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Marwan al-Shehhi

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Marwan al-Shehhi (b. May 9, 1978) was the pilot-trained hijacker on United Airlines Flight 175, which crashed into the World Trade Center's South Tower at 9:03 a.m.

Background

American Airlines Flight 11

United Airlines Flight 175

American Airlines Flight 77

United Airlines Flight 93

Al-Shehhi was born in Ras al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates.[1] He was the son of Emirate clergyman, Youssef Al-Shehhi, and his mother was from Egypt.[2]

Before leaving for Germany, al-Shehhi was experiencing strife and conflict with his family. After Youssef died, Marwan's mother left to return to Egypt. Marwan remained, living with his half-brother, Mohammed al-Shehhi who became the patriarch of the family and often bullied Marwan.[3] The Mirror in London reported "Two weeks after his half-brother forced Marwan to marry a young woman named Fawzeya, Marwan fled, telling his family, 'You will never see me again.'"[3]

Neighbors in the United Arab Emirates described Marwan as "a quiet, religious boy, but could explode when angered over small things, such as overhearing gossip or seeing a male friend looking at a woman. Dealing with banks was very wrong to him. He thought they were evil."[4]

Germany

Al-Shehhi first came to Bonn, Germany in 1996, on scholarship from the UAE Army to study marine engineering.[5] The UAE Army provided a generous stipend to al-Shehhi, allowing him to indulge and be "relatively better off" than his friends in Germany. Nonetheless, al-Shehhi came from a modest family in a less affluent part of UAE, approximately 70 miles from Dubai.

He started out in a German-language program and preparatory studies (kolleg) at the University of Bonn, using the name Marwan Lekrab.[6] In spring 1997, his father died and al-Shehhi requested leave from school. Though the army declined his request, al-Shehhi left anyway. He came back and retook his course and passed.[7]

As the son of a religiously trained father, al-Shehhi was very religious, well-educated in Islam, and adhered to a strict form of Islam.[8] While in Bonn, al-Shehhi strictly adhered to the tenets of Islam, avoiding alcohol and even restaurants that served alcohol, and not dating women. Al-Shehhi even avoided McDonalds because "he heard they used pork fat to make their french fries."[7]

Hamburg

In the winter of 1997, al-Shehhi made a request at the embassy, "out of the blue" to transfer to Hamburg. Terry McDermott explains this in The Perfect Soldiers:

“ There is little in the investigative record that sheds light on Shehhi's desire to move. Most simply, he could easily have gleaned enough information from the Islamist grapevine to conclude Hamburg offered a more hospitable climate for him. It also would not have been at all far-fetched for him to have met some of the Hamburg men. Omar (Ramzi Binalshibh), for example traveled often to Bonn and attended services at the same mosque Shehhi attended. ”

Al-Shehhi came to Hamburg in early 1998, and was immediately welcomed into the group, with Ramzi Binalshibh and Mohamed Atta.[9] In the summer of 1998, al-Shehhi began living together with Ramzi Binalshibh and Mohamed Atta, in an apartment in Wilhelmsburg.[10] That summer (of 1998), al-Shehhi worked alongside Atta, Binalshibh, and Belfas, at a warehouse, packing computers in crates for shipping.[11]

The group did not stay in Wilhelmsburg for long; The next winter, they moved into an apartment at Marienstrasse 54, near the university in Harburg.[12] Men moved in and out frequently; Al-Shehhi left after a month, and took his own apartment nearby.[12] In 1999, Marwan enrolled at Hamburg's Technical University.[13]

In contrast to Atta, al-Shehhi was described by Shahid Nickels as "dreamy, lumbering, slow, docile, slightly spoiled, an easygoing bon vivant and romantic. He was friendly, always in a good mood, well-educated, humorous, and sometimes a little clumsy... He also had this certain sense of irony, saying stuff never directly, but just hinting it verbally or with his gestures. He never spoke negatively about others and never used a negative word. He never looked stressed.... He radiated a sense of calm".[14]

Afghanistan

Marwan al-Shehhi disappeared from Hamburg in the fall of 1997 and early winter. There is no evidence of his whereabouts, such as cash withdrawals or credit card transactions from September 3 to December 1997, though he withdrew $5,000 in cash before he left.[15]

