Nawaf al-Hazmi
Encyclopedia
Nawaf Muhammed Salim al-Hazmi (August 9, 1976 – September 11, 2001) was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77
, which was crashed into the Pentagon
as part of the September 11 attacks.
A Saudi
, Nawaf and childhood friend, Khalid al-Mihdhar
, left their homes in 1995 to fight in the Bosnian War
. Hazmi later traveled to Afghanistan
to fight among the Taliban against the Afghan Northern Alliance. After fighting in Chechnya
in 1998, he returned to Saudi Arabia in early 1999.
Already long time affiliates of Al-Qaeda
, Hazmi and Mihdhar were chosen by Osama bin Laden
as respected jihadists due to their extensive fighting experience for an ambitious terrorist plot to pilot commercial airlines into designated targets in the United States. Hazmi and Mihdhar both obtained US tourist visas
in April 1999. Hazmi trained in an Al-Qaeda
training camp in the fall of 1999. He then traveled to Malaysia for the 2000 Al-Qaeda Summit.
Nawaf arrived in the United States from Bangkok
, Thailand
, on January 15, 2000, with Khalid al-Mihdhar
in Los Angeles
. The two stayed at Parkwood Apartments in San Diego until May 2000. The two took flying lessons during that month in San Diego. Due to Hazmi and Mihdhar's poor English skills, they did not perform well during their flight lessons and were regarded as suspicious by their flight instructor.
Mihdhar left Hazmi in California for Yemen in June 2000. Hazmi stayed in California until he met up with Hani Hanjour
in December 2000 and they both traveled to Phoenix, Arizona
. They later moved to Falls Church, Virginia
in 2001 where the rest of the muscle hijackers began to join them. Hazmi met frequently with Mohamed Atta
, the ringleader of the attacks, during the summer of 2001.
The CIA
reportedly received Hazmi's name as part of a list of 19 names that were planning an attack in the near future. Hazmi was one of the four names on the list that were known for certain. A search for Hazmi and other suspected terrorists commenced, but the search was not very aggressive and they were not located until after the attacks.
On September 10, 2001, Hazmi along with Mihdhar and Hanjour checked into a hotel in Herndon, Virginia
. The next morning, Nawaf al-Hazmi, along with four other terrorists, boarded American Airlines Flight 77
and hijacked the plane so that Hani Hanjour
could pilot and crash the plane into the Pentagon
as part of the September 11 attacks. The crash killed all 64 passengers aboard the aircraft and 125 in the Pentagon. Hazmi was initially dismissed as a "muscle hijacker" following the attacks, but was later revealed to have played a larger role in the operational planning than previously believed. His younger brother, Salem al-Hazmi
, was another hijacker aboard the same flight.
in Saudi Arabia
to Muhammad Salim al-Hazmi, a grocer. He traveled to Afghanistan
as a teenager in 1993. CNN
's preliminary report following the attacks claimed that an unnamed acquaintance relayed "He told me once that his father had tried to kill him when he was a child. He never told me why, but he had a long knife scar on his forearm", and claimed that his older brother was a police chief in Jizan
.
In 1995, he and his childhood friend, Khalid al-Mihdhar
, joined a group that went to fight alongside Bosnian Muslims in the Bosnian War
. Afterwards, Nawaf returned to Afghanistan along with his brother Salem, and Mihdhar. In Afghanistan, they fought alongside the Taliban against the Afghan Northern Alliance, and joined up with Al-Qaeda
. Nawaf al-Hazmi also fought alongside Chechnya
ns sometime around 1998, possibly with his brother and Mihdhar, and returned to Saudi Arabia in early 1999.
held Hazmi and Mihdhar in high respect, with their experience fighting during the 1990s in Bosnia and elsewhere. Al-Qaeda later referred to Hazmi as Mihdhar's "Second-in-command". When Bin Laden committed to the "planes operation" plot in spring 1999, Bin Laden personally selected Hazmi and Mihdhar to be involved in the plot as pilot hijackers. In addition to Hazmi and Mihdhar, two Yemenis were selected for a southeast Asia component of the plot, which was later scrapped for being too difficult to coordinate with the operations in the United States. Known as Rabi'ah al-Makki during the preparations, Hazmi had been so eager to participate in operations within the United States
, he already had a US visa when Bin Laden selected him. Hazmi obtained a B-1/B-2 tourist visa
on April 3, 1999 from the US consulate in Jeddah
, Saudi Arabia
, using a new passport he acquired a few weeks earlier. Hazmi's passport did have indicators of Al-Qaeda
association, but immigration inspectors were not trained to look for those.
In the autumn of 1999, these four attended the Mes Aynak
training camp in Afghanistan
, which provided advanced training. Hazmi went with the two Yemenis, Tawfiq bin Attash
(Khallad) and Abu Bara al Yemeni
, to Karachi, Pakistan where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the plot's coordinator, instructed him on western culture, travel, as well as taught some basic English phrases. Mihdhar did not go with him to Karachi, but instead left for Yemen. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed then sent Hazmi and the other men to Malaysia for a meeting. Before leaving for Malaysia, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed doctored Hazmi's Saudi passport in order to conceal his travel to Pakistan and Afghanistan, and make it appear that Hazmi had come to Malaysia from Saudi Arabia via Dubai
.
