Plane passenger caught on camera watching footage of 9/11 terror attack moments before take-off 

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There are quite a few things passengers don’t want to see before a plane takes off – but this may top the list.

A passenger on a flight in the US has posted footage online that he says shows a fellow traveller watching a video of the 9/11 terror attack in New York on his mobile phone moments before take-off.

The man was watching a clip of smoke billowing from the World Trade Center when the passenger, who was seated in the row behind him, zoomed in on his screen.

The passenger was watching footage of the September 11, 2001, terror attack on his mobile phone

The clip has gone viral on the internet, where it has more than 200,000 views on YouTube in less than 24 hours and was a top trend on Reddit.

In the video, one of the JetBlue pilots gives an update to passengers over the loudspeaker as the passenger zooms in on the other traveller's smartphone.

The passenger then turns the camera to his face - showing a look of bewilderment - and the scenery outside as the plane taxis to a runway.

No one says anything to the man as he watches footage of the September 11, 2001, attack in New York, where hijacked passenger jets were deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center's towers.

The clip has gone viral on the internet, where it has more than 200,000 views on YouTube in less than 24 hours

Planes hijacked by terrorists also crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The attacks, carried out by al-Qaeda, left nearly 3,000 people dead.

Several YouTube users were shocked after watching the clip.

One user wrote: 'Dude you should have filmed and tapped on his shoulder and asked him why in the world would you watch WTC plane crash while you are sitting in an actual airplane? Are you demented to think about that man? People died on that tower.' 

There was also a debate in the comments section about how passengers would have reacted if the man watching the video wasn't white. 

A YouTube user wrote: 'A lot of you are saying that if he was a different race something else would have happened. I don't care what race you are if I saw someone watching a 9/11 video as my flight was taking off I would be getting my a** off that plane ASAP. Watching that as your plane takes off is just too odd and uncomfortable for me to want to stay on.' 

Other users hurled abuse at the passenger who recorded the video, with one writing: 'Yeah, it's a little weird, but at least he was minding his own business.'

Another commenter wrote: 'People need to be more like [the passenger watching 9/11 footage]. It doesn't matter where this guy was at, he was gonna watch this video. He's not trying to be edgy, not trying to stand out. He's just watching a vid. Good man.'

MailOnline Travel has contacted the man who recorded the video for comment.