The 9/11 that never happened: What Britain saved the world from

…and What Nigeria Must Learn

By Jide Ajani

TWENTY-FIVE years after the planes struck America, the most frightening part of 9/11 may not be what the terrorists achieved, but what they originally intended to achieve – and what intelligence agencies have since learned to prevent. Twenty-five years ago, the world watched in disbelief as four commercial aircraft became weapons of mass destruction. Two disappeared into the towers of the World Trade Centre. Another tore into the Pentagon.

The fourth came down in a Pennsylvania field after its passengers fought back. Nearly 3,000 people died. But that was not the end of the story. In some ways, it was not even the most frightening part. Because the 9/11 that happened was, in important respects, a reduced version of the 9/11 that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and his associates had imagined. Evil reigned in their hearts.

The plot was much bigger