Saeed al-Ghamdi

Saeed al-Ghamdi
Saeed al-Ghamdi
Born	21 November 1979 (age 46); Al-Bahah Province, Saudi Arabia
Died	11 September 2001 (aged 21)
Occupation(s)	Terrorist, Hijacker
Known for	Hijacker of United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks

Saeed Abdullah Ali Sulayman al-Ghamdi (; born 21 November 1979, died 11 September 2001) was a Saudi national involved in terrorism, acting as one of the four hijackers who commandeered United Airlines Flight 93 during the attacks on September 11. Although sharing the al-Ghamdi surname, he was not kin to Hamza or Ahmed al-Ghamdi, who participated in the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 175.

Originally from Saudi Arabia, al-Ghamdi discontinued his college education and initially intended to engage in combat in Chechnya but redirected his efforts to Afghanistan for training at an al-Qaeda camp. Selected by Osama bin Laden for the operations targeting the United States, he entered the U.S. in June 2001 and resided in Florida, where he undertook planning activities and practiced on flight simulators.

On September 11, 2001, al-Ghamdi played a role in the seizure of Flight 93, which was piloted by lead hijacker Ziad Jarrah toward the U.S. Capitol. The aircraft ultimately crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, following passengers' attempts to regain control.

Early life and education

Al-Ghamdi originated from the al-Bahah Province of Saudi Arabia and maintained tribal affiliations with fellow hijackers Ahmed al-Ghamdi, Hamza al-Ghamdi, and Ahmed al-Haznawi; however, he was not directly related to them. It is possible that he was in communication with these individuals as early as 1999. This faction among the hijackers was distinguished by a higher degree of religious observance. Al-Ghamdi transferred his college studies within al Qasim province but soon abandoned his education and lost touch with his family. During this timeframe, he likely developed connections with radical preacher Sulayman al-Alwan.

His initial objective was to participate in the Chechen conflict but instead trained at the Al Farouq camp in Afghanistan, where he encountered Ahmed al-Nami along with brothers Wail and Waleed al-Shehri. In spring 2000, they committed themselves to jihad during a ceremony conducted by Wail al-Shehri, who took on the nom de guerre Abu Mossaeb al-Janubi.

Al-Ghamdi had ties to Tawfiq bin Attash, who reportedly encouraged him toward martyrdom. At one stage, he was employed as a security guard at Kandahar airport alongside Waleed al-Shehri.

Toward the end of 2000, al-Ghamdi traveled to the United Arab Emirates and acquired traveler's cheques believed to have been financed by Mustafa al-Hawsawi. Five other hijackers also transited through the UAE acquiring similar financial instruments.

In November 2000, an individual named Saeed al-Ghamdi was refused a U.S. visa; however, no evidence connects this person to the hijackers.

In March 2001, al-Ghamdi appeared in a farewell video broadcast on al-Jazeera Arabic where future hijackers pledged martyrdom without disclosing specifics of their plans. In this footage, he labeled America as "the enemy" while examining maps and aviation manuals.

In the United States

On 12 June 2001, Saeed al-Ghamdi secured a second two-year B-1/B-2 (tourist/business) visa for entry into the U.S., issued in Jeddah through Visa Express—a U.S. visa program operating in Saudi Arabia until its termination the following year.

He arrived stateside on 27 June 2001 accompanied by Fayez Banihammad and shared lodging with Ahmed al-Nami in Delray Beach, Florida. On his driver's license, he designated Naval Air Station Pensacola as his permanent address and was among nine hijackers who opened accounts at SunTrust Bank with initial cash deposits around June 2001.

According to Yosri Fouda’s documentary Top Secret: The Road to September 11 aired on al-Jazeera, approximately three weeks prior to the attacks, Saeed utilized the alias 'Abdul Rahman' to transmit an encrypted online message referencing both planned targets and fellow hijackers.

On 7 September 2001, all four individuals assigned to Flight 93 traveled from Fort Lauderdale to Newark International Airport via Spirit Airlines.

Attacks

On September 11, 2001, al-Ghamdi boarded United Airlines Flight 93. A delay in departure allowed the crew to receive warnings about other hijackings occurring earlier that day. Shortly afterwards, Flight 93 was seized by hijackers.

Phone conversations from passengers revealed that the hijackers were wearing red bandanas; one individual asserted he had an explosive device strapped to his body. The cockpit voice recording identifies three hijackers, with Ziad Jarrah acting as the pilot and "Saeed" assisting—most likely al-Ghamdi, who had undergone flight simulator training.

Passengers became aware of the outcomes of other hijacked flights through telephone calls and organized a revolt, which ultimately led to the aircraft crashing in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, resulting in the death of everyone on board.

Mistaken identity allegations

Before the FBI released images of the hijackers, on September 23, 2001, both the BBC and The Daily Telegraph reported that a Saudi Airlines pilot named Saeed al-Ghamdi was distressed by sharing a name with one of the hijackers. CNN broadcasted a photo claiming to show the "living" al-Ghamdi as the hijacker; he suggested CNN's source was likely a Florida-based Flight Safety school he had attended. Der Spiegel subsequently verified these incidents as cases of mistaken identity.

In June 2005, the Saudi government published a list of 36 wanted terrorists, which included Salih Saeed Al Batih al-Ghamdi—an individual whom 9/11 conspiracy theorists mistakenly confused with the hijacker Saeed al-Ghamdi.

In popular culture

Iraqi actor Lewis Alsamari portrayed him in United 93, while Canadian actor Shawn Ahmed took on the role in Flight 93.
Indian actor Ankur Bhatt depicted Saeed al-Ghamdi in the television movie The Flight That Fought Back (2005), which dramatizes the passenger revolt aboard United Airlines Flight 93.

External links