After the attacks, the Associated Press
would re-publish a "bizarre" story by the Cody Enterprise that quoted witnesses stating that Nawaf entered the United States during the autumn of 1999, crossing along the Canadian border as one of two men delivering skylights to the local high school
in Cody, Wyoming
. Leaving the city 45 minutes later with the remaining cardboard boxes, the men allegedly asked "how to get to Florida
."
case, the National Security Agency
(NSA) began tracking the communications of Mihdhar's father-in-law Ahmad Muhammad Ali al-Hada, who was facilitating al-Qaeda communications, in 1999. Authorities also became aware of Hazmi, as a friend and associate of Mihdhar. Saudi Intelligence was also aware that Hazmi was associated with Al-Qaeda, and associated with the 1998 African embassy bombings and attempts to smuggle arms into the kingdom in 1997. He also said that he revealed this to the CIA, saying "What we told them was these people were on our watch list from previous activities of al-Qaeda, in both the ." The CIA strongly denies having received any such warning.
In late 1999 the NSA informed the CIA of an upcoming meeting in Malaysia, which Hada mentioned would involve "Khalid", "Nawaf", and "Salem". On January 5, Hazmi arrived in Kuala Lumpur
, where he met up with Mihdhar, Attash, and Abu Bara. The group was in Malaysia to meet with Hambali for the 2000 Al Qaeda Summit, during which key details of the attacks may have been arranged. At this time, there was an East Asia component to the September 11 attacks plot, but Bin Laden later canceled it for being too difficult to coordinate with operations in the United States. Ramzi bin al-Shibh was also at the summit, and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed possibly attended the summit. In Malaysia, the group stayed with Yazid Sufaat
, a local member of Jemaah Islamiyah
, who provided accommodations at request of Hambali. Both Mihdhar and Hazmi were secretly photographed at the meeting by Malaysian authorities, who provided surveillance at the request of the CIA. Malaysian authorities reported that Mihdhar spoke at length with Tawfiq bin Attash
, one of the Yemenis, and others who were later involved in the USS Cole bombing
. Hazmi and Mihdhar also met with Fahad al-Quso, who was later involved in the USS Cole bombing. After the meeting, Mihdhar and Hazmi traveled to Bangkok
in Thailand
on January 8, and left a week later on January 15 to travel to the United States.
On January 15, 2000, Hazmi and Mihdhar arrived together at Los Angeles International Airport
from Bangkok, and were admitted for a six-month period. Immediately after entering the country, Nawaf and Mihdhar met Omar al-Bayoumi
in an airport restaurant. Bayoumi claims he was merely being charitable in helping the two seemingly out-of-place Muslims to move to San Diego where he helped them find an apartment near his own, co-signed their lease, and gave them $1500 to help pay their rent.
While in San Diego, witnesses told the FBI he and Mindhar had a close relationship with Anwar Al Awlaki, an imam who served as their spiritual advisor. Authorities say the two regularly attended the Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami
mosque Awlaki led in San Diego, and Awlaki had many closed-door meetings with them, which led investigators to believe Awlaki knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance. 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, Hazmi worked there two days a week, vacuuming and drying cars.
In the beginning of February 2000, Mihdhar and Hazmi rented an apartment at the Parkwood Apartments, a 175-unit complex in the Clairemont Mesa
section of San Diego, near the Balboa Drive Mosque. In February, Mihdhar purchased a used 1988 Toyota Corolla
. While living at the Parkwood Apartments, neighbors thought that Mihdhar and Hazmi were odd. Months passed without them getting any furniture for the apartment. Instead, the men slept on mattresses on the floor, yet they carried briefcases, were frequently on their mobile phones, and were occasionally picked up by a limousine. After the attacks, their neighbors told the media that the pair constantly played flight simulator games. Residents said a total of four men spent time together at Parkwood, playing in the pool like children.
On April 4, 2000, Hazmi took a one-hour introductory flight lesson at the National Air College in San Diego. Both Mihdhar and Hazmi took flight lessons in May 2000 at the Sorbi Flying Club, located at Montgomery Field in San Diego. On May 5, Hazmi and Mihdhar took a lesson for one hour, and additional lessons on May 10 at the Sorbi Flying Club, with Hazmi flying an aircraft for 30 minutes. However, their English skills were very poor, and they did not do well with flight lessons. The first day that they showed up, they told instructors that they wanted to learn how to fly Boeings. Mihdhar and Hazmi raised some suspicion when they offered extra money to their flight instructor, Richard Garza, if he would train them to fly jets. Suspicious of the two men, Garza refused the offer but did not report them to authorities. Garza described the two men as "impatient students" who "wanted to learn to fly jets, specifically Boeings."
Adel Rafeea received a wire transfer
of $5000, on April 18, from Ali Abdul Aziz Ali in the UAE, which he later claimed was money Nawaf had asked him to accept on his behalf.
At the end of May 2000, Hazmi and Mihdhar moved out of Parkwood Apartments, and moved to nearby Lemon Grove, California
. At this time, Mihdhar transferred his vehicle's registration to Hazmi, and he left San Diego on June 10, 2000. Mihdhar returned to Yemen, which angered Khalid Sheikeh Mohammed, who did not want Hazmi to be left alone in California.
On July 12, 2000, Hazmi filed for an extension of his visa, which was due to expire. His visa was extended until January 2001, though Hazmi never filed any further requests to extend it beyond that.
In September, Nawaf and Mihdhdar both moved into the house of FBI informant
Abdussattar Shaikh
, although he did not report the pair as suspicious. Mihdhar is believed to have left the apartment in early October, less than two weeks before the USS Cole Bombing
. Nawaf continued living with Shaikh until December.
Hani Hanjour
arrived in San Diego in early December 2000, joining Hazmi, but on December 10, they were seen leaving their Mount Vernon address leaving for Phoenix, Arizona
where Hanjour could take refresher flight training. On December 12, they arrived at Mesa AZ and stayed with Mourad Jdaaini and Mike Khalaf. On December 22, Hanjour and Hazmi signed a lease for an apartment in the Indian Springs Village complex in Mesa, Arizona
, moving in on January 9th.
