Editing Khalid al-Mihdhar

{{Short description|Saudi terrorist and 9/11 hijacker (1975–2001)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}{{Use American English|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Khalid al-Mihdhar
| image              = Khalid al-mihdhar 2.jpg
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1975|5|16|df=y}}
| birth_name         = Khalid Muhammad Abdallah al-Mihdhar
| native_name        = {{Lang|ar|خالد المحضار}}
| native_name_lang   = ar
| birth_place        = [[Mecca]], Saudi Arabia
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2001|9|11|1975|5|16|df=y}}
| death_place        = [[The Pentagon]], [[Virginia]], U.S.
| death_cause        = [[Suicide attack|Suicide]] by [[American Airlines Flight 77|plane crash]] ([[September 11 attacks]])
| nationality        = [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi Arabian]]
| relatives          = [[Ahmed al-Darbi]] (brother-in-law)
| known_for          = Helping hijack [[American Airlines Flight 77|American 77]] and crashing it into [[The Pentagon]] as part of the [[September 11 attacks]]
| spouse             = Hoda al-Hada
| children           = 2 daughters
}}

'''Khalid Muhammad Abdallah al-Mihdhar''' ({{langx|ar|خالد المحضار|translit=Khālid al-Miḥḍār}}; also [[transliteration|transliterated]] as '''AL Mihdhar'''; 16 May 1975{{efn|There is some discrepancy over Mihdhar's date of birth. The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States observes that "Mihdhar uses May 16, 1975 as his birthdate on his ID, as well as on his U.S. visa. See [http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrTrav_App.pdf 9/11 and Terror Travel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005014508/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrTrav_App.pdf |date=2008-10-05 }}, p. 192 for ID card; see also copy of Mihdhar's visa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/notablecases/moussaoui/exhibits/prosecution/SD00407.html|title=U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Virginia|website=www.vaed.uscourts.gov|access-date=2008-10-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513094851/http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov/notablecases/moussaoui/exhibits/prosecution/SD00407.html|archive-date=2009-05-13|url-status=dead}}</ref> George Tenet gave testimony that "The CIA gave Mihdhar's birthdate as May 5, 1975" ({{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/DCI_18_June_testimony_new.pdf |title=11 September 2001 Hijackers |work=Testimony by George Tenet before the Joint Inquiry into Terrorist Attacks Against the United States |date=2002-06-18 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists (FAS) |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005014507/http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/DCI_18_June_testimony_new.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-05 |url-status=live }}).}} – 11 September 2001) was a [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] terrorist hijacker. He was one of the five [[Organizers of the September 11 attacks|hijackers]] of [[American Airlines Flight 77]], which was flown into the [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]] as part of the [[September 11 attacks]].

Al-Mihdhar was born in Saudi Arabia. In early 1999, he traveled to [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Afghanistan]] where, as an experienced and respected [[jihad]]ist, he was selected by [[Osama bin Laden]] to participate in the attacks. Al-Mihdhar arrived in [[California]] with fellow hijacker [[Nawaf al-Hazmi]] in January 2000, after traveling to [[Malaysia]] for the [[Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit]]. At this point, the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] was aware of al-Mihdhar, and he was photographed in Malaysia with another [[al-Qaeda]] member who was involved in the [[USS Cole bombing|USS ''Cole'' bombing]]. The CIA did not inform the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] when it learned that al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi had entered the United States, and al-Mihdhar was not placed on any watchlists until late August 2001.

Upon arriving in [[San Diego County, California]], al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were to train as pilots, but spoke [[English language|English]] poorly and did not do well with [[Flight training|flight lessons]]. In June 2000, al-Mihdhar left the United States for [[Yemen]], leaving al-Hazmi behind in San Diego. Al-Mihdhar spent some time in Afghanistan in early 2001 and returned to the United States in early July 2001. He stayed in [[New Jersey]] in July and August, before arriving in the [[Washington, D.C.]], area at the beginning of September.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, al-Mihdhar boarded American Airlines Flight 77, and assisted in the hijacking of the plane which was hijacked approximately 30 minutes after takeoff. al-Mihdhar and his team of hijackers then deliberately crashed the plane into the Pentagon, killing all 64 people aboard the flight, along with 125 on the ground.

