Before the Twin Towers were hit, before the third plane smashed into the Pentagon, before the passengers forced their own plane to crash into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, there was one passenger on American Airlines Flight No. 11, leaving from Boston for Los Angeles, who took on the terrorists before anyone else, and was killed while trying to prevent them from assaulting the cockpit.
His name was Daniel Lewin. His heroism is discussed here.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Danny Lewin boarded American Airlines Flight No. 11 in Boston, expecting to reach Los Angeles. Instead, the flight was hijacked and commandeered by Arab terrorists, crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. On that fateful flight, Danny Lewin became the very first victim of the largest terrorist attack in history in which almost 3,000 Americans died. An internal memorandum of the Federal Aviation Administration says “that in the course of a struggle that took place between Lewin, a graduate of Israel’s elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal, and the four hijackers who were assaulting that cockpit, Lewin was murdered by Satam Al Suqami, a 25-year-old Saudi.”
From the reports of at least two stewardesses, who managed to phone out while the hijacking was just starting, we know that the passenger in seat 9B – Danny Lewin – had taken on the four hijackers, trying to prevent them from entering the cockpit. He had his training as a member of Israel’s most elite combat unit, the Sayeret Matkal. But he was unarmed, facing four terrorists armed with knives and boxcutters, who together overpowered him, and then slit his throat.
Sometime after the attack, the Lewin family in Jerusalem received a telephone call from the FBI offices in New York. On the line was the agent responsible for the investigation of the attack on Flight 11. He told Danny’s parents that there is a high degree of certainty that Danny tried to prevent the hijacking. The FBI relied, among other things, on the testimony of the stewardess Amy Sweeney.
Sweeney succeeded in clandestinely getting a call out during the flight to a flight services supervisor in Boston, from the rear of the plane: “A hijacker slit the throat of a passenger in business class and the passenger appears to me to be dead.” To this day the American investigators are not convinced that Danny Lewin was murdered on the spot. An additional stewardess, Betty Ong, who succeeded in calling from a telephone by one of the passenger seats, said that the passenger who was attacked from business class seat 10B was seriously wounded. It turned out that 10B was the seat of Danny Lewin. [Correction: Lewin sat in Seat 9B. In Seat 10B, right behind him, was Satam al-Suqami.]
The Lewin family, Danny’s parents and brothers, have no doubt that Danny battled the hijackers. And it is for them a tremendous consolation. “I wasn’t surprised to hear from the FBI that Danny fought. I was sure that this is what he would do,” Yonatan, his younger brother, said. “Danny didn’t sit quietly. From what we heard from the Americans, the hijackers attacked one of the stewardesses and Danny rose to protect her and prevent them from entering the cockpit. It is a consolation to us that Danny fought. We see it as an act of heroism that a person sacrifices his life in order to save others.
The first victim of the 9/11 terrorists was a young Israeli mathematician and computer scientist. He was also that day’s first hero. He did what he could to prevent the four terrorists from entering the cockpit, but all his training In Sayeret Matkal was to no avail against four determined fanatics with boxcutters and knives.
Danny Lewin was also a wunderkind in the world of high tech. He received his B.S. from the Technion, working long hours as a teaching assistant there and as a researcher for IBM in Haifa.
In 1996, Danny accepted a scholarship to study computer science and mathematics at MIT. Two years later, while working on his Ph.D., he co-founded Akamai Technologies with his thesis advisor, Prof. Frank Leighton. His research offered a new and revolutionary way to deliver content over the Internet. By 2001, when he was only 31, Danny was widely recognized as one of the most influential technologists of his generation. One well-known trade publication ranked him as the seventh most important technologist in the world. When he died he was the Chief Technology Officer at Akamai, which today has annual revenues of more than $3 billion. Who knows what other contributions he might have made to technology’s advance, had his life not been cut so short that day?
When you think of 9/11, and all that happened that day, give a thought to the first hero, who became the first victim, of that day’s terrorism. Danny Lewin had a short life, but it was a life well-lived. He should have died hereafter.
