Chaos Unleashed: a 9/11 with WMDs TL

Alright, this came from an idea I've been playing around with. I hope y'all enjoy it, AH is a theoretical exercise after all. I do not want flame wars starting over my TL. OK?








It was just another dull early September morning in Manhattan, New York City, which seemed no different from any other September morning, nothing out of the ordinary. The roads were getting crowded with people, cars and buses as morning rush hour got started while the subway was filling with ever growing crowds of commuters headed for work. In the meantime, President George W. Bush, who had been in charge for only a few months since his inauguration in January 2001, was still asleep although he would go to the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota Florida on a scheduled visit to promote education. No one was expecting what happened that day as they headed for work, doing their usual daily routine. In the meantime, a truck arrived driven by Mohamed Atta and his comrade Abdulaziz al-Omari pulled up in Wall Street and both got out and watched how men in their suits went to work. These type of people represented much of what they hated about America. Non-believers who were ignorant about what their country did and ignorant of the will of God.

Very soon they would unleash the holy war. They watched as the infidels went to work for their imperialist, infidel masters. Both of the men glared full of hatred at the thousands of infidels which would soon feel the wrath of Allah. They would have to wait, however, until the time was right so they could kill as many as possible. None of the people here would elude them. Before they became martyrs for God, they would eat. Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari crossed the street to a diner and ate their last meals before prayer. In the meantime the truck remained as it was with its deadly cargo. The cargo was a stolen Pakistani nuclear warhead which had been obtained by Al Qaeda with inside help from the ISI and the Pakistani army. From Karachi it had been smuggled into the United States using a cargo vessel as a clandestine means of transport. It had been offloaded in New York harbour disguised as a vending machine several days ago. Now the weapon was waiting to be detonated while Mohamed and Abdulaziz finished their meal and prayer and walked back to the truck in silence.

They got in the back of their vehicle and went under the sail on the back of the truck that hid their weapon shortly after eight in the morning. With most people having a nine to five job, the number of people travelling in one way or the other was at its peak around now with the usual traffic jams. Still no one seemed to notice them as they armed the bomb because everyone was simply too busy with their daily problems. The two shouted “Allahu Akbar” and seconds later the weapon detonated, incinerating everyone close enough while those further away got flash burns, lethal doses of radiation and were blinded if they happened to look into the blast. The fission reaction was not complete and only a 15 kiloton blast resulted, much less than the expected 150 kilotons because the weapon had not properly been reassembled, but this yield was still sufficient and a lot of radioactive material was dispersed over a large area.

Everything within a 600 metre range was flattened while within 1.1 kilometres ordinary houses were completely devastated and reinforced concrete structures were severely damaged. Any cars and trucks on the section of the FDR Highway east of Wall Street were blown over with many of them ending up in the waters of the East River. The typical mushroom cloud was visible for miles away and the damage was enormous. The financial district of Wall Street itself was completely annihilated. Further away, Chinatown received moderate to severe damage with any ordinary houses still severely damaged and burning. Windows were broken for kilometres away, covering many with cuts or more severe injuries and leaving interiors exposed. Brooklyn Bridge received serious damage while the Manhattan Bridge was shielded by the Brooklyn Bridge and received only superficial damage. On the Brooklyn Bridge, cars and light truck combinations were thrown off the bridge and into the water of the East River too with their wounded victims drowning. Downtown Brooklyn itself received light to moderate damage and the Brooklyn Navy Yard was also lightly damaged as was the Hudson Exchange in New Jersey. Several important structures and landmarks were also damaged in the attack. The section of the FDR Highway between Brooklyn Bridge and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel was destroyed as was the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel had its entrance blocked by burning car wrecks and debris. Broadway received severe to light damage depending on the distance to the epicentre. The Twin Towers stood firm, but lost all their windows and were ablaze, visible for miles away as a symbol of the attacks. Governors Island was also engulfed and received mild to moderate damage, damaging a national landmark. Ellis Island was also damaged while Liberty Island was spared although anyone looking at Manhattan was blinded and everyone there received first degree burns.