Timeline

1990s

  • April 28, 1996 - Marwan al-Shehhi enters Germany to study German at the University of Bonn.
  • September 19, 1998 - Al-Shehhi requested to change specialty and return to the UAE to continue his studies. UAE military authorities denied this request and he was ordered to remain in ___ (Germany?).
  • January - June 1999 - al-Shehhi lived in student residence at University of Bonn.
  • June 1, 1999 - al-Shehhi finished preparatory studies at the basic level and began university studies at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg.
  • July 26, 1999 - al-Shehhi lives at Whilhelmstrasse 30 21703 in Hamburg.
  • September 16, 1999 - al-Shehhi applied to study ship construction at TUHH.
  • November / early December 1999 - Al-Shehhi traveled from Hamburg to Karachi.[16]

2000

  • January 2, 2000 - UAE passport issued to Marwan al-Shehhi.
  • January 18 - Al-Shehhi was issued a ten-year B-1/B-2 (tourist/business) visa in Dubai. He submitted a new passport with his visa application.[17]
  • February 23 - Al-Shehhi travelled from Hamburg, Germany to Karachi, Pakistan?
  • March 24, 2000 - al-Shehhi transfers 1000 DM to Ramzi Binalshibh's bank account.
  • April 1, 2000 - al-Shehhi was "removed from th earmed forces for the crime of desertion."
  • May 29 - Al-Shehhi arrived in the United States (for the first time) from Brussels, Belgium, arriving at Newark International Airport. He was admitted by immigration authorities as a tourist for six months. However, he was pulled aside by a “roving” Customs inspector who conducted a secondary inspection. He was admitted after this two-minute examination, during which his bags were x-rayed but he was not personally searched and was admitted. The Customs inspector was trained to look for drug couriers, not terrorists.[17] He reported his intended destination as the Days Inn Hotel in New York City.
  • May 31, 2000 - Al-Shehhi purchased $2,000 in traveler cheques at Greenpoint Bank at 1200 Avenue of the Americas in New York City.
  • May 31, 2000 - Al-Shehhi registered for "English as a Second Language" course at Accent on Language, 160 East 56th Street in Manhattan.
  • June 2, 2000 - Al-Shehhi pays for hotel room aat Best Western Hotels in New York City.
  • June 18, 2000 - Atta signed a one-week agreement to rent a room in Manhattan. Atta and al-Shehhi stayed in the room from June 19 - 26, 2000.
  • June 22, 2000 - Al-Shehhi rents a Chevrolet Cavalier from National Car Rental in New York, which was returned on June 24.
  • June 23 - Received $1,803.19 in New York via wire transfer from Ramzi Binalshibh. (see Copy of MoneyGram application)
  • June 25, 2000 - Atta rents a room in Brooklyn, where he and al-Shehhi stay from June 28 - July 2, 2000. ("Lead covered by JTTF, NYO")
  • June 26, 2000 - Al-Shehhi, with Atta listed as an authorized driver, rents a blue Ford Escort in New York from Ramp Motors, Inc., Ford Rent-a-Car system in Port Jefferson New York. The vehicle was returned on July 1 with a total of 623 miles added to the vehicle. Al-Shehhi received a parking ticket on June 29 while renting the car. He provided the address of 192 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY.
  • June 29, 2000 - Atta purchased airline tickets (7/2 AA 325 LGA-ORD; 7/2 AA 1497 ORD-OKC; 7/7 OKC-DFW; 7/1/ DFW-LGA). Atta was a no-show for the 7/7 flights. Marwan al-Shehhi accompanied Atta.
  • July 1 - Al-Shehhi and Mohamed Atta arrived in Venice, Florida, and visited Huffman Aviation "to check out the facility, they stated to my student co-ordinator that they came from a flight school in the area, they were not happy and they were looking for another flight school".[18]
  • July 2, 2000 - Al-Shehhi travels with Atta on American Airlines Flight 325 from LGA to Chicago ORD, and on American Airlines Flight 1497 from Chicago ORD to OKC.
  • July 2, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi check into the Sooner Hotel and Suits (University of Oklahoma), 300 Kellogg Dr., Norman Oklahoma, Room 450. They checked in at 8:50 pm and checked out on July 3 at 10:08 pm. Hotel costs were paid by Airman Flight School. They visited the Airmand Flight School.
  • July 3 - Atta and al-Shehhi return to Huffman, where they enrolled to take flight lessons. In doing so, they did not violate their immigration status, because they sought to change their status before their allotted time on the visa expired in late November and early December.[17]
  • July 3 - Atta and al-Shehhi rented a room from and stayed with Charlie Voss, a bookkeeper at Huffman Aviation. Voss described them, "al-Shehhi seemed nice, but Atta did not, the Vosses say. The men refused to recognize Mrs. Voss and rarely spoke, ... After a week, the couple asked them to leave."[19]
  • July 5, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi rent a room in th ehome of ___ bookkeeper at ___ for $17 per night, intending to stay until December 2000.
  • July 6, 2000 - Atta and Al-Shehhi rent a Blue Aries which they returned prior to the due date of July 13, with 115 miles.
  • July 7, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi open Suntrust Bank account, with $7,000 deposited.
  • July 8, 2000 - Darbar Charity, Dubai Islamic Bank
  • July 12, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi lease a residence at ___ Florida from "The Rental Company of Venice"
  • July 13, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi pay first and last month, security deposit, and application fee for residence located at 516 West Laurel Road in Venice, Florida. Bother were described as "polite and very neat. They caused no problems and had the carpets cleaned..."
  • July 17, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi enter the Accelerated Pilot Program at Huffman Aviation. Al-Shehhi and Atta continued flight training at Huffman Aviation through January 2001.
  • July 18, 2000 - Al-Shehhi signs check for payment to Huffman Aviation.
  • July 18, 2000 - Al-Shehhi begins flight training at Huffman Aviation.
  • July 30, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi conduct solo flights at Huffman Aviation.
  • July - Atta and al-Shehhi then rented a house in Nokomis, near Venice, from Stephen Kona.[19]
  • August 9, 2000 - Al-Shehhi requested a new instructor because he did not like his instructor, Eric Seiberlich at Huffman Aviation.
  • August 14 - Al-Shehhi (and Atta) passed the private pilot test at Huffman. Al-Shehhi received a score of 83 (out of 100) in 73 minutes.[17] The mean score for this test is 84.9 and the minimum score for passing is 70.[20]
  • August 25, 2000 - Payment by Atta/al-Shehhi to Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation.
  • August 30, 2000 - Payment to Air-Cadia Inc.
  • September 15 - Atta and Shehhi applied to change their immigration status from tourist to student, stating their intention * September 1 - October - Al-Shehhi and Atta receive 3-4 hours of flight traiing per day for approximately one month at Jones Aviation in Sarasota, Florida. Atta and al-Shehhi had problems following instructions and were dismissed.
  • September 6, 2000 - 5,000 DM transferred between al-Shehhi and (to) Binalshibh's Citibank Germany account.
  • September 8, 2000 - Al-Shehhi was issued SE/PP certificate using a 1972 Cessna owned by Huffman.
  • September 15, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi submit I-539 form to change their immigration status to M-1.
  • September 19 - Atta and Shehhi’s I-539 applications were received by the INS.[17]
  • September 23, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi switched flight training to Jones aviation in Sarasota, Florida.