==Background==
Al-Mihdhar was born on 16 May 1975, in [[Mecca]], [[Saudi Arabia]], to a prominent family that belonged to the [[Quraysh (tribe)|Quraysh]] tribe of Mecca.<ref name="willalOmari">Videotape of recorded will of Abdulaziz al-Omari and others</ref>  Little is known about his life before the age of 20, when he and childhood friend [[Nawaf al-Hazmi]] went to [[Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia and Herzegovina]] to fight with the [[Bosnian mujahideen|mujahideen]] in the [[Bosnian War]].<ref name="911-ch5">9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 5.2, pp. 153–159</ref><ref>McDermott (2005), p. 191</ref>  After the war, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi went to [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Afghanistan]] where they fought alongside the [[Taliban]] against the [[United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan|Northern Alliance]],<ref name="wright">Wright (2006), p. 309</ref> and al-Qaeda would later dub al-Hazmi his "second in command".<ref name="willalOmari"/>  In 1997, al-Mihdhar told his family that he was leaving to [[Chechen–Russian conflict#Chechen Wars|fight in Chechnya]],<ref>{{cite news|author=McDermott, Terry |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |title=The Plot: How Terrorists hatched a simple plan to use planes as bombs |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/specials/911/la-na-plot-1sep01.story |date=2002-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919221220/http://911readingroom.org/whole_document.php?article_id=150 |archive-date=2008-09-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref> though it is not certain that he actually went to Chechnya.<ref name="Burke">Burke (2004), p. 237</ref>  The same year, both men attracted the attention of [[Saudi Intelligence]], who believed they were involved in [[arms smuggling]], and the following year they were eyed as possible collaborators in the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]] in [[East Africa]] after it emerged that [[Mohamed Rashed Daoud Al-Owhali]] had given the FBI the phone number of al-Mihdhar's father-in-law; 967-1-200578, which turned out to be a key communications hub for al-Qaeda militants, and eventually tipped off the Americans about the upcoming [[Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit]].<ref name="mayer">[[Jane Mayer|Mayer, Jane]], "The Dark Side", 2008.</ref><ref name="disclose">{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,100332,00.html |title=Saudis, US Disclose Intel Operations on Terror |publisher=FOX News |date=2003-10-16 |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413214024/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,100332,00.html |archive-date=2008-04-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the late 1990s, al-Mihdhar married Hoda al-Hada, who was the sister of a comrade from [[Yemen]], and they had two daughters.<ref name="wright"/>  Through marriage, al-Mihdhar was related to a number of individuals involved with [[al-Qaeda]] in some way. Al-Mihdhar's father-in-law, [[Ahmad Mohammad Ali al-Hada]], helped facilitate al-Qaeda communications in Yemen,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9502E4DF123FF936A25751C0A9649C8B63 |title=Dead Suspect Had Links To Terrorism |date=2002-02-15 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630050804/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9502E4DF123FF936A25751C0A9649C8B63 |archive-date=2012-06-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/63855 |title=Periscope |author=Hosenball, Mark |date=2002-02-25 |magazine=Newsweek |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630050900/http://www.newsweek.com/id/63855 |archive-date=2012-06-30 |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead }}</ref> and in late 2001, al-Mihdhar's brother-in-law, [[Ahmed al-Darbi]], was captured in [[Azerbaijan]] and sent to [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|Guantanamo Bay]] on charges of supporting a plot to bomb ships in the [[Strait of Hormuz]].<ref>Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, [[s:Guantanamo Detainee Charged (ISN 768)|Guantanamo Detainee Charged (ISN 768)]], December 21, 2007</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/1240/story/489066.html |title=Saudi Terror Suspect: Military Trials a 'Sham' |author=Rosenberg, Carol |date=2008-04-09 |work=Miami Herald |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20081009061543/http://www.miamiherald.com/1240/story/489066.html |archive-date=2008-10-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Selection for the attacks===
In Spring 1999, [[al-Qaeda]] founder [[Osama bin Laden]] committed to support the 9/11 attacks plot, which was largely organized by prominent al-Qaeda member [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]]. Al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were among the first group of participants selected for the operation, along with [[Walid bin 'Attash|Tawfiq bin Attash]] and [[Abu Bara al Yemeni]], al-Qaeda members from Yemen.  Al-Mihdhar, who had spent time in al-Qaeda camps in the 1990s, was known and highly regarded by Bin Laden.<ref name="Burke"/>  Al-Mihdhar was so eager to participate in [[jihad]] operations in the United States that he had already obtained a one-year [[B-1 visa|B-1/B-2]] (tourist/business) multiple-entry [[United States visas|visa]] from the consulate in [[Jeddah]], Saudi Arabia, on April 7, 1999, one day after obtaining a new passport.<ref name="911-ch5"/><ref name="travel">9/11 and Terrorist Travel, pp. 9–10</ref>  Al-Mihdhar listed the Los Angeles [[Sheraton Hotels and Resorts|Sheraton]] as his intended destination.<ref name="timeline">FBI Hijackers' Timeline, p. 40</ref>

Once selected, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were sent to the [[Mes Aynak]] training camp in Afghanistan. In late 1999, al-Hazmi, bin Attash and  al Yemeni went to [[Karachi]], [[Pakistan]] to see Mohammed, who instructed them on [[Western culture]] and travel; however, al-Mihdhar did not go to Karachi, instead returning to Yemen.<ref name="911-ch5"/> He was known as ''Sinaan'' during the preparations.<ref name="willalOmari"/>

==2000==

===Malaysia summit===
[[File:KAlmihdhar.JPG|thumb|right|Khalid al-Mihdhar]]
{{main|Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit}}
The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] was aware of al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi's involvement with al-Qaeda, having been informed by Saudi intelligence during a 1999 meeting in [[Riyadh]].  Based on information uncovered by the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] in the [[1998 United States embassy bombings]] case, the [[National Security Agency]] (NSA) began tracking the communications of Hada, al-Mihdhar's father-in-law. In late 1999, the NSA informed the CIA of an upcoming meeting in [[Malaysia]], which Hada mentioned would involve "Khalid", "Nawaf", and "Salem", who was al-Hazmi's younger brother, [[Salem al-Hazmi]].<ref name="soufan"/>

