Casepin
Back to cases

Case file

1993 World Trade Center bombing

SOLVED1992World Trade Center, New York City3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On February 26, 1993, Ramzi Yousef and a group of associates carried out a van-bomb attack in the underground parking garage beneath the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Yousef and Eyad Ismoil drove a yellow Ford Econoline Ryder van into the garage's B-2 level around noon, and Yousef ignited a 20-foot fuse before fleeing. The bomb, an approximately 1,310–1,500-pound urea nitrate–hydrogen gas enhanced device, exploded at 12:18 p.m., opening a 100-foot-wide hole through four sublevels of concrete. Yousef's intent, according to trial transcripts, was for the North Tower to collapse into the South Tower, killing an estimated 250,000 occupants of both buildings; the towers did not collapse, but the garage was severely damaged.

The bombing killed six people: John DiGiovanni, Robert Kirkpatrick, Stephen Knapp, Bill Macko, Wilfredo Mercado, and Monica Rodríguez Smith, who was seven months pregnant. More than 1,000 people were injured, mostly during the evacuation, which was hampered by smoke filling unpressurized stairwells. About 50,000 people were evacuated, and a group of 17 kindergartners was trapped in an elevator between the 35th and 36th floors for five hours.

The plot was organized by Yousef with associates including Ahmed Ajaj, Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammed A. Salameh, Eyad Ismoil, Nidal Ayyad, and Abdul Rahman Yasin. Investigators traced a vehicle identification number from a recovered axle fragment to a Ryder van rented by Salameh, who was arrested when he returned to collect his rental deposit. This led investigators to Yasin's Jersey City apartment, which he shared with his mother in the same building as Yousef's apartment; Yasin was briefly questioned by the FBI and released, then flew to Iraq the next day. He was later indicted but never apprehended by U.S. authorities and was placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list in 2001.

In March 1994, Salameh, Ayyad, Abouhalima, and Ajaj were convicted on charges including conspiracy, explosive destruction of property, and interstate transportation of explosives; they were sentenced in May 1994 to 240 years in prison. In November 1997, Ramzi Yousef, described as the organizer of the bombing, and Eyad Ismoil, who drove the van, were also convicted. Diplomatic Security Service special agents, working with Pakistani intelligence, located and arrested Yousef, though the FBI received public credit for the case.

During the trials, it emerged that FBI informant Emad Salem had secretly recorded conversations with his FBI handlers, alleging FBI knowledge of bomb-building activity; federal authorities disputed his account, and the New York Times reported the tapes did not clarify how much federal authorities knew in advance. Civil litigation by victims against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey resulted in a 2005 jury verdict assigning 68 percent liability to the Port Authority and 32 percent to the terrorists, a decision upheld on appeal in 2008 before later related rulings addressed the scope of Port Authority liability.

Key facts

Victims
Monica Rodríguez Smith, Wilfredo Mercado, Robert Kirkpatrick, John DiGiovanni, Stephen Knapp, Bill Macko
Date
1992
Location
World Trade Center, New York City
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1992-09-01

    Ramzi Yousef and Ahmed Ajaj arrive in the United States from Pakistan; Ajaj is arrested after suspicious materials, including bomb-making instructions, are found in his luggage.

  2. 1993-02-26

    A van bomb detonates in the B-2 level parking garage beneath the World Trade Center's North Tower at 12:18 p.m., killing six people and injuring over 1,000.

  3. 1993-03-04

    Mohammed A. Salameh is arrested after returning to collect a deposit on the rented Ryder van used in the bombing.

  4. 1993-03-18

    The South Tower reopens for tenants.

  5. 1993-04-01

    The North Tower reopens.

  6. 1994-03

    Salameh, Nidal Ayyad, Mahmud Abouhalima, and Ahmad Ajaj are convicted in the bombing.

  7. 1994-05

    Salameh, Ayyad, Abouhalima, and Ajaj are sentenced to 240 years in prison.

  8. 1994-12-14

    Mohammed Jamal Khalifa is arrested; he is later deported to Jordan and acquitted by a Jordanian court.

  9. 1995-05-25

    A granite memorial fountain honoring the victims is dedicated on the Austin J. Tobin Plaza.

  10. 1997-11

    Ramzi Yousef and Eyad Ismoil are convicted in the bombing.

  11. 2001

    Abdul Rahman Yasin is placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list.

  12. 2002-05-23

    Journalist Lesley Stahl interviews Yasin, held in Iraqi custody, for a 60 Minutes segment.

  13. 2005

    A jury assigns 68 percent liability for the bombing to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in civil litigation.

  14. 2008-04-29

    A New York State Appeals Court unanimously upholds the jury's liability verdict against the Port Authority.

  15. 2011-09-22

    The New York Court of Appeals excludes the Port Authority from claims of negligence related to the 1993 bombing.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Nidal Ayyad

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in March 1994 in the bombing; sentenced to 240 years.

    citation on file

  • Monica Rodríguez Smith

    VICTIM

    Secretary, seven months pregnant, killed while checking time sheets in her office.

    citation on file

  • Wilfredo Mercado

    VICTIM

    Receiving agent for Windows on the World restaurant, killed while checking in deliveries.

    citation on file

  • Robert Kirkpatrick

    VICTIM

    Senior Structural Maintenance Supervisor killed in the bombing.

    citation on file

  • Mahmud Abouhalima

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in March 1994 in the bombing; sentenced to 240 years.

    citation on file

  • John DiGiovanni

    VICTIM

    Dental products salesperson killed in the bombing while parking in the underground garage.

    citation on file

  • Stephen Knapp

    VICTIM

    Chief Maintenance Supervisor, Mechanical Section, killed in the bombing.

    citation on file

  • Ramzi Yousef

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in November 1997 as the organizer of the bombing.

    citation on file

  • Mohammed A. Salameh

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in March 1994 of conspiracy, explosive destruction of property, and interstate transportation of explosives; sentenced to 240 years.

    citation on file

  • Bill Macko

    VICTIM

    General Maintenance Supervisor, Mechanical Section, killed in the bombing.

    citation on file

  • Mohammed Jamal Khalifa

    ACQUITTED

    Arrested in December 1994, deported to Jordan, and acquitted by a Jordanian court.

    citation on file

  • Eyad Ismoil

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in November 1997 for driving the van carrying the bomb.

    citation on file

  • Ahmed Ajaj

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in March 1994 in the bombing; sentenced to 240 years.

    citation on file

  • Abdul Rahman Yasin

    CHARGED

    Indicted for the attack; never apprehended by U.S. authorities; placed on FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list in 2001.

    citation on file

Places

World Trade Center, New York City

40.7117, -74.0136

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On February 26, 1993, a truck bomb detonated in the parking garage beneath the North Tower of the World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring over a thousand in a failed attempt to topple both towers.
Where did the bombing happen?
World Trade Center, New York City.
Who was convicted?
Nidal Ayyad (Convicted in March 1994 in the bombing; sentenced to 240 years.), Mahmud Abouhalima (Convicted in March 1994 in the bombing; sentenced to 240 years.), Ramzi Yousef (Convicted in November 1997 as the organizer of the bombing.), Mohammed A. Salameh (Convicted in March 1994 of conspiracy, explosive destruction of property, and interstate transportation of explosives; sentenced to 240 years.), Eyad Ismoil (Convicted in November 1997 for driving the van carrying the bomb.), and Ahmed Ajaj (Convicted in March 1994 in the bombing; sentenced to 240 years.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. 1993 World Trade Center bombingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — The New York Timesnews · The New York Times · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — FBInews · FBI · 2026-07-07
More cases in United States