Ahmed al-Ghamdi
Ahmed al-Ghamdi | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 2, 1979 Al Bahah Province, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | September 11, 2001 (aged 22) |
| Occupation(s) | Imam, terrorist |
| Known for | Hijacker of United Airlines Flight 175 during the September 11 attacks |
Ahmed al-Ghamdi (born 2 July 1979, died 11 September 2001) was a Saudi national and one of the five terrorists who hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 during the September 11 attacks.
Originating from Saudi Arabia, al-Ghamdi abandoned his education to join the conflict in Chechnya and is believed to have undergone training at al-Qaeda camps located in Afghanistan. Chosen by Osama bin Laden for participation in the attacks, he entered the United States on a tourist visa in May 2001 and took part in planning the operation. On September 11, he boarded Flight 175 and played a role in its hijacking, allowing lead hijacker and pilot Marwan al-Shehhi to crash the aircraft into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
Early activities
Al-Ghamdi, an Imam, hailed from Al Bahah Province in southwestern Saudi Arabia, a prominent tourist area situated between Mecca and Abha. He had tribal connections with fellow hijackers Saeed al-Ghamdi, Hamza al-Ghamdi, and Ahmed al-Haznawi, all known for their devout religious practices and believed to have become acquainted around 1999.
Operating under the alias al-Jaraah al-Ghamdi, the sole hijacker to use a name variation, he left school to fight in Chechnya during 2000 and secured a US visa on September 3 that year. In November, he and Salem al-Hazmi traveled separately to Beirut. Al-Ghamdi’s flight included a senior member of Hezbollah, although investigations found no links between them. His family last encountered him in December.
Reports indicate that in March 2001, al-Ghamdi met with a Jordanian individual in Connecticut who was accused of supplying fraudulent identification documents to undocumented immigrants; hijackers Majed Moqed, Hani Hanjour, and Nawaf al-Hazmi were also present. This meeting occurred more than a month before al-Ghamdi’s officially recorded arrival in the United States.
On May 2, al-Ghamdi relocated from White Bear, Minnesota to Pensacola, Florida alongside Majed Moqed on student visas, listing Naval Air Station as his permanent address on his driver’s license. Subsequently, they resided with Hani Hanjour and Nawaf al-Hazmi in Falls Church, Virginia before moving into an apartment in Paterson, New Jersey. In July 2001, he contacted his parents but did not reveal his presence in the US.
Attacks
Ahmed’s brother, Hamza al-Ghamdi, purchased his ticket online for United Airlines Flight 175 on August 29 or 30, using a Mail Boxes Etc. address. The brothers initially stayed at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts before relocating on September 8 to the Days Hotel on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton, where they remained until the day of the attacks.
On September 11, Ahmed and Hamza departed their hotel together and shared a taxi ride to Logan International Airport. Presenting his Virginia identification card, Ahmed boarded Flight 175 and was seated furthest back among the hijackers in seat 9D. He assisted in overpowering passengers and crew while others killed the pilots, enabling Marwan al-Shehhi to assume control and crash the plane into the World Trade Center.
See also
External links
- 9/11 Commission Report (archived on 7 August 2010)
- news.bbc.co.uk
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Born in 1979
- Deceased in 2001
- Suicides in 2001
- Male individuals who died by suicide
- Individuals from Al-Bahah Province
- Members of al-Qaeda from Saudi Arabia
- Saudi nationals residing in the United States
- Saudi Arabian perpetrators of mass murder
- Saudi Arabian killers of children
- Hijackers of United Airlines Flight 175
- United Airlines Flight 175 hijackers