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141-556: The tunnel was originally named for the mountain through which it passes, but it was renamed Heroes Tunnel in 2003 to honor "heroes of all kinds" in the post- September 11 era. In 2015, the State of Connecticut approved $ 200 million to fix and expand the tunnel. Heroes Tunnel is a twin bore tunnel, 1200 feet in length with bores 63 feet center to center, 23-foot roadways flanked by curbs 2 feet 6 inches wide and tile lined side-walls. The side wall contains 1/4-inch in diameter and spaced 4 inches on

282-683: A Comfort Inn in South Portland, Maine . On the way, they were seen getting gasoline at an Exxon gas station and visited the Longfellow House in Portland that afternoon; they arrived at the hotel at 5:43 p.m. and spent the night in Room 233. While in South Portland, they were seen making two ATM withdrawals and stopping at Wal-Mart . The FBI also reported that two Middle-Eastern men were seen in

423-658: A "planes operation" in the United States. Atta returned to Hamburg in February 2000 and began inquiring about flight training in the United States, where he, Jarrah, and al-Shehhi arrived in June to learn how to pilot planes, obtaining instrument ratings in November. Beginning in May 2001, Atta assisted with the arrival of the "muscle" hijackers whose role was to subdue passengers and crew to enable

564-602: A CIA agent assigned to the FBI's international terrorism division, emailed his superiors at the CIA's Counterterrorism Center (CTC) requesting permission to inform the FBI that Hazmi was in the country and that Mihdhar had a U.S. visa. The CIA never responded. The same day, Margarette Gillespie, an FBI analyst working in the CTC, was told to review material about the Malaysia meeting. She was not told of

705-456: A Turkish mosque near the Harburg district. Atta also started and led a prayer group, which Ahmed Maklat and Mounir El Motassadeq joined. Ramzi bin al-Shibh was also there, teaching occasional classes, and became Atta's friend. On 11 April 1996, Atta signed his last will and testament at the mosque, officially declaring his Muslim beliefs and giving 18 instructions regarding his burial. This

846-505: A beard to show himself as a devout Muslim and also to make a political gesture. Atta returned to Hamburg on 31 October 1995, only to join the pilgrimage to Mecca shortly thereafter. In Hamburg, Atta was intensely drawn to al-Quds Mosque which adhered to a "harsh, uncompromisingly fundamentalist , and resoundingly militant" version of Sunni Islam . He made acquaintances at al-Quds, some of whom visited him on occasion at Centrumshaus. He also began teaching classes both at Al-Quds and at

987-785: A commercial pilot's license. Hanjour arrived in San Diego on December 8, 2000, joining Hazmi. They soon left for Arizona, where Hanjour took refresher training. Marwan al-Shehhi arrived at the end of May 2000, while Atta arrived on June 3, 2000, and Jarrah arrived on June 27, 2000. Bin al-Shibh applied several times for a visa to the United States, but as a Yemeni, he was rejected out of concerns he would overstay his visa. Bin al-Shibh stayed in Hamburg, providing coordination between Atta and Mohammed. The three Hamburg cell members all took pilot training in South Florida at Huffman Aviation . In

1128-589: A covered roadway, and enter another building before going through security once again. There are two separate concourses in Terminal B; the south concourse is mainly used by US Airways and the north one is mostly used by American Airlines . It had been overlooked that there would still be a security screen to pass in Boston because of this distinct detail of the terminal's arrangement. A ticket staffer at Portland Airport reported becoming uneasy with Atta's anger upon being told of

1269-548: A day, and then continued to San Francisco for a short time, and from there to Las Vegas . On 28 June, Atta arrived at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas to meet with the three other pilots. He rented a Chevrolet Malibu from an Alamo Rent A Car agency. It is not known where he stayed that night, but on the 29th he registered at the Econo Lodge at 1150 South Las Vegas Boulevard . Here he presented an AAA membership for

1410-480: A discount, and paid cash for the $ 49.50/night room. During his trip to Las Vegas, he is thought to have used a video camera that he had rented from a Select Photo outlet back in Delray Beach, Florida . FBI operative Elie Assaad became suspicious of Atta in early 2001 as he was supposedly seen with al-Qaeda fugitive Adnan Shukrijumah . In July 2001, Atta again left for Spain in order to meet with bin al-Shibh for

1551-555: A few theories that 9/11 was selected by the hijackers as the date of the attack because it resembled 9-1-1 , the phone number used to report emergencies in the United States. However, Lawrence Wright wrote that the hijackers chose the date when John III Sobieski , the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania , began the battle that turned back the Ottoman Empire 's Muslim armies that were attempting to capture Vienna in 1683. Vienna

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1692-578: A flight back to Germany. On 26 July, Atta traveled via Continental Airlines to Newark, New Jersey , checked into the Kings Inn Hotel in Wayne, New Jersey , and stayed there until 30 July when he took a flight from Newark back to Fort Lauderdale. On 4 August, Atta is believed to have been at Orlando International Airport waiting to pick up suspected "20th Hijacker" Mohammed al-Qahtani from Dubai , who ended up being held by immigration as "suspicious." Atta

1833-558: A group of men from Hamburg , Germany, arrived in Afghanistan. The group included Mohamed Atta , Marwan al-Shehhi , Ziad Jarrah , and Ramzi bin al-Shibh. Bin Laden selected these men because they were educated, could speak English, and had experience living in the West. New recruits were routinely screened for special skills and al-Qaeda leaders consequently discovered that Hani Hanjour already had

1974-494: A matter for the FBI". By late June, senior counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke and CIA director George Tenet were "convinced that a major series of attacks was about to come", although the CIA believed the attacks would likely occur in Saudi Arabia or Israel. In early July, Clarke put domestic agencies on "full alert", telling them, "Something spectacular is going to happen here, and it's going to happen soon". He asked

2115-461: A one-way first-class ticket via the Internet on America West Flight 244 from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Las Vegas. Atta traveled twice to Las Vegas on "surveillance flights" rehearsing how the 9/11 attacks would be carried out. Other hijackers traveled to Las Vegas at different times in the summer of 2001. Throughout the summer, Atta met with Nawaf al-Hazmi to discuss the status of

2256-465: A period of transition, having just relocated back to Afghanistan from Sudan . The 1998 African embassy bombings and bin Laden's February 1998 fatwā marked a turning point of al-Qaeda's terrorist operation, as bin Laden became intent on attacking the United States. In late 1998 or early 1999, bin Laden approved Mohammed to go forward with organizing the plot. Atef provided operational support, including target selections and helping arrange travel for

2397-631: A pilot, and Atta and either the pilot or Shehhi flew around the Atlanta area. On 11 April, Atta and Shehhi rented an apartment at 10001 Atlantic Blvd, Apt. 122 in Coral Springs, Florida , for $ 840 per month, and assisted with the arrival of the muscle hijackers. On 16 April, Atta was given a citation for not having a valid driver's license, and he began steps to acquire one. On 2 May, Atta received his driver's license in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida . While in