On March 30, Al-Hazmi notified his utility company that he might be moving to another state or Saudi Arabia. He and Hanjour moved out before the apartment rental expired at the end of the month on their way to Virginia. 2 days later on April 1, 2001, Oklahoma
police officer C. L. Parkins pulled Hazmi over for speeding in their Corolla along with an additional citation for failing to use a seatbelt together totaling $138. A routine inspection of his California drivers license turned up no warrants or alerts, although his name was known to both the NSA and the CIA as a suspected terrorist.
Anwar al-Awlaki had already headed east and served as Imam at the Dar al-Hijrah
mosque
in the metropolitan Washington, DC area
starting in January 2001. Shortly after this, his sermons were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers (the new one being Hanjour).
By April 3rd, he was likely with companion Hani Hanjour when he was recorded at an ATM in Front Royal, Virgnia, arriving in Falls Church Virgina by April 4th. They met a man believed to be the a Jordanian named Eyad Alrababah
at a 7-11 that day. The 9-11 commission wrote that Hazmi and Hanjour met Alrababah at the Dar al Hijra mosque who was computer technician who had moved from West Paterson, New Jersey and was there to ask imam Anwar al-Awlaki about finding a job. He helped the pair rent an apartment in Alexandria where they moved in.
The September 11 Commission concluded that two of the hijackers "reportedly respected Awlaki as a religious figure". When police raided the Hamburg, Germany, apartment of Ramzi bin al-Shibh (the "20th hijacker") while investigating the 9/11 attacks, his telephone number was found among bin al-Shibh's personal contact information.
On May 1, 2001, Hazmi reported to police that men tried to take his wallet outside his Fairfax, Virginia
residence, but before the county officer left, Hazmi signed a "statement of release" indicating he did not want the incident investigated.
In May 2001, Nidal Hasan's mother's funeral was held at the Falls Church mosque, although it is not known if al-Hazmi attended the service. May 2nd, two other hijackers, Ahmed al-Ghamdi
and Majed Moqed
, arrived in Virgina and moved in with them. On May 8, Alrababah suggested that al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar move with him to Fairfield, Connecticut and helped all four hijackers move to a hotel there. They called area flight schools and after a few days Alrababah drove the four to Paterson, New Jersey to show them around. Some FBI agents suspected that Awlaki gave Alrababah the job of helping Hazmi and Hanjour. Alrababah was later arrested as a witness convicted after 9/11 in a fraudulent driver’s license scheme and deported to Jordan.
On May 21, Al-Hazmi moved in with Hanjour into an apartment in Paterson New Jersey. Mohammed Atta is living in the same city at a another location.
On June 30, Al-Hazmi's car was involved in a minor traffic accident on the east-bound George Washington Bridge
.
On June 25, 2001, Hazmi obtained a drivers' license in Florida
, providing an address in Delray Beach, Florida
, and he obtained a USA ID card on July 10. On August 2, Hazmi also obtained a Virginia drivers' license, and made a request for it to be reissued on September 7.
Hazmi, along with at least five other future hijackers, traveled to Las Vegas
, Nevada
at least six times in the summer of 2001. They reportedly drank alcohol, gambled, and paid strippers to perform lap dances for them.
Throughout the summer, Hazmi met with leader Mohammad Atta to discuss the status of the operation of a monthly basis.
On August 23, Israel
i Mossad
reportedly gives his name to the CIA as part of a list of 19 names they say are planning an attack in the near future. Only four of the names are known for certain – Nawaf, Atta, Marwan and Mihdhar, but again, the connection was not made with previous contacts with local law enforcement. On the same day, he is added to an INS
watch list, together with Mihdhar to prevent entry into the US.
An internal review after 9/11 found that "everything was done [to find them] that could have been done." But the search does not appear to have been particularly aggressive. A national motor vehicle index was reportedly checked, but Hazmi's speeding ticket was not detected for some reason. The FBI did not search credit card databases, bank account databases, or car registration, all of which would have produced positive results. Hazmi was even listed in the 2000–2001 San Diego phone book, but this too was not searched until after the attacks.
He had not been placed on terrorist watch lists, nor did the CIA or NSA alert the FBI, Customs and Immigration, or local police and enforcement agencies.
On August 27, brothers Nawaf and Salem purchased flight tickets through Travelocity
.com using Nawaf's Visa card
.
On September 1, Nawaf registered Room #7 at the Pin-Del Motel in Laurel, Maryland
. On the registration, he listed his driver's license number as 3402142-D, and gave a New York hotel as his permanent residence. Ziad Jarrah
had checked into the hotel on August 27.
Nawaf and Mihdhar purchased their 9/11 plane tickets online using a credit card with their real names. This raised no red flags, since the FAA
had not been informed that the two were on a terrorist watchlist.
in Herndon, Virginia
where Saleh Ibn Abdul Rahman Hussayen
, a prominent Saudi government official, was staying – although no evidence was ever uncovered that they had met, or knew of each other's presence.
On September 11, Hazmi board American Airlines Flight 77. The flight was scheduled to depart at 08:10, but ended up departing 10 minutes late from Gate D26 at Dulles. The last normal radio communications from the aircraft to air traffic control
occurred at 08:50:51. At 08:54, Flight 77 began to deviate from its normal, assigned flight path and turned south, and then hijackers set the flight's autopilot
heading for Washington, D.C. Passenger Barbara Olson
called her husband, United States Solicitor General
Theodore Olson
, and reported that the plane had been hijacked and that the assailants had box cutters and knives. At 09:37, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west facade of the Pentagon
, killing all 64 aboard (including the hijackers), along with 125 on the ground in the Pentagon.
, maps of Washington, D.C.
and New York City
, a cashier's check made out to a Phoenix flight school, four drawings of a Boeing 757 cockpit, a box cutter, and a page with notes and phone numbers.