On 4 January 2000, al-Mihdhar left Yemen and flew to [[Dubai]], [[United Arab Emirates]], where he spent the night.  The CIA broke into his hotel room and photocopied his passport, which gave them his full name, birth information and passport number for the first time, and alerted them that he held an entry visa to the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf |title=Report of the Joint Inquiry into the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |year=2002 |page=144 |access-date=2008-09-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005014507/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/fullreport_errata.pdf |archive-date=October 5, 2008 }}</ref>  The photocopy was sent to the CIA's [[Bin Laden Issue Station|Alec Station]], which was tracking al-Qaeda.<ref name="soufan">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/07/10/060710fa_fact_wright?currentPage=all |author=Wright, Lawrence |title=The Agent: Did the CIA Stop an FBI Detective from Preventing 9/11 |date=2006-07-10 |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080717133042/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/07/10/060710fa_fact_wright?currentPage=all |archive-date=2008-07-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 5 January 2000, al-Mihdhar traveled to [[Kuala Lumpur]], where he joined al-Hazmi, bin Attash and al-Yemeni, who were all arriving from Pakistan. [[Hamburg cell]] member [[Ramzi bin al-Shibh]] was also at the summit, and Mohammed possibly attended.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/could/ |title=The Man Who Knew: What If... |work=Frontline |publisher=PBS |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921160152/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/could/ |archive-date=2008-09-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="fouda">Fouda and Fielding (2003), pp. 129–130</ref> The group was in Malaysia to meet with [[Hambali]], the leader of [[Jemaah Islamiyah]], an Asian al-Qaeda affiliate.  During the [[Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit]], many key details of the 9/11 attacks may have been arranged. At the time, the attacks plot had an additional component involving hijacking aircraft in Asia, as well as in the United States.  Bin Attash and al-Yemeni were slated for this part of the plot.  However, it was later canceled by bin Laden for being too difficult to coordinate with United States operations.<ref name="911-ch5"/>

{{quote box |width=20em |quote='[W]e've got to tell the Bureau about this. These guys clearly are bad. One of them, at least, has a multiple-entry visa to the U.S. We've got to tell the FBI.' And then [the CIA officer] said to me, 'No, it's not the FBI's case, not the FBI's jurisdiction.' |author=[[Mark Rossini]] |source="The Spy Factory"<ref name=rossini1>{{cite news | url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/spy-factory.html | title=The Spy Factory | publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] | author=Bamford, James | author-link=James Bamford | author2=Willis, Scott | date=February 3, 2009 | access-date=July 2, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411200414/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/spy-factory.html | archive-date=2014-04-11 | url-status=live }}</ref>}}

In Malaysia, the group stayed with [[Yazid Sufaat]], a local Jemaah Islamiyah member, who provided accommodation at Hambali's request.<ref name="911-ch5"/>  Both al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were secretly photographed at the meeting by Malaysian authorities, whom the CIA had asked to provide [[surveillance]].  The Malaysians reported that al-Mihdhar spoke at length with bin Attash, and he met with [[Fahd al-Quso]] and others who were later involved in the [[USS Cole bombing|USS ''Cole'' bombing]].<ref name="soufan"/><ref name="fouda"/>  After the meeting, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi traveled to [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]], on 8 January and left a week later on 15 January for the United States.<ref>FBI Hijackers' Timeline, p. 52</ref>

===United States entry===
[[Image:Parkwood apts.jpg|thumb|right|Parkwood Apartments complex, located in the [[Clairemont, San Diego, California|Clairemont Mesa]] section of [[San Diego]], where Mihdhar and [[Nawaf al-Hazmi]] lived from February until the end of May 2000]]

On 15 January  2000, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi arrived at [[Los Angeles International Airport]] from Bangkok and were admitted as tourists for a period of six months.<ref>9/11 and Terror Travel, p. 10</ref> On 1 February 2000—17 days upon entering the United States—the two men encountered [[Omar al-Bayoumi]] and [[Caysan Bin Don]] at a halal food restaurant on [[Venice Boulevard]] in Culver City.<ref name="venice">''[[9/11 Commission Report]]'', [[9/11 Commission]], p. 217</ref> Al-Bayoumi claimed he was merely being charitable in assisting the two seemingly out-of-place [[Muslim]]s with moving to San Diego, where he helped them find an apartment near his own, co-signed their lease, and gave them $1,500 to help pay their rent.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/66665 |title=The Saudi Money Trail |date=2002-12-02 |author=Iskioff, Michael and Evan Thomas |work=Newsweek |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205040852/http://www.newsweek.com/id/66665 |archive-date=2008-12-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Mohammed later claimed that he suggested San Diego as their destination, based on information gleaned from a San Diego phone book that listed language and flight schools.  Mohammed also recommended that the two seek assistance from the local Muslim community, since neither spoke English nor had experience with Western culture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/staff_statement_16.pdf |title=Outline of the 9/11 Plot, Staff Statement No. 16 |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |year=2004 |page=5 |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005014507/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/staff_statement_16.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-05 |url-status=live }}</ref>

