Media365
The period after the 9/11 attacks in New York City in 2001 was a major chapter in the history of the US. It is widely considered one of the most shocking and barbaric terror attacks on foreign soil. Reportedly, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the third into the Pentagon (headquarters of the US Department of Defense) in Arlington County, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in a rural Pennsylvania field during a passenger revolt. The 9/11 attacks killed 2,977 people, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in history.
In the aftermath of the attacks, security in the US was beefed up and reports of discrimination against Muslims and people of colour also became frequent. Suniel Shetty, who recently featured in a podcast, revealed that he was treated badly at the US airport by the authorities.
“I was taken at gunpoint because I had this beard. We had just started shooting again a few days later. I was walking into the hotel, got into the lift, and realised I had forgotten my keys. There was an American gentleman there, and I asked him, ‘Do you have the keys? Because I forgot mine and my staff is out.’ He ran out and created a commotion. Within moments, armed cops stormed in and yelled, ‘Down or we shoot!’” Suniel recalled about the incident. “I didn’t know what was happening. I had to go down on my knees, and they handcuffed me,” he added.
“That’s when the production team arrived, and the hotel manager explained that I was an actor. The whole incident was insane. There was so much chaos, and I had no idea what would happen next,” he said.
