Overview
Wail al Shehri was one of the so-called “muscle hijackers” of American Airlines Flight 11, flown into the World Trade Center’s north tower as the first of the four 9/11 plane hijackings.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 231; 437, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. As a muscle hijacker, Shehri helped to storm the cockpit and keep passengers under controlNational Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 227, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. so that the hijacker-pilot, Mohamed Atta, could take control of the plane. According to reports, Wail and his brother Waleed al Shehri, another muscle hijacker on the flight, likely initiated the hijacking by stabbing two unarmed flight attendants preparing for cabin service.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 5, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf.
Wail al Shehri was from Saudi Arabia’s Asir Province, an impoverished region in the country’s southwest.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 232, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf;
“Hijackers’ Timeline,” 2, https://web.archive.org/web/20081012013300/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf. He was from the city of Khamis Musayet,Federal Bureau of Investigation, “9/11 Chronology Part 01 of 02,” accessed July 7, 2017, 1, https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11%20Commission%20Report/9-11-chronology-part-01-of-02/;
“Profiles of 9/11 Saudi Hijackers Revealed,” Saudi Information Agency, September 11, 2002, https://web.archive.org/web/20071107064223/http://www.arabiaradio.org/english/article.cfm. where his father was a tribal leader.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 524, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. Reports detailing his background are conflicting, but according a CIA report, he allegedly came from a relatively affluent family of 20 children.National Security Archive, “The Plot and the Plotters," Central Intelligence Agency Intelligence Report, June 1, 2003, 37, https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/368989/2003-06-01-11-september-the-plot-and-the.pdf. A Boston Globe article from 2002 reports that the Shehri children were brought up in the strict tradition of the Wahhabi school of Islam and forbidden any link to the modern world, including access to TV or the Internet. While the 9/11 Commission Report alleges that Wail had begun university studies,National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 232, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. another source reports that he graduated from a teacher’s college in the neighboring city of Abha in 1999.“Profiles of 9/11 Saudi Hijackers Revealed,” Saudi Information Agency, September 11, 2002, https://web.archive.org/web/20071107064223/http://www.arabiaradio.org/english/article.cfm. He had been employed as a physical education teacher at an elementary school at the local airbase.“Profiles of 9/11 Saudi Hijackers Revealed,” Saudi Information Agency, September 11, 2002, https://web.archive.org/web/20071107064223/http://www.arabiaradio.org/english/article.cfm;
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 524, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. The brothers were reportedly recruited into Osama bin Laden’s network at the Seqeley mosque in Khamis Musayet, where they worshipped, and pledged themselves to engage in violent jihad in the spring of 2000,“Profiles of 9/11 Saudi Hijackers Revealed,” Saudi Information Agency, September 11, 2002, https://web.archive.org/web/20071107064223/http://www.arabiaradio.org/english/article.cfm;
Charles M. Sennott, “Before oath to jihad, drifting and boredom,” Boston Globe, March 3, 2002, http://www.webcitation.org/5bTYljW3A?url=http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/driving_a_wedge/part1_side.shtml. after which they traveled to Afghanistan.“Profiles of 9/11 Saudi Hijackers Revealed,” Saudi Information Agency, September 11, 2002, https://web.archive.org/web/20071107064223/http://www.arabiaradio.org/english/article.cfm;
Charles M. Sennott, “Before oath to jihad, drifting and boredom,” Boston Globe, March 3, 2002, http://www.webcitation.org/5bTYljW3A?url=http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/driving_a_wedge/part1_side.shtml. The 9/11 Commission Report affirms that many of the muscle hijackers were recruited through local mosques.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 233, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf.
