Ziad Jarrah

Ziad Jarrah
Born	(1975-05-11) 11 May 1975 Beirut, Lebanon
Died	11 September 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 26) Near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Hijacker, terrorist
Known for	Hijacker aboard United Airlines Flight 93 during the September 11 attacks

Ziad Samir Jarrah (May 11, 1975 – September 11, 2001) was a Lebanese citizen and one of the quartet of hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which tragically crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, during the terrorist attacks on September 11.

Originally from Beirut, Jarrah relocated to Germany in 1996. During his studies at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) in the late 1990s, he became involved in the conspiracy to carry out the 9/11 attacks. Alongside Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, he formed what became known as the Hamburg cell. In 1999, Osama bin Laden recruited him, though Jarrah was reportedly the only hijacker who harbored reservations about the operation.

Jarrah entered the United States in June 2000 and underwent flight training at Huffman Aviation with Atta and al-Shehhi under instructor Rudi Dekkers from June 2000 through January 2001. After moving from New Jersey to Florida, he took a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Newark on September 7, 2001. Four days later, Jarrah boarded Flight 93 alongside Saeed al-Ghamdi, Ahmed al-Haznawi, and Ahmed al-Nami. Their intended target was either the U.S. Capitol or the White House; however, when passengers mounted a counterattack, Jarrah was forced to crash the plane instead.

Early life and education

Ziad Samir al-Jarrah was born on May 11, 1975, in Beirut, Lebanon, into a prosperous family with secular Muslim beliefs. He grew up in the working-class Tariq al-Jadida neighborhood and attended local schools. His father, Samir Jarrah, served as a social services inspector for the Lebanese government, while his mother worked as an elementary school teacher. Although their family identified nominally with Sunni Islam, they maintained a largely secular lifestyle. From a young age, Jarrah dreamed of becoming a pilot; however, his father discouraged him from pursuing this profession.

Between 1995 and 1996, an individual named Ziad Jarrah leased an apartment in Brooklyn, New York, which later landlords confirmed was him.

In early 1996, Jarrah moved to Germany with his cousin Salim to learn German at the University of Greifswald, fulfilling language prerequisites for international students. During this time, he engaged socially while distancing himself from religious practices. He met Aysel Şengün, a German-born dentistry student of Turkish heritage; they maintained an intermittent relationship and briefly cohabited.

By September 1997, Jarrah had shifted his focus to studying aerospace engineering at the Fachhochschule in Hamburg while simultaneously working at a Volkswagen paint facility in Wolfsburg. He rented an apartment from Rosemarie Canel, who created a painted portrait of him that he sent as a gift to his mother.

The 9/11 Commission Report indicates that Jarrah was affiliated with the Hamburg cell alongside Mohamed Atta and others but had limited interaction with them beyond attending Said Bahaji's wedding at the al-Quds Mosque in October 1999.

Training in Afghanistan

Toward the end of 1999, Jarrah joined Mohamed Atta, Marwan al-Shehhi, Said Bahaji, and Ramzi bin al-Shibh initially intending to fight in Chechnya. They were convinced by Khalid al-Masri and Mohamedou Ould Slahi to travel instead to Afghanistan for training under Osama bin Laden in preparation for terrorist operations. Jarrah adopted the kunya Abū Ṭāriq, likely referencing Tariq ibn Ziyad. They were instructed that their mission was covert and told to return to Germany afterward to enroll in flight schools. In October 1999, Jarrah appeared in footage from Said Bahaji’s wedding alongside other hijackers.

In 2006, a video emerged showing Jarrah reading his will in January 2000 alongside Atta. Shortly after this period, he shaved off his beard and adopted a more secular appearance. To hide evidence of his travels to Afghanistan, he reported his passport lost in February 2000 and obtained a blank replacement—similar actions previously taken by Atta and Shehhi.

Jarrah eventually left Fachhochschule and began searching for flight training programs abroad before deciding on relocating to the United States based on advice from an acquaintance.

