Ahmed al-Ghamdi
Encyclopedia
Ahmed Salah Said al-Ghamdi ' onMouseout='HidePop("5429")' href="/topics/Transliteration">transliterated
as Alghamdi) (July 2, 1979 – September 11, 2001) 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. He dropped out of school to fight in Chechnya
and was probably sent to train in Al-Qaeda
camps in Afghanistan
where he would be chosen by Osama bin Laden
to participate in the terrorist attacks in America.
He arrived in the United States in May 2001 on a tourist visa and helped plan out how the attacks would take place. On September 11, 2001, he boarded United Airlines Flight 175
and assisted in the hijacking of the plane so that Marwan al-Shehhi
could crash it into the South Tower of the World Trade Center
, as part of the coordinated attacks.
, Ghamdi was from the al Bahah Province of Saudi Arabia
, an isolated and underdeveloped area, and shared the same tribal affiliation with fellow hijackers Saeed al-Ghamdi
, Hamza al-Ghamdi
, and Ahmed al-Haznawi
. This group is noted as being some of the more religiously observant of the hijackers.
Known as al-Jaraah al-Ghamdi during the preparations, the only one of the hijackers to use a variation on his own name, Ghamdi quit school to fight in Chechnya
against the Russia
ns in 2000, and received a US Visa on September 3 of that year. In November, both he and Salem al-Hazmi
flew to Beirut
, though on separate flights and at different times. Ghamdi flew on the same flight as a senior Hezbollah operative, although the 9/11 Commission could find no evidence that either knew the other. His family claims to have last seen him in December.
In March 2001, Ghamdi is reported to have met with a Jordan
ian who has been charged with providing false identification to at least 50 illegal aliens. Hijackers Majed Moqed
, Hani Hanjour
, and Nawaf al-Hazmi
are reported to have met with him at the same time. Inexplicably, this is more than a month before Ghamdi first arrived in the United States, according to the FBI and the 9/11 Commission
.
On May 2, Ghamdi arrived in the U.S. with fellow-hijacker Moqed, on a student visa. He listed the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida
as his permanent address on his driver's license. He and Moqed moved in with Hani Hanjour
and Nawaf al-Hazmi
in Falls Church, Virginia
. All four later moved into an apartment in Paterson, New Jersey
.
He called his parents in July 2001, but did not mention being in the United States
.
purchased Ahmed's ticket online for United Airlines Flight 175
on August 29 or August 30, after buying his own. He listed a Mail Boxes Etc.
address for Ahmed.
Hamza and Ahmed al-Ghamdi stayed at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. On September 8 they checked out of the hotel, and moved into the Days Hotel
on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton where they remained up until the attacks.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Ahmed left the hotel with Hamza, the two of them sharing a taxicab
to get to Logan International Airport
. There, Ghamdi showed his Virginia ID Card as identification, and boarded Flight 175 where he sat the furthest back of the hijackers, in seat 9D, helped to hijack it, and assisted as the plane crashed into the World Trade Center
. Ahmed and younger brother Hamza al-Ghamdi
pushed the passengers and crew to the back of the plane while Fayez Banihammad
and Mohand al-Shehri
killed the pilots allowing Marwan al-Shehhi
to take control of the plane.
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...
as Alghamdi) (July 2, 1979 – September 11, 2001) was one of five hijackers of United Airlines Flight 175
United Airlines Flight 175
United Airlines Flight 175 was United Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental flight, from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California...
as part of the September 11 attacks.
Ghamdi was born 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...
in 1979. He dropped out of school to fight 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...
and was probably sent to train in 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...
camps 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...
where he would be 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...
to participate in the terrorist attacks in America.
He arrived in the United States in May 2001 on a tourist visa and helped plan out how the attacks would take place. On September 11, 2001, he boarded United Airlines Flight 175
United Airlines Flight 175
United Airlines Flight 175 was United Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental flight, from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California...
and assisted in the hijacking of the plane so that 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....
could crash it into the South Tower of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, as part of the coordinated attacks.
