Survivor in dramatic tale of escape from World Trade Centre 'made it all up'

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Daily Mail

For six years, Tania Head symbolised the courage and determination of 9/11 survivors.

She told a dramatic story of how she was set ablaze when a plane smashed into the 78th floor of the World Trade Centre south tower as she waited for a business meeting.

It made her one of the chosen few, the 19 survivors who were at or above the floors where the planes hit. Another 2,974 people died as the towers collapsed - including her fiance.

9/11 'survivor' Tanya Head meets then New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani after the attacks on the World Trade Centre

Her account reduced many people to tears and inspired thousands more. At a memorial service last year she said: "What I witnessed there I will never forget. It was a lot of death and destruction, but I also saw hope."

Miss Head, 35, became president and a leading fundraiser of the World Trade Centre Survivors' Network, a charity set up to help victims, families and friends traumatised by the attacks. She gave guided tours of Ground Zero, vividly recounting her experiences.

But yesterday she was exposed as a fake.

The New York Times began to probe her background after she ducked out of three interviews to commemorate the sixth anniversary this month. Reporters who talked to people she had mentioned found none of them knew much about her.

As officials try to discover if she was actually anywhere near the World Trade Centre, even her name is now in doubt.

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