The Sunset Limited attack took place 70 miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona on October 9, 1995, at 1:30 am (D’Angelo, 2015). The Sunset Limited is a passenger train from Amtrak that was traveling that evening from Miami, FL to Los Angeles, CA. That evening, “19 feet of rail was ripped loose and 29 spikes were pulled out and plates that connect the rails to the railroad ties were removed” (D’Angelo, 2015). When the train went off the track it killed 1 person an Amtrak employee and injured 112 passengers. One passenger name Hallford got off the training and started walking around in the dark. While walking around he found three notes from the ‘Sons of the Gestapo.’ Pat Borree worked as a Buckeye dispatcher, who received a call from Maricopa …show more content…
County sheriff’s deputy about the train wreck (Wang, 2015). Boree contacted all of the local first responders in the area, which mostly comprised of volunteers. The FBI ruled the train wreck as an act of terrorism.
“At a news conference in Washington, the president and chairman of Amtrak, Thomas M. Downs, said the derailment had been caused by the removal of bolts that hold a 36-inch-long connecting bar to two pieces of 39-foot-long rail” (Mydans, 1995, para. 18). “Amtrak executives said that the derailment was an act of sabotage that could have taken one person only 10 minutes to carry out” (Mydans, 1995, para. 16). The most interest part is that whom ever moved the railroad tracks left no traces of their work other than the letters and had to know the wiring system of the railroad track. The railroad track has sensors in it so that if it moves the conductor knows to stop the train or find out what is wrong up ahead. The next part of this that makes no sense is that Amtrak says that one man can move 39 feet rail 2 degrees which weigh roughly 130 pounds per yard (Wabtec, 2017). There is absolutely no way that one man jumped the track wiring and then moved 1690 pounds of track in ten minutes. Moreover, the area that the train was derailed was in the middle of nowhere. The closest road was 38 miles away. Two decades later the FBI has not been able to figure out who committed this crime and has offered a $300,000 reward for information to capture the terrorist. This paper will discuss two possible suspects that could have derailed the train Sons of the Gestapo and a government conspiracy …show more content…
theory. Sons of the Gestapo were who claimed the attack on the Amtrak train.
Hallford found two notes under a rock in the dark desert night. Furthermore, it was said that after the crash the Amtrak employees told the passengers to stay inside the train because of the elements in the desert such as rattle snakes. Law enforcement found the other two letters left by the Sons of the Gestapo (SOG). When the FBI started looking for who the SOG was nothing was found in any database on this terrorist organization. Additionally, no one had ever heard of this organization before. If you break apart the name Sons of the Gestapo, the Gestapo refers to the Nazis in Germany during World War II. This would mean they were sons of the Germany Nazis. However, 6 months earlier the Oklahoma City bombing had just happened. From the typed letters that were left in the desert that made reference to Waco, TX the FBI believed that this was another right wing extremist group. There are only a couple problems with this theory the Sons of the Gestapo do not exist other than on those pieces of paper in the desert. Second, this terrorist attack would have had to be done by someone that knew the railroads well such as an employee that was fired the year before for running into trained bridge. There has never been any evidence of the SOG minus the letters, which is probably why this mystery has not been
solved. In the wake of Timothy McVeigh and the World Trade Center bombing, the United States Government was pushing for stronger laws against terrorism. The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 passed the Senate on June 7, 1995, it took the House of Representatives until March 14, 1996, and finally signed into law on April 24, 1996. It was reported on the night of the crash that a plane leaving Albuquerque and landed in San Diego (Prospector, 2008). That night locals in the area said they saw people parachuting in the middle of the desert. The conspiracy theory states that a covert military dropped by parachute pulled the track then flew out in helicopters in order to help pass the Antiterrorism and Effective Death penalty Act of 1996. However, this does account for some of the odd abilities that happen that night and some interesting facts that Maricopa Sherriff dug up the bill would have been signed regardless, but it is an interesting theory. In conclusion, there is probably someone out there that knows what happened that night, but it is not the FBI or me.
