Ahead of his 9/11 doc, Spike Lee expresses skepticism over 'official explanations' for deadly attack

Acclaimed and enigmatic filmmaker Spike Lee recently told the New York Times that he is skeptical about the "official explanations" of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. 

While on a publicity run for his new HBO documentary series "New York Epicenter: 9/11-2021 1/2," the New Yorker said, "I mean, I got questions – and I hope that maybe the legacy of this documentary is that Congress holds a hearing, a congressional hearing about 9/11." 

The documentary features New York Democratic politicians including Sen. Chuck Schumer, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Rep. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, in addition to front-line workers. But, the four-part series also features member of notorious 9/11 "truther" organizations and conspiracy theorists.

Times reporter Reggie Ugwu asked Lee why he featured members of a noted conspiracy group called Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, some members of which have worked to popularize the theory that government officials were involved in the planning of the collapse of the World Trade Center and whether he believed the official explanation for the attacks. 

"The amount of heat that it takes to make steel melt, that temperature’s not reached. And then the juxtaposition of the way Building 7 fell to the ground – when you put it next to other building collapses that were demolitions, it’s like you’re looking at the same thing," Lee replied.

The filmmaker also said he believes he is placing information in the hands of viewers, who will decide for themselves what to do.

"I respect the intelligence of the audience," he said.

The independent, bipartisan 9/11 Commission concluded the attacks were carried out by terrorists who hijacked four commercial jets, slamming two into the World Trade Centers' Twin Towers and one into the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Lee, who has has been making films for roughly three decades, won his first competitive Academy Award in 2019 for his work adapting the screenplay of 'BlacKkKlansman."