The 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States saw the launch of the War on Terror by the George W. Bush administration. The US Army and intelligence agencies launched operations to hunt down the masterminds behind the attack and bring them to justice. Osama bin Laden was killed 10 years after the attack at Pakistan’s Abbottabad while his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed by the Joe Biden administration on July 31 in a drone attack in Afghanistan.

Here we look at some of the planners behind the attack:

Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden was the leader of al-Qaida and the mastermind behind the entire attack. Despite denying involvement at first, bin Laden later proclaimed that “what the United States is tasting today is nothing compared to what we have tasted for decades”, referring to attacks in Syria and Lebanon by the US and Israel.

Also Read| ‘Ninja’ missile used to kill al-Qaida leader part of a scary new generation of unregulated weapons

Ayman al-Zawahiri

bin Laden’s second-in-command, al-Zawahiri remained out of the United States’ reach for more than 20 years since the 9/11 attacks, The US government finally got to him in a planned drone strike that killed the former al-Qaida chief. 

Khalid Sheikh Mohammad

The third-in-command after bin Laden and al-Zawahiri, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, also known as KSM, is currently being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He was the chief planner of the entire operation.

Walid bin Attash

Another Guantanamo Bay detainee, Attash has been accused of training hijackers to capture planes and divert them to their target locations.

Also Read| Ayman al-Zawahiri killing: Taliban leaders meet on how to respond to US attack

Ramzi bin al-Shibh

An intermediary between the highjackers and the al-Qaeda leadership, al-Shibh is also currently detained at the Guantanamo Bay facility. He had also helped in recruiting some of the highjackers from Germany.

Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Ammar al-Baluchi

Both Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Ammar al-Baluchi have been accused of transferring money to the 9/11 highjackers.