Aero-Terrorism

Airplanes had been used as tools in terrorist violence previous to the events of 9-11, though no suicide attack in conjunction with a hijacking had ever previously been proven to have occurred.

The first reported airplane hijacking- also known as ‘skyjacking'- took place in 1931. It was not until 1961 that airplane hijacking came to be viewed as a criminal act however and attacks on commercial airlines only became a major problem in the late 1960s. In 1966 five attacks on commercial aviation occurred. In 1967 six attacks were recorded. In 1968, however, there were twenty-nine attacks and in 1969 there were 94.

From the early 1960s to the early 1970s three motives for hijacking airliners became apparent in the United States: escape; political terrorism; and extortion. In the first stage, which peaked in 1968, most skyjackers attempted to get to Cuba; in that year, 18 of 22 attempted hijacks were successful. The following year, terrorism became a factor when members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) skyjacked an American aircraft en route to Syria. This wave of hijackings involving terrorist organisations culminated in 1970 with the destruction of four jets. The third motive - extortion - began with its only successful attempt in 1971 when the skyjacker received $US200,000 from Northwestern Airlines, then parachuted. During the period 1971-1973, 21 similar such attempts in the United States failed.

In quantitative terms, airline hijacking peaked in the period 1968-72 with 326 attempts around the world. During the following decade numbers dropped significantly to an average of 9.3 attempts per year in the United States compared to 29 per annum during 1968-72. The dramatic drop may be attributed to the implementation of many new deterrent and preventive measures in the previous decade.

Newspaper, Magazine, & Academic Articles

'When our World Changed Forever'

A detailed reconstruction of the 9/11 attacks from the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Annals of National Security: ‘Missed Messages'

New Yorker article detailing, among other things, information about specific terrorist threats to commercial airline travel in America available to the US intelligence community previous to 9/11 (June 2002).

‘Unfriendly Skies'

The controversy over the Bush Administration's most extreme antiterrorism measures--military tribunals, secret evidence, taping of attorney-client conversations--has to a large extent obscured the far more widespread impact of the post-September 11 climate on Muslim Americans going about their routine business. In this article by Bruce Shapiro, which appeared in The Nation (December 2001), he describes one man's experiences with what he describes as the “lingering airport-security debacle.”

‘Notes While Being Hijacked'

On September 10, 1976, five Croatian terrorists hijacked TWA Flight 355, carrying 86 passengers from New York to Chicago. Richard Brockman was one of the passengers; he wrote this account in the course of the ordeal. It appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in December 1976.

‘Securing the Skies: Threats to Civil Aviation from International Terrorism'

In this academic paper, Paul Williams writes that “Like Jason aboard the Argo, we desire the (mythical) golden fleece' of global security and have embarked upon the quest accordingly but, as yet, we know not where it lies….However, there is one area of international security where both the threats and vulnerabilities, are known and the processes for prevention have already been catalogued: civil aviation security. In the wake of such atrocities as the Air India and Lockerbie bombings and the destruction of TWA 800, any study of international security which claims to focus on people rather than states must analyse the threats posed to people by international terrorism in all its forms.” After outlining the contemporary context in which 'security' is sought, Williams explores the threats faced by those who utilise the civil aviation industry, the nature of existing security countermeasures, and finally considers what steps are necessary to prevent future sabotage.

‘Safeguarding the Skies'

This opinion article by Brian Michael Jenkins was originally published in the San Diego Union Tribune on September 30, 2001. Jenkins, an authority on terrorism, served as a member of the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security.

‘Preventing Crime on Transport'

Excerpt from ‘Preventing Crime on Transport' (1991) by Patricia Weiser Easteal and Paul R Wilson. Canberra : Australian Institute of Criminology (ISBN 0 642 146609 9; ISSN 1031-5330): pp. 47-63.

'Airline and Airport Terrorism: A Thing of the Past- or the Future?'

In this provocative 1995 article, Tony Banks, the former political Editor of Jane's Defence Weekly, wrote “Terrorist groups may have reduced their attacks on the air industry, but, are they seeking new ways to carry out attacks that are likely to ensure media prominence? Have even the aims of the terrorists changed?”

Government Documents

Aviation Security and Anti-Terrorism Efforts

Hearing before the Subcommittee on Aviation, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, US House of Representatives (11 September 1996).

FAA Office of Civil Aviation Security: Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation

Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation is a publication of the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Civil Aviation Security. Each report records incidents that have taken place against civil aviation aircraft and interests worldwide. Criminal Acts has been published each year since 1986. (Only the reports from 1996-2000 are available on the Internet). Incidents recorded in the reports are summarized in regional geographic overviews. Feature articles focus on case histories or on specific aviation-related issues. Incidents are also sorted into one of seven categories and compared over a five-year period. In addition, charts and graphs are included to assist the reader in interpreting the data.

Databases

Aviation Safety Network: Hijackings

This database, maintained by the Aviation Safety Network, contains short descriptions of 1012 (attempted) airliner hijackings. The database covers hijackings since 1947.

Violence/Terrorism in the Aviation Industry

Information on airplane bombings, airplane hijackings, airplane suicide, airplane sabotage, and airport bombings and shootings provided by Emergency and Disaster Management Inc.

