No, I think you are very wrong. Over an ocean only kills the people on the plane. Over land they get more people, property and more news coverage. Over the ocean, no photos, little fanfare. Try to think like they think.
Then they don’t care about Detroit, they will go for LA or Ny. These are rehearsals or diversions for the real ones
Publicity and coverage, you’re right. Back in Clinton’s day, they never got any credit. They were shooting them out of the sky over New York right and left with rocket launchers, shoe bombs, whatever, and Clinton blamed pilots, faulty wiring, pigeons, whatever the media would report. Finally they did 911, pretty hard to ignore