While in San Diego, witnesses told the FBI he and al-Hazmi had a close relationship with [[Anwar Al Awlaki]], an imam who served as their spiritual advisor.<ref>[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sandiego/access/404461061.html?dids=404461061:404461061&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Sep+11%2C+2003&author=Toby+Eckert+and+Marcus+Stern&pub=The+San+Diego+Union+-+Tribune&desc=9%2F11+investigators+baffled+FBI+cleared+3+ex-San+Diegans&pqatl=google Eckert, Toby, and Stern, Marcus, "9/11 investigators baffled FBI cleared 3 ex-San Diegans", ''The San Diego Union'', September 11, 2003, November 30, 2009]{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>  Authorities say the two regularly attended the [[Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami]] mosque al-Awlaki led in San Diego, and al-Awlaki had many closed-door meetings with them, which led investigators to believe al-Awlaki knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance.
[[File:Anwar al-Awlaki sitting on couch, lightened.jpg|thumb|160px|left|[[Anwar al-Awlaki]] in [[Yemen]], 2008]]
In early February 2000, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi rented an apartment at the Parkwood Apartments complex in the [[Clairemont, San Diego, California|Clairemont Mesa]] area of San Diego, and al-Mihdhar purchased a used 1988 [[Toyota Corolla]].<ref>FBI Hijackers' Timeline, pp. 54–55</ref>  Neighbors thought that al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were odd because months passed without the men getting any furniture, and they slept on mattresses on the floor, yet they carried briefcases, were frequently on their mobile phones, and were occasionally picked up by a limousine.<ref name="inside911">Aust (2002), pp. 17–18</ref> Those who met al-Mihdhar in San Diego described him as "dark and brooding, with a disdain for American culture".<ref>Fouda and Fielding (2003), p. 136</ref>  Neighbors also said that the pair constantly played [[flight simulator]] games.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101010924/wplot.html |title=The New Breed of Terrorist |author=McGeary, Johanna |author2=David Van Biema |work=TIME Magazine |date=2001-09-24 |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930184522/http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101010924/wplot.html |archive-date=2008-09-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi took [[Flight training|flight lessons]] on 5 May 2000, at the Sorbi Flying Club in San Diego, with al-Mihdhar flying an aircraft for 42 minutes. They took additional lessons on 10 May;<ref>FBI Hijackers' Timeline, pp. 63–64</ref> however, with poor English skills, they did not do well with flight lessons.  Al-Mihdhar and Al-Hazmi raised some suspicion when they offered extra money to their flight instructor, Rick Garza, if he would train them to fly jets. Garza refused the offer but did not report them to authorities.<ref name="inside911"/>  After the 9/11 attacks, Garza described the two men as "impatient students" who "wanted to learn to fly jets, specifically Boeings".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/oct/07/terrorism.afghanistan3 |title=Saudi hijacker 'was key link to bin Laden' |work=The Observer |author=Helmore, Edward |author2=Ed Vulliamy |date=2001-10-07 |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227223026/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/oct/07/terrorism.afghanistan3 |archive-date=2009-02-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Return to Yemen===
Al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi moved out of the Parkwood Apartments at the end of May 2000, and al-Mihdhar transferred registration for the Toyota Corolla to al-Hazmi.<ref>FBI Hijackers' Timeline, p. 67</ref>  On 10 June 2000, al-Mihdhar left the United States and returned to Yemen to visit his wife, against the wishes of Mohammed who wanted him to remain in the United States to help al-Hazmi adapt.<ref>9/11 and Terror Travel, p. 11</ref><ref name="ksm">[[s:Substitution for the Testimony of KSM|Substitution for the Testimony of KSM]] at the trial of [[Zacarias Moussaoui]]</ref>  Mohammed was so angered by this that he decided to remove al-Mihdhar from the 9/11 plot, but he was overruled by bin Laden. Al-Mihdhar remained part of the plot as a muscle hijacker, who would help take over the aircraft.<ref name="911-ch7-2">9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 7.2 – The Attack Looms, First Arrivals in California, pp. 215–222</ref>  On 12 October 2000, the [[USS Cole (DDG-67)|USS ''Cole'']] was bombed by a small boat loaded with explosives. After the bombing, [[Prime Minister of Yemen|Yemeni Prime Minister]] [[Abdul Karim al-Iryani]] reported that al-Mihdhar had been one of the key planners of the attack and had been in the country at the time of the attacks.<ref>Smith (2005), p. 60</ref>  In late 2000, al-Mihdhar was back in Saudi Arabia, staying with a cousin in Mecca.<ref name="911-ch7-2"/>

==2001==
In February 2001, al-Mihdhar returned to Afghanistan for several months, possibly entering across the [[Afghanistan–Iran border|Iranian border]] after a flight from [[Syria]].<ref name="911-ch7-3"/> FBI director [[Robert Mueller]] later stated his belief that al-Mihdhar served as the coordinator and organizer for the muscle hijackers.  He was the last of the muscle hijackers to return to the United States.<ref>{{cite news |title=2 hijackers' roles in organizing 9/11 plot revealed |author=Simpson, Cam |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=2002-09-27}}</ref>  On 10 June, he returned to Saudi Arabia for a month, where he applied to re-enter the United States through the Visa Express program, indicating that he intended to stay at a [[Marriott International|Marriott hotel]] in New York City.<ref name="911-ch7-3">9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 7.3 – The Attack Looms, Assembling the Teams, pp. 231–240</ref>  On his visa application, al-Mihdhar falsely stated that he had never previously traveled to the United States.<ref>9/11 and Terror Travel, pp. 24–25</ref>

On 4 July, al-Mihdhar returned to the United States, arriving at New York City's [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]],<ref name="911-ch7-3"/> using a new passport obtained the previous month.<ref>9/11 and Terror Travel, p. 27</ref>  A digital copy of one of al-Mihdhar's passports was later recovered during a search of an [[al-Qaeda safe house]] in Afghanistan, which held indicators, such as fake or altered passport stamps, that al-Mihdhar was a member of a known terrorist group.<ref>9/11 and Terror Travel, p. 42</ref>  At the time when al-Mihdhar was admitted to the United States, immigration inspectors had not been trained to look for such indicators.  Upon arriving, al-Mihdhar did not check into the Marriott but instead spent a night at another hotel in the city.<ref name="911-ch7-3"/>

