to the September 11th, 2001 attacks and replaced it (see post above), here, for the record, is what the various pages originally said, along with their urls and links to Google’s cache for each page:
What happened?
(Google’s cached copy):
BBC last updated: Thursday May 04 2006 09:03 GMT
– this page forms the bulk of the BBC’s ‘new’ page that replaces the ‘guide’. See link in post above.
Who did it?
(Google’s cached copy):
BBC last updated: Wednesday June 20 2007 16:40 GMT
There were 19 hijackers who took control of the four planes. The man that linked them was called Mohamed Atta. He was in the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center.
In February 2003 a man called Mounir al-Motassadek was sent to prison for 12 years for helping some of the hijackers before the attacks, when they were living in Germany.
In May 2006, a man called Zacarias Moussaoui was found guilty in a US court of being involved in the 9/11 attacks. He was sent to prison for the rest of his life.
A man called Osama Bin Laden is thought to have been behind the attacks.
Militant group
Shortly after 11 September 2001, a video was released reportedly showing Bin Laden laughing and boasting about the attacks.
He claimed to have known that they were going to happen and spoke of his joy at seeing the towers collapse.
The US government has been searching for him ever since, but so far has been unable to capture him.
Bin Laden is the leader of al-Qaeda, a militant Islamic group thought to have been behind a number of other attacks on US targets, including embassies in African countries Kenya and Tanzania.
BBC last updated: Friday June 29 2007 10:33 GMT
– this is the page captured in the screen shot featured in the post above.
What is al-Qaeda?
(Google’s cached copy):
BBC last updated: Friday June 29 2007 15:43 GMT
Al-Qaeda has been accused of being behind a series of attacks and bombings since its formation in the late 1980s.
Because of this, it is classed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government.
Members are followers of Islam but they have very extreme beliefs that are different from those of many Muslims.
They believe they are fighting a holy war (jihad) against enemies of their religion.
Al-Qaeda hopes its attacks will make Western countries treat Muslims differently in areas like the Middle East, the Balkans and Chechnya .
People have joined the group from many countries including Britain.
They operate internationally but are thought to be strongest in Arab countries.
How did al-Qaeda start?
(Google’s cached copy):
BBC last updated: Friday June 29 2007 15:37 GMT
Al-Qaeda, means ‘the base’.
The organisation was set up by a man called Osama Bin Laden in 1988.
Many volunteers from Arab countries had gone to Afghanistan during the 1980s. They wanted to help the Afghans fight in a conflict against a place called the Soviet Union.
The volunteers supported the Afghans as they were also followers of Islam. For them, the battle was a Jihad or holy war .
When the conflict was over, al-Qaeda was set up to continue the jihad against people the volunteers thought were enemies of Islam.
Al-Qaeda is thought to operate in 40 to 50 countries around the world.
How many people were killed?
(Google’s cached copy):
BBC last updated: Thursday May 04 2006 15:02 GMT
About 3,000 people died in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Around a 100 of these were British.
About 260 died on board the four aeroplanes.
The number of dead also included about 300 New York firefighters.
And finally:
What’s happening to the WTC site?
(Google’s cached copy):
BBC last updated: hursday May 04 2006 13:30 GMT
– pretty straightforward details of development plans for the Ground Zero site.
Al-Qaeda has been accused of being behind a series of attacks and bombings since its formation in the late 1980s
Just accused BBC, who by? Those lying Americans? The Jews?
Why not just give the kids the facts?
Al-Qaeda is behind a series of attacks, bombings, beheading’s, murders and atrocities carried out since its formation in the late 1980s
It’s not as if A-Q is protesting its innocence, is it?
“We did it, and inshallah we’ll do it again!”
“… because the Americans accused you the first time.”
“No, it was us, and we hate you.”
“Because of unjustified American accusations against you.”
“No, because you’re evil kufr scum. You will die.”
“Oh, come, come. You’re only giving the Americans ammunition now…”
everybody dies sooner or later…
unless they are killed or murdered before that…
does no-one at the bbc understand that ‘people were killed’ and ‘peopled died’ are not synonymous, even though the final fate is the same?
or is that being too judgemental and moralistic? so much for murder convictions – ‘yes, m’lud, i stabbed him and he died, but that doesn’t mean i killed him!”
hmm…did someone here not mention sometime back that in bbc-speak, where there is muslim vs non-muslim conflict, only muslims can be killed, and non-muslims can only die?
i wonder where they ever got that idea from