In the recovery process at the Pentagon, remains of all five Flight 77 hijackers were identified through a process of elimination, as not matching any DNA
samples for the victims, and put into custody of the FBI. Forensics teams confirmed that it seemed two of the hijackers were brothers, based on their DNA similarities.
Several weeks after the attacks, a Las Vegas
Days Inn
employee went to the FBI and stated that she recognized Hazmi's photographs from the media as being a man she had met at the hotel, who had asked for details on hotels near Los Angeles
. She admitted that he never gave his name.
alleged that the Defense Department data mining project Able Danger
had kept Nawaf, Khalid al-Mihdhar
, Mohamed Atta
and Marwan al-Shehhi
all under surveillance as Al-Qaeda
agents.
American Airlines Flight 77
American Airlines Flight 77 was American Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental flight, from Washington Dulles International Airport, in Dulles, Virginia to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California...
, which was crashed into the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
as part of the September 11 attacks.
A Saudi
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Nawaf and childhood friend, Khalid al-Mihdhar
Khalid al-Mihdhar
Khalid Muhammad Abdallah al-Mihdhar was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which was flown into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
, left their homes in 1995 to fight in the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
. Hazmi later traveled to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to fight among the Taliban against the Afghan Northern Alliance. After fighting in Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
in 1998, he returned to Saudi Arabia in early 1999.
Already long time affiliates of 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...
, Hazmi and Mihdhar were chosen by Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
as respected jihadists due to their extensive fighting experience for an ambitious terrorist plot to pilot commercial airlines into designated targets in the United States. Hazmi and Mihdhar both obtained US tourist visas
B-1/B-2 Visa
A B visa is one of a category of visas issued by the United States government to foreign citizens seeking entry for a temporary period. The two types of B visa are the B-1 visa, issued to those seeking entry for business purposes, and the B-2 visa, issued to those seeking entry for tourism or other...
in April 1999. Hazmi trained in an 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...
training camp in the fall of 1999. He then traveled to Malaysia for the 2000 Al-Qaeda Summit.
Nawaf arrived in the United States from Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, on January 15, 2000, with Khalid al-Mihdhar
Khalid al-Mihdhar
Khalid Muhammad Abdallah al-Mihdhar was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which was flown into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The two stayed at Parkwood Apartments in San Diego until May 2000. The two took flying lessons during that month in San Diego. Due to Hazmi and Mihdhar's poor English skills, they did not perform well during their flight lessons and were regarded as suspicious by their flight instructor.
Mihdhar left Hazmi in California for Yemen in June 2000. Hazmi stayed in California until he met up with Hani Hanjour
Hani Hanjour
Hani Saleh Hasan Hanjour was the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, crashing the plane into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
in December 2000 and they both traveled to Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. They later moved to Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
in 2001 where the rest of the muscle hijackers began to join them. Hazmi met frequently with Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta was one of the masterminds and the ringleader of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, crashing the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the coordinated attacks.Born in 1968...
, the ringleader of the attacks, during the summer of 2001.
The CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
reportedly received Hazmi's name as part of a list of 19 names that were planning an attack in the near future. Hazmi was one of the four names on the list that were known for certain. A search for Hazmi and other suspected terrorists commenced, but the search was not very aggressive and they were not located until after the attacks.
On September 10, 2001, Hazmi along with Mihdhar and Hanjour checked into a hotel in Herndon, Virginia
Herndon, Virginia
Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of the United States. The population was 21,655 at the 2000 census, which makes it the largest of three towns in the county.-History:...
. The next morning, Nawaf al-Hazmi, along with four other terrorists, boarded American Airlines Flight 77
American Airlines Flight 77
American Airlines Flight 77 was American Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental flight, from Washington Dulles International Airport, in Dulles, Virginia to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California...
and hijacked the plane so that Hani Hanjour
Hani Hanjour
Hani Saleh Hasan Hanjour was the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, crashing the plane into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
could pilot and crash the plane into the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
as part of the September 11 attacks. The crash killed all 64 passengers aboard the aircraft and 125 in the Pentagon. Hazmi was initially dismissed as a "muscle hijacker" following the attacks, but was later revealed to have played a larger role in the operational planning than previously believed. His younger brother, Salem al-Hazmi
Salem al-Hazmi
Salem al-Hazmi was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77 as part of the September 11 attacks.A Saudi, Hazmi had a relatively long history with al-Qaeda before being selected for the attacks...
, was another hijacker aboard the same flight.
Background
Nawaf was born in MeccaMecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
to Muhammad Salim al-Hazmi, a grocer. He traveled to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
as a teenager in 1993. CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's preliminary report following the attacks claimed that an unnamed acquaintance relayed "He told me once that his father had tried to kill him when he was a child. He never told me why, but he had a long knife scar on his forearm", and claimed that his older brother was a police chief in Jizan
Jizan
-Ethnography:The inhabitants of Jazan, are made up of Arabs. Islam is the religion of almost the totality of the inhabitants of the city and the province.-External links:*http://www.jazan.gov.sa* *http://krwetatnt.com/vb/...
.
In 1995, he and his childhood friend, Khalid al-Mihdhar
Khalid al-Mihdhar
Khalid Muhammad Abdallah al-Mihdhar was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which was flown into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
, joined a group that went to fight alongside Bosnian Muslims in the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
. Afterwards, Nawaf returned to Afghanistan along with his brother Salem, and Mihdhar. In Afghanistan, they fought alongside the Taliban against the Afghan Northern Alliance, and joined up with 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...
. Nawaf al-Hazmi also fought alongside Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
ns sometime around 1998, possibly with his brother and Mihdhar, and returned to Saudi Arabia in early 1999.
