Editing Mohamed Atta (section)

== Family reaction and denial ==
Atta's father vehemently rejected allegations his son was involved in the [[September 11 attacks|9/11 attacks]], and instead accused the [[Mossad]] and the [[Federal government of the United States|United States government]] of having a hand in framing his son.<ref name="prospect" /> Atta Sr. rejected media reports that stated his son was drinking wildly, and instead described his son as a quiet boy uninvolved with [[politics]], shy and devoted to studying [[architecture]].<ref>{{cite news |author=MacFarquhar, Neil |date=19 September 2001 |title=Father Denies 'Gentle Son' Could Hijack Any Jetliner |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E2D8123BF93AA2575AC0A9679C8B63 |url-status=live |access-date=16 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207201503/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E2D8123BF93AA2575AC0A9679C8B63 |archive-date=7 December 2008}}</ref> The elder Mr. Atta said he had spoken with Mohamed by phone the day after on 12 September 2001. He held interviews with the [[Germany|German]] news magazine ''Bild am Sonntag'' in late 2002, saying his son was alive and hiding in fear for his life, and that [[Christianity in the United States|American Christians]] were responsible for the attacks.<ref>{{cite news |author=Connolly, Kate |date=2 September 2002 |title=Father insists alleged leader of attack on WTC is still alive |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/sep/02/september11.usa |url-status=live |access-date=16 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826155910/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/sep/02/september11.usa |archive-date=26 August 2013}}</ref> In an interview on 24 September 2001, Atta Sr. stated, "My son is gone. He is now with [[God in Islam|God]]. The Mossad killed him."<ref>Alan Zarembo. [http://www.newsweek.com/he-never-even-had-kite-151919 "He Never Even Had a Kite" Mohamed Atta's father talks about his son, the alleged hijacker] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912013012/http://www.newsweek.com/he-never-even-had-kite-151919|date=12 September 2017}}</ref>

In 2021, on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Atta's mother was interviewed by a Spanish newspaper. His mother, aged 79 at the time, denied her son's involvement in the attacks and said that she feels he is in Afghanistan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 September 2021 |title=والدة مصري دشن هجمات 11 سبتمبر تشعر أنه حي وسيظهر |url=https://www.alarabiya.net/last-page/2021/09/11/%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%AF%D8%B4%D9%86-%D9%87%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-11-%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%B1-%D8%A3%D9%86%D9%87-%D8%AD%D9%8A-%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B8%D9%87%D8%B1 |website=العربية |language=ar}}</ref>