55.000 had perished, many without knowing what had hit them. At first it was unclear what had happened. Fire brigades from all nearby counties were sent in and hospitals were flooded to the point of overloading with people covered in glass, second and third degree burns, and suffering from symptoms of what would soon be identified as radiation sickness. Ambulances and fire trucks clogged up the roads which were covered in glass, bodies, debris and burning car wrecks. On a number of blocks within a mile of the blast the sewage pipes and water mains had burst, flooding several streets with radioactive water. The city was in chaos as roads were filled with desperate people trying to get away from the disaster zone while others tried to get in, past police blockades, to find family members or friends or assist the emergency services. Unwittingly, they all exposed themselves to high doses of radiation. In the meantime, communications from the affected area were intermittent as the EMP had knocked out unshielded electronic circuits.

Washington DC was in chaos as reports came flooding, stressing an already very stressed national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice. It was confirmed by hospitals that there were many victims with symptoms of radiation poisoning and this was quickly put together with the mushroom cloud over Lower Manhattan and so around 8:55 AM Rice informed President Bush that a nuclear attack had taken place against the United States. President Bush abruptly cancelled his visit to the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota Florida and declared martial law over New York City while the level of readiness was immediately raised to DEFCON 2 for the first time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Bush ordered the National Guard to be mobilized to assist in evacuating Manhattan, maintain order in the chaos as small scale looting was starting, clear debris from the road, aid in the search for survivors, set up emergency hospitals, bring in food, water and medicine, and help put out the fires that raged in much of Lower Manhattan. Bush, in the meantime flew back with Air Force One shortly hereafter to address the nation, but the chaos of September 11th wasn’t yet over. Between 9:30 and 10:00 AM, two planes were intentionally crashed, one into the Pentagon and the other into the Capitol Building in Washington DC which were the second and third attacks on this day of terror and they only added to the panic. The fourth and last attack was on the Philadelphia subway where sarin was released, killing hundreds more to which President Bush responded by raising the readiness level to DEFCON 1, a level never officially used and meant only for imminent or ongoing attack against the United States. Martial law was expanded to the entire country and borders were now locked off while FBI, police and army were going through any ships trying to get into the USA, slowing down trade. Al Qaeda had declared war on the United States of America. America was shocked, terrified and especially outraged upon learning of the nuclear attack and Bush’s address in which he declared a “war on terror”. September 11th was henceforth, to quote the (in)famous words of President Roosevelt, a day which would live in infamy. September 11th 2001 left a nation in shock, but outrage followed and America’s enemies would soon find out what exactly that meant as America readied itself for war.

Ooh... Quite disturbing to read, but good so far.

oh boy, a WMD 9/11?

Even William Blum and Howard Zinn are going to be calling for blood.

Really excellent so far!! It makes you wonder what the response really would be. Kill em all and let God sort em out? Nuking any countries' cities would be an option, but this War on Terror isn't like a conventional war on a country, so it makes you wonder what would really happen in this worst case scenario...

I can't wait for the next installment

The war will focus on Afghanastan and Pakistan, Iraq will Saddam will likely dodge a bullet here. His and a few other regimes will bend over backwards to co-oparate with the UN it comes to wepens inspections.

Iran will face a far more hostile USA, North Korea will keep working on building a working nuke. Both nations are really too big/powerful for the US to invade and occupy.

Even so this TL will be a bloody mess.

One thing that will happen - no hiding place. NO country is going to do anything to help them. Either they are appaled and/or terrified themselves, or they are going to be terrified of what the USA might do to them if there is even the hint of them supporting the terrorists.

Also, you can forget about anyone whining about just how they interrogate prisoners for a while....

The after effects here won't be pretty. You've wiped out NYSE and a good chunk of the US financial services industry including the HQ of Goldman Sachs. The economic effects from the damage will be global in scope. Depending on exactly where you've set the epicenter, City Hall itself will be badly damaged or destroyed, complicating the city's response to the disaster. Also, not to be ignored is the fact that because 9/11 was a crystal-clear day, there will be a lot of pilots of commercial aircraft departing from or arriving in the NY area blinded by the flash from the explosion; I'd expect a number of aircraft to go down all over the metro area as a result, which would add to the chaos. This is a chilling scenario.

