Posted on 09/11/2001 5:15:20 PM PDT by Map Kernow
THE pilots of the four hijacked aircraft were probably murdered before their planes were diverted on their devastating suicide missions, terrorism experts speculated.
No fewer than 30 highly-trained renegades - some 'graduates' of a secret school of terrorism - would have been involved in the extraordinarily well synchronised series of deadly attacks.
As experts pieced together their audacious operation, it was clear that no pilot would have steered their plane into a building packed with people.
Instead, it is possible they were shot dead in the cockpit and their seats taken by terrorists with at least a rudimentary ability to manoeuvre the jets into their devastating suicide flight paths.
But there was also speculation the pilots realised the full horror of what was going to happen and tried to do something to stop it. This might explain why the United Airlines plane from Newark crashed into a wood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, rather than a city landmark.
Either way, experts were agog at how four planes were able to be hijacked at the same time.
Details of an operation that was as technically outstanding as it was horrific will no doubt emerge in the coming days.
Mike Yardley, a terrorism expert and former army officer, said: "This is a stunning security and intelligence failure. In both those spheres, major errors have evidently occurred. Heads should roll.
"One could have conceived of one or even a couple of planes being hijacked, but to coordinate the hijack of four or more is absolutely extraordinary.
"Intelligence agencies should have picked up some warning."
The terrorists' operation could have been years in the planning and would have almost certainly involved cooperation from men on the ground.
Hijack expert Dr John Potter said the suicide hijackers could have attended a secret school of hijack training.
"It is quite possible that those involved were graduates of that training school, wherever it might be. There is a suspicion it exists somewhere," he said.
Those involved on the ground may have been airport staff who were 'sleepers' - terrorists prepared to bide their time before striking.
"People might have infiltrated into aviation systems years ago and then merely waited to ensure that all the attacks worked," said Kieran Daly, editor of the Air Transport Intelligence Internet news service.
Modern weapons made from materials other than plastic may also have been used to avoid detection at airport terminals.
And the fact that all the hijacked planes were domestic flights made it easier for the terrorists, who would have struggled to hijack an international airliner.
Wonder who did it. There aren't many outfits this good, and not usually third world fanatics. Much slicker than a truck bomb.
And yes, looking around any airport will quickly convince you that lots of people with access to the airplane never had a background check.
Iraq/Iran/China/Russia?
The fact that President Bush and his team are fighting not only the enemies of this nation from without - but also the TRAITOROUS CLINTONISTAS FROM WITHIN - makes this time so much more difficult than it is even now! Please, President Bush, DO NOT ASSUME that people offering you help are sincere. Some of them are probably working to destroy you....perhaps even in conjunction with these "terrorists". All suspected enemies of this country should be rounded up and held incommunicado - including Hitlery and Bubba Clinton and their "lieutenants".
tb, do you really mean that or are you just saying that to agree with me for once and to give me a smile on an otherwise bad day? LOL
May God bless all those who suffered a loss today.
That is why we need to start doing them in, and keep doing them in with regularity. They DO understand the use of force.
There will be more if we leave them alive, we need to go after them big time, not just a half-hearted effort. We need to get anyone who is on their side even if they aren't directly involved.
You put into words exactly what I was thinking.
I'd like to add that having beaten the hijackers to a pulp but before they expire, the hijackers should then be smeared with pork fat.
How the hell do you KNOW what happened on board those flights? How the hell do you or anyone else at this point KNOW that no one on those flights had the "cojones" that you do?
YOU DON'T!!!
Enough of this "Rambo" stuff, please!! Show some respect.
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