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Fayez Banihammad

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Fayez Banihammad
فايز بني حماد
Born
Fayez Rashid Ahmed Hassan al-Qadi Banihammad

(1977-03-19)19 March 1977
Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates
Died11 September 2001(2001-09-11) (aged 24)
South Tower, New York City, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide by plane crash (September 11 attacks)
NationalitySaudi
RelativesAhmed al-Ghamdi (brother)

Fayez Banihammad[a] (19 March 1977 – 11 September 2001) was an Emirati terrorist hijacker from al-Qaeda who was one of the five terrorist hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 175 that was flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks.

In 1999, Banihammad left the United Arab Emirates for Saudi Arabia, where he joined the al-Qaeda terrorist group. He met Mustafa al Hawsawi, who allegedly funded the attacks. He entered the United States with a tourist visa, and on 29 August 2001, Banihammad paid for his flight ticket. Flight 175 was meant to fly from Boston's Logan Airport to Los Angeles. On the day of the attacks, after the plane took off, his group of hijackers likely forced their way into the cockpit and stabbed the pilots to death. Marwan al-Shehhi, the only other Emirati involved in the attacks, took control of the plane, and flew it into the South Tower, killing everyone onboard.

Early life

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Fayez Rashid Ahmed Hassan al-Qadi Banihammad (who used many aliases but is mainly known as Fayez Banihammad[1][2]) was born on March 19, 1977.[2] He was allegedly the son of a school principal,[3] and grew up in the Khor Fakkan region of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).[4][5]

Banihammad's family claimed he left the UAE in 1999, saying he was going to join an Islamic relief organization.[3] Instead, he would go to Saudi Arabia, where he joined the al-Qaeda terrorist group.[5] He and his family had only one phone call after he left.[3]

September 11 attacks

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Main articles: United Airlines Flight 175 and September 11 attacks

Background

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The September 11 attacks were a series of terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001, formulated by the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and Khalid Sheikh Mohammad.[6][7] They would be committed by 19 attackers, targeting four different locations with hijacked commercial planes. Three of these locations were each of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Pentagon in Washington D.C.[7][8] The fourth target was potentially the U.S Capitol Building, but the fourth plane was unsuccessful in hitting it, because of a revolt by its passengers.[8][9]

Banihammad was one of the hijackers.[6] He was described as one of the "bit players" within his group, which targeted the World Trade Center's South Tower.[3] The others were Ahmed al-Ghamdi, Hamza al-Ghamdi, Marwan al-Shehhi, and Mohand al-Shehri.[10] However, he still played a "unique role" in his group; during his time in Saudi Arabia, he met Saudi businessman Mustafa al Hawsawi, who is alleged to have funded the attacks.[5][11] Banihammad had previously spent one year at university with al-Shehri.[12] He was one of two Emiratis to participate in the attacks, the other being al-Shehhi.[6] At the time of the attacks, he was 24.[5]

Planning

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Banihammad received his tourist visa on June 18, 2001, one of three hijackers which received their visa much later than the others. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad claimed these three hijackers were not replacements for unsuccessful candidates, but rather extra men to increase the odds of success.[5][13] Before arriving to the United States, he made bank accounts in the United Arab Emirates, at the same bank and time as Hawsawi. Familiar with the country's procedures, Banihammad helped Hawsawi complete his account application. He gave Hawsawi $3,000 and granted him power of attorney over his own account, so Hawsawi could forward a bank card to him while he was in the United States. This is likely when Hawsawi's role as a financial facilitator of the attacks began. $30,000 was deposited into Banihammad's account on June 25. On June 27, he arrived to the United States using his tourist visa. He landed at Orlando after taking a flight from London. After that, he made Visa and ATM withdrawals from his UAE accounts.[5][14]

Banihammad most likely lived in Florida during the planning, potentially with al-Shehhi and Mohammed Atta (the attacks' mastermind[15]) at their apartment in Hollywood, or with other hijackers.[16][17] He reportedly took flight lessons with Atta in Florida. His pilot's license had an address for a flight school in Tulsa, but the school had no record of him attending. A person with his name did attend the Lackland Air Force Base Defense Language Institute in San Antonio.[16] In July, he rented a postal box at Mail Boxes Etc. in Delray Beach, and on August 29, he paid for a first-class seat, 2A, on United Airlines Flight 175, using the postal address.[1] The flight was scheduled to fly from Boston's Logan Airport to Los Angeles on September 11.[6] It would depart from Logan Airport along with American Airlines Flight 11, which Atta was on.[18]