to study at Huffman until September 1, 2001.[21] Huffman Aviation’s Student Coordinator assisted them in filling out the student school form I-20M. His I-539 application to change immigration status from tourist (B-1/B-2) to vocational student (M1) was mailed to the INS.[17]

  • Late September - Atta and al-Shehhi decided to enroll at Jones Aviation in Sarasota, Florida, about 20 miles north of Venice. According to the instructor at Jones, the two were aggressive, rude, and sometimes even fought with him to take over the controls during their training flights.[21]
  • October 2, 2000 - al-Shehhi makes a $2,000 payment to Jones Aviation Service.
  • Early October - They took the Stage I exam for instruments rating at Jones Aviation and failed. Very upset, they said they were in a hurry because jobs awaited them at home. Atta and Shehhi then returned to Huffman.[21]
  • October 4, 2000 - A flight instructor at Jones Aviation, upon reviewing his flight log, advised that he gave a Stage 1 flight lesson to "Mohamed and Marwan". The instructor failed both on their Stage 1 exam, and they both were very upset. The men inquired about multi-engine planes and told the flight instructor (Kendal Coleman) that they wanted to move quickly, because they had a job waiting in their country upon completion of their training in the U.S.
  • October 10, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi deposit $1,527.83 which was refunded by Jones Flying Service into their SunTrust checking account.
  • October 10, 2000 - Atta and al-Shehhi return to Huffman Aviation to continue flight training.
  • November 6 - Atta and Shehhi took their instrument rating airplane test at Huffman Aviation. Al-Shehhi received a score of 75 in 89 minutes. After passing this test, Atta and Shehhi were able to sign out planes. They did so on a number of occasions, often returning at 2:00 and 3:00 A.M. after logging four or five hours of flying time.[17]
  • November 30, 2000 - Marwan al-Shehhi obtains Instrument Rating/Private Pilot certificate.
  • December 7, 2000 - Darbar Charity, HSBC UAE
  • December 19 - Atta and Shehhi took their commercial pilot license tests at Huffman Aviation, completing their schooling. Atta received a score of 93 in 116 minutes and Shehhi received a score of 73 in 99 minutes.[17]
  • December - Atta and al-Shehhi then left Huffman Aviation.

