Waleed al-Shehri

Waleed M. al-Shehri (b. December 20, 1978) was a hijacker on American Airlines Flight 11. He was the younger brother of hijacker, Wail al-Shehri. He grew up in Khamis Mushayet, which is located in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia. He also frequented Al-Seqley mosque, and attended Abha teachers college for some time before dropping out.^[1] Waleed also worked as a physical education teacher, but quit his job to "consult Islamic holy men about Wail's mental illness."^[2]

The Shehri brothers, along with Ahmed al-Nami and Saeed al-Ghamdi, were all from the same area in Saudi Arabia. In Spring 2000, they all swore an oath to commit themselves to jihad at the Seqely Mosque in Khamis Mushayt where the al-Shehri family were members.^[3]

Afghanistan

Both Wail and Waleed al-Shehri had expressed interest in traveling to Chechnya to join the jihad.^[4] After going to Medina, they both disappeared for a time, saying they were going to Chechnya to defend Muslims there, though they may have been diverted to Afghanistan and did not end up in Chechnya.^[5][6] Wail and Waleed Shehri's father lost contact with them after they went to Medina, with them only calling once.^[7] When they did call, the Shehri brothers were vague about when they would return. Before disappearing, the Shehri brothers went to Al-Seqley Mosque to swear an oath and commitment to jihad. Ahmed al-Nami and Saeed al-Ghamdi also went to the Al-Seqley Mosque to commit to jihad. Wail presided over the ceremony, dubbing himself Abu Mossaeb al-Janubi after one of Muhammad's companions.^[8]

In March 2000, he left for Pakistan with his brother Wail, as well as Ahmed al-Nami, and then they went on to Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, Wail al-Shehri followed the standard path for new Al Qaeda recruits, spending time in the Khalden training camp and then Al Farouq training camp near Kandahar. Details on how the "muscle" hijackers were selected are vague, though they appear to be selected by senior Al-Qaeda leaders in 2000 from the thousands of recruits at training camps in Afghanistan. The most capable and motivated volunteers were at al-Farouq, and 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.^[7]

Once Waleed 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. The 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 and Waleed al-Shehri received new passports on October 3, 2000, and then obtained United States visas on October 24.^[9]

In mid-November, 2000, the 9/11 Commission believes that three of the future muscle hijackers, Wail al Shehri, Waleed al Shehri, and Ahmed al-Nami, all of whom had obtained their U.S. visas in late October, traveled in a group from Saudi Arabia to Beirut and then onward to Iran where they could travel through to Afghanistan without getting their passports stamped. An associate of a senior Hezbollah operative is thought to have been on the same flight, although this may have been a coincidence.^[6] In March 2001, while in Afghanistan, Shehri was recorded reading his last will and testament. This video was released in a September 2007.

United States

Waleed al-Shehri arrived in the United States on April 23, together with Satam al-Suqami, at Orlando. Throughout the summer, Shehri stayed at various budget motels in south Florida, including a month-long stay at the Homing Inn in Boynton Beach.

The owner of the Homing Inn described Shehri as "clean, well-mannered, unstintingly polite - and never once used the telephone in his room." Another resident at the inn noted that Shehri frequented a pay phone at the motel.^[10]

Timeline

1999

• December 23, 1999 - Waleed Mohammed Abdallah al-Shihri opened an account at the Tenouma Branch of th Al-Rajihi Investment Bank Corporation with 1700 Saudi Riyal (US $450). He made 11 deposits totaling 12080 Riyal and had 39 withdrawals totaling the same.

