False claim: Jews responsible for 9/11 terrorist attack

The terrorist attack carried out by al-Qaeda in New York on the 11th of September 2001 has led to many conspiracy theories, but one of the most common is the antisemitic allegation of Jews being responsible for the attacks. Accusations that Mossad and Jewish neoconservatives carried out a ‘false flag’ operation in order to push the US into wars in the Middle East to benefit Israel, who would benefit by being able to seize control of the countries more easily, were invented despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. With absolutely no proof to back up their accusations, ‘truthers’, ranging from white supremacists and Islamic organisations, to even a former U.S. Representative, would turn to anti-Israel outlets to find pieces of information to use, embellish and distort in an attempt to prove their fanciful claims.

The Lebanese News station, Al-Manar, was the first to provide their main piece of ‘evidence’. No Jews died in the Twin Towers on 9/11 because all of the 4000 Jewish employees had been pre-warned to stay away that day. An extraordinary claim, especially given the size of New York’s Jewish population. It was, of course, completely untrue and fabricated by the Hezbollah-run TV station, but over 20 years later the lie continues to be circulated by Antisemites, intent on demonising Israel. Around 40% of the victim’s remains recovered from the Twin Towers have yet to be identified, but 119 of the victims have been confirmed to be Jewish with some people believing up to 400 Jewish people may have died there that day. Five Israeli nationals also died, three in the towers and two in the ill-fated planes which crashed into them.

Antisemitic slurs also soon started to circulate targeting Israel including the old canard of ‘greedy Jews’ and the ‘Jewish controlled media’ covering it all up. Once again, half truths and partial facts were used to make allegations sound plausible so when rumours that the Twin Towers new Jewish lease holder, Larry Silverstein, were concocted many people believed that he had indeed organised, with the help of Mossad, the controlled demolition of the buildings so he could claim from his newly acquired terrorism insurance cover. Silverstein had indeed just recently taken over the building’s lease but along with a consortium of investors and lenders and pre-9/11 terrorism cover was automatically included in virtually all insurance policies. Despite overwhelming forensic evidence the rumours that the Towers, especially Tower 7, couldn’t have collapsed without the use of explosives continue to be spread to this day.