ABSTRACT
T demonstrated the importance that terrorist acts can have for citizens and residents of the United States. These deadly attacks reinforced the fact that terrorism had been a significant problem for the rest of the world for a long time. Further, the terrorists involved in these attacks used a new and very deadly way of creating fear and terror in a population when civilian airliners loaded with fuel and passengers became the weapons used in the assaults. This use of airliners to destroy the World Trade Center was the single most deadly terrorist act known to have happened. The nature of the weapon used and timing of the attacks made it very clear that the terrorists intended to cause as many casualties as possible on the ground (in addition to the passengers in the airplanes). The airliner that crashed into the Pentagon was not as deadly in terms of the results, but the intent in this case was to cause massive casualties as well, and many did die in this assault. The fourth airliner that was hijacked did not reach its target, which would appear to have been somewhere in the Washington DC area. While it is doubtful that the intended target for this airliner will ever be known for sure, it is very likely that it was taken over to attack a major government building and/or to cause a large number of deaths on the ground. Its delayed departure from the Newark airport meant that it was taken over later than the other three flights, and passengers on this plane became aware of their likely fate. Evidence suggests that the plane crashed when the passengers attempted to recapture the aircraft and prevent the hijackers from using it as a weapon as had been the case with the other three aircraft. Even if the hijackers had maintained control of the aircraft, however, it is likely that it would have been shot down before it would have been allowed to reach the Washington area since authorities were aware of the fact that the plane was off course and presumed to be under the control of more hijackers.