Onkel, you do realsie you just made America into Kratos?

Another thing: I could see martial law declared all over the US as entire divisions of National Guard, Army and Marines evacuate many city centers, especially after it is known that a nuclear device went off. There would be a TON of searches of suspicious cars, trucks and people. As what happened on 9/11 IOTL, the borders would be locked down - and who knows for how long, which would really hurt trade b/w the US, Canada and Mexico. I could also imagine a massive outcry by the public in the days and weeks after the event over just how a nuclear device made it into the US in the first place.

This would result in a heated debate over searching every container on every ship that enters US ports which would dramatically slow down world trade. Coupled with the literal vaporization of many of the US's financial institutions, we'd be in for one HELL of a bumpy ride.

It would also take many years to really gather the final death toll. As with Hiroshima, Nagasaki and even Chernobyl, the effects would be felt for decades. Perhaps one bright spot (if its even possible) is that there would probably be a worldwide ban on the possession of nuclear weapons at all by any nation with the United States leading the way, for better or for worse.

Also the world's perception of the United States itself would be dramatically altered, just as it was immediately following 9/11 IOTL - especially if they don't go into Iraq at all. Also, depending on his response to these attacks, George the Younger is a one term President or a two termer and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

Time for some Taliban and Al Qaeda asskicking...





“An attack of unprecedented scale has taken place on American soil, without warning and without provocation. Thousands of innocents have died and the sword has been unsheathed. We will track down those responsible for what they did to our beautiful country. America will strike back, we declare a war on terror. Those who wish to harm our people, beware. We shall not falter, we shall not fail and we shall never surrender.”



In the wake of the attack a massive operation was set up in New York to evacuate Manhattan. US Army engineering corps units were busy fixing the damaged Brooklyn Bridge and clear debris around the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. In the meantime, the island’s inhabitants were evacuated by truck, bus, SWAT vehicle, police car, ambulance, fire truck, helicopter, ship or hovercraft, whatever was available, and were brought to tent camps away from the radiation cloud that was drifting out to sea. Emergency hospitals brought relief to the sick although still many more would die in the following days due to their burns compounded by infection and radiation disease ravaging their immune system. Many of those who survived the first few days of agony were liable to get cancer later on in life and so many of the casualties of 9/11 were still to die. In the meantime, US forces in radiation suits cleared debris in Lower Manhattan and searched for survivors among the smouldering ruins in a strongly coordinated action. Food, clean drinking water, medicine and shelter were utmost priority and flocks of Hercules C-130 cargo airplanes brought in tonnes of it although it was rapidly being consumed by the thousands that were still in the US Army’s military field hospitals in New Jersey and Long Island. In the meantime helicopters and airplanes from the surrounding states were trying to put out the fires in Lower Manhattan which was hermetically sealed off after evacuation was complete and the search for survivors was ceased. In Washington, similar but smaller operations were busy digging out survivors of the attacks on the Capitol and the Pentagon. All these actions were under the authority of the army, the National Guard and FEMA since city hall had been severely damaged in the attack, thus making a coordinated response by the city very difficult indeed.

Very soon the economic after effects of the attack would be felt too. The New York Stock Exchange was levelled and its records were destroyed thanks to the EMP. A good portion of the world’s financial services was also gone, including the headquarters of Goldman-Sachs. Borders with Canada and Mexico remained locked and trade was strongly hampered as any ships trying to enter American ports were carefully inspected. Martial law over the entire country remained in place as entire army and National Guard divisions were mobilized although the readiness was lowered to DEFCON 2 when it became clear no more attacks would follow soon. The result was a dramatic drop in economic growth everywhere and this was only the beginning of an economic crisis of a global scale. Fortunately, many companies kept their own records outside of New York and so it wasn’t a total loss, but still a devastating blow to the world’s economy. Many airlines were also hit by a decline in their stock value because a large number of aircraft had crashed because the pilots were blinded by the blast and because the EMP had knocked out their automated pilots, adding to the destruction and chaos.

