The following article appeared in the Oct. 25, 2001, issue of “Rolling Stone.” Novelist Robert Stone wrote most of what follows in 1993, after a van full of explosives under the World Trade Center killed six and caused almost $600 million in damage. His acclaimed 1998 novel, “Damascus Gate,” explored the themes of Middle East terrorism, religious fanaticism, and murderous violence. PUT YOURSELF in the mind’s eye of the conspirator. Whoever he is, it’s likely he first saw the city from the air, looked out and saw the Twin Towers mirroring each other’s dizzying rise. Maybe he stood at the...