The 1993 World Trade Centre Bombing

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The 1993 World Trade Centre Bombing
Overview
It is clear that Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, an explosives expert, arrived in the city of New
York in September 1992. Ramzi came with a plane from Pakistan and he started to plan how to
attack the World Trade Center (WTC) with the objective of toppling the tower on the north onto
the south tower (Homeland Security 16). Equally, Ramzi was assisted by followers of Sheikh
Abdel Omar Rahman, a blind Muslim cleric born in Egypt and his sermons were about
destroying the capitalism edifices (9/11 Memorrial.org par 1). Additionally, the planners of the
attack rented a storing locker in New Jersey that they used to store sulfuric acid, nitric acid, urea
and various ingredients for creating bombs. Moreover, they concurrently concocted a trigger of
nitroglycerin at a close apartment and scouted out the underground floors of the World Trade
Centre (9/11 Memorrial.org par 2).
On 26th
February, 1993, the planners loaded the homemade explosive, which weighed
approximately 1,200 pounds (Heller 10). They loaded into a yellow van that they had acquired
from a New Jersey’s Ryder dealership. Two of the planners then drove the van into Manhattan
after crossing Hudson River; hence they arrived at the WTC from the South (BBC par 5). After
arriving, they entered into the parking garage in the basement between a hotel and the north
tower. As such, the bomb exploded at 12:18 p.m., knocking out the sprinklers, public address
system, generators, and elevators of the World Trade Centre (9/11 Memorrial.org par

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4).Similarly, the center for emergency command and over a half of the lines with high-voltage
that supplied electricity to the complex had been destroyed. Hence, the FBI termed the attack as
the largest by damage and by weight of any explosive device improvised by man since the
commencement of forensic explosive documentation (Homeland Security 42).
Why the World Trade Center was a Terrorist Target in 1993
The World Trade Center bombing in 1993 marked the commencement of a terrible new
type of terrorism entailing the indiscriminate shooting and killing of innocent civilians. The
bombing of the World Trade Centre was triggered by the urge to murder numerous individuals in
the United States. Equally, the World Trade Centre Complex is constructed in lower Manhattan
on a 16-acre site. It is famous because of its Twin Towers characterized by 1,550 feet high and
110 stories tall. The complex is made up of seven buildings, and Vista Hotel included. Despite
the fact that six people were killed and more than 1000 individuals injured by the explosion, the
repercussions could have been extreme because the complex houses approximately 100,000
individuals on a single day. For instance, about 20,000 individuals work in organizations located
at the World Trade Centre whereas about 80,000 travel through or tour the complex.Ideally,
World Trade Centre was not targeted because of its financial power or because it is a
representation of the Western values, rather because it would enable the terrorists injure and kill
vast masses of innocent civilians. Regardless, the World Trade Centre symbolism needs to be
taken into consideration. Additionally, the terrorist took into account the location and physical
attributes of the building.
The bombing of the World Trade Centre Perpetrators
The World Trade Centre bombing perpetrators were a faction of New Jersey men. This
group of men was suspected for over two years to be terrorists. RamziYousef is considered the

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main mastermind of the bombing in spite of his conviction to life imprisonment. As a Pakistan
citizen through naturalization, he shifted to the United States in 1992 September using an Iraqi
passport. However, he claimed to be brought up in Kuwait and his relatives resided in Palestine,
Iraq, Kuwait, and Pakistan (Parachini 187).
Yousef trained in a terrorist camp in Afghanistan where he enhanced his talent as an
explosive professional. Equally, he traversed the world offering his services as an expert terrorist
under the umbrella of Islamic Jihad. Nonetheless, his statements lacked religious motivation or
faith. His charm and ability to persuade people helped him in achieving his terrorist objectives.
Yousef was the mastermind and leader behind the bombing of the World Trade Centre while
Mohammed Salameh was a bumbler and Yousef follower.Abouhalima, on the other hand, was a
dedicated fan of Abdul Rahman, a combatant in the Afghanistan confrontation with the Soviet
Union (Parachini 188). Abouhalima offered his services in a car Services Company located in
New York.
Another perpetrator is NidalAyyad, a Kuwait citizen though conceived by Palestinian
parents. However, he became a United States citizen through naturalization and was a graduate
of Rutgers University (FBI, Par.6). He also worked at Allied Signal as a Chemical Engineer.
Ahmad Mohammed Ajaj was also a perpetrator. He came to the United States using a Swedish
passport. However, his passport according to customs agents was suspicious resulting in him
being thoroughly checked. As a result of the security search, the investigators found bomb
manuals, numerous passports, and bomb-making guideline videos. Equally, he was suspected of
working in collaboration with terrorist groups of Al-Fatah and Hama. For all these reasons, he
was detained as a threat to the safety of the United States and was sentenced for passport fraud
for a period of six months (Parachini 189).