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.^[1][9]
• 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.^[11][12]

2001

April

• April 23 - Waleed al Shehri and Satam al-Suqami arrived together at Orlando via London from Dubai.^[9]
• April 30 - Bimini Motel and Apartments at 1600 North Ocean Drive in Fort Lauderdale, Florda. Shehri was with another individual, believed to be Suqami. He rented #8N at Bimini, from April 30 through May 28. A third Middle Eastern male, who spoke German, visited often and mentioned that the other two were going to get their pilots license at Pembroke Airport School at Perry Airport.^[13][12]

May

• May 3 - Pays cash for a red 1993 Dodge Colt from Richard Hauser Motor Corp,and purchases auto insurance from Old Cutler Insurance in Miami. Shehri asked that Suqami also be listed as an insured driver. Suqami gave his date of birth as June 28, 1978 and provided a ficticious drivers' license number.
• May 4 - Florida Driver's license issued to Shehri. He lists his address as 1600 N. Ocean Drive, #8 in Hollywood, Florida.^[9][12]
• May 5 - He acquired a duplicate Florida driver’s license, this time with a different address.^[9]
• May 16 - Waleed al Shehri and Suqami traveled together from Fort Lauderdale on Continental Airlines Flight 9273 to Freeport in the Bahamas, where they reserved three nights at the Bahamas Princess Resort. They turned in their arrival record, which was now acting as an exit record, boarded the plane, and arrived in Freeport. The trip was intended to extend Suqami’s legal length of stay in the United States. Bahamian immigration refused the two entry, however, because neither had a Bahamian visa. They therefore had to return to their starting point, in this case Fort Lauderdale. Because they never entered the Bahamas, under U.S. immigration law they had never left the United States. After being refused entry by the Bahamian INS at Freeport, they were sent through U.S. “pre-clearance” before boarding the plane back to Miami. By making possible immigration inspections of U.S.-bound travelers prior to their arrival, preclearance helped ease the burden of admission at busy U.S. airports. These stations also prevented travelers deemed inadmissible from boarding U.S.-bound planes. In this preclearance process, immigration waived them through but customs stopped Shehri. The inspection lasted one minute; Shehri was not personally searched, nor was his luggage x-rayed. They boarded Continental Airlines Flight 9312 and returned to Miami. Shehri and Suqami were scheduled to return to the United States on May 19.^[9][12] When Shehri and Suqami left for the Bahamas, they submitted I-94 departure forms, which put them into INS records as having departed the United States. When they were rejected admission by authorities in the Bahamas, Shehri and Suqami, under U.S. law, it was as if they never left the United States. When they arrived back in Miami, they were not given new arrival records, and remained in the INS systems as having left the United States.^[9]
• May 16 - Two charges of $197.60 on debit card
• May 30 - Rents a 1997 plum Chevrolet Cavalier from Special Cars Group

June

• June 1 - Rents a mail box at Mail Boxes Etc.
• June 4 - Makes a $54.27 purchase at a Sports Authority in Aventura, Florida, including clothing, Mountain Dew soft drink, package of Bazooka gum, pair of black Micromesh shorts, and two t-shirts.
• June 4 - AAA Affordable Auto Care
• June 6 - 13 - Al-Shehri and al-Suqami register and stay in Room 11 at the Lago Mar Apartments in Lake Worth, Florida.^[13]
• June 13 - Checked in at Body Perfect Fitness Center in Lake Worth, Florida
• June 13 - 15 - Waleed Al-Shehri registers at Lisa Motel/Apartments in Lake Worth, Florida, and pays $100 upon check-in. Shehri arrives with four other Arab males, one which the owner/manager identified as Suqami. The manager said that the men "kept to themselves and were rarely seen," and the telephone was not activated. Shehri paid an additional $285 on June 15, using his credit card.^[13][12]
• June 17 - Shehri and Suqami checked in at Body Perfect Fitness Center
• June 21 - $386 charge on June 25 for Homing Inn, 2821 South Federal Highway in Boynton Beach, Florida. Shehri checked in on June 21, staying in room #B308 with Suqami, and checked out on July 26.
• June 23 - Shehri and Suqami check in at Body Perfect Fitness Center in Lake Worth, Florida
• June 26 - Shehri and Suqami check in at Body Perfect Fitness Center in Lake Worth, Florida
• June 28 - Suqami and Shehri check in at Body Perfect Fitness Center in Lake Worth, Florida
• June 29 - Suqami and Shehri check in at Body Perfect Fitness Center in Lake Worth, Florida
• June 30 - Suqami and Shehri check in at Body Perfect Fitness Center in Lake Worth, Florida

