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A conspiracy is generally defined as an "agreement between two or more persons to do something criminal, illegal, or reprehensible" ("Conspiracy"). A conspiracy theory is the belief that an "event or phenomenon occurs as a result of a conspiracy between interested parties" ("Conspiracy theor}?"). Although they are considered fictitious, conspiracy theories do not simply project the working of an overactive imagination. The power of these theories lies in their tendency to support their argument by referring to the very facts described in the mainstream accounts. Theorists meticulously analyze factual evidence and create an alternative story that gives people what the}' yearn for: a clear explanation of an incredible event.
Conspiracy theories have been forged about many events in world history. Some state, for instance, that in 1933 Adolf Hitler firebombed his own capital building, the Reichstag, and blamed it on his political enemies in order to be able to institute a new national police force and establish himself as the dictator of Germany (Masters of Terror). The 9/11 conspiracy theorists claim that the US government used the attacks of September 11, 2001, to gam power over the Middle East and over the American people.
More precisely, 9/11 conspiracy theorists allege that Bin Laden had never been the real enemy of the United States; the World Trade Center Towers were destroyed by controlled demolition; the Pentagon was struck by a missile; Flight 93 was shot down and George Bush was involved in the attacks. To assess the truth of these theories one needs to test the facts used to support the claims.
To start with, conspiracy advocates argue that Bin Laden had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks and that al Qaeda as an organization does not even exist. In a Saudi dissident's interview with the TV magazine Frontline, for instance, al Qaeda becomes equated with a guestbook. In this interview, Saas Al-Fagih said that a recruitment office had been opened in Peshawar, Pakistan, in the 1980s for young Arabs who wanted to take part in the Afghan war (Broeckers 128). At first, no record was kept of those arriving at the office, but since more and more families were inquiring about the whereabouts of their sons, Bin Laden created a record of names and...