Shehri also reportedly became depressed and left his work in either 1999 or 2000 to seek help from a religious healer in an Islamic holy city, accompanied by his brother Waleed.“Fathers Say 9-11 Suspects Gave No Warning,” ABC News, March 22, 2002, http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123939;
Charles M. Sennott, “Before oath to jihad, drifting and boredom,” Boston Globe, March 3, 2002, http://www.webcitation.org/5bTYljW3A?url=http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/driving_a_wedge/part1_side.shtml;
Mutlaq Al-Buqami, “Al-Shihri says sons missing for 10 months,” Arab News, September 17, 2001, http://www.webcitation.org/5bTh4Uvav?url=http://www.arabnews.com;
National Security Archive, “The Plot and the Plotters," Central Intelligence Agency Intelligence Report, June 1, 2003, 38, https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/368989/2003-06-01-11-september-the-plot-and-the.pdf. Multiple sources report that the Shehri brothers traveled to Afghanistan in the spring of 2000.“Profiles of 9/11 Saudi Hijackers Revealed,” Saudi Information Agency, September 11, 2002, https://web.archive.org/web/20071107064223/http://www.arabiaradio.org/english/article.cfm;
Charles M. Sennott, “Before oath to jihad, drifting and boredom,” Boston Globe, March 3, 2002, http://www.webcitation.org/5bTYljW3A?url=http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/driving_a_wedge/part1_side.shtml. The 9/11 Commission Report explains that many of the muscle hijackers originally intended to travel to Chechnya to wage jihad against Russian forces there but were instead diverted to Afghanistan, where they volunteered to be suicide attackers after hearing bin Laden’s speeches. The report does not specify if this was the case for the Shehri brothers, but notes that they are believed to have met 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed when they were working in security at the airport in Kandahar, Afghanistan.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 233-34, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. The hijackers underwent basic training in weaponry at al-Faruq, an al-Qaeda training camp near Kandahar.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 234, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf;
“Profiles of 9/11 Saudi Hijackers Revealed,” Saudi Information Agency, September 11, 2002, https://web.archive.org/web/20071107064223/http://www.arabiaradio.org/english/article.cfm. All of the hijackers volunteered for suicide missions.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 233, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf.
After completing the basic training sometime in 2000,National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 234-5, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. Shehri returned to Saudi Arabia, where he obtained a clean passport on October 3, 2000Federal Bureau of Investigation, “9/11 Chronology Part 01 of 02,” accessed July 7, 2017, 93, https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11%20Commission%20Report/9-11-chronology-part-01-of-02/. and a U.S. visa on October 24, on which he claimed Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to be his hometown and “South City” to be his destination in the United States.Federal Bureau of Investigation, “9/11 Chronology Part 01 of 02,” accessed July 7, 2017, 98, https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11%20Commission%20Report/9-11-chronology-part-01-of-02/. The Shehri brothers had a relative in the Saudi passport office who provided them their new passports.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 525, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf.
Wail was part of a group that traveled from Saudi Arabia to Lebanon and Iran in November 2000. While the purpose of this trip is unknown, the 9/11 Commission suggests that they may have met with and sought support from Hezbollah officials.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 240, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. The so-called “muscle hijackers” then returned to Afghanistan for special training in late 2000 or early 2001, where they learned to conduct hijackings.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 235-6, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. All of the muscle hijackers were personally chosen by bin Laden during this time, after which they committed to carrying out a suicide operation and filmed a so-called “martyrdom video.”National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 235, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. The video featuring Wail al Shehri was released in September of 2006.Jim Popkin, “Video showing Atta, bin Laden is unearthed,” NBC News, October 1, 2006, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15082633/ns/us_news-security/t/video-showing-atta-bin-laden-unearthed/#.WV5eI9MrKt8.