Al-Mihdhar bought a [[Identity document forgery|fake ID]] on 10 July from All Services Plus in [[Passaic County, New Jersey]], which was in the business of selling counterfeit documents, including another ID to [[American Airlines Flight 11|Flight 11]] hijacker [[Abdulaziz al-Omari]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E0DD1E3FF93BA35750C0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=A Plea Deal, Then Freedom, in Terror Case Where Prosecutors Kept Evidence a Secret |author=Miller, Jonathan |date=2003-03-08 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629111030/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E0DD1E3FF93BA35750C0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |archive-date=2012-06-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  On 1 August, al-Mihdhar and fellow Flight 77 hijacker [[Hani Hanjour]] drove to [[Virginia]] in order to obtain driver's licenses.  Once they arrived, they scouted out a [[7-Eleven]] convenience store and a dollar store in [[Falls Church, Virginia|Falls Church]], and found two [[El Salvador|Salvadoran]] immigrants who, for $50 each, were willing to vouch for al-Mihdhar and Hanjour as being Virginian residents.  With notarized residency forms, al-Mihdhar and Hanjour were able to obtain driver's licenses at a Virginian motor vehicle office. Flight 77 hijackers [[Salem al-Hazmi]] and [[Majed Moqed]], and [[United Airlines Flight 93]] hijacker [[Ziad Jarrah]] used the same addresses obtained from the Salvadorans to obtain Virginian driver's licenses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps42475/80452.pdf |title=Risk to Homeland Security from Identity Fraud and Identity Theft |work=Testimony before the House Committee on the Judiciary |date=2002-06-25 |publisher=Government Printing Office |page=7 |access-date=2008-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012014855/http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps42475/80452.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-12 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>9/11 and Terror Travel, p. 29</ref>

In August 2001, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi made several visits to the library at [[William Paterson University]] in [[Wayne, New Jersey]], where they used computers to look up travel information and book flights.<ref>{{cite news |title=9/11 pair used state college to buy airfare  |author=Cohen, Robert and Kelly Heyboer |publisher=Star-Ledger (Newark) |date=2005-04-29}}</ref>  On 22 August, al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi tried to purchase flight tickets from the American Airlines online ticket-merchant, but had technical difficulties and gave up.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/092602mueller.html |title=Statement of Robert S. Mueller: Joint Investigation Into September 11 |date=2002-09-26 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists (FAS) |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205025548/http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/092602mueller.html |archive-date=2008-12-05 |url-status=live }}</ref>  Al-Mihdhar and Moqed were able to make flight reservations for Flight 77 on 25 August, using Moqed's credit card; however, the transaction did not fully go through because the billing address and the shipment address for the tickets did not match.<ref>FBI Hijackers' Timeline, p. 235</ref>

On 31 August, al-Mihdhar closed an account at [[TD Banknorth|Hudson United Bank]] in New Jersey, having opened the account when he arrived in July, and was with Hanjour when he made a withdrawal from an ATM in [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]] on 1 September.  The next day, al-Mihdhar, Moqed and Hanjour traveled to [[Maryland]], where they stayed at budget motels in [[Laurel, Maryland|Laurel]].  Al-Mihdhar was among the muscle hijackers who worked out at a [[Gold's Gym]] in [[Greenbelt, Maryland|Greenbelt]] in early September.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/2001/sep/19/dulles-hijackers-made-maryland-their-base/ |title=Dulles Hijackers Made Maryland Their Base |author=Masters, Brook A. |date=2001-09-19 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201001183047/https://www.webcitation.org/5bRH6tam9?url=http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/2001/sep/19/dulles-hijackers-made-maryland-their-base/ |archive-date=2020-10-01 |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="FBI Hijackers">FBI Hijackers' Timeline, p. 255</ref>  On 5 September, al-Mihdhar and Moqed went to the American Airlines ticket counter at [[Baltimore-Washington International Airport]] to pick up their tickets for Flight 77, paying $2,300 in cash.<ref name="FBI Hijackers"/>

===Intelligence leads===
Despite knowledge of his entry into the United States for over a year, al-Mihdhar was not placed on a CIA watchlist until August 21, 2001, and a note was sent on August 23 to the [[United States Department of State|Department of State]] and the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service]] (INS) suggesting that al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi be added to their watchlists. The [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) was not notified about the two men.<ref name="smith">{{cite news |title=A History of Missed Connections |author=Smith, R. Jeffrey |date=2003-07-25 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/07/25/a-history-of-missed-connections/03465f5e-f2f5-49b7-8964-3b847e0a7c5a/ |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-date=23 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223225336/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/07/25/a-history-of-missed-connections/03465f5e-f2f5-49b7-8964-3b847e0a7c5a/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On August 23, the CIA informed the FBI that al-Mihdhar had obtained a U.S. visa in Jeddah. The FBI headquarters received a copy of the Visa Express application from the Jeddah embassy on August 24, showing the New York Marriott as al-Mihdhar's destination.<ref name="rolince"/>  On 23 August, the [[Mossad]] gave al-Mihdhar's name to the CIA as one of 19 belonging to US residents they suspected would imminently attack the country; only four of these names are known publicly, the others belonging to fellow 9/11 hijackers Mohamed Atta, Nawaf al-Hazmi, and Marwan al-Shehhi. It is not known if the list contained the names of all the 9/11 hijackers or if it were only coincidence that the list had as many names as there were hijackers in the 9/11 attacks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a082301mossad |others=August 23, 2001: Mossad Reportedly Gives CIA List of Terrorist Living in US; at Least Four 9/11 Hijackers Named |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930031428/http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a082301mossad |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |title=Context of 'August 23, 2001: Mossad Reportedly Gives CIA List of Terrorist Living in US; at Least Four 9/11 Hijackers Named' |work=History Commons}}</ref>