Aero-Terrorism

Airplanes had been used as tools in terrorist violence previous to the events of 9-11, though no suicide attack in conjunction with a hijacking had ever previously been proven to have occurred.

The first reported airplane hijacking- also known as ‘skyjacking'- took place in 1931. It was not until 1961 that airplane hijacking came to be viewed as a criminal act however and attacks on commercial airlines only became a major problem in the late 1960s. In 1966 five attacks on commercial aviation occurred. In 1967 six attacks were recorded. In 1968, however, there were twenty-nine attacks and in 1969 there were 94.

From the early 1960s to the early 1970s three motives for hijacking airliners became apparent in the United States: escape; political terrorism; and extortion. In the first stage, which peaked in 1968, most skyjackers attempted to get to Cuba; in that year, 18 of 22 attempted hijacks were successful. The following year, terrorism became a factor when members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) skyjacked an American aircraft en route to Syria. This wave of hijackings involving terrorist organisations culminated in 1970 with the destruction of four jets. The third motive - extortion - began with its only successful attempt in 1971 when the skyjacker received $US200,000 from Northwestern Airlines, then parachuted. During the period 1971-1973, 21 similar such attempts in the United States failed.

In quantitative terms, airline hijacking peaked in the period 1968-72 with 326 attempts around the world. During the following decade numbers dropped significantly to an average of 9.3 attempts per year in the United States compared to 29 per annum during 1968-72. The dramatic drop may be attributed to the implementation of many new deterrent and preventive measures in the previous decade.

Newspaper, Magazine, & Academic Articles

'When our World Changed Forever'

A detailed reconstruction of the 9/11 attacks from the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Annals of National Security: ‘Missed Messages'

New Yorker article detailing, among other things, information about specific terrorist threats to commercial airline travel in America available to the US intelligence community previous to 9/11 (June 2002).

‘Unfriendly Skies'

The controversy over the Bush Administration's most extreme antiterrorism measures--military tribunals, secret evidence, taping of attorney-client conversations--has to a large extent obscured the far more widespread impact of the post-September 11 climate on Muslim Americans going about their routine business. In this article by Bruce Shapiro, which appeared in The Nation (December 2001), he describes one man's experiences with what he describes as the “lingering airport-security debacle.”

‘Notes While Being Hijacked'

On September 10, 1976, five Croatian terrorists hijacked TWA Flight 355, carrying 86 passengers from New York to Chicago. Richard Brockman was one of the passengers; he wrote this account in the course of the ordeal. It appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in December 1976.

‘Securing the Skies: Threats to Civil Aviation from International Terrorism'

In this academic paper, Paul Williams writes that “Like Jason aboard the Argo, we desire the (mythical) golden fleece' of global security and have embarked upon the quest accordingly but, as yet, we know not where it lies….However, there is one area of international security where both the threats and vulnerabilities, are known and the processes for prevention have already been catalogued: civil aviation security. In the wake of such atrocities as the Air India and Lockerbie bombings and the destruction of TWA 800, any study of international security which claims to focus on people rather than states must analyse the threats posed to people by international terrorism in all its forms.” After outlining the contemporary context in which 'security' is sought, Williams explores the threats faced by those who utilise the civil aviation industry, the nature of existing security countermeasures, and finally considers what steps are necessary to prevent future sabotage.

‘Safeguarding the Skies'

This opinion article by Brian Michael Jenkins was originally published in the San Diego Union Tribune on September 30, 2001. Jenkins, an authority on terrorism, served as a member of the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security.

‘Preventing Crime on Transport'

Excerpt from ‘Preventing Crime on Transport' (1991) by Patricia Weiser Easteal and Paul R Wilson. Canberra : Australian Institute of Criminology (ISBN 0 642 146609 9; ISSN 1031-5330): pp. 47-63.

'Airline and Airport Terrorism: A Thing of the Past- or the Future?'

In this provocative 1995 article, Tony Banks, the former political Editor of Jane's Defence Weekly, wrote “Terrorist groups may have reduced their attacks on the air industry, but, are they seeking new ways to carry out attacks that are likely to ensure media prominence? Have even the aims of the terrorists changed?”

Government Documents

Aviation Security and Anti-Terrorism Efforts

Hearing before the Subcommittee on Aviation, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, US House of Representatives (11 September 1996).

FAA Office of Civil Aviation Security: Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation

Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation is a publication of the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Civil Aviation Security. Each report records incidents that have taken place against civil aviation aircraft and interests worldwide. Criminal Acts has been published each year since 1986. (Only the reports from 1996-2000 are available on the Internet). Incidents recorded in the reports are summarized in regional geographic overviews. Feature articles focus on case histories or on specific aviation-related issues. Incidents are also sorted into one of seven categories and compared over a five-year period. In addition, charts and graphs are included to assist the reader in interpreting the data.

Databases

Aviation Safety Network: Hijackings

This database, maintained by the Aviation Safety Network, contains short descriptions of 1012 (attempted) airliner hijackings. The database covers hijackings since 1947.

Violence/Terrorism in the Aviation Industry

Information on airplane bombings, airplane hijackings, airplane suicide, airplane sabotage, and airport bombings and shootings provided by Emergency and Disaster Management Inc.