Some of the Perpetrators of 9/11/01 Attacks on the United States

“We are not afraid of death. We are afraid of not being able to carry out our mission.” — Terrorist Mohammad Atta

Almost twenty-five years ago, on the morning of 9/11/01, terrorists connected to al-Qaeda prepared to assault the military nerve center of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.

At 5:45 AM, Atta and Abdulaziz al-Omari took a commuter flight from Portland, Maine, to Boston’s Logan International Airport. They boarded American Airlines Flight 11, which was bound for Los Angeles, California, with seventy-six passengers, eleven crew members, and five hijackers.

Al-Omari was considered a “muscle hijacker” involved in seizing the cockpit and taking control of the flight. He was a twenty-year-old Saudi Arabian, highly radicalized hijacker with a wife and a daughter.

With him was Atta, a 33-year-old Egyptian from a professional family. His father was a lawyer, and his siblings were well educated. Considered a “highly sensitive” person, he became increasingly religious and studied architecture. Atta eventually followed the sentiments of the Muslim Brotherhood, which opposed the American alliance with what it viewed as the corruption of the Egyptian government.

By 8:24, Atta mistakenly alerted air traffic controllers that the hijackers had control of the flight.

At 8:15, United Airlines Flight 175 was expected to travel to Los Angeles with fifty-one passengers, including five hijackers, and nine crew members.

A cousin of Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, led four other terrorists who used knives to attack the pilots and take over the aircraft. A flight attendant alerted authorities on the ground that terrorists had taken over the plane, and passengers began contacting their families to inform them about the dangerous situation.

Al-Shehhi was from the United Arab Emirates. His father was a prayer leader. He later joined the military, which gave him the opportunity to study at the University of Bonn. He trained to fly aircraft in the United States, while his intentions remained hidden, and he wore Western clothing.

At 8:20 AM, American Airlines Flight 77 left Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., and was expected to later land in Los Angeles with fifty-three passengers, six crew members, and five hijackers.

A trained pilot, Hani Hanjour, was a Saudi who years earlier traveled to Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet Union, but the war ended before he could participate in the jihad.

Hanjour worked for a relief agency, became a “rigorously observant Muslim,” attended the University of Arizona to learn English, and trained to obtain his Federal Aviation Administration pilot’s license. He associated with radicals tied to al-Qaeda extremists who also took flying lessons.

Flight 93 was overtaken by four terrorists, mostly from Saudi Arabia, who were led by Ziad Jarrah.

Jarrah was born in Lebanon to a wealthy family and, from his earliest years, was interested in aircraft. He attended college in Germany to become a dentist but left school amid excessive partying and alcohol use.

By 1996, he had become increasingly influenced by anti-American sentiments. Returning to Germany, Jarrah studied aircraft engineering, became increasingly devout, and stated that he would support the global jihad.

These commandeered aircraft, carrying thousands of gallons of fuel, changed their westward courses. The planes targeting Manhattan turned back toward New York, while the other hijacked aircraft were redirected toward targets in Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.

At 8:46 A.M., the terror was completely unleashed on the innocent passengers and workers when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the north tower of the World Trade Center near the 96th floor.

With Americans wondering whether the first crash was an accident, eighteen minutes later the south tower was struck by United Airlines Flight 175 between the 77th and 85th floors.

Next week will be the attack on the Pentagon and Flight 93.