Hijackers in the September 11 attacks

The hijackers in the September 11 attacks were 19 men who carried out the terrible events on that day. These men were part of a group called al-Qaeda, which was based in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They came from four different countries: 15 were from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt, and one from Lebanon.

The 19 men were split into four teams, each with a pilot who had special training and several others to help control the plane. Each team had a different plane and a different target to crash into. Mohamed Atta was the main leader of all the groups.

The first two hijackers, Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, arrived in the United States in January 2000 and settled in San Diego County, California. Later, three of the pilot hijackers, Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Ziad Jarrah, came to the U.S. to train at a flight school in Venice, Florida. The fourth pilot hijacker, Hani Hanjour, arrived in San Diego in December 2000. The other hijackers came to the U.S. in early and mid-2001.

Selection

Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi were respected members of the group that planned the attacks.

Three of the pilots who took part in the attacks were from a group in Hamburg, including Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Ziad Jarrah. After training in camps in Afghanistan, they were chosen because they knew more about life in Western countries. Mohamed Atta was put in charge of planning the attacks. Another pilot, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, could not enter the United States, so he was replaced by Hani Hanjour from Saudi Arabia.

Al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were also meant to be pilots but did not succeed in their training. They were then chosen to help take control of the planes along with 13 others, most of whom were from Saudi Arabia, except for Fayez Banihammad, who was from the United Arab Emirates.

Hijacked aircraft

American Airlines Flight 11: One World Trade Center, North Tower

Main article: American Airlines Flight 11

Hijackers: Mohamed Atta (Egyptian), Abdulaziz al-Omari (Saudi Arabian), Wail al-Shehri (Saudi Arabian), Waleed al-Shehri (Saudi Arabian), Satam al-Suqami (Saudi Arabian).

Flight attendants reported that the people who took over the plane came from the front seats. They described the people as being from the Middle East.

Mohamed Atta's voice was heard over the air traffic control system, giving messages to the people on the plane.

United Airlines Flight 175: Two World Trade Center, South Tower

Main article: United Airlines Flight 175

Hijackers: Marwan al-Shehhi (Emirati), Fayez Banihammad (Emirati), Mohand al-Shehri (Saudi Arabian), Hamza al-Ghamdi (Saudi Arabian), Ahmed al-Ghamdi (Saudi Arabian).

A flight attendant told a mechanic that the pilots had been taken over and the plane was being controlled by others.

American Airlines Flight 77: Pentagon

Main article: American Airlines Flight 77

Hijackers: Hani Hanjour (Saudi Arabian), Khalid al-Mihdhar (Saudi Arabian), Majed Moqed (Saudi Arabian), Nawaf al-Hazmi (Saudi Arabian), Salem al-Hazmi (Saudi Arabian).

A flight attendant called her mother to say the plane was being taken over by several people. A passenger called her husband and said the people taking over the plane had knives.

United Airlines Flight 93: Shanksville, Pennsylvania

Main article: United Airlines Flight 93

Hijackers: Ziad Jarrah (Lebanese), Ahmed al-Haznawi (Saudi Arabian), Ahmed al-Nami (Saudi Arabian), Saeed al-Ghamdi (Saudi Arabian).

A passenger said that the people taking over the plane looked Arabic, wore red headbands, and had knives.

Messages from the person taking over the plane were heard over the air traffic control system.

Investigation

Before the attacks

Before the tragic events of September 11, some people were worried about a group of men who might cause trouble. An officer even said these men were clearly dangerous, but there were problems sharing information between different agencies. Some important details were not passed along, which made it hard to stop what happened later.

Attacks

After the attacks on September 11, the FBI started a big investigation to find out more about the people responsible. They found the names of 19 men who were involved, and most of them came from different countries: 15 from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, and one each from Lebanon and Egypt. The FBI worked quickly to learn more about these men using information from flights and credit cards.

Recovery of the hijackers' remains

After the attacks, workers searched for remains at different places, including where the World Trade Center once stood, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania. Some remains were identified and given to the FBI for evidence, while others were still unknown and buried in a special place in New York.

Possible cases of mistaken identity

After the attacks, some people said that a few of the men named as hijackers were still alive and that their identities had been taken. This happened before the FBI showed pictures of all the hijackers.