2001

  • January - When Atta returned to Florida, Shehhi left for Morocco, traveling to Casablanca in mid-January.[21]
  • January 18 - Al-Shehhi arrived at JFK Airport in New York on Royal Moroccan Air from Casablanca, Morocco. He was admitted as a business visitor, with a stay of four months. (see #Immigration inspection below for more details)[17]
  • January - Shehhi's family, concerned about not having heard from him, reported him missing to the UAE government. The UAE embassy in turn contacted the Hamburg police and a UAE representative tried to find him in Germany, visiting mosques and Shehhi's last address in Hamburg. After learning that his family was looking for him, Shehhi telephoned them on January 20 and said he was still living and studying in Hamburg. The UAE government then told the Hamburg police they could call off the search.[21]
  • April 12 - Shehhi obtained a Florida driver’s license.[17]
  • May 2 - Shehhi returned to the United States, arriving in Miami. He was granted a six-month tourist stay.[17]
  • June 12 - Moved into a rented condo in a gated community in Delray Beach.[22]
  • June 19 - Marwan al Shehhi acquired a duplicate Florida driver’s license.[17]
  • August 9 - Shehhi’s application to change his immigration status from tourist to student was approved through September 1, 2001.[17]
  • August 29 - Shehri and Marwan al-Shehhi were seen in proximity to rooms 110 and 123 of the Crystal Cay Motel and a white four door vehicle was parked in the space directly in front of rooms 110 and 123. Three Arab males, including one wearing glasses (presumably Marwan al-Shehhi) were loading the white car with computer cases at approximately 6:45 p.m.
September 11
  • Al Shehhi received a call on his cell phone from Ziad Jarrah.

Immigration inspection

January 18. Shehhi arrived at JFK Airport in New York on Royal Moroccan Air from Casablanca. He was screened by a ten-year veteran of immigration inspections at airports and the New York City seaport. When Shehhi came up to the primary inspection counter, the “room was full, with numerous flights coming in at the same time.” The inspector told the 9/11 Commission that she was suspicious that Shehhi might be an intending immigrant, noting from the stamps in his passport that he had left the United States just a week earlier after a six-month stay. She typed into the computer record: “Sub left one week ago after entry in May. Has extension and now returning for a few more months.” She referred Shehhi to a secondary immigration inspection for closer examination.

The secondary inspector told the Commission that Shehhi wore conventional Western clothing, had glasses and facial hair, and “did not look like he had just come from boot camp.” Though he had behaved badly in primary inspection, where his refusal to comply with the inspector’s instruction to go to the secondary inspection room made an escort necessary, once there Shehhi waited until he was called and was not aggressive. About a dozen other visitors were called into secondary inspection in the ten minutes before Shehhi’s referral.

The secondary immigration inspector said that Shehhi had completed the required arrival and customs forms, adding that Shehhi spoke English well during the course of the 10–12 minute interview. “I had the impression Shehhi had money,” the inspector said. “I remember looking at his passport, and it showed he had been in and out of the United States and there were other travel stamps. I remember asking how much money he had - he had a substantial amount, three credit cards and more than $2,000.”

Shehhi also mentioned applying for an extension of stay in the United States to remain until September 8, 2001; after waiting months for an answer and not getting one, he had finally left. To the inspector, “that seemed reasonable.” The inspector told the Commission he was not aware that leaving the country while an immigration benefit application was pending amounted to abandoning that application.

The inspector asked Shehhi the purpose of his trip to the United States, trying to determine if he intended to remain permanently, as the primary inspector suspected. Shehhi told the inspector that he was coming back to the United States for continued flight training, that he had previously attended Huffman Aviation School, and that he was finished with flight school but wanted to log more hours in the sky. The inspector thought Shehhi was seeking private flying lessons, but did not ask Shehhi for supporting documentation.

