On the morning of September 11th, 2001, only minutes after the first plane hit the World Trade Center’s North Tower, former FBI Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Christopher Combs was racing to the airport to fly to and assist in New York. As an FBI Counterterrorism leader, he was needed immediately at the Twin Towers; but he received another urgent message – a massive explosion had just hit the Pentagon. Combs quickly rerouted. He arrived at the devastation and chaos at the Pentagon, only 6 minutes after the attack. The world’s largest office building was ablaze, unknown numbers had been killed and many more were injured – and trapped inside. While overseeing the immense investigation and enormous, ongoing rescue operations, Combs also had to content with the imminent threat of a major structural collapse of the western side of the Pentagon and a new alert that 4th hijacked plane was only minutes away from Washington D.C. – a possible 2nd strike on the Pentagon.
For the next many tense and harrowing weeks following 9/11, Combs served as the FBI On- Scene Commander at the Pentagon and then as the FBI representative to Unified Command for the duration of on-scene operations. In addition to his work on-site at the Pentagon, Combs was part of the FBI’s leadership that would uncover and thwart numerous terrorist attacks orchestrated to kill Americans across the U.S. and abroad.
In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Combs will present a unique, expert and first-hand account of Al Qaeda’s attack on the Pentagon and the U.S.’s ensuing counterterrorism decisions and actions, which have shaped not just our nation, but much of the world, since 2001.
