September 11, 2006

Background
﻿The attacks of September 11, 2001 were prevented. Seeing just how vulnerable our nation was, the US government created new, very strict rules for air travel, even more so than in OTL. Anything that has even a tiny chance of being a weapon is prohibited, including pens. However, this does not stop Al-Quada's thirst to bring death to the United States.

Planning
Following the failed attacks of 9/11/01, Osama Bin Laden meets with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to plan a new attack on the US. They agree that their original plan would have worked if they had planned it a bit better. They also agree that Mohammed's original vision of hijacking 10 planes wasn't too complicated after all. In fact, they decide to make the plan even worse by hijacking 25 planes and crashing them into America's most famous and important buildings and landmarks.

For the next 5 years, Al-Quada works to train pilots and muscle hijackers. They also obtain US visas and are trained to blend into their environments. As a result, the terrorists are able to get into the US without raising suspicion.

The general plan for the hijackings: The terrorists will detain and kill FBI agents, steal their clothes and weapons, and generate fake IDs. With these disguises, the hijackers will board the 25 planes (5 terrorists per plane, 125 in all) and will be able to subdue the crews and passengers. Then the pilot hijackers can take control of the planes.

The Attack
The morning of September 11, 2006 starts out just like five years earlier: clear and sunny throughout the US. But by 9:00 AM EDT, the attacks had begun. Air Marshalls had been placed on flights following 9/11/01. But this was not nearly enough to stop the hijackers, who were well-trained and well-equipped. Using their knowledge of how flights work as well as their military training, the hijackers overcame the passengers, air marshalls, and crews and took control of the planes. {| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px"
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Flight

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Target

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City

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Time of Impact

 * style="text-align: center"|American Airlines 11
 * style="text-align: center"|North Tower of the World Trade Center
 * style="text-align: center"|New York City, New York
 * style="text-align: center"|8:46 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|United Airlines 175
 * style="text-align: center"|South Tower of the World Trade Center
 * style="text-align: center"|New York City, New York
 * style="text-align: center"|9:03 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|American Airlines 77
 * style="text-align: center"|The Pentagon
 * style="text-align: center"|Arlington, Virginia
 * style="text-align: center"|9:13 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|United Airlines 93
 * style="text-align: center"|US Capitol Building
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|9:17 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|Delta Airlines 1989
 * style="text-align: center"|White House
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|9:24 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|American Airlines 1343
 * style="text-align: center"|Sears Tower
 * style="text-align: center"|Chicago, Illinois
 * style="text-align: center"|9:29 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|Airtran Airways 921
 * style="text-align: center"|US Bank Tower
 * style="text-align: center"|Los Angeles, California
 * style="text-align: center"|9:37 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|American Airlines 755
 * style="text-align: center"|Columbia Center
 * style="text-align: center"|Seattle, Washington
 * style="text-align: center"|9:42 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|US Airways 497
 * style="text-align: center"|Space Needle
 * style="text-align: center"| Seattle, Washington
 * style="text-align: center"|9:50 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|United Airlines 764
 * style="text-align: center"|Empire State Building
 * style="text-align: center"|New York City, New York
 * style="text-align: center"|9:52 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|American Airlines 3211
 * style="text-align: center"|FBI Headquarters
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|9:59 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|Airtran Airways 673
 * style="text-align: center"|CIA Headquarters
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|10:06 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|US Airways 541
 * style="text-align: center"|Mount Rushmore
 * style="text-align: center"|Keystone, South Dakota
 * style="text-align: center"|10:11 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|American Airlines 1782
 * style="text-align: center"|United Nations Building
 * style="text-align: center"|New York City, New York
 * style="text-align: center"|10:23 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|United Airlines 167
 * style="text-align: center"|Statue of Liberty
 * style="text-align: center"|New York City, New York
 * style="text-align: center"|10:28 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|Airtran Airways 5409
 * style="text-align: center"|Hollywood Sign
 * style="text-align: center"|Los Angeles, California
 * style="text-align: center"|10:36 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|Delta Airlines 188
 * style="text-align: center"|Golden Gate Bridge
 * style="text-align: center"|San Francisco, California
 * style="text-align: center"|10:39 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|American Airlines 872
 * style="text-align: center"|Gateway Arch
 * style="text-align: center"|St. Louis, Missouri
 * style="text-align: center"|10:44 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|US Airways 104
 * style="text-align: center"|GM Headquarters
 * style="text-align: center"|Detroit, Michigan
 * style="text-align: center"|10:48 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|Airtran Airways 111
 * style="text-align: center"|US Supreme Court Building
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|10:53 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|United Airlines 921
 * style="text-align: center"|Library of Congress
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|10:57 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|Delta Airlines 402
 * style="text-align: center"|Brooklyn Bridge
 * style="text-align: center"|New York City, New York
 * style="text-align: center"|11:04 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|American Airlines 47
 * style="text-align: center"|Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
 * style="text-align: center"|New York City, New York
 * style="text-align: center"|11:06 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|United Airlines 501
 * style="text-align: center"|Lincoln Memorial
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|11:12 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|US Airways 7639
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington Monument
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|11:19 AM EDT
 * }
 * style="text-align: center"|United Airlines 921
 * style="text-align: center"|Library of Congress
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|10:57 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|Delta Airlines 402
 * style="text-align: center"|Brooklyn Bridge
 * style="text-align: center"|New York City, New York
 * style="text-align: center"|11:04 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|American Airlines 47
 * style="text-align: center"|Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
 * style="text-align: center"|New York City, New York
 * style="text-align: center"|11:06 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|United Airlines 501
 * style="text-align: center"|Lincoln Memorial
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|11:12 AM EDT
 * style="text-align: center"|US Airways 7639
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington Monument
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|11:19 AM EDT
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 * style="text-align: center"|Washington Monument
 * style="text-align: center"|Washington, DC
 * style="text-align: center"|11:19 AM EDT
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Details of the Attacks
The crashes into the World Trade Center were lower and faster than in OTL. The buildings' capacity was also much higher, possibly 100,000 or more. At the Pentagon, the plane dived straight down at the building, damaging a much larger section than in OTL. Due to the much lower levels of impact at the WTC, the towers tipped over rather than collapsed, similar to the vision of the 1993 bombing. The same held true for the Sears Tower, US Bank Tower, Columbia Center, Space Needle, and the Empire State Building. Due to the weaker structural nature of the other targets, they all collapsed or tipped over within a few minutes of impact.