On 28 August, the FBI New York field office requested that a criminal case be opened to determine whether al-Mihdhar was still in the United States, but the request was refused.<ref name="hill">{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/092002hill.html |title=The Intelligence Community's Knowledge of the September 11 Hijackers Prior to September 11, 2001 |author=Hill, Eleanor |work=Joint Inquiry into the Events of September 11, 2001 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists (FAS) |date=2002-09-20 |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010233211/http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/092002hill.html |archive-date=2008-10-10 |url-status=live }}</ref> The FBI ended up treating al-Mihdhar as an intelligence case, which meant that the FBI's criminal investigators could not work on the case, due to the barrier separating intelligence and criminal case operations.  An agent in the New York office sent an e-mail to FBI headquarters saying, "Whatever has happened to this, someday someone will die, and the public will not understand why we were not more effective and throwing every resource we had at certain 'problems.'"  The reply from headquarters was, "we [at headquarters] are all frustrated with this issue ... [t]hese are the rules. [[National Security Law Unit|NSLU]] does not make them up."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/092002fbi.html |title=Prepared Statement of a New York Special Agent |work=Joint Inquiry into the Events of September 11, 2001 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists (FAS) |date=2002-09-20 |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014003935/http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2002_hr/092002fbi.html |archive-date=2008-10-14 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The FBI contacted Marriott on 30 August, requesting that they check guest records, and on September 5, they reported that no Marriott hotels had any record of al-Mihdhar checking in.<ref name="rolince">{{cite web |url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/joint-inquiry-into-events-of-september-11-2001 |title=Testimony of Michael E. Rolince |work=Joint Inquiry into the Events of September 11, 2001 |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation |date=2002-09-20 |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112151633/http://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/joint-inquiry-into-events-of-september-11-2001 |archive-date=2011-01-12 |url-status=live }}</ref>  The day before the attacks, [[Robert Fuller (FBI)|Robert Fuller]] of the New York office requested that the Los Angeles FBI office check all local [[Sheraton Hotels and Resorts|Sheraton Hotel]]s,<ref name="rolince"/> as well as [[Lufthansa]] and [[United Airlines]] bookings, because those were the two airlines al-Mihdhar had used to enter the country.<ref name="hill"/>  Neither the [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury Department]]'s [[Financial Crimes Enforcement Network]] nor the FBI's Financial Review Group, which have access to credit card and other private financial records, were notified about al-Mihdhar prior to 11 September.<ref name="smith"/>

Regarding the CIA's refusal to inform the FBI about al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi, author [[Lawrence Wright]] suggests the CIA wanted to protect its turf and was concerned about giving sensitive intelligence to FBI Agent [[John P. O'Neill]], whom Alec Station chief [[Michael Scheuer]] described as duplicitous. Wright also speculates that the CIA may have been protecting intelligence operations overseas, and might have been eying al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi as recruitment targets to obtain intelligence on al-Qaeda, although the CIA was not authorized to operate in the United States and might have been leaving them for Saudi intelligence to recruit.<ref name="soufan"/><ref name="wright2">Wright (2006), pp. 310–315</ref>

==9/11 attacks==
{{main|American Airlines Flight 77}}
[[Image:DM-SD-02-03886.JPEG|thumb|right|The Pentagon, minutes after American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into it]]
On 10 September 2001, al-Mihdhar and the other hijackers checked into the [[Marriott International|Marriott Residence Inn]] in [[Herndon, Virginia]], near [[Washington Dulles International Airport]].<ref>FBI Hijackers' Timeline, p. 284</ref> [[Saleh Ibn Abdul Rahman Hussayen]], a prominent Saudi Arabian government official, was staying at the same hotel that night, although there is no evidence that they met or knew of each other's presence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A31402-2003Oct1?language=printer |title=Spreading Saudi Fundamentalism in U.S. |date=2003-10-02 |newspaper=The Washington Post |author=Schmidt, Susan |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224024342/http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A31402-2003Oct1?language=printer |archive-date=2011-02-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

At 6:22&nbsp;a.m. on 11 September 2001, the group checked out of the hotel and headed to Dulles airport.<ref>FBI Hijackers' Timeline, p. 290</ref>  At 7:15&nbsp;a.m., al-Mihdhar and Moqed checked in at the American Airlines ticket counter<ref name="911-ch1">9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 1.1 (2004), pp. 1–13</ref> and arrived at the passenger security checkpoint at 7:20&nbsp;a.m.<ref>FBI Hijackers' Timeline, p. 288</ref> Both men set off the [[Metal detector#Security screening|metal detector]] and were put through secondary screening.  Security video footage later released shows that Moqed was [[Security wand|wanded]], but the screener did not identify what set off the alarm, and both Moqed and al-Mihdhar were able to proceed without further hindrance.<ref name="dullesvideo">{{cite episode|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0407/21/acd.01.html |title=New Video of 9/11 hijackers at Dulles Airport before attacks |series=Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees |network=CNN |airdate=2004-07-21 |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005113444/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0407/21/acd.01.html |archive-date=2008-10-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="staff3">{{cite web |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/staff_statement_3.pdf |title=The Aviation Security System and the 9/11 Attacks – Staff Statement No. 3 |work=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |page=9 |access-date=2008-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528201527/http://www.9-11commission.gov/staff_statements/staff_statement_3.pdf |archive-date=2008-05-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Al-Mihdhar was also selected by the [[Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System]] (CAPPS), which involved extra screening of his luggage; however, because al-Mihdhar did not check any luggage, this had no effect.<ref name="four">{{cite web|url=https://www.archives.gov/legislative/research/9-11/staff-report-sept2005.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306021319/http://www.archives.gov/legislative/research/9-11/staff-report-sept2005.pdf |archive-date=2008-03-06 |title=Staff Monograph on the "Four Flights and Civil Aviation Security" |date=September 2005 |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |pages=27–29 |access-date=2008-08-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  By 7:50&nbsp;a.m., al-Mihdhar and the other hijackers, carrying knives and box cutters, had made it through the airport security checkpoint and boarded Flight&nbsp;77 to Los Angeles. Al-Mihdhar was seated in seat 12B, next to Moqed.<ref name="911-ch1"/>

