Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami
Encyclopedia
Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami is a Sunni mosque in San Diego, California, on 7173 Saranac Street on the San Diego-La Mesa, California
border.
Anwar Al-Awlaki
, who has been accused of being a senior Al-Qaeda
recruiter and motivator linked to various terrorists, served as Imam
of the mosque from 1996–2000.
Two of the 9/11 hijackers (Nawaf Al-Hazmi
and Khalid Almihdhar) regularly attended the mosque in 2000, and Al-Awlaki had many closed-door meetings with them, which led investigators to believe Al-Awlaki knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance. Al-Hazmi got a recommendation from the mosque for a job at a nearby Texaco station and car wash
, a business whose former owner, a Muslim, was known to help young men in need of work. For a month, Al-Hazmi worked there two days a week, vacuuming and drying cars.
La Mesa, California
La Mesa is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 57,065 at the 2010 census, up from 54,749 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1869 and officially incorporated as a city on February 16, 1912. Its official flower is the bougainvillea....
border.
Anwar Al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American and Yemeni imam who was an engineer and educator by training. According to U.S. government officials, he was a senior talent recruiter and motivator who was involved with planning operations for the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda...
, who has been accused of being a senior Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
recruiter and motivator linked to various terrorists, served as Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of the mosque from 1996–2000.
Two of the 9/11 hijackers (Nawaf Al-Hazmi
Nawaf al-Hazmi
Nawaf Muhammed Salim al-Hazmi was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which was crashed into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
and Khalid Almihdhar) regularly attended the mosque in 2000, and Al-Awlaki had many closed-door meetings with them, which led investigators to believe Al-Awlaki knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance. Al-Hazmi got a recommendation from the mosque for a job at a nearby Texaco station and car wash
Car wash
A car wash or auto wash is a facility used to clean the exterior and, in some cases, the interior of motor vehicles.- Categories :...
, a business whose former owner, a Muslim, was known to help young men in need of work. For a month, Al-Hazmi worked there two days a week, vacuuming and drying cars.