In early September, Mustafa al-Hawsawi received a Western Union transfer of $26,000 from Atta, brothers Marwan and Waleed al-Shehri, and Banihammad.[12][19] The FBI believed this transaction was the hijackers returning their unused funds as they did not want to "die as thieves". al-Hisawi later cleaned out Banihammad's bank account in Dubai, and he could do so because he had power of attorney over it.[19]

Day of the attacks

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United Airlines Flight 175 crashing into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at approximately 9:03 a.m.

On September 11, Banihammad and his group checked in for Flight 175, which was scheduled to depart at 8:00 a.m..[20] They were armed with knives and mace,[21] but none of them were checked by CAPPS.[20] Between 7:23 and 7:28, the group boarded. Banihammad sat in seat 2A.[20] There were 56 passengers and 9 crew onboard in total.[10] At some point, while both Flight 11 and 175 were on the Logan tarmac, Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi talked on their cell phones, confirming their final plan.[18] 175 departed Logan at 8:14. Around 8:42 to 8:46, the hijackers likely forced their way into the cockpit and stabbed the pilots to death.[10][21] One of the hijackers stabbed the flight crew and told the other passengers to get back.[10] Shehhi started controlling the plane.[10][21] Five minutes later, he changed course.[10]

At approximately 9:03 a.m., Flight 175 struck the South Tower.[6][8] The plane, flying at 540 miles per hour, hit the 81st floor, and made a hole from the 77th to the 85th floors. All 65 people onboard the plane, including the hijackers, died.[21] Flights 11 and 175 each heavily damaged their respective targets, and both towers collapsed. The South Tower collapsed first, at 9:59 a.m.[8] More than 600 deaths came from the attack on the South Tower.[10][21]

Aftermath

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During the FBI's investigation into the attacks, they learned from Ahmed al-Hada, the father-in-law of hijacker Khalid al-Mihdhar, that Banihammad was Emirati.[22] Banihammad was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the indictment of Zacarias Moussaoui.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b By (28 September 2001). "THE TRAIL OF TERROR". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b John J. Lumpkin (11 September 2001). "Globalsecurity.org". Globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d "CNN.com - Transcripts". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  4. ^ "United States v. Zacarias Moussaoui, trial exhibit UA00455.2A". Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "9/11 anniversary: Who were the September 11th attackers and what are the links with the new Taliban regime?". Sky News. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Research, CNN Editorial (27 July 2013). "September 11 Hijackers Fast Facts". CNN. Retrieved 14 March 2024. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ a b "September 11 attacks | History, Summary, Location, Timeline, Casualties, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "September 11 attacks - Terrorist Attack, WTC, Pentagon | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  9. ^ "What Was Flight 93's Target?". HISTORY. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g "9/11: The terror attacks on the US - minute by minute". Sky News. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  11. ^ 9/11 Commission Report (2004), p. 231.
  12. ^ a b "The six sons of Asir". The Telegraph. 15 September 2002. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  13. ^ 9/11 Commission Report (2004), p. 525.
  14. ^ 9/11 Commission Report (2004), pp. 237, 527, 528.
  15. ^ "Hijackers used brains, muscle and practice". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  16. ^ a b c ""Who Did It?"". Archived from the original on 6 December 2003. Retrieved 8 September 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) ABC News. 2003.
  17. ^ 9/11 Commission Report (2004), p. 528.
  18. ^ a b "Hijackers used brains, muscle and practice". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  19. ^ a b Reports, Staff (10 March 2003). "Questions wait for alleged 9/11 'paymaster'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  20. ^ a b c 9/11 Commission Report (2004), p. 2.
  21. ^ a b c d e "BBC NEWS | In Depth". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Ali Soufan: The World Would Be Very Different Today". FRONTLINE. Retrieved 14 March 2024.

Notes

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  1. ^ Full name: Fāyaz Rāshid Aḥmad Ḥasan al-Qāḍī Banī Ḥammād, Arabic: فايز راشد احمد حسن القاضي بني حماد

Sources

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  • The 9/11 Commission Report (2004), United States Government Publishing Office. ISBN 9780393326710
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Media related to Fayez Banihammad at Wikimedia Commons

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