2538-404: A planning bureau in the city. Volker Hauth, who was traveling with Atta, described Amal as "attractive and self-confident. She observed Muslim customs, taking taxis to and from the office so as not to come into close physical contact with men on buses. But she was also said to be 'emancipated' and 'challenging'. Atta and Amal appeared to be attracted to each other, but Atta soon decided that "she had

2679-522: A quite different orientation and that the emancipation of the young lady did not fit." His nascent infatuation with her, begrudgingly realised, was the closest thing Atta knew to romance. In mid-1995, he stayed for three months in Cairo, on a grant from the Carl Duisberg Society, along with fellow students Volker Hauth and Ralph Bodenstein. The academic team inquired into the effects of redevelopment in

2820-585: A religion that will prevent it from destroying all people. So we tell the Americans as people and we tell the mothers of soldiers and American mothers in general that if they value their lives and the lives of their children, to find a nationalistic government that will look after their interests and not the interests of the Jews . The continuation of tyranny will bring the fight to America, as [the 1993 World Trade Center bomber] Ramzi [Yousef] yourself and others did. This

2961-512: A result of the crash, ensuing fire, and subsequent collapse of the tower, making him responsible for the single deadliest air crash of all time , as well as the single deadliest terrorist attack of all time. Mohamed Atta had varied his name on documents, also using "Mehan Atta", "Mohammad El Amir", "Muhammad Atta", "Mohamed El Sayed", "Mohamed Elsayed", "Muhammad al-Amir", "Awag Al Sayyid Atta", and "Awad Al Sayad". In Germany, he registered his name as "Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta", and went by

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3102-412: A route around the mountain. World War II would cause temporary abandonment of the project. After the tunnel was decided as the best option, workers began to test the character of the rock. A hole was drilled at the summit below the proposed grade. After the tests were complete, the consultants had two plans for the tunnel: A twin bore or a single bore. The final plans were a twin bore tunnel. Work began on

3243-559: A senior investigator. The investigator, Klaus Ulrich Kersten, was the director of Germany's federal anticrime agency, the Bundeskriminalamt . He provided the first official confirmation that Atta and two other pilots had been in Afghanistan, and he also provided the first dates of the training. Kersten said in an interview at the agency's headquarters in Wiesbaden that Atta was in Afghanistan from late 1999 until early 2000, and that there

3384-745: A short-term basis. Jarrah had arrived in the United States on 27 June 2000, after his flight landed at Newark, New Jersey , and Jarrah had decided to go with Shehhi and Atta to search for different flight schools in the US. They continued to inquire about flight schools and personally visited some, including Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma , which they visited on 3 July 2000. Days later, Shehhi, Jarrah and Atta ended up in Venice, Florida . Atta and Shehhi established accounts at SunTrust Bank and received wire transfers from Ali Abdul Aziz Ali , Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's nephew in

3525-439: A statement by him on September 16, 2001: "I stress that I have not carried out this act, which appears to have been carried out by individuals with their own motivation". In November 2001, U.S. forces recovered a videotape in which bin Laden, talking to Khaled al-Harbi , admitted foreknowledge of the attacks. On December 27, 2001, a second video of bin Laden was released in which he, stopping short of admitting responsibility for

3666-470: A telephone call mentioning the meeting, Mihdhar, and the name "Nawaf" (Hazmi); while the agency feared "Something nefarious might be afoot", it took no further action. The CIA had already been alerted by Saudi intelligence about Mihdhar and Hazmi being Al-Qaeda members. A CIA team broke into Mihdhar's Dubai hotel room and discovered that Mihdhar had a U.S. visa. While Alec Station alerted intelligence agencies worldwide, it did not share this information with

3807-699: A tow for their rented Piper Cherokee on a taxiway of Miami International Airport after the engine shut down. On 29 and 30 December, Atta and Marwan went to the Opa-locka Airport where they practiced on a Boeing 727 simulator, and they obtained Boeing 767 simulator training from Pan Am International on 31 December. Atta purchased cockpit videos for Boeing 747-200 , Boeing 757-200 , Airbus A320 and Boeing 767-300ER models via mail-order from Sporty's Pilot Shop in Batavia, Ohio , in November and December 2000. Records on Atta's cellphone indicated that he phoned

3948-546: Is my message to the American people: to look for a serious government that looks out for their interests and does not attack others, their lands, or their honor. My word to American journalists is not to ask why we did that but to ask what their government has done that forced us to defend ourselves. Bin Laden orchestrated the September 11 attacks. He initially denied involvement, but later recanted his denial. Al Jazeera broadcast

4089-501: Is unusual for someone to go on pilgrimage so soon after the first time and to spend three months there (more than Hajj requires). When Atta returned, he claimed that his passport was lost and applied for a new one, which is a common tactic to erase evidence of travel to places such as Afghanistan . When he returned in spring 1998, after disappearing for several months, he had grown a thick long beard, and "seemed more serious and aloof" than before to those who knew him. By mid-1998, Atta

4230-406: The 1982 Lebanon War . Some analysts, including political scientists John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt , also claimed that U.S. support of Israel was a motive for the attacks. In 2004 and 2010, bin Laden again connected the September 11 attacks with U.S. support of Israel, although most of the letters expressed bin Laden's disdain for President Bush and bin Laden's hope to "destroy and bankrupt"

4371-966: The 9/11 Commission in April 2004, then— Attorney General John Ashcroft recalled that the "single greatest structural cause for the September 11th problem was the wall that segregated or separated criminal investigators and intelligence agents". Clarke also wrote: "[T]here were... failures to get information to the right place at the right time". Early on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, nineteen hijackers took control of four commercial airliners (two Boeing 757s and two Boeing 767s ). Large planes with long flights were selected for hijacking because they would have more fuel. * Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00) Excluding hijackers Including emergency workers Including hijackers At 7:59 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 took off from Logan International Airport in Boston . Fifteen minutes into

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4512-637: The Arabian Peninsula . In a second 1998 fatwā , bin Laden outlined his objections to American foreign policy with respect to Israel , as well as the continued presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War . Bin Laden maintained that Muslims are obliged to attack American targets until the aggressive policies of the U.S. against Muslims were reversed. The Hamburg cell in Germany included Islamists who eventually came to be key operatives in

4653-561: The Central Intelligence Agency informed President George W. Bush that its Counterterrorism Center had identified the attacks as having been the work of Al-Qaeda under Osama bin Laden . The United States formally responded by launching the war on terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban , which rejected U.S. terms to expel Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan and extradite its leaders. The U.S.'s invocation of Article 5 of

4794-696: The INS , the State Department, the Customs Service , and the FBI to put Hazmi and Mihdhar on their watchlists, but the FBI was prohibited from using criminal agents in searching for the duo, hindering their efforts. Also in July, a Phoenix -based FBI agent sent a message to FBI headquarters, Alec Station, and FBI agents in New York alerting them to "the possibility of a coordinated effort by Osama bin Laden to send students to

