http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/showsknew/
The Man Who Knew
The 90 minute video "The Man Who Knew" focuses on John P. O'Neill and his research and investigative work to uncover the terrorist acts planned by Al-Qaeda's members. It features interviews of his past colleagues, his son, and his long time girlfriend whom talk of his personal and professional life and how they coincided. It spans the acts of the bombings of the United States embassies in Africa all the way to the infamous plane crashes into the World Trade Center.
The video starts with O'Neill and a description of how he was obsessed with Osama bin-Laden long before the world knew his name. It also mentioned how he went from being an FBI agent and then becoming director of security at the World Trade Center up until that tragic day of September 11th, 2001. It goes on to mention Ramzi Ahmed Yousef and his terrorist plots against various people and countries, also known as the Bojinka Plot. It consisted of three phases: the assassination of Pope John Paul II, the bombing on Pacific Airlines, and the bombing of the World Trade Center. It credits O'Neill and his past work like white collar crimes in Baltimore, Maryland and drugs and organized crimes in Chicago, Illinois. There was mention of a new division within the FBI, O'Neill's tough style and "rough elbows", and his flamboyancy compared to other FBI agents. They knew that there were people going to flight school whom were related to the Bojinka Plot and officers that were dispatched were recalled. O'Neill continued to warn people even after he was moved to the New York division of the FBI until eventually it was too late.
The production of this film was done very well for the time that it was made. Produced in 2002, about thirteen months after the falling of the World Trade Center, the film came in good time to make the country aware of what went on and that someone knew that this was going to happen. The night before the somber event he had said that Yousef "wanted to finish that job" (bringing the World Trade Center down) and that "something big is going to happen." This film was necessary to bring some comfort to the people who lost their loved ones in this tragic event and to the entire country as well. This topic has been a big one ever since that day. Every year people reminisce the good times they had with their loved ones or the good days at work there or simply looking up at the skyline and seeing the great Twin Towers, almost as great and monumental as the Statue of Liberty herself. Personally, I've seen a picture that my aunt took when she went on a tour in New York a couple months before the event of those towers and it was just breathtaking. After years and years of having to interview people about where they were when they heard that the World Trade Center was falling for different classes, it never gets old to hear their stories. It is such a thought provoking event that still leaves people baffled and for loss of words. My dad and I were watching Sesame Street when he got a call saying that he had to go up to Ground Zero. He was new father with another one on the way just enjoying counting with Count Dracula and his little girl when his life could have been turned upside down. Luckily he is still here today, but others weren't so lucky and that's why this film was much needed. And even today with all of the terrorist acts, it's still relevant. Even though Osama bin-Laden is dead, his legacy still lives on as well as other groups becoming more prevalent, like ISIS and the Taliban and even a recent emergence of the Klu Klux Klan with neo-Nazi's at an alt-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. This documentary serves to comfort and educate the public. It goes to show that these things can be prevented if you listen to what people are saying. Even though people thought he wasn't "conventional" for lack of better words, he still had a job at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and as Chief of Security at the World Trade Center. Sometimes it takes a bad thing to happen to make people realize things and this definitely did that. Security heightened up at airports and large public places more than ever before. The Department of Homeland Security was created in 2002. You could go through the airport security check with liquids and your shoes on. People's privacy is being violated for their own safety which has caused a myriad amount of issues, but that is really a talk for another time. All in all, considering the state of this "great" nation right now, I can't think of a better topic to talk about.
The Man Who Knew
The 90 minute video "The Man Who Knew" focuses on John P. O'Neill and his research and investigative work to uncover the terrorist acts planned by Al-Qaeda's members. It features interviews of his past colleagues, his son, and his long time girlfriend whom talk of his personal and professional life and how they coincided. It spans the acts of the bombings of the United States embassies in Africa all the way to the infamous plane crashes into the World Trade Center.
The video starts with O'Neill and a description of how he was obsessed with Osama bin-Laden long before the world knew his name. It also mentioned how he went from being an FBI agent and then becoming director of security at the World Trade Center up until that tragic day of September 11th, 2001. It goes on to mention Ramzi Ahmed Yousef and his terrorist plots against various people and countries, also known as the Bojinka Plot. It consisted of three phases: the assassination of Pope John Paul II, the bombing on Pacific Airlines, and the bombing of the World Trade Center. It credits O'Neill and his past work like white collar crimes in Baltimore, Maryland and drugs and organized crimes in Chicago, Illinois. There was mention of a new division within the FBI, O'Neill's tough style and "rough elbows", and his flamboyancy compared to other FBI agents. They knew that there were people going to flight school whom were related to the Bojinka Plot and officers that were dispatched were recalled. O'Neill continued to warn people even after he was moved to the New York division of the FBI until eventually it was too late.
The production of this film was done very well for the time that it was made. Produced in 2002, about thirteen months after the falling of the World Trade Center, the film came in good time to make the country aware of what went on and that someone knew that this was going to happen. The night before the somber event he had said that Yousef "wanted to finish that job" (bringing the World Trade Center down) and that "something big is going to happen." This film was necessary to bring some comfort to the people who lost their loved ones in this tragic event and to the entire country as well. This topic has been a big one ever since that day. Every year people reminisce the good times they had with their loved ones or the good days at work there or simply looking up at the skyline and seeing the great Twin Towers, almost as great and monumental as the Statue of Liberty herself. Personally, I've seen a picture that my aunt took when she went on a tour in New York a couple months before the event of those towers and it was just breathtaking. After years and years of having to interview people about where they were when they heard that the World Trade Center was falling for different classes, it never gets old to hear their stories. It is such a thought provoking event that still leaves people baffled and for loss of words. My dad and I were watching Sesame Street when he got a call saying that he had to go up to Ground Zero. He was new father with another one on the way just enjoying counting with Count Dracula and his little girl when his life could have been turned upside down. Luckily he is still here today, but others weren't so lucky and that's why this film was much needed. And even today with all of the terrorist acts, it's still relevant. Even though Osama bin-Laden is dead, his legacy still lives on as well as other groups becoming more prevalent, like ISIS and the Taliban and even a recent emergence of the Klu Klux Klan with neo-Nazi's at an alt-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. This documentary serves to comfort and educate the public. It goes to show that these things can be prevented if you listen to what people are saying. Even though people thought he wasn't "conventional" for lack of better words, he still had a job at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and as Chief of Security at the World Trade Center. Sometimes it takes a bad thing to happen to make people realize things and this definitely did that. Security heightened up at airports and large public places more than ever before. The Department of Homeland Security was created in 2002. You could go through the airport security check with liquids and your shoes on. People's privacy is being violated for their own safety which has caused a myriad amount of issues, but that is really a talk for another time. All in all, considering the state of this "great" nation right now, I can't think of a better topic to talk about.
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