Walter Sieruk says
What a terribly vicious violent and murderous death cult Islam really is,
For on September 11, 2001 those murderous and destructive and deadly jihad attacks by jihadist/Muslims of al Qaeda were not acting out in a hijacked form of Islam but actual Quran based non-watered down hard core. As the Quran teaches in 9:111, “The believers fight in Allah’s Cause, they slay and are slain, they kill and are killed.” Likewise, this “holy book” of Islam also instructs in 47:4 “Whenever you encounter the disbeliever strike off their heads until you make a great slaughter among them…”
The hash reality is that using jets planes as missiles as those jihadists did on 9/11 do does ,tragically , make a much greater “slaughter among them” than a sword can. There are the other verses the give instruction for violence and killing for the cause of Islam, as 2:191. 5:33. 8:39.9:5, 38-39.
Tony Naim says
I recently read an article that designates the 21st century as a century of Islam. Primarily based on the ongoing demographic change taking place in the world today in favor of an islamic population explosion.
There is no question, no doubt whatsoever, Israel remains the first line of defense between the savagery of radical islamic jihad, the pernicious discrimination of Dhimmitude in Sharia law and the west.
gravenimage says
I recently read an article that designates the 21st century as a century of Islam.
…………………
Disgusting, Tony.
Imagine going from the “American Century”–as the 20th century was often called–to the horror of backward, stagnant, violent Islamic savagery.
tim gallagher says
Yes, gravenimage, it is absolutely bizarre to think that this primitive, barbaric load of crap, which Islam is, could come to dominate the world. What a gigantic backward step that would be for mankind. It might eventually happen through the Muslims having so many children and also because our western countries are foolish enough to keep letting them move into our countries instead of keeping them in the barbaric countries that islam has built.. I suspect that China will be an even bigger threat to world peace than islam, but Islam is definitely a big worry along with China.
gravenimage says
It would resulf in another dark age, Tim.
tim gallagher says
Yes, gravenimage, it would be dragging mankind back to a hideous, barbaric past if islam did win out and become dominant. I keep hoping that enough people will wake up to islam’s evil nature and will ensure that islam is defeated. Such a barbaric load of crap should have been consigned to history’s garbage bin centuries ago. Down here in Australia, in our part of the world, China and its horrible, inhuman regime are seen as the biggest problem, being such a massive and bullying power and most Australians do see things that way these days.
gravenimage says
+1
Walter Sieruk says
On September 11, 2001 the jihadists of al Qaeda committed those murderous affronts of that horrendous jihad mass- murder Islamic attacks. Which was the outcome of the Islamic doctrine from the Qu‘’ran [the Koran] of a sexual paradise with many virgins, houris , in it for the male Muslim /jihadist who dies fighting in the jihad for the cause of Islam is found in the “holy book” of Islam, the Koran, in Sura 44:54. 55: 56. 78:31. Also there is the Koranic instruction of Sura 9:111 which teaches “The believers fight in Allah’s Cause, they slay and are slain, they kill and are killed.” Getting back to the origin doctrine of Islam from the Koran of a sex –filled paradise with many houris for the use only by the male jihadist who dies fight for the advancement of Islam.
All this started when the founder and prophet of Islam, Muhammad manufactured Islam he put , had stolen, some of sex doctrine of Zoroastrian mythology and a yet smaller bit of Hindu mythological sex teachings along with as well as mixture pagan Arabian folklore and myth plus a heavy dose of Judaism and Christianity . Also some of it apostate “Christianity” For the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, couldn’t discern the difference between genuine Bible based Christianity and bogus “Christianity.”
Those words and teaching Muhammad gathered from many sources, including the virgins /sex place mythology. , and taught as “Divine Truth” were written down on many things then later compiled and then went into the composition of the Koran. So the hoax of the Koran is actually a mixture and fusion Judaism Christianity and mythology of other religions and now the Muslim clerics with the Koranic brainwashing of young Muslims who are thoroughly mind programmed into believing this Islamic/Koranic virgins myth.
