The events of Sept. 11 , 2001 , leave America and much of the cosmos wonder : Who could have been responsible for the devastatingterroristattacks that left nearly 3,000 people idle ?

On that fateful Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , 19hijackerstook over four commercial aeroplane in flight , aviate two into New York City ’s World Trade Center towers , one into the Pentagon , and one into an abandoned strip mine in Pennsylvania , the latter failing to reach its intended target . Three of the flight carried five hijacker each , while a fourth flight ( the one that break apart in Pennsylvania ) carried only four hijackers . In this article , we ’ll focus on the pilots of the hijacked plane , three of whom stem from a radical that originally consorted in Hamburg , Germany . The other hijacker were less big , and their presence was mean to repress the passenger and gang .

Terry McDermott , the author of " Perfect Soldiers , " which explores the paths of these central hijackers , believes that they were surprisingly unremarkable valet de chambre . Mohamed Atta , the leader of the hijackers , did not come from an especially spiritual family , but lead a sheltered life in Egypt until moving to Germany .

In contrast to the serious Atta , Marwan al - Shehhi , from the United Arab Emirates , was more laid back , though he grew up with a stricter Islamic upbringing , and often sang and express joy about the joy of being a martyr . Al - Shehhi shortly became Atta ’s shadow after they met , and the two take trajectory lessons together . Al - Shehhi would finally follow Atta to death , piloting a carpenter’s plane into the South Tower of the World Trade Center shortly after Atta fly his into the North Tower .

The pilot of Flight 93 , which crash in Pennsylvania , was a Lebanese named Ziad Jarrah . Jarrah was apparently the most jovial of the group . After taking flight moral in the United States in cooking for his deputation , he return to Germany to see his girlfriend . While there , he reportedly almost changed his mind about going through with the programme .

The man who allegedly convince Jarrah to go through with it was Ramzi bin al - Shibh , another member of the original Hamburg cell , who , had he been approved for a visa , would have become the fourth pilot . or else , that job go to a Saudi named Hani Hanjour , who was already a licensed pilot in the United States . Hanjour joined Al Qaeda after give out to get a job , finally flying Flight 77 into the Pentagon .

Mohamed Atta and the Formation of the Hamburg Cell

Mohamed Atta , the eventual ring leader of the hijackers who vaporize hisplaneinto the North Tower of the World Trade Center , also avail design the scheme . Having grown up in Egypt in a strict household , he is account as having had a very serious demeanor . From a untested long time , he excelled at his study and was seldom allowed to work . Although his folk was n’t particularly religious , expert believe that once he moved to Hamburg , Germany , his spiritual impression intensified . Atta was known to leave the way when lurid entertainment like belly dancing arrive on television , and was likely disgusted with women ’s revealing clothing and prostitution , both mutual in Hamburg [ source : McDermott ] .

After getting a point in computer architecture in Cairo , Atta go to Germany to further his studies and terminate up at the Technical University of Hamburg - Harburg . Upon reaching in Hamburg in the other ' XC , he consume no time looking for a mosque , eventually finding one called Al Quds . It was through this mosque that Atta shape a prayer group with corresponding - apt Muslims , include Ramzi bin al - Shibh , Marwan al - Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah .

The group met at an apartment at Marrienstrasse 54 . Impressed with Al Qaeda ’s bombardment of U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998 , they soon attempt involvement with the organization . By tardy 1999 , they succeeded . After coming to Al Qaeda , the members of the Hamburg cell soon contact Osama bin Laden himself . Although mine run and workaday , these members of the Hamburg cell were exactly the variety of men bin Laden had been look for . They were consecrate and willing to become sufferer , but most significantly , they had clean backgrounds and would have a comparatively sluttish time getting into the United States .

Bin Laden asked them to become martyrs for the " Planes Operation , " which was a plot crafted by the ill-famed terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammad . The idea involved hijacking planing machine and gate-crash them into gamy - visibility building . Members of the Hamburg cell were quick and uncoerced . They soon went to work , returning to Germany , getting switch passports , bespeak visas and , finally , taking flight example in the United States .

With Al Qaeda supplying financial support , educational activity and 15 " sinew terrorists " to join them on the plane , the members of the Hamburg electric cell but had to follow orders .

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