The teenager who crashed into a Tampa skyscraper Saturday left a suicide letter, in which he expressed his support for Osama bin Laden. Authorities on Sunday added that the note also indicates that his act was of deliberate nature.
CNN reports that Charles J. Bishop, who flew the small plane on an unauthorized flight, died at the scene of the crash. His plane crashed halfway into a 42-story Bank of America building. According to witnesses, it seemed as though Bishop had not made any last-minute attempts to avoid the tall building. Tampa Police Chief Bennie Holder announced “I would characterize it as a suicide”.
Investigators searched the scene of the crash and found a note amongst the plane’s ruins. Holder added that from the note it is clear that the young man acted on his own “without any help from anyone else”. However, he did express his sympathy for Osama bin Laden and the events, which occurred on September 11 in the United States. It is interesting to point out, that several of the pilots who were involved in the September 11 attacks trained at Florida flight schools.
Bishop had taken flight lessons for two years. On the day of the crash, accompanied by his mother and grandmother, he took the plane to perform a preflight inspection. He had no authority to enter the plane by himself, according to a government transportation official.
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department Spokesman said that Bishop should have had an instructor on the plane with him. Once aboard the Cessna 172, he took off without permission. When the instructor saw the take-off, he immediately contacted the St. Petersburg airport airtraffic control tower. The Tower officials notified MacDill Air Force Base. After several minutes, the small plane entered the Air Force Base restricted airspace, according to Sgt. Chris Miller, MacDill public affairs officer.
MacDill contacted the United States Coast Guard, who sent a helicopter to catch up with the plane. Just a few minutes before the crash, the helicopter pilot made eye contact with Bishop, the Crew signaled him to land, but it was not clear as to what his response was.
Only a few minutes later – the plane crashed into the Bank of America building. There were no injuries in the building itself, which was immediately evacuated.
Up till now, U.S. Authorities have no information that links Bishop with any terror organization. On a personal level, the 15-year-old had only a few friends. It seems he was a bit of a “loner” and a “troubled young man”. Authorities took Bishop’s home computer for further investigation, trying to shed light on his motives. The full investigation is still continuing. (Albawaba.com)
