Arte - The Terror Routes (2011) Part 2 1993-2001 The Countdown

This film explores the causes of the evil that led to the 9/11 attacks, by documenting 20 years of relations between Washington, the Arab countries, Pakistan and Europe, with the invaluable participation of those who witnessed events (politicians, diplomats, secret agents and former members of Al Qaida). On Tuesday 11 September 2001, all eyes were riveted on New York. Television channels the world over broadcast live the mind-blowing images of the attack. The odd absolute certainty and a handful of urban legends sustained by distorted truths and bloody mindedness. What do we really know about the pilots? Who exactly were they? Whose orders were they acting under? Could they have been stopped? How did the situation escalate to the point it did? The 11 September attacks - a major event at the dawn of a new century - has profoundly and lastingly changed the world political situation and international relations. This two-part enquiry sheds new light on the geopolitical and historical background to the attacks and attempts to provide a more precise answer to these questions. The two thematic and chronological documentaries explore the official history (that of the witnesses, specialists, diplomats and politicians) and compare it with the unofficial history (the one that is not documented in school books, and told by agents from the various secret services, investigators and police officers).

Part 2 1993-2001 The Countdown

The second chapter in this investigation into the factors that led to the 9/11 attacks, with a reconstruction of the pursuit of Al Qaeda between 1993 and 2001. This episode pieces together the puzzle of Al Qaeda's whereabouts, highlighting the missed opportunities that led inexorably to the events of the morning of 11 September 2001. This second part is dedicated to the race against the clock that began following the first attack on the twin towers in 1993. The film goes back over a major mystery of 9/11. More than a year before the attacks, the CIA was monitoring two of the hijackers, as they prepared to enter the US. And yet, the CIA did all they could to stop the FBI finding out. This documentary pieces together the puzzle of the pursuit of Al Qaeda, highlighting the missed opportunities that spiralled inexorably into the events of the morning of 11 September 2001.

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