The flight was scheduled to depart from Gate D26 at 8:10&nbsp;a.m. but was delayed by 10 minutes.<ref name="four"/>  The last routine radio communication from the plane to [[air traffic control]] occurred at 8:50:51&nbsp;a.m.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gregor |first=Joseph A. |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/info/ATC_%20Report_AA77.pdf |title=ATC Report American Airlines Flight 77 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=2001-12-21 |page=13 |access-date=2008-06-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409092934/https://www.ntsb.gov/info/ATC_%20Report_AA77.pdf |archive-date=April 9, 2008 }}</ref> At 8:54&nbsp;a.m., Flight&nbsp;77 deviated from its assigned flight path and began to turn south,<ref name="911-ch1"/> at which point the hijackers set the flight's [[autopilot]] setting for Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/info/autopilot_AA77_UA93_study.pdf |title=Study of Autopilot, Navigation Equipment, and Fuel Consumption Activity Based on United Airlines Flight&nbsp;93 and American Airlines Flight&nbsp;77 Digital Flight Data Recorder Information |last=O'Callaghan |first=John |author2=Bower, Daniel |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |page=6 |date=2002-02-13 |access-date=2008-06-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409092923/https://www.ntsb.gov/info/autopilot_AA77_UA93_study.pdf |archive-date=April 9, 2008 }}</ref> Passenger [[Barbara Olson]] called her husband, [[United States Solicitor General]] [[Theodore Olson|Ted Olson]] (whose 61st birthday was on that day), and reported that the plane had been hijacked.<ref name="911-ch1"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson |first=Glen |url=http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/planes_reconstruction.htm |title=Probe reconstructs horror, calculated attacks on planes |work=The Boston Globe |date=November 23, 2001|access-date=2008-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216072126/http://www.boston.com/news/packages/underattack/news/planes_reconstruction.htm |archive-date=2008-12-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> At 9:37:45 a.m, Flight 77 crashed into the west [[facade]] of [[the Pentagon]], killing all 64 people aboard, along with 125 in the Pentagon.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/Documents/AAL77_fdr.pdf |title=American Airlines Flight 77 FDR Report |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=2002-01-31 |page=2 |access-date=2008-06-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316175021/https://www.ntsb.gov/about/Documents/AAL77_fdr.pdf |archive-date=2015-03-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>  In the recovery process, remains of the five hijackers were identified through a [[process of elimination]], since their [[DNA]] did not match any from the victims, and put into the custody of the FBI.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/remains-of-9-sept-11-hijackers-held/ |title=Remains Of 9 Sept. 11 Hijackers Held |date=2002-08-17 |publisher=CBS News |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080930021707/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/17/attack/main519033.shtml |archive-date=2008-09-30 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Naming the Dead – Confronting the Realities of Rapid Identification of Degraded Skeletal Remains |author=Edson, S. M. |journal=Forensic Science Review |volume=16 |issue=1 |date=January 2004 |pages=64–90 |display-authors=etal |pmid=26256813}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
After the attacks, the identification of al-Mihdhar was one of the first links suggesting that bin Laden had played a role in their organization, since al-Mihdhar had been seen at the Malaysian conference speaking to bin Laden's associates.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/piece-by-piece-the-jigsaw-of-terror-revealed-9234643.html |last=Blackhurst |first=Chris |title=Piece by piece, the jigsaw of terror revealed |work=The Independent |date=2001-09-30 |access-date=2017-09-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510152137/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/piece-by-piece-the-jigsaw-of-terror-revealed-9234643.html |archive-date=2017-05-10 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Burns, Vincent |title=Terrorism: A Documentary and Reference Guide |year=2005 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=0-313-33213-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780313332135/page/139 139] |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780313332135/page/139 }}</ref>  The FBI interrogated Quso, who was arrested following the USS ''Cole'' bombing and in custody in Yemen.  Quso was able to identify al-Mihdhar, al-Hazmi and bin Attash in photos provided by the FBI, and he also knew [[Marwan al-Shehhi]], a hijacker aboard [[United Airlines Flight 175]].  From Quso, the FBI was able to establish an al-Qaeda link to the attacks.<ref>Wright (2006), pp. 362–637</ref>

