Originally Posted by
PatrickHenry1775
Al-Qaeda is patient and adaptive, studying the infidels' behavior and SOP for years before planning and carrying out attacks. Sure, on 9/11/2001 the jihadists targeted civilian aviation. But as an earlier poster noted, if terrorists were to commandeer cargo planes and crash them into the White House, Capitol, Empire State Building, Sears Tower, JFK airport, LAX, SFO, MIA, IAH, etc., the United States would again be traumatized. DHS would probably shut down civil aviation for some time to figure out a better system of tracking flights. TSA and FAMs would not discourage this sort of plot.
That was my point in my earlier response.
Aha. Now I got you. And, for what its worth, I agree to a point.
I still think, though, that AQ likes to also hit targets that the common man might think "There but for the grace of God go I...." The target can have real or symbolic significance or both.
Civilian aviation has been in their sights for three decades, even after catastrophic failures. After their greatest success doesn't seem like a good time to abandon it.