The Federal Bureau of Investigation fixed a glitch Friday that made dozens of photos of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks inaccessible for months.
The FBI re-released the photos after making them public in 2011. But a technical problem made them unavailable for months or longer, which made many news outlets report that this was the first time they were made public.
An FBI spokeswoman said the bureau is not sure how long the photos were inaccessible to the public.
The photos featured 27 photos taken by FBI photographers from the ground of the Pentagon following the attack. Vivid photos show rising flames coming from the iconic Viriginia-based military installation shortly after American Airlines flight 77 crashed into the building at approximately 9:37 a.m., killing 184 people.
A number of the photos show debris from the aircraft itself, the American Airline colors and logo, as well as the plane’s serial number. Over the years there have been conspiracy theories that a plane didn’t hit the Pentagon on 9/11, but that it was a missile attack. The FBI photos upon immediate inspection would debunk those ideas.
The photos also show the scale and damage done to the Pentagon by the jetliner as first responders beat back the blaze. The photos also show inside the Pentagon as FBI investigators move through the rubble.
