'Bizarre, Unreal and Astonishing': Journalists, Politicians Recall 9/11 Attack

On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we bring you first hand accounts of those who covered and responded to the attacks.

11 September 2001. There was so much destruction, loss and despair that even 20 years later, it is hard to comprehend the magnitude of its impact.

It has been described as the largest military attack ever to hit the United States; everything from books and TV shows to movies and news reports have tried to capture the scale of the tragedy which took place.

On that horrific day, four commercial flights travelling to California were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. What transpired subsequently in less than an hour was a devastating hit on the symbols of America’s military might, intelligence. political power and its financial centre.