University of Manchester - 9/11 conspiracies analysed

What is believed to be the first academic study of 9/11 conspiracy theories has been conducted by a University of Manchester academic. Published this month in the journal New German Critique, Peter Knight's work lists the most popular conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11 and sorts them into "letting it happen on purpose" (claiming the Bush Administration allowed 9/11 to happen despite warnings) and "making it happen on purpose" (claiming the US Government conspired actively to make it happen). Dr Knight said the conspiracies gave an insight into how people made sense of the world around them. "Official explanations see America as an innocent victim of a catastrophic event that came out of the blue, explained by an all-powerful conspiracy motivated by Osama bin Laden's evil lust for power. The problem is that this has strong similarities to conspiracy theories that argue that George Bush is himself head of an all-powerful conspiracy," Dr Knight said.