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The Falling Man

September 11th, 2007 at 6:53 am . by nuke
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, was the mastermind of the attacks. He proposed such an operation to bin Laden in 1996; in late 1998 or early 1999, bin Laden approved it, and Mohamed Atef, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and bin Laden began assembling the hijacker teams.Central to the plot was the “Hamburg Cell” a group of well-educated Muslims who had become radicalized while living in Germany. The three members — Atta, Shehhi and Jarrah — who could obtain U.S. visas piloted three of the four aircraft hijacked on 9-11.Also involved were two veteran al-Qaeda members, Mihdhar and Hazmi, who tried and failed to become pilots. They ultimately served as muscle on American Airlines 77, which crashed into the Pentagon. It was piloted by Hani Hanjour, another al-Qaeda recruit with flying experience who was added to the plot as it progressed.Providing the bulk of the muscle were 13 young hijackers, 12 of them Saudi, who were gathered and trained in Afghanistan. Many came from the poorer parts of Saudi Arabia; most were unmarried and had no more than a high school education. It is believed they were not briefed on details of the plot until they reached the United States.

The plan, as originally conceived by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, involved hijacking 10 planes, 9 of which would be used as missiles. In addition to the World Trade Center and Pentagon, additional targets included CIA and FBI headquarters, nuclear power plants, and the tallest buildings in California and Washington State. KSM himself would land the 10th plane at a U.S. airport, kill all adult males on board, and then deliver a speech to the news media castigating U.S. support for Israel, the Philippines and Arab governments…excerpted from globalsecurity.com.

Video: The Falling Man

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8 Responses to “The Falling Man”

  1. comment number 1 by:   My Obligatory 9/11 Post - The Detroit Times
    September 11th, 2007 at 10:32 am

    […] Blog, Right Truth, Inside the Northwest Territory, DragonLady’s World, Shadowscope, Nuke’s News & Views, Webloggin, Leaning Straight Up, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, […]

  2. comment number 2 by: no2liberals
    September 11th, 2007 at 1:52 pm

    I always think of the wonderful piece in Esquire magazine when I think of or hear the phrase “Falling Man.”
    It was quite possibly the finest piece I’ve ever read, and captures the agony, anger, despair, horror, and heartache, in the search for the identity of the “Falling Man.”
    You can read it here.

    IN THE PICTURE, he departs from this earth like an arrow. Although he has not chosen his fate, he appears to have, in his last instants of life, embraced it. If he were not falling, he might very well be flying. He appears relaxed, hurtling through the air. He appears comfortable in the grip of unimaginable motion. He does not appear intimidated by gravity’s divine suction or by what awaits him. His arms are by his side, only slightly outriggered. His left leg is bent at the knee, almost casually. His white shirt, or jacket, or frock, is billowing free of his black pants. His black high-tops are still on his feet. In all the other pictures, the people who did what he did–who jumped–appear to be struggling against horrific discrepancies of scale. They are made puny by the backdrop of the towers, which loom like colossi, and then by the event itself. Some of them are shirtless; their shoes fly off as they flail and fall; they look confused, as though trying to swim down the side of a mountain. The man in the picture, by contrast, is perfectly vertical, and so is in accord with the lines of the buildings behind him. He splits them, bisects them: Everything to the left of him in the picture is the North Tower; everything to the right, the South. Though oblivious to the geometric balance he has achieved, he is the essential element in the creation of a new flag, a banner composed entirely of steel bars shining in the sun. Some people who look at the picture see stoicism, willpower, a portrait of resignation; others see something else–something discordant and therefore terrible: freedom. There is something almost rebellious in the man’s posture, as though once faced with the inevitability of death, he decided to get on with it; as though he were a missile, a spear, bent on attaining his own end. He is, fifteen seconds past 9:41 A.M. EST, the moment the picture is taken, in the clutches of pure physics, accelerating at a rate of thirty-two feet per second squared. He will soon be traveling at upwards of 150 miles per hour, and he is upside down. In the picture, he is frozen; in his life outside the frame, he drops and keeps dropping until he disappears.

    That opening paragraph still chills me, and pisses me off at those who did this, and would do so again.

  3. comment number 3 by: CommonSenseAmerica - Illegal Immigration, America, Freedom, News and Opinion » Illegal Immigration Debate Hits Craig’s List
    September 11th, 2007 at 4:04 pm

    […] Nation, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, Inside the Northwest Territory, The Populist, Shadowscope, Nuke’s News & Views, Webloggin, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Pursuing Holiness, Diary of […]

  4. comment number 4 by: CommonSenseAmerica - Illegal Immigration, America, Freedom, News and Opinion » Senate Votes To Put The Brakes On Mexican Trucks!
    September 11th, 2007 at 5:46 pm

    […] Nation, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, Inside the Northwest Territory, The Populist, Shadowscope, Nuke’s News & Views, Webloggin, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Pursuing Holiness, Diary of […]

  5. comment number 5 by: Rosemary's Thoughts
    September 11th, 2007 at 7:43 pm

    9/11 and The Military…

    On this day, let us remember also all of those who are in harms way to protect us here at home. Whether they are first responders or Rangers in the Marines, I want to send a great big THANK YOU to you. You are not forgotten, no matter what you may re…..

  6. comment number 6 by: 9/11 + 6 | Adam's Blog
    September 11th, 2007 at 11:31 pm

    […] Right Truth, Big Dog’s Weblog, Inside the Northwest Territory, The Populist, Shadowscope, Nuke’s News & Views, Webloggin, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Pursuing Holiness, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, […]

  7. comment number 7 by:   Absolute Proof that Liberals HATE our troops… - The Detroit Times
    September 12th, 2007 at 1:41 am

    […] Blog @ MoreWhat.com, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam’s Blog, Inside the Northwest Territory, Nuke’s News & Views, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, […]

  8. comment number 8 by: 9/11 and The Military « Rosemary’s News and Ideas
    July 17th, 2008 at 2:48 am

    […] Big Dog’s Weblog, Inside the Northwest Territory, The Populist, The World According to Carl, Nuke’s News & Views, Planck’s Constant, Conservative Cat, Pursuing Holiness, Outside the Beltway, Pirate’s […]

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