Talking of astute observations, it's heartening to see that these FBI sleuths are not the bunch of idiots I first thought they were.....
Were All Hijackers in on Suicide Pact?
By Dan Eggen and Peter Finn
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Shortly after hijacked jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, U.S. officials quickly concluded that the terrorists involved were, to a man, murderous zealots bent on suicide.
But nearly five weeks later, FBI investigators and their European counterparts are considering another scenario: that many of the hijackers did not know they were going to die.
Some evidence, combined with knowledge of how Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network has operated in the past, has led some investigators to suggest that as many as 13 members
of the four terrorist teams may have believed they were part of a traditional hijacking operation aimed at landing and issuing demands.
"The reality is that we may never know for sure, but we are viewing that as a real possibility at this point," said one U.S. government official. "It could explain many things. Getting six or
seven people who want to kill themselves is a lot easier than 19."
Officials stress that they have reached no conclusions. Many terrorism experts unconnected with the investigation still believe it is likely that all the hijackers had agreed to die.
But emerging clues have led some investigators to believe that it is just as likely that many did not willingly roar into the twin towers or the Pentagon. The scenario provides an alternate view
of a terrorist plot that was so chilling, in part, because of what appeared to be the unwavering dedication of its conspirators.
Unlike the leaders of the plot -- the pilots of the four hijacked aircraft and at least two others -- the remaining hijackers arrived in the United States later and served primarily, in the words of one top U.S. official, as "the muscle."
[snip]
washingtonpost.com
BTW, you heard it here first:
Message 16426794 |