Selected for the 9/11 plot
Osama bin LadenOsama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
held Hazmi and Mihdhar in high respect, with their experience fighting during the 1990s in Bosnia and elsewhere. Al-Qaeda later referred to Hazmi as Mihdhar's "Second-in-command". When Bin Laden committed to the "planes operation" plot in spring 1999, Bin Laden personally selected Hazmi and Mihdhar to be involved in the plot as pilot hijackers. In addition to Hazmi and Mihdhar, two Yemenis were selected for a southeast Asia component of the plot, which was later scrapped for being too difficult to coordinate with the operations in the United States. Known as Rabi'ah al-Makki during the preparations, Hazmi had been so eager to participate in operations within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he already had a US visa when Bin Laden selected him. Hazmi obtained a B-1/B-2 tourist visa
B-1/B-2 Visa
A B visa is one of a category of visas issued by the United States government to foreign citizens seeking entry for a temporary period. The two types of B visa are the B-1 visa, issued to those seeking entry for business purposes, and the B-2 visa, issued to those seeking entry for tourism or other...
on April 3, 1999 from the US consulate in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, using a new passport he acquired a few weeks earlier. Hazmi's passport did have indicators of 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...
association, but immigration inspectors were not trained to look for those.
In the autumn of 1999, these four attended the Mes Aynak
Mes Aynak
Mes Aynak is located 30 km southeast of Kabul, in a barren region of Logar Province; that is still considered a major transit route for insurgents coming from Pakistan. The mine could be a major boost for the Afghan economy...
training camp in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, which provided advanced training. Hazmi went with the two Yemenis, Tawfiq bin Attash
Tawfiq bin Attash
Walid Muhammad Salih bin Roshayed bin Attash is a Yemeni prisoner held in extrajudicial detention at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camps....
(Khallad) and Abu Bara al Yemeni
Abu Bara al Yemeni
According to the 9-11 Commission Report Abu Bara al Yemeni was a citizen of Yemen who was slated to participate in al Qaeda's attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001....
, to Karachi, Pakistan where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the plot's coordinator, instructed him on western culture, travel, as well as taught some basic English phrases. Mihdhar did not go with him to Karachi, but instead left for Yemen. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed then sent Hazmi and the other men to Malaysia for a meeting. Before leaving for Malaysia, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed doctored Hazmi's Saudi passport in order to conceal his travel to Pakistan and Afghanistan, and make it appear that Hazmi had come to Malaysia from Saudi Arabia via Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
.
After the attacks, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
would re-publish a "bizarre" story by the Cody Enterprise that quoted witnesses stating that Nawaf entered the United States during the autumn of 1999, crossing along the Canadian border as one of two men delivering skylights to the local high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Cody, Wyoming
Cody, Wyoming
Cody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...
. Leaving the city 45 minutes later with the remaining cardboard boxes, the men allegedly asked "how to get to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
."
Malaysia summit
Based on information uncovered by the FBI in the 1998 United States embassy bombings1998 United States embassy bombings
The 1998 United States embassy bombings were a series of attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998, in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the United States embassies in the East African capitals of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The date of the...
case, the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
(NSA) began tracking the communications of Mihdhar's father-in-law Ahmad Muhammad Ali al-Hada, who was facilitating al-Qaeda communications, in 1999. Authorities also became aware of Hazmi, as a friend and associate of Mihdhar. Saudi Intelligence was also aware that Hazmi was associated with Al-Qaeda, and associated with the 1998 African embassy bombings and attempts to smuggle arms into the kingdom in 1997. He also said that he revealed this to the CIA, saying "What we told them was these people were on our watch list from previous activities of al-Qaeda, in both the ." The CIA strongly denies having received any such warning.
In late 1999 the NSA informed the CIA of an upcoming meeting in Malaysia, which Hada mentioned would involve "Khalid", "Nawaf", and "Salem". On January 5, Hazmi arrived in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, where he met up with Mihdhar, Attash, and Abu Bara. The group was in Malaysia to meet with Hambali for the 2000 Al Qaeda Summit, during which key details of the attacks may have been arranged. At this time, there was an East Asia component to the September 11 attacks plot, but Bin Laden later canceled it for being too difficult to coordinate with operations in the United States. Ramzi bin al-Shibh was also at the summit, and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed possibly attended the summit. In Malaysia, the group stayed with Yazid Sufaat
Yazid Sufaat
The Malaysian Yazid Sufaat was a member of the Islamist terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah from shortly after its foundation in 1993 until his arrest by Malaysian authorities on 9 December 2001....
, a local member of Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiyah
Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...
, who provided accommodations at request of Hambali. Both Mihdhar and Hazmi were secretly photographed at the meeting by Malaysian authorities, who provided surveillance at the request of the CIA. Malaysian authorities reported that Mihdhar spoke at length with Tawfiq bin Attash
Tawfiq bin Attash
Walid Muhammad Salih bin Roshayed bin Attash is a Yemeni prisoner held in extrajudicial detention at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camps....
, one of the Yemenis, and others who were later involved in the USS Cole bombing
USS Cole bombing
The USS Cole Bombing, or the USS Cole Incident, was a suicide attack against the United States Navy destroyer on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored and refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed, and 39 were injured...
. Hazmi and Mihdhar also met with Fahad al-Quso, who was later involved in the USS Cole bombing. After the meeting, Mihdhar and Hazmi traveled to Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
on January 8, and left a week later on January 15 to travel to the United States.
Enters the United States with Mihdhar
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
from Bangkok, and were admitted for a six-month period. Immediately after entering the country, Nawaf and Mihdhar met Omar al-Bayoumi
Omar al-Bayoumi
Omar al-Bayoumi is a Saudi national who befriended two of the 9/11 hijackers in the United States.Some people suspect he was a Saudi agent and an accessory to the attacks...
in an airport restaurant. Bayoumi claims he was merely being charitable in helping the two seemingly out-of-place Muslims to move to San Diego where he helped them find an apartment near his own, co-signed their lease, and gave them $1500 to help pay their rent.