4935-481: The Islamic Cairo , the old quarter, which the government undertook to remodel for tourism . Atta stayed in Cairo awhile with his family after Hauth and Bodenstein flew back to Germany. While in Hamburg, Atta held several positions, including a part-time job at the urban planning firm Plankontor beginning in 1992. He was let go from the firm in 1997, however, because its business had declined and "his draughtsmanship

5076-559: The Moroccan embassy in Washington on 2 January 2001, just before Shehhi flew to the country. Atta flew to Spain two days later, on 4 January, to coordinate with bin al-Shibh, and returned to the United States on 10 January. He then traveled to Lawrenceville, Georgia , where he and Shehhi visited an LA Fitness Health Club. During that time Atta flew out of Briscoe Field in Lawrenceville with

5217-523: The Nile Delta region of Egypt (then a part of the United Arab Republic ). His father, Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta, was a lawyer, educated in both civil law and sharia . His mother, Buthayna Mohamed Mustafa Shiraqi, came from a wealthy farming and trading family and was also educated. Buthayna and Mohamed married when she was 14, via an arranged marriage . The family had few relatives on

5358-580: The South Tower . Both collapsed within an hour and forty-one minutes, bringing about the destruction of the remaining five structures in the complex and damaging or destroying nearby buildings. American Airlines Flight 77 flew towards Washington, D.C. and crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m., causing a partial collapse. The fourth and final flight, United Airlines Flight 93 , also changed course towards Washington, believed by investigators to target either

5499-411: The U.S. Department of Agriculture in south Florida, who told about her encounter with Mohamed Atta. This encounter took place "around the third week of April to the third week of May of 2000", before Atta's official entry date into the United States (see below). According to Bryant, Atta wanted to finance the purchase of a crop-duster. "He wanted to finance a twin-engine, six-passenger aircraft and remove

5640-781: The United Arab Emirates . On 6 July 2000, Atta, Jarrah and Shehhi enrolled at Huffman Aviation in Venice , where they entered the Accelerated Pilot Program. When Atta and Shehhi arrived in Florida, they initially stayed with Huffman's bookkeeper and his wife in a spare room of their house. After a week, they were asked to leave because they were rude. Atta and Shehhi then moved into a small house nearby in Nokomis where they stayed for six months. Atta began flight training on 6 July 2000, and continued training nearly every day. By

5781-800: The United States Capitol or the White House . Alerted to the previous attacks, the passengers revolted against the hijackers who crashed the aircraft into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania , at 10:03 a.m. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered an indefinite ground stop for all air traffic in U.S. airspace, preventing any further aircraft departures until September 13 and requiring all airborne aircraft to return to their point of origin or divert to Canada. The actions undertaken in Canada to support incoming aircraft and their occupants were collectively titled Operation Yellow Ribbon . That evening,

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5922-566: The World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another video obtained by Al Jazeera in September 2006 showed bin Laden with one of the attacks' chief planners, Ramzi bin al-Shibh , as well as hijackers, Hamza al-Ghamdi and Wail al-Shehri , amidst making preparations for the attacks. Journalist Yosri Fouda of the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera reported that in April 2002, al-Qaeda member Khalid Sheikh Mohammed admitted his involvement in

6063-490: The World Trade Center site (colloquially "Ground Zero") took eight months and was completed in May 2002, while the Pentagon was repaired within a year. After delays in the design of a replacement complex, six new buildings were planned to replace the lost towers, along with a museum and memorial dedicated to those who were killed or injured in the attacks. The tallest building, One World Trade Center , began construction in November 2006; it opened in November 2014. Memorials to

6204-532: The al-Quds Mosque where he met Marwan al-Shehhi , Ramzi bin al-Shibh , and Ziad Jarrah , together forming the Hamburg cell . Atta disappeared from Germany for periods of time, embarking on the hajj in 1995 but also meeting Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan from late 1999 to early 2000. Atta and the other Hamburg cell members were recruited by bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for

6345-584: The borough of Harburg , near the Hamburg University of Technology , at which they enrolled. It was here that the Hamburg cell developed and acted more as a group. They met three or four times a week to discuss their anti-American feelings and to plot possible attacks. Many al-Qaeda members lived in this apartment at various times, including hijacker Marwan al-Shehhi , Zakariya Essabar , and others. In late 1999, Atta, Shehhi, Jarrah, Bahaji, and bin al-Shibh decided to travel to Chechnya to fight against

6486-522: The "planes operation" plot. They were all well-educated, had experience of living in western society, along with some English skills, and would be able to obtain visas. Even before bin al-Shibh had arrived, Atta, Shehhi, and Jarrah were sent to the House of Ghamdi near bin Laden's home in Kandahar , where he was waiting to meet them. Bin Laden asked them to pledge loyalty and commit to suicide missions, which Atta and

6627-458: The 1998 fatwa , al-Qaeda identified the Iraq sanctions as a reason to kill Americans, condemning the "protracted blockade" among other actions that constitute a declaration of war against "Allah, his messenger, and Muslims". In 2004, bin Laden claimed that the idea of destroying the towers had first occurred to him in 1982 when he witnessed Israel's bombardment of high-rise apartment buildings during

6768-665: The 19th. He drove east out of Madrid towards the Mediterranean beach area of Tarragona . On the way, Atta stopped in Reus to pick up Ramzi bin al-Shibh at the airport. They drove to Cambrils , where they spent a night at the Hotel Monica. They checked out the next morning, and spent the next few days at an unknown location in Tarragona. The absence of other hotel stays, signed receipts or credit card stubs has led investigators to believe that

6909-446: The 9/11 attacks were a strategic move to provoke America into a war that would incite a pan-Islamic revolution. Documents seized during the 2011 operation that killed bin Laden included notes handwritten by bin Laden in September 2002 with the heading "The Birth of the Idea of September 11". He describes how he was inspired by the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 on October 31, 1999, which

7050-454: The 9/11 attacks. Mohamed Atta ; Marwan al-Shehhi ; Ziad Jarrah ; Ramzi bin al-Shibh; and Said Bahaji were all members of al-Qaeda's Hamburg cell. Bin Laden asserted that all Muslims must wage a defensive war against the United States and combat American aggression. He further argued that military strikes against American assets would send a message to the American people , attempting to force

7191-579: The CIA's Presidential Daily Brief, designated "For the President Only", was entitled Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US . The memo noted that FBI information "indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks". In mid-August, one Minnesota flight school alerted the FBI about Zacarias Moussaoui , who had asked "suspicious questions". The FBI found that Moussaoui

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7332-533: The Egyptian government had imprisoned droves of political activists , he knew better than to trust it not to target him too, with his social and political beliefs being such as they were. After coming to Hamburg in 1992, Atta grew more religiously fanatical and frequented the mosque with greater regularity. His friends in Germany described him as an intelligent man in whom religious convictions and political motives held equal sway. He harbored anger and resentment toward

