Was 9/11 landing gear hidden on purpose?

Matt Cantor, Newser | NEWSER

Show Caption Hide Caption 9/11 landing gear possibly found in New York A piece of 9/11 landing gear from one of the planes that struck the Twin Towers is believed to have been found wedged between two New York City buildings, nearly 12 years after the September 11th attacks.

After surveyors discovered what appears to be plane landing gear from the 9/11 attacks, authorities are wondering how it got sandwiched between two buildings — one of them housing a much-debated Islamic community center.

"The odds of it entering that space at exactly that angle that would permit it to squeeze in there ... it had to come in at almost precisely the right angle," a police spokesman told The New York Times. Investigators are considering the possibility that it was deliberately stuck in the spot, CNN reports.

"We are also looking into a possibility it was lowered by a rope," said NYPD commissioner Raymond Kelly, who noted that some rope seemed to be wrapped up in the landing gear.

Still, "if you see how confined this space is, and you realize the chaos that existed on this street, I think (the situation is) understandable," Kelly said.

The wall doesn't bear any marks suggesting the piece was lowered, he noted.

Authorities will also investigate whether there are any human remains in the area, he said.

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