While in San Diego, witnesses told the FBI he and Mindhar had a close relationship with Anwar Al Awlaki, an imam who served as their spiritual advisor. Authorities say the two regularly attended the Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami
Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami
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...
mosque Awlaki led in San Diego, and Awlaki had many closed-door meetings with them, which led investigators to believe Awlaki knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance. 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, Hazmi worked there two days a week, vacuuming and drying cars.
In the beginning of February 2000, Mihdhar and Hazmi rented an apartment at the Parkwood Apartments, a 175-unit complex in the Clairemont Mesa
Clairemont, San Diego, California
Clairemont is a suburban neighborhood in northern San Diego.It includes the separate neighborhoods of North Clairemont, South Clairemont, Clairemont Mesa East and Clairemont Mesa West...
section of San Diego, near the Balboa Drive Mosque. In February, Mihdhar purchased a used 1988 Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
. While living at the Parkwood Apartments, neighbors thought that Mihdhar and Hazmi were odd. Months passed without them getting any furniture for the apartment. Instead, the men slept on mattresses on the floor, yet they carried briefcases, were frequently on their mobile phones, and were occasionally picked up by a limousine. After the attacks, their neighbors told the media that the pair constantly played flight simulator games. Residents said a total of four men spent time together at Parkwood, playing in the pool like children.
On April 4, 2000, Hazmi took a one-hour introductory flight lesson at the National Air College in San Diego. Both Mihdhar and Hazmi took flight lessons in May 2000 at the Sorbi Flying Club, located at Montgomery Field in San Diego. On May 5, Hazmi and Mihdhar took a lesson for one hour, and additional lessons on May 10 at the Sorbi Flying Club, with Hazmi flying an aircraft for 30 minutes. However, their English skills were very poor, and they did not do well with flight lessons. The first day that they showed up, they told instructors that they wanted to learn how to fly Boeings. Mihdhar and Hazmi raised some suspicion when they offered extra money to their flight instructor, Richard Garza, if he would train them to fly jets. Suspicious of the two men, Garza refused the offer but did not report them to authorities. Garza described the two men as "impatient students" who "wanted to learn to fly jets, specifically Boeings."
Adel Rafeea received a wire transfer
Wire transfer
Wire transfer or credit transfer is a method of electronic funds transfer from one person or institution to another. A wire transfer can be made from one bank account to another bank account or through a transfer of cash at a cash office...
of $5000, on April 18, from Ali Abdul Aziz Ali in the UAE, which he later claimed was money Nawaf had asked him to accept on his behalf.
At the end of May 2000, Hazmi and Mihdhar moved out of Parkwood Apartments, and moved to nearby Lemon Grove, California
Lemon Grove, California
Lemon Grove is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 25,320 at the 2010 census, up from 24,918 as of the 2000 census.-History:...
. At this time, Mihdhar transferred his vehicle's registration to Hazmi, and he left San Diego on June 10, 2000. Mihdhar returned to Yemen, which angered Khalid Sheikeh Mohammed, who did not want Hazmi to be left alone in California.
On July 12, 2000, Hazmi filed for an extension of his visa, which was due to expire. His visa was extended until January 2001, though Hazmi never filed any further requests to extend it beyond that.
In September, Nawaf and Mihdhdar both moved into the house of FBI informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
Abdussattar Shaikh
Abdussattar Shaikh
Abdussattar Shaikh is an FBI informant who was called "The FBI's Best Chance to Uncover September 11th Before it Happened" by the Joint Congressional 9.11 Intelligence Committee....
, although he did not report the pair as suspicious. Mihdhar is believed to have left the apartment in early October, less than two weeks before the USS Cole Bombing
USS Cole bombing
The USS Cole Bombing, or the USS Cole Incident, was a suicide attack against the United States Navy destroyer on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored and refueled in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed, and 39 were injured...
. Nawaf continued living with Shaikh until December.
Hani Hanjour
Hani Hanjour
Hani Saleh Hasan Hanjour was the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, crashing the plane into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
arrived in San Diego in early December 2000, joining Hazmi, but on December 10, they were seen leaving their Mount Vernon address leaving for Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
where Hanjour could take refresher flight training. On December 12, they arrived at Mesa AZ and stayed with Mourad Jdaaini and Mike Khalaf. On December 22, Hanjour and Hazmi signed a lease for an apartment in the Indian Springs Village complex in Mesa, Arizona
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, moving in on January 9th.
2001
In March al-Hazmi received a shipment of VHS videos including videos about Boeing 747 and 777 flight decks and “how a airline captain should look and act" and later a road atlas, map of NYC and a World aeronautical chart.On March 30, Al-Hazmi notified his utility company that he might be moving to another state or Saudi Arabia. He and Hanjour moved out before the apartment rental expired at the end of the month on their way to Virginia. 2 days later on April 1, 2001, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
police officer C. L. Parkins pulled Hazmi over for speeding in their Corolla along with an additional citation for failing to use a seatbelt together totaling $138. A routine inspection of his California drivers license turned up no warrants or alerts, although his name was known to both the NSA and the CIA as a suspected terrorist.
Anwar al-Awlaki had already headed east and served as Imam at the Dar al-Hijrah
Dar al-Hijrah
The Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center is a mosque in Northern Virginia. It is located in Culmore, Lake Barcroft area of unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, directly between the Bailey's Crossroads, and Seven Corners, Virginia, US Post Offices.-Background:...
mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in the metropolitan Washington, DC area
Washington Metropolitan Area
The Washington Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the federal district and parts of the U.S...
starting in January 2001. Shortly after this, his sermons were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers (the new one being Hanjour).
