Identifying the hijackers
The FBI was able to identify the 19 hijackers within a matter of days as few suspects made any effort to conceal their names on flight, credit card, and other records.
Identical letters
Three of the hijackers carried copies of an identical handwritten letter (in Arabic) that was found in three separate locations: the first, in a suitcase of hijacker Mohamed Atta that did not make the connection to American Airlines Flight 11 that crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center; the second, in a vehicle parked at Washington Dulles International Airport that belonged to hijacker Nawaf al-Hazmi; and the third at the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Passports recovered
According to testimony by Susan Ginsberg, a staff member of the National Commission on Terrorist attacks upon the United States, in the January 26, 2004 Public Hearing:
"Four of the hijackers passports have survived in whole or in part. Two were recovered from the crash site of United Airlines flight 93 in Pennsylvania. These are the passports of Ziad Jarrah and Saeed al Ghamdi. One belonged to a hijacker on American Airlines flight 11. This is the passport of Satam al Suqami. A passerby picked it up and gave it to a NYPD detective shortly before the World Trade Center towers collapsed. A fourth passport was recovered from luggage that did not make it from a Portland flight to Boston on to the connecting flight which was American Airlines flight 11. This is the passport of Abdul Aziz al Omari."
WTC site
The passport of hijacker Satam al-Suqami was found a few blocks from the World Trade Center.
Flight 93
According to the 9/11 Commission, the passports of two of the hijackers Flight 93 were also found intact in the aircraft's debris field.
Atta's luggage
The passport of hijacker Abdulaziz Alomari was found in Mohamed Atta’s left-behind luggage.
When examining Mohamed Atta's left-behind luggage, the FBI found important clues about the hijackers and their plans. His luggage contained papers that revealed the identity of all 19 hijackers, and provided information about their plans, motives, and backgrounds.
Linking the hijackers to al Qaeda
The investigators were quickly able to link the 19 men to the terrorist organization al Qaeda, by accessing their intelligence agency files. The New York Times reported on September 12 that: "Authorities said they had also identified accomplices in several cities who had helped plan and execute Tuesday’s attacks. Officials said they knew who these people were and important biographical details about many of them. They prepared biographies of each identified member of the hijack teams, and began tracing the recent movements of the men." FBI agents in Florida investigating the hijackers quickly "descended on flight schools, neighborhoods and restaurants in pursuit of leads." At one flight school, "students said investigators were there within hours of Tuesday’s attacks." The Washington Post later reported that "In the hours after Tuesday’s bombings, investigators searched their files on Satam Al Suqami and Ahmed Alghamdi, noted the pair’s ties to Nabil al-Marabh and launched a hunt for him."
On September 27, 2001, the FBI released photos of the 19 hijackers, along with information about the possible nationalities and aliases of many.
On the day of the attacks, U.S. intelligence agencies also intercepted communications that pointed to Osama bin Laden.
All about September 11 Attacks
September 11 attacks
Aftermath of the September 11 attack
Airport security repercussions due to the September 11 attacks
Al-Qaeda
Able Danger
Aafia Siddiqui
Beliefs of Osama bin Laden
Blowback (intelligence)
Bin Laden family
Bojinka plot
Bosnian mujahideen
Bosnian War
Building what Facts
Building what
Casualties of the September 11 attacks
CIA-Osama bin Laden controversy
Childhood of Osama bin Laden
Closings and cancellations following the September 11 attacks
Compiled Footage of Building
Health effects arising from the September 11 attac
Hijackers in 9 11 attacks
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Location of bin Laden
Militant activity bin Laden
Motives for 9 11 attacks
Osama bin Laden
9 11advance-knowledge debate
Planning of the September 11 attacks
Reactions to the September 11 attacks
Responsibility for 9 11 attacks
9 11 pollution controversy
Rescue and recovery 9 11 attacks
Timeline for the day of the September 11 attacks
U.S. military response during the September 11 attacks
1993 WTC bombing
No comments:
Post a Comment