This deception of false doctrine /myth into the thoughts of some people was predicted in the Bible along with the false teachers who engage in the indoctrination of such a myth /doctrine into the minds and hearts other people. For it is written “For the time will come when they will not stand wholesome teaching, but will follow their own fancy and gather a crown of teachers to tickle their ears. They will stop their ears to the truth and turn to mythology.” Second Timothy 4:3,4. [N.E.B.]
mortimer says
There are many Americans similar to the heroic Danny Lewin, and that is why so many Muslims living in the country are afraid of Americans. When jihad comes, they know the Danny Lewins will be prepared to offer their lives in defense of their country. Muslims can see it, and they realize that any jihad against Americans is futile. Nevertheless, many Muslims try acts of terrorism out of a sense of obligation to their terroristic religion (Koran 8.60: ‘Turhibunna’ ‘terrorize them’)
When Muslims who favor jihad look into the resolute faces of the Danny Lewins of this world, they tremble. Patriots are everywhere. When they see us, they look away. They feel we are reading their minds. The jihadists have guilty thoughts.
That is the look of the guilty that we see in many Muslims. They realize they are in the presence of the police and they feign innocence by looking away. The hearts of the true jihadists are filled with hatred towards the dirty kufaar and thoughts of murdering them, so such people have difficulty looking us in the eye. I see this all the time.
ploome says
look at the way muslims have taken control of the UN
gravenimage says
Mortimer wrote:
When jihad comes, they know the Danny Lewins will be prepared to offer their lives in defense of their country. Muslims can see it, and they realize that any jihad against Americans is futile.
……………………
I agree that there are many brave Americans, Mortimer.
But Muslims have not been afraid to wage Jihad in the United States.
Cases since 9/11 include the El Al counter shootings at LAX, the Beltway Sniper shootings, the UNC SUV attack, the Seattle Jewish Federation shooting, two attempted Times Square bombings, the Arkansas Recruitment Office shooting, the Ft. Hood massacre, the attempted Underwear Bombing, the Boston Marathon Bombing, the Your Black Muslim Bakery killings, including the assassination of journalist Chauncey Bailey, the would-be massacre at the cartoon art show in Garland, Texas, the 2015 Chattanooga Shootings, the UC Merced stabbing attack, the San Bernardino massacre, the Ohio resaturant machete attack, the Orlando nightclub massacre, the NYC truck attack, and the Pensacola Naval Air Station shootings.
This is of course just a partial list.
Some of these Jihad terror attacks *have* been foiled by courageous Americans, like in Garland.
But victims don’t always have time to react, and are not always armed. Then, Jihadists are often on suicide missions, so even where Infidels fight back this is not necessarily a deterrence.
commonsense says
+1
gravenimage says
Thank you, commonsense.
Eva says
Danny Lenin, a courageous and selfless man.
May his memory be a blessing ?
Eva says
I apologise, it should be Danny Lewin, not lenin.
Spellcheck changed it.
Eva says
Apology, it should read Danny Lewin.
Spell check decided to change it.
Raja says
islam is an evil machine that spews out lies day in, day out. I have had many people ask me “why was no Jew killed on 9/11? , Muslims imply that Jews were responsible for the terror attack and many others take this narrative seriously. What a baloney !. This is the level of propaganda Muslims play.
gravenimage says
Yes, Raja–this is grotesque claim. A number of the victims of 9/11 have obviously Jewish names–then there are others like Danny Lewin who are also Jewish.
Then, the idea that Muslims would celebrate 9/11 if it had actually been done by Jews to make Islam look bad makes no sense at all.
rubiconcrest says
I remember hearing about this passenger on flight 11 being killed but never knew the history behind this hero. He is an inspiration to us all. 4 against 1 were impossible odds even for someone as highly trained as this man. Also, all of the muscle terrorists may not have revealed themselves immediately. There is a lesson here. If faced with a similar situation assess the situation, the numbers, seek and assemble allies and weapons and then act together. But those with military experience are probably better able to give us advice than I am.
rubiconcrest says
I remember hearing about this passenger but never knew the details behind the hero. He is an inspiration to us all. 4 to 1 were impossible odds even for this highly trained man. There is a lesson here. Not to not act but to know your enemy and his strength before acting. Attempting to highjack a plan requires much planning never underestimate the enemy.
