A 9/11 conspiracy theory says evidence that a plane hit the Pentagon just doesn’t exist.
A Sept. 12 Instagram post shared a photo of the Pentagon after it had been struck in 2001, along with the words: “Never forget no plane debris was found at the Pentagon.” The post also said, “There is no CCTV footage & trillions went missing from the budget.”
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) The post was later removed from Instagram.
The claim is unfounded. FBI photographs of the Pentagon from that day show the remnants of the American Airlines plane that flew into the building. It is among numerous conspiracy theories and false claims that have proliferated in the 21 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The Pentagon was the third building hit during the attacks. The twin towers of the previous World Trade Center in New York City were hit just hours before. And a fourth plane that was en route to another target in Washington, D.C., crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers overtook the hijackers.
Deaths at the Pentagon that day numbered 184; nearly 3,000 died in total during the entire attack.
The second part of the claim — that there is no closed-caption TV footage and trillions went missing from the budget — also has been debunked by The Associated Press.
There are photos of plane debris from the Pentagon on 9/11; we rate the claim that there was no plane debris Pants on Fire!
RELATED: Yes, a plane crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001
Truth-o-meter Ruling
IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT
-
There was clear evidence, including plane debris onsite, that an airplane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11.
-
More than 180 people died at the Pentagon that day.
Statement
Context
an imageSpeaker/Target
Statement Date
Our Sources
The Associated Press, "Posts falsely claim no airplane debris found at Pentagon on 9/11," Sept. 13, 2022
Instagram post, Sept. 12, 2022
ABC News, FBI rereleases 9/11 Pentagon photos, accessed Sept. 12, 2022
CNN, September 11 Terror Attacks Fast Facts, Aug. 25, 2022
U.S. Defense Department, The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, accessed Sept. 14, 2022
The Washington Post, What was Flight 93’s target on 9/11? Sept. 9, 2021
Translations
Language: en