Hamburg cell
| Company type | Covert group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Hamburg , Germany |
Area served | International (notably United States) |
Key people | Mohamed Atta, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Marwan al-Shehhi, Ziad Jarrah |
The Hamburg cell () was identified by U.S. and German intelligence agencies as a collective of radical Islamist students residing in Hamburg, Germany, who played a pivotal role in executing the September 11 attacks. The principal figures comprised Mohamed Atta, who led the hijacking teams and piloted American Airlines Flight 11; Ramzi bin al-Shibh, a key conspirator who was unable to enter the United States; Marwan al-Shehhi, pilot of United Airlines Flight 175; and Ziad Jarrah, who flew United Airlines Flight 93. Additional affiliates included Said Bahaji, Zakariya Essabar, Mounir el-Motassadeq, and Abdelghani Mzoudi.
Background
On November 1, 1998, Atta, al-Shehhi, and bin al-Shibh established residence together in an apartment on Marienstraße, forming the covert group known as the Hamburg cell. This group convened regularly to exchange anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiments while strategizing their plans.
Originally aiming to participate in jihad within Chechnya, their objectives changed after an encounter with Khalid al Masri in Germany, who instructed them to reach out to Abu Musab (Mohamedou Ould Slahi) in Duisburg. Slahi recommended they first undergo training in Afghanistan due to challenges entering Chechnya. Subsequently, they traveled through Pakistan to Taliban offices, which directed them to Kandahar where they joined al-Qaeda and pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden. Atta was designated as the leader for the operation targeting the United States.
After returning to Germany, the group members enrolled in flight training schools and later continued their pilot education in the United States. The Hamburg cell played a crucial role in Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s 1996 proposal for the 9/11 attacks—combining Western academic backgrounds with extremist ideology and aviation skills made them particularly suitable operatives. Osama bin Laden and Mohammed Atef promptly tasked them with carrying out al-Qaeda’s most ambitious assault at that time.
At various points, up to 29 individuals resided at the Hamburg apartment where Atta was the leaseholder. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is said to have visited frequently. Although German intelligence monitored this location, no actionable intelligence was obtained. Both the U.S. CIA and German agencies were later criticized for insufficient coordination and information sharing regarding these al-Qaeda operatives.
Hamburg Cell film
The docudrama Hamburg Cell portrays the planning stages and execution of the September 11 attacks. This production was jointly created by Channel 4 (UK) and CBC (Canada), premiering in the UK around September 2004, coinciding with the attack’s anniversary. Employing computer-generated imagery, it realistically depicts the World Trade Center towers prior to impact. A notable scene includes Ziad Jarrah calling his girlfriend, Aysel Sengün, from an airport phone booth, repeatedly expressing 'I love you.'
See also
External links
- Section of the 9/11 Commission Report focused on the Hamburg Cell
- Hawala: An Informal Payment System and Its Use to Finance Terrorism by Sebastian R. Müller (December 2006)]