On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 hijackers from several nationalities but aligned with Al-Qaeda flew four planes that led to the deaths of all aboard these commercial jets, and many more in World Trade Center and Pentagon. 

Despite the overwhelming evidence in support of what happened, a small number, fueled by populists, reject this notion in favor of a series of highly contradictory explanations. These narratives are either launched or amplified by authoritarians, seeking perhaps converts to their ideology, perhaps trivializing what happened to the victims.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in Georgia. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His Twitter account is @JohnTures2.