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Despite the fact that this was not the first skyjacking there had ever been, this was the first time that terrorists had successfully used skyjacked planes as weapons of destruction. This was not a skyjacking that had been carried out for the purpose of negotiating and holding hostages - as the world had known prior to that event - but with the objective of suicide and destruction, while creating a scenario of world shattering proportions. This is the new and most inhuman trend of all in aviation security - where people are killed just for the sake of killing; not skyjacking in order to achieve a goal or for a ransom, as had always been the case with air terrorism previously, but rather, terrorism for the purpose of murder. The effect that this created in public opinion as a result of the terrorist attacks was overwhelming, as was the attraction of these attacks. This has disrupted lifestyles, causing panic worldwide, and resulting in a steep decline in the use of air travel. How and in what ways did the methods of aviation security in the USA change following these dramatic events? What were the consequences on security management in the international aviation network, both in the air and on the ground? Also, what were the conclusions reached in the aftermath of these events in order to decrease - if not to prevent altogether - the possibility of civilian aircraft being skyjacked by terrorist organizations? Have these been fully implemented? What is the Israeli methodology used both in the air and on the ground, to prevent the skyjacking of an Israeli airplane? How does Israel protect itself from the possibility of a skyjacked plane penetrating Israeli airspace for the purpose of conducting a suicide attack, as happened in the United States on September 11? Yet, despite everything, the potential security failures by the United States Department of Homeland Security are indicated against the background of the attempt to blow up an American Delta Airlines passenger plane over Michigan, after a ten-hour flight from Amsterdam in Holland, a few minutes prior to the planned landing at the airport in Detroit. This incident demonstrates how determined the terrorist organizations are to achieve an air attack; they practice, plan, prepare and implement, and just a very simple mishap saved the plane and its passengers. This is an ideal situation from which to learn, become more knowledgeable and upgrade air security.
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