comon thinking among the pros from what I have read is that Seattle is not a major target .There is nothing symbolic about the space needle. It would not crash the stock markets or stop people from traveling. It might stop people for going up in Space needles. They would not hit a military inst. Unless it was symbolic like the pentagon. They want to target something that will damage the economy it is the way to have the most bang for the buck. Shutting down a metro area like NYC, Chicago Or Dc would have that impact.