Destruction of Evidence

The evidence of the 3 largest structural failures in history -- the structural steel -- was removed and recycled as quickly as possible.

• The city accepted a plan by Controlled Demolition Inc. for the recycling of the steel, 11 days after the attack.
• The steel was sold to scrap metal vendors for a low price.
• The vast majority of the steel was quickly removed to ships destined for blast furnaces in India and China.
• New infrastructure was built to accelerate the removal.
• Investigators were barred from Ground Zero, except for one "guided tour". People were threatened with arrest for taking photographs.
• The evidence destruction operation was conducted over the concerted objections of victims' family members and the firefighting community.