The top ten 9/11 conspiracy theories

As the 10th anniversary of Al-Qaeda's devastating attack on New York's World Trade Center approaches, some people continue to espouse alternative explanations for the atrocity. Here are the most well-known of the conspiracy theories.

1. Neo-cons
Neo-cons at the Council on Foreign Relations initiated or permitted the attacks to initiate US conflict in the Middle East, and establish America as the sole global power. In 2000 they'd said that only an event like a new Pearl Harbour could catalyse such militarism. While at the University of Chicago, it's claimed, future neo-con Paul Wolfowitz used to talk 'all the time' about such things.

2. Mossad
Israeli agents orchestrated events to involve America in battles with enemies of the Jewish state. This theory plays particularly on the news that five men with links to Mossad and with lots of money in their socks were seen preparing to film the attacks.

3. Friends in oil
Seventy-five top professors and scientists comprising '9/11 Scholars For Truth' believe people in the oil industry, along with President Bush, puppetered the events to secure oil reserves. It is claimed they arranged a 'stand-down' of the air-force for the event. Some see a cover-up to protect the Saudi royal family and Enron's interests in Afghanistan. Others see an Al-Qaeda chain of command which ran through pro-Western Saudis and Pakistani intelligence to forces in the US (and MI6).

4. Psychos
Scientologists have claimed that 'Thetan psychologists', with evil in mind, controlled the hijackers' actions using 'drugs and psycho-political methods'.

5. The towers' owners
This theory proposes that the destruction of the towers required explosive demolition. Ownership of the building had changed, for the first time, shortly before the 9/11 attacks, and new owner Larry Silverstein made a $500m insurance profit. Theorists note that John O'Neill, a senior counter-intelligence officer (who had resigned from the FBI in August 2001) took over security at the WTC on the day of the attacks.

6. The CIA
Some believe that the CIA was kept informed of the attack by Al-Qaeda and blocked FBI investigations, by saying they would stop it before it happened - but then allowed it. Others argue that the CIA was directly involved and point to reports of explosions in different parts of the Towers, and that WTC Building 7, which has CIA offices in it, was demolished, which they believe was an attempt to destroy evidence of the centre of operations for the Twin Towers attack next door.

7. The military-industrial complex
Forces at the Pentagon, keen on a coup d'etat by the military-industrial complex, are said to have covered up that a drone plane or missile hit the Pentagon. Furthermore they shot down Flight 93 into a field when it became surplus to requirements. Some, including former MI5 whistleblower David Shaylor, believe no planes were involved in the attack, but missiles shrouded in holograms.

8. Sino forces
Others, noting that Bush's presidency began with a US spy plane drama over China, propose that 9/11 was a strike against America by the Chinese.

9. New world order
A higher government, possibly linked to the Knights Templar, kept Bush and Cheney in the dark or used them as patsies, and also controlled Bin Laden.

10. Robbers
Comex was believed to have had $950m worth of gold under the WTC prior to the attack, and only $230m is said to have been recovered, leading some to believe 9/11 was the cover for a massive robbery or fraud; the biggest 'safe cracking' ever. ·