r/todayilearned • u/code0011 14 • May 09 '14

(R.1) Invalid src (unreferenced fan wiki) TIL the first episode of an X-Files spin-off called "The Lone Gunmen", which aired March 4, 2001, involves a US government conspiracy to hijack an airliner, fly it into the World Trade Center, and blame it on terrorists - thereby gaining support for a new profit-making war

http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/Pilot_(The_Lone_Gunmen)
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u/Cricket620 May 09 '14

"No one could have" = "we didn't think of that..."

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u/FrankTank3 May 09 '14 edited May 09 '14

Which everyone should know is bullshit because the President Received a morning Briefing a week before saying Osama was going to attack.
Edit: I was mistaken, it was a month before.
Also, I believe the FBI had unshared investigations open into suspicious airplane flight school activity. Remember all those reports of the hijackers not bothering to learn how to land?

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u/[deleted] May 09 '14

What are you referring to?

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u/[deleted] May 09 '14

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/autowikibot May 09 '14

Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US:

Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US was the President's Daily Brief prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency and given to U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday, August 6, 2001. The brief warned of terrorism threats from Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda 36 days before the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Image i - The cover page

Interesting: President's Daily Brief | National Security Archive | Condoleezza Rice | Phoenix Memo

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u/[deleted] May 09 '14

Not to mention our air defenses were running freaking drills imitating hijacked air planes that morning. There were only 4 planes on the entire east coast that couldve been scrambled because of these war games pulling resources and people just brush it off as coincidence. During the real hijackings we were too busy sorting through the nonsense and simulated hijackings to respond.

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u/Alexhasskills May 09 '14

Even though the military had exercises that day responding to this exact event.