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Al Qaeda's origins date back to 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.Soon after the invasion, Osama bin Laden traveled
to Afghanistan and with American government assistance,helped organize Arab mujahideen, creating Maktab al-Khidamat (MAK),
to resist the Soviets.In 1989, as the Soviets withdrew, MAK was transformed into al-Qaeda, as a "rapid reaction force"
in jihad against governments across the Muslim world.Under guidance of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama became more radical.In
1996, Bin Laden issued his first fatwā which called for "American soldiers to get out of Saudi Arabia".[66]
A second fatwa, issued by bin Laden in 1998, "directed his followers to kill Americans anywhere".In the fatwa, bin
Laden outlined his objections to American foreign policy towards Israel, as well as the continued presence of American troops
in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War.
As media covered the 9/11 attacks unfolding, many quickly speculated that Bin Laden was behind the attacks.Within hours
of the attacks, the FBI was able to determine the names and in many cases details such as dates of birth, known and/or possible
residences, visa status, and specific identity of the suspected pilots and hijackers.Few had made any attempt to disguise
their names on flight and credit card records, and they were some of the few people of Arabic descent on the flights. Mohamed
Atta's luggage, which did not make the connection from his Portland flight onto American Airlines Flight 11, contained papers
that revealed the identity of all 19 hijackers, and other important clues about their plans, motives, and backgrounds.On the
day of the attacks, the National Security Agency intercepted communications that pointed to Osama bin Laden,as did German
intelligence agencies.
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States was formed by the United States government and was
commonly called the 9/11 Commission. It released its report on July 22, 2004, concluding that the attacks were conceived and
implemented by members of al-Qaeda. The Commission stated that "9/11 plotters eventually spent somewhere between $400,000
and $500,000 to plan and conduct their attack, but that the specific origin of the funds used to execute the attacks remained
unknown."To date, only peripheral figures have been tried or convicted in connection with the attacks. Bin Laden has
not yet been formally indicted for the attacks.
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