In the meantime all agencies from the FBI to the CIA, NSA and unnamed agencies were trying to find the culprits until Al Qaeda claimed responsibility a few days after the attack. In the meantime much needed foreign aid arrived in America from the US’s NATO allies. In the wake of the disaster and the announcement from Al Qaeda that they were behind the attack a number of hate crimes against Muslims living in America took place and the membership numbers of neo-Nazi groups, the Ku Klux Klan and other extreme rightwing groups made a temporary upsurge as they preached white, Christian supremacy and spewed racist propaganda toward, at this time, mainly Muslims although Hindus, who were sometimes mistaken for Muslims, were also victim of hate crimes on occasion. This was only temporary as the US directed its anger to the outside, mainly to Afghanistan which denied knowing where Osama Bin-Laden was hiding even though the CIA had intelligence about a strong Al Qaeda presence in Taliban controlled Afghanistan (the Taliban were terrified and were therefore probably telling the truth although Washington did not care). In the meantime, the origin of the fissile material was traced to Pakistan which was suddenly embarrassed as its intelligence agency and army were now exposed as being riddled with corrupt officers and their security as being a basket case. The US quickly made clear its demands to Islamabad:

1. Pakistan must dismantle its uranium enriching and plutonium production facilities under IAEA and US supervision.
2. Pakistan must dismantle its nuclear arsenal and delivery capabilities under IAEA and US supervision.
3. Pakistan must allow US Special Forces and US intelligence operatives to cross the border into Pakistani territory to capture high profile Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders in hiding, locate and destroy terrorist training camps and destroy their infrastructure, thus taking away their capability to strike at the United States.
4. Pakistan must extradite captured terrorist leaders to America to stand trial at a war crimes tribunal.
5. Known Al Qaeda operatives must be handed over to the appropriate authorities.

In the meantime, a number of carrier groups and SSBNs were moved to the Indian Ocean. Pakistani general and pseudo-dictator Pervez Musharraf refused these terms and claimed he would capture the perpetrators and extradite them to the United States so they could be punished. This was an offer that was not considered enough since this did not guarantee the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and thus made a future case of nuclear terrorism very possible. This was unacceptable to the United States and so President Bush decided not to await the UN resolution. This was in line with public opinion as the American populace demanded action, that somebody be made to pay for the tens of thousands of casualties of 9/11. Similarly, both the Republicans and Democrats in Congress were clamouring for action and so they easily authorized Bush’s next move. This move was an attack, but use of nuclear weapons wasn’t considered since this was meant to be a moderate response aimed at destroying Pakistani nuclear capabilities. Starting in early October, the US Air Force’s B2 Spirit stealth bombers, F-117 Nighthawks and US Special Forces attacked and destroyed a number of Pakistani nuclear sites, much of their launch capabilities, army bases and air force bases with minimal casualties. Musharraf, in the meantime, was overthrown in a palace coup as few wanted a war with America, especially since the US enjoyed support from hereditary enemy India. The new interim government announced that they agreed to US demands with much of their air defences destroyed and much of their air force decimated or grounded. They agreed to dismantle their nuclear weapon stockpile and nuclear facilities (except for those that could be used for peaceful means) under IAEA and US supervision.



Shortly thereafter the US posited demands with the conservative Islamist Taliban government in Kabul. These were the demands sent by Washington:

1. Deliver to the US all of the leaders of Al Qaeda.
2. Release all imprisoned foreign nationals.
3. Close immediately every terrorist training camp.
4. Hand over every terrorist and their supporters to appropriate authorities.
5. Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps for inspection.

