Who Were the 9/11 Hijackers? The 19 Al-Qaeda Members Who Carried Out Terrorist Attack - Newsweek

Who Were the 9/11 Hijackers? The 19 Al-Qaeda Members Who Carried Out Terrorist Attack

September 11, 2001 saw a terror attack in the U.S., carried out by 19 members of the Al-Qaeda group led by Osama bin Laden, kill nearly 3,000 people, including all 19 terrorists.

The 19 Al-Qaeda members hijacked four planes. Two were crashed into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third plane smashed into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense in Virginia), according to the 9/11 Commission Report by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

The fourth aircraft crashed in a field in southern Pennsylvania. "It had been aimed at the United States Capitol or the White House, and was forced down by heroic passengers armed with the knowledge that America was under attack," the report noted.

"The day began with the 19 hijackers getting through a security checkpoint system that they had evidently analyzed and knew how to defeat. Their success rate in penetrating the system was 19 for 19. They took over the four flights, taking advantage of air crews and cockpits that were not prepared for the contingency of a suicide hijacking," the report said.

The 9/11 attacks killed over 2,600 people at the World Trade Center in New York City, while 125 were reported to be dead at the Pentagon and 256 passengers died on the planes, the report confirmed.

Here we take a closer look at the 19 hijackers from the 9/11 attacks. All data below is sourced from the Central Intelligence Agency.

Hijackers on American Airlines Flight 11

Name: Muhammed Muhammed el-Amir Awad al-Sayed Atta (pilot of the plane)

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: June 3, 2000
  • Arrival city: Newark, New Jersey
  • Nationality: Egyptian
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 33

Name: Abd al-Aziz Abdal-Rahman Muhammed al-Umari

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: June 29, 2001
  • Arrival city: New York, New York
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: New Jersey/Florida
  • Age: 22

Name: Ustam bin Muhammad Abd al-Rahman al-Saqami

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: April 23, 2001
  • Arrival City: Orlando, Florida
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 25

Name: Wail Muhammad Abdallah al-Shehri

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: June 8, 2001
  • Arrival city: Miami, Florida
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 28

Name: Walid Muhammad Abdallah al-Shehri

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: April 23, 2001
  • Arrival city: Orlando, Florida
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 22

Hijackers on United Flight 175

Name: Marwan Yousef Muhammed Rashid Lekrab al-Shehhi (pilot of the plane)

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: May 27, 2000
  • Arrival city: Newark, New Jersey
  • Nationality: United Arab Emirates (UAE)
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 23

Name: Ahmad Salih Said al-Kurshi al-Ghamdi

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: May 2, 2001
  • Arrival city: Dulles, Virginia
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: New Jersey/Florida
  • Age: 22

Name: Ahmad Banihammad

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: June 27, 2001
  • Arrival city: Orlando, Florida
  • Nationality: UAE
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 24

Name: Hamza Salih Ahmad al-Hamid al-Ghamdi

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: May 28, 2001
  • Arrival city: Miami, Florida
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 20

Name: Mahanid Muhammad Fayiz al-Shehri

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: May 28, 2001
  • Arrival city: Miami, Florida
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 22

Hijackers on American Airlines Flight 77

Name: Hani Salih Hasan Hanjur (pilot of the plane)

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: December 8, 2000
  • Arrival city: Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: Arizona/New Jersey/Maryland
  • Age: 29

Hanjur's date of arrival in the U.S. listed above "represents entry we believe is related to 11 September attacks, but Hanjur, unlike the other suspected hijackers, had traveled in and out of the US since 1991," the CIA noted.

Name: Khalid bin Muhammed bin Abdallah al-Mihdhar

  • Date Arrived in the U.S.: January 15, 2000
  • Arrival city: Los Angeles, California
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: California/ New Jersey/Maryland
  • Age: 26

Name: Majid Muqid Mushan bin Ghanim

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: May 2, 2001
  • Arrival city: Dulles, Virginia
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence in U.S.: New Jersey/ Maryland
  • Age: 24

Name: Nawaf bin Muhammad Salim al-Hazmi

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: January 15, 2000
  • Arrival city in the U.S.: Los Angeles, California
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: California/ Arizona/New Jersey/Maryland
  • Age: 25

Name: Salim Muhammad Salim al-Hazmi

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: June 29, 2001
  • Arrival city: New York, New York
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: New Jersey/Maryland
  • Age: 20

Hijackers on United Flight 93

Name: Ziad Samir Jarrah (pilot of the plane)

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: June 27, 2000
  • Arrival city: Newark, New Jersey
  • Nationality: Lebanese
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 26

Name: Ahmad Abdullah Abd al-Rahman al-Nami

  • Date arrived in the U.S: May 28, 2001
  • Arrival city: Miami, Florida
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 23

Name: Ahmad Ibrahim Ali al-Haznawi

  • Date Arrived in the U.S.: June 8, 2001
  • Arrival city: Miami, Florida
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 20

Name: Said Abdalah Ali Sulayman al-Ghamdi

  • Date arrived in the U.S.: June 27, 2001
  • Arrival city: Orlando, Florida
  • Nationality: Saudi
  • Residence: Florida
  • Age: 21
September 11 World Trade Center plane crash
A hijacked commercial plane approaches the World Trade Center shortly before crashing into the skyscraper on September 11, 2001 in New York City. Seth McAllister/AFP via Getty Images

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About the writer


Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health. 

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