Wail al Shehri flew from the United Arab Emirates to Miami, Florida, through London, alongside fellow 9/11 hijacker Ahmad al Haznawi, arriving in Miami on June 8, 2001.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 528, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. The hijackers stayed in various motels and apartments in southern Florida in the subsequent months.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 241, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. Records show that he opened a bank account,Federal Bureau of Investigation, “9/11 Chronology Part 02 of 02,” accessed July 7, 2017, 162, https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11%20Commission%20Report/9-11-chronology-part-02-of-02/. obtained a Florida state ID card,Federal Bureau of Investigation, “9/11 Chronology Part 02 of 02,” accessed July 7, 2017, 176, https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11%20Commission%20Report/9-11-chronology-part-02-of-02/. and even joined a gym.Federal Bureau of Investigation, “9/11 Chronology Part 02 of 02,” accessed July 7, 2017, 178, https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11%20Commission%20Report/9-11-chronology-part-02-of-02/.
On August 28, Shehri booked a first-class ticket on American Airlines Flight 11,Federal Bureau of Investigation, “9/11 Chronology Part 02 of 02,” accessed July 7, 2017, 237, 241, https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11%20Commission%20Report/9-11-chronology-part-02-of-02/. bound from Boston to Los Angeles. On September 3, Shehri and his brother Waleed contacted American Airlines to change their seat assignments the other side of the plane, where they would have a direct view of the cockpit.Federal Bureau of Investigation, “9/11 Chronology Part 02 of 02,” accessed July 7, 2017, 249, https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11%20Commission%20Report/9-11-chronology-part-02-of-02/. On September 5, the brothers flew from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, later checking into a motel in Newton, Massachusetts,Federal Bureau of Investigation, “9/11 Chronology Part 02 of 02,” accessed July 7, 2017, 257, https://vault.fbi.gov/9-11%20Commission%20Report/9-11-chronology-part-02-of-02/. where they stayed until the morning of September 11.
On the morning of September 11, all five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11 checked in at Boston Logan International Airport between 6:45 and 7:40 a.m. Shehri and two of the flight’s other hijackers were selected by a computerized prescreening system at Boston Logan, but were ultimately able to clear the security checkpoint and board the flight without issue. American Airlines Flight 11 departed at 7:59 a.m.,National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 4, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. scheduled to fly with nonstop service from Boston to Los Angeles. Waleed sat in seat 2B in the first class cabin, next to his brother in seat 2A.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 2, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf.
The plane hijacking on American Airlines Flight 11 is believed to have begun at around 8:14 a.m.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 4, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. Based on reports from two flight attendants who made calls before the plane crashed, it began when two hijackers stabbed the two unarmed flight attendants preparing for cabin service. Given their seat location, these hijackers were most likely Wail and Waleed al Shehri. The flight’s hijackers claimed that they had a bomb, and sprayed pepper spray in the first-class cabinNational Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 5, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. so that hijacker-pilot Mohamed Atta could enter the cockpit and wrest control of the aircraft. At 8:46 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, killing everyone on board and an unknown number of people in the tower.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 6-7, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf. The 9/11 attacks—including attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the thwarted attack headed for the White House or Capitol—left nearly 3,000 people dead in the single deadliest attack in U.S. history.National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Thomas H. Kean, and Lee Hamilton. 2004. The 9/11 Commission report: final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. (Washington, D.C.): 311, http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf.
Associated Groups
- Extremist entity
- Al-Qaeda
- Read Threat Report
- Type(s) of Organization:
- Non-state actor, religious, terrorist, transnational, violent
- Ideologies and Affiliations:
- Jihadist, pan-Islamist, Qutbist, Salafist, Sunni, takfiri
- Position(s):
- American Airlines Flight 11 muscle hijacker
Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks was the deadliest ever on American soil, killing nearly 3,000 people. Since the fall of the Taliban, al-Qaeda has established operations worldwide, including in Syria, the Gulf, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, and the Indian subcontinent.
History
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Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
Fact:
On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel where, in the space of eight hours, hundreds of armed terrorists perpetrated mass crimes of brutality, rape, and torture against men, women and children. In the biggest attack on Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, 1,200 were killed, and 251 were taken hostage into Gaza—where 101 remain. One year on, antisemitic incidents have increased by record numbers.