By April 3rd, he was likely with companion Hani Hanjour when he was recorded at an ATM in Front Royal, Virgnia, arriving in Falls Church Virgina by April 4th. They met a man believed to be the a Jordanian named Eyad Alrababah
Eyad Alrababah
Eyad Mustafa Alrababah was a Jordanian citizen arrested following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack.A computer technician, he had lived in West Paterson, New Jersey until 2000, then moved to Falls Church, Virginia where he befriended two of the hijackers, Hani Hanjour and Nawaf Alhazmi, at...
at a 7-11 that day. The 9-11 commission wrote that Hazmi and Hanjour met Alrababah at the Dar al Hijra mosque who was computer technician who had moved from West Paterson, New Jersey and was there to ask imam Anwar al-Awlaki about finding a job. He helped the pair rent an apartment in Alexandria where they moved in.
The September 11 Commission concluded that two of the hijackers "reportedly respected Awlaki as a religious figure". When police raided the Hamburg, Germany, apartment of Ramzi bin al-Shibh (the "20th hijacker") while investigating the 9/11 attacks, his telephone number was found among bin al-Shibh's personal contact information.
On May 1, 2001, Hazmi reported to police that men tried to take his wallet outside his Fairfax, Virginia
Fairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
residence, but before the county officer left, Hazmi signed a "statement of release" indicating he did not want the incident investigated.
In May 2001, Nidal Hasan's mother's funeral was held at the Falls Church mosque, although it is not known if al-Hazmi attended the service. May 2nd, two other hijackers, Ahmed al-Ghamdi
Ahmed al-Ghamdi
Ahmed Salah Said al-Ghamdi was one of five hijackers of United Airlines Flight 175 as part of the September 11 attacks.Ghamdi was born in Saudi Arabia in 1979...
and Majed Moqed
Majed Moqed
A former law student, Majed Mashaan Ghanem Moqed was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77 as part of the September 11 attacks....
, arrived in Virgina and moved in with them. On May 8, Alrababah suggested that al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar move with him to Fairfield, Connecticut and helped all four hijackers move to a hotel there. They called area flight schools and after a few days Alrababah drove the four to Paterson, New Jersey to show them around. Some FBI agents suspected that Awlaki gave Alrababah the job of helping Hazmi and Hanjour. Alrababah was later arrested as a witness convicted after 9/11 in a fraudulent driver’s license scheme and deported to Jordan.
On May 21, Al-Hazmi moved in with Hanjour into an apartment in Paterson New Jersey. Mohammed Atta is living in the same city at a another location.
On June 30, Al-Hazmi's car was involved in a minor traffic accident on the east-bound George Washington Bridge
George Washington Bridge
The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the Washington Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City to Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey. Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1/9 cross the river via the bridge. U.S...
.
On June 25, 2001, Hazmi obtained a drivers' license in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, providing an address in Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,020. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S...
, and he obtained a USA ID card on July 10. On August 2, Hazmi also obtained a Virginia drivers' license, and made a request for it to be reissued on September 7.
Hazmi, along with at least five other future hijackers, traveled to Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
at least six times in the summer of 2001. They reportedly drank alcohol, gambled, and paid strippers to perform lap dances for them.
Throughout the summer, Hazmi met with leader Mohammad Atta to discuss the status of the operation of a monthly basis.
On August 23, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
reportedly gives his name to the CIA as part of a list of 19 names they say are planning an attack in the near future. Only four of the names are known for certain – Nawaf, Atta, Marwan and Mihdhar, but again, the connection was not made with previous contacts with local law enforcement. On the same day, he is added to an INS
Immigration and Naturalization Service
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , now referred to as Legacy INS, ceased to exist under that name on March 1, 2003, when most of its functions were transferred from the Department of Justice to three new components within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, as...
watch list, together with Mihdhar to prevent entry into the US.
An internal review after 9/11 found that "everything was done [to find them] that could have been done." But the search does not appear to have been particularly aggressive. A national motor vehicle index was reportedly checked, but Hazmi's speeding ticket was not detected for some reason. The FBI did not search credit card databases, bank account databases, or car registration, all of which would have produced positive results. Hazmi was even listed in the 2000–2001 San Diego phone book, but this too was not searched until after the attacks.
He had not been placed on terrorist watch lists, nor did the CIA or NSA alert the FBI, Customs and Immigration, or local police and enforcement agencies.
On August 27, brothers Nawaf and Salem purchased flight tickets through Travelocity
Travelocity
Travelocity is an online travel agency and wholly owned subsidiary of Sabre Holdings Corporation, which was a publicly traded company until taken private by Silver Lake Partners and Texas Pacific Group in March 2007...
.com using Nawaf's Visa card
Visa
Visa or VISA may refer to:* Visa , a document issued by a country's government allowing the holder to enter or to leave that country...
.
On September 1, Nawaf registered Room #7 at the Pin-Del Motel in Laurel, Maryland
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...
. On the registration, he listed his driver's license number as 3402142-D, and gave a New York hotel as his permanent residence. Ziad Jarrah
Ziad Jarrah
Ziad Samir Jarrah was one of the masterminds of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of United Airlines Flight 93, crashing the plane into a field in a rural area near Shanksville—after a passenger uprising—as part of the coordinated attacks.After a wealthy and secular...
had checked into the hotel on August 27.
Nawaf and Mihdhar purchased their 9/11 plane tickets online using a credit card with their real names. This raised no red flags, since the FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
had not been informed that the two were on a terrorist watchlist.