This may mean feigning weakness while the enemy is evaluated. All the muscle terrorists probably did not jump into action at once. One or more stayed seated to assist if needed to deal with passengers like Lewin. Those with military experience are better at giving advice than I.
I would think once the number of terrorists and their weapons was known one could then assemble allies, weapons and only then plan an assault in numbers.
gravenimage says
+1
somehistory says
“Danny rose to protect her and prevent them from entering the cockpit. ”
Jesus Christ, also a Jew, said, “No man has love greater than this, that he should surrender his soul in behalf of his friends.”
And this young man surrendered his soul on behalf of strangers because he recognized the evil in the attack and made a heroic…loving…attempt to prevent it.
john smith says
+1
somehistory says
Thank you.
gravenimage says
Thank you, Somehistory.
somehistory says
🙂 I thank Jesus for setting an example for us all.
This young man may /may not have been a believer in Jesus (IDK whether), but he learned the principle all the same.
gravenimage says
So true, Somehistory.
GreekEmpress says
https://gonetoosoon.fandom.com/wiki/Mark_Rothenberg
This is another man I think about on 9/11. His father started the Culver Glass Company. They made beautiful glassware accented by 24k gold highlights.
In the 1990s, I bought and sold this beautiful glassware which was now considered vintage and collectible.
Another beautiful, creative person who became a jihad victim.
somehistory says
They say ‘cancer doesn’t care who you are.’ Neither does evil, but it seems that some of the best of humankind are the main targets of satan and his willing children.
I love blown glass pieces. I’ll have to look at the site. Thank you.
commonsense says
Your story makes my blood boil. Damn Islam, and the millions who remain Muslim. I’m sick of the fantasy of separating Islam from its adherents, even if they are presently passive, lapsed, or indifferent to its monstrous commands and precepts. If they remain part of the Umma, they are our enemies.
Linde Barrera says
To somehistory-Thank you for your comment of 2:39 pm. I agree 100%.
I was very upset to read that this brave (and brilliant) young man, Danny Lewin, had his throat slit by the demonic Muslim hijackers. May he Rest In Peace with God.
It seems to me that the doctrines of Islam justify barbarity. Yet approximately 96% of the world’s Muslims demonstrate peaceful behavior and do not hurt others.
I am glad they show peacefulness. But then why do they believe in Islam, a religion that instructs its followers to “kill infidels wherever you find them”?
(Quran verse 9:5.) No one I have met so far can answer that question!
Aussie Infidel says
Linde, It is all due to the process of indoctrination and how it affects the human mind. All religious people have been indoctrinated (whether they realize it or not) to believe the doctrines of their particular faith; otherwise they wouldn’t believe what they are told about supernatural beings, miracles, and other things for which there is no hard evidence, and contrary to our everyday experience of life.
Fortunately, most religions are relatively benign, and pose no great mortal danger; but Islam is a supremacist theocratic creed, that preaches hatred of non-Muslims, and incites violence against them. But Muslims can no more help believing in the tenets of Islam, than the followers of other religions believe in theirs. To do otherwise, would be to create a good deal of cognitive dissonance (anxiety) because any contrary information would conflict with what’s already stored in their long term memories – and most likely be rejected.
Most people don’t choose their religion; it is chosen for them by their parents or significant others. They then grow up within the faith, and inculcate all the doctrines and rituals, without thinking too much about them; but after a lifetime of such activity, those beliefs and practices become part of their personalities, and it is very difficult for them to change. As the Jesuits used to say, “Give me the boy before he is seven, and I will give you the man”.
Our propensity to believe is part of our survival instinct (the flight or fight response). Far better to heed a warning that certain things present a danger, and run away quickly before trying to rationalize the situation, or we might end up as a meal for some predator. That served us well before we had large brains and not much to think with. But now in our highly evolved state as Homo sapiens, that unfortunately also leaves us vulnerable to exploitation from people who might want us to believe the stories they tell. And that’s especially when we are children, and have few (if any) resources to refute what we are told.
