Film star Mark Wahlberg has publicly apologised after remarks he made about 9/11 caused a storm of protest.
Speaking to US magazine Men's Journal earlier this week, the 40-year-old star of films such as The Departed and Contraband claimed that if he had been with his children on one of the planes that was hijacked on September 11, 2001, "it wouldn't have went down like it did".
"There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry'," he continued.
Speaking to website TMZ, Deena Burnett-Bailey, whose husband Tom was one of a group of passengers on Flight 93 who stormed the cockpit and forced the hijackers to crash the plane, said: "The plan for Flight 93 was foiled by heroes.
"For him to speculate that his presence on board could have stopped everything is silly and disrespectful. Sounds like someone is grandstanding," she added.
She continued: "Does Mark Wahlberg have a pilot's licence? Then I think hindsight is 20/20 and it's insignificant to say what you would have done if you weren't there."
Wahlberg had been due to take to take United Airlines Flight 93 from his hometown of Boston to California, but changed his plans at the last minute, instead taking a charter plane to Toronto.
On Wednesday he issued a public apology: "To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with, and to suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible.
"I deeply apologise to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive, it was certainly not my intention."
Since 9/11, United 93 has taken on an almost mythological status in the US.
It was the only one of four flights that failed to reach the hijackers' intended target after the terrorists were overpowered by a group of passengers, who forced the plane to ditch in a Pennsylvania field.
"Let's roll," the final words spoken by Todd Beamer before he and his fellow passengers charged the cockpit, became famous worldwide.
They were quoted by George W Bush in his first State of the Union address after the attacks.
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