7473-610: The Engineers Syndicate. He then worked for several months at the Urban Development Center in Cairo , where he joined various building projects and dispatched diverse architectural tasks. Also in 1990, Atta's family moved into the eleventh floor of an apartment building in the Egyptian city of Giza . Atta also got engaged to a woman lined up by his father and her family in Cairo, in late 1999, after coming back from Germany

7614-566: The FBI and the State Department to alert the embassies and police departments, and the Defense Department to go to "Threat Condition Delta". Clarke later wrote: Somewhere in CIA there was information that two known al Qaeda terrorists had come into the United States. Somewhere in the FBI, there was information that strange things had been going on at flight schools in the United States.   [...] They had specific information about individual terrorists from which one could have deduced what

7755-507: The FBI. The Malaysian Special Branch observed the January 5, 2000, meeting of the two al-Qaeda members and informed the CIA that Mihdhar, Hazmi, and Khallad were flying to Bangkok , but the CIA never notified other agencies of this, nor did it ask the State Department to put Mihdhar on its watchlist. An FBI liaison asked permission to inform the FBI of the meeting but was told: "This is not

7896-637: The Hamburg University of Technology, Atta studied under the guidance of the department chair, Dittmar Machule, who specialized in the Middle East. Atta was averse to modern development. This included the construction of high-rise buildings in Cairo and other ancient cities in the region. He believed that the drab and impersonal apartment blocks , built in the 60s and 70s, ruined the beauty of old neighborhoods and robbed their people of privacy and dignity. Atta's family moved into an apartment block in 1990; it

8037-550: The North Atlantic Treaty —its only usage to date—called upon allies to fight al-Qaeda. As U.S. and NATO invasion forces swept through Afghanistan, bin Laden eluded them . He denied any involvement until 2004 , when excerpts of a taped statement in which he accepted responsibility for the attacks were released. Al-Qaeda's cited motivations included U.S. support of Israel , the presence of U.S. military bases in Saudi Arabia and sanctions against Iraq . The nearly decade-long manhunt for bin Laden concluded on May 2, 2011, when he

8178-459: The North Tower of the original World Trade Center as part of the coordinated suicide attacks . Aged 33, he was the oldest of the 19 hijackers who took part in the mission. Before the attacks, he worked as a construction engineer . Born and raised in Egypt, Atta studied architecture at Cairo University , graduating in 1990, and pursued postgraduate studies in Germany at the Hamburg University of Technology . In Hamburg, Atta became involved with

8319-416: The Pentagon , which contains more than 64,000 workers, a military base which has a big concentration of army and intelligence ... As for the World Trade Center , the ones who were attacked and who died in it were part of a financial power. It wasn't a children's school! Neither was it a residence. The consensus is that most of the people who were in the towers were men who backed the biggest financial force in

8460-468: The Russians, but were convinced by Khalid al-Masri and Mohamedou Ould Salahi at the last minute to change their plans. They instead traveled to Afghanistan over a two-week period in late November. On 29 November 1999, Mohamed Atta boarded Turkish Airlines Flight TK1662 from Hamburg to Istanbul , where he changed to flight TK1056 to Karachi, Pakistan . After they arrived, they were selected by al-Qaeda leader Mohammed Atef as suitable candidates for

8601-447: The U.S. Other motives have been suggested in addition to those stated by bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Some authors suggested the "humiliation" that resulted from the Islamic world falling behind the Western world—this discrepancy was rendered especially visible by globalization and a desire to provoke the U.S. into a broader war against the Islamic world in the hope of motivating more allies to support al-Qaeda. Similarly, others have argued

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8742-403: The U.S. economy and induced global market shocks . Many other countries strengthened anti-terrorism legislation and expanded their powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies . The total number of deaths caused by the attacks, combined with the death tolls from the conflicts they directly incited, has been estimated by the Costs of War Project to be over 4.5 million. Cleanup of

8883-422: The U.S. for its policy in Islamic nations of the Middle East, with nothing inflaming his ire more than the Oslo Accords and the Gulf War in particular. He was also angry and bitter at the elite in his native Egypt, who he believed hoarded power for themselves, as well as at the Egyptian government, that cracked down on the dissident Muslim Brotherhood . Atta was anti-Semitic , believing that Jews controlled

9024-508: The U.S. to re-evaluate its support to Israel , and other aggressive policies. In a 1998 interview with American journalist John Miller , bin Laden stated: We do not differentiate between those dressed in military uniforms and civilians; they are all targets in this fatwa. American history does not distinguish between civilians and military, not even women and children. They are the ones who used bombs against Nagasaki. Can these bombs distinguish between infants and military? America does not have

9165-425: The United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the third into the Pentagon (headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense ) in Arlington County, Virginia . The fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania during a passenger revolt. The September 11 attacks killed 2,977 people, making it

9306-408: The United States the next day. Bin al-Shibh later explained that they believed it would contribute to operational security for Atta to fly out of Prague instead of Hamburg, where he traveled from previously. Likewise, Shehhi traveled from a different location, in his case via Brussels . On 6 June 2002, ABC 's World News Tonight broadcast an interview with Johnelle Bryant, former loan officer at

9447-438: The United States to attend civil aviation universities and colleges". The agent, Kenneth Williams, suggested the need to interview flight school managers and identify all Arab students seeking flight training. In July, Jordan alerted the U.S. that al-Qaeda was planning an attack on the U.S.; "months later", Jordan notified the U.S. that the attack's codename was "The Big Wedding" and that it involved airplanes. On August 6, 2001,

9588-478: The United States, Atta owned a red 1989 Pontiac Grand Prix . On 11 May, Atta visited Logan International Airport in Boston with another man, and took a lot of photographs and footage inside. Airport employees became suspicious of two persons and they alarmed security, but this was ignored. One technical worker complained about Atta's behavior and spoke to him, but did not stop him. On 27 June, Atta flew from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, Massachusetts , where he spent

9729-469: The United States. On 17 May Atta applied for a United States visa. The next day, he received a five-year B-1/B-2 (tourist/business) visa from the United States embassy in Berlin . Atta had lived in Germany for approximately five years and also had a "strong record as a student". He was therefore treated favorably and not scrutinized. After obtaining his visa, Atta took a bus on 2 June from Hamburg to Prague where he stayed overnight before traveling on to

9870-433: The additional screening requirements in Boston, but that he did not act on his suspicions after becoming concerned that he was racially profiling Atta. At 6:45 a.m., while at the Boston airport, Atta took a call from Flight 175 hijacker Marwan al-Shehhi . This call was apparently to confirm that the attacks were ready to begin. Atta checked in for American Airlines Flight 11 , passed through security again, and boarded

