Although airline rules prohibiting passengers from carrying weapons recently became more stringent, ordinary objects such as a can of soda can be used for self-defense. Note the simulated aircraft interior made from plastic sheets and PVC pipe.
	One of the keys to defeating a hijacker is enlisting the aid of fellow passengers, says Jim Wagner (center)
	A briefcase can be used as a shield against an attacker’s knife or as a striking device to slam into his weapon hand, says Jim Wagner.
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	When the attacker pulls out a knife, Jim Wagner picks up his jacket and a rolled-up newspaper (1). As the attacker slashes, Wagner swings his jacket to entangle the weapon hand (2). With the blade momentarily covered (3), Wagner drives the end of the newspaper roll into the attacker’s face (4). Note the tape on the floor, which indicates the area in which the two men could maneuver in the aisle of a plane.
	Because of the tubular nature of the interior of most passenger aircraft, strikes must be linear. When aimed at the midsection or below, a thrusting front kick can be devastating
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	The attacker threatens Jim Wagner with a knife (1). Wagner uses both hands to seize the other man’s knife hand (2), then pivots clockwise (3) and spins the attacker to his knees (4). To neutralize the danger, Wagner leverages the attacker to the ground and restrains him (5).

As I was checking out of my room at the Venetian in Las Vegas on the morning of September 11, 2001, the clerk said, “I hope you are not flying out this morning.” I thought the statement a bit odd, so I said: “I drove here. Why?”

“There has been a plane crash, and the airport is closed today,” she said. I just assumed she meant that the airport in Las Vegas was closed, so I grabbed the receipt and left.

Nothing appeared out of the ordinary as I drove out of town. Then I turned on the radio to catch the morning news.

A reporter said, “…People are dancing in the streets of Nablus, and Palestinian store keepers are passing out candies to the passing children.”

I thought, “Oh no, not another terrorist attack in Israel!”

I had trained with the Israelis the week before and had witnessed the tail end of a suicide bombing just weeks earlier not far outside Jerusalem, and I was still a bit numb from it.

The reporter continued: “To recap, terrorists have flown two passenger planes into the World Trade Center towers and a third has crashed into the Pentagon.” Like the rest of America, I was in shock. I just drove along Interstate 15 with interchanging emotions of sadness and burning anger.

Four and a half hours later I was finally home, but not after having passed dozens of half-staff American flags flown by businesses along the freeway. Listening to my phone messages, I was amazed that my department had not called to activate me. It didn’t matter. I needed time to unwind.

After an hour of watching CNN, the call came in: “Can you report to the command post at the airport at 0600 hours?”

An hour later I received a call from an Atlanta-based reporter on the assignment desk of CNN. She had heard about me from their Los Angeles office and wanted more insight into how terrorists with edged weapons were able to take over an aircraft. I started the interview with “It’s easy…” The next morning I found myself sitting in the briefing room of a station crammed with fellow peace officers. The briefing took just over an hour. The lieutenant in charge of airport operations then pulled me aside and guided me into a conference room packed with FAA officials, DEA agents, FBI agents and a dozen airport officials. He asked me to give a briefing based on what I knew. As the only person there who had recently traveled to the Middle East and the only one on duty with counter-terrorism training, I gave a short presentation on knives and box cutters—which happened to be the topic of discussion when I entered the room. I was surprised that so many people had no clue how easy it is to sneak an edged weapon on board an aircraft and hijack it with little or no resistance. And that’s with just one suspect.

Add a few more terrorists, and they are virtually unstoppable.

After I had alarmed a few people with that discussion and the following one, which covered terrorist profiling and the presence of Middle Eastern terrorist cells in Southern California, I was put in charge of profiling people coming into the airport and searching vehicles for bombs. America had just been attacked, and we were determined not to be part of the next incident.

After my 10-hour shift had ended, I drove home and started reading my e-mail. Messages of sympathy poured in from all over the world from my buddies in police and military units. The one that hit me hardest came from a counter-terrorism friend in Israel. “In one hour,” he wrote, “you have lost more lives to terrorism than all of the attacks combined that have been made against us since the birth of our nation in 1948.”

The New War Before September 11, any group of men hijacking a plane with knives or the threat of a bomb would have been left alone. In fact, the National Counterintelligence Center advised government officials traveling abroad to comply with orders without complaining. Passengers would have waited patiently for the scenario to play out: The terrorists would force the plane to land, negotiations would take place and the hostages would eventually be released—either when the demands were met or when a counter-terrorism team stormed the plane. It was expected that one or two passengers might be executed in the course of events, but as long as there was hope of release, most passengers would comply with their captors’ demands. Of course, such a mind-set is now forever altered.

