Hijackers Alive
Several Suicide Hijackers Later Turn Up Alive in the Middle East
Of the 19 alleged hijackers identified by the FBI, at least six turned up alive after the attack. The FBI's identifications included names, photographs, and, in several cases, other personal details -- all of which matched the six persons who surfaced after the attack to proclaim their innocence.
Abdulaziz Alomari
Abdulaziz Alomari was identified by the FBI as the hijacker who accompanied Mohamed Atta from the connecting flight from Portland and helped him hijack and pilot Flight 11 into the North Tower. Abdulaziz told the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper: "The name [listed by the FBI] is my name and the birth date is the same as mine, but I am not the one who bombed the World Trade Center in New York." 1 Saudi Embassy officials in Washington defended the innocence of Alomari, saying that his passport was stolen in 1996 and that he had reported the theft to the police. 2
Saeed Alghamdi
Saeed Alghamdi, a Saudi Airlines pilot, was identified by the FBI of being a hijacker of Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania. Alghamdi was "shocked and furious" to learn this three days after the attack, noting that his name, place of residence, date of birth, and occupation matched those described by the FBI. "You cannot imagine what it is like to be described as a terrorist - and a dead man - when you are innocent and alive," said Alghamdi, who considered legal action against the FBI. 3
Salem Al-Hamzi
Al-Hamzi was identified by the FBI as one of the hijackers of Flight 77, thought to have crashed into the Pentagon. Al-Hamzi said: "I have never been to the United States and have not been out of Saudi Arabia in the past two years." 4
Ahmed Al-Nami
Al-Nami was identified by the FBI as one of the hijackers of Flight 93. Al-Nami said: "I'm still alive, as you can see. I was shocked to see my name mentioned by the American Justice Department. I had never even heard of Pennsylvania where the plane I was supposed to have hijacked." 5
Waleed Alshehri
Waleed Alshehri, a Saudi Arabian pilot, was identified by the FBI as one of the hijackers of Flight 11. Alshehri turned up in Morocco after the attack where he contacted both the Saudi and American authorities to tell them he was not involved in the attack. 6 7
Abdulrahman al-Omari
Abdulrahman al-Omari, a Saudi Airlines pilot, was identified by the FBI as one of the hijackers of Flight 11. After learning this, he visited the US consulate in Jeddah to demand an explanation. 8
Ameer and Adnan Bukhari
Ameer and Adnan Bukhari were named by CNN as suspected hijackers of Flight 175, the jetliner which crashed into the South Tower, in an article dated 9/13/01. In a correction, CNN stated that Ameer Bukhari died in a small plane crash in Florida, and that Adnan was still alive in Florida, having passed a polygraph test to confirm his innocence. 9
10 References
1. Who Did It?, ABCnews.com , [cached]
2. The hijack suspects, BBC , 9/28/01 [cached]
3. Revealed: the men with stolen identities, telegraph.co.uk , 9/23/01 [cached]
4. Revealed: the men with stolen identities,
5. Revealed: the men with stolen identities,
6. Hijack 'suspects' alive and well, BBC , 9/23/01 [cached]
7. Dead Saudi Hijack Suspect Resurfaces, Denies Involvement, AllAfrica.com , 9/24/01 [cached]
8. 'Suicide hijacker' is an airline pilot alive and well in Jeddah, Independent.co.uk , 9/17/01 [cached]
9. Arrests made at New York airports, CNN.com , 9/13/01 [cached]
10. Les Américains se trompent sur 5 des 19 terroristes, AllAfrica.com , 9/21/01 [cached]