Khalid al-Mihdhar

Khalid Muhammad Abdallah al-Mihdhar (16 May 1975 – 11 September 2001) was a Saudi man who took part in a big and sad event called the September 11 attacks. He was one of the people who took over American Airlines Flight 77. This plane was later flown into a very important building called the Pentagon.

Al-Mihdhar was born in Saudi Arabia. In 1999, he went to Afghanistan and met a man named Osama bin Laden, who asked him to help with the attacks. Al-Mihdhar and another person named Nawaf al-Hazmi traveled to California in 2000 after meeting in Malaysia. The Central Intelligence Agency knew about him but did not tell the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he was in the United States.

Al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi tried to learn to fly planes but had trouble with it because they did not speak English well. Al-Mihdhar left the United States for a while and went to Yemen, then came back in 2001. He joined the other hijackers on Flight 77 on the morning of September 11, 2001. The plane was crashed into the Pentagon, which caused many deaths.

Background

Al-Mihdhar was born on 16 May 1975, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to a well-known family that belonged to the Quraysh tribe. Not much is known about his early life, but when he was about 20, he and a friend traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to fight in a war. After that, they went to Afghanistan, where they joined a group called the Taliban.

Later, al-Mihdhar married and had two daughters. In 1999, he was chosen to take part in a big plan organized by a man named Osama bin Laden. Al-Mihdhar was very eager to be involved and had already gotten special travel papers to enter the United States. He was trained in Afghanistan and prepared for his role in these events.

2000

Malaysia summit

Main article: Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit

The CIA knew that al-Mihdhar and another person were connected to a group called al-Qaeda. They learned this from Saudi officials. The CIA started watching messages from a man named Hada, who was al-Mihdhar's father-in-law. In late 1999, the CIA found out about a meeting in Malaysia that Hada talked about. This meeting would include al-Mihdhar and others.

On January 4, 2000, al-Mihdhar left Yemen and flew to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The CIA went into his hotel room and copied his passport. This gave them his full name, birth details, and passport number for the first time. It also showed that he had a visa to enter the United States.

On January 5, 2000, al-Mihdhar went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He met with several others, including al-Hazmi. They were there to see a leader of a group called Jemaah Islamiyah. During this meeting, they may have talked about plans for future attacks, including ones in the United States. After the meeting, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi went to Bangkok, Thailand, and then left for the United States on January 15.

United States entry

On January 15, 2000, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Bangkok. They were allowed to stay as tourists for six months. In February 2000, they met a man named Omar al-Bayoumi in San Diego. He helped them find a place to live and gave them some money.

In San Diego, they lived in an apartment and bought a used car. People who knew them said they often played flight simulator games and wanted to learn how to fly jets. They took some flight lessons but did not do well because they did not speak English well.

Return to Yemen

Al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi left their apartment in San Diego at the end of May 2000. In June 2000, al-Mihdhar left the United States and went back to Yemen to see his wife. Later, he was reported to have helped plan an attack on a ship called the USS Cole. By late 2000, al-Mihdhar was staying with a cousin in Saudi Arabia.

2001

In February 2001, al-Mihdhar went back to Afghanistan for several months. He later returned to the United States in July, arriving at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport with a new passport. He bought a fake ID and, with another hijacker, got driver's licenses in Virginia.

Al-Mihdhar and his fellow hijackers made travel plans and got ready for their actions. They stayed in budget motels and worked out at a gym. On September 5, they picked up their flight tickets for the attack.

Intelligence leads

Even though authorities knew al-Mihdhar had entered the United States over a year earlier, he was not put on a watchlist until late August 2001. There were concerns within the FBI about how to handle his case, which affected their ability to act. Some believed more could have been done to stop possible threats. The CIA did not share key information with the FBI, possibly to protect their own operations or because of concerns about sharing sensitive details.

9/11 attacks

Main article: American Airlines Flight 77

On September 10, 2001, al-Mihdhar and the other hijackers stayed at a hotel near Washington Dulles International Airport. The next morning, they went to the airport and went through security. They were able to board Flight 77 to Los Angeles.

The flight was delayed but eventually took off. Later, the plane changed its path and crashed into the Pentagon. Sadly, many people were hurt or lost their lives in this event.

Aftermath

After the attacks, investigators found clues that helped them understand the group's connections. They learned that one of the hijackers had met with important members of a harmful group.

Later, police found a car that had been used by one of the hijackers. Inside, they discovered important papers, including maps, flight school information, and notes that helped them learn more about the plan.

Some people later claimed that some of the hijackers might still be alive, but these were mistakes due to common names. Investigations showed that the names of the hijackers were correct.