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Effects of the World Trade Centre Attack
Six people lost their lives including a woman who was pregnant and over 1,000 were
injured, especially from the smoke that meandered its way across the elevator shafts and
stairwells (BBC par 4). Equally, the WTC incurred losses of more than 500 million U.S dollars
in damages. Nevertheless, the two towers were still standing tall even after the attackers had
exploded the bomb. Additionally, survivors made their way out using any available means as
rescue teams dug for other victims. Equally, there was a woman in a wheelchair and was carried
by two friends, 66 flights down of stairs, as well as a singing kindergartener’s class, descended
from floor 107 (BBC par 6). Furthermore, nearly 30 individuals that had medical conditions were
airlifted by police helicopters to the hospital. Equally, by midnight the authorities had evacuated
50,000 individuals from the buildings. However, hundreds of the victims were extremely
affectedbecause of inhaling the smoke from the bomb.
FBI’s Investigation Results
Investigators who were searching through the rubble came across the identification
number of a vehicle that was reported to have been stolen a day before the WTC attack. As such,
the FBI agents managed to arrest Mohammad Salamehbecause he was the one who rented the
vehicle. Equally,Salameh, a Palestinian, had been trailed as he went back to the Ryder dealership
to ask for his deposit of $400 (9/11 Memorrial.org par 5). Moreover, other captures were made
of Mahmoud Abouhalima, NidalAyyad, and Ahmad Ajaj. The federal jury convicted four of the
arrested suspects in March 1994 for their participation in bombing, and they were all sentenced
to life imprisonment.On the other hand, authorities uncovered a similar plan in which Sheikh
Rahman Abdel’s followers plotted to blow up the bridge of George Washington, the
headquarters of the United Nations and other landmarks in New York City. Hence, the court

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found the sheikh and nine fellow defendants guilty of seditious conspiracy and various terrorism-
related charges. Similarly, Yousef Ahmed Ramzi was arrested in February, 1995 in Pakistan, and
he was sentenced to life imprisonment (Homeland Security 22). The same year the rental van
driver called EyadIsmoil was arrested in Jordan, returned to New York, and was sentenced for
life behind bars. Additionally, all the implicated men had close ties to Sheik Rahman Abdel
Omar, who was a radical religious leader from Egypt and he operated in New Jersey. However,
one man called Abdul YasinRahman from Iraq remains at large; he is accused of being involved
in the attack directly (Homeland Security 27).
Conclusively, the World Trade Centre attack shocked America because it believed it was
immune from terrorist acts that have plagued various parts of the globe. Equally, the killing of
six individuals and injuring over 1000 made the people of America realize that terrorism was a
reality as they believed that the attack was a violation of human rights (9/11 Memorrial.org par
6). At the time, World Trade Centre attack was among the worst attacks of terrorism ever to
happen on the United States’ soil. However, the attack was overshadowed by the 11th
September,
2001 events, when operatives of Al Qaeda crashed hijacked planes into the towers, bringing
them down. It is evident that Al Qaeda got help from Sheikh Khalid Mohammed who is the
Uncle to Ramzi Ahmed Yousef the WTC bombing mastermind. Finally, the 1993 bombing of the
World Trade Centre made the United States to more vigilant about terrorist’s attacks because of
the loss of lives and the injuries incurred.

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Works Cited
9/11 Memorrial.org.1993 World Trade Centre Bombing. Web.6May.2015.
http://www.911memorial.org/1993-world-trade-center-bombing
BBC.1993:World Trade Center Bomb Terrorizes New York. Web.6May.2015.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/26/newsid_2516000/2516469.st
m
FBI(Federal Bureau of Investigation).First Strike: Global Terror in America. Web.7May.2015.
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/february/tradebom_022608
Heller, Peter B. "World Trade Center Bombing."Salem Press Encyclopedia (2015): Research
Starters. Web. 7 May 2015.
Homeland Security.The World Trade Center Bombing: Report and Analysis. Web.6May.2015.
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-076.pdf
Parachini, John.V. The World Trade Center Bombers. Web.7May.2015.
http://cns.miis.edu/books/pdfs/toxter11.pdf

The 1993 World Trade Centre Bombing

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