On September 11, 2001, the Islamic extremist group, al-Qaeda hijacked four american airlines. “Two of the airlines crashed into the world trade center in New York The third plane crashed into the Pentagon outside the world trade center, and the fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania” (9/11 Attacks). They called it a suicide attack against United States, but there are conspiracy theories the the terrorist are still alive. That they stole
There were several conspiracies about the planes that attacked the Twin Towers. One of the planes left Boston's Logan Airport at 7:59 a.m. The hijackers zoomed the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. The other plane left Logan Airport at 8:14 a.m. The hijackers flew the plane into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 9:03 a.m. America had stated that 10 planes were suppose to be hijacked on that day. “Providing new details on the planning of the plot, the commission staff said that al-Qaida planner Khalid Shaihk Mohammed initially proposed a Sept. 11 attack involving 10 planes that would be used to attack CIA and FBI headquarters, unidentified nuclear plants and tall buildings in California and Washington state,” (Brunker). Both planes that flew into the Twin Towers were Boeing 767. The plane was 159 feet long. Another thing that seemed odd was that 9,700 gallons when it should usually have nothing less than 14,000 gallons. The engine was found on Murray Street when it should have been right around the Tower. Things were said about the plane being like a missile since the engine was dropped so far from the Towers. According to German TV footage, the planes front nozzle was caught on fire before going through the building. Conspiracy theories state that there were three things attached to the plan that were likely to explode. After the plane went into the building the plan some how exploded making it look like a missile went into the building or some how it was some sort of bomb. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, drew out the plane and the way the plane was flown into the Towers and it did not seem right. The plane propellers of the Boeing 757 were smaller than the hole it actuall...
On May 4th 1970, when rallies surfaced again in the commons area, tear gas was used to disperse the crowd. The conflict between students and the National Guard had begun to expand, and the cursing and rock throwing were increasing the tension in the air. The Guard ordered the students to retreat and as the crowds began to break up, it appeared the Guard was also retreating. Then shots were heard. The Guard for reasons unknown had to turn back and open fire at a crowd of students. Within thirteen seconds, four students were dead and nine wounded. One student who was killed was Allison Krause, who had been the only one of the four killed that was actually involved in the demonstrations.
The crime committed by Bernhard Goetz in 1984, is one that can be interpreted as an inhumane act of violence. On December 22, 1984, the thirty-seven year old Bernhard Goetz boarded a New York City subway. Sitting alone in his seat with his Smith & Wesson revolver, he was approached by four black teenage males (Linder). The four teenagers asked Bernhard Goetz for five dollars. When this happened, Bernhard Goetz felt endangered, and decided to pull out his Smith & Wesson revolver, and begin to shoot the young men. After firing four bullets in the New York City subway, he had injured three of the four young men. When Bernhard Goetz saw Darrell Cabey, the last of the four teenagers cowering on the floor, he said, “you don’t look too ba...
On 26 February 1993 at 12:17, a yellow RYDER van detonated on level B-2 of the World Trade Center North tower. What was first believed to be a below grade transformer explosion turned into an extensive test of New York Cities Incident Command capabilities. Everyone involved had an intricate part in handling this situation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was able to get all support assets there promptly to assist in rescue operations. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discovered information on the vehicle used. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) used all of the intelligence gathered to apprehend and convict those responsible. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted cleanup of chemical and biological hazards that were left behind from the blast. Numerous agencies worked together to solve the first terrorist attack on American soil and clean up a disaster of epic proportions.
The official story of 9/11 is a conspiracy theory in that the government claims 19 hijackers conspired together to hijack four planes and create terror in the world. Four American airplanes were hijacked; two were driven into the World Trade Centers and the third airplane into the Pentagon. The fourth airplane suspected target was the White House, but it was diverted by the brave men and women aboard that hijacked airplane, and crashed the airline jet before it could reach its target. It was like time stood still as America watched through television broadcast these unbelievable and horrifying events taking place. The reports told of the smell the jet fuel, burning flesh, and people jumping out windows to their death to escape the flames. When the two bravura structures tumbling down, rescuers, (police officers, firefighters, and ambulance drivers and techs) were caught in the mast and lost their lives doing their job trying to save lives.
Many conspiracy theories have been developed concerning what happened to the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001, but there are a select few that, similar to the truth, cannot be disproved without quite a bit of effort. One theory is that the Twin Towers were destroyed by controlled demolitions. Another idea of what happened is that planes did hit the towers, but they were remote controlled. A third theory is that Al Qaeda is not responsible for the 9-11 attacks (The Top September 11 Conspiracy Theories, n.d.). And last, but certainly not least, is the theory that the 9-11 attacks were a false flag operation. When considering these theories, there are many different controversial areas that should be assessed to differentiate between fact and opinion.