July

• July 3 - Suqami and Shehri check in at Body Perfect Fitness Center in Lake Worth, Florida
• July 5 - Suqami and Shehri check in at Body Perfect Fitness Center in Lake Worth, Florida
• July 6 - Wail and Waleed Shehri's debit card used at Bealls Outlet and at Lion Country Safari
• 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.^[14][12]
• July 7 - Suqami and Shehri check in at Body Perfect Fitness Center in Lake Worth, Florida
• July 10 - 12 - Suqami and Waleed al-Shehri stay at the Doubletree Hotel in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (Orlando-Walt Disney World). $325 is charged to Suqami on July 16.
• July 16 - Debit charge of $286 for the Homing Inn in Boynton Beach, Florida. He checked in on June 21 and checked out on July 26.
• July 19 - AAA Affordable Auto Care
• July 19 - Payment of car insurance to Security National Insurance Company
• July 22 - Purchases ticket on Delta Air Lines for July 30 flight from Fort Lauderdale to Boston
• July 24 - NCIC query of Shehri's vehicle by police in Boynton Beach, Florida
• July 26 - August 2 - Registered at the Crystal Cay Motel in Deerfield Beach, Florida.^[13]
• July 26 - Checks into the Crystal Cay Motel in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and stays there through August 2.
• July 26 - Makes reservation on American Airlines from Boston, arriving in San Francisco on July 29. His reservation is for first class, seat 4B.
• July 26 - Establishes a hotmail account - wshehri@hotmail.com
• July 27 - Books a one way flight from San Francisco to Miami, via Las Vegas on National Airlines
• July 30 - Debit charge of $233 for the Crystal Cay Motel
• July 31 - August 1 - Registered at La Quinta Inn in San Francisco.^[13]
• July 30 - Travels on Delta Air Lines from Fort Lauderdale to Boston
• July 31 - Departs Boston's Logan International Airport aboard American Airlines Flight 195 with destination of San Francisco. He purchased the ticket at Logan on the day of departure.
• July 31 - La Quinta Inns, stays in room 124, checks in on July 31 at 2:35 p.m. and checks out on August 1 at 10:49. One or two others checked in with Shehri.

August

• August 1 - Scheduled to return to Miami
• August 2 - Shehri checks out of the Crystal Cay Motel
• August 2 - Checks-in, together with Wail al-Shehri and Satam al-Suqami, to the Panther Motel & Apartments in Deerfield Beach, Florida.^[13]
• August 6 - Debit charges post for July 31-August 1 stay at Quinta Inns in San Francisco
• August 6 - Debit charge of $282 for Panther Motel
• August 7 - Refund for 7/26 purchase by Shehri from American Airlines
• August 10 - Checked into room 10 at Panther Motels & Apartment in Deerfield Beach, Florida
• August 13 - $2188.55 credit added to Visa card, designated as "American Air 0012 TX". It appears that one of the tickets was returned.
• August 21 - Purchase at Publix supermarket
• August 26 - An individual identifying himself as Waleed al-Shehri made a reservation via telephone on American Airlines Flight 11. The first class, one-way tickets cost $2,232.25, and he requested the tickets be mailed to him.
• August 27 - $25.42 purchase at Payless Shoes in Pompano Beach, Florida
• August 27 - Renews mail box at Mail Boxes Etc.
• August 28 - Researved a seat via American Airlines website on American AIrlines Flight 11, departing on September 11. Wail al-Shehri booked the same reservation.
• August 28 - Cashed a $2,000 check, likely used to pay for Satam al-Suqami's ticket for American Airlines Flight 11
• 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.
• August 29 - Debit card transaction for $2232.25 for American Airlines
• August 30 - September 6 - Shehri registers (for three people) at the Spindrift Motel in Fort Lauderdale, staying in room 124 from August 30 until September 6. He was seen at the motel with Mohamed Atta.^[13][12]

