Ahmed al-Haznawi
Ahmed al-Haznawi | |
---|---|
أحمد الحزنوي | |
Born | Ahmed Ibrahim al-Haznawi al-Ghamdi 11 October 1980 Hazna, Al-Bahah Province, Saudi Arabia |
Died | 11 September 2001 Somerset County, Pennsylvania, U.S. aboard UA Flight 93 | (aged 20)
Cause of death | Suicide by plane crash or overpowered by passengers (September 11 attacks) |
Nationality | Saudi |
Ahmed Ibrahim al-Haznawi al-Ghamdi (
He left his family to fight in Chechnya in 2000. He was chosen to participate in the 9/11 attacks. He arrived in the United States in June 2001 under the direction of Al-Qaeda for terrorist attacks, on a tourist visa. Once he was in the U.S., he settled in Florida and helped plan out how the attacks would take place.
On 11 September 2001, al-Haznawi boarded United Airlines Flight 93 and assisted in the hijacking of the plane so it could be crashed into either the United States Capitol or the White House. Haznawi or Ahmed al-Nami are believed to be one of the apparent hijackers to have carried the bomb. Instead, the plane crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, after the passengers on-board started a revolt against al-Haznawi and the other hijackers.
Early life
Ahmed al-Haznawi was the son of a Saudi
This group is noted as being some of the more religiously observant of the hijackers, and they are thought to have met one another some time in 1999.
Early activities
1999–2000
Al-Haznawi announced he was leaving his family in 1999 to
On 12 November 2000, al-Haznawi applied for and received a two-year U.S. B-1/B-2 (tourist/business) visa in
From 27 November 2000, through 27 December that year, al-Haznawi was in Saudi Arabia for Ramadan. It is theorized that during this trip, he may have initially told Saeed and Hamza al-Ghamdi about the operation.
Some time late in 2000, al-Haznawi traveled to the
2001
He was one of four hijackers believed to be staying at a
On 8 June, he arrived in
On 25 June, Jarrah took al-Haznawi to
On 10 July, al-Haznawi obtained a Florida driver's license, later obtaining another copy on 7 September 2001, by filling out a change-of-address form. Five other hijackers also received duplicate Florida licenses in 2001, and others had licenses from different states. Some have speculated that this was to allow multiple persons to use the same identity.[9]
Jarrah and al-Haznawi both received their one-way tickets for United Airlines Flight 93, on 5 September.
Attacks
On 11 September 2001, al-Haznawi arrived at
Due to the flight's delay, the pilot and crew were notified of the previous hijackings that day and were told to be on the alert. Within minutes, Flight 93 was hijacked as well.[12]
At least two of the cellphone calls made by passengers indicate that the hijackers were wearing red bandanas. The calls also indicated that one had tied a box around his torso, and claimed there was a bomb inside. Some passengers expressed doubt that the bomb was real.
Passengers on the plane heard through phone calls the fates of the other hijacked planes. A passenger uprising soon took place. Hijacker-pilot Ziad Jarrah crashed the plane into an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in order to prevent the passengers from gaining control of the plane. The crash killed everyone on board.
Aftermath
After the attacks, before the release of the FBI pictures of the hijackers, Arab News reported that al-Haznawi's brother Abdul Rahman had told al-Madinah newspaper that a photograph published by local newspapers bore no resemblance to his brother.[13]
A videotape titled "The Wills of the New York and Washington Battle Martyrs" was aired on Al Jazeera on 16 April 2002. While the name beneath the speaker read al-Ghamdi, the image is of al-Haznawi speaking.[3] Officials suggested that the name was merely a reference to his tribal affiliation. The film was thought to have been made in March 2001. In it, he talked about his plans to bring the "bloodied message" to America. In September 2002, a similar tape made by Abdulaziz al-Omari appeared.
In popular culture
- He has been portrayed by Moroccan actor Omar Berdouni in United 93, and Canadian actor Zak Santiago in Flight 93.
- Television film The Flight That Fought Back (2005) portrays the passenger uprising inside the hijacked United Airlines 93, with actor Hugh Mun portraying Ahmedal-Haznawi.
See also
References
- ^ "Driving a Wedge - Bin Laden, the US and Saudi Arabia (Part 1)". The Boston Globe. 3 March 2002.
- ^ Bell, Stewart. "The Martyr's Oath", 2005.
- ^ a b Borger, Julian (16 April 2002). "Chilling, defiant: the video suicide message of a September 11 killer". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Staff Monograph on 9/11 and Terrorist Travel" (PDF). 9/11 Commission. 2004. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2004. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
- ISBN 9780743251334. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- ^ Viglucci, Andres; García, Manny (19 October 2001). "Hijack plotters used S. Florida as a cradle for conspiracy". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 19 October 2001. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ Fainaru, Steve; Connolly, Ceci (29 March 2002). "Memo on Florida Case Roils Anthrax Probe". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- Time Warner Company. 23 March 2002. Archivedfrom the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ Lipka, Mitch (4 June 2004). "Multiple identities of hijack suspects confound FBI: South Florida Sun-Sentinel". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on 4 June 2004. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- Fas.org. 26 September 2002. Archivedfrom the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ "The Aviation Security System and the 9/11 Attacks - Staff Statement No. 3" (PDF). 9/11 Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2006.
- ^ Longman, Jere (26 April 2006). "'United 93' and the politics of heroism". The New York Times.
- ^ Khashoggi, Jamal; Al-Nayyef, Badr (1 October 2001). "Hanjour family denies Hani's involvement in crime". Arab News. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2018.