In the United States

Jarrah entered the United States on seven occasions, more than any other hijacker involved. He secured a five-year B-1/B-2 visa in May 2000 and arrived at Newark International Airport the following month. Subsequently, he traveled to Florida alongside al-Shehhi and Atta, where they enrolled as full-time students at Huffman Aviation flight school in Venice. Jarrah did not alter his tourist visa status, thereby breaching immigration regulations.

His training at Huffman Aviation spanned from June 2000 until January 2001. Fellow students described him as friendly and reliable; he shared living quarters with a German student named Thorsten Biermann, who observed that Jarrah displayed no obvious religious or political tendencies. Throughout this period, Jarrah maintained consistent communication with his Turkish-German girlfriend, Aysel Şengün.

Flight instructor Rudi Dekkers characterized both Jarrah and al-Shehhi as diligent learners, while Atta initially exhibited poor behavior but improved following admonishments. Dekkers recalled social interactions after lessons during which Jarrah spoke about his ambition to become a pilot.

Jarrah obtained his small aircraft pilot license in August 2000 and commenced training on larger jets later that year. Unlike other hijackers who severed familial and romantic ties, he frequently traveled between Beirut, Germany, and the United States to maintain these relationships.

It has been reported that in January 2001 Jarrah passed through the United Arab Emirates where authorities purportedly questioned him regarding trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan; however, the CIA has denied this allegation, and it is absent from the 9/11 Commission Report.

On May 2, both Jarrah and Atta acquired Florida driver’s licenses; shortly thereafter, they joined a gym with al-Shehhi and began close-quarters combat training. Around this time, Ahmed al-Haznawi moved in with Jarrah; they leased an apartment in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea using German passports later submitted to the FBI.

The 9/11 Commission Report notes that during the summer of 2001, Jarrah undertook surveillance flights from Baltimore to Las Vegas to study flight crew procedures; Atta and al-Shehhi had conducted similar reconnaissance flights earlier that year.

On June 25, Jarrah accompanied Haznawi to Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale for treatment of a leg injury initially speculated to be anthrax but later ruled out by the FBI.

In mid-July 2001, several hijackers convened near Salou, Spain. Disagreements surfaced between Jarrah and Atta concerning the progression of their plan. On July 25, Jarrah traveled to Germany for a final meeting with Şengün before returning to the U.S. on August 5; he reportedly completed his pilot’s examination on August 2.

By August 27, he had checked into the Pin-Del Motel located near accommodations used by other hijackers. On September 7, all members of Flight 93 boarded Spirit Airlines from Fort Lauderdale to Newark International Airport.

On September 9, Jarrah was issued a speeding citation in Maryland. That same day he contacted his parents, mentioning funds they had sent and expressing intentions to attend a cousin’s wedding scheduled for September 22.

The following day, September 10, he composed a letter addressed to Şengün—widely interpreted as a farewell note—affirming his dedication to their mission; however, it was returned undelivered because she had entered witness protection. The letter contained expressions such as "I did what I had to" and "It is a great honour."

Reports suggest that shortly before the attacks, Jarrah constructed a large-scale mock cockpit out of cardboard boxes within his apartment.

9/11 attacks

On September 11, 2001, Jarrah contacted his girlfriend Aysel Şengün from his hotel room, repeatedly expressing "I love you." At 5:01 AM in Newark, he placed a brief call to United Airlines Flight 175 hijacker pilot Marwan al-Shehhi, likely to confirm the details of their operation. Jarrah also reached out to American Airlines Flight 11 hijacker pilot Mohamed Atta, but did not communicate with American Airlines Flight 77 hijacker pilot Hani Hanjour.

Together with Saeed al-Ghamdi, Ahmed al-Haznawi, and Ahmed al-Nami, Jarrah boarded United Airlines Flight 93 at Newark International Airport, seating himself near the cockpit. The aircraft departed at 8:42 a.m., shortly before the initial attacks began. Around 9:28 a.m., the hijacking of Flight 93 commenced, with Jarrah identified as the individual piloting the plane.

Audio recordings captured Jarrah’s voice during the takeover, delivering commands in accented English amid heavy breathing and signs of struggle. He repeatedly instructed passengers and crew to remain seated while threatening that a bomb was on board. Background noises included breaking glass, moaning, and physical altercations. At 9:39 a.m., Jarrah calmly announced over the radio that they possessed a bomb and were returning to the airport to meet their demands.

