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* [[spoiler:The death of Jessica, which makes the manhunt [[ItsPersonal all the more personal]] to Maya.]]
** Made even worse if you pay attention later in the film, where you briefly see that Maya's desktop picture is [[spoiler:her and Jessica hugging.]]
* Ammar, a tortured islamic prisoner almost deprived of food and water, squeezing a simple orange juice bottle as it is the most precious treasure in the world and wishing that the torture stops at once. In fact, all the scenes involving his torture are a mix of this and NightmareFuel. You just feel bad for him even if he had anything to do in terrorist attacks.
* The ending with Maya quietly weeping aboard the plane. She spent years hunting Bin Laden to the point where her entire life revolved around it, along with [[spoiler:losing a close friend]] and being willing to authorize torture in the process. With Bin Laden dead, Maya now has to face the prospect of living beyond it. Add in the fact that no one else is aboard the plane for her to even celebrate her accomplishment, and it's not hard to see why Maya is crying by the end.
* The opening scene where the viewers will hear some of the 911 calls of those who were trapped in the World Trade Centers or onboard hijacked flights during 9/11, [[ForegoneConclusion knowing that all these people are dead]].
-->'''[=CeeCee Lyles=]'''[[note]]Flight attendant onboard United 93[[/note]]: I hope to be able to see your face again, baby. I love you.
-->'''[=Brad Fetchet=]''': [A] plane crashed into World Trade Center One. [[HopeSpot We’re fine]], we’re in World Trade Center Two.