Since 1993, many private and government investigations have taken place. One of the results of Waco is that a federal U.S. District Judge has forced every agency of the U.S. government to surrender what he termed "a mountain of sealed documents." An independent investigation has been ordered by the government. Perhaps this time investigators will get to the bottom of what really happened in Waco.
It has been widely accepted from media depiction of terrorist attacks, that they normally occur in the streets of some Middle Eastern town, within a war-torn over ran village seized by a drug cartel, on a train or discotheque in Europe, or somewhere other than in the sky. As stated within The National Counterterrorism Center: Report on Terrorism (2011), traditional or well know tactics account for some 80% of all attacks, terrorist attacks directed toward airlines or air vehicles are less than 2%. For this reason many such threats are discounted or its relevance to put resources toward investigating. Prior to the attack on Pan Am Flight 103, intelligence data received was disseminated however, no high level officials were directly involved in the security measures required to thwart the event. December 21, 1988 was a day when the consequences of complacency would be felt by the nation.
This book had me on the edge of my seat considering I did not hear about anything about this Columbine incident until a class talk and as I started to read this book. I could not understand how the police, Eric’s dad, the friends and family could not have suspected anything from Eric and Dylan. First there was the the police report about Eric's website that was filled with information about Klebold and Harris’s missions and pipe bombs was taken by police but nothing happened. “ This Web page refers to ‘missions’ where possible criminal mischiefs have occurred.Curiously, Burgess made no mention of the pipe bombs, which seems far more serious,” (185). The web site of Eric’s that demonstrated the powerfulness of the bombs, yet Officer Burgess never wrote about the pipe bombs which Eric could then have gotten interviewed or questioned about his pipe bombs and missions. Then there was the one of how the boys friends knew about their guns and pipe bombs but had no idea of the plan of “Judgement Day.” They knew that they were armed with guns and pipe bombs but thought nothing of this. This seems oddly suspicious to me along with many others how they knew this information but the friends of Eric and Dylan thought it was okay.This made others come to the
On New Year’s Day 2009, the police were called because a fight broke out on a train in Oakland, California. Oscar Grant and some of his friends were pulled off the train by former cop Johannes Mehserle. Grant struggled some with the officers while being arrested, but then he was restrained. Oscar Grant was lying on the platform when Johannes Mehserle shot him around 2 am. Granted had both hands behind his back and he was also unarmed when he was shot (Bulwa). The shooting made national headlines because bystanders videotaped it. These videos went viral and they made their way to the news (Cater).
Question at Issue - How are the engineer and railroad negligent? What could have been done by the engineer and railroad company to prevent the accident? Would more training have invoked a different preventative response from the engineer? Are the current railroad safety regulations sufficient? Are there any warnings on the road before it curves towards the track? If you didn’t know the area would you clearly be able to spot a train? What if a car was stalled on the tracks? Would a train
In the story the signalman is shown as being powerless to stop the horrible accidents involving the train just like humans are powerless to prevent train crashes from happening.
on a sensible Tuesday morning, when an American Airlines Boeing 767 slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City stacked with 20,000 gallons of plane fuel. The impact left an immeasurable, seething opening near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, in a glimmer executing a few people and getting hundreds more in higher floors. As the flight of the tower and its twin got in advancement, TV cameras indicated live pictures of what at initially appeared, all in all, to be a peculiarity incident. By then, 18 minutes after the fundamental plane hit, a second Boeing 767 (United Airlines Flight 175) showed up out of the sky, turned unmistakably toward the World Trade Center and cut into the south tower close to the 60th floor. The effect achieved a tremendous impact that showered bursting junk over including structures and the paths underneath. America was under attack. (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola,
Although the state and local government are responsible for keeping railroad crossings safe, but railroads can be complicit in allowing conditions to deteriorate the track, causing dangerous crossing conditions. An investigation by the New York Times on railroad companies showed a persistent pattern of railroad cover-ups in cases of fatal crashes. Records of the incident were destroyed, and before lawyers could inspect the track, it was quickly fixed, leaving no evidence of a wreck behind. After a court situation, judge Ellen Maas wrote, “The railroad knowingly advanced lies, misleading facts, and/or misrepresentations in the legal proceedings.” The author blames railroads for containing “killing zones” and that the railroad has been slow to innovate protection. Malfunctions in warning lights and broken crossing gates are what lead to vehicle accidents. A consistent stream of railroad accidents in the world supports the author’s theory, that railroads are to blame for vehicle