1993 World Trade Center bombing — the full case file

Ramzi Yousef aimed to topple the North Tower into the South Tower, killing an estimated 250,000 people. 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. On September 1, 1992, 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. On February 26, 1993, 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. On March 4, 1993, Mohammed A. Salameh is arrested after returning to collect a deposit on the rented Ryder van used in the bombing. On March 18, 1993, the South Tower reopens for tenants. On April 1, 1993, the North Tower reopens. In March 1994, Salameh, Nidal Ayyad, Mahmud Abouhalima, and Ahmad Ajaj are convicted in the bombing. In May 1994, Salameh, Ayyad, Abouhalima, and Ajaj are sentenced to 240 years in prison. On December 14, 1994, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa is arrested; he is later deported to Jordan and acquitted by a Jordanian court. On May 25, 1995, a granite memorial fountain honoring the victims is dedicated on the Austin J. Tobin Plaza. In November 1997, Ramzi Yousef and Eyad Ismoil are convicted in the bombing. In 2001, Abdul Rahman Yasin is placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list. On May 23, 2002, Journalist Lesley Stahl interviews Yasin, held in Iraqi custody, for a 60 Minutes segment. In 2005, a jury assigns 68 percent liability for the bombing to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in civil litigation. On April 29, 2008, a New York State Appeals Court unanimously upholds the jury's liability verdict against the Port Authority. On September 22, 2011, the New York Court of Appeals excludes the Port Authority from claims of negligence related to the 1993 bombing. The case is recorded as solved. This case file is kept in memory of its six victims and the people they loved. The full sourced case file, with every fact cited, is at casepin dot org.

Transcript from the video’s narration track. For every source, open the case file.