10011-414: The airport. Then at 8:50 pm, he checked into the Hotel Diana Cazadora in Barajas , a town near the airport. That night and twice the next morning, he called Bashar Ahmad Ali Musleh, a Jordanian student in Hamburg who served as a liaison for bin al-Shibh. On the morning of 9 July, Mohamed Atta rented a silver Hyundai Accent , which he booked from SIXT Rent-A-Car for 9 to 16 July, and later extended to

10152-401: The airport." Evidently, he tried to deliver a message over the cabin's PA system instructing the passengers and crew to stay put, but pressed the wrong switch and thereby tipped off ATC that the flight had been hijacked. Seconds later he transmitted another message: "Nobody move, everything will be OK. If you try to make any moves you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet." About

10293-535: The area. A route that went west of the mountain through the Bethany gap was struck down due to the Bethany gap being too far inland to serve New Haven. East of the mountain was ruled out as it contained very poor alignment and several properties. It was then decided in 1940 that the shortest and most direct route was through the West Rock mountain. Consultants decided that a tunnel through West Rock would cost $ 100,000 less than

10434-489: The arrest, believes that Said Bahaji and KSM may have also been present at the meeting. Spanish investigators have said that Marwan al-Shehhi and two others later joined the meeting. Bin al-Shibh would not discuss this meeting with Fouda. During the meetings in Spain, Atta and bin al-Shibh had coordinated the details of the attacks. The 9/11 Commission obtained details about the meeting, based on interrogations of bin al-Shibh in

10575-817: The attacks include the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington County, Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial at the Pennsylvania crash site. In 1996, Osama bin Laden of the Islamist militant organization al-Qaeda issued his first fatwā , which declared war against the United States and demanded the expulsion of all American soldiers from

10716-826: The attacks and said they were carried out because: The events that affected my soul in a direct way started in 1982 when America permitted the Israelis to invade Lebanon and the American Sixth Fleet helped them in that. This bombardment began and many were killed and injured and others were terrorised and displaced. I couldn't forget those moving scenes, blood and severed limbs, women and children sprawled everywhere. Houses were destroyed along with their occupants, high rises demolished over their residents, rockets raining down on our home without mercy...As I looked at those demolished towers in Lebanon, it entered my mind that we should punish

10857-461: The attacks as retaliatory strikes against American atrocities against Muslims across the world. He also maintained that the attacks were not directed against women and children, asserting that the targets of the strikes were symbols of America's "economic and military power". In bin Laden's November 2002 Letter to the American People , he identified al-Qaeda's motives for the attacks: After

10998-408: The attacks, along with Ramzi bin al-Shibh. The 2004 9/11 Commission Report determined that the animosity which Mohammed, the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks, felt towards the United States had stemmed from his "violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel". Mohammed was also an adviser and financier of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the uncle of Ramzi Yousef ,

11139-402: The attacks, bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri released additional recordings , some of which repeated the above reasons. Two relevant publications were bin Laden's 2002 Letter to the American People and a 2004 videotape by bin Laden. [...] those young men, for whom God has cleared the way, didn't set out to kill children, but rather attacked the biggest centre of military power in the world,

11280-469: The attacks, said: It has become clear that the West in general and America in particular have an unspeakable hatred for Islam.   ... It is the hatred of crusaders . Terrorism against America deserves to be praised because it was a response to injustice, aimed at forcing America to stop its support for Israel, which kills our people.   ... We say that the end of the United States is imminent, whether Bin Laden or his followers are alive or dead, for

11421-511: The awakening of the Muslim ummah [nation] has occurred.   ... It is important to hit the economy (of the United States), which is the base of its military power...If the economy is hit they will become reoccupied. Shortly before the 2004 U.S. presidential election , bin Laden used a taped statement to publicly acknowledge al-Qaeda's involvement in the attacks. He admitted his direct link to

11562-534: The beachside Casablanca Playa Hotel, then spent the last two nights at the Hotel Residencia Montsant. On 19 July, Atta returned to the United States, flying on Delta Air Lines from Madrid to Fort Lauderdale, via Atlanta . On 22 July 2001, Atta rented a Mitsubishi Galant from Alamo Rent a Car , putting 3,836 miles (6,173 km) on the vehicle before returning it on 26 July. On 25 July, Atta dropped Ziad Jarrah off at Miami International Airport for

11703-471: The center. The pavement in the tunnel extends 50 feet outside of the tunnel walls at each end. It is eight-inch reinforced concrete. 300 watt lights are spaced on thirty foot centers. Studies were conducted for a tunnel through West Rock on the Wilbur Cross Parkway in the late 1930s. A common problem engineers faced was to project a line as near to New Haven as possible and avoid the rock formations in

11844-498: The city center. His father, who kept the family ever insulated, forbade young Atta to fraternize with the other children in their neighborhood. Having little else to do, he mostly studied at home and easily excelled in school. In 1985, Atta enrolled at Cairo University and focused his studies on engineering. He was among the highest-scoring students; by his senior year, he was admitted to an exclusive architecture program. After he graduated in 1990 with an architecture degree, he joined

11985-406: The city. Atta accepted and arrived in Germany two weeks later, in July. In Germany, he enrolled in the urban planning graduate program at the Hamburg University of Technology . Atta initially lived with two high school teachers; however, they eventually found his closed-mindedness and introverted personality to be too much for them. Atta began adhering to the strictest Islamic diet , frequenting

12126-496: The deadliest terrorist attack in history as well as the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement personnel in American history, killing 343 and 72 members, respectively. The loss of life stemming from the impact of Flight 11 made it the most lethal multi-plane crash in aviation history followed by the death toll incurred by Flight 175. The destruction of the World Trade Center and its environs seriously harmed

12267-585: The deadliest terrorist attack in history. In response to the attacks, the United States waged the multi-decade global war on terror to eliminate hostile groups deemed terrorist organizations, as well as the foreign governments purported to support them. Ringleader Mohamed Atta flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan at 8:46 a.m. Seventeen minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 hit

12408-458: The end of July, both Atta and Shehhi did solo flights. Atta earned his private pilot certificate in September, and then he and Shehhi decided to switch flight schools. Both enrolled at Jones Aviation in Sarasota and took training there for a brief time. They had problems following instructions and were both very upset when they failed their Stage 1 exam. They inquired about multi-engine planes and told

12549-454: The fabric of communities by blocking common streets and altering the skyline . Atta's professor, Dittmar Machule, brought him along on an archaeological expedition to Aleppo in 1994. The invitation had been for a three-day visit, but Atta ended up staying several weeks that August, only to visit Aleppo yet again that December. While in Syria, he met Amal, a young Palestinian woman who worked for

12690-438: The father's side and kept their distance from Buthayna's family. In-laws characterized Atta's father as "austere, strict, and private", and neighbors viewed the family as reclusive. Atta was the only son; he had two older sisters who are both well-educated and successful in their careers – one as a medical doctor and the other as a professor. When Atta was ten, his family moved to the Cairo neighborhood of Abdeen, situated near