Nevertheless, not all people are the same; the distribution of innate human characteristics covers the full spectrum of physical and emotional attributes. Some people are peaceful, while others are aggressive sociopaths (which is why most religious people do not understand the concept of evil, and fall for the personification explanation (blaming it on the devil). Thankfully, the number of extremists is a small percentage of any population – usually less than 15% – and the number of violent extremists or psychopaths is only a small fraction of that (far less than 1%). But that’s all it takes to strike fear into the hearts of most people.
Some people also have a greater propensity to believe what they are told – which is a product of their nature and nurture – while others (like me) are far more skeptical.
Roland says
Did any other passengers on that flight put up a fight?
somehistory says
I wondered that, also. If so, how many if known, and who were they?
It reads as though he acted alone.
Hugh Fitzgerald, says
As far as I know, no one else tried to take on the four hijackers, once they saw what had happened to Danny Lewin..
gravenimage says
Grimly understandable. But if they had acted together it might have been different.
somehistory says
Thank you for the information.
As g says, they might have had more success had a group gone against them together. But, perhaps they needed more time.
It was such a horrible day for so many people, directly; and awful for the rest of us to know about.
It might serve as a lesson for sometime in the future…if we are found in a similar situation and joint action might keep the murders from being carried to completion.
Infidel says
Wonder whether anyone on Flight 175 had any idea of what had happened to Flight 11 or the North tower, and whether there was any attempt to prevent that hijacking? It seems that people on Flight 77 that rammed the Pentagon did know: Barbara Olsen apparently had a last conversation w/ her husband, and it seems that other passengers too knew what was going on. Wonder whether any of them tried to stop it?
gravenimage says
Danny Lewin, the First Hero, and Victim, on 9/11
……………
Bless Danny Lewin and every other passenger and crew member on these fligths who tried to take on the hijackers. I had heard of him before, although not by name–kudos to the stewardesses for reporting this story.
And the brave passengers of United 93 almost certainly prevented more Jihad murder.
I am awed and inspired by the heroism of these courageous people.
Kepha says
SO, what happens to the Islamicists’ wail that the JOOOOOZ done it? Ooops. Wiat a minute. Now that Biden has pulled our botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, we’ll start hearing the OBL wannabes again crowing, “ONLY MOOOOOSlims could be so brave to pull of the 9/11 attacks!”. Sorry. My inner Diogenes is showing.
somehistory says
A new report from the VA …suicides and calls for help among those who were in afghanistan and fought the taliban and watched the awful things happening. In the last two weeks of August…thousands of calls for help.
A young man who was a “hero” in the wars there, went on a shooting rampage in Florida, killing a woman, her baby, a grandmother and a man who had been mowing his grass. The sheriff interrogated him and said that he has gone mental. Probably the same thing that is happening with all those vets killing themselves and the ones calling to get help before they go that far.
Walter Sieruk says
Those horrendous jihad attacks with occurred on September 11, 2001 are a blatant and harsh reminder of the constant dangers of murderous and destructive dangers of Islamic terrorism.
Therefore ,with this continuing danger and threat of Muslim terrorism , be they the jihadists of al Qaeda, ISIS , Hezbollah Hamas or the Taliban and so forth. We ,as Americans , should not life in fear or be afraid to to to different places and do different things, we sill should be aware of out surrounding and be om the lookout for anything the seems wrong are out of place. As in “What’s wrong with this picture ?” Then if something wrong is seen we then should go and inform police officer about it.
As it has been said “If you see something ,say something.” To put this another way , the wisdom found in the words of Thomas Jefferson apply now even more than they did in Mr. Jefferson’s own time.
For this former US President had ,wisely , written “Let the eye of vigilance never be closed.”
,
Walter Sieruk says
We must never forget and always remember those murderous affronts which happened on September 11, 2001 because of Islam’s jihad and the jihadists with their Islamic terrorism on that awful and terrible day.