Wail al-Shehri

Wail al-Shehri (وائل الشهري, also Alshehri) (b. July 31, 1973) was named by the FBI as one of the hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles that crashed into the World Trade Center as part of the September 11, 2001 attacks. His brother, Waleed al-Shehri, was also a hijacker on American Airlines Flight 11.

Background

Wail and his younger brother Waleed were from Khamis Mushayt in the Asir region in Saudi Arabia. Wail was born in Annams, and grew up in the Um Saraar neighborhood in Khamis Mushayet. He came from a family with eleven boys and one daughter.^[1] The family had strong ties to the military, with several of their brothers joining the Saudi military. His uncle is also thought to have been a major in the army and director of logistics. Their father, Mohammed Ali Asgley Al Shehri, worked as a car dealer. On weekends, the family spent time together at the Red Sea. The family strictly adhered to the Wahabi school of Islam, in which elements of modernity are forbidden. The family did not have satellite television, internet, nor music, and did not have contact with girls.^[2] Some of Wail's elder brothers had visited the United States and spoke English, but Wail knew little English.^[3]

During high school and college, Wail was highly religious, and attended Al-Seqley Mosque. He also frequented government-supported religious camps in Saudi Arabia. At this time and region in Saudi Arabia, there were strong religious feelings. Bin Laden also had family roots in the area, and youths idolized him, "Bin Laden was able to recruit a lot of high-school dropouts. These people love Bin Laden to death. They didn't have a goal in life and he gave them a goal." They were ready to fight jihad for him." Wail's (and Waleed) father, Mohamed Al-Shehri had even been friends with Mohamed Bin Laden (Osama's father).^[4]

Wail graduated from Abha teacher’s college in 1999. After college, al-Shehri worked as an elementary school physical education teacher at the Khamis Mushayat airbase. Five months into the job, he was forced to take leave from job because of mental illness. Rather than conventional therapy, Wail sought consultation with Muslim clerics, and hoped that a visit to Medina would help. The treatment was to be verses from the Quran read by their sheikh. He traveled to Medina together with his younger brother, Waleed. They were spotted in Medina, though had other plans for the longer-term, that they wanted to travel to Chechnya for jihad and martyrdom.^[3]

The Shehri brothers, along with Ahmed al-Nami and Saeed al-Ghamdi, were all from the same area in Saudi Arabia. In Spring 2000, Wail went to Al-Seqley mosque, along with some of the other to-be hijackers. They all swore an oath to commit themselves to jihad at the mosque which the al-Shehri family had built as the local mosque. Wail led the ceremony, assuming the name "Abu Mossaeb al-Janubi", which was the name of a close friend of Mohammed.^[2][5]

Wail's father lost contact with the sons after they went to Medina to seek help for Waleed's chronic depression and mental illness. After going to Medina, they only called home once and were vague about when they would return. From Medina, the brothers appear to have traveled to Afghanistan.^[6]

Afghanistan

In March 2000, he left for Pakistan with his brother Waleed, as well as Ahmed al-Nami. From Pakistan, they went on to Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, he followed the standard path, spending time in Khaldan camp and then al-Farooq camp in Kandahar. Details on how the "muscle" hijackers were selected are vague. During 2000, they appear to be selected by senior Al-Qaeda leaders from the thousands of recruits at training camps in Afghanistan. The most capable and motivated volunteers were at al-Farooq. Saudi citizens were good candidates, since it would be easy for them to obtain visas to travel to the United States. In Kandahar, there were guesthouses run specifically for the Saudi volunteers.^[6] In December, he returned to Saudi Arabia from Afghanistan.^[4]