Afghanistan refused these demands as they were an infraction of Afghan sovereignty and because the Taliban denied the existence of terrorist training camps which led to an immediate US response: a declaration of war in early October 2001. The CIA’s Special Activity Division (SAD) was the first American unit on the ground, attacking terrorist camps, staging sabotage actions and contacting/organizing groups in Afghanistan opposed to the Taliban regime such as the Northern Alliance. US Special Forces soon joined them and Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand also deployed forces to Afghanistan while Pakistan and several other countries granted basing rights and over flight permission. In the meantime American bombers destroyed Al Qaeda training camps, and destroyed the Taliban’s weak, inadequate anti-air defences from high altitude with zero casualties. Bombers and Apache helicopter gunships could now operate with impunity. Command, control and communications centres were destroyed after training camps, bases and infrastructure were taken out. Following this, F/A-18 Hornets took out Taliban and Al Qaeda vehicles in pinpoint strikes while their defences were continuously being bombed with daisy cutters, cluster ammunition and liberal doses of bunker buster bombs. Taliban soldiers, who had never experienced US firepower, were often hit standing on top of their defences. Kabul was also bombed and so its electricity supply was cut, covering the city in darkness.


US forces then advanced toward Mazar-i-Sharif which was important not only because it was the site of the sacred Blue Mosque, but also because it was a transportation hub with two airports and a road leading to Uzbekistan. There was some resistance, but it was ruthlessly stamped down on by Apache helicopter gunships who attacked enemy lines and also decimated columns of Taliban soldiers and vehicles trying to relieve the city. The city’s two airports were taken after a 90 minute battle which allowed for humanitarian aid to be flown in and provided a base for the US Air Force and also allowed for heavier equipment to be flown in. American armour, mainly the M1A2 Abrams, was largely invulnerable to Taliban and Al Qaeda fire. Northern Alliance and US forces took the city and were met with cheering crowds who heralded them as liberators from oppressive Taliban rule because their allegiance was to the Northern Alliance. Kabul and a number of other places fell quickly to US brute force to which the Taliban had no answer. Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, was intensively and pin pointedly bombed with laser guided bombs at a very low altitude, destroying their defences and strongholds but also causing a number of civilian casualties.

By early December the US Army and Northern Alliance forces largely controlled Afghanistan and through airports the US presence was increased to 150.000 men, with strong air support, armour support from M1A2 Abrahms tanks, M113 APCs and Humvees, and abundant artillery support. Now NATO forces from just about all member states and even non-NATO states arrived to assist in the occupation. The occupational force was at 200.000 men by the end of the year. The Taliban tried to flee to Pakistan although US forces followed them there. They were also faced with a Pakistani army that was much more compliant to Washington’s wishes. A victory seemed in reach. Al Qaeda and Taliban forces, however, still controlled Tora Bora where they held a number of caves and reinforced concrete bunkers dating back to the Soviet war in Afghanistan (1979-1989). The Taliban at this point offered an armistice, but the US demanded that they extradited Osama Bin-Laden which they failed to do. In order to spare themselves casualties and resources, President Bush authorized the use of a tactical nuclear warhead as a response to the nuclear attack on Manhattan and because popular opinion in America so shortly after 9/11 was still inflamed and demanded some kind of nuclear retaliation. A 50 kiloton B61 free fall atomic bomb dropped by a B2 bomber devastated much of the valley and destroyed most Al-Qaeda/Taliban hideouts, delivering a heavy blow as thousands of Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters were killed in a single attack although it was believed that Bin-Laden had escaped. The few surviving underground holes were taken out with very generous amounts of bunker busters while Taliban/Al Qaeda outposts and camps on the edges of the blast radius that had survived were devastated with more daisy cutters. This led to a response from Al Qaeda which announced renewed attacks on US soil in response to this attack even though by this time security measures were much tighter, the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security and NSA had much more influence and the Patriot Act, which would take away inhibitions on tapping phones, reading e-mail, granting warrants and observing suspected terrorists, was in the making and Congress was eating out of President Bush’s hand since 9/11 (which ensured its ratification). The constitutionally dubious locking up and torturing of alleged terrorists in Guantanamo Bay without trail would also be tolerated to a great degree.

What happens to Broadway?

There was no Dept of Homeland Security before 911

NoOneFamous said:

There was no Dept of Homeland Security before 911

Click to expand...

Ah, OK.

