Two decades later, false claims still swirl about 9/11. Here’s a fact check
It’s been 23 years since terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes in a coordinated attack that killed 2,977 people in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.
Though Americans alive at the time overwhelmingly remember exactly where they were when they heard the news, that collective memory hasn’t stopped false conspiracy theories and fabrications from spreading and reemerging online more than two decades later, targeting everything from the cause of the attacks to the response that followed.
Here are a few of the claims USA TODAY has previously debunked.
The claim: Congress is considering a bill that would criminalize questioning 9/11
Our rating: False
There is no such legislation mentioned on bill tracking websites or in legitimate news outlets. The image is a cropped version of a fabricated New York Post article.
Full fact check: Claim of bill banning certain 9/11 speech is baseless, uses fabricated news story
The claim: Trump said there was no attack on the World Trade Center
Our rating: False
Former President Donald Trump did not say there was no World Trade Center attack. The full video makes it clear he said that kind of attack did not occur during his presidency because of the measures he had implemented.
Full fact check:False claim Trump said World Trade Center attack didn’t happen in speech
The claim: Image shows George W. Bush meeting with Osama bin Laden
Our rating: Altered
The image has been digitally altered. The original image shows former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, not al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, meeting with President George W. Bush and other officials following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Full fact check: Post-9/11 photo shows Bush and deputy defense secretary, not Osama bin Laden
The claim: A guide dog rescued 967 people from the twin towers on Sept. 11
Our rating: False
Nothing like this happened. There are only two reports of guide dogs helping people get to safety after the World Trade Center was hit by airplanes, and neither dog left their handlers to run back inside. The post also claims the dog handler was above the impact zone of the north tower, but nobody survived from there.
Full fact check: Claim of heroic guide dog saving hundreds on Sept. 11 is fabricated
The claim: Actor James Woods warned the FBI about the Sept. 11 attacks a month ahead of time
Our rating: False
The video leaves out Woods’ statement that he did not report the encounter to the FBI until after the attacks. In the same interview, Woods objects to the suggestion that the agency ignored a warning from him.
Full fact check: No, actor James Woods didn’t warn FBI about Sept. 11 attacks ahead of time
The claim: On 9/11, BBC reported building collapse 26 minutes early; it was a pre-rigged demolition
Our rating: False
The collapse of Building 7 was not planned or intentional. BBC News reported the collapse based on incorrect information from Reuters that was later corrected.
Full fact check: BBC News report on 9/11 was a mistake, not proof of a pre-existing plan
The claim: Media on 9/11 said World Trade Center building collapses were ‘controlled demolition’
Our rating: False
The post misrepresents clips of broadcast journalists saying the collapses visually resembled building implosions. None of the reports identified the cause of the building collapses as controlled demolitions. Contemporaneous coverage and multiple investigations since then prove two buildings were brought down by aircraft crashing into them, and flaming debris caused fires that brought down a third building.
Full fact check: No, media on 9/11 did not call buildings’ collapse an ‘inside job’
The claim: Image shows an Atlantic story about conspiracy theorists who claim ‘Bush Did 9/11’
Our rating: Altered
A spokesperson for The Atlantic said the story and the headlines are not real.
Full fact check:Altered image shows Atlantic headline about 9/11 conspiracy theorists
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