Once Wail and the other muscle hijackers received their training in Afghanistan, they received $2,000 so that they could return to Saudi Arabia to obtain new passports and visas. KSM has said that the muscle hijackers also received $10,000 for travel to the United States.^[7] The al-Shehri brothers had a relative that worked in the Saudi passport office, who was able to get them new passports for traveling to the United States. Wail al-Shehri received a new passport on October 3, 2000.^[8] On October 24, Wail and Waleed al-Shehri obtained visas to enter the United States. On his visa application, Wail al-Shehri provided vague information, stating his employer/school as "South City", and his destination as "Wasantwn". Wail indicated his occupation as "teater" (teacher), and that he would be traveling with his brother on a four-to-six month vacation, which would be paid for with Wail's teacher salary. Though, he would not be working while on vacation, so consular officials should have questioned if the Shehri brothers really had the financial means to support themselves while in the United States.^[9] The 9/11 Commission believes that Wail, Waleed, and Ahmed al-Nami traveled in mid-November 2000 from Saudi Arabia to Beirut and onward to Iran.

United States

Before arriving in the United States, Wail was among one of six muscle hijackers who purchased traveler's checks in the United Arab Emirates. Altogether, the muscle hijackers purchased $43,980 in traveler's checks, and they may have brought more than that in cash or other traveler's checks.^[10] On June 5, 2001, Wail obtained a UAE International Driving Permit, which was issued in Sharjah in the UAE.^[8]

On June 8, 2001, Wail al-Shehri arrived together with Ahmed al-Haznawi in Miami, via London, from Dubai.^[11] They were both admitted as tourists for six months by the same immigration officer.^[12] Wail opened a bank account at SunTrust Bank in Florida on June 18, with a deposit of $8,000, with the funds coming from American Express travelers checks purchased on June 7 in the United Arab Emirates.^[8] Wail al-Shehri, together with Waleed and Satam al-Suqami, checked into the Homing Inn in Boynton Beach on June 21, where they paid $286 a week for accommodations at the budget motel.^[13] On July 3, Wail al-Shehri acquired a Florida identification card, using the Homing Inn as his address.^[12] While in Florida, Wail was a member of the World Gyms in Boynton Beach, where Waleed and al-Suqami, also trained.^[14] During the summer of 2001, Wail regularly used computers at the Delray Beach Public Library.^[15] On August 2, Waleed al-Shehri checked into the Panther Motel & Apartments in Deerfield Beach, accompanied by Wail and Suqami.

On August 28, Wail and Waleed al-Shehri made reservations on Flight 11, using the Mail Boxes Etc. in Hollywood, Florida as their address.^[8] On September 3, Wail and Waleed al-Shehri contacted American Airlines by telephone to change their first-class seat assignments for American Airlines Flight 11. They selected seats on the other side of the aircraft where they would have a direct view of the cockpit.^[8] On September 5, Wail and Waleed al-Shehri traveled together on Delta Airlines Flight 2462 from Fort Lauderdale to Boston.^[8] Wail checked in together with Waleed at the Park Inn Hotel on September 5. While at the hotel, they reportedly called a prostitute. When they checked out, the Shehri brothers may have left a discarded sheet of instructions on how to fly a transcontinental jetliner in their hotel room. Abdul Aziz al-Omari, may have also spent a night at the Park Inn before leaving with Atta to head to Portland, Maine on September 10.^[16]

Timeline

2000

• October 3 - Waleed al-Shehri obtained a passport. Wail and Waleed Shehri had a family member who worked in the Saudi passport office, and may have aided the brothers in obtaining passports. Waleed then joined his brother to go to Afghanistan, where they trained at Al Farooq camp in Kandahar.^[4][12]
• October 24 - Wail and Waleed al-Shehri obtain United States visas. Wail indicated his occupation as "teater", employer/school as "South City", and their destination as "Wasantwn" (Washington?). They claimed they were going on a four-to-six-month vacation, which would be paid for with Wail's salary. Though, he would not be working while on vacation, so consular officials should have questioned if they really had the financial means to support themselves while in the United States.^[17][8]

