It started with a crash. It was unexpected, violent, and seemingly unrelated.
This tragic accident, buried in the back pages of local news reports, may hold the key to unraveling one of the most catastrophic events in modern history.
It was May 2000, 17 months before the towers fell. A father was killed in what authorities first considered a routine traffic accident. But nothing about this case was routine. The man allegedly responsible was Mohamed Atta, who would later be named as the ringleader of the 9/11 hijackers.
This long-forgotten tragedy is brought to light by Ray Hopkinson in Parallax 9/11 as the central theme of a haunting and incredibly human tale. Because Keith Chapman had a family. He had a grieving wife. He had fatherless children. And someone had to stand up for them.
This isn’t just a story about global terrorism. It’s also about a single legal case. It is about one man’s pursuit of justice for a devastated family. Hopkinson, a seasoned litigation lawyer, represented the widow and children left behind, fighting a claim for damages in the shadows of what would soon become the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.
When two of Keith’s friends saw the face of Mohamed Atta, the driver of the vehicle that killed Keith, what started out as a small wrongful death claim progressively grew into a legal tangle. The timeline suggests Atta was in the U.S. in April and May of 2000, despite FBI claims that he didn’t enter until June. He may have been testing limits, resources, and even ways to respond to terror, as evidenced by his actions in the run-up to 9/11, including an odd request for a loan to modify an aircraft.
The case was buried, hushed, and complicated by political sensitivity and government silence after 9/11. The family’s tragedy was swallowed by the enormity of the national one. Keith’s death was ruled accidental. But the inconsistencies and witness testimonies make it more than a tragic accident. Could Keith Chapman be the first unacknowledged victim of the 9/11 plot?
Parallax 9/11 lifts the veil on what happened. It’s a hidden chapter of 9/11’s legacy. A story not of bombs and buildings, but of children growing up without a dad. Of a woman navigating grief in the midst of history’s blind spot. Of a lawyer torn between national headlines and the quiet ache of a family in pain.
Hopkinson writes not only as an observer but as a participant. He lived this. He fought this. And now, he tells it—at last.
This is the emotional backbone of Parallax 9/11. It is a gripping, heart-warming docu-drama. A parable of tragedy, love, and paternal loss. It’s a story hidden for over 20 years, now masterfully interwoven with commentary on one of the worst days in American history.
Discover how Atta is connected to a much wider criminal network than the 9/11 attacks. Find out how his existence in Florida prior to the 9/11 attacks might have altered the course of this incident. Order your copy of Parallax 9/11 from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1917438567/.