troops entered Saudi Arabia to fight against Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. In 1993, the Islamic terrorists who were influenced by Omar Abdel-Rahman set the bombing on the World Trade Center, which made the Towers a prime target for Khalid Sheik Mohammed. After the CIA investigated the Jihadist threats, Osama bin Laden settled in Sudan and was then sent to Afghanistan in 1996 after he declared war on the United States. In 1998, Al-Qaeda began committing multiple terrorist attacks and suicide bombings in East Africa and Yemen to retaliate against the United States, which made Osama bin Laden the FBI's most wanted man. The Al-Qaeda members secretly enter the US undetected, which then sets the center stage for the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

The episode starts with the incident of Flight 77 crashing at The Pentagon. Nine minutes before the incident, the air traffic controller tried to contact Flight 93. Still, the hijackers took over the plane and planned to attack the White House, causing mass panic and evacuation in Washington, D.C.. Passengers on Flight 93 successfully sabotaged the hijackers' plan, resulting in the plane crash near Shanksville. Returning to New York City, the Twin Towers suddenly collapsed after the plane crash, engulfing the city with smoke and debris. The episode then focuses on President George W. Bush's response to the Twin Towers attack. After attending his meeting at an elementary school, President Bush receives calls from Vice President Dick Cheney about the incident. Instead, President Bush remained secluded on Air Force One to visit several Air Force bases before reaching the Oval Office. The Bush Administration found out that it was Al-Qaeda who orchestrated the attacks and planned to declare war against them. On September 18, 2001, the US Congress enacted the AUMF, a Joint Resolution that allowed the President to authorize the military against terrorism in response to the attack. Determined to fight against the Taliban regime and capture Osama Bin Laden, the US military moved to Afghanistan, forming a coalition with the Northern Alliance following the assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud. The coalition succeeded in recapturing territories, but Osama Bin Laden quickly fled from Afghanistan soon after. Thus, the War On Terror has officially begun.

The episode starts with the aftermath of the 9/11 attack, where firefighters and police authorities began searching for survivors who were buried in the rubble. In contrast, several firefighters and police officers who were involved in the 9/11 attacks were killed. The episode focused on the FBI investigation of the perpetrators who instigated the 9/11 attacks. The FBI revealed the identity of five hijackers who took over Flight 77 after departing from Dulles International Airport. The two hijackers, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, are members of Al-Qaeda sent by Osama Bin-Laden to participate in the "Plane Operation." With Khalid Sheik Mohammad as Al-Qaeda's plot architect, the hijackers had attended a meeting with him in Kuala Lumpur in 2000 before departing for the United States. The CIA revealed that the hijackers had used forged visas to enter the United States without notifying the FBI authorities. On January 15, 2000, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi settled in San Diego upon meeting with Anwar al-Awlaki as they secretly became the muscle hijackers. With Zacarias Moussaoui arrested for his attempted hijacking, the FBI authorities were unaware of Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh's and Mohammed Atta's involvement for their leadership skills and coordination of attacks. The authorities concluded that the Al-Qaeda hijackers had planned a coordinated attack. The episode then focuses on US political changes after the 9/11 attacks. In January 2002, the US Pentagon set up the Guantanamo Bay Prison in Cuba for detainees who were arrested for terrorist acts.