On 12 September 2001, the Toyota Corolla purchased by al-Mihdhar was found in Dulles International Airport's hourly parking lot. Inside the vehicle, authorities found a letter written by [[Mohamed Atta]], a hijacker aboard [[American Airlines Flight 11]]; maps of Washington, D.C. and New York City; a cashier's check made out to a [[Phoenix, Arizona]], flight school; four drawings of a [[Boeing 757]] cockpit; a box cutter; and a page with notes and phone numbers, which contained evidence that led investigators to San Diego.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-27-mn-50544-story.html |title=Authorities' Dragnet Snags More Suspects |author=Meyer, Josh |author2=Eric Lichtblau |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2001-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520081248/http://articles.latimes.com/2001/sep/27/news/mn-50544 |archive-date=2011-05-20 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 19 September 2001, the [[Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation]] (FDIC) distributed a special alert that listed al-Mihdhar as still alive,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/inactivefinancial/2001/fil0179a.html |title=Inactive Financial Institution Letters |publisher=Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation |date=2001-09-19 |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005204707/http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/inactivefinancial/2001/fil0179a.html |archive-date=2008-10-05 |url-status=live }}</ref> and other reports began suggesting that a number of the alleged hijackers were likewise still alive. For instance, on September 23, 2001, the [[BBC News|BBC]] published an article that suggested al-Mihdhar and others named as hijackers were still at large.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm |work=BBC News |title=Hijack 'suspects' alive and well |date=23 September 2001|access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929150134/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm |archive-date=2008-09-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  The German magazine ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' later investigated the BBC's claims of "living" hijackers and reported they were cases of mistaken identities.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,265160-2,00.html |author=Cziesche, Dominik |title=Panoply of the Absurd |magazine=Der Spiegel |date=2003-09-08 |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015063544/http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,265160-2,00.html |archive-date=2008-10-15 |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2002, Saudi Arabian officials stated that the names of the hijackers were correct and that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi Arabian.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/02/06/saudi.htm |title=Official: 15 of 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudi |newspaper=USA Today |date=2002-02-06 |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929205512/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/02/06/saudi.htm |archive-date=2008-09-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  In 2006, in response to [[9/11 conspiracy theories]] surrounding its original news story, the BBC said that confusion had arisen with the common Arabic names, and that its later reports on the hijackers superseded its original story.<ref name="hermann">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2006/10/911_conspiracy_theory_1.html |title=9/11 conspiracy theory |author=Hermann, Steve |date=2006-10-27 |work=BBC News |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927014325/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2006/10/911_conspiracy_theory_1.html |archive-date=2008-09-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2005, [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] [[Lieutenant Colonel|Lt. Col.]] [[Anthony Shaffer (intelligence officer)|Anthony Shaffer]] and [[Member of Congress#Bicameral legislature|Congressman]] [[Curt Weldon]] alleged that the [[United States Department of Defense|Defense Department]] [[data mining]] project [[Able Danger]] identified al-Mihdhar, al-Hazmi, al-Shehri, and Atta as members of a [[Brooklyn]]-based al-Qaeda [[Clandestine cell system|cell]] in early 2000.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/09/politics/09intel.html?scp=1&sq=Four%20in%209/11%20Plot%20Are%20Called%20Tied%20to%20Qaeda%20in%20%2700&st=cse |title=Four in 9/11 Plot Are Called Tied to Qaeda in '00 |author=Jehl, Douglas |date=2005-08-09 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704220219/http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9714.htm |archive-date=2008-07-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Shaffer largely based his allegations on the recollections of [[United States Navy|Navy]] [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] [[Scott Phillpott]],<ref name="wp-20050819">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/18/AR2005081801751.html |author=Eggen, Dan |title=Officer Says 2 Others Are Source of His Atta Claims |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2005-08-19 |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724132004/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/18/AR2005081801751.html |archive-date=2008-07-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  who later recanted his recollection, telling investigators that he was "convinced that Atta was not on the chart that we had".  Phillpott said that Shaffer was "relying on my recollection 100 percent", and the Defense Department Inspector General's report indicated that Philpott strongly supported the [[social network analysis]] techniques used in Able Danger, and might have exaggerated claims of identifying the hijackers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092101831.html |title=Hijackers Were Not Identified Before 9/11, Investigation Says |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2006-09-22 |author=White, Josh |access-date=2008-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106151245/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092101831.html |archive-date=2012-11-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="oig">{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/agency/dod/ig-abledanger.pdf |title=Office Inspector General's Report |publisher=Department of Defense |date=2006-09-18 |access-date=2008-09-29 |pages=17–22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820035023/http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dod/ig-abledanger.pdf |archive-date=2008-08-20 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Biography|Saudi Arabia}}
* [[Hijackers in the September 11 attacks]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite web |title=9/11 Commission Report |url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |year=2004 |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-date=8 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908191241/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report.pdf |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrTrav_App.pdf |title=9/11 and Terror Travel: Appendix |year=2004 |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-date=5 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005014508/http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/staff_statements/911_TerrTrav_App.pdf |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |author=Aust, Stefan |author2=Der Spiegel Magazine |others=Schnibben, Cordt |title=Inside 9-11: What Really Happened |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|MacMillan]] |year=2002 |isbn=0-312-98748-X |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/inside911whatrea00newy }}
* {{cite book |author=Burke, Jason |title=Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam |year=2004 |publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]]| isbn=1-85043-666-5}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |title=Hijackers' Timeline |author=Federal Bureau of Investigation |publisher=[[NEFA Foundation]] |date=2008-02-04 |access-date=2008-10-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012013300/http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/FeaturedDocs/FBI911Timeline.pdf |archive-date=2008-10-12 }}
* {{cite book |author=Fouda, Yosri |author2=Fielding, Nick |title=Masterminds of Terror: The Truth Behind the Most Devastating Terrorist Attack the World Has Ever Seen |publisher=[[Arcade Publishing|Arcade]] |year=2003 |isbn=1-55970-708-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/mastermindsofter00fawd }}
* {{cite book |author=McDermott, Terry |title=Perfect Soldiers: The Hijackers: Who They Were, Why They Did It |year=2005 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=0-06-058469-6}}
* {{cite book |author=Smith, Paul J. |title=Terrorism and Violence in Southeast Asia: Transnational Challenges to States and Regional Stability |year=2005 |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |isbn=0-7656-1433-2}}
* {{cite book |author=Wright, Lawrence |title=The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 |year=2006 |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |isbn=0-375-41486-X |url=https://archive.org/details/loomingtoweralqa00wrig }}

{{featured article}}

{{9-11 hijackers}}
{{AmericanTerrorism}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Midhar, Khalid}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:American Airlines Flight 77 hijackers]]
[[Category:Anwar al-Awlaki]]
[[Category:Bosnian mujahideen]]
[[Category:People from Mecca]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian al-Qaeda members]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian mass murderers]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian murderers of children]]