September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks

The **September 11 Attacks**, commonly known as **9/11**, were four coordinated Islamist suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. In the prime timeline, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners scheduled to travel from the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions of the East Coast to California on the morning of September 11, 2001. The hijackers crashed the first two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, two of the world's five tallest buildings at the time, and aimed the next two flights toward targets in or near Washington, D.C., in an attack on the nation's capital. The third team succeeded in crashing into The Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense in Arlington County, Virginia, while the fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania following a passenger revolt. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and instigated the multi-decade global war on terror.

In the Dark Earth Universe, the **September 11 Attacks** ended quite differently as oppose to the prime timeline's version of the events due to the presence of slightly longer delays. In the prime timeline, United Airlines Flight 93's intended target was saved due to United Airlines Flight 93 being the only flight that was delayed 40 minutes, while the other three flights successfully hit their targets due to having taken off on time.

## Course of events

### Prime timeline

In the prime timeline, four flights were targeted on September 11, 2001. These flights are listed below:

* American Airlines Flight 11: a Boeing 767 aircraft, departed Logan Airport at 7:59 a.m. en route to Los Angeles with a crew of 11 and 76 passengers, not including five hijackers. The hijackers flew the plane into the northern façade of the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City at 8:46 a.m.
* United Airlines Flight 175: a Boeing 767 aircraft, departed Logan Airport at 8:14 a.m. en route to Los Angeles with a crew of nine and 51 passengers, not including five hijackers. The hijackers flew the plane into the southern façade of the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City at 9:03 a.m.
* American Airlines Flight 77: a Boeing 757 aircraft, departed Washington Dulles International Airport at 8:20 a.m. en route to Los Angeles with a crew of six and 53 passengers, not including five hijackers. The hijackers flew the plane into the western façade of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, at 9:37 a.m.
* United Airlines Flight 93: a Boeing 757 aircraft, departed Newark International Airport at 8:42 a.m. en route to San Francisco, with a crew of seven and 33 passengers, not including four hijackers. As passengers attempted to subdue the hijackers, the aircraft crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, near Shanksville, at 10:03 a.m.

There were five hijackers on American Airlines Flight 11: Mohamed Atta, Abdulaziz al-Omari, Wail al-Shehri, Waleed al-Shehri, and Satam al-Suqami.

The five hijackers who seized United Airlines Flight 175 were Marwan al-Shehhi, Fayez Banihammad, brothers Ahmed and Hamza Al-Ghamdi, and Mohand al-Shehri.

The five hijackers who seized American Airlines Flight 77 were Hani Hanjour, Khalid al-Mihdhar, Majed Moqed, and brothers Nawaf al-Hazmi, & Salem al-Hazmi.

United Airlines Flight 93 had four hijackers: Ahmed Al-Haznawi, Saeed Al-Ghamdi, Ahmed Al-Nami and Ziad Jarrah.

## Points of Divergence in the Dark Earth Universe timeline

In the Dark Earth Universe timeline, everything concerning American Airlines Flight 11 and American Airlines Flight 77 unfolded as normal, resulting in those flights being hijacked and the North Tower of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon being hit.

The points of diversion occurred regarding United Airlines Flight 175 and United Airlines Flight 93, both of which experienced long delays. In the prime timeline, United Airlines Flight 175 took off at 8:14 AM, the same time American Airlines Flight 11 was seized by Al-Qaeda hijackers led by Mohammed Atta. In the Dark Earth timeline, thanks to a thirty two minute delay, United Airlines Flight 175 took off at 8:46:40, the exact moment Mohamed Atta crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

### Events aboard United Airlines Flight 175

The hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 175 were initially unaware that Atta's team had successfully crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center until the passengers aboard those flights noticed one of the towers of the World Trade Center was on fire. They then began receiving calls from their families on the ground regarding the news of the North Tower attack. Realizing they were late to start their attack, the hijackers launched their assault at around 8:55 AM. As in the prime timeline, investigators believe that the al-Ghamdi brothers forced the passengers and crew to the aft of the plane by terrorizing them with knives and bomb threats, while also spraying mace into the confines of the cabin.

Several flight attendants were stabbed or slashed, and both pilots were murdered by Fayez Banihammad and Mohand al-Sherri when they breached the cockpit, allowing Marwan al-Shehhi to commandeer the flight controls. The aircraft began flying erratically and had two near-collisions with several other aircraft.