Flight data indicated a rapid descent from approximately 40,700 feet between 9:39 and 9:45 a.m., followed by a brief stabilization before further altitude changes. Jarrah coordinated with fellow hijackers regarding cockpit access and appeared anxious about losing altitude. At one point during the flight, he quietly recited the Shahada.

Passengers learned about the other hijackings through phone calls and resolved to attempt reclaiming control of the aircraft. The hijackers wore red bandanas, with one displaying a box strapped to his torso, claiming it contained explosives. To intimidate passengers, they brandished a fire axe near the cockpit door. The passenger counterattack began at approximately 9:57 a.m.

Cockpit audio reveals sounds of struggle and shouting as passengers tried to break into the cockpit. Jarrah responded by reciting Arabic prayers and deliberately rolling the wings and pitching the nose up and down in an effort to disrupt their assault. Despite these efforts, passengers succeeded in breaching the cockpit door.

Around 10:00 a.m., recognizing that reaching their intended target was unlikely, Jarrah inquired whether they should "finish it off," but was instructed to wait until all passengers had entered. The cockpit voice recorder documented passengers using a food cart as a battering ram against the door.

In the final moments prior to impact at 10:03:11 a.m., Jarrah managed the controls while shouting in both Arabic and English. The plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board instantly.

Following these events, Jarrah’s girlfriend filed a missing person report in Bochum. FBI agents identified him as a suspect after discovering the name "Ziad Jarrahi" on the flight manifest, likely due to a misspelling.

Mistaken identity allegations

Some assertions have suggested that Jarrah was not involved as a hijacker but was instead an innocent traveler or that his identity had been misappropriated. His conduct appeared distinct from that of the other hijackers, and eyewitnesses mentioned three hijackers rather than four. Nevertheless, a video dated January 2000, depicting Jarrah alongside Mohamed Atta as they recorded their wills, strongly challenges these claims.

Following the attacks, acquaintances and relatives observed that Jarrah did not exhibit the "intense political grievances" or "cultural traditionalism" commonly associated with the other hijackers. Although he hailed from a Sunni Muslim background, his upbringing lacked stringent religious adherence, and he maintained a comparatively typical lifestyle. Individuals at his flight school characterized him as "an ordinary individual." Two days prior to boarding United Airlines Flight 93, Jarrah contacted his family, and three hours before the flight, he spoke with his girlfriend Aysel Şengün; both interactions were described as routine without any indication of involvement with other hijackers. His relatives stated he intended to attend a cousin’s wedding and maintained that he was an uninvolved passenger. Jamal Jarrah, his uncle and a former Lebanese parliamentarian and minister affiliated with the Future Movement party, publicly refuted Ziad’s participation and proposed conspiracy theories.

On 23 October 2001, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that Jarrah had shared an apartment in Hamburg with Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi. German officials rejected evidence tying Jarrah’s Hamburg residences to the other hijackers, with one authority emphasizing that such connections were solely based on FBI claims. However, the 2006 unveiling of footage showing Atta and Jarrah together in Afghanistan confirmed Jarrah’s links to the Hamburg cell.

The 9/11 Commission definitively identified Jarrah as one of the hijackers on Flight 93 when it crashed in Pennsylvania.

In October 2006, an al-Qaeda video emerged displaying Jarrah and Atta recording their wills at Osama bin Laden’s Tarnak Farms compound near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

In popular culture

• Actors portraying Jarrah include Karim Saleh in The Hamburg Cell (2004), Pej Vahdat in The Flight That Fought Back (2005), Dominic Rains in Flight 93 (2006), and Khalid Abdalla in the critically acclaimed United 93 (2006). The 2021 German-French production Copilot (German title: Die Welt Wird Eine Andere Sein) examines Jarrah's relationship with Aysel Şengün prior to the attacks. Lebanese actor Roger Azar portrays him under the alias Saeed Awaad; this film was officially selected for the 71st Berlin International Film Festival and released on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11.
• The industrial techno project Vatican Shadow released the 2016 album Media in the Service of Terror, which opens with a track titled "Ziad Jarrah Studied Mathematics."