Ihab Ali Nawawi
Encyclopedia
An Egyptian-American cab driver
, Ihab Mohamed Ali Nawawi became a personal pilot to Osama bin Laden
in the early 1990s.
He trained at the Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma
, before joining the fledgling al-Qaeda
in the Sudan
. In the 1990s, he worked for the Muslim World League
in Pakistan.
L'Houssaine Kherchtou
later testified in the United States that he had seen an Egyptian briefing Nawawi on air traffic control
procedures, leading him to believe that an attack on an airplane, possibly in Saudi Arabia, was in the works.
asked Essam al-Ridi
to sell a private Sabre-40 jet on the Egyptian market, al-Ridi traveled to Khartoum
where he met with Nawawi and the pair of them tried to repair the plane; however the brakes failed after a test flight with both men flying, and the plane crashed into a sand dune. The event attracted public attention, since the plane was unique in being a private aircraft at Khartoum International Airport
and known to belong to Osama bin Laden
. Worried that the Egyptian Mukhabarat
would learn of his whereabouts, al-Ridi fled the Sudan.
When Ali Mohamed
moved to the United States, Nawawi helped him make the transition. When Mohamed was arrested as a double agent
working for both al-Qaeda
and the CIA, a letter from Nawawi was discovered in his house that urged him to give "best regards to your friend Osama".
He was arrested May 18, 1999, in Orlando. In September 2000, he was charged with contempt of court
and perjury
. As of May 2002, he remained in custody.
Cabbie
Cabbie may refer to:* A taxicab driver* A Lee C Kearns, a.k.a The Cabbie the stand up comedian and vantriloquist* Lee Mroszak, a.k.a. Crazy Cabbie, deejay and former regular guest on The Howard Stern Show* Cabbie Richards, Canadian TV personality...
, Ihab Mohamed Ali Nawawi became a personal pilot to 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...
in the early 1990s.
Life
Nawawi moved to the United States as a youth with his family, and attended an Orlando high school before traveling to fight in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.He trained at the Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
, before joining the fledgling 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...
in the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. In the 1990s, he worked for the Muslim World League
Muslim World League
The Muslim World League is one of the largest Islamic non-governmental organizations. Muslim religious figures from 22 states founded it in Makkah in 1962.-Structure:...
in Pakistan.
L'Houssaine Kherchtou
L'Houssaine Kherchtou
L'Houssaine Kherchtou was an early initiate in al-Qaeda, joining the militant group in 1991. In 2000, he pled guilty to conspiracy to murder, but as he was the chief witness against four of his former colleagues, all of whom were subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment, his charges were...
later testified in the United States that he had seen an Egyptian briefing Nawawi on 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...
procedures, leading him to believe that an attack on an airplane, possibly in Saudi Arabia, was in the works.
Sudan
After Wadih el-HageWadih el-Hage
Wadih el-Hage is a former al-Qaeda member who is serving life imprisonment in the United States for his part in the 1998 United States embassy bombings. He was indicted and arrested in 1998, and convicted on all counts and sentenced to life without parole in 2001...
asked Essam al-Ridi
Essam al-Ridi
A veteran of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Essam al-Ridi was an American who was tasked to purchase a light aircraft by Osama bin Laden in 1993; but fled after accidentally crashing the plane into a sand dune.-Life:...
to sell a private Sabre-40 jet on the Egyptian market, al-Ridi traveled to Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
where he met with Nawawi and the pair of them tried to repair the plane; however the brakes failed after a test flight with both men flying, and the plane crashed into a sand dune. The event attracted public attention, since the plane was unique in being a private aircraft at Khartoum International Airport
Khartoum International Airport
Khartoum International Airport is an airport in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.It will be replaced with a new airport 40 kilometers south of the centre of Khartoum by 2012...
and known to belong to 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...
. Worried that the Egyptian Mukhabarat
Mukhabarat
Mukhābarāt is the Arabic term for intelligence, as in intelligence agency. In the West, the term is sometimes used negatively, connotating repression, often by means of secret police or state terror, in Arab countries...
would learn of his whereabouts, al-Ridi fled the Sudan.
Return to United States
Nawawi returned to the United States in 1996.When Ali Mohamed
Ali Mohamed
Ali Abdul Saoud Mohamed, is a double agent who worked for both the CIA and Egyptian Islamic Jihad simultaneously, reporting on the workings of each for the benefit of the other....
moved to the United States, Nawawi helped him make the transition. When Mohamed was arrested as a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
working for both 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...
and the CIA, a letter from Nawawi was discovered in his house that urged him to give "best regards to your friend Osama".
He was arrested May 18, 1999, in Orlando. In September 2000, he was charged with contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
and perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
. As of May 2002, he remained in custody.