By the time the hijackers on United Airlines Flight 175 seized control of the plane, the passengers and crew were fully aware that the North Tower of the World Trade Center had been hit. At around 9:02 AM, flight attendant called a United Airlines maintenance office in San Francisco and spoke with Marc Policastro. Fangman reported the hijacking and said the hijackers were likely flying the plane. He mentioned that both pilots were dead and that a flight attendant had been stabbed.

Passenger Brian David Sweeney tried calling his wife at around 9:05 AM, but left a voicemail, letting her know the plane had been hijacked. He then called his parents at 09:00 and spoke with his mother, Louise. Sweeney told his mother about the hijacking and mentioned that passengers were considering storming the cockpit and taking control of the aircraft.

After Brian David Sweeney learned that another hijacked flight had struck the World Trade Center's North Tower, he immediately relayed this news to the other passengers and they once again deliberated on storming the cockpit. It wasn't until after American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon at 9:37 AM that the passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 175 resolved to retake control of the plane from the hijackers.

The passengers and crew on board United Airlines Flight 175 began their counterattack at around 9:42 AM, five minutes after American Airlines Flight 77 impacted the Pentagon. Much of what is known about the events aboard United Airlines Flight 175 in its final moments comes from the actual audio of the cockpit voice recorder on board United Airlines Flight 175, which was anonymously leaked to the public by an unknown whistleblower, along with its transcript.

According to a leaked transcript of the cockpit voice recorder aboard United Airlines Flight 175, the hijackers became aware of the passenger revolt at around 9:43 AM, a minute after it started. Al-Shehhi was heard asking another hijacker at 9:43:05, "Is someone fighting?"

A hijacker responded, "Yes."

Al-Shehhi immediately told another hijacker to brace the door. It is unknown which hijacker this was. Al-Shehhi then began violently rolling the aircraft back and forth. This action was witnessed by air traffic control towers in New York. At 9:43:08, Al-Shehhi changed tactics and began pitching the nose of the airplane up and down to disrupt the assault.

Similar to the cockpit voice recorder of United Airlines Flight 93, the cockpit voice recorder of United Airlines Flight 175 also reveals that four times within the space of five seconds, a hijacker was heard screaming in pain, indicating that the passengers and crew had either seriously injured or killed one of the hijackers. Al-Shehhi stabilized the aircraft at around 9:43:50. Five seconds later, a hijacker asked Al-Shehhi for permission to crash the plane, indicating that at least one hijacker in the cockpit was helping Al-Shehhi with the controls.

Al-Shehhi responded, "Not yet. When they all come, we pull it down." At 9:44:06, three seconds later, Al-Shehhi resumed pitching the plane's nose up and down.

At 9:44:15, a passenger was heard screaming, "Get them!" Sixteen seconds later, another passenger yelled, "Roll it!", possibly referring to using a food cart. As was with United Airlines Flight 93, the cockpit voice recorder of United Airlines Flight 175 captured the sound of the passengers using the food cart as a battering ram against the cockpit door.

According to the cockpit voice recorder transcript, the hijackers continued to debate crashing the aircraft. At 9:44:26, one hijacker ordered Al-Shehhi to crash the plane. By this time, the airplane was flying over the Hudson River in New York City. At 9:44:52, a hijacker began frantically shouting for Al-Shehhi to "pull it down", in rapid succession.

Unlike the prime timeline's version of events on United Airlines Flight 93, during which it is left unknown whether the passengers breached the cockpit before the plane crashed, there is enough evidence to conclude that the passengers and crew on United Airlines Flight 175 *did* breach the cockpit: at around 9:45:03, someone keyed the intercom on United Airlines Flight 175, allowing the air traffic controllers on the ground to hear both passengers, crew and hijackers alike shouting loudly enough to indicate that the passengers and crew were indeed inside the cockpit before the plane went down. Unlike American Airlines Flight 11, in which lead hijacker Mohamed Atta allegedly keyed a wrong button by accident and broadcast his message to air traffic controllers, there is evidence that a passenger keyed a button on Flight 175 intentionally to alert air traffic controllers that the passengers and crew were launching a counterattack against the hijackers. The cockpit voice recorder transcript recorded a male passenger saying, "We're going down! Going down! Pull up now," during the melee in the cockpit.

At 9:48 AM, air traffic controllers heard a hijacker telling Al-Shehhi to "Pull it down," in rapid succession as passengers and crew loudly grappled with the hijackers over control of the aircraft. The passengers continued their assault at around 9:45:23. In full view of air traffic controllers, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the Hudson River at 9:47 AM The remaining hijackers in the cockpit were killed on impact. Nineteen passengers and crew died in the crash.

### Events aboard United Airlines Flight 93

United Airlines Flight 93 was delayed ten minutes longer than in the prime timeline, about fifty minutes. As in the prime timeline, this effectively doomed the hijackers' plan to seize control of the aircraft and fly it into the Capitol Building. United Airlines Flight 93 took off at 8:52 AM. Much like the prime timeline, Ziad Jarrah, the hijacker pilot for United Airlines Flight 93, was having second thoughts about the attack. However, in the Dark Earth Timeline his cold feet was significantly more severe, as he was overheard praying to Allah for forgiveness multiple times.

In the prime timeline, FAA head Ben Sliney ordered US airspace shut down while American Airlines Flight 77 was still heading towards the Pentagon and after Ziad Jarrah and his terrorist colleagues seized United Airlines Flight 93. In the Dark Earth timeline, Ziad Jarrah's cold feet was so severe that it rendered him unable to signal his fellow hijackers even after American Airlines Flight 77 was seized and flown into the Pentagon. The other hijackers, overhearing other passengers and crew being told of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, became upset with Jarrah, with Saeed Al-Ghamdi berating him.

Flight 93's crew, overhearing the hijackers loudly arguing with one another, immediately alerted the pilots, Jason Dahl and Leroy Homer Junior, moments after they got the order to land at the nearest airport.

Flight 93 was diverted to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Upon hearing the news of the flight being diverted, the other hijackers, finally fed up with Ziad Jarrah's cowardice, tried to launch their attack. However, by this time the passengers and crew were fully aware of the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center's North Tower and stopped the hijacking in its tracks; the cockpit voice recorder, as well as testimonies from the passengers and crew on board, indicate that hijacker Ahmed Al-Haznawi attempted to threaten the passengers and crew with a bomb in a bid to force them to the rear of the aircraft, only to be overpowered and killed by the passengers and crew instead, having seen through the ruse; passenger Jeremy Glick, a black-belt Judo champion, incapacitated Al-Haznawi and Mark Bingham killed the terrorist by beating him to death with a fire extinguisher. Ahmed Al-Nami and Saeed Al-Ghamdi attempted to storm the cockpit, but were thwarted by passengers Tom Burnett, and Jeremy Glick, who gouged Al-Nami's eyes out before killing him by snapping his neck. Saeed Al-Ghamdi was incapacitated by the flight crew while Ziad Jarrah simply surrendered.

The FBI detained remaining Al-Qaeda terrorists Saeed Al-Ghamdi and Ziad Jarrah upon landing in Ohio and while the authorities interrogated Jarrah, he spilled the beans on the entire operation, explaining that he had volunteered to go on a "suicide mission" to hijack the plane and crash it into the US Capitol Building and that he had regretted his decision after his moral conscience "caught up to him."

In order to avoid prison time, Ziad Jarrah offered to be an FBI informant and rat out the other hijackers. He was apparently unaware that United Airlines Flight 175's hijacking had been foiled and only American Airlines Flights 11 and 77 had successfully hit their targets.

## Reactions

Just like in the Prime Timeline, the Dark Universe's version of the 9/11 attacks were condemned by world leaders and other political and religious representatives and the international media, as well as numerous memorials and services all over the world. The attacks were widely condemned by the governments of the world, including those traditionally considered hostile to the United States, such as Cuba, Iran, Libya, and North Korea. However, some celebrated the 9/11 attacks, with some even accusing the US of bringing the attacks on itself.

Osama bin Laden wrote a "Letter to the United States" condemning the United States of America's foreign policy and culture and explaining his reasons for attacking the United States on that day. Like in the Prime Timeline, the fallout of 9/11 in the Dark Earth Universe led to increased Islamophobia across the nation. However, things got more specific in the Dark Earth universe: specifically, Osama bin Laden's "Letter to America" was met with a letter to Osama bin Laden by a coalition of right-wing Americans professing to be Christians, who dismissed Osama bin Laden's reasons as "pitiful excuses" and instead used his words from the original Letter to America as proof that he was a madman and that the existence of organizations like Al-Qaeda were proof that Muslims could not be trusted. In addition, the letter condemned Islam as a "murder cult". As part of a sadistic test against Islam challenging Muslims to prove that "Allah" was an actual god, the letter called for all "American patriots" to murder every single Muslim living in the country in cold blood (A reversal of Al-Qaeda's 1998 Fatwa against the United States) and for Muslims to prove Allah was real by praying for Allah to stop America's "swift retribution" against the Islamic "murder cult".