Fayez Banihammad

Fayez Banihammad (b. March 19, 1977 in Khorfakken, UAE) was a hijacker on United Airlines Flight 175.

Timeline

2001

• June 18. Fayez Banihammad, an Emirati, applied for and received a B-1/B-2 (tourist/business) visa in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Banihammad’s passport was only five days old. His application was incomplete; a number of sections were left completely blank. The consular officer who adjudicated this visa has stated that interviews were almost never required of UAE nationals in connection with their visa applications, that the UAE was considered a welfare state that took very good care of its citizens, and that the UAE was treated as a de facto visa waiver country. Banihammad, who once worked as an immigration officer in the UAE, was not interviewed by U.S. authorities.^[1]
• June 27 - Fayez Banihammad of the United Arab Emirates, and Saeed al-Ghamdi, a Saudi, both arrived at Orlando from Dubai.^[2] (See Virgin Atlantic Airlines Passenger Name Record for Banihammad) The two were processed by different primary inspectors. Banihammad was admitted as a tourist for six months. Although he handed in customs and immigration forms using two different names, the anomaly was not noted, because customs and INS inspectors did not review each other’s forms. The immigration inspector who admitted Banihammad told the Commission that in the 45 seconds allowed for processing each visitor, it was not possible to fully check the contents of the forms. He said that if he had noticed the two different names forms he would have referred Banihammad to a secondary inspection, suspecting that the Emirati was attempting to hide his true identity.^[1]
• July 10 - Saeed al Ghamdi and Banihammad got Florida state identification cards.^[1]
• September 5 - Mohamed Atta goes to Alvatour Travel Service in Lighthouse Point, Florida and pays cash for Mohand al-Shehri and Fayez Banihammad's flight from Fort Lauderdale to Boston on September 8, on AirTran Flights 188/284.^[3]
• Fayez Banihammad rented a blue Hyundai Accent from Dollar Rent A Car. The vehicle was located at Logan Airport. A passenger receipt from AirTran Airways was found inside the vehicle.

References