2001

• June 27 - ATM withdrawal at SunTrust Bank, South Florida, Sheridan Plaza
• June 30 - ATM withdrawal at South Trust Bank at 1600 Federal Highway (Sheridan Plaza) in Boynton Beach, Florida
• July 3 - Debit card used at Bealls Outlet in Lantana, Florida, and at Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Florida
• July 3 - Obtained Florida State ID card
• July 4 - Purchase of $48.07 at Middle East International in Lauderhill, Florida, and another purchase at Footlocker.
• July 6 - Wail and Waleed Shehri's debit card used at Bealls Outlet and at Lion Country Safari
• July 6 - Deposit of $3000 in American Express traveler's checks into bank account. Wail al-Shehri purchased the traveler's checks on June 7 in the United Arab Emirates.
• July 6 - Wail and Waleed Shehri, along with Satam al-Suqami, purchase a one-month membership at World Gym, located at Hypoluxo Road and Congress Avenue in Boynton Beach, Florida.^[18][8]
• July 30 - Debit charge for Middle East International
• August 6 - Debit charge for Middle East International
• August 8 - Cash withdrawal at Sheridan Plaza in south Florida
• August 10 - Cash withdrawal at Sheridan Plaza in south Florida
• August 12 - Debit charge for Middle East International
• August 13 - Cash withdrawal at Sheridan Plaza in south Florida
• August 20 - World Gym, Sheridan Plaza, Florida
• September 3 - Wail and Waleed al-Shehri call American Airlines and change their first class seat assignments for American Airlines Flight 11 to the other side of the plane where they had a direct view of the cockpit.
• September 4 - Cash withdrawal at Sheridan Plaza, Florida
• September 4 - Wail was with Waleed al-Shehri at a Target store in Fort Lauderdale. They appeared on video surveillance entering and throughout the store.
• September 5 - Cash withdrawal at Sheridan Plaza, Florida
• September 5 - Wail and Waleed al-Shehri travel together on one-way tickets on Delta Air Lines Flight 2462 from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, arriving at 3:20 p.m.
• September 5 - Rents a white Mitsubishi Mirage from Alamo Car Rental, for the period of September 5 to September 12.
• September 6 - Withdrawal of $400.75 from Fleet Bank ATM in Terminal C of Logan International Airport.
• September 8 - Cash withdrawal
• September 9 - Phone call placed to the United Arab Emirates, using a prepaid phone card.
• September 9 - Two calls between Park Inn and Holiday Inn Express
• September 10 - Cash withdrawal
• September 10 - Wail and Waleed al-Shehri return to TRAVELX, with Waleed's passport, to submit a $5,000 wire transfer to the United Arab Emirates.
• September 10 - Rents a white Mitsubishi from Alamo

The attacks

On September 11, Wail arrived at Boston Logan International Airport with his brother, Waleed, as well as Satam al-Suqami. The five hijackers on United Airlines Flight 175 also arrived at Logan. Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al-Omari arrived on a flight from Portland, Maine to Logan International Airport. When checking in, CAPPS selected several of the Flight 11 hijackers for extra scrutiny of their checked bags. Waleed had no checked bags, but Wail and al-Suqami both had checked bags which were screened for explosives before being put on the plane.^[19]

Family reaction

After the 9/11 attacks, his father denied that his son Wail had a degree in aeronautics, as some media reports were saying. "My son Wail was 25 years old and had a BA in physical education from the Abha Teacher’s College,” said al Shehri. “He was mentally ill and had gone to numerous clerics for assistance in overcoming this instability. He had asked the school, where he taught, for a 6-month leave to go to Madinah."^[20]

His father, Mohamed al-Shehri also told reporters that he dreaded having to believe that Wail and Waleed were involved in the 9/11 plot, "If that turns out to be the truth, then I'll never, never accept it from them. I'll never forgive them for that," Mr. Al-Shehri said of his sons.^[21]

Arab News went on to report that Wail and his brother, Waleed, "disappeared in December of the previous year and have not been heard from since. According to sources close to the family, both sons became very religious nine months prior to their disappearance and had spoken often of joining the Mujahedeen in Chechnya. They were hoping for martyrdom."^[22]

References