The hijacking of Flight 93 was led by Ziad Jarrah, a member of al-Qaeda.[2] Jarrah was born in Lebanon to a wealthy family and experienced a secular upbringing.[3] He intended to become a pilot and moved to Germany in 1996, enrolling at the University of Greifswald to study German.[4] A year later, he moved to Hamburg and began studying aeronautical engineering at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.[5] While living in Hamburg, Jarrah became a devout Muslim and associated with the radical Hamburg cell.[5][6]
In November 1999, Jarrah left Hamburg and went to Afghanistan, where he spent three months.[7] While there, he met with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in January 2000.[8] Jarrah returned to Hamburg at the end of January and obtained a clean passport in February by reporting his passport as stolen.[9][10]
In May, Jarrah received a visa from the U.S. Embassy in Berlin,[11] and he arrived in Florida in June 2000. There, he began taking flying lessons as well as training in hand-to-hand combat.[12][13] Jarrah maintained contact with his girlfriend in Germany and his family in the months preceding the attacks.[14] This close contact upset Mohamed Atta, the tactical leader of the plot, and al-Qaeda planners may have considered another operative, Zacarias Moussaoui, to replace him if he backed out.[15] Soon after the attacks, Jarrah's family asserted that he was an "innocent passenger" onboard the flight.[16]
Three "muscle" hijackers trained to storm the cockpit and overpower the crew accompanied Jarrah on Flight 93.[17] One of them, Ahmed al-Nami, arrived in Miami, Florida, on May 28, 2001, on a six-month tourist visa with United Airlines Flight 175 hijackers Hamza al-Ghamdi and Mohand al-Shehri. Another Flight 93 hijacker, Ahmed al-Haznawi, arrived in Miami on June 8 with Flight 11 hijacker Wail al-Shehri. The third Flight 93 muscle hijacker, Saeed al-Ghamdi, arrived in Orlando, Florida, on June 27 with Flight 175 hijacker Fayez Banihammad.[12] Passports of Ziad Jarrah and Saeed al-Ghamdi were recovered from the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93
In November 1999, Jarrah left Hamburg and went to Afghanistan, where he spent three months.[7] While there, he met with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in January 2000.[8] Jarrah returned to Hamburg at the end of January and obtained a clean passport in February by reporting his passport as stolen.[9][10]
In May, Jarrah received a visa from the U.S. Embassy in Berlin,[11] and he arrived in Florida in June 2000. There, he began taking flying lessons as well as training in hand-to-hand combat.[12][13] Jarrah maintained contact with his girlfriend in Germany and his family in the months preceding the attacks.[14] This close contact upset Mohamed Atta, the tactical leader of the plot, and al-Qaeda planners may have considered another operative, Zacarias Moussaoui, to replace him if he backed out.[15] Soon after the attacks, Jarrah's family asserted that he was an "innocent passenger" onboard the flight.[16]
Three "muscle" hijackers trained to storm the cockpit and overpower the crew accompanied Jarrah on Flight 93.[17] One of them, Ahmed al-Nami, arrived in Miami, Florida, on May 28, 2001, on a six-month tourist visa with United Airlines Flight 175 hijackers Hamza al-Ghamdi and Mohand al-Shehri. Another Flight 93 hijacker, Ahmed al-Haznawi, arrived in Miami on June 8 with Flight 11 hijacker Wail al-Shehri. The third Flight 93 muscle hijacker, Saeed al-Ghamdi, arrived in Orlando, Florida, on June 27 with Flight 175 hijacker Fayez Banihammad.[12] Passports of Ziad Jarrah and Saeed al-Ghamdi were recovered from the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93
No comments:
Post a Comment