12831-505: The flight, five hijackers armed with boxcutters took over the plane, injuring at least three people (and possibly killing one) before forcing their way into the cockpit. The terrorists also displayed an apparent explosive and sprayed mace into the cabin, to frighten the hostages into submission and further hinder resistance. Back at Logan, United Airlines Flight 175 took off at 8:14 a.m. Hundreds of miles southwest at Dulles International Airport , American Airlines Flight 77 left

12972-433: The flight. Atta was seated in business class, in seat 8D. At 7:59 a.m., the plane departed from Boston to Los Angeles International Airport , carrying 81 passengers. The hijacking began fifteen minutes into the flight at approximately 8:14 a.m., when beverage service would be starting. As this was happening, the pilots stopped responding to air traffic control and the aircraft began deviating from its assigned route;

13113-412: The four ducts. The fans are controlled by carbon monoxide detectors. The tunnel's lighting system was designed to meet both day and night conditions with lights being located on the center line of the roof. Caution and stop lights were installed for emergency use. Removal of any fire extinguisher would automatically change the lights and start the ventilating fan. One life was lost during the construction of

13254-531: The gate at 8:00 a.m., the plane was running 42 minutes late. At 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 was deliberately crashed into the north face of the World Trade Center's North Tower between the 93rd and 99th floors. The initial presumption by many was that it was an accident. At 8:51 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 was also taken over by five hijackers who forcibly entered the cockpit 31 minutes after take-off. Although they were equipped with knives, there were no reports of anyone on board being stabbed, nor did

13395-548: The hijacker-pilots to take over. In July, Atta traveled to Spain to meet with bin al-Shibh to finalize the plot, then in August traveled as a passenger on "surveillance" flights to establish in detail how the attacks could be carried out. On the morning of 11 September 2001, Atta and his team boarded and hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 , which Atta crashed into 1 World Trade Center (the North Tower). More than 1,600 people died as

13536-741: The hijackers. Bin Laden overruled Mohammed, rejecting potential targets such as the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles for lack of time. Bin Laden provided leadership and financial support and was involved in selecting participants. He initially selected Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar , both experienced jihadists who had fought in Bosnia . Hazmi and Mihdhar arrived in the United States in mid-January 2000. In early 2000, Hazmi and Mihdhar took flying lessons in San Diego, California. Both spoke little English, performed poorly in flying lessons, and eventually served as secondary "muscle" hijackers. In late 1999,

13677-781: The instructor that "they wanted to move quickly, because they had a job waiting in their country upon completion of their training in the U.S." In mid-October, Atta and Shehhi returned to Huffman Aviation to continue training. In November 2000, Atta earned his instrument rating, and then a commercial pilot's license in December from the Federal Aviation Administration . Atta continued with flight training that included solo flights and simulator time. On 22 December, Atta and Shehhi applied to Eagle International for large jet and simulator training for McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 737-300 models. On 26 December, Atta and Shehhi needed

13818-607: The last time. On 7 July 2001, Atta flew on Swissair Flight 117 from Miami to Zürich , where he had a stopover . On 8 July, Atta was recorded on surveillance video when he withdrew 1700 Swiss francs from an ATM . He used his credit card to purchase two Swiss Army knives and some chocolate in a shop at the Zurich Airport . After the stopover in Zürich, he arrived in Madrid at 4:45 pm on Swissair Flight 656, and spent several hours at

13959-555: The lead bomber in that attack. In late 1994, Mohammed and Yousef moved on to plan a new terrorist attack called the Bojinka plot planned for January 1995. Despite a failure and Yousef's capture by U.S. forces the following month, the Bojinka plot would influence the later 9/11 attacks. In "Substitution for Testimony of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed" from the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui , five people are identified as having been completely aware of

14100-581: The men may have met in a safe house provided by other al-Qaeda operatives in Spain . There, Atta and bin al-Shibh held a meeting to complete the planning of the attacks. Several clues have been found to link their stay in Spain to Syrian-born Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas (Abu Dahdah), and Amer el Azizi, a Moroccan in Spain. They may have helped arrange and host the meeting in Tarragona. Yosri Fouda , who interviewed bin al-Shibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) before

14241-609: The most conservative mosques , socializing seldom, and acting disdainfully towards the couple's unmarried daughter who had a young child. After six months, they asked him to leave. By early 1993, Atta had moved into university housing with two roommates, in Centrumshaus. He stayed there until 1998. During that period, his roommates grew annoyed with him. He seldom bathed, and they could not bear his "complete, almost aggressive insularity". He kept to himself to such an extent that he would often react to simple greetings with silence. At

14382-481: The name Mohamed el-Amir at the Hamburg University of Technology . In his will, written in 1996, Atta gives his name as "Mohamed the son of Mohamed Elamir awad Elsayed". He was known as Abd al-Rahman al-Misri by al-Qaeda. Atta also claimed different nationalities, sometimes Egyptian and other times telling people he was from the United Arab Emirates . Mohamed Atta was born on 1 September 1968, in Kafr el-Sheikh , located in

14523-462: The operation on a monthly basis. On 23 August, Atta's driver license was revoked in absentia after he failed to show up in traffic court to answer the earlier citation for driving without a license. The same day, the Mossad gave his name to the CIA as one of 19 belonging to US residents suspected of planning an imminent attack against the United States; only four of the names are publicly known,

14664-403: The operation's details. They are bin Laden, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Ramzi bin al-Shibh , Abu Turab al-Urduni and Mohammed Atef . Osama bin Laden's declaration of a holy war against the United States, and a 1998 fatwā signed by bin Laden and others that called for the killing of Americans, are seen by investigators as evidence of his motivation. In November 2001, bin Laden defended

14805-514: The oppressor in kind and that we should destroy towers in America so that they taste some of what we tasted and so that they be deterred from killing our women and children. And that day, it was confirmed to me that oppression and the intentional killing of innocent women and children is a deliberate American policy. Destruction is freedom and democracy, while resistance is terrorism and intolerance. Bin Laden personally directed his followers to attack

14946-600: The organization "could use memberships from Americans". He mentioned Osama bin Laden and said "this man would someday be known as the world's greatest leader." Bryant said "the picture that came out in the newspaper, that's exactly what that man looked like." Bryant contacted the authorities after recognising Atta in news reports. Law enforcement officials said Bryant passed a lie-detector exam. According to official reports, Atta flew from Prague to Newark International Airport , arriving on 3 June 2000. That month, Atta and Shehhi stayed in hotels and rented rooms in New York City on

15087-600: The organization-including Abu Hafs the Mauritanian , Sheikh Saeed al Masri , and Sayf al Adl . One senior al Qaeda operative claims to recall Bin Ladin arguing that attacks against the United States needed to be carried out immediately to support insurgency in the Israeli-occupied territories and protest the presence of U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia. —  9/11 Commission Report , p. 251 On July 13, Tom Wilshire,