History
An ImamImam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
, Ghamdi was from the al Bahah Province of 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...
, an isolated and underdeveloped area, and shared the same tribal affiliation with fellow hijackers Saeed al-Ghamdi
Saeed al-Ghamdi
Saeed Abdallah Ali Sulayman al-Ghamdi was one of four hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93 as part of the September 11 attacks....
, Hamza al-Ghamdi
Hamza al-Ghamdi
Hamza al-Ghamdi was one of five hijackers of United Airlines Flight 175 as part of the September 11 attacks....
, and Ahmed al-Haznawi
Ahmed al-Haznawi
Ahmed Ibrahim al-Haznawi was one of four hijackers of United Airlines Flight 93 as part of the September 11 attacks....
. This group is noted as being some of the more religiously observant of the hijackers.
Known as al-Jaraah al-Ghamdi during the preparations, the only one of the hijackers to use a variation on his own name, Ghamdi quit school to fight 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...
against the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ns in 2000, and received a US Visa on September 3 of that year. In November, both he and 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...
flew to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, though on separate flights and at different times. Ghamdi flew on the same flight as a senior Hezbollah operative, although the 9/11 Commission could find no evidence that either knew the other. His family claims to have last seen him in December.
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
ian who has been charged with providing false identification to at least 50 illegal aliens. Hijackers 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....
, 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....
, and Nawaf al-Hazmi
Nawaf al-Hazmi
Nawaf Muhammed Salim al-Hazmi was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which was crashed into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
are reported to have met with him at the same time. Inexplicably, this is more than a month before Ghamdi first arrived in the United States, according to the FBI and the 9/11 Commission
9/11 Commission
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks", including preparedness for and the immediate response to...
.
On May 2, Ghamdi arrived in the U.S. with fellow-hijacker Moqed, on a student visa. He listed the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
as his permanent address on his driver's license. He and Moqed moved in 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....
and Nawaf al-Hazmi
Nawaf al-Hazmi
Nawaf Muhammed Salim al-Hazmi was one of five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, which was crashed into the Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks....
in 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...
. All four later moved into an apartment in Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
.
He called his parents in July 2001, but did not mention being in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Attacks
Hamza al-GhamdiHamza al-Ghamdi
Hamza al-Ghamdi was one of five hijackers of United Airlines Flight 175 as part of the September 11 attacks....
purchased Ahmed's ticket online for United Airlines Flight 175
United Airlines Flight 175
United Airlines Flight 175 was United Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental flight, from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California...
on August 29 or August 30, after buying his own. He listed a Mail Boxes Etc.
Mail Boxes Etc.
Mail Boxes Etc. is a global retail chain of business service centers. The locations offer pack and ship services, couriers, office services, document production, shipping, packing materials, printing, copying, postal services and some other business services.Mail Boxes Etc., Inc...
address for Ahmed.
Hamza and Ahmed al-Ghamdi stayed at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. On September 8 they checked out of the hotel, and moved into the Days Hotel
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...
on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton where they remained up until the attacks.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Ahmed left the hotel with Hamza, the two of them sharing a taxicab
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
to get to Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
. There, Ghamdi showed his Virginia ID Card as identification, and boarded Flight 175 where he sat the furthest back of the hijackers, in seat 9D, helped to hijack it, and assisted as the plane crashed into the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. Ahmed and younger brother Hamza al-Ghamdi
Hamza al-Ghamdi
Hamza al-Ghamdi was one of five hijackers of United Airlines Flight 175 as part of the September 11 attacks....
pushed the passengers and crew to the back of the plane while Fayez Banihammad
Fayez Banihammad
Fayez Rashid Ahmed Hassan al-Qadi Banihammad was one of five hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 175 as part of the September 11 attacks....
and Mohand al-Shehri
Mohand al-Shehri
Mohand Muhammed Fayiz al-Shehri was one of five hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 175 as part of the September 11 attacks....
killed the pilots allowing 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....
to take control of the plane.
External links
- The Final 9/11 Commission Report
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm