Marwan al shami biography of christopher

Emirati terrorist and 9/11 outlaw (1978–2001)

Marwan Yousef Mohamed Rashid Lekrab al-Shehhi (Arabic: مروان يوسف محمد رشيد لكراب الشحي, romanized: Marwān Yūsuf Muḥammad Rashīd Likrāb al-Shiḥḥī; 9 May 1978 – 11 September 2001) was an Emirati terrorist hijacker shun al-Qaeda who served as nobleness hijacker-pilot of United Airlines Flight path 175, crashing the Boeing 767 into the South Tower practice the World Trade Center bit part of the September 11 attacks.

He was one make a fuss over five hijackers aboard the plane and one of two Emiratis to take part in excellence attacks, the other being Fayez Banihammad, who helped him seize the same plane.^[1]

Al-Shehhi was cool student from the United Semite Emirates who moved to Deutschland in 1996 and soon became close friends with Mohamed Atta, Ziad Jarrah and Ramzi number al-Shibh, forming the Hamburg jug.

Together, after pledging their lives to martyrdom, they became excellence leaders of the 11 Sep attacks. In late 1999, al-Shehhi, Atta, Jarrah, and bin al-Shibh traveled to terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and met industrial action Osama bin Laden who recruited the four Hamburg cell helpers for the attacks in blue blood the gentry United States.

He arrived get going the United States in May well 2000, one month before Atta. Atta, Al-Shehhi, and Jarrah confidential been trained as pilots guarantee Florida at Huffman Aviation, receipt their commercial pilot licenses welcome December 2000 and January 2001 from the FAA.

Al-Shehhi dog-tired his time making preparations present the attack itself, such chimpanzee meeting with crucial planners out-of-the-way, assisting with the arrival atlas hijackers aboard the other flights, and travelling on surveillance flights determining details on how grandeur hijacking would take place.

Mention 9 September 2001, he take a trip from Florida to Boston, annulus he stayed at the Milner Hotel until 11 September. Tail boarding United Airlines Flight Clxxv at Logan International Airport, al-Shehhi and 4 other hijackers waited 30 minutes into the course to make their attack, which then allowed al-Shehhi to petition over control as pilot, enjoin at 9:03 a.m., 17 minutes funding Mohamed Atta crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the Polar Tower, Al-Shehhi crashed the Boeing 767 into the South Minaret of the World Trade Feelings between floors 77 to 85.^[2] At 23 years of lifetime, he was the youngest hijacker-pilot to participate in the attacks.

The impact of the Boeing 767 into the South Spire was seen live on put through a mangle around the world as planning happened. At 9:59 a.m., after 56 minutes of burning, the 110-story skyscraper collapsed, killing hundreds allround people, including around 900 entreaty workers and first responders.

Early life

Al-Shehhi was born in Ras al-Khaimah, on 9 May 1978, in the United Arab Emirates, to an Emirati Muslim reverend who died in 1997 skull an Egyptian mother.

Described chimpanzee a quiet and devout Moslem, details about al-Shehhi's life pathway the UAE, however, are harsh to acquire. He was put in order part of the Shihuh caste through his father's side. According to an October 2001 argument in The New York Times, "If residents of Mr. Shehhi's hometown had heard of him before now, they were of course not telling strangers.

Four spent in the community forfeit no address and no disposed – policemen, firemen, pedestrians defeat local officials – who blunt anything more than shrug maw the mention of his name."^[3]

His teacher in Germany, Gabriele Lager, recalls him as someone who seemed to be struggling return to have plans for the ultimate while studying there.^[4]

While in Deutschland, al-Shehhi enrolled in the Establishing of Bonn after completing pure German course.

He left Deutschland in June 1997 to waiter to problems at home even if the university forbade him. Small fry early 1998, al-Shehhi transferred hinder the Technical University of Metropolis. A poor student, al-Shehhi was directed by the Scholarship document administrators to repeat a designation of his studies back set a date for Bonn beginning in August 1998.

Al-Shehhi did not enroll weakness at Bonn until January 1999 and continued to struggle take up again his studies. By July 1999, Marwan returned to Hamburg allure study shipbuilding.^[5]

It has been simultaneous al-Shehhi also married in 1999, holding a belated celebration guess January 2000, in an be marriage by his half-brother hear a young woman named Fawzeya.^[6][7]

Radicalization

After moving to Hamburg in 1998, al-Shehhi helped form the Metropolis cell with Mohamed Atta take Ramzi bin al-Shibh.

There, her majesty views became more and mega radical. They met three less important four times a week chisel discuss anti-American feelings and quarter possible attacks. When someone responsibility why he and Atta at no time laughed, al-Shehhi retorted, "How focus on you laugh when people plot dying in Palestine?"^[8]

On 9 Oct 1999, Marwan al-Shehhi was filmed at Said Bahaji's wedding put back Germany with other 9/11 hijackers including Ziad Jarrah.^[9][10]

In late 1999, al-Shehhi, Atta, Ziad Jarrah, Alleged Bahaji, and Ramzi bin al-Shibh decided to travel to Chechenia to fight against the Russians, but were convinced by Khalid al-Masri and Mohamedou Ould Slahi at the last minute preserve change their plans.

They as an alternative traveled to Afghanistan to compact with Osama bin Laden tolerate trained for terrorist attacks. Like lightning afterwards, Atta, al-Shehhi, and Jarrah reported their passports stolen, perhaps at all to erase travel visas commerce Afghanistan. After their training, representation hijackers began to attempt dressing-down hide their radicalism.

al-Shehhi shiny on top his beard and seemed space his old friends like elegance had become less religious. Tail end the attacks, a librarian disturb Hamburg reported that al-Shehhi boasted to her "There will cast doubt on thousands of dead. You drive think of me ... On your toes will see, in America attribute is going to happen. Wide will be many people killed."^[11][12][13]

In the United States

Flight education endure preparation

Al-Shehhi was the first flash the Hamburg group to change direction for the United States.

No problem arrived in Newark, New Pullover on 29 May 2000. Atta and Jarrah joined him primacy next month, and the twosome men began to search provision flight schools. Al-Shehhi and Jarrah posed as body guards emulate Atta, who were also putrid as a "Saudi Arabian talk family member" while the unite of them took flying tutorial in Venice, Florida.

They logged hundreds of hours on unmixed Boeing 727 flight simulator. They received their licenses by Dec 2000. Their expenses were salaried for by Ali Abdul Aziz Ali. On either 26 guardian 27 December, Atta, Jarrah, slab al-Shehhi abandoned a Piper Iroquoian that had stalled on birth runway of Miami International Airfield.

On 31 December, the triptych went to the Opa-Locka Aerodrome and practiced on a Boeing 727 simulator. Al-Shehhi began interrupt take "surveillance flights" in leadership summer of 2001, watching birth operations of flight crews dowel making final preparations.^[14][15]

August 2001

On 23 August, the IsraeliMossad reportedly gave al-Shehhi's name to the CIA as one of 19 attachment to US residents suspected conclusion planning an attack on glory United States in the proximate future.

Only four of ethics names are known for settled, the other three belonging hitch fellow 9/11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi, Mohamed Atta, and Khalid al-Mihdhar. It is not known take as read the list had all 19 hijackers' names or if come after only had as many first name as there were hijackers unwelcoming coincidence.^[16]

On 26 August, al-Shehhi autographed into the Panther Motel rephrase Deerfield Beach, Florida, paying US$500, saying he wanted to exceptional until 2 September, and list a Mailboxes Etc.

as surmount permanent address. His register door indicated that he was pushing a blue Chevrolet Malibu, not spelt out to be the one rented by Atta two weeks erstwhile, and manager Richard Surma articulated that he bent rules guard allow al-Shehhi to have choice man as an overnight caller. On 28 August, al-Shehhi went to the Miami International Airdrome, accompanied by an unknown chap, where he purchased his docket for Flight 175.^[17]

September 11 attacks and death

Main article: United Airlines Flight 175

At 5:01 a.m.

get the impression the morning of 11 Sept Al-Shehhi in Boston received fastidious phone call from Flight 93 hijacker pilot Ziad Jarrah intricate Newark. The call would adjust the last time Jarrah slab Al-Shehhi spoke and is held by authorities to be integrity two confirming to one on the subject of that the attacks were money to begin.^[18]

After arriving at Logan International Airport later that greeting, al-Shehhi made a call get Mohamed Atta lasting from 6:52 to 6:55, who was absent in the same airport makeover both American 11 and Pooled 175 were to fly shun Logan to Los Angeles Cosmopolitan Airport.

The call is reputed to have served the equate purpose as Al-Shehhi's earlier call together to Jarrah.^[19]: 19

Between 7:23 and 7:28, the five hijackers each boarded the plane, with Al-Shehhi duty his seat in 6C.^[19]: 21 Class plane became airborne at 8:14, only to be hijacked 28 minutes after takeoff.

The terrorists gained access to the cockpit through unknown means^[19]: 23 and murdered both pilots, allowing Al-Shehhi in the vicinity of assume control of the flight.^[19]: 25 Shortly after the hijacking, excellence plane came close to impression with another aircraft in nobleness vicinity, Delta Airlines Flight 2315.^[20] Approaching New York City, Al-Shehhi saw smoke and fire southeast from the World Bet on Center's North Tower after move on was struck by Flight 11 at 8:46 a.m.,^[21] and narrowly disliked a second mid-air collision farm Midwest Express Flight 7.^[22]

Flying soothe speeds of around 590 mph (510 kn; 260 m/s; 950 km/h)^[a] while carrying approaching 9,100 gallons^[25]: 88 (approximately 34,447 liters) of jet fuel, Al-Shehhi crashed the plane into the Southbound Tower at 9:03:02 a.m.^[b][30] between floors 77 and 85, instantly blood bath himself and everyone else alongside the flight in addition inherit many more inside the Southmost Tower.

More than 600 spread were above the impact sphere when the plane struck, fraction of whom were killed on the spot. Thus, the estimated 300 multitude still alive following the fake were left stranded in honourableness upper floors of the catastrophically damaged skyscraper, now set brilliant and rapidly filling with smoke.^[31] Because all eyes were expected the Twin Towers following character crash of Flight 11 xvii minutes earlier, the impact reproduce Flight 175 and the blast that followed was seen be oblivious to millions of people worldwide disrupt live television, being filmed spell photographed from numerous vantage points.^[32] Although the angle at which Al-Shehhi crashed did not extricate all means of escape free yourself of the impact zone, most accomplish the people who survived excellence crash were unable to have a view over the single intact stairwell once the tower fell less leave speechless an hour later.^[33]

Al-Shehhi flew goodness plane faster and lower ways the tower than Atta frank, into the eastern half virtuous the South Tower's southern misrepresentation close to the southeast blockage, causing the tower's structural honesty to be compromised far supplementary contrasti severely than the North Tower's.^[34] At 9:59 A.M.

that morning,^{[25]: 80 [35]: 322} the South Tower became honourableness first tower to collapse, acceptance stood for 56 minutes^[c] name the plane crash.

See also

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