15228-422: The other three Hamburg men all accepted. Bin Laden sent them to see Atef to get a general overview of the mission, and then they were sent to Karachi to see Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to go over specifics. German investigators said that they had evidence that Mohamed Atta trained at al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan from late 1999 to early 2000. The timing of the Afghanistan training was outlined on 23 August 2002, by

15369-454: The others belonging to fellow 9/11 hijackers Marwan al-Shehhi, Nawaf al-Hazmi, and Khalid al-Mihdhar. It is not known if the 19 names were all those of the hijackers who would carry out the 9/11 attacks or if the list length is just a coincidence. On 10 September 2001, Atta picked up al-Omari from the Milner Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts , and the two drove their rented Nissan Altima to

15510-471: The parking lot of a Pizza Hut , where Atta is known to have eaten that day. Atta and al-Omari arrived early the next morning, at 5:40 a.m., at the Portland International Jetport , where they left their rental car in the parking lot and at 6:00 a.m. boarded a Colgan Air ( US Airways Express ) BE-1900C flight to Logan International Airport in Boston. In Portland, Mohamed Atta

15651-471: The participant's presence in the U.S. The CIA gave Gillespie surveillance photos of Mihdhar and Hazmi from the meeting to show to FBI counterterrorism but did not tell her their significance. The Intelink database informed her not to share intelligence material with criminal investigators. When shown the photos, the FBI refused more details on their significance, and they were not given Mihdhar's date of birth or passport number. In late August 2001, Gillespie told

15792-416: The plane's transponder was switched off several minutes later at 8:21 a.m. The pilots of United Airlines Flight 175 picked up on a suspicious transmission while leaving the runway around the same time Flight 11 was being hijacked, reportedly hearing the words, "Everyone, stay in your seats." Investigators later determined that this communication was made from the cockpit of Flight 11. This transmission

15933-643: The plane. They also discussed the personal difficulties Atta was having with fellow hijacker Ziad Jarrah . Bin al-Shibh was worried that Jarrah might even abandon the plan. The 9/11 Commission Report speculated that the now-convicted terrorist conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui was being trained as a possible replacement for Jarrah. From 13 to 16 July, Atta stayed at the Hotel Sant Jordi in Tarragona. After bin al-Shibh returned to Germany on 16 July 2001, Atta had three more days in Spain. He spent two nights in Salou at

16074-582: The runway at 8:20 a.m. Flight 175's journey proceeded normally for 28 minutes until 8:42 am, when a group of five hijacked the plane, murdering both pilots and stabbing several crew members before assuming control of the aircraft. These hijackers also used bomb threats to instil fear into the passengers and crew, also spraying chemical weapons to disable any opposition. Concurrently, United Airlines Flight 93 departed from Newark International Airport in New Jersey ; originally scheduled to pull away from

16215-648: The same year. Although the marriage never happened, Atta's father said they liked each other. Atta graduated from Cairo University with marks insufficient for the graduate program. As his father insisted that he go abroad for graduate studies , Atta, to this end, entered a German-language program at the Goethe-Institut in Cairo. In 1992, his father overheard a German couple who were visiting Egypt's capital. The couple explained at dinner that they ran an exchange program and invited Atta to continue his studies in Germany; they also offered him room and board at their home in

16356-410: The seats," Bryant told ABC's World News Tonight . He insisted that she write his name as ATTA, that he originally was from Egypt but had moved to Afghanistan, that he was an engineer and that his dream was to go to a flight school. He asked about the Pentagon and the White House . He said he wanted to visit the World Trade Center and asked Bryant about the security there. He mentioned Al Qaeda and said

16497-461: The specific date until the last minute. During the meeting, Atta and bin al-Shibh also decided on the targets to be hit, ruling out a strike on a nuclear plant . Bin al-Shibh passed along bin Laden's list of targets; bin Laden wanted the United States Capitol , the Pentagon , and the World Trade Center to be attacked, as they were deemed "symbols of America." If any of the hijackers could not reach their intended targets, Atta said, they were to crash

16638-541: The spring of 2001, the secondary hijackers began arriving in the United States. In July 2001, Atta met with bin al-Shibh in Tarragona , Catalonia, Spain, where they coordinated details of the plot, including final target selection. Bin al-Shibh passed along bin Laden's wish for the attacks to be carried out as soon as possible. Some of the hijackers received passports from corrupt Saudi officials who were family members or used fraudulent passports to gain entry. There have been

16779-508: The tunnel on March 10, 1948. The contractors decided first to clear up a workplace and excavate the tubes. The tunnel was designed on an ascending 3% grade west to east. The west portal was worked on first since it was a lower grade. On June 21, the holes were drilled and the arch section was added shortly after. Operations were handled by two shifts of two crews each. Each drilling crew was made up of twelve drillers, twelve suckers, two scaling miners, and one boss. A 30-inch metal ventilating line

16920-515: The tunnel. The tunnel opened to traffic on November 1, 1949. From January to February 2024, the tunnel lights were changed from Low-pressure sodium (LPS) lamps to LEDs . Public reception was mixed, due to a fondness of the warm and intense atmosphere provided by the LPS lamps. September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks , commonly known as 9/11 , were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against

17061-451: The two people who made phone calls mention the use of mace or a bomb threat. Mohamed Atta Mohamed Atta (1 September 1968 – 11 September 2001) was an Egyptian terrorist hijacker for al-Qaeda . Ideologically a pan-Islamist , he was the ringleader of the September 11 attacks and served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11 , which he crashed into

17202-509: The weeks after his arrest in September 2002. Bin al-Shibh explained that he passed along instructions from Osama bin Laden, including his desire for the attacks to be carried out as soon as possible. Bin Laden was concerned about having so many operatives in the United States. Atta confirmed that all the muscle hijackers had arrived in the United States, without any problems, but said that he needed five to six more weeks to work out details. Bin Laden also asked that other operatives not be informed of

17343-441: The world's media, financial, and political institutions from New York City . These beliefs were even stronger during Operation Infinite Reach , as he believed that Monica Lewinsky was a Jewish agent influencing American president Bill Clinton against aiding Palestine, which would later play a key role in creating the Hamburg cell. On 1 August 1995, Atta returned to Egypt for three months of study. Before this trip he grew out

17484-550: The world, which spreads mischief throughout the world. — Osama Bin Laden's interview with Tayseer Allouni , October 21, 2001 As an adherent of Islam , bin Laden believed that non-Muslims are forbidden from having a permanent presence in the Arabian Peninsula . In 1996, bin Laden issued a fatwā calling for American troops to leave Saudi Arabia. One analysis of suicide terrorism suggested that without U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, Al-Qaeda likely would not have been able to get people to commit to suicide missions. In

