The September 11 attacks, often referred to as September 11th or 9/11 (pronounced “nine eleven”), were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States. That morning, nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the jets into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both towers collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. A third airliner was flown into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected to target either the Capitol Building or the White House. There were no survivors from any of the flights. Nearly three thousand victims died in the attacks, along with the nineteen hijackers.

Armed Basque separatist group Eta says it will not carry out “armed actions” in its campaign for independence. In a video obtained exclusively by the BBC, the group said it took the decision several months ago “to put in motion a democratic process.” The Basque interior minister called the statement “insufficient.” Madrid has previously insisted that Eta renounce violence and disarm before any talks. Eta’s violent campaign has led to more than 820 deaths over the past 40 years. It has called two ceasefires in the past, but abandoned them both. This latest announcement comes after the arrests of numerous Eta leaders and during an unprecedented period of debate within the Basque nationalist community over the future direction of policy.