Why did Al-Qaeda attack the United States on 9/11?

Al-Qaeda did meet some of its goals: With limited resources, bin Laden gained incredible notoriety and inflicted enormous damage on a great power. ... read more

3) Al-Qaeda also believed there would be a counter-attack by the United States, most specifically hellfire missiles and Tomahawk missiles fired by frigates from long distances. While there is a possibility that al-Qaeda members would be killed, bin Laden assumed that lying low in the mountains of Afghanistan would protect them. read more

The attacks shocked the nation, but it shouldn’t have surprised the United States. The United States government was aware that al-Qaeda had had several attacks on the US overseas. The government should have seen some kind of attack coming and should have prepared before the attacks happened. read more

The 9/11 attacks have been described as a "global symbolic event". The September 11, 2001, attacks in the northeast United States were an organized terrorist act carried out by 19 hijackers, and organized by numerous members of al-Qaeda. read more