Since 9/11, videos have been shown that depict Osama bin Laden meeting with some of the hijackers, or the last will and testament of some of the hijackers. In the past Al Qaeda has used couriers to deliver videos to media outlets, such as Al Jazeera. Now, Al Qaeda has the capability to produce high quality videos, through As Sahab, its production house, and deliver videos directly over the internet.
In April 2002, a video surfaced that showed Ahmed al-Haznawi giving his last will and testament. The video, entitled "The Wills of the New York and Washington Battle Martyrs," was delivered to Al Jazeera's main office in Qatar. In the video, Haznawi is seen reciting his last will and testament.[1] The video footage of Haznawi was filmed in Kandahar in March 2001, which is evident from a date and place name written on the will that he was reading.[2]
Haznawi is quoted saying:
| “ | We left our families to send a message that has the color of blood. This message says, 'Oh Allah, take from our blood today until you are satisfied.' The message says, 'The time of humiliation and subjugation are over.' It is time to kill Americans in their own homeland, among their sons, and near their forces and intelligence. | ” |
The video also included footage of Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. A statement by Zawahiri, who was seated next to Bin Laden, indicates Al Qaeda's responsibility for the 9/11 attacks, through use of the words "we" and "our".[3]
A video was released by Al Qaeda in September 2002, with Bin Laden speaking and showing Abdul Aziz al-Omari speaking. "We will get you. We will humiliate you. We will never stop following you," said Abdul Aziz al-Omari. Bin Laden specifically mentions four other hijackers including Marwan al-Shehhi, Ziad Jarrah, Hani Hanjour, and Mohamed Atta. Of the mastermind hijacker Mohamed Atta, who flew the first plane into the World Trade Center, bin Laden said, "He carried the pains of the nation. May God accept him as a martyr." He called Hani Hanjour, the terrorist who flew the plane into the Pentagon, "a great man."
In May 2003, CNN and ABC aired video footage from the wedding of Said Bahaji, who was associated with the Hamburg cell. The video, recorded in October 1999, showed Ramzi Binalshibh, Ziad Jarrah, Marwan al-Shehhi, Mohamed Atta, Zakariya Essabar, Mohamed Haydar Zammar, and Mamoun Darkazanli, among others present.[4]
Al Qaeda released a video in September 2006 which showed the last will and testament of hijackers Hamza al-Ghamdi and Wail al-Shehri. Bin Laden is also seen in the video, at a camp, alongside Mohammed Atef and Ramzi Binalshibh.[5]
On October 1, 2006, The Sunday Times announced that they had obtained a video that showed hijackers Mohamed Atta and Ziad Jarrah when they were at Tarnak Farms in Afghanistan in January 2000. The video, which is unedited, does not contain any sound, but shows the two laughing and talking. Attempts to decipher the video, through lip reading, have not been successful. [6]
A video released in September 2007 which features Waleed al-Shehri's last will and testament. In the video, Osama bin Laden speaks for the first 15 minutes, with praises for al-Shehri. Bin Laden's statement is in the form of an audio message, with his picture shown, superimposed with 9/11 footage in the background. Waleed al-Shehri then speaks for approximately 30 minutes. Al Qaeda edited the video, so that Al-Shehri is seen speaking with an image of the World Trade Center on 9/11 as a backdrop.[7]
Here is a news clip on Al Jazeera regarding the 2007 video:
On September 19, 2008, As Sahab released a new video which includes approximately ten minutes of footage showing 9/11 hijacker Ahmed al-Ghamdi reciting his last will and testament. Ghamdi was one of the muscle hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 175.
In all, this video is nearly 1 1/2 hours. There is substantial footage of Ayman al-Zawahiri, Bin Laden's deputy. There also are a few clips of Bin Laden speaking about Palestine, which he says is a "great opportunity for mujahadeen who have been fighting in Iraq," speaking as though Al Qaeda has been doing well in Iraq lately (that is actually not the case, with foreign mujahadeen leaving in large numbers). The video also includes some old clips of Abdullah Azzam, who along with Bin Laden, established the Maktab al-Khidamat (Services Office) in 1984 for supporting the mujahadeen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
The video was released several days late, after technical problems with online forums and sites that Al Qaeda uses. This may mean that the organization Al Qaeda had previously with creating and disseminating videos and other material has been disrupted in some way. Adam Gadahn, a U.S. born Al Qaeda operative, has played a key role in the organizations media operations. There are unconfirmed reports that he was killed in a missile strike in North Waziristan, located in Pakistan along the Afghanistan border.
Dulles International Airport, where American Airlines Flight 77 originated, had video surveillance at security checkpoints. Video was captured, showing each of the five hijackers (Khalid al-Mihdhar, Majed Moqed, Nawaq al-Hazmi, Salem al-Hazmi and Hani Hanjour) passing through security shortly before Flight 77 departed.