When the World Trade Center was bombed in February 1993, the United States was stunned by the ferocity and strength of that blast. Six people died in the explosion and more than 1,000 people were injured. Until then, there hadn't been a major terrorist attack on U.S. soil. 0 At 11:30am of November 13th, 1995, a car bomb exploded at around a Saudi Arabian National Guard training facility in the middle of the Saudi capital Riyadh killing five Americans and two Indians. Sixty people were injured in the blast, 34 of them Americans. A large explosion ripped through a U.S. Air Force housing complex at the King Abdul Aziz Airbase near Dhahran in June of 1998, Saudi Arabia killing 19 servicemen and injuring at least 300 others. On August 7, 1998, bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania resulted in the deaths of more than 200 people, including 12 American citizens, and injuries to more than 4,000 individuals, among whom were Muslims. In October of 2000, the U.S.S Cole ship was attacked when, apparently, a smaller boat was filled with explosives and ignited. The attack killed 17 Americans sailors and wounded 39 On September 11th, 2001, four commercial airliners were hijacked by terrorists in groups of 3-5. Two of the hijacked planes were crashed into the two World Trade Center towers, which both later collapsed. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon, while the other crashed in Pennsylvania. While the total death toll is still not known, it is expected to be at least 5000+ Bin Laden is either responsible or directly involved with each of these acts of terrorism. |