Attacks
On September 10, 2001, Hanjour, Mihdhar, and Nawaf checked into the Marriott Residence InnMarriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
in Herndon, Virginia
Herndon, Virginia
Herndon is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area of the United States. The population was 21,655 at the 2000 census, which makes it the largest of three towns in the county.-History:...
where Saleh Ibn Abdul Rahman Hussayen
Saleh Ibn Abdul Rahman Hussayen
Saleh Ibn Abdul Rahman Hussayen is a prominent Saudi government official who fell under suspicion following the Sept 11th attacks when it was discovered that three of the hijackers, Hani Hanjour, Khalid Almihdhar, and Nawaf Alhazmi had checked into the Marriott Residence Inn in Herndon, Virginia,...
, a prominent Saudi government official, was staying – although no evidence was ever uncovered that they had met, or knew of each other's presence.
On September 11, Hazmi board American Airlines Flight 77. The flight was scheduled to depart at 08:10, but ended up departing 10 minutes late from Gate D26 at Dulles. The last normal radio communications from the aircraft to air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
occurred at 08:50:51. At 08:54, Flight 77 began to deviate from its normal, assigned flight path and turned south, and then hijackers set the flight's autopilot
Autopilot
An autopilot is a mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being. An autopilot can refer specifically to aircraft, self-steering gear for boats, or auto guidance of space craft and missiles...
heading for Washington, D.C. Passenger Barbara Olson
Barbara Olson
Barbara Olson was a lawyer and conservative American television commentator who worked for CNN, Fox News Channel, and several other outlets...
called her husband, United States Solicitor General
United States Solicitor General
The United States Solicitor General is the person appointed to represent the federal government of the United States before the Supreme Court of the United States. The current Solicitor General, Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 6, 2011 and sworn in on June...
Theodore Olson
Theodore Olson
Theodore Bevry Olson is a former United States Solicitor General, serving from June 2001 to July 2004 under President George W. Bush.- Early life :...
, and reported that the plane had been hijacked and that the assailants had box cutters and knives. At 09:37, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west facade of the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, killing all 64 aboard (including the hijackers), along with 125 on the ground in the Pentagon.
Aftermath
Nawaf al-Hazmi's 1988 blue Toyota Corolla was found on the next day in Dulles International Airport's hourly parking lot. Inside the vehicle, authorities found a letter written by Mohamed AttaMohamed Atta
Mohamed Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta was one of the masterminds and the ringleader of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, crashing the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the coordinated attacks.Born in 1968...
, maps of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, a cashier's check made out to a Phoenix flight school, four drawings of a Boeing 757 cockpit, a box cutter, and a page with notes and phone numbers.
In the recovery process at the Pentagon, remains of all five Flight 77 hijackers were identified through a process of elimination, as not matching any DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
samples for the victims, and put into custody of the FBI. Forensics teams confirmed that it seemed two of the hijackers were brothers, based on their DNA similarities.
Several weeks after the attacks, a Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
Days Inn
Days Inn
Days Inn is a motel chain headquartered in the United States. Founded in 1970, it is now a part of the Wyndham Hotel Group, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, which was formerly a part of Cendant...
employee went to the FBI and stated that she recognized Hazmi's photographs from the media as being a man she had met at the hotel, who had asked for details on hotels near Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. She admitted that he never gave his name.
Timeline in America
Late in 2005, Army Lt. Col. Kevin Shaffer and Congressman Curt WeldonCurt Weldon
Wayne Curtis "Curt" Weldon is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2007, representing the 7th district of Pennsylvania. He was defeated in November 2006 for reelection by Joe Sestak. Weldon was vice-chair of the Armed...
alleged that the Defense Department data mining project Able Danger
Able Danger
Able Danger was a classified military planning effort led by the U.S. Special Operations Command and the Defense Intelligence Agency...
had kept Nawaf, Khalid al-Mihdhar
Khalid al-Mihdhar
Khalid Muhammad Abdallah al-Mihdhar was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which was flown into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
, Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Atta
Mohamed Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta was one of the masterminds and the ringleader of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, crashing the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the coordinated attacks.Born in 1968...
and Marwan al-Shehhi
Marwan al-Shehhi
Marwan Yousef Mohamed Rashid Lekrab al-Shehhi was the hijacker-pilot of United Airlines Flight 175, crashing the plane into the South Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the September 11 attacks....
all under surveillance as 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...
agents.
- January 15, 2000: Hazmi and Khalid al-MihdharKhalid al-MihdharKhalid Muhammad Abdallah al-Mihdhar was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which was flown into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
arrive in Los Angeles from Bangkok, Thailand. - February 2000: Hazmi and Mihdhar move to San Diego.
- Autumn 2000: Hamzi works at a gas station while living in San Diego.
- March 2001: Nawaf al-Hazmi and Hani HanjourHani HanjourHani Saleh Hasan Hanjour was the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, crashing the plane into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
move from Phoenix to Falls Church, Virginia. - Mid-March 2001: Nawaf al-Hazmi, Ahmed al-GhamdiAhmed al-GhamdiAhmed Salah Said al-Ghamdi was one of five hijackers of United Airlines Flight 175 as part of the September 11 attacks.Ghamdi was born in Saudi Arabia in 1979...
, Majed MoqedMajed MoqedA former law student, Majed Mashaan Ghanem Moqed was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77 as part of the September 11 attacks....
, and Hani Hanjour stay for four days in the Fairfield Motor Inn, Fairfield, Connecticut. They meet with Eyad AlrababahEyad AlrababahEyad Mustafa Alrababah was a Jordanian citizen arrested following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack.A computer technician, he had lived in West Paterson, New Jersey until 2000, then moved to Falls Church, Virginia where he befriended two of the hijackers, Hani Hanjour and Nawaf Alhazmi, at...
, a Palestinian who may have provided false identification documents.