At 5 a.m. Monday, Michael Tuohey turned on his television and saw video of President Obama announcing that Osama bin Laden had been killed.
He pumped his fist in the air and shouted "Yes!" like many Americans had upon hearing the news. Like his countrymen, it took him back to September 11, 2001 - but not to the images of the twin towers or the Pentagon. Instead, he recalled the glaring eyes of Mohamed Atta, the leader of the group of hijackers, staring back at him at the US Airways counter at Portland (Maine) International Jetport before a flight to Boston about 5 a.m. September 11.
"I see his eyes all too often," Tuohey told CNN. "And of course I pictured them again (Monday). Unfortunately, I still get flashbacks."
Despite a gut feeling about Atta and traveling companion Abdulaziz Alomari, the ticket agent checked in the two men who would help bring al Qaeda international infamy on September 11. Tuohey said there was nothing the pair did that could elevate his concerns to the point where he wouldn't be able to issue a ticket: There wasn't a one-way ticket bought in cash or anything else actionable.
"They didn't walk up there green and try and pull this off," Tuohey told CNN affiliate WCSH. "They knew what I would be looking for. They knew what they wanted to hear. This was not a fly-by-night, 'let's walk up and see if we can do this.' "
So nearly 10 years later, the death of the man who indirectly sent the hijackers to his counter was met with happiness and a "sense of satisfaction."
"I was fist-pumping at 5 in the morning," Tuohey told CNN. "It brought me great joy."
Tuohey said that though he tries not to let the past get to him, he couldn't help but have strong emotions.
"I got a little choked up, because just knowing, you can't help but reflect back," he told CNN. "I thought about things that happened; it ran through my mind again: those people on the roof of the building, the terror and the horror that was in their mind at the time."Especially because in the immediate aftermath of September 11 and in the years following, Tuohey felt a great deal of guilt that, in a way, he had allowed two terrorists to take the lives of Americans.
"It was guilt only because, you know, tangentially, I was involved," Tuohey said. "Was there something that he said, either one of them? Should I have picked up on something?"
In 2005, Tuohey told CNN that he "felt ashamed that I did not react to my instincts."
"I was right. I was right," he said, adding that he knew something was off about the two men. "I don't know how you describe it, how your stomach twists and turns. You get sick to your stomach."
That personal connection makes bin Laden's death an especially sensitive topic for Tuohey.
"It doesn't help me. It makes me feel good," he said. "It's nice. It's a great feeling - he's dead."
Although he said there will never be closure, he was thrilled that the U.S. was finally able to bring the al Qaeda leader to justice.
"The way it happened made it even better," he said. "It was an American operation run by Americans, using American bullets, shooting into his Arabic head."
Hearing of how bin Laden had been killed, Tuohey said, he knows that even though he shouldn't think this way, he hoped the al Qaeda leader experienced some of the stinging emotions of those who lost loved ones on September 11.
"I hope he saw his son get killed. I hope he saw a soldier aiming a bullet at him," he said. "I wanted him to feel that sinking, awful, terrible feeling, even if it was just for a split second, that you saw your son lose your head, maybe.
"I just wanted him to be fearful and watching someone close to him die and turn and face a bullet, knowing he's going to die, to feel that fear that he inflicted on others and the pain he inflicted on thousands of people."
Today, he knows that he did practically everything he could September 11 - that he saw how the purchase date of the ticket and type weren't out of the norm - but he'll still bear the emotional scars for not stopping the hijackers. It's why he can't watch any video or see images of the attacks.
"I can't see it knowing that a person who I had standing in front of me several hours earlier was the leader of that whole (hijacking plan)," he told WSCH.
Perhaps it was coincidence that Tuohey went to bed Sunday unaware of the events, that he woke up about the same time he met the hijackers whose faces he can never forget and learned of their leader's death.
If nothing else, Tuohey said, it's why with those images in mind, he can celebrate revenge, even if it's not the right thing to do.
"I suffered anguish, and I still do," he said, making sure to note that it was not about closure for him. "But maybe, even just in a fleeting moment, I wanted him to feel that he was losing something precious to him, like a son, a life, like all the lives we lost that day."
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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I see this whole episode as a surgery to remove a cancer, nothing more. I am grateful that I live in a country protected by service members that are truly top notch, but I will not celebrate anyone's death, because it's a shame that we live in such a messed up world. I hope one day everyone can learn to solve problems without blowing each other up. If Muslims have a problem with their governments selling them out then revolt against your corrupt government. Americans are equally angry with our government over the same issues. Politicians lie to all of us and we're caught in the middle when bullets start flying. Sad.
There is a solution for the Bin Laden photos being shown to the families and get closure.
If the families of 9/11 were all assembled (making sure that no personal cameras were allowed) and shown the photographs, then 1) there would be closure for them 2) a large number of civilians would have witnessed it 3) it would put an end to the conspiracy theories 4) we would avoid aggravating the Osama sympathisers. That would be the end of drama and speculation. Thank you.
and you would know this because...? and as for the "drama and speculation" its people like you who create them...Osama is dead. Get over the fact that he was killed under a liberal Democrat President. For the closure part do you really think there can be a closure over this incident?
I am very proud of the American forces for doing there job. It is not a job any body can do, but their special training makes them very valuable, just as the workers at the Chernobyl site gave their lives to protect people. Not everyone can do it and it is stories like these that make us thankful for the work of the tireless professionals in many industries and organizations. If you think about the police officers that are involved day to day with keeping us safe to the millions of soldiers that are helping to propmote democracy and freedom all over the world. We should be thankful to everyone who does a good job of keeping our countries safe. Thanks to the Navy Seals and thanks to all those who played a role in this event. God Bless the USA, a beacon of light.
Well said,Manny.
Where are you from? What rock did you crawl out from under?
People have been buried at sea for centuries. Osama in his videos has said they planned the 9/11 attacks. The reason stated reason he was buried at sea within 24 hours of his death is a plausible one. Muslim tradition states the body is to be buried with 24 hours and no country, even his native Saudi Arabia would take him and understandably so. So what were they suppose to do with him? Have him stuffed and mounted? Personally I would have liked to have him hangin like a pinata in front of the White House and used as such. Personally I am glad he is dead.
AMEN Mike!
KooKoo.
I am NOT a kookoo you a$$clown
By the way, "Mike Sterling"... is that your real name?
you are different Manny. I have to wonder who you really are?? Are you one who believes the lies being said because you do know where to get your information or do you even know how to read or write. Manny is that short for Abdulla Mansour.......see this is how this gets started and how it continues . Shame on me for insulting you because I am just adding to the problem of this country and that is hatred, bigotry and passing on false information.
I am glad that Osama Bin Laden is dead , however as the victims families say it...it does not bring back the lost lives including our service men
Those service men die for your freedom of speech Manny....use it more wisely and also become better informed.
I totally agree with you. Also, what a convenience that Osama is found just days after Obama's "birth certificate" was made public. Maybe this is is just hype to get us talking about someone other than Kenyan Obama
KooKoo
That should be "butt", with two "t"s. If you're going to take the time to insult someone, please take the time to spell it correctly.
Ah, I see that the Gestypo is out in full force...