September 3, 2001: Key Events in the 9/11 Timeline
On September 3, 2001, Marwan Al-Shehhi was observed shopping at a Walmart located on Copans Road in Pompano Beach, Florida. He purchased several items that included a toggle switch, gel mate, auto tape, and a 9-volt battery. These items were likely intended for creating a device mimicking a bomb, meant to intimidate passengers during his hijacking of United Airlines Flight 175.
Peter Hanson, a passenger on United Airlines Flight 175, managed to contact his father just before 9:00 a.m. on September 11. He gave a harrowing account, stating: “It’s getting bad, Dad … A stewardess was stabbed … They seem to have knives and Mace … They said they have a bomb … It’s getting very bad on the plane … Passengers are throwing up and getting sick … The plane is making jerky movements … I don’t think the pilot is flying the plane … I think we are going down … I think they intend to go to Chicago or someplace and fly into a building … Don’t worry, Dad … If it happens, it’ll be very fast … My God, my God.”
Tactics Used Across Different Flights
On American Airlines Flight 11, piloted by Mohammed Atta, hijackers used Mace or a similar irritant to force passengers and crew to the back of the plane. They also claimed to have a bomb, although no device components similar to those accumulated by al-Shehhi were found.
For American Airlines Flight 77, aimed at the Pentagon, neither passengers nor flight attendants reported any stabbing incidents or the presence of Mace, nor any bomb threats.
Ziad Jarrah, who piloted United Flight 93, made an announcement at 9:32 a.m. instructing passengers to remain seated, while claiming there was a bomb on board. However, no physical evidence of a bomb or similar fake components al-Shehhi had was discovered.
Findings and Reports
The 9/11 Commission concluded that, “The FBI told us they found no trace of explosives at the crash sites. One of the passengers who mentioned a bomb, presumably Hanson, expressed his belief that it was not real. Lacking any evidence that the hijackers attempted to smuggle such illegal items past the security screening checkpoints, we believe the bombs were probably fake.”
More personal warnings and insights will be revealed as we continue to map the events leading up to 9/11.