September

• September - Sells 1993 Dodge colt to Elite Select Used Cars
• 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 3 - Shehri purchases two 18" silver necklaces, and one men's ring with zirconium stones from Piercing Pagoda, a jewelry shop in Pompano Square Mall in Pompano Beach, Florida.
• September 4 - $73.64 charge at Target in Fort Lauderdale, for purchase of Emerson Walkman, headphones, batteries, pens, razors, a notebook, pencil pouch, and travel accessory kit.
• September 4 - Purchased two tickets, for a price of $573.50, at World Travel Tours in Fort Lauderdale for Abdulaziz al-Omari and Satam al-Suqami for Delta Air Lines Flight 2462, departing Fort Lauderdale on September 6 and arriving at Boston's Logan International Airport.
• September 5 - Paid an additional $50 to Spindrift Motel, above what he prepaid upon check-in.
• 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 - Waleed al-Shehri checks into the Park Inn, 160 Boylston Street, in Newton, Massachusetts, room number 433. Shehri was accompanied by his brother, Wail. A search of the hotel room revealed two beds in the room and evidence that a third person slept in the bath tub.
• September 6 - Accesses room 433 at the Park Inn. The room is accesses at 11:25, 14:38, and 18:00.
• September 7 - Room 433 key card is used at the Park Inn, at 12:18, 13:31, 13:40, and 14:08
• September 8 - Room 433 key card used at the Park Inn, at 0:47, 12:05, 15:00, and 15:25
• September 9 - Room 433 key card used at the Park Inn
• September 9 - Waleed al-Shehri attempts to wire $5,000 via Western Union at Logan Airport to the United Arab Emirates. He had insufficient documentation, so he returned the next day to process the transaction. The funds were received by Mustafa Ahmed on September 11 at Al-Ansari Exchange in Sharjah. Wail al-Shehri may have been present with Waleed.
• September 10 - Stayed at Park Inn in Newton, Massachusetts, with Waleed M. al-Shehri and Satam M. A. al-Suqami. They possibly left a discarded sheet of instructions on how to fly a transcontinental jetliner in their hotel room. (Hijackers also previously stayed at three other Boston-area hotels - Milner Hotel in Beacon Hill, the Days Hotel in Brighton, and the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square) The three men checked into the Park Inn on September 5, and reportedly called a prostitute while at the hotel. Abdul Aziz al-Omari, may have also spent a night at the Park Inn before heading to Portland, Maine with Mohamed Atta on September 10.^[15]
• 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 - Makes a phone call to the United Arab Emirates, using a prepaid phone card, from room 433 of the Park Inn Hotel.
• September 10 - Call at 11:36 a.m. from Mohammed Atta's cell phone to room 433 at the Park Inn Hotel.
• September 10 - Room 433 key card used at the Park Inn at 12:26, 12;37, 18:28, 18:33
• September 10 - Vehicle (white Mitsubishi Mirage), possibly Waleed al-Shehri's rental car, entered Logan Airport's parking lot.
• September 11 - Waleed al-Shehri's rented white Mitsubishi Mirage, with three males, entered a parking lot at Logan Airport.

Still alive?

After the 9/11 attacks, his father explained about his son, "21 years old and also studying at the Teacher’s College."^[16] Arab News went on to report that Waleed and his brother, Wail, "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."^[17]

Martyrdom video

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.^[18]

• New bin Laden & 9/11 Hijacker "Martyrdom" Video

Gallery

Documents

• SunTrust opening account documents
• Crystal Cay Motel registration card
• Crystal Cay Motel credit card receipt
• Florida Drivers' license record
• Florida Drivers' license record

References