Maybe I'm just missing something, but can anyone explain how shoe bombs would be used to commandeer a plane and fly it into a building? Practically speaking, it doesn't seem like a good weapon to use in a battle for control of the plane. And if it is simply used as a threat, why wouldn't post-9/11 passengers and crew simply say 'fine, blow it up while we beat your ass'?
Sounds like the bombs were small, and were to be used to get through the locked and reinforced cockpit doors. I'm guessing the terrorists would remove them first.
I feel no need to explain to YOU. However, in theory, shoe bombs would be thought to be hard to detect. We didn't begin to inspect people's shoes at airports until Richard Reid. This LA plot was shortly after 9-11. Box cutters weren't gonna cut it anymore (ha!)As to the tactics involved, I leave that to the terrorists. They aren't perfect, you know. (Really, they're not, it just seems like they are with the kind of coverage they get...)
See #138.