Box cutters and 9/11.
Many people around the world believe the statements by John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld, and the media that the hijackers used box cutters to take the planes on 9/11.
Beyond the assertions of a few, however, there is no evidence that the 9/11 terrorists used box cutters. (*) Edward Jay Epstein speculates that the terrorists may have used hand-held bombs to intimidate passengers, chemical sprays (perhaps in perfume bottles) to disable passengers, or other weapons, including guns and knives.
Our airport security is so porous that we cannot rule out any kind of weapon. We just don’t know.
For news media organizations, it would be appropriate to say: “The 9/11 attackers hijacked the four airplanes using unknown weapons. Though some have suggested box cutters as their weapons, there is no evidence for that. No one knows what weapons they used.”
A picture of a box cutter could be useful. (†)
Update: 12 December 2003. Phrasing.