Ziad Jarrah

Ziad Samir Jarrah was a Lebanese man who became involved with a group of people planning very dangerous actions. He was born on May 11, 1975, in Beirut during a difficult time in his country's history. Later, he moved to Germany to study aerospace engineering.

In 2001, Jarrah became one of the people involved in a series of attacks on September 11. He and three others took control of United Airlines Flight 93, which was flying from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco. Their plan was to fly the plane into a important building in Washington, D.C., but the passengers fought back. Because of this, the plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania instead, and everyone on board died.

The events involving Jarrah and others that day were very sad and changed many things around the world. His story is studied to help understand how such terrible plans can be made and to work harder to stop them in the future.

Early life

Ziad Samir Jarrah was born on 11 May 1975, in the Mazraa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon. He grew up in a well-off family and lived in an apartment in the city and a house with a large farm in a nearby town. His father worked for the government, and his mother was a school principal.

During his childhood, fighting happened in Beirut because of the Lebanese Civil War. This was a difficult time, and his family sometimes went to their farm to feel safer. Jarrah liked playing football and martial arts and was very interested in aviation, even though his family did not support this dream.

Education

Sources do not agree on Ziad Jarrah's school performance during his life. One teacher in Beirut said he had below-average grades. But his cousin Assem said that when Jarrah studied in Greifswald, Germany, he was very smart. He finished a language course in two semesters instead of the usual four. By the end of his life, Jarrah could speak at least four languages well: Arabic, French, German, and English.

Jarrah first went to an Islamic school in his neighborhood. Later, he attended a Christian school in an upper middle class area of east Beirut called Achrafieh. In the 1990s, his parents asked him to leave home and choose between studying in Germany or Canada. He chose Germany. In April 1996, Jarrah moved to Germany and began a German-language course at the University of Greifswald. He lived with his cousins and later had a romantic relationship with Aysel Şengün, who was studying dentistry. He planned to study dentistry too.

Radicalization

After Ziad Jarrah returned from a trip to Beirut in winter 1996, his friend noticed he seemed different. He became more serious and began reading a radical book about Islamist ideas. He also started going to a mosque where he met a man who strongly encouraged strict religious behavior.

Jarrah later moved to Hamburg to study aerospace engineering at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. He had worked at a Volkswagen paint shop in Wolfsburg. During this time, he met friends who also encouraged strict religious behavior. His changing views worried his family, who asked him to return home.

Hamburg cell

Main article: Hamburg cell

Ziad Jarrah joined a group of people at a mosque in Hamburg. This group, called the Hamburg cell, was a secret network of people who planned very serious attacks. They were part of a larger group and aimed to hijack airplanes and crash them into important buildings in the United States.

Jarrah was one of the people who took control of an airplane on September 11, 2001. His plane was United Airlines Flight 93. The group tried to crash it into a big building, but the plane instead crashed in a field. Many people were sadly killed in these attacks, which were planned by important leaders of this group.

Planning of the September 11 attacks

Main article: Planning of the September 11 attacks

The people involved in planning the attacks returned to their city to work on their plans together. They kept their activities hidden and tried to blend in with everyday life.

Before the attacks happened, one of the men likely entered the country many times. He went to a school to learn how to fly small planes and later began training to fly bigger jets. He made friends and was remembered kindly by others at the school.

In the months before the attacks, some of the people involved got driver’s licenses and joined a gym. One of them decided to leave the plan at one point but later agreed to continue.

In the days before the attacks, one of the men called his family and mentioned plans to attend a wedding. He also wrote a letter to someone close to him.

September 11 attacks

Main articles: September 11 attacks and United Airlines Flight 93

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Ziad Jarrah and three others were on United Airlines Flight 93, which was supposed to fly from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco. They planned to crash the plane into a big building in Washington, D.C.

The hijackers took control of the plane. Passengers on the plane learned through phone calls that other planes had crashed into buildings. They decided to try to take back the plane. The hijackers noticed this and tried to stop them. During the struggle, the plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Everyone on board died in the crash.

Aftermath

After September 11, a missing person's report was filed for Jarrah in Bochum, Germany. In the U.S., he became a suspect in the hijacking of Flight 93 when his name was found on the flight manifest. His passport was found at the crash site, though much of it was damaged.

Jarrah's family claimed he was not a hijacker and said he was an innocent person. They mentioned that he had promised to attend a wedding and had normal conversations before the event. However, reports and evidence later confirmed his involvement in the hijacking.

In popular culture

Ziad Jarrah has appeared as a character in several movies about the events of September 11, 2001. Actors have portrayed him in films like The Hamburg Cell (2004), The Flight That Fought Back (2005), Flight 93 (2006), and United 93 (2006). A 2021 film called Copilot shows his life before the attack. There is also a 2016 album that mentions him in its first song.