The hijackers that flew the planes into the World Trade Center probably encountered little to no resistance from the passengers. There was no reason for anyone to play the hero.

After all, most of them probably believed their circumstances would end no differently than past hijackings. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

United Airlines Flight 93 saw a radical departure from the norm of hijacker-passenger group dynamics. Several passengers phoned their loved ones to tell them their plane had been hijacked, and that’s when they learned the fate of the two jets that had just crashed in New York. When Flight 93 veered off course and headed toward Washington, D.C., the passengers must have deduced that the terrorists planned to crash it into the White House, the Capitol Building or some other national treasure.

A few passengers told their loved ones they were planning to rush the hijackers, who were armed with knives and a box they said contained a bomb. At 10:03 a.m., the plane disappeared from radar.

It crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.

Based upon background noise heard on the air phones, three or four passengers are believed to have fought to regain control of the aircraft. The plane never made it to its intended target, and not a single life on the ground was lost.

The Choice What would you do if you found yourself in a similar situation?

If your plane were hijacked by terrorists, would you know what to do? Would you be able to recognize the warning signs prior to the incident? In this article and subsequent installments of my High Risk column, I will cover everything you need to know to stay as safe as possible.

Historically pilots and flight attendants have passively followed the demands of hijackers. But on September 18, 2001 the Airline Pilots Association began encouraging passengers to fight back. “It’s a different world today,” stated Skyway Airlines pilot Brian Storm. “Up to this point, we’ve always been trained to be passive with somebody who takes over the airplane—to give them what they want and try to maintain the safety of the crew, the airplane and the passengers. This thinking is going to have to change.”

With pilots requesting passengers to take on a more proactive role in subduing hijackers, you may one day have to deal with the question of what to do the moment the airplane is seized. Do you sit there and comply with the hijackers’ demands, hoping it ends like the old days? Or do you rip them apart the moment they utter their first words because you may be flying on a missile?

I cannot tell you what the best course of action is for a situation that has not arisen, but I can offer advice pertaining to the best ways to train for such a situation.

The Training Environment The best way to prepare yourself to combat terrorism and hijackings is to train in the proper environment.

Of course, the ideal environment would be a real plane or airport, but few martial artists have access to them. Nevertheless, it is fairly easy to fabricate a suitable substitute.

To practice self-defense responses for attacks that take place in a plane, set up rows of folding chairs and create an aisle between them. To make the set more elaborate, use 56 BLACK BELT / JANUARY 2002 chalk marks or tape to simulate walls and bulkheads, or attach cardboard to PVC pipe for the ultimate in realism. To simulate a lavatory, use refrigerator boxes or even construct small cubicles with plywood. To add a cockpit, you need only erect a small wall with a door and two seats on the other side.

If you’re not used to reality-based martial arts training, such a stage set may seem a little on the silly side, but the world’s top counter-terrorism teams build similar models.

When I was training with a Brazilian air force team, we did exactly what I just suggested. In an airport hanger, we drew an outline of a plane on the cement and set up rows of chairs.

We practiced dry runs to get basic concepts and movements down. Only after the “chalk practice” was complete did we move to a real aircraft. And in Germany, top counter-terrorism teams use a $25 million “shoot house” that contains a mock aircraft in which troops practice dry runs and live-fire training.

To train for terrorist attacks that take place in the airport, which in most cases means small-arms fire or fragmentation grenades used at the loading/unloading curb or at the ticket counter, not much creativity is required. The front door of most martial arts schools will make a convincing terminal entrance, and the inside of the studio can serve as the ticket counter area. Throw in a tape recorder that loops jetengine noises and typical announcements—“The white zone is for the loading and unloading of passengers only”—and you have yourself a convincing training environment.

Fighting Back Once you decide to resist a hijacker, you will be engaged in what is called a “tubular assault,” a special-operations term that refers to combat in an aircraft, train or bus. One of the most important reasons for setting up the mock airplane is so you can practice your responses within the confines you would actually encounter. Because the average aisle in a plane is only slightly wider than an adult’s shoulders, the following 10 techniques and strategies are most often recommended by counter-terrorism experts: • Linear kicks: Because most aircraft seats feature a headrest that is as high as the sternum of an adult who is standing, the front kick is the most practical leg technique. There is simply no room for round kicks or side kicks, and in such a confined space spinning kicks are pure fantasy. Maximum power can be generated by moving forward as you thrust your foot into the target. The pelvic area is perhaps the best point to aim for because it is easy to hit and extremely sensitive.

