Seems to me that given the events of 9-11, New Yorkers in particular are going to see terrorist actions even where they don't exist. Hate to say it, but police officers and firefighters still grieving for lost friends might be even more inclined to envision a terrorist act.
Personally, I question whether that tail ever was as structurally sound as it should have been. If there was a repair done during manufacturing to a "found" flaw, might there not have been another flaw that they missed?