Timeline for October following the September 11 attacks

This article summarizes the events in October 2001 that were related to the September 11 attacks. All times, except where otherwise noted, are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), or UTC−04:00.

Monday, October 1, 2001

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Tuesday, October 2, 2001

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Wednesday, October 3, 2001

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Thursday, October 4, 2001

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  • The official count of bodies found at the site of the World Trade Center is 380; 321 have been identified.
  • Reagan National Airport opens in the morning with limited service for the first time since September 11.
  • In the morning, President Bush speaks to the Emir of Bahrain (which hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet). He then speaks to the president of Poland, goes to the State Department to announce additional food aid to Afghanistan. He has lunch with members of Congress, then goes to the Department of Labor to announce his intention to extend unemployment benefits in the 13 most-affected states by an additional 13 weeks.
  • The New York City Comptroller, Alan Hevesi, states that the cost to New York from "the crash, the attack, the calamity, the murder" is already $45 billion and will reach $105 billion over the next two years.
  • It is reported that a Russian jetliner, Siberia Airlines Flight 1812, en route from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk with 77 passengers exploded in mid-air before plunging into the Black Sea. All flights from Ben-Gurion Airport were grounded in response (it is later confirmed to have been accidentally shot down by the Ukrainian Air Force).
  • British Prime Minister Blair tells the House of Commons they will be given incontrovertible evidence of Osama bin Laden's involvement, which includes direct ties with three of the hijackers over the past year, though some evidence will remain concealed.
  • U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld meets with President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. He also announces air drops of humanitarian food aid in Afghanistan.
  • Pakistan says they have seen evidence against Osama bin Laden from the British House of Commons strong enough to support an indictment.
  • A Nashville newspaper reports that the Greyhound bus attacker was a drug addict with a history of erratic behavior.
  • 3:30 p.m. EDT: At a White House press briefing, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson states that a 63-year-old Lantana, Florida resident was admitted to a hospital on Tuesday with non-contagious pulmonary anthrax. The British-born outdoorsman is the only known case, and the FBI, HHS, and CDC state that there is no evidence to support that this would be an act of bioterrorism (he dies later that day). See 2001 anthrax attacks for later developments, showing that this was an act of terrorism.
  • In a White House briefing, Ari Fleischer says that the U.S. has no intention of making all their evidence against Osama bin Laden public which would jeopardize their ongoing investigation, and a few minutes later, says that the Bush administration believes it is important to be forthright in sharing information with the American public.

Friday, October 5, 2001

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  • The official missing count at the World Trade Center is 4,979.

Saturday, October 6, 2001

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  • The official count of bodies found at the site of the World Trade Center is 393; 335 have been identified.
  • President Bush tells Congressional leaders about the upcoming attack.

Sunday, October 7, 2001

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  • The official count of bodies found at the site of the World Trade Center is still 393; 353 have been identified.
  • Osama bin Laden releases a videotaped statement with his Al Qaeda lieutenants, shot several days earlier, shortly before the air strikes in Afghanistan begin. He praises the 9/11 attacks in the USA, but does not admit or deny involvement in planning them.
  • U.S.-led military response begins: War in Afghanistan

Monday, October 8, 2001

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  • 1:25 p.m. EDT (approx): Health officials announce that anthrax spores were found in office where the man killed by anthrax worked. They were found in the nose of a co-worker and on a computer keyboard in the Boca Raton, Florida offices of the tabloid The Sun. In a press briefing, John Ashcroft states that the FBI has sealed the building is working with the CDC to determine if this is a criminal or terrorist act. See 2001 anthrax attacks.
  • 3:00 p.m CST (approx.): On American Airlines Flight 1238, en route from Los Angeles to Chicago, a man with severe mental problems stormed the cockpit 40 minutes before landing in Chicago, causing the plane to drop sharply and causing a panic. In light of the fear ignited by 9/11, flight crew and passengers were quick to wrestle the man to the ground and subdue him. Additionally, a distress signal was sent by the pilots, causing two F-16s to race at supersonic speeds to intercept and escort the aircraft to O'Hare International Airport. This caused a sonic boom in Chicago's northwest suburbs, startling hundreds of thousands of people.[3][4][5]

Friday, October 12, 2001

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  • 12:30 p.m. EDT Rudy Giuliani holds a press conference detailing earlier reports about a case of anthrax in New York City. A female NBC Nightly News employee is reported to have been exposed to anthrax. It is believed that she received it from a letter containing powder on September 25. The powder in the letter was tested negative for anthrax. A skin test of the employee by the CDC returned positive this morning for non-contagious cutaneous anthrax. She had been exposed on September 25. She began presenting symptoms on the 28th. She began receiving Cipro on October 1. A biopsy was done on the 10th and sent to the CDC. See 2001 anthrax attacks.
  • 3:45 p.m. EDT Ashcroft briefing: A complaint was filed against someone for lying to federal investigators. Yesterday DoJ served against airport security firm Argenbright Holdings, aka SecuraCorps, for security violations across the country. They hired employees with criminal backgrounds, including burglary and theft, and lied about those backgrounds.

Monday, October 15, 2001

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  • Another set of remains is found. They may be the first remains of a police officer to be recovered.

Saturday, October 20, 2001

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Sunday, October 21, 2001

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Tuesday, October 30, 2001

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Wednesday, October 31, 2001

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  • The Giuliani administration announces that the number of firefighters assigned (and allowed) to recover remains at the World Trade Center site would be reduced from 64 to 25.
  • Recovery workers gain access to a secure vault owned by the Bank of Nova Scotia beneath the World Trade Center site, finding substantial amounts of stored gold and silver bullion inside.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth (October 4, 2001). "Bush Tries to Reassure Children and Executives". New York Times. New York (USA). Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  2. ^ "National News - Passenger Slits Throat of Greyhound Driver". SouthJersey.com. October 3, 2001. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  3. ^ "Scare on commercial flight prompts jet escort". CNN. Chicago, Illinois. October 8, 2001. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  4. ^ Malnic, Eric; Slater, Eric (October 9, 2001). "Airline Passengers Thwart Attempt to Enter Cockpit". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles (Malnic), Chicago (Slater). Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  5. ^ Fountain, John W. (October 9, 2001). "A NATION CHALLENGED: THE SKIES; Passengers Stop Man Who Tried To Force His Way Into Cockpit". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  6. ^ "Gold found under World Trade Centre". Irish Examiner. October 31, 2001. Retrieved August 14, 2024.