The Man Who Predicted 9-11 - Rick Rescorla

Press Release Source: The History Channel The History Channel(R) PresentsMonday August 8, 2:08 pm ET BROTHERHOOD OF TERROR (9/10 7pm ET/PT) THE 9/11 HIJACKERS: INSIDE THE HAMBURG CELL (9/10 8pm ET/PT) OSAMA'S HIDEOUTS (9/11 7pm ET/PT) THE MAN WHO PREDICTED 9/11 (9/11 8pm ET/PT) GROUNDED ON 9/11 (9/11 9pm ET/PT) WORLD PREMIERES Saturday, September 10th and Sunday, September 11th 7 p.m.-10 p.m. ET/PT NEW YORK, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- September 11, 2001 now serves as the infamousreference point for the climate of terrorist-induced fear that has become ahallmark of the modern world. A wave of Islamic fundamentalist anger that hadgained momentum for decades crashed upon the United States on that day fouryears ago, and the reverberations are still felt today and will be for yearscome. In five world premiere programs, The History Channel looks at the roots oftoday's Islamic Fundamentalist movement, the men behind 9/11 --- including Osamabin Laden and the hysteria and heroism that marked the most chaotic moments ofthe 9/11 catastrophe. ADVERTISEMENT BROTHERHOOD OF TERROR (WORLD PREMIERE Saturday, September 10th at 7pm ET/PT) For many Americans, the morning of September 11, 2001 made the threat of IslamicFundamentalism a grave reality. But long before al Qaeda, the roots of thisdanger grew from an organization called the Muslim Brotherhood. Journey to Cairo, Egypt where the Brotherhood was born in the late 1920s. Learnhow Brotherhood members passed radical ideologies to legions of followers,including Ayman Zawahiri, who would become Osama Bin Laden's right-hand man. Today, some experts claim that the Brotherhood has put an end to their violentways, while others believe that its dark history makes this movement one thatcan never be trusted. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Marc Etkind. Produced for TheHistory Channel by Towers Productions. THE 9/11 HIJACKERS: INSIDE THE HAMBURG CELL (WORLD PREMIERE Saturday, September10 at 8pm ET/PT) For years, they remained nearly invisible, a small group of dedicated menwaiting for the perfect chance to strike. Then, on September 11, 2001, aftermeticulous preparations, they took action. The men's full stories and thedetails of their ambitious plan have now come to light. THE 9/11 HIJACKERS:INSIDE THE HAMBURG CELL tracks the progress of this unlikely group of young menwho grew from unassuming college students into religious martyrs. The leaders ofthe Hamburg Cell were responsible for the cultivation of the al-Qaeda plotcode-named "the planes operation." The group's leaders were four well-educatedMuslim men who shared a common belief in radical Islam. Though Mohamed Atta,Marwan al-Shehhi, Ziad Jarrah, and Ramzi Binalshibh hailed from differentcountries, a spirit of brotherhood prevailed among them. In time, they committedto a singular purpose -- to translate their religious fanaticism intocatastrophic action. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Marc Etkind. Produced for TheHistory Channel by Towers Productions. OSAMA'S HIDEOUTS (WORLD PREMIERE Sunday, September 11 at 7pm ET/PT) The hunt for Osama bin Laden continues, but the leader of al Qaeda remains anelusive target. For over 25 years, Osama bin Laden has been in hiding --sometimes by choice, often out of necessity. As a result, he has lived most ofhis adult life like a bandit, moving from one hideout to another in locations asfar flung as Pakistan to the Sudan. Along the way, his terrorist organizationhas constructed guesthouses, bases and camps to train fighters. Using 3Dgraphics, this hour will examine the bin Laden hideouts, put into context howthe world's most wanted terrorist has stayed one step ahead of his pursuers forso long, and examine where he may be hiding today. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Dolores Gavin. Produced for TheHistory Channel by CBS Productions. THE MAN WHO PREDICTED 9/11 (WORLD PREMIERE Sunday, September 11 at 8pm ET/PT) In 2001, Rick Rescorla was the 62-year-old head of security at the MorganStanley Bank situated high up in the South Tower at the World Trade Center. For6 years Rescorla was convinced that terrorists would use jet planes to try anddestroy the World Trade Center. Long before September 11th, he developed anevacuation plan for the bank, unpopular amongst some city whiz kids who workedthere who thought he was mad. His evacuation plan however ultimately saved 2,700lives. Rescorla's evacuation plan was put into effect after the first jet hit the NorthTower. When the second jet hit the South Tower, he averted panic and organized arapid evacuation of Morgan Stanley staff. Rescorla sang Cornish folk songs tocalm nerves while thousands trooped down the stair wells. Rescorla went backinside to help those injured and trapped get out. He was still inside when thebuilding collapsed. His body was never found. THE MAN WHO PREDICTED 9/11 tells Rescorla's extraordinary story from his Englishchildhood, to his heroics in Vietnam to his work as a/the security officer atthe World Trade Center where he became convinced that an attack was imminent. Itfollows the dramatic timeline of what happened to Rick between 8:45 a.m. whenthe first plane hit Tower 1 and 9:58 a.m. when Tower 2 -- and 500,000 tons ofsteel and concrete -- collapsed on top of him. It features interviews with hisbiographer, Pulitzer Prize winning author James Stewart, his wife Susan, many ofthe men and women whose lives he saved that day, and footage of Rescorla makinghis predictions. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Marc Etkind. Produced for TheHistory Channel by Testimony Productions. GROUNDED ON 9/11 (WORLD PREMIERE Sunday, September 11 9pm ET/PT) In response to the attacks on September 11, 2001, the FAA orders all planes outof the air. U.S. and Canadian air traffic controllers face a calamity of epicproportions-how to safely re-route and land close to 5,000 planes carrying closeto a million people. GROUNDED ON 9/11 tells the story of the how the Air TrafficControl System works and how it handled the events of September 11th. For individual air traffic controllers, the work is chaotic, intense, anddeceptively simple: pick a new route for each flight; radio instructions toturn; listen for pilot confirmation; hold traffic to keep airways fromovercrowding. From Cleveland, Ohio to Gander, Newfoundland, to Anchorage,Alaska, controllers searched for alternate airports to land large jets even astheir traumatized colleagues stream back from break rooms after watching theattacks on TV. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Marc Etkind. Produced for TheHistory Channel by BellaSwartz Productions. Now reaching more than 88 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel®,"Where the Past Comes Alive®," brings history to life in a powerful manner andprovides an inviting place where people experience history personally andconnect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. In 2004, TheHistory Channel earned five News and Documentary Emmy® Awards and previouslyreceived the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts &Sciences for the network's "Save Our History®" campaign dedicated to historicpreservation and history education. The History Channel web site is located athttp://www.HistoryChannel.com .