The inspector did not recall whether Shehhi showed him any papers to verify his previous flight school attendance at Huffman Aviation, nor whether he had asked for such paperwork. “I didn’t have any doubt he did go to school, and I didn’t think he was trying to use his change of status application to remain here in the United States for illegitimate reasons. My belief was that he was coming back to log flight hours with a private instructor.” Under this inspector’s understanding of INS guidelines, a pilot here for a form of continuing education, such as private flight lessons, may be admitted as a business visitor. Although the baseline time at JFK International for business visitors was three months, Shehhi asked for four and got it.

The inspection results tell a somewhat different story; they read: “Was in U.S. gaining flight hours to become a pilot. Admitted for four months.” They thus suggest that the inspector actually may have considered Shehhi a student, not already a pilot. The difference between Shehhi being a student seeking to become a pilot or already was a pilot was not an insignificant nuance. According to immigration law applied at ports of entry, if Shehhi was already a pilot, the B-1 business entry he was granted was arguably legitimate. However, if Shehhi was a full-time student, his admission as a business visitor was erroneous. And because Shehhi, like Atta, had left the country while his application for a change of immigration status was still pending, this application should have been considered “abandoned.” In other words, Shehhi needed to obtain the proper student visa overseas in order to reenter the United States. The facts of this adjudication are simply not clear enough to reach a conclusion about the appropriateness of this entry.

Piloting skills

When he arrive at Huffman in July 2000, al-Shehhi had only a few hours of training, so "he practically did the whole course", taking commercial, multi-engine, IFR lessons.[18] If one takes lessons each day, the courses can be completed in three to six months. Atta and al-Shehhi completed the courses in December 2000.[18] They left with a "commercial, single, multi-engine IFR rating, up to a maximum of 12,000 lb airplane, that means small airplanes, they flew the Seneca II, that's a two engine, six seater airplane".[18]

  • Rudi Dekkers, Huffman Aviation: I have checked today with the instructor and with the examiner who did the flight tests. And they [Atta and al-Shehhi] were average pilots, average pilots.[23]
  • Huffman's owner, Rudi Dekkers, told investigators there was no way the men [Atta and al-Shehhi] could fly Boeing jets after getting training at their small school, but he said the two had moved on to more sophisticated training elsewhere.[24]

References

  1. ↑ "Chapter 5", 9/11 Commission Report. 
  2. ↑ "Men of different characters linked to terrorist acts", The Star-Ledger (September 17, 2001). 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cherryand, Alan and Stacey Singer (September 23, 2001). "Portraits Start to Emerge of Terrorism Suspects", Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale). 
  4. ↑ "Portraits Start to Emerge of Terrorism Suspects", Sun-Sentinel (September 23, 2001). 
  5. ↑ McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers. Harper Collins, p. 53. 
  6. ↑ "Portraits Start to Emerge of Terrorism Suspects", Sun-Sentinel (September 23, 2001). 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers. Harper Collins, p. 56. 
  8. ↑ McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers. Harper Collins, p. 54-55. 
  9. ↑ McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers. Harper Collins, p. 56. 
  10. ↑ McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers. Harper, p. 58-63. 
  11. ↑ McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers. Harper, p. 58. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers. Harper, p. 63. 
  13. ↑ "Portraits Start to Emerge of Terrorism Suspects", Sun-Sentinel (September 23, 2001). 
  14. ↑ McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers. Harper Collins, p. 54. 
  15. ↑ McDermott, Terry (2005). Perfect Soldiers. Harper, p. 57. 
  16. ↑ Stipulation, U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Virginia
  17. ↑ 17.00 17.01 17.02 17.03 17.04 17.05 17.06 17.07 17.08 17.09 17.10 17.11 17.12 "Staff Monograph on 9/11 and Terrorist Travel". 9/11 Commission (2004).
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 "Rudi Dekkers Interview". A Mission to Die For / ABC (Australia) (October 21, 2001).
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Allison, Wes (October 2, 2001). "The terrorists next door", St. Petersburg Times. 
  20. ↑ "2005 Annual Statistics for Airmen Knowledge Testing". FAA (2006).
  21. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 911-ch7
  22. ↑ Williams, Carol J. (September 30, 2001). "Terror Suspects Just Blended In", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 
  23. ↑ "America Under Attack: The Aftermath, Larry King Live", CNN (September 12, 2001 - 21:00 ET). 
  24. ↑ "Sep 14: Day the unthinkable struck at America's heart (Part III)", Financial Times (September 14, 2001). 

Further reading

  • Sons of the Mothers; Marilynn Rosenthal Struggles to Understand Her Child's Killer, the Boy Who Grew Up to Be a 9/11 Hijacker The Washington Post September 11, 2006
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