Anyway, here's a nuke simulator for those who wish to simulate what I did:

http://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/gmap/hydesim.html?ll=-73.9848518371582,40.74764711169807&yd=750
Set the epicentre at Wall Street and set the yield for 15 kilotons.

I could imagine that US occupying forces could get away with being much more brutal and totalitarian than in OTL. Insurgencies would definitely be less effective as a result, although obviously public opinion would be even worse.

I think this is going to be good. A few random thoughts:

One possible ticking political bomb here for the Bush Administration would be if the August PDB on Al-Queida planning an attack also existed here adn was similarly not acted upon. What was a survivable controversy OTL might inspire a more heated reaction, given the much greater level of destruction and disruption. That's down the road, though, as I think that didn't come out OTL until 2004. It might have a profound effect on the 2004 election.

I also wonder about the international reaction. My suspicion is that the US would have had a much more cohesive level of support from so-called "Old Europe", as people in Europe wonder whether they, too, might be subject to a nuclear attack. I can see a lot of political upheaval in Europe, given its large population of Muslim immigrants and, perhaps, a much uglier reaction in places like Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany toward these immigrants. Worth remembering is that Atta had been educated in Germany and many of these terrorists had some ties to Europe. An outbreak of xenophobia in Europe isn't all that far-fetched in this scenario. I'd also expect a lot more help from NATO powers in Europe here, especially in Afghanistan -- and a lot more public support for the US.

Moreover, when you get into scenarios of large urban centers being evacuated, you have a prescription for a really massive economic downturn. The national economy isn't going to function particularly well with places like LA, SF, Philly, Chicago and Boston evacuated. Similarly, I've got to wonder how effectively the federal government is going to be functioning. I can see most of the major executive, legislative and military centers of power being relocated under COG plans to places like Site R and Mount Weather, for fear that DC could be a nuclear target.

Long term, this may have the effect of shifting a lot of the global financial services industry out of the US toward places like London and Frankfurt. It's not just GS that is wiped out in New York; firms like Merrill are also going to be very adversely affected. However, firms with offices uptown, like Morgan Stanley, won't be as badly affected. It's important to note, though, that the idea that all records were wiped out isn't realistic. That stuff is backed up off-site several different ways, so firms like GS will be able to reconstruct their records fairly quickly. They will, however, have likely lost a lot of their key personnel, though that's mitigated a bit by the early hour of the attack. Had this occurred at 10AM, it would have been a lot worse.

Its certainly going to have an effect on other western countries with regard to muslims. Probably a far tougher line of those whos been supporting the extremissts, and likely a ban on all immegration (and possible even some repatriation)

One thig, though - doesnt the SE have a non-local backup of data in case of some sort of disaster?

I would be very surprised if they didn't, plus a successful nuke attack on the US make George a One Termer.

Thank God this didn't happen.

Yes the back up data sites are often located some distance away so that in the event of something like a fire in the main building it isn't all destroyed. So the data likely survived just fine.

In a strange twist I can see this attack being much worse in the short term than it was in otl but actually better in the long term. I say this because in one of those moments of complete irony some of the elements that have lead the US economy to end up where it is now are gone, delayed, or just had a sudden change of plans. For example business that wish to export jobs are going to be more reluctant to do so when the cost of sending goods to the US increases noticeably due to new security measures. Yes it likely will not stop everyone but it will cause some to reconsider and may even force some to come back in order to save money. That is unless the government lets up on the tight safety inspections on goods coming in, of course doing that may cause other problems.

An even greater effect will be the sudden drop in the brain drain of many of the various research and development sectors of the economy as the number of young graduates going into the financial sector drops. With this attack their will be less jobs there and less money as the financial sector is forced to recover, plus a greater sense of danger as it is clear, or becomes clear, that the financial sector was deliberately attacked will cause more to go into other fields that just seem safer to their health. As such the amount of new ideas and products that are useful to people are likely to go up as clever people are forced to find new ways to make money instead of coming up with newer and crazier things for the financial sector to do.

Of course this is your time line and depending on what you have happen things could always get worse in the long run instead of better.