Your goal is to severely jar the person right at his center of gravity. To “stop or drop” him, you need a thrust kick; a snap kick won’t cut it.

• Vertical knee strikes: Because of the aforementioned spatial limitations, vertical knee strikes can function well at close range. Once again, shoot for the pelvis. Don’t worry about making contact with the groin; just drive your knee into flesh and bone.

• Jab, cross, hook and uppercut: When you are in punching range, resist the urge to get fancy. Slug it out hard and heavy with closed fists. If the terrorist’s hands are up trying to block your blows, overwhelm his defenses. Elbow strikes are excellent when you are in tight. But whatever you do, you must drive through the target; don’t merely hit the surface of it.

• Bring a shield: If the hijacker has an edged weapon, grab a jacket, a carry-on bag, a laptop computer case or anything else you can swing at his face without the fear of getting cut.

Your strike will definitely put him on the defensive and it might knock the weapon out of his hand. While you engage him, watch for an opportunity to throw a short-range kick.

• Attack vital areas with deadly force: Because hijackers are extremely violent people, you are justified in attacking the body’s most vulnerable spots: the eyes, throat, spine, kidneys and so on. If you are dealing with more than one hijacker, you will have to neutralize them one-by-one as quickly as possible. (Note: It is extremely important to make the right decision regarding the use of deadly force. If you employ it against a person who is merely experiencing air rage, you may get in trouble criminally and civilly.) • Use the seats to your advantage: If you need to brace yourself against a seat to launch a powerful kick, do it. If you can yank a terrorist into a row of seats, do it hard and then pin him there while you strike. If someone else forces a terrorist into a seat and you are sitting behind him, reach over and grab his head. Or wrap your arm around his neck and pull his head over the headrest. Encourage other passengers to help you restrain him. If the terrorist happens to be in the cockpit, you will have to peel him out of the seat as quickly as you can. Remember that in the heat of battle, you may have to crawl over seats and people. Do it without hesitation, for this is no time to be polite.

• Use the environment: Although the interior of a plane can be confining, you can use your surroundings to your advantage.

Throw luggage, shove the hijacker’s head into an overhead compartment or hit him with a coffee pot. Because there are so many options, you must practice them in the dojo using safe props and protective gear.

• Improvise weapons: Although it may be illegal to fashion any type of weapon in an aircraft, there are some ordinary objects you can use to fight back. A belt with a large buckle can serve as a flexible weapon. A trophy can be a club. A can of fruit can be a throwing weapon. The sand in a “sand art” paperweight can be a blinding agent. The FAA has recently categorized edged weapons as contraband, but remember that terrorists do not obey the law. It may still be possible to sneak composite plastic knives on board, and they are no less deadly than their steel counterparts. Don’t make the mistake of thinking terrorists will no longer be able to bring weapons on airplanes because they will find a way.

• Use violence of action: When SWAT teams make an entry, they are loud and fierce. Those are the same qualities you must strive for when you attack your attackers. Use your “warrior yell,” command presence and commitment to action to put them on the defensive. Once you decide to fight, you can’t be timid. An added benefit of using the warrior yell is that it can encourage others to follow your lead.

• Follow through: Once you have subdued the hijacker, the danger is far from over. That’s when post-crisis management enters the picture. A downed terrorist must still be considered a threat. He should be immediately secured with hand-cuffs, rope, duct tape or even shoe laces. He must be searched because he might have explosives strapped to his body or a chemical or biological agent in a concealed container. Follow- through also means watching for “sleepers,” or terrorists who have not identified themselves but who will spring into action if their comrades fail. Follow-through includes posting guards over the incapacitated hijackers and keeping a clear head at a time when the excitement of an apparent victory can make people relax. The incident is not over until the airplane is on the ground and you are nowhere near it.

Final Advice As a martial artist, the hours you devote to counter-terrorism training will not be a waste of time. The skills you learn will serve you in any tubular environment, including planes, buses, trains and cruise ships. Anytime you use public transportation, you run the risk of some crazed person or group seizing it for evil purposes. Preparing for such a possibility is the prudent thing to do.