CONSPIRACY THEORIESAntisemitic 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Endure and Evolve 25 Years Later

When ADL published its first report on 9/11 conspiracy theories in 2003, it noted that the internet allowed an “unprecedented cross-fertilization of antisemitic ideas” and that they contributed to a “new form of global antisemitism.” The report also noted that these conspiracy theories were likely to endure and “form the basis of a new antisemitic canard that will linger for decades and be used to demonize Jews and Israel.”

The report was prescient. The so-called 9/11 “truther” movement, once a niche subculture presented with a pseudoscientific veneer, has shifted over time into simplified and sweeping claims about supposed Jewish and Zionist power.

Conspiratorial claims about 9/11 have significantly evolved in the 25 years since the terror attacks of that day, becoming deeply embedded into a broader extremist and antisemitic worldview, propelled by new technologies and embraced by new generations.

Each year, dozens of antisemitic incidents tracked by ADL for the Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents include 9/11 conspiracy theories. The number grew dramatically in the past few years, from 35 such incidents in 2022 to 68 in 2025.

Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have enabled purveyors of 9/11 conspiracy theories to manufacture synthetic “proof” for their claims that Jews orchestrated the attacks and that broadly accepted narratives about the attacks are false. Social media platforms, too, facilitate the spread of conspiratorial content to new audiences.

Today, antisemitic 9/11 conspiracy theories are increasingly bundled with other antisemitic canards, as documented in the annual ADL Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. Significant global events, including terror attacks and wars, are inevitably claimed to be “false flag” attacks carried out at the behest of Jews or Israel, with the 9/11 attacks treated as a foundational example of these claims.

New Technologies and Trends Amplify the Spread of 9/11 Conspiracy Theories
Like Holocaust denial, antisemitic 9/11 conspiracy theories often serve as a gateway into antisemitism more broadly. Extremists wield them in an attempt to cause people to question their overall beliefs about Jews and society.

When antisemites and extremists reference 9/11, they often do so alongside other antisemitic slogans or conspiracy theories, including false claims about the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 terror attack on Israel, the Holocaust, the U.S.S. Liberty incident  and the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the ADL Center for Technology and Society has also noted, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) has also been increasingly weaponized to create antisemitic and extremist content, including about 9/11.