There are five phases of a terrorist attack. According to Sauter & Carafano (2005), they include the pre-incident phase, the initiation phase, the climax phase, the negotiation phase and the post-incident phase. The pre-incident phase is the stage whereby the terrorist leaders decide on the type of operation to undertake. Thus, it involves the selection or the identification of the target. At this stage, the terrorist comes up with a number of potential targets. This is based on extensive intelligence and surveillance. For example, the selected targets for the 9/11 attack were the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Capitol Building.
The next phase is initiation whereby the terrorist make the physical move of starting the operation. According to the 9/11 Commission Report (2004), 19 hijackers got through a security checkpoint on that day. As such, it is evident that they had analyzed it deeply and knew how to get through it. The report observes that the terrorists had a 19 for 19 success rate in maneuvering through the system. The hijackers managed to take over the 4 flights and took advantage of the fact that the cockpits and the aircrews were not prepared for the event of a suicide hijacking. During the climax phase, there is a culmination of the act.
Usually, this phase constitutes the end of the actual attack. One plane hit the North Tower, the second plane hit the South Tower, the third plane hit the Pentagon and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. During this attack, there was not any negotiation phase since it was a suicide hijacking. The post-incident phase is whereby the terrorist exploits the coverage of the media by claiming responsibility. For example, after the attack, Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.
References
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. (2004) 9/11 Commission Report. Retrieved from http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Exec.htm
Sauter, M.A. & Carafano, J.J. (2005) Homeland Security: A Complete Guide to Understanding, Preventing and Surviving Terrorism. New York: McGraw-Hill.
