The organization responsible for the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks was al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group led by Osama bin Laden
. Nineteen al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four commercial airliners, carrying out coordinated suicide attacks against targets in the United States, including the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia
. The 9/11 Commission Report and multiple investigations by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies confirmed al-Qaeda's central role in planning and executing the attacks
