Abdulaziz al-Omari
Abdulaziz al-Omari | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 28, 1979 Aseer, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | September 11, 2001 (aged 22) |
| Occupation | Imam |
| Known for | Hijacker of American Airlines Flight 11 during the September 11 attacks |
Abdulaziz al-Omari (, also spelled as Alomari or al-Umari; 28 May 1979 – 11 September 2001) was a Saudi national who served as an imam and was one of the five terrorists who hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 during the 2001 September 11 attacks.
Prior to the attacks, al-Omari held the position of imam within Saudi Arabia’s al-Qassim region. He entered the United States in June 2001 under a tourist visa obtained via the Visa Express program. On September 11, he boarded American Airlines Flight 11 and participated in its hijacking, which culminated in the aircraft crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Early life and career
Abdulaziz al-Omari was born on 28 May 1979 into a modest family in Aseer, Saudi Arabia. He shared his regional origin with fellow hijackers Wail and Waleed al-Shehri. Reports indicate he graduated with honors from high school and later earned a degree from Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University. Shortly before the attacks, he married and had a daughter. Al-Omari served as an imam in al-Qassim province, an area recognized for its Wahhabist influence, where he may have come under the sway of radical cleric Sulayman al Alwan.
Walid bin Attash has stated that al-Omari was involved in providing security at Kandahar airport following his training at an al-Qaeda camp. U.S. officials have noted immigration records showing an Abdulaziz al-Omari visiting Malaysia during the 2000 al-Qaeda summit in Kuala Lumpur, though it remains uncertain if this individual was the same person.
Early 2001
Al-Omari became engaged in the preparation of the September 11 attacks, orchestrated by Osama bin Laden. His role was to hijack American Airlines Flight 11, which ultimately struck the World Trade Center in New York City. At that time, he was 22 years old. Following the attacks, a video allegedly featuring him was broadcast by al Jazeera, containing a farewell message praising bin Laden.
An individual named al-Omari made two visits to the Philippines in February 2001. Alongside hijacker Salem al-Hazmi, he entered the United States on June 29, 2001, arriving in New York City via Dubai under the Visa Express program. It is believed they were met by Salem’s brother, Nawaf al-Hazmi, as suggested by a traffic incident involving Nawaf on the George Washington Bridge that same day. Al-Omari likely stayed initially with other hijackers in Paterson, New Jersey, where he rented a mailbox, before relocating to his own residence in Vero Beach, Florida with his wife and three children. His lease included authorization for two vehicles to park there; one of these license plates was registered to Mohamed Atta, who masterminded the attacks.
Al-Omari attended FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach alongside fellow hijackers Mohand al-Shehri and Saeed al-Ghamdi. He also acquired a counterfeit U.S. identification card from All Services Plus in Passaic County, New Jersey, a business known for producing fake documents; another false ID was issued to Khalid al-Mihdhar. The provider claimed no knowledge of their actual identities. On August 28, Atta purchased tickets for both himself and al-Omari for Flight 11. On September 6, al-Omari traveled with fellow hijacker Satam al-Suqami from Florida to Boston, where they stayed at the Park Inn Hotel.
September 10
On September 10, 2001, Atta collected al-Omari from the Park Inn Hotel, and they traveled together to South Portland, Maine, using a rented Nissan Altima. While some reports indicate no definitive purpose for their trip to Portland, ABC News suggests that Atta intended to stagger the arrival times of the Flight 11 hijackers at Logan International Airport on the following day. Despite several eyewitnesses reporting sightings of Atta and other hijackers in Portland during that summer, the FBI found no corroborating evidence. That evening, Atta and al-Omari reserved room 233 at the Comfort Inn without requesting a wake-up call. Among their belongings were a folding knife, a videotape featuring a Boeing 757 flight simulator, pepper spray, Atta’s will, and handwritten directions for all 18 hijackers; notably, American Airlines Flight 11 was operated with a Boeing 767.
They remained in their hotel room until 8 p.m., when al-Omari placed a four-minute call from a Pizza Hut pay phone nearby to Marwan al-Shehhi, who would later hijack United Airlines Flight 175. Shortly after this call, they withdrew $80 from an ATM located at Pizzeria Uno and returned to Pizza Hut for another telephone call at 8:50 p.m. Attempting to visit Walmart afterward, they became disoriented and stopped at a gas station to ask for directions. Surveillance footage captures Atta holding a piece of paper before they departed. At Walmart, they bought a six-volt battery converter; employees recalled Atta had previously purchased a box cutter there, though this remains unverified. The pair then returned to the Comfort Inn and stayed there for several more hours.
Day of the attacks
At approximately 5:33 a.m. on September 11, Atta and al-Omari checked out of their hotel. Following another ATM withdrawal at Pizzeria Uno, they proceeded to Portland International Jetport. Around 5:40 a.m., they interacted with a ticket agent who did not express any suspicion. Both men boarded their flight, arriving at Logan International Airport at 6:45 a.m., where eight additional hijackers were waiting. The rationale behind their connecting flight through Portland remains uncertain, particularly as they nearly missed their subsequent flight from Logan. Their flight, American Airlines Flight 11, was scheduled for Los Angeles.
Atta and al-Omari boarded Flight 11 alongside fellow hijackers Satam al-Suqami, Wail al-Shehri, and Waleed al-Shehri; other conspirators boarded United Airlines Flight 175. Al-Omari’s passport—confirming his identity as a hijacker—was discovered in luggage accidentally left behind at Portland International Airport and did not continue on the connecting flight. They likely considered items such as the folding knife and pepper spray unnecessary for the assault itself. Atta and al-Omari were seated together in first class, row 8. Flight 11 departed Logan at 7:59 a.m. The hijacking commenced around 8:14 with passengers being sprayed with mace and stabbed. Atta then seized control of the aircraft; by 8:37 it was descending rapidly before crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m., resulting in fatalities both onboard and among occupants on floors 93 through 99.
Aftermath
Questions about al-Omari’s identity emerged soon after the attacks. Initially, the FBI identified Abdul Rahman al-Omari—a Saudi Arabian Airlines pilot—as the pilot of Flight 11. This claim was quickly refuted once it was confirmed he was alive, leading to an official apology from the FBI. The true pilot among the hijackers was later established as Mohamed Atta, with Abdulaziz al-Omari subsequently identified as one of the hijackers.
A man bearing the name initially released by the FBI appeared alive in Saudi Arabia and claimed his passport had been stolen in 1995 while he was attending the University of Denver. Although the FBI disclosed his name, nationality, birth date, and occupation publicly, photographic evidence did not match him. He denied any involvement in the attacks or possessing aviation skills.
On October 5, 2001, the FBI conducted a press briefing outlining Atta’s and the real al-Omari’s activities on September 10 and September 11.
See also
External links
- The Complete 9/11 Commission Report
- portal.telegraph.co.uk (Article clarifying that Saudi Arabian Airlines pilot Omari had no involvement in the attacks)