US Response
Upon impact of the second plane, the FAA initialted Security Control of Air Traffic and Air Traffic Aids (SCATANA) for the first time ever and ordered all planes flying over the US to land. Tragically, the order would come too late for the terrorists made their moves right there and then. Thanks to a fifteen minute warning, President Bush was evacuated from the White House and put on Air Force One. He and the Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered the US Military placed on the highest alert level of DEFCON 1 for the first time in history. After the impact of the second plane, the Air Force scrambled multiple fighter jets to try to track any hijacked planes. But the shrewd hijackers ended all radio communications, making it nearly impossible to find the hijacks. Bush was also rushed to a bunker in New Orleans, where he stayed for the next 3 weeks. During the attacks, Bush activated the national Emergency Alert System and issed the first ever Emergency Action Notification. Unlike OTL, which did not see the activation of the EAS, these attacks were much more dispersed, making it much more difficult for Americans to find shelter. They needed to know where it was safe and where it wasn't. US financial markets closed for the next 2 weeks, as well as major highways, bridges, and tunnels until it was confirmed that there are were no more terrorist threats to the infrastructure.

Aftermath
From 8:48 AM EDT until a month later, the attacks were the only thing covered on the news. Rescue and recovery operations ran non-stop in the US. However, there are very few survivors. In New York, only 18 people were pulled out alive from the collapse of the World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, the UN Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn and Verrazano-Narrow's Bridges. In DC, 12 people in total were pulled out alive from the rubble of the US Capitol, White House, Library of Congress, Supreme Court Building, FBI and CIA Headquarters, Lincoln Memorial, and Washington Monument. All of these results would only echo throughout the US as only a small handful of people were pulled out alive. The total casualties from September 11, 2006: 500,000+.