17625-496: Was a radical who had traveled to Pakistan, and the INS arrested him for overstaying his French visa. Their request to search his laptop was denied by FBI headquarters due to the lack of probable cause . The failures in intelligence-sharing were attributed to 1995 Justice Department policies limiting intelligence-sharing, combined with CIA and NSA reluctance to reveal "sensitive sources and methods" such as tapped phones. Testifying before

17766-466: Was about to happen. None of that information got to me or the White House. [...] by July [2001], with word spreading of a coming attack, a schism emerged among the senior leadership of al Qaeda. Several senior members reportedly agreed with Mullah Omar . Those who reportedly sided with bin Ladin included Atef , Sulayman Abu Ghayth , and KSM . But those said to have opposed him were weighty figures in

17907-409: Was believed to have used a payphone at the airport to phone a number "linked to al-Qaeda" after Qahtani was denied entry. On 6 August, Atta and Shehhi rented a white, four-door 1995 Ford Escort from Warrick's Rent-A-Car, which was returned on 13 August. On 6 August, Atta booked a flight on Spirit Airlines from Fort Lauderdale to Newark, leaving on 7 August and returning on 9 August. The reservation

18048-590: Was deliberately crashed by co-pilot Gameel Al-Batouti , killing over 200 passengers. "This is how the idea of 9/11 was conceived and developed in my head, and that is when we began the planning" bin Laden continued, adding that no one but Abu Hafs and Abu al-Khair knew about it at the time. The 9/11 Commission Report identified Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as the architect of 9/11, but he is not mentioned in bin Laden's notes. The attacks were conceived by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed , who first presented it to Osama bin Laden in 1996. At that time, bin Laden and Al-Qaeda were in

18189-655: Was evidence that Atta met with Osama bin Laden there. A video surfaced in October 2006. The first chapter of the video showed bin Laden at Tarnak Farms on 8 January 2000. The second chapter showed Atta and Ziad Jarrah reading their wills together ten days later on 18 January. On his return journey, Atta left Karachi on 24 February 2000, by flight TK1057 to Istanbul where he changed to flight TK1661 to Hamburg. Immediately after returning to Germany, Atta, al-Shehhi, and Jarrah reported their passports stolen, possibly to discard travel visas to Afghanistan. On 22 March 2000, Atta

18330-420: Was installed in each bore suspended at the height of 7 feet above the tunnel floor. The two tunnels ventilation formed a Y which at the base would contain a 36-inch reversible fan. A concrete ventilation shaft was built which is located midway between the tunnels. There is a control room at the base of the shaft. The fans in the shaft would exhaust bad air from the tunnels and blow it up into the shaft out of one of

18471-545: Was killed during a U.S. military raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan . The War in Afghanistan continued for another eight years until the agreement was made in February 2020 for American and NATO troops to withdraw from the country . Excluding the hijackers, the attacks killed 2,977 people, injured thousands more and gave rise to substantial long-term health consequences while also causing at least $ 10   billion in infrastructure and property damage. It remains

18612-437: Was never heard by ATC, but the context suggests Atta was the one speaking. On the phone with American Airlines after the hijackers had assumed control of the plane, flight attendant Betty Ong reported that the cockpit was unresponsive and inaccessible. At 8:24:38 a.m., a voice believed to be Atta's was heard by air traffic controllers, saying: "We have some planes. Just stay quiet and you will be OK. We are returning to

18753-568: Was no longer eligible for university housing in Centrumshaus. Atta, Bahaji and Ramzi moved into a Hamburgian apartment, which they supposedly named bayt al-ansar . By early 1999, Atta had completed his thesis, and formally defended it in August 1999. In mid-1998, Atta worked alongside Shehhi, bin al-Shibh, and Belfas, at a warehouse, packing computers in crates for shipping. The Hamburg group did not stay in Wilhelmsburg for long. The next winter, they moved into an apartment at Marienstrasse 54 in

18894-437: Was not needed" after it bought a CAD system. Among other odd jobs to supplement his income, Atta sometimes worked at a cleaning company and sometimes bought and sold cars. Atta had harbored a desire to return to his native city ever since he finished his studies in Hamburg, but he was prevented by the dearth of job prospects in Cairo, his family lacking the "right connections" to avail the customary nepotism . Further, after

19035-545: Was not used and canceled on 9 August with the reason "Family Medical Emergency". Instead, he went to Central Office & Travel in Pompano Beach to purchase a ticket for a flight to Newark, leaving on the evening of 7 August and scheduled to return in the evening on 9 August. Atta did not take the return flight. On 7 August, Atta checked into the Wayne Inn in Wayne, New Jersey and checked out on 9 August. The same day, he booked

19176-520: Was selected by the Computer-Assisted Passenger Prescreening System (CAPPS), which required his checked bags to undergo extra screening for explosives but involved no extra screening at the passenger security checkpoint. The connection between the two flights at Logan International Airport was within Terminal B, but the two gates were not connected within security. Passengers must leave the secured area, go outdoors, cross

19317-616: Was signed by el-Motassadeq and a second person at the mosque. After leaving Plankontor in the summer of 1997, Atta disappeared again and did not return until 1998. He had made no progress on his thesis. Atta phoned his graduate advisor, Machule, and mentioned family problems at home, saying, "Please understand, I don't want to talk about this." At the winter break in 1997, Atta left and did not return to Hamburg for three months. He said that he went on pilgrimage to Mecca again, just 18 months after his first time. This claim has been disputed; American journalist Terry McDermott has argued that it

19458-649: Was still in Germany when he sent an e-mail to the Academy of Lakeland in Florida . He inquired about flight training, "Dear sir, we are a small group of young men from different Arab countries. Now, we are living in Germany since a while for study purposes. We would like to start training for the career of airline professional pilots. In this field, we haven't yet any knowledge but we are ready to undergo an intensive training program (up to ATP and eventually higher)." Atta sent 50–60 similar e-mails to other flight training schools in

19599-464: Was the same day that Israel , much to Atta's fury, attacked Lebanon in Operation Grapes of Wrath ; signing the will "offering his life" was his response. The instructions in his last will and testament reflect both Sunni funeral practices along with some more puritanical demands from Salafism , including asking people not "to weep and cry" and to generally refrain from showing emotion. The will

19740-783: Was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg monarchy , both major powers in Europe at the time. For Osama bin Laden, this was a date when the West gained some dominance over Islam, and by attacking on this date, he hoped to make a step in Islam "winning" the war for worldwide power and influence. In late 1999, al-Qaeda associate Walid bin Attash ("Khallad") contacted Mihdhar and told him to meet in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia; Hazmi and Abu Bara al Yemeni would also be in attendance. The NSA intercepted

19881-407: Was to him but "a shabby symbol of Egypt's haphazard attempts to modernize and its shameless embrace of the West." For his thesis, Atta concentrated on the ancient Syrian city of Aleppo . He researched the history of the urban landscape in relation to the general theme of conflict between Arab and modern civilization. He criticized how the newfangled skyscrapers and other modernizing projects disrupted

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