Why the 9/11 Masterminds Nearly Dropped Hijacker Khalid al-Mihdhar
A historical account details a hijacker’s near-removal from the 9/11 plot.
Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden selected Khalid al-Mihdhar for a role in the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, but the Saudi national was reportedly nearly removed from the operation because of difficulties during his time in the United States. Accounts later detailed by the 9/11 Commission indicate that al-Mihdhar was initially selected for pilot training and was among the first of the 19 hijackers to enter the US, arriving in January 2000.
Al-Mihdhar travelled to San Diego with fellow Saudi national Nawaf al-Hazmi, who had also been selected as a potential pilot. However, al-Mihdhar eventually left the US in June 2000, saying he wanted to travel to Yemen to visit his wife and newborn son. His departure left al-Hazmi in the United States, where he faced difficulties including limited English skills and problems with flight training.
Mohammed Atta, who later emerged as the operational leader of the 9/11 hijackers, subsequently travelled to San Diego to check on al-Hazmi. According to accounts attributed to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the principal planners of the attacks, Atta wanted al-Mihdhar removed from the operation because of the problems surrounding his participation. Al-Qaeda's leadership in Afghanistan, however, reportedly insisted that he remain involved in the plot.
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Al-Mihdhar was ultimately given a different role instead of becoming a pilot. He was paired with Hani Hanjour and designated as a so-called “muscle hijacker” aboard American Airlines Flight 77. The aircraft was later hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, as part of the coordinated attacks that also involved three other hijacked commercial aircraft.
US intelligence agencies had already developed concerns about al-Mihdhar's links to al-Qaeda before the attacks. On June 13, 2001, he applied for a new US visa at the American consulate in Jeddah using a Saudi passport issued 13 days earlier. Although the CIA knew about his earlier US visa and suspected his extremist links, the relevant information was not available in the State Department's visa system, and he was not listed on a terrorism watch list.
Al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi had previously been tracked to Malaysia, where they met other suspected al-Qaeda members, but information about their movements and return to the United States was delayed. Al-Mihdhar returned to the US on July 4, 2001, despite irregularities involving his passport, and was admitted with a six-month visa. More than two months later, he and al-Hazmi were among the five hijackers aboard Flight 77 when it was crashed into the Pentagon.
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